Kate let out a giggle. “Maybe it was me.”
An hour later, after the last eye was lined and every lip was painted, the girls were finally ready to go. Gathering up their purses, the women piled into the van. Ava stood at the window as the van disappeared down the driveway and felt the tiniest twinge of regret at not going.
***
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Myrtis glanced up at the biker bar that was built into the side of the mountain.
“I guess so.” Kate bit her lip. “I’ve only been in here once. But it was during the day. It was rented out for a friend’s birthday.” It was Beau’s twenty-fifth birthday.
Felicity turned in the driver’s seat and gave Kate an incredible stare. “You mean to tell me you’ve lived here all your life and you’ve never been to this bar at night?”
Kate shrugged, feeling like a dork. “It never really looked like a place to pick up a nice guy.”
“Right. Because by looking at Braxton the word nice automatically comes to mind.” Felicity arched her brow in disbelief.
“Braxton is definitely not nice. Or safe, for that matter,” Kate muttered.
Felicity and Danielle gave wide-eyed looks. “Just how dangerous are we talking? Like bang me standing up dangerous? Or go down on me in the laundry room while the spin cycle is on dangerous?”
Kate’s mouth dropped open. How the hell did they know about the laundry room?
“Holy shit. I knew it. He did do dirty things to you in the laundry room, didn’t he?” Felicity’s mouth gaped.
“I don’t care how many ways he’s banged her. I need to get inside and get me a drink.” Myrtis threw open the side door of the van and climbed out. The others followed like ants.
Kate hurried out of the van before any more questions could be directed to her. She was going to have to tell Braxton no more sex until those writers left. She smiled, knowing he wasn’t going to stop having his way with her at every chance.
As she stepped through the door of the bar, the scent of cigarettes and beer hit her in a nauseating rush. Now she remembered why she wasn’t the bar type.
She waved her hand in front of her nose, trying to dispel the noxious odor as she looked around. It was crowded tonight with lots of large men in leather, jeans, and tattoos. The few women that were there were beautiful with a lethal edge about them. It was that same deadly edge that Ava carried.
Granny walked up to the bar, eyeballed the bartender, and slapped her hand down on the counter like a woman on a mission. “Give me a pomegranate martini.”
The hulking bartender lifted an eyebrow before his gaze slid to the rest of them. “We don’t serve that here.”
“Hmph. Then give me a Sea Breeze.”
“Fresh out.” The bartender leaned across the bar. “Why don’t you ladies head over to the rooftop bar across the street? I’m sure they’d have more of a selection than what we have.”
Kate cleared her throat. “Actually, that might be a good idea.” The hair on her neck stood on end, and she couldn’t fight an involuntary shiver. The idea of visiting a biker bar had suddenly lost all its appeal.
***
Braxton pulled up into Kate’s driveway and slid out of her SUV. The throaty rumble of twin Harley Breakouts sped up the driveway. His heart squeezed at the sound, knowing his Harley was at the foot of the mountain, forever gone.
Damon and Jayden pulled up and parked their bikes near the side of the house.
“You look like a soccer mom, dude.” Jayden grinned, putting his kickstand down.
Braxton held up his middle finger.
Damon snorted. “I’m not sure how you managed to fit your large ass behind the wheel. Looks claustrophobic.”
“You have no idea.” Braxton bent his head from side to side, stretching out the kinks. Since he’d lost his bike on the highway when he’d been shot, the only transportation he had was Kate’s SUV. The only thing he liked about driving it was her scent and how it clung to the inside. It almost made him forget about his Harley. Almost.
“Where have you guys been?” Ava stood at the door, arms crossed. From the look on her face, she wasn’t happy with Damon.
“We were checking out the crime scene at the construction site.” Braxton offered.
Ava turned her attention back to Braxton and Damon.“How could you guys find any clues at the construction site with all the snow that’s still on the ground?”
“That’s what I tried to tell him.” Damon pulled Ava into his arms for a possessive kiss.
Braxton looked away, jealousy stinging the pit of his gut. He wanted what Damon and Ava had. He wanted a life with Kate. He wanted the impossible.
“You’re grasping for straws, my man.” Jayden slapped him on the shoulder as he passed him and entered the house.