Rowdy & Kat (Crimson Guard MC #5)

KATARINA “KAT” DARVILLE

I couldn’t complain about my current life. I worked as a nurse at a colonoscopy clinic. My job wasn’t exciting, but the position left me comfortable. I shared a spacious townhouse with my twin sister. I had the money to travel twice a year with Mariana, who went by the name Maria.

Despite everything good in my adult life, my thoughts often returned to the time I spent attending high school in Little Memphis. I had been an insecure teenager, carrying twenty extra pounds and worrying over every pimple.

To make matters worse, I had a crush on a guy who seemed too cool to be in the same grade. Tall, leanly muscular, and beautiful, Roy “Rowdy” Reed had oozed sex appeal. I was dumbstruck by the bad boy. No other guy could compete.

For most of my life, the only person I trusted was Maria. My childhood had been rife with emotional chaos. My main goal was to reach adulthood with my sanity intact.

Except Rowdy felt like a temptation I couldn’t deny.

When he smiled at me, I got it in my head to ask him to go with me to the Winter Formal.

The idea was insane! Maria warned me that wild students like Rowdy didn’t attend school dances.

He was bound to say no, yet I still worked up the courage to walk up to him and ask.

And the sexy bastard laughed in my face!

I had hurried away before Rowdy finished chuckling. I hoped he would forget I even asked. Instead, he chose to bully me every day afterward. Rowdy followed me around the hallways, tugging at my blonde hair and stealing my books.

Later that year, my third mother decided parenting was too much for her to handle. She sent Maria and me to live with her mother in Little Rock. I left without telling my bully crush goodbye.

In Little Rock, our grandmother showed little interest in parenting. Maria and I took care of each other. We kept to ourselves with only the most casual friends and zero dating.

After high school, we attended the same college. I was able to lose my extra weight with the help of Taekwondo classes. Though I built a comfortable life for myself, I could never forget the sexy boy from Little Memphis.

Then, last spring, something primal came over me. Maria had gone on a weekend getaway with a doctor she was dating. I feared they would become serious, and she would leave me. All those worries spurred me to behave impulsively.

“I have an itch that must be scratched,” I warned Maria during her vacation.

“Promise you won’t do anything until I get back.”

“I have to be reckless now, or I’ll always regret it.”

After arriving in Little Memphis, I had nearly chickened out rather than enter a bar called Fire Hooch.

The flashing pinup girl above the front door made me feel lame.

I was a simple woman living a safe life while the women entering ahead of me were tough chicks.

They wore biker vests and guns on their hips.

Shuffling along behind them, I was ready to flee back to Little Rock.

Instead, I forced my ass into the bar. My fantasy was clear and obtainable. I would flirt with my high school crush/bully until he showed interest. Once he wanted me, I would laugh at him. We’d be equal. Only then could I move on and forget him.

The bar was busy with people drinking and dancing. The hum of chatter fought against the music playing from overhead speakers. I wasn’t familiar with the songs. The female bartender yelled over the music to ask what I wanted. I ordered a Jamaican rum punch.

I sipped my drink and casually peeked around the bar for Rowdy.

A local girl and I had remained in touch online.

She often shared gossip about people from our school.

I knew Rowdy had joined a motorcycle club like his dad.

His sisters rode with him, which didn’t surprise me.

Tallulah, Sabrina, and Vanessa had tough chick reputations.

Fire Hooch was the Crimson Guard Motorcycle Club’s main hangout. I wasn’t sure if Rowdy would be there tonight. I might need to come back for a few nights if I hoped to see him.

I was aware my plan had many problems. I didn’t know if Rowdy had a girlfriend. Even if he were single, what made me think he’d show any more interest in me now than he did in high school?

Still sipping my punch, I eyed the door and felt an incredible sadness come over me. I’d spent more than a decade feeding an obsession over a guy who had laughed at me. Why couldn’t I move on?

Just before I was ready to bail, the door opened, and several men walked inside. Each one was handsome in a rough, dangerous way. Only one of them left me breathless.

Rowdy Reed was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. No matter where I had traveled over the years, no one could compete with his good looks.

He was taller than in high school, well over six-two. His body was still leanly muscular, yet his shoulders were wider, and his ass had filled out nicely. His faded jeans, white T-shirt, and club vest showed off his every curve, leaving me overheated.

Rowdy’s brown hair had always been on the long side.

Tonight, it reached past his shoulders. His crooked smile warmed my heart, but his eyes were my favorite thing about him.

Icy blue pools that seemed to glow. When he leveled his gaze on me in high school, I’d been too dumbstruck to do more than babble nervously.

The same mind-numbing awe hit me when Rowdy’s gaze washed over the room, skimmed past me at the bar top, only to return and lock onto my face. In my head, I thought to play coy. Instead, I stared right at him as if I were under his spell.

Rowdy strutted over to me. The bastard couldn’t even walk like a normal man. His every movement exuded a cocky attitude.

“You look familiar,” he said as he leaned next to me and gestured for the bartender to bring him a beer. “Are you one of my sisters’ friends?”

My mouth went dry until I could barely mumble, “No.”

“We have met before, though.”

“No,” I stammered, nearly unable to lie.

Rowdy sized me up with his icy blue eyes and frowned. “I’ve seen you somewhere.”

“Maybe. I’ve visited Little Memphis from time to time.”

“But you don’t live here?”

“No.”

Rowdy watched me with a suspicious gaze. “What’s your name?”

“Katie,” I lied.

When Rowdy froze, I felt him pinpointing where he knew me. Instead of calling me out on my lies, he said, “I’m Rowdy.”

“Did your parents name you that?”

“Yes. They knew how I’d turn out.”

As I shared his grin, my heart slammed inside my chest. I hoped I didn’t look as scared as I felt.

“Are you here with anyone?” Rowdy asked, revealing a panty-wetting smile.

“No. I wanted a drink and heard this place was fun.”

Rowdy narrowed his eyes. “That seems unsafe.”

“It takes more than one drink to get me wasted. I’ll be able to drive to my hotel.”

“I wasn’t worried about your ability to drive,” he said and took a swig from his beer bottle.

I stared fascinated at his lips lingering on the rim and imagined them on my body.

Was that the real reason I wanted to see Rowdy again? Did I hope to win over this jerk like I couldn’t in high school? What happened to winding him up and laughing in his fucking face?

“I can get my sisters to trail you to your hotel when you’re done here,” Rowdy suggested. “Little Memphis can be dangerous.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Maybe you do. Are you even old enough to drink that?” Rowdy asked and gestured at the bartender. “Did you card this young lady?”

“Are you fucking serious?” I demanded before the bartender could respond.

Rowdy flashed a big smile. “A little, yeah, but mostly no.”

My temper fizzled once I knew he was teasing. Instead of anger, I felt sadness. Rowdy had teased me plenty in high school. Each time was a dagger in my heart.

“Don’t take my shit personally,” Rowdy insisted and slid an arm across my shoulders. “I’m only playing with you. No harm, no foul.”

“Why do you assume I don’t have a boyfriend?” I asked while glancing at his arm resting against me.

“I’m not assuming anything. I just don’t see him right now.”

“Do you often flirt with taken women?”

“Taken women? That sounds like old-fashioned tomfoolery,” he said and nudged me with his hip. “What makes you think I’m flirting with you? I’m only concerned for your safety.”

“The only person bothering me is you,” I spat out.

“Your lips say I’m a pain in the ass while your eyes say you want to sit on my face.” When I gasped at his wording, Rowdy laughed. “What, is that not what your eyes are saying?”

“I’m absolutely not interested,” I insisted, so proud of myself for saying the words.

“That’s too bad. You’re the best-looking chick in a place full of hot foxes. But I won’t chase someone who isn’t interested.”

Despite his words, Rowdy kept his arm around my shoulders and drank his beer. When I stared at him, he gestured around the bar.

“Which of these guys would inspire you to sit on his face? I could introduce you to the right fella.”

I looked around the bar and zeroed in on Rowdy’s cousin Clint Reed. ‘How about him?”

Rowdy smirked. “Too late. He’s gotten himself locked down with a tiny woman. They’re getting hitched soon. Anyone else?”

I gestured at a guy with shaggy brown hair sitting with a group of women. “How about him?”

“Farley’s clingy. You don’t need that in your life.”

Every time I pointed at a man, Rowdy shot down the idea.

“Well, I guess I’m stuck with you, then.”

“Poor thing,” Rowdy said and nuzzled my cheek. “You really are the prettiest chick I’ve seen in a very long time. You’re also damn familiar.”

I felt myself at a crossroads. Rowdy was clearly interested, just like I had been as a teenager. I could laugh in his face and walk away. Or I could give myself what I had been craving for more than a decade. The choice was almost too obvious.

That’s why I had kissed Rowdy Reed.

And why I was now eight months pregnant with his twins.

Settling into the hospital room a week before my scheduled C-section, I gripped Maria’s hand. My sister smiled reassuringly. We had attended Lamaze classes together. She stayed at my side during the entire pregnancy.

“I should have told Rowdy,” I mumbled to my sister. “He’s going to miss out on their births.”

“You said he wouldn’t be supportive.”

“He probably won’t be, but I’m panicked about how I didn’t tell him. We were never together in a real way. I was afraid for him to reject me again, so I rejected him first. But now I feel guilty.”

“You need to focus on your breathing and staying calm.”

The contractions had started an hour ago. My doctor instructed us to go to the hospital to be monitored. My sons might be born tonight, with their father a hundred miles away.

Maria stared into my teary gaze for a long minute before reaching for my phone. She texted an extremely lengthy message. I kept waiting for her to hit send. When she finally did, though, I nearly burst into tears.

Setting my phone on the tray, Maria promised, “Problem solved.”

As much as I adored my sister and appreciated her help, we both knew she had opened the door to a whole new set of problems.