Page 1 of Blue

CHAPTER 1

Dakota “Blue” Frost

As Blue sifted through the racks at the secondhand store, she glanced up at her aunt. Aunt Elaine defied age. She lived life with the wisdom of her sixty-plus years but had all the energy and enthusiasm of someone in their twenties. She did what made her happy. Blue wanted to have half the joy in her life her aunt had.

“Kota.” Her aunt continued to refer to her by her childhood nickname. “This would look fabulous on you.”

Rounding the rack, Blue grinned as she went to inspect Aunt Elaine’s find. As she moved, she accidentally bumped shoulders with a tall, lean, blond man.

Red-faced, she apologized.

“The aisles.” She motioned with her hands. “They are a little narrow.”

He grinned as his gaze ran over her. “Don’t worry. It was my pleasure.”

Blinking, Blue wasn’t sure how to respond. That was far more forward than she was accustomed to in public. Men didn’t talk to her that way unless she was in the clubhouse.

Clearing her throat, she immediately banished the idea of the clubhouse from her mind.

“Excuse me.” She moved past him, feeling his eyes on her as she finished her brief journey to her aunt.

The sensation, while not unfamiliar, seemed out of place at the thrift shop.

Aunt Elaine held up a high-waisted navy circle skirt with a wide belt attached. “You could totally pair this with a nice white blouse,” she said as she turned it this way and that before offering it to Blue.

Apparently, her aunt had totally missed the hushed conversation with the man one aisle over. Looking over her shoulder, Blue found he had moved on.

No need to mention it then. She shimmied her shoulders as though to shake it off.

Taking the skirt, Blue ran her hand over the fabric. She peered inside to check the size. No tag. It’d probably fit, but she wanted to make sure. “It’s homemade.”

“Ooh!” her aunt gushed. “Those are the best. They really last. Well, you know, if the stitching is good.”

“I need to try it on.” Blue folded the skirt over her arm.

Aunt Elaine continued to flip through the racks of clothing. “So, what’s new? You still doing the tattoo thing?”

“Yeah,” Blue said through a sigh. “But I might have to change shops.”

Biting back the tears, her heart sunk. How did the hole in it feel so heavy?

“Why? Not going well?”

“Something like that.” Blue frowned. “I just… It got way more complicated.”

The uncertainty about how everything would play out ate at her. The feeling mingled with her sorrow, making staying home in bed for the rest of her life even more appealing.

But she couldn’t do that.

Her aunt feigned a shiver. “Ick. I hate that.”

Blue despised everything about it. She didn’t want to leave the shop or the clubhouse. But it hurt too much to stay—to see him. What had once been the best thing in her life had turned sour in mere days.

Of all the stuff that had gone down out of her control, the one aspect she actually chose for herself could bite her in the ass. Mooky could throw her out, if for no other reason than his biker ego. Bikers didn’t take too kindly to being denied.

“That is not the face of work complications,” Aunt Elaine said as she rested her hand on Blue’s arm.

Frowning, Blue shook her head. “It’s so much more than just work.”

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