Page 2 of Trigger's Temptation

Chapter 1

TRIGGER

PRESENT DAY

"Fuck," I groan, rolling my neck as Pearl, a patch bunny, massages my shoulders. We're sitting in front of the TV in the common room. The Clubhouse is scattered with people, each wrapped up in their own world, and no one is paying us any attention.

Capone and Danyella have Nina outside, along with Torch and Daisy's twins, Jaxson and MJ. Derange and Jezebelle have their daughter Naomi over at Jezebelle’s house while Red and Nadia have their son in Red’s room. Houses are slowly being built on the property for members with families or anyone who wants more privacy, but it's been a slow process. Adapting to this new lifestyle hasn’t been easy. What once took place out in the open is now done behind closed doors unless the kids are gone.

I've been tense since that feisty blonde ran me over a few weeks ago. The image of her legs, long, and toned, wrapped in tight running shorts keeps flashing through my mind like a goddamn fever dream. The way she moved, hips swaying with unintentional confidence, was enough to send a man to hisknees. Heat coils in my gut, my muscles tightening like I’ve been wound too tight for too long. Even now, just thinking about her, my body betrays me, stiffening in ways I don’t have time to deal with.

I pull Pearl into my lap, and she shifts, feeling me harden under her. Her blonde hair falls in soft waves down her back. Pearl has the looks, but there's something about her that feels off. She has makeup caked on her face and is trying too hard with the tight white tank top, short leather shorts, and heels. She’d be a knockout if she'd just be herself.

“Do you need a massage somewhere else, Trigger?” she asks, a suggestive tone in her voice.

I don’t have to say a word, just raise an eyebrow, and she gets the hint. Pearl kneels between my legs and pulls my aching shaft out. As she goes down on me, my thoughts aren't on Pearl, my mind is on that damn blonde. I close my eyes, imagining her in this exact position, and my body explodes.

It doesn’t take long before I'm left with a strange feeling of emptiness. I open my eyes, and Pearl’s smiling up at me, but all I feel is disgust for using her to chase an illusion. I quickly zip my jeans, offering a small smile. “Thanks, Doll.”

I rise from the couch, leaving Pearl behind, unsatisfied, and head to the bar. I need a drink. I grab the moonshine, something strong enough to take my mind off of what I just did.

I shut the door to my room behind me and turn on some rock music. The room spins as I take shot after shot, but the blonde, Aerianna, doesn’t leave my mind. The vivid images, the fantasies, everything about her haunts me.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never been hung up on a woman like this before. Usually, I give them what they want and move on. But this? This is different.

The mason jar is empty, and I still can’t get her out of my head. I stagger down the hall toward the gym, hoping to workout this tension somehow. I don’t care if I end up getting my ass kicked. If I can’t drink her out of my mind or fuck her out of my system, maybe I can fight it away.

“Tiny!” I shout as I enter the gym, looking for my best friend. “Tiny! You in here?”

I stagger to the back of the gym and spot Tiny in the ring with Syvannah. Her petite frame is covered in sweat, her light brown hair sticking to her face as she hits Tiny with everything she has. Tiny’s kitten, Peanut, watches from her perch at the corner of the ring.

After Tiny was shot and wrecked his bike, he was lost for a while. He suffered from major road rash and depression. When he could finally ride again, we went on a club run, and he found a tiny kitten abandoned on the side of the road. Tiny brought her home, named her Peanut, and somehow, this little pain in the ass helped heal him in ways none of us could. Wherever Tiny goes, Peanut is right there, perched on his shoulder or in her little yellow bag.

It’s funny to see a man his size carrying around a kitten, but the women love it. Tiny’s softness with Peanut makes them swoon.

I stop watching Tiny and Syvannah and sit down to wait. Syvannah’s been through hell. She and the other women, Exleigh and Nadia, were kidnapped and tortured by the Black Market Railroad. We caught one of the men, Josiah, but Lattimer, the other, went underground and hasn’t been found since.

Tiny’s going easy on Syvannah, letting her get the upper hand so she knows how to defend herself if something like that ever happens again. She acts like everything’s fine, but I can see the pain in her eyes. She’s anything but fine.

I leave the gym without saying a word. Syvannah needs him more than I do right now.

I step outside, the crisp fall air biting at my skin, and sit by the fire pit. A few of the guys are here, Pretty Playboy, Seth, and Bones. I take a long pull from a fresh beer Bones hands me.

“Moonshine gone already?” Bones asks, looking at me with a knowing grin.

“Yeah, well, I like the hard stuff,” I reply, shrugging.

Bones punches my arm lightly. “Guess you’ll have to make more this weekend.”

“You’ll be helping me, asshole,” I grunt. "Prospect, start this fire." I kick the ring around the pit and gesture for Seth to get moving.

So much for fighting or fucking my way out of this. Might as well get shit-faced and pray she leaves me alone for one night.

Chapter 2

AERIANNA

“Come on, Faber! Push harder!” Benton yells, his voice cutting through the crisp night air. “My grandmother can do this better than you, and she’s seventy! Move it!”

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