Page 14 of Property of Thrasher (Kings of Anarchy MC: South Carolina #1)

MELODY – THE PARTY

T here was a rhythm around here. It wasn’t necessarily my own, but if I stood still long enough I could almost blend in.

I had never experienced a party before. Lexi and Lyric pushed hard practically begging me to come out tonight.

This wasn’t common in the culture we grew up in.

Being in this place, the whole building had this pulse like a living, breathing organism.

And somehow I had been dropped into its bloodstream.

The bass thumped through the floors rattling the old bottles that line the shelves behind the bar.

They clinked together almost in time with the music.

Smoke wrapped around everything, almost suffocating.

All of it was intoxicating, this tangled blend of cigars, cigarettes, weed, perfume, sweat, leather, and beer invaded my nostrils on every inhale.

The Kings of Anarchy didn’t merely fill a room. They claimed it. Voices that carried over the music, laughter that cracked like gunfire, and when someone clapped a hand on another brother’s back it was hard enough to come across like a punch.

The women were every shape, size, and race.

Each of them appearing in a different level of undress or dress depending on the lady.

They all wore confidence like armor even with the tight skirts and impossible heels.

Some danced like this was center stage while others curled into the sides of men who looked like they could take on the world or a gladiator pit and win without spilling a drop of beer.

And in the midst of all of this was where I landed.

My black dress was modest compared to everyone else here.

My neckline high, the hem brushing just above my knees.

My hair was twisted back into a neat knot that I had thought looked nice earlier.

Now, though, it made me feel like I had shown up to the wrong event.

Maybe it would have been fitting for a church social or a funeral.

What it didn’t do was working at a biker party.

It was maybe a good outfit for a teacher, or an afternoon social.

Pretty much anywhere but here.

I hugged the wall, telling myself I was here for Lyric, to keep her safe. She had begun a recent romance with none other than our boss, Tiny. Apparently this was their night out and it was important to her. That was it, I was here for her.

It was impossible not to notice the flags on the walls, the way everyone moved together in unison, and I was the odd man out. I couldn’t help but notice the way people interacted with me, they either glanced at me with curiosity or dismissal.

Almost all of them that was.

There was one man who didn’t look away when his stare locked on me.

He leaned against a thick beam near the center of the room like he owned the place.

His arms crossed over a chest that filled his leather vest perfectly.

Broad shoulders with a strong jaw line shadowed in stubble.

His hair just messy enough to make me think someone had been running their hands through it.

Why that seemed to hit me differently I couldn’t understand.

His gaze was steady, unblinking.

Not a drunken glance or a casual once over. No, he locked in on me and I felt the heat through every inch of my body.

I broke eye contact first. But I could still feel the weight of him.

The music shifted rolling into something slower. The bodies on the makeshift dance floor adjusted instantly, hips swaying in time, arms around necks and shoulders, hair whipping, and people completely relaxed into one another.

I pushed off the wall, trying to disappear into motion. I made my way toward the bar, telling myself I would help Trinity by clearing some empty glasses. A tray gave me something to hold, something to focus on and pass the time. If my hands were busy, maybe my nerves would settle.

It worked for all about two minutes. Jonesy sent me down this hallway to get a bottle of bourbon from the back. I had gathered a few glasses along the way. In the darkness of the hall I stumbled just a bit. My fall was broken when my tray jammed into the back of a man.

A rock solid wall of steel build of a man. One with a woman half draped onto him.

The splash of liquid sloshed from the glasses before I could right myself.

I turned. Frozen in place, all I could think was, it was him.

I had already bumped into him once before tonight. Why me? Why was my luck so bad?

Up close he was larger than I realized. The fabric of his shirt seemed strained across his shoulders and chest. His mouth was unsmiling and unamused but his eyes, they locked on mine like I had stepped into his lane or stolen his puppy.

Although I didn’t think bikers were necessarily smitten over a puppy or anything for that matter.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t?—”

The growl that rolled out of him silenced me. Low, dangerous. I felt it more than I actually heard him. “Why are you carryin’ a tray like you belong?” His voice was deep, rough even. Every word was deliberate.

I swallowed, “I was just trying to be helpful while I waited for my cousin.”

His gaze dropped, slow, like he was measuring me from top to bottom.

When his eyes returned back to mine, they were darker.

“Only one way to be helpful around here, darlin’.

Spread your legs or leave. Unless you plan on joinin’ us or takin’ her place in my bed tonight…

,” he tilted his head to the woman clinging to him. “Watch where the fuck you’re headed.”

My jaw dropped but before I could say anything, his play thing smirked.

“She couldn’t handle me, Thrasher, much less your big cock.”

Heat flared in my chest. Sharp and reckless, I couldn’t stop my reaction. “Or maybe you just couldn’t handle me, bitch.”

The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly—the ghost of a smirk—and my stomach dropped in a way that scared me more than his growl.

I stepped back, the tray still clutched to my chest, and disappeared into the crowd. My pulse was pounding, my cheeks were hot. I told myself it was fear, but that wasn’t the truth. No, I was turned on like I had never been before.

Walking away while trying not to look like I was running, I found Lyric near the back talking animatedly with a group of women.

She had embraced this club bunny life as she called it.

Her hair was loose, her smile easy. Tiny approached and she leaned into him like she belonged in the crook of his arm.

I decided not to interrupt. I watched long enough to see her laugh at something one of the women said before I turned to get away.

It should have been enough to settle me. She was fine, safe even. I could leave. Except my feet wouldn’t take me to the door. No, they somehow kept landing me back into his line of sight.

Thrasher—the man whose real name I didn’t know—seemed to be everywhere at once. Leaning against the bar, head bent chatting with another brother. Standing in the corner, smoke curling from the cigar at his lips. Our eyes caught twice more that night.

Too long did we both hold one another’s gaze each time.

I had overheard pieces about him in passing from the ladies at work and the guys around here tonight.

Apparently, Thrasher, the Kings of Anarchy South Carolina president had quite a reputation.

One for violence.

Some of the things I had learned. He busted a guy’s jaw in three places for bringing his daughter home late and with a bruise on her arm.

He didn’t lose a fight ever. He could be mean as a snake when he’s in a mood and it didn’t matter who you were.

Even when his mom called at the wrong time no one was immune to his wrath.

Nothing about him should have made me want a second glance or to be tied up in this man.

Yet, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. This odd pull to him had me curious to know if there was a softer side to the man.

I stepped outside for air. The night was cool and actually quiet compared to the chaos inside. My ears were still ringing from the music. I told myself I would stay out here five minutes, then find Lyric, say goodnight and go home.

But when I went back inside, it was like stepping into a warmth, a heat of attraction.

It wasn’t from the air, it was from him.

He was at the far edge of the crowd and the second I crossed the threshold back into his world, his eyes were on me.

Our gazes locked and it felt like I had been stripped bare and set on fire from the inside without a single touch.

Deciding I couldn’t withstand the inferno blazing between us, I moved fast cutting toward the side of the room where a group of the ladies from work were dancing.

If I lost myself in the crowd maybe I’d stop feeling like I was about to take a leap off a cliff.

Even here immersed with bodies pressing in all around me, I could feel him.

Every instinct in my brain said stay away from him. But my body couldn’t seem to get in alignment with this idea. In fact, down to my belly there was a voice telling me go closer.

I kept moving.

That was my trick to survival. Never stay still long enough to be caught. It wasn’t easy. The whole room was noise and motion. I was moving against it. The plan was simple, say my goodbyes and leave.

I was halfway back to the bar to tell Jonesy I was going to head to the hotel and let Lyric know when I noticed him shifting.

No, he wasn’t simply moving through the crowd.

This was a deliberate push from the wall, rolling back of his broad shoulders, eyes pinned to me predator locking onto his prey moment.

My pulse jumped.

I tried to cut to the side, but I had nowhere to go. Two steps later, he was right in front of me.

Close.

As in my personal space close.

He smelled of cedar and sandalwood, all man and musk. My hands trembled but I clutched them together to hide the way he rattled me.

“You’re still here,” he stated.

“If you can see me, which clearly you can, I am indeed.” The words came out sharper than I wanted, but this was me. I always got in trouble for being sassy.

“Brave or stupid.” Another statement not really a question.

“Neither. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to tell my cousin goodnight and I’ll be on my way.”

“Cousin,” he muttered it low and slow. “The hang on with Tiny?”

I blinked. “Hang on? She’s not a thing, she’s a woman. Nevermind.” I threw up my hands wildly. Whatever Lyric had with Tiny wasn’t my business. But she wasn’t some clingy, hanging on him woman. He was as into her from what I could tell as she was him.

His eyes scanned my face, down to my mouth where he lingered a moment longer. My lips suddenly felt dry and I licked them absently before his eyes locked back to mine. “You don’t fit here.”

“Well, thank you captain obvious.” I wanted to smack myself in the head. Like what did this man think? I knew I didn’t belong, but Lyric and I were in this together.

A lazy grin built slowly on his face. “The question I have is are you smart enough to walk out of here before something bites you or dumb enough to keep dancing with the devil and see what happens?”

There was something in this moment. I couldn’t quite describe. I took the bait though. The air between us was thick. “Which do you think I am?”

His smirk was dangerous. “Not sure about you. But the more you talk back, the more I’m interested to see how hot you could be outside of here. You got a fire inside you, baby.”

That was my cue.

The one that said run like a track star straight out of here.

Every rational part of me knew it.

Yet, my feet didn’t move.

He leaned in just enough for me to catch a hint of the whiskey on his breath. “Watch yourself, baby. Some of us bite just to hear you scream.”

Heat shot down my spine, pooling in my belly. Fear and something else, something I couldn’t quite name rushed through me.

“Let Lyric know I went home.” I stepped back before I could get more entangled with this man. “Goodnight.” It came out softer than I wanted, almost in a needy whisper.

His eyes held mine for a second longer before he shifted aside like he was clearing a path and granting permission for my exit.

I walked away feeling the heat of his gaze on my every step. I didn’t bother to stop until I hit the cool night air just outside of the compound gates. Lyric told me to park at the empty lot outside of the compound and I was thankful for that. It gave me a moment to catch my breath.

The words played over in my head: some of us bite just to hear your scream.

I couldn’t help but think over and over … I didn’t know if I would scream or would I dare to bite back.