Page 29 of Mace

“Yes, but with a different boyfriend. My mother has a knack for picking only the biggest assholes to date. It’s a gift, really,” Sprite grumbled. “Listen, it’s been nice chatting, but I need to get back to work. Thanks for listening, Chains.”

“Anytime,” he said. He watched her walk to the other end of the bar and worried that he had just blown his chance, but he suddenly cared less about getting Sprite’s number and instead felt an overwhelming urge to take care of her. He stood from the barstool that he had occupied for way too long over the past two nights while waiting for Sprite to come into work. He never dreamed that she was hurt and sleeping in her car. That was something he planned to change.

Chains waited patiently for Sprite to finish serving a group of guys' beer and quickly got her attention. “You need another beer already?” she asked.

“Um, no,” Chains said, holding up his glass that was still half full. “I’m good on the beer front. I wanted to offer you a place to stay.”

“Oh, no,” Sprite said, “that’s not really a good idea. I’ll be fine. I’m sure this will all blow over in a few days.”

“And then what?” Chains asked. “You’ll go back home and let that asshole hit you again? You can sleep in my room, and I’ll take the couch,” he assured.

“I don’t think that will work out, Chains, but I really appreciate the offer,” Sprite said.

“Why the hell won’t it work out?” Chains asked.

“Because you asked me out,” she reminded.

“No, I didn’t ask you out,” he insisted. “I asked you for your phone number. Listen, I promise that we can keep this completely platonic,” he assured. “No strings attached. You’ll have a safe place to stay, and I’ll feel good about helping out a friend. It will be a win-win for us both.” He took it as a good sign when Sprite giggled. He wasn’t sure how in the hell he was going to keep his promise when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and seal his mouth over hers, but he’d give it his best shot. It was the only way to keep Sprite from her mom’s asshole boyfriend.

“Fine,” Sprite said after what felt like an eternity. “I’ll take you up on your offer, but I’ll take the couch. I don’t want to put you out or be any trouble. And this is totally platonic—no funny business,” she insisted, pointing her finger at him.

He couldn’t help his smile, “No funny business,” he said, holding up his right hand as though he was swearing in. “I promise.”

“I get off at midnight. You want to give me your address and I’ll be there shortly after I close the bar down?” she asked.

“I have to stick around for church,” he said, “so, I’ll be here until midnight. You can follow me back to my place.”

She nodded, “Thanks, Chains. This means a lot. You’re a good friend.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about her calling him her friend, but for now, he’d take it. He had his foot in the door and if push came to shove, he’d kick it down if necessary.

Sprite Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/mVW9AM

Did you love Mace’s story and want to see how the Road Reapers MC started? You might want to check out the Dirty Riders Series by K.L. Ramsey! Here’s a sneak peek at Riding Hard (Dirty Riders MC book 1).

Owen

Owen Blaine wasn’t about to let the sexy redhead in the corner go home with anyone else except him. She was the hottest woman he’d seen in a damn long time and the way the other guys seemed to be circling her just plain pissed him off. Even his older brother, Maverick was eyeing her and if he let his brother get to her first, there would be no doubt that Mav would be the one she’d be leaving with tonight. He couldn’t let that happen. The last time he and his brother were involved with the same woman, they both ended up heartbroken, not that Mav ever let on that he was.

“Who’s the hot chick in the corner?” Maverick asked.

“No idea,” Owen admitted. She hadn’t ever been into the Dirty Riders club before. He would have remembered her if she had. “She’s not that hot,” he lied, trying to throw his brother off her scent. From the hungry look in his eyes, Mav wasn’t buying what he was selling.

“You’re a fucking liar,” Mav accused. “I saw the way that you looked at her. Hell, every guy in this fucking place is looking at her. You going to do something about it or is she up for grabs?”

“Up for grabs,” Owen repeated. “Jesus, Mav, you’re an asshole, aren’t you?”

His brother threw back his head and laughed at what Owen had said and he blew out his breath. It could have gone either way with his brother. Either he’d say something that would have Mav pounding on his face or he’d just laugh. Owen was glad that his brother thought that he was being funny because he didn’t have time for stitches tonight.

“Thanks, man,” Maverick said. “So, you gonna go over there and talk to her, or am I? After the deal with both of us dating Amy, I don’t want to have to deal with any of that shit again. You followed her around like a fucking puppy.”

“Did not,” Owen shouted over the music. “You’re an asshole and I’m going over there and talking to her.”

“All right then,” Mav said. “When you strike out, let me know so that I can beat these other fuckers to her.”

“I’m not going to strike out,” Owen insisted. Sure, he probably would, but he was trying to stay positive, even if his brother was most likely going to win the girl. It’s how things usually went when they wanted the same girl. Hell, they even fought over girls back in high school, not that any of them ever paid attention to Owen once Maverick or his twin, Steel, walked into the room. His older twin brothers always got the girls, and he was getting sick of playing second fiddle to them both.

When they weren’t fighting over a woman, things were usually pretty good between them. It had been just the three of them for so long, that Owen had forgotten how life was when their parents were still around. His dad left when he was just a little kid and for a long time, it was just him, Mav, Steel, and their mom. She got cancer when he was a junior in high school and died before he graduated, but Maverick and Steel were there to watch him walk across the stage. They even got him a cake and threw him a little party—just the three of them, to celebrate. Maverick and Steel had become his only family and the three of them had learned how to get along in life together.

Steel joined the Navy at about the same time as Owen had joined the Army. He was a medic and had served two deployments so far. He knew that them both taking off on Maverick wasn’t fair, but he insisted that they follow their own paths. Maverick stayed in town, opening his own bike shop, and whenever Owen and Steel could get home for a visit, they did. The one thing Owen was sure of—if he needed one of his older brothers, they’d be there for him, no questions asked.

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