“I don’t know. Just give me thirty. We’ll get you on your way and we’ll call it even.”

She pulls the money out of her wallet and slams it down on the counter while placing a cigarette between her plump lips. Then she looks up and pulls the cigarette out with a small smile. “Well at least I get a discount out of this. Although, I would’ve liked something else better. You’ll be seeing more of me in the future. No one’s as good with their hands as you are.”

Silently, I grab the cash and shove it into the drawer before walking her over to the door. “Good to know. Did you lock your doors?”

She gives me a questionable look while digging for her keys. “Yeah, why?”

“Just being cautious.” I push the door open for her and lean against it as I watch her walk over to her car being sure she makes it there safely. As soon as she drives off, I quickly shut down the shop and lock the door behind me.

I have my Harley tonight and all I want to do is hurry and lock up so I can jump on, take her for a ride and feel the wind against my face.

Once outside, I ride heated and angered, the cool air giving me a bit of release. I ride for a good hour before I finally pull into my drive and park it outside of the garage. Riding did little to ease my mind. Not like it usually does.

I step into the house to find Rayne standing right inside waiting on me. I kneel down in front of her and run my hands over her head, rubbing behind her ear over the jagged scar that was left there by her previous owners. The scar runs at least a good seven inches long. It takes a lot for me to swallow my anger every time I feel it. She didn’t deserve the treatment she got. It’s all bullshit. “Is my girl hungry?” She wags her tail and places her paw on my knee. “Come on girl.”

She follows behind me to the kitchen and sits down in front of her bowl as I open a can of her favorite food and fill her dish up with fresh water. “There you go.” I pat her head and then walk over to take a seat on the nearest bar stool.

Burying my head in my hands, I sit there feeling restless. My leg is bouncing, my pulse is racing and my head feels cloudy as shit. “Fuck!” I slam my fist down onto the granite counter-top before throwing my keys across the room. I can’t do this. I can’t sit still while wondering what is going on at the bar.

A few minutes later, my thoughts leave me naked and standing in the shower with my hands pressed against the wall. I pull one hand away to rub over my face as the cool water beats against my head, running down to my chest and legs. As soon as my eyes close, images of me and Phoenix naked on the roof of my shop consume my thoughts. Her flawless body pressed against mine, our lips caressing each other as I taste her tongue in my mouth and damn . . . she tastes so good. Everywhere. I should have known better than to get a taste. Now my body won’t only want it, but crave it.

Without looking down, I can feel my thoughts have aroused me. Of course. This girl doesn’t even have to be around and she still gets me stiffer than any other girl.

Grabbing my shaft, I start to stroke myself, running my hand up and down its length. While stroking myself, I picture the curviness of her plump ass as I spread her cheeks, burying myself deep between those thighs. Her soft lips as they hungrily sucked mine as if she never wanted to let go. The way her sex tasted against my tongue as I pleasured her. All of these things run through my mind until I feel a tug on my balls, and I release myself right here in the shower, my cum mixing with the water and slipping down the drain. My shoulders slump and my breathing comes out heavy as I rub both hands over my face and lean against the wall. This girl is doing something to me and I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it.

* * *

I pull my truck up to the bar and park it in the nearest spot, while hating myself for not being stronger. I sit there for a minute before pulling my keys out of the ignition and resting my head against the seat, exhaling. I knew there would be no way I would make it through the night without making an appearance at the bar to check up on things. I was fighting a losing battle and with this one, I’m afraid I might always lose.

When I get out of the truck, I slam the door behind me, and look up to see Martin making his way out of the bar. With a nod, he turns and heads my direction while shaking his head. He stops in front of me and places both hands on my shoulders, forcing a smile. I have a feeling the talk is coming. “How ya doing, old man?” I ask while slapping him on the back in greeting.

“Oh, you know. The wife is a pain. The kids are still spending my money. I’m an old grumpy bastard. Pretty much the same old shit but a different day.” I smile and nod my head as he watches me intently, just waiting to start it up. The smile has left his face and is now replaced with all seriousness. I have known this man pretty much my whole life, but no one but Adric knows. “I can’t believe you risked coming back? What was the point of me doing all this work of keeping my eye out over the years when you were going to just come and stir things up again anyways? This is not good, kid. You didn’t tell me you were here when we talked on the phone last week. Come on now.”

Damn this old man. I’ve been paying him for years to keep his eye out for Kade and Phoenix since I couldn’t be here to keep them safe. I had no other choice. Being in contact with my family would’ve resulted in someone getting hurt. I should’ve thought things through before doing what I did, but in the heat of the moment, I could’ve killed a son of a bitch for letting Adric get his hands on those pills.

Before leaving town, I found Martin and he hooked me up with a ride. He made sure I made it to Chicago with no trace and even found me a roommate that needed help around his shop. It was all cash pay and I managed to save up a shit ton of money before making my way back close to home and opening up Adi’s Attic.

The problem is, I never told him I was coming or that I was even close to home. A big problem on his end is he failed to mention the relationship between my brother and Phoenix. It should’ve been stopped a long time ago, but I won’t bother him with the details now. I need to get inside that bar, now.

I lean my weight against the side of my truck and cross my arms in front of me in frustration. “It wasn’t planned, Martin. I needed to be close to home so I opened a tattoo shop about fifteen minutes out of town, expecting no one would even notice. Well, I was wrong. My bad. Guess I’m not as smart as I should be, old man.”