“Hey, Hammer. How’s it going?”
“I can’t complain.”
The Fox Hole was a biker bar, with all the attitude that accompanied the name. Because her friend worked there, Kalista usually came in during lunch hours when anyone was welcome and it sort of resembled a local restaurant and bar. It was safer that way, because when the sun set the atmosphere of the place changed drastically.
Kalista had only been to The Fox Hole a few times at night, and she had been amazed at the difference. The bar was usually filled with hard-eyed men and scantily-clad women, drinking and having fun. She was extremely nervous going into the place when the daylight hours were over, but she wasn’t now that Jared was holding her hand.
When Malcolm Fox had opened the bar, he’d had a long standing reputation for employing men after they got out of the military, so the place was always well staffed with lots of muscle. Years ago, due to the influx of former military men the townspeople had started calling the men who hung out at the bar the Breakers’ Bad Boys, and the name had stuck. Most of them had tattoos, rode motorcycles, and had an aura of danger about them, but those closest to them knew that they were damn good men. They were fiercely loyal and had a strong moral code that they followed. She knew that Jared was considered one of the Breakers’ Bad Boys, and she could see why he had earned the title.
“Jimbo, this is—”
“I know Kalista. Good to see you, sweets.”
She smiled at the bouncer, recognizing him as one of the men who came in to the bakery often. She made a half-hearted attempt to pull her hand away from Jared’s, but he squeezed it more firmly, retaining possession of it. Giving in to the strangeness of his actions, she used her other hand to wave at the bouncer.
“Jimbo’s wife, Lisa, is pregnant and he is always coming in to buy treats for her,” Kalista explained when she saw Jared frowning at the other man. His big body seemed to relax, and it made her wonder what was wrong.
Jimbo laughed, but she could see the worry in the big man’s eyes. “She loves those marbled cupcakes with the chocolate butter-cream frosting and your fruit tarts. It’s almost time now.”
Kalista reached out and placed her hand on Jimbo’s arm, giving it a pat. “I’m sure everything will be fine. Why don’t you stop by tomorrow and I’ll have a few special items made up that you can take her?”
“Really?” Jimbo’s expression brightened. “Thanks! I will.”
He held the door opened for them and Hammer ushered her inside the dark bar. “You’re a good fairy,” Jared leaned down and whispered in her ear.
Startled, she turned her head to look at him and jerked a little as their lips almost touched. “Wh-what did you call me?”
He didn’t answer her, but squeezed her hand in reply. Loud music mixed with the sound of voices and the tantalizing smell of food and alcohol hit her as soon as they walked inside. He pulled her along with him through the crowd of people over to the bar. Kalista was impressed by the way people automatically moved out of his path.
She leaned on the bar as a place opened up for them. It was much warmer inside and he took off his sweatshirt, then surprised her by unzipping her coat. She allowed him to pull it off of her, then watched as he easily fisted both items in one of his large hands. Facing forward, her breath caught as Jared positioned himself right behind her and she felt his steel-hard erection poking into her back.
Holy crap! If what she was feeling was an accurate indication of his size, he really was big all over. Erotic images danced inside her head as she imagined how he would feel pressed against her, naked and sweating.
Heart racing, she tilted her face up to glance up at him only to find he was looking down at her with a soft smile on his face. In an instant, that look had liquid heat spilling from between her thighs, and she fought the urge to rub back against him. She blinked as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then turned to smile as the bartender came over to them.
Kalista looked over at her friend Zoe to see the other woman was beaming a grin at them. Zoe Lang was a beautiful woman, with long black hair and dark, mysterious eyes that were glittering with amusement. “Hey guys, what can I get you two? Kali, you want one of my specials?”
“Ah, sure. That would be great.”
“And you, Hammer?”
“Light beer on tap.”
“Got it,” Zoe said, then left to fill their order.
“What did you order?” he asked as he placed both of his hands down on the bar on either side of her, effectively closing her in. If anyone else had done that she would have felt panicked, but with Jared it made her feel protected.