Page 32 of Taming Raptor

“Hey, sugar, I can take you for a spin,” One Short said from the stool at the end.

For a moment she looked disappointed, but she quickly changed her mind when she saw him pull out his wad of cash to throw a twenty on the bar. She gave me a little smile and a finger wave before she strutted over to One Short with her ass swaying provocatively. Part of my brain screamed at me to call her back, but I really had no interest.

When One Short palmed her ass, pulling her short skirt up until her rear end was practically hanging out, Gator and Torque leaned back and ogled her. I shook my head. Phoenix snickered.

“You know, no one would blame you if you fucked her. Or any chick, for that matter,” Phoenix murmured from my right.

“You know I don’t do one-night stands.” Ignoring his dropped jaw stare, I snatched my bottle and downed the remainder. Then I held it aloft and motioned with it to the bartender. With a smile, she finished mixing the drinks she was working on and set them in front of the two guys at the opposite side of the bar.

Then she snagged another bottle from the cooler, popped the top, and set it in front of me. I handed her enough cash for the beer and a generous tip. The corner of her mouth lifted, and she leaned on her elbows where they rested on the bar. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

“Nope.”

“You new around here or just passing through?”

Taking in her blonde hair piled up in a crazy-ass bun, the soft green eyes lined in coal black, and facial piercings, I tried to determine if she was hitting on me. If so, I was gonna shoot her down too. In a way she reminded me of Sage, but not enough to want to fuck her. She cocked her head and arched a pierced brow as she blew a slow bubble in her gum. Then she caught it between her blood-red lips and popped it.

Remaining silent, I took a slow drink. Then I set the bottle down and leaned toward her.

“Not new, but we’re definitely back.” I didn’t plan to elaborate.

“I’m not sure why, but I like you. Maybe because you and your boys haven’t stirred up any trouble in my bar tonight. I’m Fallon, by the way.” She smirked before blowing another bubble. The front entrance opened and all of us glanced over to see who it was. I liked this place because the way the bar was situated, we could sit on one side of the U and see the door.

It was for times like this.

Several guys in cuts walked in and stared right at us. We stared back.

“Fuck,” I heard the bartender mutter. She pushed off the bar and stuck her tip in the chest pocket of her bib-overall shorts.

“They trouble?” I asked her, not taking my attention from them for a second. They still hadn’t moved but I could see them talking amongst themselves. Then one broke off and left.

“Always,” she muttered as she rounded the bar, told a skinny guy with a dark goatee to hold down the fort, and stomped over to them. For a second I thought she was going to kick the guy standing in the center with her black Doc Martens—with red laces. Standing arms akimbo, she confronted them. I stood up, my brothers did the same. The girl was a trip and I’ll be damned if she was gonna get fucked with while we were there.

These dickwads may not know it yet, but this was our area again.

The guy with shaggy hair in the center scowled as they appeared to have cross words. He cut his eyes at me, and I lifted my chin.

It was impossible to hear what was being said over the jukebox, but anger poured off of him. He jabbed a finger in our direction, and I’d had enough. While I may not trust women relationship-wise, I wasn’t going to watch a guy treat one like shit.

“Uh oh,” Phoenix drawled out, but he quickly had my back.

“Is there a problem?” I asked, sensing the rest of my brothers closing in. They stopped once they flanked me. We were outnumbered but I wasn’t worried about that. I’d had worse odds.

“Yeah. You’re in our bar,” the tall dude with shaggy brown hair snapped. Lazily checking out his cut, I noticed the “SAA” tab. The club he belonged to was on there too. I’d never heard of them, and I didn’t see a diamond thirteen on it either.

“This is not your bar,” Fallon ground out through gritted teeth. Adrenaline had already kicked in as I opened and closed my fists. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at them. Then he returned his attention to Fallon.

“It was my grandfather’s bar, too,” he practically growled. The muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth.

“Yeah? Well then maybe you should’ve stepped up to the plate when he died.” Fallon’s angrily whispered words were like physical lashes to the guy if the way he flinched was an indicator. I was silently trying to figure out the dynamics of the situation as I stood there, coiled for attack. I didn’t want to trash Fallon’s bar, but I also didn’t want her to get hurt.

“So, these assholes come back and you kick us out?” one of the other guys finally opened his mouth. The dude had shifty eyes and a twitch. If I had to guess, I’d say he was high or tweaking like a motherfucker.

“Shut up, Benny.” Fallon pointed at him but kept her gaze locked on the SAA.

Benny lunged for Fallon as he snarled, “You bitch!”

Everyone sprang into action at one. My fists hit his chest, with a bruising thump at the same time that the SAA whipped his arm out over Benny’s abdomen to hold him back. They were suddenly at each other’s throats.

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