Page 1 of The Biker's Forbidden Love
PROLOGUE
Jesse
My bike rumbles down the suburban street, passing perfectly cut hedges and pristine lawns. Heads turn to watch as I cruise past and I give a friendly wave, ignoring the disapproving glances.
The street that Valerie lives on is lined with two-story houses with white picket fences set back on lush green lawns. Until I get to Valerie’s house.
Valerie is the lawyer for the Underground Crows MC, and she’s also the sister of our club president, Bruno. While her house is as suburban looking as the others, there’s thumping bass music coming from the backyard, the sound of chatter, and the smell of barbeque mixed with something suspiciously sweet wafting on the air.
I bet she’s as thrilled to be hosting her niece’s eighteenth birthday party as I am to be here.
The street in front of her house is crammed with beat-up old cars, the kind that teenagers drive, meaning I have to park a ways down the street. In my saddle bag is a present wrapped in Hello Kitty paper and tied with a pink bow. I don’t know if the birthday girl still likes Hello Kitty. I’ve barely seen her for the last three years since her father, Bruno’s, been inside. By the sound of the music and smell of weed, I’m starting to think maybe she doesn’t.
I got back to the Sunset Coast yesterday after eight months on the road, and the first thing I did was visit Bruno. That’s how I got roped into this.
The last place I want to be is at the eighteenth birthday party of the Pres’s daughter. I’d rather be at the clubhouse catching up with my MC brothers and getting shitfaced. But when the President asks you to do something, you do it. Especially when his daughter, Lily, is involved.
Dragging my feet up the stairs, the door opens before I can ring the bell. I’m expecting to see Valerie, but this young woman certainly isn’t Valerie. She’s wearing tight black jeans and a billowy emerald top that’s the exact same shade as her eyes. Her auburn hair is cut shoulder length and dyed black at the tips. She’s wearing too much eye makeup, and her lips have a high, glossy shine. One hand rest on her hip and the other hangs by her side, bracelets jangling.
This is definitely not a girl who’s still into Hello Kitty.
“Lily?”
She looks like Lily but a grown-up badass version of her.
“What’s the matter, Jesse? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You’re all grown up.”
It’s a stupid thing to say, but this woman’s left me speechless.
She smiles at me, and I’m pleased to see there’s still softness around her mouth. Lily was always a smiling, happy girl, and I’m not sure I like this tough version of her. Although I can’t get my eyes off her tightly pressed together cleavage and the way her jeans hug her voluptuous curves.
The last time I saw Lily she had braces and was gangly and awkward. Now she’s all curvy woman and confidence.
I hand the present over, pretty sure she’s not going to want the sparkly Hello Kitty purse inside.
“Happy birthday,” I mutter. “I don’t know what teenage girls are into.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
She stands up on tiptoe and gives me a peck on the cheek. It’s meant to be friendly, as a thank you for the present. But as she leans in, I get a whiff of her floral body wash, and her chest presses against mine. It’s only for an instant, but it’s enough to make my pulse scoot up a notch.
Her glossy lips leave a sticky mark on my cheek that I don’t want to wipe off. Her sleeve pulls up, revealing a colorful arm tattoo. It looks fully dry to me, which means some asshole did it for her when she was underage.
“Does your dad know you’ve got that tattoo?”
Lily rolls her eyes, and I don’t blame her. I sound like a scolding father. But I feel as protective of her as if she was my own.
“I’m eighteen now, Jesse. I don’t need Daddy’s approval for everything I do. I’m a legal adult. I can make my own decisions. About everything.”
She bites her lower lip, and her gaze travels down my body.
Am I imagining it, or is Lily flirting with me? There’s no mistaking. She’s making eyes at me. Which is all sorts of wrong. Especially because Ilikeit.
“Is your aunt here?” I need to put some distance between us.
Lily opens the door wide while still standing against it, so that as I push past her, my arm brushes her chest.
