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  Zeke reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “That’s why we only hire the best here.”

  He shook one out and put the white tipped stick to his lips. Grace watched them purse and curve around the cigarette. Heat shot down her spine. Her pussy clenched and her clit throbbed. She’d always thought smoking was a horrible habit, but on him she found it sexy as hell.

  Since Zeke appeared on the scene, her morals were shot to shit.

  “And you’re the best?” Unwilling to give in to the foolishness of throwing herself at his feet, she crossed her arms over her very aroused breasts.

  Zeke flashed her a cocky grin. “Every damn day, sweetheart.”

  Kadence, Gabe and Rafe laughed. Stunned into silence, Grace refocused on the sketch. One day she’d get it, but right now she had to get away from Zeke Knight. After last night, she’d vowed to keep as much distance between them as possible. Yes, she was deeply attracted to him, but the closer she got, the more scorched she’d get when it ended. And it would end. Men like Zeke didn’t keep women around long term. Especially not women like her.

  “And on that note, I think I need to get back to the store. You coming, Kadence?” She asked as she strode towards the door, willing herself not to look at Zeke lest she rip the cigarette from his lips and kiss him senseless.

  “Nah, I’m gonna grab a coffee and then take a look at the lingerie store I saw down the block.”

  Grace saw the flash of lust in Gabe’s eyes and a streak of protective possessiveness shot through her. She immediately let it go. She didn’t have the right to dictate who Kadence dated. And if Gabe did hurt her, she would take a scalpel to his most prized appendage.

  She grinned at her sister as she stepped out, “Bring me a coffee and I’ll let you off with the last few boxes.”

  Kadence beamed. “Deal.”

  Walking into the crisp, autumnal air blew away some of the lust clawing in Grace’s belly. She strolled along Main Street, looking into storefronts, taking in the Halloween displays. If she could have her store open by Thanksgiving, which was a real possibility, she could hit the holiday trade. It would provide a real boost to her first quarter.

  She liked this place. The sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. It calmed her soul. Compared to the hustle and bustle of city life, it felt wonderful. Peaceful. Relaxing.

  An iron grip clamped on her wrist. She gasped and whirled around, coming face-to-face with Zeke. Before she could rip him a new one for sneaking up on her, his lips crashed down on hers. His tongue delved into her mouth. One hand tunneled in her hair, while the other splayed at the small of her back. He drew her closer, fitting her firmly against his groin.

  Ohhhh, she thought as his rock hard cock prodded her thigh.

  He walked her into a side alley between stores, never breaking the kiss.

  The man had mad skills.

  When he backed her against a wall, he intensified the kiss. She loved the feel of him. His dark strength overwhelming and thrilling her in equal measure. She shouldn’t let him kiss her. She was supposed to be keeping her distance. They were completely incompatible. As soon as he’d had his fun, he’d move on to someone more exciting. Someone more like him.

  He pushed his hips forward and his erection brushed her groin. The simple move made her arch into him. She was lost. Totally and utterly lost to the pleasure he sparked in her.

  Zeke drew back, kissing his way across her cheek, along her jaw and down her neck. Pulling aside the lapel of her shirt, he bit down on the exposed skin.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re driving me fucking crazy,” he murmured as he returned to her lips and once again captured them in a kiss that stole her breath.

  Her head swam. How could she say no to that? Instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stroked the nape and drew him closer. She matched his passion, pouring all the tension and frustration she’d kept locked up into the kiss.

  Zeke groaned, palmed her ass and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. The movement made his jean covered cock slide over her mound. Bursts of intense pleasure shot through her. Last night had only whet her appetite. She needed him filling her, fucking her hard and fast, like she needed air. It didn’t matter it was broad daylight and they were in the middle of a public alleyway.

  She wanted him. Now. No more waiting. Consequences be damned.

  Grace fumbled between them, found the button at the top of his fly and flicked it open.

  His iron grip clasped her wrist again. She pulled back to stare into Zeke’s stormy eyes, wondering why he’d stopped. “What’s wrong?”

  Zeke watched confusion mar Grace’s beautiful face. The firecracker made his dick throb. Christ, one minute he’d been taunting her in the store. The next, she’d walked out and he had to follow. His cock was solid as rock just by being in the same room. After last night, he couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mouth. He’d jerked off twice in the shower like a high school kid crushing on a hot teacher.

  When she reached for his dick, he had to stop her.

  What was wrong? Every damn thing. He’d never fucking get enough of her. And that was a problem.

  Shoving away thoughts of the future, he loosened his grip on her delicate wrist. “You don’t get to touch me first.”

  He reversed their fortunes by opening the clasp on her practical black slacks, pulling down the zipper and plunging his hand into heaven. Her lips formed an ‘o’ as he palmed her cunt. The heat practically scorched him as he inched lower, teasing the soft curls before moving down. His dick jerked, demanding attention, but he ignored the beast, focused instead on the spots of color rising in her cheeks as he slid one finger down and up inside her pussy.

  “Jesus, Grace. Fucking soaked.” A primal part of him roared in triumph. She was so fucking wet, soaking his finger and hand as he slowly fucked her.

  He bent his knees, shifting his weight so he could hold her up against the wall and still finger her. The tiny mewling sounds coming from her throat almost made him come in his pants.

  Removing his finger, he lifted it to his nose and inhaled her sweet, musky scent. “Hmmm,” he growled before sucking her juices clean. “Your cunt tastes amazing.” Just as he remembered it. Better in fact.

  Her eyes widened. He loved her mix of innocence and sass. She never played the coquette, but she’d probably be shocked by some of his wilder sexual escapades. One thing he knew for certain, he was going to enjoy blowing the Doc’s pretty little mind.

  He’d bet his left nut she’d never tasted herself.

  Fucking travesty.

  Dipping back into her pussy, he strummed her clit a few times before withdrawing his finger a second time and putting it to her lips.

  She blinked. After a few beats, she greedily sucked the digit into her hot mouth, never taking her eyes from his. Her tongue swirled around the tip and pre-cum leaked from his cock.

  He kissed her, tasting her from her mouth. He would have preferred a nice soft bed for their first time. He wasn’t really romantic, but he wanted to see her spread out, naked and shackled, squirming for him.

  The alley would have to do. If he didn’t get inside her now his balls would explode. He made a vow to make it up to her later.

  “Zeke, please,” she moaned.

  If he had doubts, her throaty pleas dispelled them.

  “Drop your legs,” he commanded.

  She dropped them and he began tugging down her slacks. As he reached for her panties a huge explosion shook the buildings surrounding them. The air grew thin and dusty. Instinctively, Zeke covered her body, protecting her from any falling debris.

  What the fuck?

  His mind whirred. “You okay?” He asked, visually checking her for cuts.

  Wide eyed and shocked, she nodded. That was good enough for him. He helped her zip up her slacks. As a gesture of comfort, he smoothed her hair, trying to ease the startled look from her face, before he took off on to Main
Street.

  He stopped and did a quick assessment. No damage to the stores around them. There was glass and debris a few doors down. Smoke and flames billowed from a broken storefront window.

  The tattoo store.

  Fuck.

  He heard Grace scream, “Kadence!” as cold dread hardened in his gut.

  Chapter Seven

  Grace couldn’t breathe. Her lungs wouldn’t work as Zeke ran past her towards the fire. She stood, rooted to the spot. Her body refused to move as terror seeped in.

  Kadence.

  Her family meant everything. If Kadence died because she’d introduced her to the Knights of Hell…

  She wasn’t going to finish that thought. Instead she willed her body to move, to put one foot in front of the other. Taking a deep breath, she reached inside the calm space she’d cultivated during her years as a trauma nurse. She blocked out the noise and chaos. Finally, her body calmed and she ran after Zeke.

  The huge glass window at the front of Smokin’ Guns had been completely decimated. Glass, bits of wood, plaster and metal littered the pavement and road outside. Flames licked inside as the fire burned through the furniture. Smoke billowed onto the street. The damage was immense and alarm clawed at her.

  “Kadence!” she shouted as she tried to get closer. She had to see if her sister was hurt. If she needed her.

  Zeke caught her around the waist. “You can’t get in there.”

  “I have to! She’s my sister.”

  “Don’t be fucking stupid,” he hissed in her ear. “It’s too dangerous.”

  She turned, pushing at his immovable chest in a desperate bid to get away, to get to Kadence. “You don’t understand. She’s my sister. My flesh and blood. I have to help her.” The thought of losing her was too much to bear.

  For the first time since she’d seen the damage, she looked into Zeke’s eyes and froze. The usual cockiness was gone. What replaced it was grief, anger and determination. It startled her enough that she stopped fighting him.

  “I understand, Grace. The boys are my family too.”

  Shame washed over her at the pain in his words. Of course they were his family. How could she be so selfish and think he didn’t have a stake in what was happening?

  In that moment she connected with him on a deeper level. Puzzle pieces slotted into place. She saw past the bravado. Past the player who screwed anything that moved. Past the badass MC president. In that moment, she saw inside his soul.

  A tear slipped down her cheek. Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer with each second.

  It should have been me.

  Her focus swam. Images blurred as her world narrowed to a single black spot. Dammit, she was going to faint. Someone called her name, but it sounded muffled, like she was underwater.

  “Grace!” Zeke shouted, shaking her hard. His fingers dug into the flesh of her arms. The pain forced the blackness into retreat.

  “What?” She managed to choke out.

  “Look. Over there. They’re okay. They’re okay.”

  She followed his gaze. Rounding the corner was her sister, her arm tucked around Rafe, helping him along. Gabe propped up the other side and although they were covered in dust, they were alive. All three came to a stop and Rafe sank to the floor.

  Relief shot through Grace like a hurricane. The release of adrenaline threatened to buckle her knees, but Zeke held her steady.

  “I got you. Just breathe.” Seconds ago his touch had been biting, now it soothed. He rubbed his palms up and down her skin, as though trying to get some warmth back into her cold flesh.

  Steadier, she ran over to them and engulfed Kadence in a hug. “We thought you were inside,” she said, before stepping away and assessing her sister.

  Apart from a few minor cuts and scrapes she seemed intact.

  “I’m fine. Really. Gabe managed to throw me down and cover me as the bomb hit.” Although her pupils were wide with shock, she seemed lucid. “Rafe got the worst of it. He was closer to the door and got most of the impact. Check him. Please.”

  Silently thanking every god in every religion for her sister’s safety, Grace dropped to her knees next to Rafe. He sat on the curb with his eyes closed, a grimace etched on his face. His labored breathing wasn’t a good sign. Blood ran in dark, sticky rivulets down his forehead, and he held one arm banded across his middle.

  “Rafe, can you hear me?” She touched his arm and noted his clammy skin. Definitely going into shock.

  He opened one pale, blue eye. “I can hear you. Barely. Blast must have fucked up my ears.”

  “Where did you get hit?” Although head wounds bled, most times they were superficial.

  “Got whacked on the head by a piece of wood from fuck knows what. Something caught my stomach.”

  She inspected his head. He had a gash about two inches wide, but it wasn’t life threatening. It would need cleaning and stitching, and he’d need monitoring for concussion, but it looked okay.

  Grace pointed at his arm. “Let’s take a look at your stomach.”

  As he moved it, blood bloomed on his already soaked t-shirt. She lifted the material, trying to be as careful as possible. He hissed as she peeled it back. A jagged piece of glass stuck out of a deep cut on the left side of his abdomen. The glass plugged the hole. Next to it was another deep gash pouring of blood.

  Something had torn him up pretty badly.

  “That bad, huh, Doc?” He joked before a cough racked him.

  She was vaguely aware of fire trucks and EMT’s pulling up. Her instincts took over. She deftly unbuttoned her shirt and tore it off, before wadding it up and pressing it hard against the bleeding wound.

  “Fuccccckkkkkk,” Rafe moaned.

  “I’m sorry. It’s going to hurt, but we need to stop that bleeding. Keep pressure on it. I can’t do anything about the other wound. The embedded glass is keeping it plugged for now.” She looked up at Gabe. “Get something to put under his head and let’s lie him down. We need to keep his blood pressure from dropping. He’s going to go into shock pretty quick.”

  Kadence offered her jacket and Gabe rolled it up into a pillow before gently laying Rafe down.

  EMT’s ran up behind her. “Excuse me, Ma’am. We’ll take over now.”

  Grace didn’t move, just continued to keep pressure on Rafe’s wound. “His name is Rafe. He was directly in the path of the blast. Superficial head wound. Two major wounds to the stomach. One plugged by a foreign object. The other about three inches wide. Applying pressure. BP and pulse not checked.”

  “You had training?” One of the EMT’s said as they ripped open their emergency kit.

  “Trauma nurse. NYC. Ten years.

  They nodded their thanks and got to work. As they took control of the situation, Grace moved back out their way and let them work. They managed to get an IV into him and began to temporarily patch over his wounds. She started shivering as her adrenaline subsided.

  “Come here,” Zeke stood behind her, wrapping her in his arms. His heat seeped into her bones and the chill abated. “Thank you for doing that.”

  “Doing what?” She asked as the EMTs stabilized Rafe and got him onto a stretcher.

  He was going to need surgery and probably a long period of recovery.

  “For being amazing. I didn’t have a fucking clue.”

  She titled her head and gazed up at him. Worry furrowed his handsome brow, and the muscle in his jaw twitched with anger or frustration. She’d never seen uncertainty in him before.

  “It’s what I do.” She leaned into him and tucked her head under his chin, giving and receiving comfort.

  He allowed himself a few moments of respite before she felt the façade drop.

  The steel came back into his spine. Gone was the concerned friend, replaced by cold, hard, dangerous Zeke Knight, President of the Knights of Hell. It was fascinating to watch the transformation. Or it would have been if she didn’t feel so damned exhausted.

  “What do we know?” He aske
d Gabe as he stripped out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

  “Didn’t see anything until it was too late. A bike pulled up. Couldn’t see the driver’s face. Smashed the window with a brick. Threw the device in and left.”

  While Zeke grilled Gabe, the rest of the crew arrived. There were five members she’d never seen before.

  “Holy fucking shit,” Tiny said as he gaped at the fire crew trying to control the raging fire.

  “You got that right,” Gabe shot back.

  Zeke took command of the situation. “We need to get someone on Rafe. Now. Get on the phone and get some of the nomads covering him.”

  As the men crowded into a huddle and began talking in quiet voices, Grace once again wrapped Kadence in her arms. The feel of her sister, solid and unharmed, released the knot of tension squeezing her intestines. “I thought…” she couldn’t finish the sentence without choking on emotion.

  Kadence tightened her hold. “I’m fine, sis. Don’t think about it.”

  But she couldn’t stop replaying the image of Kadence lying dead, over and over in her mind.

  A young cop interrupted by coughing. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but we need to take your statements.”

  Grace released Kadence, but kept one arm locked around her waist. They spent the next twenty minutes going through details with him. When he was done, she looked over at the Knights. Zeke’s eyes no longer danced with passion and playfulness, instead they were hard, determined and downright scary. This Zeke would strike fear in the heart of his enemy.

  He met her gaze and a frisson of fear shot down her spine, quickly followed by a heavy dose of lust. She’d never really been attracted to bad boys. Too much effort for such a small gain. Bad boys never committed. They never treated you right. She made a rule to keep away from them.

  Zeke was the exception to every one of her rules.

  He motioned them over and said to his crew, “Get everyone on alert. Lock it down. If we’re under attack I don’t want anyone as a target. You know what to do.”

  The men nodded and dispersed. Some dealt with the authorities. Some got on their phones.

  Zeke touched her elbow and gently moved her a few inches away from Kadence. “We’re going into lock down. That means you too. I want you with me.”