Page 32 of Cole

“Holy shit,” she whispered, a breathless laugh leaving her. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“Yeah, well, you get an A+, Goldilocks,” I murmured, standing and tucking my spent cock into my jeans, then helping my little intruder to her feet.

She swayed slightly against me. “Why are you calling me Goldilocks?”

“Because you broke into my private space and poked around.” And were looking for something just right—something that I’ll get to the bottom of.

“I told you—I was just looking for you,” she protested, her eyes darting to the door. Liar.

I nodded. “So, you said. You’ve seen me. Time to go.”

This girl was dangerous. I didn’t run the kind of business where I could just let people poke around. Curiosity was a threat in my world. Until I found out what her agenda was, this couldn’t happen again. But then… then I’d see her again.

I’d make sure of it.

She pulled back, a flash of hurt showing on her features before she smoothed them out. She walked slowly toward the door.

“So, I take it you’re a one-and-done kind of guy? I shouldn’t be expecting your call, right?”

I leaned against the desk and fought the urge to cross the room to her, throw caution to the wind and haul her back, fuck her secrets out of her, and make her my old lady for the whole MC to see.

“Are you expecting me to answer, or you’re just enjoying putting words in my mouth?” I drawled.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, that nonanswer is an answer enough, I guess,” she muttered.

I shook my head slowly. “You came here to hit on me, right? You got what you wanted. I should be the one asking if you’ll be back, or if you’re done with me now.”

A woman like that couldn’t want anything real with a guy like me, it was practically impossible. Still, she didn’t confirm that stark, and obvious fact. Instead, she just shrugged.

“I guess time will tell. See you around, Cole.” She walked to the door, and paused just inside the threshold, looking back over her shoulder at me.

“If I’m Goldilocks, does that make you Papa Bear?” She tossed me a wicked look, and then she fucking left me there, chuckling like a fucking fool.

Yep, she was dangerous, all right.

ten

COLE

Once I pulled myself together and washed my hands, I was thirsty as hell. I walked into the bar from the back and saw Maddox nursing a half-empty bottle of beer. He had his arm slung over the back of the booth, as if he hadn’t just taken a bullet in that same arm. The only sign of it was a slice of white bandage poking out from under his T-shirt sleeve. He looked up as the door shut behind me and tipped his chin my way.

“Scars build character, right?” Maddox said as he followed my gaze to his arm. “Plus, the ladies love a man with a scar and a story to go with it.”

“If you keep decorating yourself with scars, you’re going to end up six feet under before any girl gets to admire ’em,” I said, sitting across from him in the booth.

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about little ol’ me,” he came back with a smile. “Besides, you know how it goes. You get a little scraped up, and suddenly, you’re a magnet for sympathy and attention. Works like a charm.”

“I don’t know if I would call a gunshot to the arm ‘a little scraped up.’ You’re lucky that bullet missed an artery.”

He shrugged and took another swig from the bottle. “Doc said I’d live. Besides, you’ve had worse than this. We both have.”

“Still, we can’t be reckless. The deal was shaky, but you still pushed it through.”

“I didn’t feel like we had much of a choice. It would have looked worse to back out,” Maddox said.

“Backing out would have kept you from getting shot,” I argued, as Ash brought me over my usual. “It doesn’t matter, though. I already warned that client that they’re on thin ice. That kind of backhanded ambush doesn’t get a second chance.”

Maddox nodded once before diverting his gaze. We weren’t going to get all mushy about it, but I needed him to know I had his back.