Page 1 of War

PROLOGUE

ORA

Just like clockwork.

Showing up here and people-watching has become my secret obsession. The Serpents of Chaos MotorcycleClub do a charity ride or cookout without fail once a month.

I’m new to Rest Falls, a town where no one really knows me—and I prefer it that way. I landed myself a job at Lu’s Sweet Treats, a bakery owned by my best friend, Lu. As a pastry chef by trade, I love what I do, and this place feels like the fresh start I need.

My mother passed away two years ago.

It was always just her and me against the world.

And without her, I’ve had to build a new life.

But instead of looking forward, I’ve found myself drawn in by the past.

A man with dark hair, a little gray at the temples, and a thick, bushy beard laughs at something one of the women says to him. He’s a tall man, at least six foot two, with ocean-blue eyes and laugh lines that tell me he’s enjoyed his life. There’s a patch that says President on his chest, and although he doesn’t come to these cookouts every single time, I come hoping to see him.

Although my brown skin is much darker than his fair tone, more like my mother’s Sri Lankan heritage, I know those blue eyes and those matching set of dimples.

I look at them in the mirror every morning.

CHAPTER ONE

ORA

Two Months Later

“Ora, that hot guy can’t take his eyes off you,” Lu says, brushing my long, dark hair behind my ear to speak into it. “I haven’t seen him around. Maybe he’s just passing through.”

I turn around, my back to the bar, but I don’t need to look to see the man in question. My eyes have been trailing him around the room from the second he walked inside. Tall and muscular, the man with dark hair and eyes is wearing a white button-down shirt he has rolled up his inked forearms and black dress pants that show off his perfect, tight ass. My gaze goes to the veins on his arms.

Arm porn, it’s a real thing.

He has a dangerous edge, and I don’t miss how the crowd parts for him every time he walks through them.

“You should go home with him,” Lu adds, smirking over her gin and tonic. Her green eyes are shaded in the smoky brown eyeshadow I put on her, her pouty lips a natural pinky tone. At five foot nothing, my best friend is tiny, even when she wears her stiletto heels I could only dream of walking in. At five foot six and in my block heels, I’m still much taller than her. “You justknow he’d be a beast in the bedroom. I bet he talks you through it.”

“Lu.” I laugh but couldn’t agree with her more.

I’ve never had a one-night stand, but I can’t deny that every time our eyes meet across the dance floor, a pulse of chemistry shoots between us. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such visceral instant attraction to a man. Maybe Lu is right, and I should let myself live a little.

“He’s coming over,” Lu warns me, tucking an errant blonde curl behind her ear.

He’s even larger, closer up, easily towering over me. My eyes drift to his ripped biceps straining against his white shirt and then up to his tattooed throat before connecting with his gaze. Then I notice he has the longest lashes framing those dark eyes. And right now, they are filled with heat. His lips are plump and inviting, and I’m not going to lie—I want a taste.

Before he can approach me, however, another man does. He’s blond, lean, and has a sweet smile. “Dance with me.”

I’m pulled along with him before I can even reply. I’ve only just made it to the dance floor, and I’m about to have one dance with the persistent blond when the man I’d had my eyes on stops me with a large hand on my waist. It’s a possessive, bold hold, his fingers splaying across my stomach. My body heats with his touch, my nipples pebbling as I’m pulled back against his hard body.

“She’smine,” he declares to the blond, his voice low and lethal.

I shiver at his gravelly tone.

The blond instantly lets go and steps away with his hands up in submission.

I can’t really blame him because the man holding me has a few inches on him in height, wider, broader shoulders, and an aura offuck around and find out.

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