Burnout: A Legal Heat Novella Read online

  “Enemies?”

  He chuckled. “Cops, more cops, street gangs, other one-percenter MCs, and… you guessed it, cops.”

  “Right. I’ll be sure not to tell any cops where you are.” She followed Mop to the front entrance. He waved at the security camera in the corner. Moments later, Jackie opened the door and smiled.

  “Oooh. I love it when the cops come to raid.”

  “Shit.” Mop jerked away. “I didn’t know she was a cop. She said she was here to see Ace. I thought she was one of his—”

  Jackie’s eyes widened and she cut him off quickly. “Nope. She’s his new sweetie. It seems our Ace has got a kink for law enforcement. Tell Ice to stay out of his way.”

  Clearly uncertain about whether Jackie was joking or not, Mop stepped in front of Sophie. “Christ, Jackie. Don’t joke about it. Ryder will kill me if he finds out I let a cop in here.”

  Jackie’s smile faded. “Ryder knows about her. I talked to him about Sophie the other day just before he took that new sweet butt with him to Seattle. I can’t remember her name. Was it Tatty or Tarty or maybe Titty?”

  Mop snorted. “Her name is Tabby, and you’re letting your jealous streak show.”

  “Ryder and I had a thing.” Jackie’s gaze flicked to Sophie and she shrugged. “I still care. I don’t want to see him get hurt by a slutty little sweet butt who only wants him so she can be the president’s old lady.”

  “I thought you had a thing with Ace,” Sophie said, bemused.

  “She gets around.” Mop quickly stepped away as Jackie reached out to slap him. “She also had a thing with Viking Dan, but he quit the club and went back to Norway to get away from her.”

  “If I were a guy, you’d be high-fiving me for all my sexual conquests.” Jackie sighed. “Instead, you try to slut shame me. But it’s not gonna work because I’ll sleep with who I want to sleep with, and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. Especially you.” She waved Sophie forward and glared at Mop. “That’s the problem with prospects today. No respect. I’m the unofficial club PI, and do I get any respect? No. Does anyone say, ‘Hey, Jackie, great job disguising yourself as a bag of trash to catch my old lady fucking the garbage man’? Of course not. They’re too busy using him for a punching bag to remember who found him in the first place.”

  Mop followed them into the clubhouse and gestured for Sophie to follow him. “Don’t mind her,” he said. “Everyone loves Jackie. She just likes to grumble.”

  Spacious, open, and brightly lit to make up for the blacked-in windows, the biker clubhouse was a far cry from the dark, seedy quarters Sophie had imagined. A few bikers lounged at the full bar in one corner, while others chatted in the dining area in front of a large kitchen. Two pool tables and weight and fitness equipment took up most of the space on the west wall, and a row of lockers covered with Harley Davidson stickers filled the east side. Posters of motorcycles, naked women, and naked women on motorcycles dominated the walls.

  “That’s the room where the club has church meetings.” Mop pointed to a door with the Rogue Riders’ patch painted on the front. “Prospects, old ladies, and hangers-on aren’t allowed inside. Only full patch.”

  “Church?” Sophie frowned.

  “That’s what we call the weekly meetings of all the full-patch members. The day I go to my first church meeting will be the second-best day of my life, the best day being when I finally get my colors.” He patted his vest, and Sophie understood he meant his patches.

  Her pulse kicked up a notch as he led her down a narrow hallway. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Ace in the two days since he’d taken her to Jason’s house. But she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind, from the deep rumble of his voice to the warmth of his body, and from his protective streak to his outrageous remarks.

  “Ace, you got a visitor,” Mop called out.

  She emerged into a spacious lounge dominated by a giant television and three huge, worn couches. Four bikers were sprawled over the two side couches. Kickstand perched on an armchair in the corner.

  “Oh, shit.” Mop grabbed Sophie’s arm and pulled her back, but it was too late. Ace sat in the middle of the third couch, his feet up on the coffee table, arms spread across the back, a woman tucked against each side, and one straddling his lap.

  Ace looked up and met her gaze, his face smoothing into an expressionless mask. “Babe.”

  For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know what hurt the most: the clear evidence she hadn’t meant anything to him or the knowledge she’d made the wrong choice yet again.

  “Excuse me, ladies.” Ace lifted his arms, and the woman on his lap eased herself to stand.

  Sophie took a deep breath as bile rose in her throat. What had she expected when she’d said she didn’t trust him? That he wouldn’t have other women? They’d only been together a few days, and she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything more than a bit of fun. And yet, as she stared at him, his face became Ryan’s face. Ryan, who was her first love. Ryan, who’d shattered her heart.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. It shouldn’t bother her, but it did, and not just for her sake but for Jason’s.

  “Sorry.” She turned away as he stood. “I made a mistake coming here. I’ll see myself out.”

  * * *

  Fuck.

  He’d hurt her.

  And it had been so fucking obvious that the normally easygoing and affable Kickstand decided to show his disapproval with a series of ill-placed punches directed at Ace’s head. Or maybe Kickstand had a death wish. Fighting wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse. Junior patch didn’t disrespect senior patch. Sensible bikers did not attack the sergeant-at-arms when he was reeling from the sudden appearance of the only woman who had captured his interest in years. And no one got in the way of a man who needed to go after his girl who was now under the misapprehension that he wanted someone other than her.

  “Enough.” Ace swept Kickstand’s leg, and the junior patch went down hard.

  Damn Kickstand and his soft spot for women. His protective streak was going to get him in trouble one day. Hell, it already had. Kickstand had risked his life to save Ice’s old lady, Lana, when she’d been taken by the Wolverines. And now he risked Ace’s wrath to defend a woman who wasn’t even connected to the club.

  And never would be.

  Ace thudded his fist against the wall. What the fuck had Mop been thinking? Why hadn’t he warned Ace? And why hadn’t Jackie explained to her about the sweet butts, and how they were all just friends—albeit friends who were happy to spend the night with a biker looking for a bit of fun?

  “She came here for help, you fucking bastard,” Kickstand muttered as Jackie and Mop helped him to his feet. “She likes you, needed you. She risked her career to come to the club and you’re chilling with a coupla fucking sweet butts on your lap. You hurt her. Means she cared. And since she cared, that makes you an ass.”

  “Not your fucking business.” If he’d been a lesser man, he might have tried to explain himself. Sophie had made it clear she wasn’t looking for anything serious. He’d shared a piece of his life with her that he hadn’t shared with anyone else, and that had left him feeling raw and exposed. So yeah, he’d gotten pissed when she’d casually dismissed his concerns about involving the police. Her rejection of the club was a rejection of him. She didn’t trust him, didn’t need him, and didn’t want him. Who could blame him for taking comfort where it was offered? But that was all he’d wanted. He had no intention of sleeping with them. Despite their differences, Sophie was the only woman for him, and he couldn’t stand the thought that she’d been hurt.

  Needing to relieve some tension before he went to smooth things out with Sophie, he grabbed Kickstand and hauled him outside for a little lesson in respect. Still agitated after Mop dragged a half-conscious Kickstand to the club’s first aid room, he lifted some weights in the clubhouse gym, tested the security system, and walked the perimeter of the clubhouse grounds to check the fence. Unab
le to shake a growing sense of unease, he headed over to the parking lot to detail his bike in the moonlight. At least that was the plan. But a few moments later, he was on his bike and racing out of the parking lot at full throttle.

  Fuck it. He had to see her now and that was all there was to it.

  Despite the light traffic, the ride seemed to take forever. He parked on a side street and walked up to Sophie’s apartment building. His gut twisted when he saw the darkened windows and the empty parking stall. Maybe she had a late shift. Undeterred, he pulled out a file, jimmied the lock, and slipped inside.

  He could only hope she wouldn’t have her gun when she got home.

  * * *

  “Come on in, Gary.”

  Sophie unlocked the front door and turned on the lights. Gary followed behind her and frowned as he looked over the spotless apartment.

  “I thought you said the movers just dumped your stuff.”

  Sophie shrugged. “Yeah, well, they sort of came back and finished the job. Can I fix you a snack?”

  “Sure.” Gary settled himself at the kitchen bar. “High metabolism means I’m always hungry.”

  “High metabolism also means you’ll be able to run fast when I pull out my gun.” Ace’s deep voice rumbled through the room, startling them both. Sophie gasped and threw herself back against the counter. Gary leaped off his stool and reached for the weapon holstered to his belt.

  “Gary, no.” Sophie’s heart thudded when Gary unlocked the holster. “It’s okay. I know him.”

  “How did he get in? Does he have a key?”

  “Broke in.” Ace held up a file. “Downstairs and up here. Piece of shit hardware they’re using.”

  “You broke in.” Gary drew his weapon and motioned Ace over to the hallway. “On the floor. Hands behind your back.” He unclipped his cuffs and tossed them to Sophie. “You cuff him and I’ll call it in. Technically, I’m still on duty.”

  Sophie swallowed hard. “Gary, please lower your weapon. Ace is…a…person I know. He’s not here to cause any harm.”

  Gary frowned. “He broke into your apartment.”

  “That’s my fault,” she lied. “I invited him over and forgot to give him a key.”

  Undeterred, Gary held the weapon firmly pointed at Ace’s chest. “He’s wearing a Rogue Riders cut, Soph. He’s an outlaw biker.” His breath caught, and his head jerked in her direction. “Are you under duress? Has he threatened you? Are you afraid of him?”

  At a loss as to how to get over Gary’s police training and biker prejudice, she sighed. “We were together for a bit, Gary. It was nothing. It’s over now. But he’s not here to hurt me.”

  “What do you mean you were together?”

  Exasperated, she raised her voice. “I slept with him. Okay? It’s no big deal.”

  He lowered the gun entirely and turned to face her. “But he’s an outlaw and you’re a cop.”

  “Thank you for that succinct summary,” she snapped, finally losing her patience. “I was aware of that, and it’s one of the reasons it didn’t work out. So please…holster your weapon and finish your sandwich while I see him out.”

  His gaze still focused on a now highly amused Ace, Gary holstered the weapon and took his seat at the kitchen counter. “I thought you said you invited him here.”

  “I lied because I didn’t want you to shoot him. If anyone gets to shoot him, it’s going to be me.”

  A relieved smile tugged at Gary’s lips. “Ah. It’s like that. I get it now.”

  “You.” Sophie jerked her thumb at Ace. “In my bedroom. You have one minute to tell me why you’re here and then ten seconds to leave.”

  Ace followed her to the bedroom, then folded his thick arms and leaned against the doorjamb, all smug and cocky and looking so damn sexy with his three days’ worth of scruff and windblown hair she couldn’t decide if she should slap him or kiss him before she kicked him out the door.

  “That was fucking hot, babe. I liked how you lined that dweeb up. Got him eating a sandwich instead of shooting me through the heart.”

  Sophie clenched her hands into fists. “Maybe you didn’t notice, but I lined you up, too. And since you broke into my apartment, you do not get the benefit of a sandwich.”

  His gaze raked over her body and he licked his lips. Sophie mentally dared him to tell her what she knew he was thinking: he didn’t want a sandwich; he wanted to eat her.

  Say it. Say it. She needed an excuse to throw him out before she threw herself on him and begged to become his snack.

  “You came to see me, babe. Kickstand said you needed my help.”

  “And you were too busy to talk to me,” she snapped, at once relieved and disappointed he hadn’t risen to the bait. “How many women were crawling over you? Two or was it three? Had they been there all afternoon, or was that show solely for my benefit? Well, you don’t have to worry. I got the message.”

  His jaw tightened. “They’re friends.”

  “Seriously? Gary’s my friend, but I’ve never had him crawl all over my lap when we watch TV. I know what kind of friends they are. Jackie told me what they do at the club.”

  Ace’s eyes narrowed. “Jackie likes to cause trouble.”

  “I think she’s refreshingly honest, unlike you.”

  “I’ve never lied to you.”

  Sophie wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the dresser. “You didn’t tell me about the orgies with your sweet butts.”

  “Everything okay here?” Gary poked his head in the bedroom. “You want me to stick around, Sophie?”

  Her face softened. Gary was such a nice guy. She couldn’t imagine him having orgies with sweet butts in his pristine apartment, or breaking into someone’s home, or assaulting and kidnapping movers. She also couldn’t imagine him fucking her in an alley while he whispered all the dirty things he wanted to do to her and then actually doing them. And she bet he would never misuse his handcuffs….

  An electric jolt of desire shot down her spine and straight to her sex. Dammit. She hated Ace, and she hated her betraying body for wanting him all over again. With handcuffs.

  “You can go.” Ace waved a dismissive hand in Gary’s direction, his gaze locked on Sophie’s lips. Could he read her mind? Could he see she hated him and wanted him, too?

  Gary’s brow creased with worry. “Sophie?”

  “Thanks, Gary, but I’ll be fine. You get going or you’ll miss the late-night darts tournament at the station.” Her gaze flicked to Ace, and when she saw he was watching them with avid interest, she crossed the room and kissed Gary’s cheek. Not the same as having three men in her lap, but effective just the same given the scowl that crossed Ace’s face. “Let me know if you’ve got any time free tomorrow.”

  Gary gave Ace a cocky grin and waved as he left the room. “Sure thing.”

  “You kissed him.” Ace’s eyes burned into her as she shrugged off her sweater. The apartment was damned hot, or maybe it was her body’s betraying response to the breathtakingly handsome, and now furious, biker scowling in the center of her room.

  “So what? Maybe after you’re gone, I’ll invite him and a couple of his friends over to watch TV on my lap.”

  Ace huffed and his eyes narrowed. She wondered if he would charge if she held up something red.

  “He’s not your type. Kinda gangly like a scarecrow. I could snap him in two.”

  “He’s gone out of his way to help me,” she said evenly. “He’s a good guy. He follows the rules. He upholds the law. He’s perfect for me, and now that I’ve been suspended and don’t have access to the system, I need him to help me find Jason.”

  Ace’s frown deepened. “Suspended? Is that why you came to the clubhouse?”

  Emotion welled up inside her chest. She didn’t want his help. Not now. Not after he’d shown her he was no different than Ryan.

  “I think you should go.”

  Ace stiffened. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you came to see me.”
r />   “Suit yourself. I’m going to bed. You can make yourself comfortable on the floor.”

  He studied her, considering. Before her brain even registered he’d moved, he had her in his arms.

  “I fucked up, babe.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “My whole life, I’ve always had to be ready to walk away. I never bothered unpacking my bag at the foster homes ’cause I knew it wouldn’t be long before they kicked me out. After we had words at Jason’s house, I figured that was it. So when the girls sat down with me to watch the game, I didn’t ask them to leave. That was me moving on, the way I always do. But it didn’t feel right. What you saw was all it was gonna be, and if I’d known you were there, you wouldn’t have seen that at all. The girls at the club are friends, and I was glad of their company, but I’m not interested in being with anyone but you.”

  Sophie stiffened in his arms and he tightened his grip, holding her against his chest as if he was afraid she would run away.

  “What you want is what I’m used to,” he murmured. “Casual. Fun. No commitment. But when I’m with you, I want more. I’m not saying I want a relationship, ’cause I don’t even know how that would work between us, but I want more than just one night with you.”

  God, she wanted to believe him, but she’d worked hard to get over Ryan, building up walls around her heart so she would never get hurt like that again.

  “Trust is a big issue for me, Ace.” Arms around him, she twisted his shirt in her hands. “I hear the words you’re saying, but I don’t know you well enough to know if I can trust you. I trusted Ryan, and he betrayed me. I never even saw it coming. After he broke into my house and tried to kill me, I couldn’t trust my own judgment. I had to take a leave of absence from my job because I started second-guessing myself. I thought things would change when I came out here, but when I saw you with those girls on your lap, I saw Ryan and I felt like an idiot. Like I’d let it happen to me all over again. But I shouldn’t have expected you to… I mean, we were only together a few days…”

  “I’m not him.” Ace leaned down and brushed his lips over her forehead. “I would never hurt you, Sophie. Never betray you. I get that you don’t trust me yet, but I wanna make it right. I wanna wipe that bastard’s face from your memory. I want to show you that you weren’t wrong about me, and that you can trust yourself.”