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“Fuck.” I rub my beard while considering our options. “Okay, it really doesn’t change anything for now. We still need to get Max and Julia to Nina’s. We’ll figure out our next step after that.”

The guys leave to get their bikes, and I walk over to Max.

“Hey, bud. I’m going to take you to my grandma’s house.”

“Wow. She must be really old!”

I laugh. Only a kid could get away with indirectly insulting me like that. I’m thirty-one, far from old. Maybe he didn’t mean it like that, but I’m pretty sure he did because he’s flushed and trembling.

“She’s older, but don’t let her hear you say that,” I playfully warn.

Nina would think it was hilarious coming from a boy, but she’d bitch-slap any man who dared to call her old. I caught a glimpse of her driver’s license by accident once. She’s fifty-five but carries herself like a woman half her age. She can still kick anyone’s ass. Hell, maybe even mine if she caught me off-guard.

“Is Nina used to having children around?” Julia asks.

“Yeah. She’s kind of a halfway house for the people we rescue. Kids love her. You’ll see.”

“Okay.” She glances from me to Max, then back. She’s obviously wary, but she doesn’t have a choice, and she knows it.

“Bike’s in the garage. Let’s go.” I start walking toward the door to the garage.

“As in a motorcycle?” Julia asks.

“Yeah.”

“We can’t ride on a motorcycle to her house.”

“Why the hell not? It’s got a side car. Max can sit in that. It will be fun.”

“Oh! I’ve never been on a motorcycle before!” Max grins, revealing a missing tooth. Hopefully, it’s gone because it’s a baby tooth and not because someone was smacking him around recently. I didn’t miss the bruises on his wrists. They’re older. But recent enough to make me want to kill his father for hurting him.

“We need helmets,” Julia says, grasping for any reason not to get on the bike.

“We’ve got extra, including some Max’s size.”

She sighs and follows me into the garage.

After getting Max into the sidecar and securing his helmet, I turn to her. She’s blushing again, and it’s distracting as hell. Our hands brush when I pass a helmet to her. An image pops into my mind. It’s her. Kissing me. With tongue. And she’s naked.

I glance down at her. She’s beet red. I wonder if she knows I can see her plans for me. A smirk spreads across my lips. I’m not about to warn her about my gift. I like where her dirty little mind is headed. If her plan is to get naked and stick that adorable pink tongue down my throat, then I’m all for it.

As I help her secure her helmet, she’s holding her breath. She releases it as I step back to put my helmet on. I like her like this, breathless and off-balance. It makes her sexy librarian look even more enticing.

“Climb on behind me,” I say, swinging my leg over the bike.

She hesitates for a second before getting on. At first, she’s sitting as far back as she can manage. But as we pull out of the garage, she slides forward, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist and pressing those luscious breasts against my back.

My cock strains against my zipper. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, but I’m going to make sure she realizes it later. I don’t know when or how I’m going to get her naked, but it’s happening. It’s only a matter of time. Because she’s mine now. She doesn’t know it yet. But she belongs to me.

Chapter 4: Julia

Therumble of the bike between my legs has me wet and needy well before we make it to Nina’s ranch. Being wrapped around Scar is a huge distraction. During the trip, I forget about what’s happened and fixate on his powerful body. He radiates strength and confidence. He’s in complete control of an out-of-control situation, and it’s sexy as hell. He’s sexy as hell. And he makes me want to do something completely reckless, like kiss him.

I shake away the thought. I can’t risk getting caught up with a man like him. He’s not the kind of guy I’d ever consider dating. He’s too rough. Too dangerous. He’s in a motorcycle club, and even if he’s telling the truth and all they do is protect people, being around him is too risky.

I can’t imagine having him pick me up from school. What would everyone think, seeing me with someone like him? He’s too intense. And that aura. I don’t understand what’s going on with him. I’ve never seen anything like it. I want to know more, but I also want to run away. There’s something wicked about how he moves, and all I can think about is what it would be like to be possessed by someone so … so …savage.

After exiting the highway, we follow a single-lane, paved road for several miles. We weave in and out of the surrounding forest before finally arriving at an imposing wrought iron gate. A ten-foot-tall river rock wall stretches out from either side, and I try to figure out how far it goes, but it’s impossible to tell. There’s an intercom at the gate, but Scar doesn’t need it. He turns his face up toward one of the cameras perched along the wall. The gate slowly slides back to allow us to pass, closing behind us with a clang.