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“Fair enough.” She smiles. “Then probably streaking at graduation. There isn’t a person in town who hasn’t seen this body in all its glory.”

She waves her hands down, and my gaze moves with them, instantly jealous of everyone in town because what the hell?

My eyebrow quirks. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m sure my family wishes I was kidding.” She cringes. “Thankfully, Nora knew it was happening, so she made sure they looked away before I ran around that side of the field. And when I say streaking, I was in a bra and underwear. So not technically naked. But the sprinklers came on, and it was white cotton, so it didn’t leave much to the imagination. You get the picture.”

Harloe running around in a soaking wet white bra and panties. Yeah, I get the fucking picture. And I can feel my heart beating in my cock just thinking about it.

Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to notice my back stiffening as she continues talking. “I thought I was leaving town soon. Never planned on sticking around long after graduation, so I didn’t think I had anything to lose.”

“Until you came back,” I say.

“Until that.” She tips her water at me, taking a sip.

The more I learn about Harloe, the less I know. And I want to know it all.

East clears his throat, and I realize I’m staring at Harloe. When I look over at him, he offers a smug grin.

Asshole.

Someone knocks on the door, cutting off the conversation.

“Thanks for dinner, but I think dessert just arrived.” East grins, pushing back his chair. “Grab the whiskey when you head outside. I’m gonna start a fire.”

Aiden starts to stand, but Harloe jumps to her feet.

“Speaking of whiskey.” She moves to a brown bag on the counter and pulls out a new bottle with a bow on it. “This is to replace the one I downed when I crashed here on my wedding night.”

“She cooks, and she brings booze.” East walks over, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Too bad I’m not looking for an old lady because you might just win me over.”

“She’s smarter than that,” I remind him as he pulls her close.

My hands turn to fists when he plants a kiss on the top of her head, but I resist acting on it because she isn’t really mine.

Thankfully, she shoves East back a step.

“As charming as you are, I think you’ll have better luck with your patch bunnies.” She eyes the door when there’s a second knock. “They’re persistent.”

“What can I say…” He walks backward toward the door, sticking his tongue piercing out between his teeth. “Girls can’t resist my magical cock.”

Harloe’s nose scrunches and Aiden laughs while East pulls the door open, letting three girls inside. They do a quick sweep around the room, but my focus is on Harloe because I’m curious what she’s thinking.

Club life is too much for most people, and this isn’t even a glimpse of the shit that goes down at the Twisted Kings clubhouse in Vegas.

There are nightly parties. People fucking on random surfaces at all hours of the day.

Ironside Ridge will never be quite like that. But there will be other chapters passing through, and it’s not uncommon for them to bring girls along with them. Patch bunnies and old ladies.

Living with a motorcycle club is noisy and messy. It takes a woman with a spine to put up with the shit we get into. And it takes a loyal man to turn down the things thrown our way, whether we’re committed or not.

The guys back in Vegas who settled down got lucky. They found women who could handle it, and I respect that my brothers don’t fuck around on them. But I can’t imagine a girl caring about me enough to put up with the club. I don’t have much else to offer other than baggage. Scars. Demons that will never let me know a day of peace.

I’m damaged goods, living a life of chaos, and that’s worked for me until now.

But as Harloe’s gaze finds me across the room and her smile grows, I wonder if maybe someone could see past all the bullshit in my life. I wonder if, for the right girl, I could be something better than where I came from.

East and Aiden head outside to the firepit with the girls, grabbing the bottle of whiskey as they go. But I hang back, watching Harloe slowly cross the room toward me, trying really hard not to picture her looking at me like that while crawling on her hands and knees.