Page 14 of Bound By Temptation

“Sounds good to me.”

Everyone had left for the day, and I had to admit that normally I’d clean all my stuff up before I left, but I was exhausted and needed sleep. Marley would bitch about it tomorrow, but he’d get over it.

“There. You ready to head out?” Blaine asked as I looked over all the tables. We were able to clean it up pretty well.

“Yeah. Let me grab my bag.”

After moving into the office, grabbing my bag and pulling out my keys, I moved to the front of the building. “Let me check all the locks and set the alarm. I’ll meet you at the back door.”

“Sounds good.” He went to the back and me to the front.

Blaine was a very nice man. He’d always shown me respect, moving very slow with me. Was it horrible that part of me wished he’d just kiss me and not let me breathe?

Only one man had ever done that to me. I shook my head and checked all the locks, moving to the security panel and setting the alarm.

“Let’s go. We have a minute before the alarm goes off, and all of Sumner will be here watching.”

He smiled. “Let’s go then.” Blaine held the door open for me, then shut it when we were out. Locking it, I turned to him as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my car.

“Thank you for having dinner with me,” he said with my back against the car and him standing so close to me. So close I could feel his breath on my lips.

“Thank you for bringing it to me.”

His hand came to my neck, and my eyes closed with thoughts of another man touching me this exact same way. When his lips touched mine, they were so gentle, kind and slow.

It was nice.

Unfortunately, nice needed to be more.

When he leaned back and smiled, I did so as well, but I didn’t feel that smile at all.

“Thank you. Get home safe,” Blaine told me as he opened the car door for me, and I slid in. “Sleep well,” he said, shutting the door and stepping back from the car.

Then he turned and walked away.

All the while confusion mottled my brain. I needed more. Most people would be thankful for a guy like Blaine. Me? I just needed more.

My head fell to my steering wheel.Pull your shit together, Indie.

Sucking in a deep breath, I sat up, turned the car on, and headed home. When my head hit the pillow, all I could see were blue eyes that were not Blaine’s.

5

AX

6 HOURS EARLIER

“Fuckin’knew it,” my father, Buzz, said from his spot at the kitchen table where we were having our meeting. Considering my father was smart as fuck, I wasn’t surprised he already knew.

He’d told me a long time ago that normally it was every two or three years Nick did something stupid and would come to my father and Uncle Breaker to ask for help.

They’d helped him so many times, but judging by my father’s face, he was officially done with Nick’s bullshit. Nick was his brother, but enough was enough.

“It’s deeper,” my brother, Raid, said pulling out some papers from the pile he brought in the house. Raid got the tech savviness that came from our father. While Micah and Dryerson came in with all their experience from the service, Raid got it from dad. And he was damn good.

“How much deeper can you get than fuckin’ with Old Red?” Uncle Breaker asked.

“He’s the loan shark?” Aunt Shaina asked. Her and mom were in on this conversation. It wasn’t club business per say. But it was family. The lines with ol’ ladies and knowledge with the club had begun to blur over the years. Considering they were normally involved in the ups and downs, it was difficult to keep them out of it.

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