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Sophie bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t want trouble, she didn’t want to cause trouble. Yet she felt a warm fuzziness of belonging settle in her gut, hearing Colt talk about the MC protecting her like this. Phantom’s MC. Sophie flashed Colt a brief smile and then put her head down again, busying herself on her stall.
Carmelo followed the line of Colt’s quiet gaze, straight to her. Carmelo let out a long, low whistle and Sophie frowned. Why did men assume she was deaf? She could hear everything they were saying, they weren’t even trying to be discreet.
Colt didn’t take his eyes off her, regarding her thoughtfully, but Sergeant Carmelo was practically salivating over her.
Colt got out his phone and shot off a text message quickly. Then snapped his phone away.
“Stop eye fucking her.”
“I wasn’t… who is she?”
Ash piped up from beside Colt. “New business owner, the empty shop next to Rafferty’s Pharmacy? Sophie’s Soft Scoops.” He nodded, glancing from Colt, to Carmelo, back to Sophie again.
“And I bet those scoops of hers are soft as virgin snow,” Carmelo said, almost reverently.
Sophie tried not to laugh out loud at such a ridiculous line.
“Eyes off, pig,” Ash snapped, gnashing his meat prongs together near Carmelo’s face. “She’s taken.”
Carmelo raised his eyebrows and looked back at Ash. “Husband?”
“Nah, she’s single, she’s just caught the eye of one of ours. So I wouldn’t go anywhere near her if you know what’s good for you.”
Sophie discreetly watched on as Carmelo scratched the back of his neck. “Ahh shame, I was just thinking of asking her out to coffee, offering her a tour of the town. I could show her the local hot spots, offer her some local knowledge and advice…”
“Keep your filthy hands off her, dude,” Rafe reaffirmed.
Carmelo looked at Colt. “Who? Has she been claimed yet? ‘Cause if I understand things correctly, she’s not one of yours until she is one of yours-”
“I wouldn’t, Carmelo,” Colt said under his breath, scanning the horizon now, looking back down the road.
Carmelo took a breath to respond but then stopped. The sound of a motorcycle rumbling away, getting closer and closer. Sophie looked up. Carmelo and Ash turned now, too. They were looking up the road.
“It’s cordoned off, no traffic allowed…” Carmelo mumbled.
But a biker, all in black leather and a black helmet, complete with black visor ripped into view. The biker drove the bike over the rope, the dividers wobbling over fruitlessly as the giant, loud bike tore up the street. People gasped and jumped aside, but the motorcycle slowed and didn’t get close to anyone as it crawled to a stop in front of Sophie’s Soft Scoops. Sophie felt a thrill creeping up her spine. Hot and cold, all at once. Shock and yet, he was right on time. Sophie watched him with a little smile on her lips.
“What the hell? The road is closed…” Carmelo mumbled as he looked on. Colt smirked out of the corner of his lips. Carmelo was in for a surprise.
The motorcycle itself was fearsome enough. A big thing, Sophie had no clue what it was. There were shiny chrome pipes all over it. And the noise. Phantom didn’t need to speak, his bike spoke for him. It roared. It was deafening.
The rider got off the motorcycle with one confident sweep of his powerful leg, and hulked over to Sophie. Most of the visitors at the farmers market had stopped and were looking on to see. The biker was wearing the Black Coyotes MC cut, the leather vest, over a black leather jacket, his face not visible from under the black motorcycle helmet. A full helmet, with black visor. He strode over to Sophie, who was standing stock still and staring with wide eyes along with the rest of the town.
But she knew who was under the helmet.
“Colt, do you think he can handle this?” She heard Rafe mutter. Colt didn’t respond. Sophie had the same question fluttering in her mind, too.
They were all about to find out.
Sophie gulped. She wasn’t sure what to brace herself for here.
The biker yanked the helmet off his head. Phantom. His hair was tied up in a messy bun, a few strands came loose as he removed the helmet. Sophie blushed and widened her eyes. He walked a fine line between beautiful and terrifying. Like the tip of the sharp knife he owned, he balanced that knife edge like a circus act. Sometimes it looked like he’d fall, one side or the other, but he pulled it back with strength and aplomb and carried on balancing between the two.
Someone in the audience gasped. He prowled toward Sophie, no air in her lungs.
“Is he going to kiss her or kill her?” Carmelo stammered. Colt held his breath. Sophie’s heart fluttered all over her rib cage.
He stepped close to her, too close, right up to her, and lowered his head to hers. One of his hands went around her throat, the other into her hair, roughly pulling her head back a little. She gasped involuntarily. The crowd held its breath.
