“Just shit. I gotta fill that order I got for the fender ornaments.”
“Oh, yeah. Man, this must’ve been the first party you missed since you’ve been patched.”
“Really? Why the fuck are you keeping count?”
Throttle shot him a quizzical look. “What the fuck’s your problem? Just making conversation.”
Steady, man. Why are you ready to rip Throttle’s head off just for making small talk?“I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” He put his lips against the bottle, wishing Throttle would either get the fuck away from him or shut the hell up and drink in silence.
“I gotta get one of your ornaments. I saw the ones Hawk bought for his shop when I was helping out last week, and they’re wicked. How much you selling them for?”
Jerry gritted his teeth. “Depends on the style, but they go from fifteen bucks to two hundred fifty big ones.”
“Do you think you can bring some?”
Clenching his jaw, he swiveled on the stool and faced Throttle. “Why the fuck don’t you go to Hawk’s goddamned store and check them out?”
Throttled narrowed his eyes. “I fuckin’ told you I did, but I wanted to see what else you had. Fuckin’ change your attitude before I beat your ass.”
Jerry leapt off the barstool, quickly followed by Throttle. Both men stood rigid, staring at one another, nostrils flaring, chests rising up and down.
“What’s going on here?” Rosie asked as she came up beside Jerry.
Lola followed suit, only she stood next to Throttle. “You guys look like you’re out for blood.”
“Stay the fuck outta this,” Jerry growled at the women.
Rosie curled her hand around his arm. “I missed you last night, honey.”
“Get the fuck away,” he hissed, shaking her hand off him.
Her face fell as she stepped backward. “Why you mad at me? I didn’t do anything.”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at—” He stopped short. He was fucking mad athimself. Throwing his beer bottle across the bar, he walked to the front door. Before he stepped out into the sunshine, he heard Throttle say, “I just fuckin’ asked him if I could see his damn fender ornaments. All he had to say was no.”
He jumped on his Harley and fired up his engine, ignoring Chas as he pulled into the parking lot, and rode away from the club.
Chapter Four
The first fewdays of the week were a blur of studies and parties. Final exams were fast approaching, and Kylie threw herself wholeheartedly into her studies. She hadn’t heard from Jerry since they’d texted the previous Sunday. At the beginning of the week, each time her phone would make a noise, she’d jump, hoping it would be him. But there was nothing from him; it was as if that night hadn’t happened. She imagined he’d screwed a few club women by now, and the thought of him kissing another woman the way he’d kissed her made her insides ache. She was being silly; it was just a kiss. It wasn’t like he was her boyfriend or anything, but Kylie had hoped—in a romantic, unrealistic way—that Jerry would’ve been so blown away by kissing her that he wouldn’t want any other women. But it was better this way because she didn’t have to worry about her dad and all the drama associated with that.
Kylie sat on her favorite comfy chair, highlighting passages in her economics book when someone knocked on her door. Thinking it was Ricky coming to work on their psychology project, she yelled, “It’s open!”
Expecting to see her friend come in, she smiled widely then frowned when Marcus entered her room, his small eyes staring at her. She gripped the side of the chair, swallowing her gasp. “I thought it was someone else,” she said as she tried to keep her voice steady while her insides quaked. “What do you want?”
“To see you.” He took a few steps closer to her.
She stood up. “You here to talk about poli-sci? Did you know what was going on today? I swear, half the time, I’m so bored that I zone out.” She kept talking, hoping it would stop him from coming any farther into her room.What is he doing here?
As she babbled on about their class, he stood still, his eyes on her mouth.Why is he just standing there staring at me? Ew….She wanted to push him out, then take a shower so she could scrub his gaze off her.
Marcus licked his lips. “I’m not here to talk about class. I want to know why you act like you don’t know me while we’re there.”
Shit!“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You never sit next to me, and afterward you run out, like you’re avoiding me.”
“Do I do that?” She crossed her arms. “I don’t think I do. I have another class right after and it’s in another building, so I have to rush to get there on time. I’ve been sitting in the same seat since the semester started. I’m kinda OCD that way—I don’t like changing seats each time.”
