Page 4 of Just Heartbeats (Royalla Motorcycle Club #1)

Kodiak closed the last overhead door at the garage.

The stolen parts they had collected over the past month were packed and loaded into the back of a trailer heading toward New Mexico, where they would be sold on the black market.

He had sent the other Royalla members home twenty minutes earlier.

No doubt, half of them ended up walking into the clubhouse next door to unwind after a long eight-hour shift.

He lit a cigarette and slowed his step. From his count, at least thirty motorcycles formed a line behind the fence.

The Royalla compound consisted of four city lots, occupying an entire block.

A six-foot cinder-block fence surrounded the property, keeping prying eyes from seeing what was happening inside.

There wasn't a damn thing the city of Vancouver, Washington, could do about his unconventional wall because his father had erected the barrier before any building codes could stop him.

He finished his cigarette, flicked it toward the can of sand placed beside the door, and went inside. The place was lively with the usual chaos—a few men arguing over a poker game, laughter breaking through the arguing. There were enough women around that, if he wanted, he could unwind.

But he wasn't in the mood for the bullshit that went along with hooking up with one of the club hoppers.

Royalla had a rough energy that infected everyone who stepped through the door. They lived for the present, not worrying about the future. But lately, Kodiak was immune. In all his forty-five years, he'd never had such a dry spell.

His focus was on Roma and what tomorrow would bring him.

He spotted her before he noticed anything else.

She leaned against the bar on the other side of the room, laughing with Nate, one of the younger Royalla members.

Her dark hair was all rolled up and contained in a messy bun on the top of her head, showing off her slim neck and big hoop earrings.

She wore a pair of cutoff shorts that were too short.

Kodiak's eyes narrowed as he watched her.

She looked too comfortable, too relaxed, as if she truly belonged in this world.

He hated it.

She didn't belong here—not yet, not like this. She was still his responsibility. He couldn't let her get involved in the club's dangerous game. She deserved better than to become somebody's old lady.

For the last six months or so, Roma never asked for his permission to hang out in the main room with the men anymore. She never waited for him to come in after work. She made herself comfortable and blended in seamlessly.

Duke approached and handed him an unopened beer. "You look like you need this."

He twisted the cap, took a long drink, and looked at Roma.

He wanted to storm across the room, grab her by the arm, drag her out, and remind her of who she was.

The other part of him wanted to keep watching her.

He wanted to let her be because she'd already been through enough.

Another part of him wanted her to grow up.

He took another drink and slapped Duke on the back. "Thanks, brother."

"You want to ride with us tonight?" Duke tied back his hair. "A few of us are going over to Gifford's and shooting pool."

"Nah. I think I'll stay around here."

Nate's laughter broke through his thoughts. Kodiak gripped the bottle tightly.

"Well, if you change your mind, we could use another player." Duke walked away, leaving him alone.

He growled, low enough to release some of the tension.

Roma glanced over at him, catching his eye, and for a moment, she held his gaze. Then, a smile curled her lips, and she turned her attention back to Nate, like she'd won a prize and wanted to rub it in his face.

Without thinking, Kodiak slammed his bottle down on a nearby table and pushed through the crowd toward her. His boots thunked against the cement floor with each step. She had no fucking clue what she was doing or the trouble she could get in flirting with the others.

The club grew quieter as he approached.

Roma seemed to feel his energy changing as he stopped a few feet away and turned toward him. A satisfied smile lit her face while a storm raged in him.

"Kodiak," she greeted him, her voice a mix of sweetness and challenge, eyes flickering up at him as if daring him to say something.

Nate, noticing the tension in the air, took the hint and quickly excused himself, walking toward a group by the pool table.

Kodiak refused to discuss her behavior toward him with the Royalla members present or when they were alone. To bring the subject up would be an admission to how he felt toward her. He'd have to admit he hated the way the others eyed her up and down and the way she gave the men her attention.

He stood there, watching her. Damn, she was stunning. She had a natural sexiness regardless of what she was doing. Hell, she could fold clothes or clean the fridge, and he'd have the biggest hard-on for her.

"What?" she asked.

"You were flirting with Nate."

Roma raised an eyebrow. "Was I?"

Another growl escaped his lips. She had pushed his patience to its limits. "You're always telling me you're not a kid anymore and you want to be treated like a woman."

She nodded, a spark coming in her gaze.

"Don't think for a second that I won't stop you if you even think about touching a Royalla member in my fucking club."

Roma pushed off the bar and moved closer, as if his roughness and language never bothered her. The intoxicating scent of her perfume struck him like a punch. He hadn't been intimate in so long that even a smell sparked life into his body.

"Stop me?" She laughed, but it wasn't a soft, girlish laugh—it was the laugh of someone who knew exactly how to push his buttons. "I wasn't doing anything wrong."

Kodiak stepped forward, narrowing the space between them. "I'm your guardian, remember? I've got a responsibility to make sure you don't screw up your life by getting tangled up with the wrong people."

"I'm an adult," she spat.

"Then act like one." Kodiak gritted his teeth, stepping even closer.

"Stop swinging your ass around as if you're ready to spread your legs.

It's not a game, Roma. You can't flirt your way out of trouble.

The men won't stop when you decide you're in over your head. You're going to end up getting hurt."

Her lips parted in shock, then twisted in anger. "Who says I'm playing games?"

And then, before he could respond, she inched forward, standing so close to him now that he could feel the heat radiating off her body.

For a split second, the world seemed to stop. All Kodiak could hear was the rapid beating of his own heart. Her perfume, a mix of something sweet and dangerous, filled his senses, clouding his thoughts.

She was too damn close. Too damn tempting.

He opened his mouth to say something—anything—but her gaze stopped him. She wasn't scared of him. Any other woman in the place, hell, even the men, wouldn't dare argue with him. But Roma was different.

"I wouldn't open my legs for just anyone," she said softly. "But I would for you."

Kodiak's mind screamed at him to back off, to keep his distance. But his body betrayed him. He wanted to pull her closer, to bury himself in her and show her how dangerous it was for them.

"You don't know what you're saying." His throat burned from the raw pain coming off him.

"You're wrong." She rubbed her lips together. "I've been telling you how I feel. You refuse to listen to me. If you'd touch me, maybe you'll—"

"Stop." Kodiak stiffened. "Don't test me."

But Roma wasn't listening. She was already stepping back, giving him a look that was both defiant and questioning. It was a challenge he couldn't ignore.

"I'll do what I want, Kodiak," she said, her voice steady. "Whether you like it or not. With whoever I want. And when that happens, you'll have to admit that you had the option to have me first and you wouldn't do anything about it."

Her words stung like a slap.

In the end, he was afraid she might be right. He'd promised Chopper that he would protect his daughter. But deep down, he realized he'd unconsciously crossed the line with her. She moved around as if she could see inside his mind. All her teasing only made him think about her more.

Thoughts he shouldn't be thinking about.

She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there.

He inhaled deeply and went in search of a bottle of whiskey. It was going to be a long fucking night.