Page 5 of Her Feral Biker (Savage Kings MC #6)

ANNALISE

My store ran for the next week without incident, without a Prinze incursion. Mostly because of the biker who parked his butt—and his bike—out the front of my shop nearly every day. If Lake wasn’t there, then someone else who wore the same embroidered jacket as he did watched my shop.

I’d never felt safer.

But as he predicted, plenty of my customers voiced their concerns about my new…security measures.

Don’t you think they look scary?

Did you ask them to come around?

Aren’t they kind of dirty?

Finally, Janice Flannigan added the coup de grace when she came in to swap a size on the outfit she’d purchased the week before.

“Don’t you think that they’ll scare off your customers?

” She fluffed her hair and sent me a superior look paired with a condescending smile I instantly hated.

“After all, at this end of town, it's not like you’re earning enough to cover your rent.”

My blood boiled, and it wasn’t because her words reminded me of how Prinze Kola and his strong arm men had stolen from me the week before.

“No, I don’t think they look scary,” I addressed the steel haired grandma from out of town who was stopping through with a smile as I passed her bag across the counter.

“No, I didn't ask them to come around, but I am glad they’re here. No, I don't think they're dirty, and no, I’m not scared.” That was to the gaggle of moms loitering in the trinkets section while they pretended not to gawk at my feral biker entourage across the road. “And no, I don’t think they’ll scare off my customers at all.

But thank you so much for your concern. Have a lovely day.

” I slapped a saccharine sweet smile onto my face and ushered Janice personally to the door and out the other side.

My ladies in the jewelry section giggled, though not at me, waving at one of the poor leather clad men across the street.

I peered out of the window covertly, but couldn’t spot Lake.

My stomach dropped. Maybe he had other business.

I knew he couldn’t always be around and that it wasn’t reasonable to expect him to be about constantly, but his presence left me less anxious.

I sucked in a deep breath and headed back to the counter for my coffee, knowing it was cold and nearly down to the dregs at the bottom of the cup.

But the takeaway cup I picked up was so hot it nearly burnt my hand. I put it back in a hurry, looking around to the customer it belonged to, but everyone appeared occupied with their own shopping list, or flirting.

“It’s yours, princess."

My pulse skyrocketed.

I stared straight ahead, unwilling to turn around and faced him in case I frightened his shade away by moving and broke my afternoon caffeine deprived fantasy.

“Thank you,” I managed, closing my hands around the bottom of the cup by reflex. “I thought you only invaded my shop at night, or followed me about in the dark.”

Warmth brushed the back of my neck where I’d pulled my habit into a messy bun on top of my head. The exposed skin felt twice as dangerous with that subtle move, but he didn’t touch me. “I never said I’d hide, Annalise. But I did warn you.”

“I know.” I pivoted on my heel, turning to face him for the first time in the shop head on. My eyes blazed at him with my defiance. “And I don’t care.”

His gaze bore into my eyes in a hard stare, dark enough that they nearly matched the black leather he wore everywhere, except for the black cotton shirt underneath his jacket. “Even if it means you won’t have anyone in your shop, princess?” he said quietly. “Not everyone approves of my type."

Freaking Janice. I wanted to follow her down the street and yank out a few of her over bleached hairs. Pushing the violent thought aside, I focused on the thirst trap in front of me. Okay, so I tried to focus.

“I know that.”

“Do you?” He took a step closer, moving into my space. “Because in my world, I take what I want, and I don’t make apologies."

I stared back at him, unafraid. “You’d ruin the business of the girl you’re falling for just to prove a point, huh?”

His eyes darkened. “Don’t confuse fucking for loving, princess.” His voice lowered to a bare whisper.

Ouch. But I bit back a smile all the same.

“We haven’t done that yet.”

The stillness in his stance promised me that time wasn’t far away, especially if I kept pushing him like I did right now.

Lake said nothing, only watched me with a set jaw, and an unflinching gaze.

“I did a little research this week.” I twisted around as motion caught my attention in my periphery.

I rang up my next sale, still talking softly in between tasks.

Lake never moved, but also he didn't leave. “Thank you. I love this one. It’s a really pretty knit and the wool is so soft.” I smiled and bagged up the purchase, adding in all the extra shop swag, and moved to my next customer, still smiling and talking.

“My research project? It was motorcycle clubs. Do you know what the most important thing I found was that came up over and over again? It was family. That was the core of every club I looked up. Can you pass me one of those purple bags please from the shelf up there? In the big box. I’m out. ”

Lake said nothing as he lifted the box down for me, opened it and loaded the bags into the shelf from where I’d just pulled the last one.

“Thank you.”

I finished with my next customer, and the next while he walked around the back of the store, looking at my stock that I couldn’t reach and lifted box after box down, topping my floor supply up.

Once my trinkets and jewelry gaggle had swooned appropriately and my store was empty once more, I took a sip of my coffee, and turned around to find all my back up boxes were off the shelves above, my bags and trinket boxes completely restocked, and Lake was nowhere in sight.

“That was short lived,” I murmured over the pang of disappointment that hit me all too hard in the suddenly silent shop.

“My mistake.” Lake’s hands rested on my waist. He squeezed me gently. “I thought being here might show you how…incompatible we were. Help you push me away from what’s fast becoming an unhealthy obsession, princess. But watching you work is something else.”

I held my breath. “In a good way or a bad way?”

His hands tightened as he stepped up behind me until our bodies just contacted each other. “A good way, princess. Are you working late tonight? I have a few things to do, then I’ll come back for you. Can you handle that?”

I nodded.

He laughed softly in my ear. “Words, Annalise. Give me all your pretty words.”

“Oh. Yes. I can manage,” I said, resting my hands over his on my hips. “Did I— Did I pry too much?” I blurted, my bravado from before well past its use by date.

“No, you didn’t pry,” he murmured. “Are you sure this is what you want? I don’t do public relationships."

I nodded, staring down at the coffee he’d bought me, all too aware that he stood in my shop in the middle of the day when anyone could walk in. “Yet here you still are,” I whispered back.

“The club is different. Rougher.”

“Like you?” I tipped my head to one side.

“It’s not the same world you live in.”

“I’m sick of my world, Lake.” I swiveled in his arms to face him.

“I’ve been trying to get out of it for a long damn time.

But I can’t. I bought this shop with all the money I had, from my savings and when my gran died I inherited a little more.

I should have bought a house, maybe, but I wanted to build something of my own.

So this was it. I never meant to stay with my family but every time Prinze takes from my till, it strips away my freedom to leave.

I can’t afford to lose more to him. And yes, you being here is great but that’s not what I want from you.

” I squeezed my eyes shut, and my mouth.

I hadn’t meant to say all that. None of it. But the words tumbled out all the same.

“I wondered," he murmured. “About why you stay in that big house. I thought maybe you liked the comfort factor. But then when you said that you slept here that night… I knew something else had to be part of it.” He watched me carefully. “I can help you, Annalise.”

“I’m not taking money from you,” I snapped, twisting away from him. Prinze took money from me, and I didn’t want to find myself indebted to someone else so fast.

Lake’s hand whipped out to catch my chin in a pincer grip. HIs touch gentled as he turned me back to face him. I let out a startled cry at the speed of his actions, the violence in his touch. Dark eyes stared down at me, but there was no apology in his gaze.

“I don’t touch a woman roughly, princess.

Not unless—” He broke off, still staring at me.

His hold eased as he wrapped a hand behind my nape, pulling me toward him until my hands pressed to his black t-shirt.

The heat of him blared beneath his jacket.

I soaked in his warmth. “That’s not a part of me I ever want you to see, princess.

I’ll always be sweet with you, and I’m never going to make you bargain yourself into a bad deal, not unless we’re playing, but that’ll be by your choice.

I won’t let you tie yourself to me if that’s not what you want.

Do you understand?” His mouth hovered the merest breath from mine.

I didn’t bother answering him, pushing up onto my toes to press my lips to his.

A groan tore from his mouth as he pulled me in closer, sliding his tongue deep, pushing my mouth wide to accommodate him. His kiss was slow and sensual, and I turned to liquid against his chest.

Lake held me in strong, firm arms, braced against my counter, kissing me until my soft pants eased and I sank into his embrace. When he drew back, my eyes stayed closed, and my lips tingled with the echo of his last kiss.

“Fuck, that’s a pretty sight, princess. I'm gonna come back tonight, alright? My number is in your phone. Call me if you need me.”

“Yes,” I murmured. My eyes weighed a ton as I forced them open. “Promise you’ll come back?”

He laughed, low and deep. “I promise. I want you to do something for me.” He pulled a plain envelope out of his back pocket and pressed it to the counter beside my coffee.

"There's a blank piece of paper inside. I want you to fill it out with the filthiest fantasy you have. One you’re afraid to try but want to all the same. Will you do that for me?”

My heart thumped traitorously. “What if what I want is to do something for you?” He’d kissed me, teased me and touched me, but I’d barely touched him in return. I wanted to do something that would make him feel like this wasn’t a one sided stalking relationship.

Lake squeezed my nape in a deep massage that drew a mewl from my lips. I closed my eyes, letting him do what he wanted.

His mouth ghosted over mine, then his lips were against my ear. “Your filthiest fantasy, princess. Pin it to the door. I’ll read it before I come to collect you tonight.”

My eyes snapped open. “Where are we going?”

But all I saw was Lake’s back, his jacket decorated with the Savage King’s insignia, as he walked out of my shop without looking back.