Page 7 of Snarl (Primal Howlers MC #9)

Lennon

W E EXITED THE Saddle Rack and stepped out into the warm night air. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such a good time. I reached into my pocket for my phone only to realize it wasn’t there. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Snarl asked.

“I must have left my phone inside our booth,” I said, turning to go back inside, only to be stopped by Snarl’s gentle hand.

“How about you wait right here, and I’ll go back in to find it?”

My insides turned to goo at his simple but thoughtful gesture. “Nice to see chivalry isn’t dead.”

“Not on my watch, it isn’t,” he replied with a sly smile, before delivering another kiss and disappearing back into the restaurant.

If I wasn’t careful, I was going to catch feelings for this guy, and that absolutely could not happen.

Not just because Snarl was a nomad biker and I had no business inside of that world, but because my life was complicated enough already without adding two-hundred and fifty pounds of hair and tattoos to it.

And as much as Granny trusted him, I couldn’t risk letting a man get close enough to break my heart again.

My ex-fiancé had driven me to the edge of sanity by the end of our relationship, and the break-up just about pushed me over.

As nice a time as I had with Snarl tonight, I was going to have to tell him that this would be a one and done kind of deal.

Not that I assumed he’d want a second date.

I was probably far too boring for a guy like him.

Plus, a nomad biker must have a girl in every port, right?

Snarl had been gone for barely a minute when three guys who looked like they were in their late twenties approached me. Given how they were dressed, the trio were all clearly guys who worked in the nearby financial district. They were also clearly drunk.

“You waiting for a ride, sweetie?” one of them asked.

I rolled my eyes. “No. I’m fine thank you.”

“I know you’re fine, honey,” he replied. “But do you need a ride?”

His two buddies laughed, and the smell of booze wafted through the air.

“Good one, Brad,” douche number two retorted.

“I’m just waiting for my date.” I nodded toward the door of the Rack. “He’ll be out any minute. Please move on and enjoy your evening. ”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Brad replied. “But I think I’d enjoy it a lot more if I could spend it with a beautiful woman like you.”

I shook my head. “I’ll pass, thank you.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. I just got a big fat promotion at work, and I want to celebrate. My bros and I will take you anywhere you want to go. Anywhere at all. Believe me, honey. I have the money to cover your tab at any bar in town.”

“Congratulations. But, like I said, I’m waiting for my date to come out.” I crossed my arms. “Please leave me alone.”

Brad took a step closer to me, followed by his ‘bros,’ and I stiffened.

“I’m pretty sure the lady asked you to leave her alone,” I heard Snarl say from behind.

I turned to see Snarl standing with his arms folded, his biceps bulging.

Now, I would have thought that the mere sight of a big ol’ bad-ass biker would have been enough to scare these guys away, but it didn’t.

“Hey, man, we were just talking,” Brad said.

“No, you were harassing her. Now, take a hike, man .”

“No reason to be rude,” Brad said. “All I was trying to do was have a conversation with this lovely young lady.”

Snarl smiled. “Well, now your conversation is over and it’s time for you and your friends to move on with your evening and leave the lady alone.”

“Sorry, man, but I don’t see a ring on her finger. And by the looks of you, I’m betting you couldn’t afford to buy her one unless it came out of a gumball machine. Do you see this suit I’m wearing? It’s Armani.”

Snarl stopped smiling. “I don’t give a shit if it’s asbestos. This is the last time I’m gonna say this. Get lost and stay lost.”

“Oooooooh. I’m scared now,” he mocked. “Is that what you were trying to do? Huh? Scare me. If you didn’t notice, there’s three of us and only one of you. Or are you too fuckin’ dumb to count?”

“You’re right. It’s three to one. Bad odds for you,” Snarl replied.

“You think a dirtbag in a leather vest is gonna scare me?” Brad asked, taking a step closer to Snarl and puffing out his chest .

“It’s not a vest, it’s a cut, and these are my colors,” Snarl said pointing to his back. “I’d advise you show some respect.”

“You think that vest makes you look tough?”

“I don’t know.” Snarl shrugged. “Do you think your broken jaw makes you look tough?”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I don’t have a bro—”

Before he could finish the sentence, Snarl cold cocked the asshat so hard his feet actual left the ground. He then turned to the other two and let out a low deep growl. “Pick that piece of shit up and get him out of my sight or I’ll send both of you to the ground right next to him.”

Brad’s two bros picked him up without hesitation and began dragging his limp body away.

“Holy shit, he really broke Brad’s fucking jaw,” one of them said to the other.

“Ahhhhm gaanaaah fushing sue yoooh, yoooh fushing assssshhhole,” Brad gargled as he gained consciousness.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“Shut the fuck up Brad,” one of the bros said as they began dragging him away.

“Hold on, a second,” Snarl said, before bending down and taking Brad’s wallet from his suit pocket.

“Listen here, Brad Parsons,” he said, reading from Brad’s driver’s license.

“Who resides at 4216 Parkview Terrace apartments, unit 302. When I get back home tonight, I’m gonna tell the members of my club all about you and your friends here.

And if I ever so much as hear your name or see your face again, me and my club will kidnap you, beat you half to death, and then make you watch as we do the same to your friends and family members.

Then we’ll finish the job we started on you. Do you understand me?”

Brad moaned.

“You,” Snarl said to one on Brad’s buddies. “Grab him by his hair.”

Brad’s buddy did as he was told.

“Good, now make him nod ‘yes.’”

Again, Brad’s buddy complied. Nodding Brad’s concussed skull like a ventriloquist’s dummy.

“Good. Now that we all understand each other, get the fuck out of here before I change my mind and kill all three of you now.”

As soon as the trio of losers were out of sight Snarl turned to me. “You okay? Did those guys touch you?”

I shook my head. Terrified by what he would have done if they had.

Terrified, and also completely turned on.

Never in a million years did I think violence would have had that kind of effect on me, but it did.

In fact, Snarl protecting me was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever experienced in my entire life.

Snarl reached out, sliding his hand to my neck and tugging me forward. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, I’ve just never seen a fist fight before.”

“That wasn’t a fight. That was scraping dog shit off the sidewalk,” he replied.

“Thank you, either way.”

“We should probably get the hell out of here,” Snarl said, scanning the parking lot. “Just in case someone saw us and called the cops.”

“Would your club really beat up their family members?” I asked, a little afraid of his answer.

“Get our hands dirty over those weasels? Not a chance in hell,” he said with a laugh. “We’re far from squeaky clean, but we’re not about that kind of shit. Come on, let’s go.”

Snarl quickly led us to where we’d parked, and I got into the Red Rider as he climbed onto his bike.

Before closing the car door and before losing my nerve I asked, “Would you like to come to my apartment? Well, our apartment. I share it with two other women, but they’re both away during the summer break, so we’d have the place all to ourselves.”

Snarl smiled wide. “I’d love to.”

“Great. Follow me,” I said, hoping I wasn’t blushing too much.

I’d been in a serious relationship throughout most of college and had never asked a man to ‘come back to my place,’ before.

I turned the key to the ignition but instead of the Red Rider roaring to life, she let out a pathetic ‘click, click, click,’ so I stopped, waited a few seconds and tried again.

This time, she only gave me two clicks, and then no clicks.

Snarl tapped on my window, and since the power windows were kaput, I opened the car door.

“Sounds like a dead starter motor,” Snarl said .

“Everything else is dying on this old gal. Why not?”

“If it is the starter, it’s something I can fix, but not here. I’ll call some brothers to haul your car back to our shop.”

“That’s so sweet of you, but I think ol’ Red’s days of riding might just be over. Maybe your guys could tow it to the nearest cash for cars lot. That would be incredible.”

“I got you covered,” Snarl said, before starting his bike. “Now, get on.”

“I’m sorry. The engine of your bike is very loud. It sounded like you told me to get on.”

Snarl nodded. “That’s right. There’s a helmet on the back. Put it on your head, tighten the strap, climb onto the bike, and hold onto my waist.”

“I don’t think so,” I replied.

“Well, your car is dead, and I’m not leaving you here in this parking lot.” He cocked his head. “I assume that when you asked me to come back to your place it was to fuck. Yes?”

I nodded vigorously.

“Good, then text me your address, then climb on and let’s go.”