Leaning against the wall and clutching the pool cue waiting for Jay to take his shot, I downed the last of my beer. She glanced at me every once in a while but didn’t linger. I didn’t blame her. Shit was a little off after what went down in the store.

  My girl was busy handing off a couple of beers, leaning over to grab the cash and flashing her cleavage. The shirt she wore was a little low-cut, but that was the whole point. She did everything she could to get some extra tips, which I could respect, except it made my blood boil in a dangerous way. Took all my power not to snatch her out from behind the bar, drag her to the apartments the club had on-property and fuck her silly.

  Finishing off the beer, I was ready to get another, pushing myself off the wall and taking a wide step forward, when she slipped out from behind it to pick up empties. I paused, waiting with my heart in my throat.

  Grab her ass.

  Nah. Pull her close. She likes that.

  No, no, no. Even better. When she gets close enough, grab her and whisper what I wanna do.

  Yeah…yeah, that’s what I’ll—

  My thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when I spotted something I kind of hated myself for missing. Rocky’s ex, Asshole, was there, slipping in at some point and remaining invisible until that moment.

  I wasn’t really surprised, a shitload of people not in the club liked to come to the weekend parties. No one cared so long as they pumped money into the bar, but that prick was something else.

  Asshole was busy with a suck-you-bye, the chick clinging to him with her fake tits right in his face, and he seemed to love it. Fair enough. They were okay. Then it happened.

  I could’ve sworn the temperature dropped ten degrees when they spotted each other, and I knew I had to get closer. Shit was about to go down, one way or another.

  She tried to ignore him, tried to shimmy by so she didn’t have to deal with him, but Asshole shot to his feet and grabbed her. I’d never made it through a crowd that fast before.

  I reached the two in a split second, standing over the guy, who barely reached my chin. He spun to look at me, his face twisted up in a grimace.

  “The fuck you want?” he barked in some weak attempt to sound tough.

  “There a problem, Rock?” I asked, keeping my gaze locked to Asshole.

  “This is between us.” He scowled.

  I scoffed. “I don’t think so, man.” Grabbing his wrist, I peeled each and every finger off her biceps, doing my best to keep from breaking all of them. And Christ, I had to try hard.

  Dude was pissed, obviously drunk and seemed to think picking a fight with me was a good idea.

  “You fucking my wife?”

  No build-up. He just went right for it.

  I cocked a brow, not bothering to answer him.

  “That’s it, isn’t it?” His voice got a little louder until he yelled. “You’re fucking my wife!”

  The music was loud, but it did nothing to keep the people surrounding us from hearing Asshole shouting like a fucking toddler. I didn’t know what the hell he was trying to achieve. Guy seemed to think I was just another peckerhead. My fault, really. I hadn’t donned my cut since release, too worried my PO was going to ship me back to prison for wearing ‘gang colors’.

  “Ex!” Rocky yelled as though she’d had enough of repeating the word. Asshole spun to face her. “And don’t act like you give a shit. You’ve been balls deep in half the fucking town since we got married.”

  The crowd’s attention shifted to the three of us. It was human nature, the love of some good drama.

  “So if I wanna fuck Ray on the Super Bowl fifty-yard line, I fucking will.”

  The back of my neck prickled with the memory and, smart or not, I didn’t bother keeping my mouth shut.

  “We’ve actually fucked on a fifty-yard line before,” I said, smiling at the memory.

  It’d been in the middle of the night and the field abandoned, but being out in the open had been pretty fun. Something about her riding me when there was nowhere to hide and the rent-a-cop could’ve caught us was pretty hot.

  “Didn’t waste any time, did you?”

  “He’s my ex, you dumb shit,” she said, pointing right at me. “He’s the one I dated before you, the one who went to prison.”

  Asshole’s expression shifted. While he might not have known me by name, it looked like she’d given him the basic strokes of our relationship. But it didn’t take him long to rebound from the shock.

  “Oh, yeah?” He turned his gaze back to her. “Really moving on up there, are you? Going right back to some loser.”

  I saw it the moment it happened. Rocky was done with his shit, and it was written across her face. Whatever had been there keeping her tame was gone, and it delighted the hell out of me.

  “Exactly,” she said.

  Whipping around, she grabbed me by the back of the neck and brought me right down into a kiss.

  For a breath, that’d been the extent of it, our lips smashed together, but I had to take my chance.

  I darted my tongue forward, daringly touching her lips, silently asking for entrance and my girl, my baby, opened up.

  She deepened the kiss without hesitation, moaning into my mouth while I hauled her tight against my body.

  I did my best to keep my head, but I was struggling. I wanted to devour her, to take her right there, regardless of the people watching.

  In spite of everything we’d done up until that point, it paled in comparison to what was happening in that moment.

  Shit, Rocky had been my first and last kiss. She was…everything.

  When we parted, I stared down into her heavy eyes, her cheeks tinted pink. Ringing filled my ears, a high-pitched sound that was drowned out a second later by the loud, riotous whoops and hollers of the people surrounding us.

  Clearing my throat, I glanced around, forcing a halfhearted smile and nod for the praise that meant nothing. What made it so great had been the furious expression twisting Asshole’s face as he skulked away, disappearing through the front door a split second later.

  It was a small victory and one I enjoyed, but short-lived, too.

  Rocky slipped from grasp and returned behind the bar, seemingly doing her best to pretend none of it happened, but I knew otherwise. She’d liked it, too.

  Chapter Nine

  Raquel

  It was nearing two in the morning, and my shift at the bar had come to an end. I cleaned up, doing my best to ignore the ache in the small of my back and how my feet hurt. Like Friday night, the only thing that helped cushion the pain was the bulk of folded bills in my pocket, the ones I hadn’t had a chance to count at that point.

  Ray had been there all night, hovering in the background and drinking with his friends. I’d done my best to ignore him, but it was hard. Every second I noticed the giant ginger, I was reminded of what Grace had interrupted, how much I wish she hadn’t and that damn kiss. I would’ve fucked him right there in the back of the store without a care and been happy for it. Hell, I was close to doing something similar while we made out in front of Alek.

  I was in dangerous territory when it came to Ray—always had been, always would be.

  Another rush of excitement caused my body to pulse.

  “You headin’ out?” Griff asked, drawing me into the moment. He hadn’t been working the bar that night, but like almost all the club, he was in attendance.

  “Yeah,” I said with a nod. “See you this weekend.”

  “Better be before then.” He smiled and approached me.

  Griff pulled me into a hug, which I reciprocated. When he pulled back, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Given our relationship, it was hardly inappropriate.

  “Bye,” I said, walking away.

  Weaving through the drunks that hadn’t left or simply had nowhere to go, I spotted Ray again. He seemed to notice me the same moment, and with my heart in my throat, I decided to take the plunge.

  Jerking my head to the side, I beckoned him to follow, happy when he had.

  We made our way outside and beyond the still-raging party in the distance. The fact that they did it every weekend would never cease to amaze me.

  Ray didn’t say a word as he walked me to my car, and I was grateful. It gave me a chance to collect myself and gain the courage I desperately needed.

  When we reached my car, I turned to him. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  He nodded and leaned against the front quarter panel, crossing his arms when he had.

  “What’s up?” he asked, the picture of ease.

  I fumbled over the words, wringing my hands while I struggled to think of how to phrase the things running through my head.

  “Look… I don’t mean to rush you, but I’ve got a curfew, so if you want, you can just tell me tomorrow at work.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “It’s two in the morning.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “They give me a little bit of leeway on the weekends since I’ve got a job, but I won’t lie, I was supposed to be back an hour ago.”

  “Jesus,” I mumbled, shaking my head at him.

  “So, what’s up?”

  Might as well blurt it out.

  “I want to fuck,” I said.

  His brows rose. I didn’t mind that he was confused. He should’ve been.

  “What?”

  “I want to fuck.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You.”

  Ray cleared his throat and shifted his weight as though desperate to look casual.

  “Now?”

  “No. No, not right now, but…”

  “But eventually.”

  I nodded and let out a sigh. “Look… I have a lot of shit on my plate right now and it’s stressing me out. I just want no-strings. Besides, we already know how we work together. There’s no bullshit learning curve.”

  Pushing himself off the car, he closed the distance between us, forcing me to crane my neck to keep his eye.

  “You sure you want to do that?” His voice was so deep and rough. He knew what he was doing.

  I eyed him. “I can put my feelings aside. I just want some stress relief.”

  He smirked. “I can do that.”

  Narrowing my eyes at his eagerness, I had to make sure I saved myself before things got too far.

  “But there are going to be ground rules.”

  “Okay,” he muttered.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but my mind suddenly went blank. I could’ve sworn I knew what I wanted, knew what should happen if we finally crossed that line, except everything left me the second I needed it.

  “I’ll uh… I’ll let you know. You should probably head out.”

  He looked at me, dragging his gaze over every inch of me. “Sure. See you tomorrow.”

  “Mm-hmmm.”

  Side-stepping him, I got into my car and started it up, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

  “Well, shit. No turning back, now.”

  For better or worse, things were about to get complicated.

  * * * *

  The bells chimed when I stepped through the front door, hand in my pocket already to retrieve my employee name badge.

  A figure just beyond the threshold forced me to stop in my tracks.

  Alek turned to face me, a stern expression aging him years. He’d been so fucking sour since the papers were served that he went from thirties to fifties in months. One would’ve thought him getting everything he wanted was enough to make him smile.

  “What?” I asked, side-stepping him so I could clock in in the back.

  “You haven’t signed the papers yet,” he said, not bothering with any kind or fake pleasantries.

  “That’d be you.” I pushed through the door leading to the backroom, swiped my card through the reader and typed in my code. When the light turned green, telling me that I’d been clocked in, I was ready to get to work, but nearly walked right into Alek. “Jesus, dude. What?” I snapped.

  He hadn’t even bothered standing far enough back to not be considered a creeper. Instead, he was so close that I nearly ran face-first into him.

  “Sign the goddamn paper, Raquel. I wanna get this shit done with.”

  “Me, too!” I stepped around him once more. “Christ, we’ve been doing this for months. Sign the fucking divorce papers, and we never have to talk to each other again.”

  I slid behind the counter and tugged my apron on.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He sneered, planting his hands on the surface between us.

  I stared at him, eyes wider than normal and brows high.

  “Yes,” I said as though it should have been obvious because it fucking should’ve been. “That’s the whole point of getting a divorce, wanting the other person to sign the papers.”

  “Yeah,” he scoffed. “So you can run off with your ex-con ex.”

  He creased his brow, rethinking the stupid phrasing he’d chosen.

  “Look.” I drew his gaze back to me. “Just sign them.” I tried to keep my voice light, but it hurt. I wanted to yell and scream and fight, but no. I bit it down in favor of being mature. “Who cares what happens after? Just sign the papers. We can be done and over, once and for all.”

  “Not until you sign the new motion.”

  My heart sank and my stomach curled.

  “What’s this one for?”

  He sighed obnoxiously loud. “You didn’t even read it, did you?”

  “Well shit, Alek. This is the seventh one you’ve given me. What the hell is it? I’ve given you everything I have.”

  My skin crawled with the smile that formed on his face. It wasn’t happy or kind, instead dripping with some kind of sick joy over what he was about to say.

  “The living room set.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? I bought it. Matter of fact, I bought every goddamn thing you took because your bitch-ass couldn’t keep a fucking job!”

  Bitch-ass? Really?

  “Prove it,” he said through a tight jaw. “Prove any of it.”

  My fingers tingled. It was something that’d happened plenty of times before and let me know that I was on the verge of fighting—and it wasn’t the verbal variety.

  Movement brought me out of my growing rage, drawing my attention to the large, imposing figure that’d seem to have materialized behind Alek. Somehow, Ray had arrived, probably through the back or something, and walked up to us without notice, positioning himself like a massive wall behind my ex.

  Alek seemed to spot my attention drifting and turned around. He flinched.

  “The fuck, dude?” he muttered.

  Ray cocked a brow. “There somethin’ we can help you with?”

  Alek hesitated, tugging his jacket into place while he wiggled out from between Ray and the countertop.

  “I’m just here to talk to my wife.”

  I bit down on the correction. I’d done it a thousand times before, and the asshole remained unwilling to change it.

  “Well, if it’s not about something we sell, maybe you should get along, hmm?”

  Alek’s glare deepened. “Don’t try to bow up to me,” he said. “You have no idea who I’m friends with.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Ray grinned. “Who’s that? You friends with the Infernals? I mean, you seemed pretty tight at the bar.”

  I closed my eyes, shaking my head while I prayed Alek didn’t say something stupid.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “Something like that.”

  “No shit.” Ray laced his words with a comical amount of interest, all things considered. I eyed him, but he didn’t bother looking at me, too entertained by the conversation to notice.

  “Yeah.” Alek beamed with a stupid smile. “I grew up with a couple of the members.”

  Idiot. Most of us grew up with members.

  “Which ones?” Ray licked his lips, practically vibrating with joy.

  Alek’s smile faltered just a little, the corner of his mouth quivering. It didn’t look like he’d come up with a list of names and was forced to try to recall any he could think of. Then, like a light went off above his head, his resolve changed.

  “David Clarke.”

  My gut churned while I dropped my head. Of all the people to choose, Alek had gone with one of the most well-known names to anyone associated with the club. David also hadn’t been around in years, long enough he could’ve been a decent scapegoat.

  “Wow,” Ray said, elongating the word and saturating it with a level of sarcasm I doubted Alek caught. “Long lost son, huh?” Alek nodded. “Well, since he’s not around anymore, who else?”

  Alek faltered again, then suddenly declared, “Sonny.”

  “The new kid,” he said. Alek nodded. “I don’t really know the guy.”

  Alek’s brows twitched. “You’re…friends with the club?”

  “Something like that.” Ray’s lips parted into a wide grin, unsettling to most, but irritating to me.

  “Oh, Jesus Christ,” I said. An end needed to be put to this conversation. I looked at Alek. “Ray’s a member.”

  I could’ve sworn Alek lost a shade of color when he turned his gaze back to the giant. “Really?”

  “Since I was sixteen.”

  Alek bit down on the inside of his cheek and swallowed hard. He looked Ray over.

  The fact he hadn’t known already or recognized Ray was further proof Alek was talking out of his ass. Anyone who’d known the club, really known the club, would’ve been aware of Rabid’s sentence. Hangers-on, however, wouldn’t have had a clue. He’d been locked up too long.

  “You don’t wear a cut,” he said as though declaring some kind of fact that would dispel what Ray had said.

  “Probation.” Ray adjusted himself and stood taller than before, somehow dominating the space with the simple shift. “POs don’t really take kindly to a violent offender wearing ‘gang colors’.” He added the air quotes when he spoke, as though determined to downplay the threats he was making. “So”—he leaned in—“tell me again how close you are to the club.”

  Alek struggled and didn’t hide it very well. I’d known him long enough that I could tell he was attempting to find footing somewhere. His threats hadn’t landed. They’d skated off Ray’s back like water off a duck’s, and he was left scrambling to save face.