Page 21 of Just Heartbeats (Royalla Motorcycle Club #1)

The low rumble of the engine echoed through the compound as Kodiak rode past Duke, opening the gate. The sun had dipped low behind the trees, casting long shadows across the asphalt, but his focus wasn't on the fading light.

He had no news. No updates from the scouts. No new threats. Without anything to push him forward in his hunt, his thoughts turned to Roma again, putting a knot in his gut.

Whether she liked it or not, she was tied to the threats coming from Deception Motorcycle Club by being related to Chopper and now involved with him.

He couldn't even send her away. Nowhere was safe until the danger was eliminated. He wanted her beside him, tucked safely inside the clubhouse until he deemed it safe for her to come out.

Looping around, he pulled into the front of the line of motorcycles, cut the engine, and let the quiet settle around him.

The usual crew milled around the back door of the clubhouse, half ignoring each other, but every few minutes, someone would throw out an insult, hoping someone would take offense and fight back or brag about some bitch they fucked.

It was the same scene, a different day. He swung a leg over the bike and stood, eyes automatically scanning for the one person he wanted to see.

He took off his gloves, shoved them in his back pocket, and approached the group. "Where's Roma?"

A few heads turned his way. Shoulders shrugged. Then, Rusty stepped forward, "I haven't seen her since she went to her room. Maybe a couple of hours ago. Want me to go check on her for you, Prez?"

The knot in his gut tightened. "No."

He turned and entered the clubhouse. His boots thunked against the concrete floor. The hallway light flickered faintly overhead as he passed. His stride lengthened, carrying him toward her door before he could talk himself out of doing the right thing.

He stopped.

The last time he was here, he hadn't knocked either. The memory struck him quickly—Roma, half-dressed, flushed, startled... and then, not startled at all. She enjoyed watching him while she touched herself.

Warmth filled his chest, but it was quickly replaced by the nagging unease crawling up the back of his neck.

He raised his hand to knock and then let his hand fall. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

Empty.

He walked inside, heart racing. The blood in his body was already pumping him up for what could happen in the bedroom.

But the bedroom appeared untouched. The bed was still made with the corners neat and tucked under the mattress. Her leather jacket hung where it always hung on the hook next to the closet. He backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Back in the main room of the clubhouse, he looked around again, more focused this time.

"Anyone seen Roma?" he called out.

There were more shrugs coupled with a few mumbled no's.

Until finally, Nate, lounging against the counter as if he owned the place, jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"She's sitting out on the picnic table. Probably watching clouds or counting stars or whatever it is she does out there by herself. "

Kodiak's eyes narrowed. Nate hovered around Roma every chance he had. He was too smooth. Too interested. Near enough in ages that no one would blink an eye if Nate decided to hook up with Chopper's daughter.

He dipped his chin and walked outside. He spotted her immediately.

Perched on the old, weathered table, legs pulled up, chin on her knees, eyes turned upward toward the sky, she looked small there, wrapped in thought, and for a moment, he soaked her in.

The tension in his chest shifted and quieted.

The relief of seeing her and knowing that she was okay settled him down better than any whiskey and Coke.

He walked toward her, slower now that he knew she was safe.

He stopped short of the picnic table. "You hiding from me?"

Roma didn't look at him. "Not hiding. Thinking."

"About what?"

She hummed, and he thought she wasn't going to answer him. Then suddenly, she turned with her eyes wide, honest, and dangerous.

"I want to kiss you until you forget whose daughter I am and how old you are."

Kodiak snorted, shaking his head.

"I want to pull you into my room and shut the door and not come out for a day."

His cheek twitched as he studied her. She was fucking serious.

"I want to know what you sound like when you let go. Really let go. Do you grunt? Will you growl my name? Will you pull my hair?" She tilted her head. "I think about that too much. It's distracting me."

The air between them crackled. There wasn't a shy bone in her body. How could there be when she grew up in the Royalla clubhouse?

She watched him with the eyes of someone who knew what she was doing. He couldn't look away.

He stood there—every muscle wound tight, not ready to admit that hearing her talk that way turned him on.

"Is that all?" he asked, voice rougher than usual.

She had him hard as a rock by throwing pretty thoughts at him. His heart thundered, waiting for her to answer.

Roma smiled—slow, sexy, soft.

"It's barely a start." Her voice softened, making him strain to hear her. "I want to feel your hands on me. I don't want you to be so careful. I don't want you to worry about hurting me. I think about you grabbing me so much that it keeps me awake at night."

Roma dropped her gaze for a moment, like maybe even she wasn't sure she should've said that last part out loud. But when she looked back up, there was no regret in her expression—just that quiet confidence she always had.

"I want all the parts of you I've never seen before." She tapped her temple. "Even in here."

Kodiak stared at her, having never heard her talk that way. Her vulnerability pressed into his chest like a hand, keeping him down, forcing him to listen to her deepest desires.

He wanted to say something, but his throat was dry, and the heat pulsing under his skin was a whole new kind of dangerous.

Instead, he sat beside her on the top of the picnic table. Not close enough to touch. But close enough that he could feel the warmth coming off her and feel her breath on his skin.

"I could hurt you." He swallowed hard. "I don't want to hurt you."

Roma turned her head slowly, her lips curling slightly. "I kinda want you to hurt me, Kodiak."

He looked away, up to the stars she loved to look at. But now he wasn't seeing the sky. He was seeing a different side to Roma. A side that made him wonder if he was protecting himself rather than her.

"Do you know why I like to come out here and sit on the picnic table?" she whispered.

"The stars?"

One lone tear slid down her cheek. "I'm surrounded by Dad's things in the room, in the compound.

Everything in there is a reminder of him—the people, the motorcycles, the sounds, the smells.

But out here..." She glanced at the sky.

"I feel like he's near. I talk to him in my head and tell him how I feel about you, and I wait for a sign to tell me I'm silly for loving you and I should—"

"It's not silly, baby girl." He inhaled deeply and looked up at the stars.

"I never get a sign, Kodiak." She leaned her head against his shoulder.

He sighed heavily. She wanted the ability to connect with her dad. And when she couldn't even get advice or a sign after praying up into the sky, she used that silence to guide her in real life.

"I miss him," she whispered

"Yeah." He swallowed hard. "I miss him, too."

She slipped her fingers into his hand. He held on, needing any piece of her he could get.