Chapter 6 #2
She tapped the screen.
Yes. You?
Fine. Go home, Detective. Get some sleep.
I’m pissed I didn’t identify the dealer.
You’ll get him. I have no doubt.
She felt a flush in her cheeks.
Well, thanks for the unasked-for assistance.
I never ask permission, Detective.
No, he was a man who simply took what he wanted.
Yes, yes, you’re a badass. We all know.
You’re asking for trouble, Brynn.
She bit her lip. Did she want trouble?
And the more important question, could she keep away from him?
Good night, Vander.
Night, Brynn. Sleep well.
* * *
The next morning, Vander gunned his bike, zipping through traffic as he headed for the Bay Bridge.
His hands flexed on the handlebars.
He shouldn’t be heading to the Iron Wanderers clubhouse and garage. He should be at his office. He had a hundred jobs waiting for him.
But he wanted to see Brynn.
Last night, he’d watched her shimmy up the drainpipe and creep across the roof. She was good.
Lying beside her…
He’d liked it way too much.
He knew she didn’t fully accept the way he operated, but he also knew she understood that sometimes it was necessary.
It made sense now why she’d had such a knee-jerk reaction.
Her father had died because someone he trusted had broken the law.
And Brynn was trying to live up to her father’s legacy. He admired that.
Vander frowned under his helmet. He should stay away. She was Hunt’s cousin; a cop. They were both good reasons to steer clear.
But that hadn’t stopped him stroking his cock this morning while thinking about her. Detective Brynn Sullivan naked, wet, and hungry. She’d be an active participant in bed. She wouldn’t let him lead all the time. Wouldn’t let him have absolute control.
His cock throbbed.
Shit . He shifted on the bike.
He was just checking on her. That was it. Check in, let Trucker, Grill, and the Wanderers see him. Make sure they remembered she had his protection.
That was it. This was mainly for Hunt’s benefit.
Vander pulled up outside the garage, and kicked the kickstand down. It was a warm day, so he wasn’t wearing a jacket. He took a second to roll up his shirt sleeves.
Rock music was pumping from somewhere in the garage.
Silently, he walked inside. He took a second to appreciate the cooler temperature in the shadowed building. A pulled-apart bike sat in the first bay.
He heard voices and walked to the next one.
“Babe, we’d have a good time,” a deep voice said.
He saw Brynn with a tall biker with long, shaggy hair.
The man wore loose jeans and a white T-shirt.
Today, Brynn was in another pair of tiny damn shorts, topped with a tight, black tank.
Her brown hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun.
A red bandanna was tucked into the back pocket of her shorts.
“No doubt, dude,” she drawled. “But you need to back up. I have work to do on your bike.”
“I like these sexy legs of yours. I want them in the air while I fuck you.”
Rage began a slow crawl through Vander’s chest.
The biker moved suddenly, pinning Brynn to the bike. “I want to fuck you right here.” He shoved one hand between her legs while the other roughly grabbed her breast.
“ Hey .” There was outrage on her face, but no fear.
Still, the asshole outweighed her by a hundred pounds. As she struggled, he kept her pinned, groping.
“Women love my cock, babe. You’ll like it.”
“I said no, asshole. Let me go, and then I won’t brain you with a wrench.”
“I love when chicks play hard to get.”
“I warned you.” She swung a wrench up, catching his arm.
With a yelp, the biker stepped back.
“Bitch.” He slapped her, the sound echoing in the space. “No one says no to me.”
A red haze filled Vander’s vision. He strode across the space.
Brynn saw him, and her eyes widened. “Vander—”
He dragged the guy off her. There was blood at the corner of her mouth.
Vander rammed his fist into the biker’s gut. He methodically punched the man, over and over—gut, jaw, solar plexus. The man roared, and tried to hit back.
“You like attacking women?” Vander asked icily.
He punched the biker again, and the guy went down on one knee.
“Come on,” Vander taunted. “It’s easy to hit a woman smaller than you, but not so easy when you’re facing me.”
The biker heaved himself up and swung clumsily.
Vander punched the guy in the side and felt ribs crack. The man groaned.
“Vander, I’m okay,” Brynn said.
Her voice was steady, calm. Of course, getting groped and hit by a giant biker wouldn’t faze Detective Brynn Sullivan.
He met her gaze. She looked composed, cautious.
She held out a hand. “Vander—”
He looked away and landed another brutal punch to her attacker’s face. The biker fell backward and landed heavily on the dirty floor.
“If I hear that you’ve attacked or touched any woman when she said no, I’ll find you. And this will seem like fun.” Vander grabbed Brynn’s hand and pulled her outside.
“Vander—”
He didn’t respond, barely processing her voice. He gripped her waist and lifted her to sit sideways on his bike.
She released a shaky breath. “The look on your face is downright scary. You look like you want to keep pummeling that guy.”
“Don’t tempt me.” He gripped her jaw with a gentle hand, then wiped the blood away. She sucked in a breath, and he stroked her cheekbone.
“It’s fine,” she said quietly. “It doesn’t feel too bad. I’ve been clocked before. This seems fine.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He couldn’t stop himself from brushing his fingers over her skin. Her chest hitched.
“He wanted to hurt you worse than this.”
“And I would’ve stopped him.” She reached up and gripped Vander’s wrist. “I’m okay.”
His fingers tightened on her. “I’ve seen men do horrible things. Overseas. The torture. The rape houses.” His muscles clenched tight. “And it’s not just over there. Bad stuff happens here, as well. I know it. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
Her hands tightened on his wrist. “Vander, come back to me.”
“Vowed to make sure my mother, my sister, my friends… None of them would ever be at risk. Promised to keep them safe.”
“Oh, Vander. I’m okay.” She slid off the bike and kissed him.
He was swamped by emotion. He fought every day to keep his emotions in check. When he felt too much, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect those he cared about.
But even with that on his mind, he sank into the kiss, pulling her closer.
This woman…
She was dangerous to him.
A risk a man like him couldn’t afford to take.
He pulled back, and liked that her breathing was as fast and unsteady as his.
“Vander…”
The tender way she said his name made his spine stiffen. “I think about you all the time.”
She jolted, something flashing in those light-blue, crystal eyes. “I think about you, too.”
“I don’t want to. And I won’t get entangled with you. I don’t want your tangles, complications, or consequences.”
Hurt flared before she hid it. “I thought you were a man who didn’t worry about consequences.”
“No, I’m the opposite. I’ve been well-trained by our government to assess the risk and eliminate the consequences.”
“You’re attracted to me,” she whispered. “You want me.”
He stayed silent.
“And I want you.”
Fuck . His hands clenched on her. He couldn’t risk her. What she could unleash in him…
He liked his world just as it was, but Brynn Sullivan would tear it wide open. She’d demand things, would stir things that were best left hidden.
“No. We’re not doing this.”
Her eyes sparked. “I never took you for a coward.”
So many competing urges rose inside of Vander, threatening to swamp him.
“Norcross?” Trucker’s gruff voice.
Vander stepped back and glanced over his shoulder. He spotted the biker on the sidewalk.
“Trucker, if that asshole in there touches her again, I’ll kill him.”
Trucker crossed his tattooed arms. “He’s still groaning on the floor. Pretty sure he’ll think twice before he breathes Bry’s air again. We’ll take care of it.”
“Good.”
Brynn glared up at Vander, then strode past him, purposely brushing his body with hers. She disappeared into the garage.
It took all of his self-control to pull his helmet on, climb on his bike, and ride away.