Page 18 of Heat (The Royal HArlots MC, Quebec City-Canada #1)

Chapter Seventeen

When the sun peeked through the tent flaps, Diamond groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.

The air inside was thick with the scent of campfire smoke, stale beer, and the lingering musk of leather.

Outside, someone was already up, the crunch of boots on gravel mixing with the distant roar of an early riser’s engine.

A lighter clicked, followed by the faint whiff of cigarette smoke curling through the air.

Too damn early. But if they didn’t get moving soon, they’d be stuck waiting hours for a half-decent breakfast. By then, every diner in town would be packed with riders nursing hangovers over black coffee and greasy plates of eggs.

She sighed, rolling onto her side. “Nova, you up yet?”

A groggy groan came from the next tent. “Wishing I wasn’t.”

“Yeah, well, we need to get the others up and get the day started,” Diamond muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. With a resigned huff, she kicked off the blanket. Reaching for her boots, she knew damn well no one else was going to be in a hurry to get moving.

Outside, the morning had fully settled in—low chatter from early risers, the occasional rev of an engine, and the unmistakable clang of someone dropping a wrench.

She unzipped the tent flap and winced as sunlight stabbed her in the eyes. “Alright, ladies, time to rise and shine.”

The response was a chorus of groans from the surrounding tents.

“Five more minutes,” Nova grumbled, dragging her blanket over her head.

“Nope,” Diamond said, standing and stretching. “If we don’t get to the showers now, we’ll be standing in line for an hour behind a bunch of dudes who think soap is optional.”

That got movement. Zippers buzzed open, and one by one, the others started crawling out, each looking as wrecked as she felt. Hair in messy buns, pillow creases on faces, and the sluggish movements of people who had definitely had one too many the night before.

“God, my back,” Stix groaned, cracking her neck as she stood.

“Sleeping on the ground is for people in better shape than me,” Rio muttered, shuffling into her boots.

“Coffee. We need coffee before we do anything else,” Nova demanded, her voice still thick with sleep.

“Shower first,” Diamond ordered, pulling her bag over her shoulder. “Then coffee. Then food.”

No one argued, mostly because they were too tired to. The group trudged toward the comfort center, yawning and stretching, the gravel crunching under their boots. Riders they passed looked just as rough, some already sipping steaming cups of coffee, others half-asleep on camp chairs.

The comfort center was already buzzing with activity, the sound of running water and chatter leaking from the open doors. The ladies stepped inside, greeted by the sharp, clean scent of soap and the promise of hot water.

“This…” Nova sighed, tossing her towel over her shoulder, “this might save my life.”

Diamond headed back first, her body still warm from the shower, hair damp against the back of her neck as she walked across the campground.

The early morning chill had burned off, leaving the air thick with the scent of brewing coffee, sizzling bacon, and the ever-present musk of gasoline and leather.

She stepped over a stray beer can and sidestepped a makeshift fire pit that had long since burned out. When something in the distance caught her eye, she saw a familiar patch on the backs of a few men milling around a camp. The Royal Bastards.

Her steps slowed, and a small smirk tugged at her lips. Well, that answered one question. Now she knew exactly where to drop off Sayer’s jacket before they headed into town for food.

She lingered for just a second, taking in the sight of the men—half-dressed in jeans and tees. Some still shaking off sleep, others already nursing cups of coffee or swapping stories from the night before. It was a comfortable, familiar scene, but she didn’t stick around to be noticed.

Adjusting the strap on her bag, she picked up her pace and continued toward her tent. She hoped she could drop his jacket on his bike without having to have a conversation. Sometimes what you hoped for and what you got were two different things all together.

Halfway to her campsite, movement off to the side caught Diamond’s attention. She glanced over just in time to see Sayer making a beeline straight for her.

So much for slipping back unnoticed.

The way he moved—purposeful, eyes locked on her, that familiar intensity in his gaze—told her he wasn’t just crossing paths by chance. He was coming for her.

A warmth curled low in her stomach, but she kept her expression even as he closed the distance. No need to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much she liked when he looked at her like that.

“Morning,” she murmured, tilting her head as he stepped in close, his presence instantly cutting through the last of the morning chill.

Sayer didn’t bother with words—not right away. Instead, his hand came up, fingers brushing along her wrist before sliding down to take her hand, a rough palm against hers like a silent claim. “You were gonna walk past me without saying anything?”

Diamond huffed a soft laugh. “Didn’t figure I had to. You always find me anyway.”

His lips twitched at that, but his grip on her hand tightened slightly. “Damn right.”

He glanced past her toward their campsite before bringing his eyes back to hers. “Sleep, okay?”

She shrugged. “Best I could, considering.”

Sayer’s gaze softened, reading between the lines without her needing to spell it out. He knew what she meant. His mind had been too busy for rest, too tangled up in things they hadn’t said out loud.

“Could’ve stayed with me,” his voice was low, meant just for her.

Diamond smirked, trying to keep things light even as his words settled warmly in her chest. “You know how that would’ve gone.”

He leaned in slightly, just enough that she could smell the faint trace of soap and the lingering scent of his leather cut. “Yeah,” he murmured, a slow grin forming. “And I wouldn’t have minded one bit.”

Diamond rolled her eyes, but the smile she was trying to fight won out.

Their friends might give them their opinions, might give them shit about getting tangled up with one another, but would they let that stop them.

“C’mon,” he said, tugging her hand gently. “Walk with me before the others start wondering where you ran off to.”

“What about your boys? Will they have a problem with this...with us?” she asked him, worried there might be an issue.

Sayer didn’t hesitate. “No.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. “And if they did, that’d be their problem, not mine.”

Diamond searched his face, looking for any flicker of uncertainty, but there wasn’t any. Just the same steady confidence that had drawn her to him in the first place.

“You sure?” she pressed, her fingers tightening around his.

Sayer stopped walking, turning toward her fully. “I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about us. Not my boys, not your girls—no one. I’m here because I want to be. With you.”

Her heart did a little flip, but she kept her expression even. “You always this smooth in the morning?”

He grinned. “Only for you.”

Diamond rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t fight the smile tugging at her lips. Maybe people would have their opinions, but standing here, with him looking at her like that—like he’d made his choice and wasn’t going anywhere—it didn’t seem to matter.