Jail was hard. Harder than most of us tough criminals want to believe. The cops charged me with carrying a concealed weapon. The judge wanted to make an example of me and gave me a year. I thought I could handle almost anything but sitting inside a tiny box for entire year can do crazy things to a man. I had to do some things in there to survive that I'm not proud of.
Never again.
Wyatt greeted me and gave me the usual talk about the cops putting bracelets on me one day. Over my dead body.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone new. She wasn't the usual fare we got here at the MC: shoulder-length brunette, brown eyes, and innocent. You can tell the difference between the bad guys and the good guys—she was a good girl.
She had a gravity about her that pulled me in. I didn't even wait to ask who she was before I found myself walking her way.
“Name's Liam,” I announced. Talking to women was like second nature to me. I could strike up a conversation with anyone.
The woman stared up at me from the table, not saying a word. I couldn't tell if she was frightened or just didn't care. She closed her eyes and gulped. “I'm Charlotte.”
Her voice was heavenly. I glanced down at her cleavage and felt a pang of desire in my pants.
I shook her hand and felt a jolt of electricity zap through me. A feeling I'd never experienced before. I'd been with a lot of women; too many to count. But this one was different.
“What are you doing in a place like this?” I asked.
“I'm an anthropology major and I'm doing a paper on the motorcycle club.” I had no idea what anthropology was but she sounded very smart. Her eyes averted my gaze—I just needed one more look at those beautiful eyes.
I put my finger and thumb on her chin and lifted her head until her eyes met mine. I lot my breath as we stared at each other for an eternity. I wanted this woman—needed her.
“If you need help with anything, just ask me.”
“I actually need to interview a member—basic questions about the motorcycle club. Don't worry it's nothing too personal.”
“I could do that.” I sat down across from her. The tension between us was palpable.
Wyatt screamed from across the room. “Liam, get your ass over here! Time for the club vote.”
Damn!
I wanted to forget all about the MC and spend forever with this girl.
I snapped back to reality—why was I letting a woman affect me so much?
Chapter Five
Charlotte
I never told anyone my secret. Not even to my best friends. It was too embarrassing—too weird.
I have never been with a man before.
I had some boyfriends in middle school but the farthest we ever got was hand-holding. It's not like I didn't want to go further. They were all too good for me. Once I got to high school and college, I was so busy that I had no time to find a man.
This one just plopped into my lap and I had no idea what to do with him. All that studying for school wasn't going to help me in a real-life situation. Liam was different than any other guy I'd met; something about the way he held himself. He was cocky and strong—he could get anything he wanted—including me.
Wyatt screamed from across the room. “Liam, get your ass over here! Time for the club vote.”
“I'm sorry Charlotte, we'll have to put that interview on hold. Got to go vote.”
“What's a club vote?” I asked, gazing at him from behind my lashes. The alcohol was still knocking at my front door.
Liam leaned back in his seat. “The MC votes on different issues pertaining to the club. Everyone gets an equal vote and majority wins.”
It was hard to focus with all the desire pooling between my thighs. I quickly jotted down as much as I could. This stuff was actually interesting!
“Can I come in and observe?” I muttered. I didn't know if I was overstepping my bounds or not.
Liam smirked. “I wish you could, honey.”
Oh my! Honey? When did I become honey?
“Club votes are for members only. It's a very sacred tradition. Life and death happens in that room.”
I wrote down all the juicy details he was spilling. I didn't want him to stop talking.
Liam stood up. “I'll be back later and we can talk.”
No! Don't go yet!
“I hope so,” I replied.
“Don't worry, I won't leave a beautiful girl like yourself alone for too long.” He winked.
My cheeks flushed with all the red in the world. Beautiful? What was this man doing to me?
Chapter Six
Liam
John took the gavel and slammed it on the oak table. A motorcycle and skull was carved into the center of the table. “I want to bring this meeting of the Wheels of Ash into session.”