Page 3 of Blackbeard
I rolled to a stop, assessing the situation. At the entrance of the garage, Hot Shot shifted uneasily, with a pistol in his grip, low and close at his side.
The woman lifted her arm above her head, waving a white scrap of cloth to indicate a truce. My gaze locked on her as she approached with a bold stride—confident and unwavering, hips swaying.
Whoever this woman was, she held power among the Forsaken and she damn well knew how to wield it.
She glanced over the three of us. Since we wore simple brain buckets, we didn’t need to take off our helmets for her to see our faces clearly. When she spotted the VP patch on my chest, she arched an eyebrow with interest and angled her body toward me.
“So, you’re the man in charge?”
“Prez should be here any minute, if you’re looking for the head honcho,” I replied.
She clucked her tongue while her green eyes swept over me like I was a juicy ribeye steak, and she was a hungry wolf.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary. You and I will get along just fine.”
Judging by the purr in her tone—and the blatant appraisal—she’d probably love the thrill of a hate-fuck.
“Let me guess. Popeye sent a sweet little piece of ass over here in the hopes of making friends,” I said. “He’ll have to try harder than that.”
She bared her teeth in a humorless smile.
“I’m his daughter, Leigh. And I’m here of my own free will to discuss my father’s offer of peace.”
Shit. Popeye’s daughter.
I had to tread carefully here. Insulting Popeye’s precious little girl could be the trigger that sets off this mountain of dynamite we’d been sitting on since last October.
Even though I hadn’t crossed paths with Leigh Bradbury before, I’d heard enough gossip to know she wasn’t some innocent bystander in her father’s club. She didn’t hold an official position, but that didn’t prevent her from causing damage of her own. She could get away with murder, thanks to having her dad wrapped around her little finger.
“How did the ugly old bastard end up with a beauty like you for a kid?” Big G quipped.
“Pure luck,” Leigh chirped. “Don’t let the looks fool you though. I inherited my daddy’s mean streak. Watch your backs, boys. I bite.”
“Sounds like foreplay to me, princess,” I said.
She hummed and circled around my bike, eyeing me up and down. I tensed when she trailed her fingers lightly over my shoulder, down my forearm. Electric sparks of arousal zinged along my nerves like white fire, leaving an insatiable rush of heat everywhere she touched.
My saving grace was the fact that I wore a jacket, which prevented her from making skin-to-skin contact.
“Muscled thighs,” she mused. “Strong back. And these hands…my God…”
Leigh took my wrist and lifted my hand, smoothing her thumb over my tattooed knuckles. Traced the landscape of tendons and veins. Twisted and twirled the heavy metal rings I wore as if she was…testing something. Memorizing me.
This woman was sin personified. Temptation wrapped up in a pretty little package. Her flawless, pale skin against my tanned, inked skin painted an erotic contrast in my mind that promised forbidden pleasure if I dared to play along with her game.
At forty-five years old, I’d learned long ago how to maintain my common sense when a siren like her came calling. But it seemed she was going to put my limits to the test.
“Is that what you’re really doing here, sweetheart?” I replied. “Dear old Pops won’t let you ride the boys back home, so you’re on the hunt to get cock-drunk with a real man? Hate to say it, but you’re a little young for me.”
Leigh’s eyes gleamed.
“That didn’t stop you from staring at my tits when I walked up. But you’re hot, and I like the attention, so I won’t hold it against you. We could have a lot of fun together if you agree to take my father’s offer.”
I shook my head.
“Not a chance. The Forsaken have terrorized us for years. Popeye and his boys put one of my brothers in the ground. And now he wants to end that feud without a single word of apology? Sweep it under the rug like it never happened? Bullshit. If he wants peace, he can fuck off and leave us alone.”
Leigh feigned a pout and released my hand.
