“Mary Jay,” I whispered. I liked it, but I like mine better.

  Chapter Two

  Mary Jay

  What in the what was that?

  How did that even happen?

  How about I just call you mine?

  Was the man trying to make me collapse right then and there? No one says things like that unless I’m reading a romance novel or watching a movie.

  And boy, did the man look like he was ripped from the pages of a romance novel. Tattoos covered his arms, even peeked out of the neck of his shirt, and his dark brown hair was cropped close on the sides while longer on top, begging for my fingers to comb through it. He looked like a biker version doppelgänger for David Gandy.

  Jesus criminy!

  I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and tossed it over the back of a chair.

  I had lived above Dive Inn for over five years, and I had never once had anything like that happen to me.

  Sure, I had drunks who tried to hit on me when I was just trying to get to my apartment, but they were always innocent and easily distracted.

  Not this guy.

  He had swooped in from out of nowhere and was ready to beat the hell out of Jim just because he bumped into me. Well, and yelled in my face, but I could have handled it.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.

  Lost Mavericks MC.

  I would, of course, catch the attention of someone in an MC. I had enough MCs in my life to be fine with never hearing those two letters together ever again.

  It wasn’t the Lost Mavericks I had dealt with, but I could tell they were just like other bikers I knew.

  Hell, Hail’s friends had managed to find a woman to stick her hand down their pants by only walking a few feet.

  Crazy.

  Meow.

  “Tommy,” I cooed. “Are you going to come out?”

  Tommy meowed again, sauntered out from under the bed, and did figure eights through my legs.

  “Did you miss me?” I asked. “Need to get your scent all over me since these pants aren’t covered in hair?” Getting dressed was the last thing I did before I headed to work at the Cranston Produce warehouse.

  Being covered in cat hair was not the best thing when I dealt with checking pallets of produce and loading them onto semis. How about a furball with your watermelon and oranges?

  I leaned down and scratched the top of his head. “Missed you, big man.”

  He led me over to my bowl as if I had forgotten where it was while I was gone and cracked open a can of wet food.

  My apartment ran the length of the bar downstairs and was relatively small, but it was home. There weren’t a ton of places for rent in town, and I had been lucky to snag this place when I did.

  The apartment was just one big open room. Well, except for the bathroom. That was thankfully enclosed at the other end of the apartment with a large tub and two-sink vanity.

  My apartment was set up as separate rooms; there weren’t any walls actually separating them.

  I could turn the TV on in the living room and comfortably watch it from my bed.

  Kitchen right as you walked in, the living room with a TV, couch, and recliner next, then my bed and two dressers until you got to the wall. On the other side of that was the bathroom.

  I guess it was technically called a studio, but it was just home for me.

  Tommy settled in front of his bowl and lapped up his late dinner.

  I normally turned on the TV and tried to decompress before going to bed, but I knew the TV wasn’t going to be able to hold my attention.

  Not after the excitement downstairs.

  “He was hot, Tommy,” I pondered out loud. “The kind of hot you see in the movies, not in a rundown bar in a small town.” I walked through the living room and face planted straight onto my bed. “Why was he so hot?” I muttered into the comforter. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. “And he smelled good,” I whined. “Why?” I cried.

  Hail was the exact opposite of what I needed in my life right now.

  All I needed was to work as much as I could and keep my head down until all my debts were paid.

  I scoffed and tossed my arm over my eyes.

  They weren’t even my debts to begin with, but when my dad died, his debts landed squarely on me.

  Thanks, Dad.

  I didn’t even want to think about all the crap Dad had left me to deal with.

  I loved the man, but boy, did he not make the best decisions when he was alive.

  Tommy hopped onto the bed and sprawled out next to me.

  “I’m going to have to figure out how to teleport into the apartment after work tomorrow night, Tommy. Hail said I could run away tonight, but something tells me I’m not going to be so lucky tomorrow.”

  Anyone could tell that Hail was not the type of guy who would let you run when he wanted you.

  “Lord,” I laughed, “as if that fine man actually wants me. Sexy probably just comes out of his mouth naturally.” I wasn’t anything special to him. He probably collected girls like they were bottle tops. Where there was one, there was twenty more.

  “Yup, that’s it,” I called. “We are not going to think about Hail anymore, Tommy. Not one second more.” I rolled off the bed and quickly got ready to sleep. Sleep was good because my brain would shut off.

  I turned off the lights and snuggled under the covers with Tommy.

  I wasn’t going to think about Hail, but I sure as hell dreamed about him all night.

  Good lord.

  Chapter Three

  Hail

  “Am I the only one feeling déjà vu?”

  “What?” Crank asked.

  Tiger pointed at me. “Last night, Hail sat on that same stool with his eyes trained on the door until some hot chick walked in.”

  My eyes were trained on the door. They had been for the past two months, and that wasn’t going to change tonight.

  Not after I had actually talked to her and found out her name.

  Mary Jay.

  The name suited her. It was traditional with a twist.

  “You find out her name?” Tiger asked.

  I nodded and grabbed my beer. “I did.”

  “You gonna share it with us?” Tiger chuckled.

  “You don’t need to know her name.” It was pretty much all I knew about her, and I wanted to keep it to myself until I really got to know her.

  “Betty,” Tiger guessed.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Help me think of a hot girl’s name,” Tiger urged Crank.

  “What the hell is a hot girl's name?” Crank asked.

  Tiger wasn’t going to guess it. No way in hell.

  “Ruth,” Crank guessed.

  Tiger reared back. “What the hell, man? Do you have a thing for hot grandmas or something? Next, you’re going to suggest Martha or some shit.”

  Crank tipped his head to the side. “I could get behind Martha. She sounds sweet, but once you get her into bed, it’s a whole other story.”

  “You know a Martha?” I asked.

  Crank shook his head. “No, but I have a good imagination. I bet Martha’s and Ruth’s are damn good in bed.”

  Tiger frowned. “I worry about you, Crank.”

  Crank smiled wide. “I wouldn’t, brother. I’m good.”

  “Not if you think grandmas are hot,” Tiger muttered.

  The front door opened, and Mary Jay walked in.

  “Later, fucksticks,” I called. I drained the last of my beer and beelined straight to Mary Jay.

  It had been hell waiting all day and night until I could see her again. I was a little worried that she wouldn’t be here tonight, but I figured she had to because the stairs in the back of the bar were the only way she could get to her apartment.

  I made sure with the bartender.

  Jake, the bartender, had been a little hesitant to talk to me about Mary Jay, but he warmed up to me after he realized I wasn’t looking to mess with her.

  He didn’t tell me much because he didn’t even know her. He knew she worked at the local produce warehouse, and from what he could tell, she pretty much just stayed in her apartment or was at work. Never stopped for a drink or anything.

  Her eyes were directed at the floor, but she gracefully moved through the crowd.

  “Mary Jay,” I called softly.

  She glanced up, and her eyes connected with mine.

  “Hail,” she gasped. “Uh, are you going to block for me or something?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “You normally do pretty good on your own.”

  She tipped her head to the side. “Uh, okay?”

  “I, uh, last night wasn’t the first night I saw you.”

  She wrinkled her nose and frowned. “What?”

  How was I going to tell her I had been watching her for months without sounding like I was a stalker or something? “I noticed you a few times. The club likes to hang out here.”

  “Oh.” She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I never noticed.”

  “You would have to look at something besides your feet to notice anyone,” I jested.

  “Eyes down so no one makes eye contact. It’s worked the past five years.”

  “Until yesterday,” I quipped.

  She tipped her head to the side and smiled. “Yes, until yesterday.”

  “Have a drink with me,” I offered. “Maybe play a game or two of pool.”

  “I, uh, well, you see...” she stammered.

  “One beer, one game of pool,” I bargained.

  She glanced behind me at the stairs that led to her escape.

  “Let’s start with the beer, and if you still want to take off up those stairs, then I won’t stop you.” I wasn’t going to let her run just yet. Last night, I had her for a few minutes; tonight, I was shooting for at least twenty minutes.

  She chewed on her bottom lip and glanced around. “I don’t drink, but I’ll take a Coke.”

  Hell yes.

  Chapter Four

  Mary Jay

  Why was I doing this? I should have told Hail no and ran up my stairs.

  But, no. Instead, I agreed, and now I was sitting on a wonky barstool while the bartender poured me a Coke.

  “Where do you work?” Hail asked.

  “Cranston Produce in the warehouse. Second shift.” Four to midnight Sunday through Thursday, I worked my butt off and then walked through the doors of Dive Inn like clockwork every night.

  “You like it?”

  The bartender set my soda in front of me and a fresh beer in front of Hail. “Well, it pays my bills, so I guess I like it.” I didn’t know anyone who actually loved their job. I didn’t have a problem working at the warehouse, but if there was a way for me to make money and not have to work there, you can bet your butt I would do it as long as it was legal.

  Hail nodded and took a sip of his beer. “What else do you like to do?” he asked.

  “Is this an interview?” I laughed.

  “Getting to know each other, babe.”

  “With only you asking the questions?” Didn’t seem very fair. “And why would you want to get to know me?”

  “Well, I think that was you asking two questions right in a row.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you going to answer them?”

  “Three questions,” he muttered.

  I flattened my lips and turned slightly toward him.

  “The first question you asked doesn’t apply since you asked me questions.”

  “Fair enough,” I mumbled.

  “And I want to get to know you because there is something about you.”

  “Something about me?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Once I do, I will let you know.” He leaned back in his chair and maneuvered it to plant his feet on either side of mine on the rung of my barstool. “Now tell me about what you like to do for fun when you’re not working.”

  “Hang out with Tommy.”

  “He your boyfriend?”

  I chuckled. “No, though he’s claimed me as his human.”

  “Dog?”

  I shook my head. “Thought about it, but having to go up and down those stairs whenever they need to go to the bathroom squashed that idea quickly.”

  “I hope it’s a cat or a rabbit. Please don’t be a reptile.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Cat. No way in heck I would ever own a reptile. I would have the luck of the thing getting out of his cage and trying to eat me while I slept.” Though I’m sure if I were ever late feeding Tommy, he would try to eat me alive. He was loyal to me, but he was also ruled by his stomach.

  “You named your cat Tommy?”

  I nodded. “Yup. It sounds less pathetic when I say I’m spending time with Tommy rather than Tinker Bell or something weird.” I nodded to him. “You thought he was my boyfriend, didn’t you?”

  He took a swig of his beer. “You got me there, babe.”

  “And speaking of Tommy, I really need to get up to my apartment. If he could use the phone, I’m sure he would have sent out an amber alert for me.”

  “I’m sure he’ll understand. I’m just trying to spend some time with his human.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “And have you figured out why that is yet?”

  Hail shook his head. “Not yet. A game of pool might help me figure it out.”

  “Is that so?”

  Hail shifted then leaned forward and rested his elbows on the bar. “Or we can stay here. I don’t really care what we are doing as long as you’re close.”

  “This doesn’t seem odd to you?” I asked.

  “This what?”

  “You and I. Whatever the heck it is, we are doing.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t tend to question things that feel right. It’s served me well for the past twenty-nine years. It helped me land joining the Lost Mavericks and is a big reason why I climbed the ranks to prez at such a young age.”

  “It just felt right?”

  He nodded. “Yup. The club felt like the right fit, so I joined. I went from prospect to prez in ten years. Wanna know why?”

  I tipped my head to the side and smiled. “Because it felt right?”

  A sly smile spread across his lips. “Damn straight, babe. If something feels right, I don’t let it go. It becomes mine. Forever.”

  There was so much more to what Hail was saying.

  So much more that should scare me and make me want to run for the hills. But I wasn’t.

  “Tell me what you are thinking, babe,” he asked softly.

  I took a sip of my soda and really looked at Hail.

  With every word he spoke, I saw more of him.

  He wasn’t trying to spin some web of bullshit.

  Sure, he couldn’t tell me what it was that drew me to him, but I felt it, too. Obviously, in the five years I had lived upstairs, I could have sat down with a different guy every night, but I never did.

  Hail was different.

  “I barely know anything about you, but something is gluing my butt to this chair so I can find out more.”

  He drained the last of his beer and smirked. “Same, babe. Fucking same. Been watching you for two months, hoping whatever it is about you that keeps me coming back goes away. Trying to figure out what it is that you’re doing, I can’t live without.”

  “I’m not doing anything,” I insisted.

  “I know,” he grunted. “Ever since I joined the Lost Mavericks, I’ve been knee-deep in pussy. Women throwing themselves at me because of the cut on my back, willing to do anything to spend a little time with me.”

  “Knee-deep in pussy, huh?” I giggled.

  “Babe,” he drawled in an amused tone. “Is that the only thing you heard?”

  I heard him. I knew what he was saying. He had his pick of women, and he was sitting here with me. “I heard you. I should be lucky the hot biker is willingly spending his time with me.”

  “You think I’m hot?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Is that the only thing you heard?” I mimicked.

  A sexy smile spread across his lips. “Heard you loud and clear, but you’re not the lucky one, I am. I know I’m going to sound like a douche when I say this next thing, but it’s the damn truth.”

  “Now I’m intrigued.”

  “In twenty-nine years, I have never had to chase anything.”

  “Just had to crook your finger, and whatever you wanted came running?” I surmised.

  “Something like that.”

  “Then why didn’t you talk to me two months ago?” Hail took what he wanted whenever he wanted, and no one ever argued with him about it. Yet he waited two months to even talk to me. Why?

  “You’re different from anyone I’ve ever laid eyes on. You have this air about you. You’re fine on your own and don’t need anyone to mess that up.”

  “You got that from me just walking from the front door to the stairs?” He wasn’t wrong, though. I had been through a lot over the past few years, and I was finally at a place in my life where I was fixing my problems and could see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if that light was two years away. “I think I need to work on my poker face.”

  “Nah, it helps keep the losers away. You did say you’ve never had any problem walking through this bar every night.”

  “Until last night,” I laughed. “Does that make Jim the loser, and you saved me?”

  “Thank god you came to that conclusion and not the one where I’m the loser.”

  “The air you give off is anything but loser, Hail.”

  His gaze held mine, and the air around us charged. “I’m an idiot for waiting two months to talk to you, Mary Jay.”

  “Idiot is the last thing I would ever call you, Hail.”

  “What would you call me?”

  Mine.

  I blinked slowly and stopped the word from shooting out of my mouth. “Nice.”

  He tipped his head to the side. “Nice. I don’t think I have ever had someone call me that before.”

  “I’ve never had nice before.” I shrugged. I caught a glimpse of the clock over the bar and frowned. “And I really won’t when I get up to my apartment. Tommy is going to be mad that his dinner is late.” I slipped off my stool and bumped into Hail. His arm slipped around my waist, and my hand pressed against his chest.

 

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