Page 89 of Pulse

“Hey!” Spec’s voice had Pulse’s spine stiffening.

He slowed to a stop and turned. Was this it? Would his enforcer lay him out flat and dance on his battered body?

Spec stomped down the steps and straight to Pulse.

He braced, ready for the hit.

But it never came, at least not in the form of a fist. Instead, Spec leaned close. “I won’t kill you because it’s what Curly wants. We can coexist in the club but stay the fuck away from me and stay the fuck away from my woman. Got it?”

Pulse nodded. “Yeah. I got it.”

“Good. Now get the fuck outta my way.”

Spec rammed him with his shoulder as he stormed by.

Pulse stayed where he was, watching his former friend peel out of the lot in a spray of dust and gravel.

He’d won. The vote went his way. Only one man voted against him. He should be celebrating.

Then why did he feel so defeated?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

WHAT THE HELL was taking so long?

Liv had dropped Talia back at the apartment five minutes ago with strict instructions to stay away from the clubhouse.

“Let the guys work it out their way,” she’d said with a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t like to be put on the sidelines,” Talia had responded.

Liv had laughed at her. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

Right.

Well, subtlety didn’t have to be everyone’s strong suit. Talia was a problem solver. A fixer. She’d never apologized for it before and wouldn’t today.

Once Liv left, Talia realized how much gratitude she owed the women for keeping her distracted over the past hour and a half. After five minutes alone, she was practically climbing the walls. If she’d been left to her own devices the entire time, Pulse might have returned to a pile of rubble where the apartment once stood.

Heavy footsteps outside the door had her stopping mid-pace. The door opened, and there he was. Pulse filled the doorway, tall, dark, and handsome, with a hint of danger and power that she’d always avoided. On paper, a man like him wouldn’t mix with her. He was strong, assertive, a former fed, and a current outlaw biker. The type of man she typically bucked against on principle.

Yet the second she saw him, her breath caught, and butterflies filled her stomach.

She wanted him on a cellular level—wanted to be close enough to breathe his air, wanted to touch him, and wanted to do nothing but exist near him.

What was that?

“Hi,” she whispered because she couldn’t think of anything to say.

He started at her with an intensity that had her nipples hardening and her pussy fluttering.

“Um… are you… did they…” How did she ask the man if his entire life had been turned upside down?

“I’m not going anywhere.” He stepped into the apartment. “Unanimous vote minus one.”

Oh, thank God.

“Spec?”

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