Page 34 of Brandishing Beginnings

Terri laughed. “Kara really doesn’t care?”

“Dude, you heard her. Shit, you asked her yourself! She really doesn’t care. She’s more worried about me getting hurt than anything,” I said. I frowned at myself in the mirror slightly, thankful that Kara and gone off with Kyle tonight, and wasn’t at the bar to see whatever might happen between her brother and me.

“I mean, you could get hurt in any relationship. Why hold yourself back from love, when its right in front of you?” Terri shot back, raising an eyebrow.

“Who said anything about love? You think three bikers are looking for love and commitment and forever? No. They’re looking to fuck. End of story.” I rolled my eyes and leaned toward the mirror to wipe a smudge of makeup from under my eye.

“What’s wrong with fucking?” Terri laughed. “Three, hot as fuck bikers wanna get down for a night? Sign me the fuck up.”

I chuckled and shook my head at my friend’s antics. After four years of sharing a dorm room with Terri, countless parties, andendless nights of baring our souls during girl talk, I was feeling nostalgic. This might be one of the last nights we partied together. Terri’s parents had moved to Florida in the last year of school, and without a home base in Illinois, she would be moving in with her parents again while she job searched. “I’m going to miss you.”

Terri gave me a wide grin. “Bitch, you ain’t getting rid of me. There’s still phones and social media.”

I rolled my eyes at my friend’s blasé attitude.

“But same, bitch.” Terri walked over, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and planted a big wet kiss to my cheek.

“Ewwww,” I grumbled. I tried to push Terri off me, but she was like a bad smell, still hanging on.

“You fucking love me.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, but grinned widely, watching my friend in the mirror.

Yeah, I was definitely going to miss nights like these.

After the bathroom chit chat, I headed for the bar and quickly ordered another round for my table. I was feeling far too sober after that little show of feelings with Terri. I had just settled onto a stool when I felt them come up on either side of me.

Marcos and Jason to my left, and Nico to my right, making it impossible to look at all three at the same time, without turningmy back to one of them. It left me vulnerable, and knowing those three, it was an orchestrated move to make me feel unsettled.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. This wasn’t a chess game, there were no moves to be had. While I didn’t like anyone behind me, I figured Nico was mostly harmless, compared to the other two, so I gave Marcos and Jason my attention as I let my gaze roam over the leather cuts up close.

Black leather with the devil character on stitched the left side. On the right side, were two embroidered patches: the name Devil’s Psychos on top, and the patch below it read Enforcer, on Jason’s and vice president on Marcos’s. I frowned slightly as I slowly surveyed them, taking in every detail from the way their shirts hugged their chests, to the way their heavy black boots were scuffed beneath their jeans.

I didn’t say anything as I frowned. I studied their solemn faces—such stark contrast to their confident smirks they bore earlier that afternoon after graduation. They clearly hadn’t expected to run into me here. Both Marcos and Jason looked more than a little unsettled at the moment. “I take it Kara doesn’t know?” I raised an eyebrow and watched Marcos expectantly.

Marcos sighed and ran a hand over his hair, seeking comfort from the closely buzzed locks. “No. I’d like to keep it that way, please.”

I ignored him, studying Jason instead. His gray eyes were hard as stone, almost emotionless, like the nickname I often heard Marcosand Nico call him. I could see it in his eyes how he was trying to push me away, trying not to care that I was in possiblyhisbar, on his turf, and seeing himclearlyfor the first time ever. It made him vulnerable and I could see how much he didn’t like it. Again, the fucking opposite of how he was earlier that afternoon.

I turned away from Jason and Marcos, giving them both my back, as I turned to look at Nico. The blond adonis, with his bright blue eyes, blond hair back in a ponytail, and tanned skin, he was smirking playfully when I turned my attention on him.

I gave him the same slow inspection, letting my eyes drift over every inch of him, noting the way the leather cut looked damn good on his muscular frame. Shit, it had looked good on three of them. “Like what you see, Little Dreamer?” Nico crooned.

I pursed my lips.

I was saved from answering, though, when the bartender set down a tray ladened with drinks in front of me. Ignoring the three men, I grabbed the tray and slid off my barstool, and sauntering back to my friends without a backwards glance.

I could feel their eyes burning into me all the way… and if I danced extra provocatively in the following couple of hours, so be it.

After I said goodbye to my friends later that evening, I slid onto a barstool and waved to the bartender, motioning for another drink. The man nodded and I settled in to wait, turning my back to the leather clad bikers in the corner and facing the rest of the barroom, to take in the still raging party.

Once again, I felt them before I saw them. It was like the air shifted around me before I was surrounded by muscled men in leather cuts. Nico behind me, Marcos in front of me, and Jason to my left, leaving me boxed in with the bar to my right.

“Jesus Christ, Little Dreamer.” Nico groaned from behind me. As I went to turn my head to look at him, Marcos grabbed my knees and forcefully spread my thighs apart, so he could step between my legs. My skirt was tight around my hips, stretching as he opened my legs wide.

“What do I gotta do to get you to come home with me tonight?” Nico groaned, pressing open mouth kisses along the column of my neck. I tilted my head to the side, letting it fall back against his shoulder as he melded his body against mine. His hands slid down my sides, grazing sensually over my breasts, before he dug his fingers into those sensitive spots right above my hip bones. His kisses turned into nibbles, before he was biting down on my jaw bone just below my ear.

A breathy whimpered moan left my lips.

---