Page 18 of Hellfire

“Careful making those sounds around so many hungry bikers, kitty Kat,” Snake teased.

“Sorry.”

Scar growled and stood up, his chair scraping against the floor, and glared at his friends.

“How many times have I told you, dove? Do not apologize.” He inhaled sharply, eyes narrowed on me.

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying it again. I didn’t like seeing him so worked up. Lifting my chin, I squared my shoulders and gave Scar the most confident look I could muster.

“I’ll work on it,” I said. “I can’t promise I’ll never say it again, Scar. But I’ll try, okay?”

My entire life, I’d always had to apologize, even when I knew I had nothing to be sorry for. I was weak back then, but around Scar, I wanted to be strong.

“Good girl.”

I squirmed in my chair slightly, praying no one noticed how much I liked his praise.

When Snake and Steele thought I wasn’t paying attention, they would lean back and talk behind my back. It was unnerving how close the two seemed. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Snake’s mischievous grin. The look directed at Steele over my head.

The exchange between the two was a silent conversation, with only their expressions. Tank glanced between the two and shook his head, taking a bite of chicken.

“Hey, prospect, you always got your nose buried in a book. Anything interesting?”

“Prospect? Why do you call him by a title and not a name?” I blurted, for some reason feeling oddly protective of this guy.

“I’m Nathaniel, but you can call me Nate.”

Snake smirked and added, “He is our prospect until he earns his patch, kitty Kat. It’s nothing personal. We’ve all been in his shoes.” Turning back to Nate, he said, “What’s up with the constant studyin’, Nate? You plannin’ on being the first Legion with a PhD?”

Nate rolled his eyes and gave me a small smile. His vibrant green eyes enthralled me. As everyone at the table relaxed, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him.

I really needed to learn more about the club dynamics. All I knew was Scar was the president, and I had yet to meet the club’s VP. My gaze shifted to the empty seat at the other end of the table.

I wonder why he isn’t here?

“Nah, just trying to educate myself on a variety of subjects. Knowledge is power, right?” Nate asked with uncertainty.

Steele chuckled. “Whatever you say, bookworm. Maybe you can teach us a thing or two.”

Snake leaned back in his chair and grinned. “I could use a few lessons from Katrina. We could make it a study group.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at me playfully. I lowered my gaze and let my long black hair shield my face.

If these guys only knew how much they were affecting me, I’d die from embarrassment. Tank. Fuck, I bet he can smell me right now.

My eyes shot up to him across the table to find that he was already staring at me. The rigid set in his jaw combined with how tightly he held his fork told me exactly how much he noticed.

Snake turned his attention to me, one arm braced on the back of my chair with Steele mirroring his stance on the opposite side. I continued picking at my food, pretending not to notice.

“So, Katrina,” Snake said, his tone feigning innocence. “How are you liking our club so far?” His green eyes sparkling with mischief.

My cheeks flushed at his question.

“Uh, it’s been good. Everyone’s been really nice,” I answered, never taking my eyes off my plate.

Steele leaned in closer on my other side. Their combined scents are intoxicating. Snake, fresh cut grass, while Steele smelled of gunpowder. The two scents together were intoxicating. I chanced a glance in Steele’s direction. There was a devilish smirk on his face, and those gray eyes pierced through mine.

“Oh, we’re more than nice. I’d say we’re downright hospitable,” Steele said, breaking eye contact to look at Tank. “Isn’t that right, Tank?”

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