“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to offend you.”She squeezed his hand.“Maybe you should tell me what being your old lady entails.They don’t know me.Are they really just going to let you ride up, tell them you’ve found someone and immediately accept me into the fold?”
“Not quite as easy as that, I’m afraid.”
She nodded, having expected as much.“So, what do I have to do?”
She hoped like hell they weren’t anything like the Desert Dogs.Those sadistic bastards had made their old lady wannabes crawl across the clubhouse floor to them, in front of everyone.And she’d heard that the Black Daggers had an initiation, where all members fucked the woman wanting to be an old lady.The thought soured her stomach.
“First, you need to go to the clubhouse with me to meet the crew.”
“And then?”
“One step at a time, sweetheart.Do you work at the library tomorrow?”
She nodded.
“Wear something that will allow you to ride on the back of a bike.I’ll swing by at closing to pick you up.Maybe you can meet the guys before things get too crazy.”
Crazy?What had she gotten herself into?She’d left the life of the M.C.years ago, and here she was about to jump back in with both feet.Luna had to admit, though, she felt better knowing that Blaze was standing in her corner.Her brother would be stupid to go up against the grizzly shifter, but she also knew Ricardo wouldn’t play fair.He wouldn’t hit the big guy head on, he’d sneak up behind him and plunge a dagger into his back, then whisk her away to Arizona and sell her to the highest bidder—if he didn’t kill her first.
Chapter Three
CrashandBurn,tigershifters and twins, sat on either side of Blaze.They traded smirks as he looked at the clock for what had to be the hundredth time.All right, so maybe he was a little keyed up, waiting for the library to close.He’d spent the rest of last night thinking about Luna and her situation.He snorted.No, he’d spent the rest of last night thinking about her curves and wondering what she’d feel like in his arms.She was so damn tiny he could snap her in half without any effort, and that should have scared the shit out of him, but it just made him want to protect her even more.
With her dusky skin, and long, dark hair, there was no denying her Hispanic heritage, but those cool, green eyes were what held him captive.He could have stared into them all night, if she hadn’t scurried off after he made her an offer he’d hoped she wouldn’t refuse.Yes, it was underhanded to offer help and then pressure her into accepting him as a mate.It was true; it would be easier to keep her safe if he had his brothers standing by his side and watching his back, but that hadn’t been the only reason he’d made his offer.When he’d knelt beside her car, and inhaled her sweet scent, he’d felt this visceral pull.He’d fought hard not to rip the door off its hinges and yank her out of the vehicle and into his arms.
Was it the fabled mating pull?Hell if he knew, but it wasn’t a feeling he’d been able to deny.Despite the fact that her scent was nearly overpowering, it was the scent of fear that had almost made his grizzly erupt from his skin.The bear wanted to hunt down the people threatening their mate and make them pay in a way only a bear can do.Mauling was too easy a way to go for the asshole harassing Luna.What kind of man threatened to sell his own sister?Shifters were known for being overprotective of their families, and Blaze had always assumed that humans were the same way.When he’d served in the military, his SEAL buddies had always spoken fondly of their siblings.
He’d have to do some research on Ricardo Sylvestro.Depending on what he found, he might be calling those SEAL buddies of his, and maybe a few other people.He hadn’t been completely honest with Luna.He might not be a merc, but he had a few friends who were, or had been, once upon a time.Not that he was convinced they’d completely backed away from that way of life.Once a man killed, he always had the potential to do it again.He knew many soldiers who had shut off their humanity, in order to get the job done, without being racked by guilt over taking a life.
Of course, that hadn’t been the case for Blaze.Having grown up in a shifter home, he’d been taught from an early age that there were bad people in the world and you had to do whatever was necessary to protect your own kind.At home, his own kind had been shifters.As a SEAL, it had been his teammates.And since the age of seventeen, it was the bikers he called brothers.Luna didn’t fit into his world, despite the fact she seemed to come from this world; she no longer belonged in it.She was so far above him, and yet he wanted her and refused to let go.Once Blaze decided something belonged to him, no one was able to take it from him.
And he’d be damned if he’d let some punk ass Desert Dog take his mate from him.If Ricardo and his ilk darkened their doorstep, he wouldn’t walk away.Blaze would make sure that his mate was safe, forever.If it meant he chopped up Ricardo’s body and buried all the pieces, then that’s what he would do, and he wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep over it.
“What the hell is up with you?”Crash asked.“I’ve never seen a woman tie you in knots before.”
“This one is different.She’s mine.”
Burn smirked.“So the mighty Blaze is taking a mate?What if the Pres won’t let you have her?You know he has final say on who gets to be an old lady.”
Sweat gathered on Blaze’s palms and he slid them up and down his denim-clad thighs.“He knows that Luna is important to me.I don’t think he’d deny our mating.I’m bringing her here tonight to meet everyone.”
Crash whistled.“You’re bringing a Librarian here?That’s like taking a nun to a whorehouse.Does she know what to expect from this crew?”
“She was raised around bikers.I’m sure she knows what to expect.”Blaze took another gulp of his beer.Christ.He sure as hell hoped Luna knew what to expect.The last thing he wanted to do was shock her badly enough that she came to her senses and ran the other way.What if she took one look at his brothers and decided she didn’t want to be part of this world again?By the time he took her to dinner and brought her back here… No, he wouldn’t waste that kind of time.He’d bring her here and have one of the Prospects make her a burger and fries.
“If you’re going to stare at the damn clock all night, you might as well go meet her now,” Flash said.“There’s no law that says you can’t hang out at the library until closing.Maybe she’ll think you’re more refined if you actually read a book.”
Blaze scowled at him.“I read.”
“Yeah?What’s the last book you read?Green Eggs and Ham?”
Blaze narrowed his eyes.“No, I read a murder mystery just last month.”
“Right.Because a book every few months is going to impress a woman whose entire life revolves around books and reading.”
Blaze stood so suddenly that his stool kicked over and clattered to the floor.His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he fought the urge to deck his best friend.“Are you saying I’m not good enough for her?”
“You’re a good man, Blaze.Anyone here will tell you that.And I know you’ve wanted a mate for a long while.I don’t doubt that you’re going to pamper her and spoil her to the best of your ability; I just hope your desire for a mate hasn’t clouded your judgment.What if she isn’t the right one?”
