Page 6 of Sentinel

EMMA

Ipeer through my windshield as I pull into the lot and park my car in front of the building. This place is nothing like I thought it’d be and, honestly, it’s a lot nicer than I imagined. Of course, I don’t know exactlywhatI was expecting, just because it’s owned by a motorcycle club. But I certainly wasn’t prepared for it to be something you’d see on a fancy TV show.

I check my appearance in the rearview mirror before grabbing my purse off the passenger seat and exiting my car. I pull Sentinel’s business card out of my pocket and double-check the address again—even though I’m positive I’m in the right place.

I flip the thin cardstock over and read the handwritten phone number on the back for the hundredth time—wondering if it might actually be his—when I hear, “You lost, sugar?”

My head snaps up at the sound of a male voice with a southern twang and a hint of humor in it. A tall, chiseled, good-looking guy (about my age and sporting sandy-blonde hair) is headed in my direction. He wipes his greasy palms on a rag while brandishing a mischievous twinkle in his pale blue eyes.

I glance down at the business card in my hand before looking back at the man and responding, “I’m, uh… I’m here to—”

“Back off, Whiskey.” A gruff warning catches our attention, andWhiskeyand I turn in the direction of the harsh sound.

Holy fuck!Chills run down the entire length of my body as I watch a seemingly pissed-off Sentinel stalk towards me. He surveys me from head to toe with heat flashing in his gaze. I can’t tell if he's mad or turned on, but seeing him like this makes my panties damp. Again.

“Easy, brother. I was just helping this sweet gal find her way.” The wannabe Casanova tries to sound innocent but throws me a wink, eliciting a barely audible growl from the chest of my new boss.

“She ain’t lost, Whiskey. So step the fuck off.” Sentinel moves closer to me and clasps his hand with mine. The spontaneous physical contact sends a jolt of electricity straight to my core. I’m sure he felt it too, but neither of us care to comment.

“Her name is Sarah. And she works here.” Whiskey’s eyes get as big as saucers, but Sentinel doesn’t give him any more information.

“Nice meeting you, Whiskey.” I’m barely able to get the words out before Sentinel drags me away, pulling me towards the shop.

“Stop staring at her ass, and get back to what you were doing,” Sentinel calls out over his shoulder as we approach the door.

I sneak a glance behind me, and Whiskey responds with another wink and a sly grin, not an ounce of remorse on his face. I shake my head and laugh at his overtly flirtatious antics. But then I peek up at Sentinel, and the smile vanishes from my lips. His dark, broody mood makes it clear he’s not happy with his friend right now. He cages me in with his arms against the wall.

“He’s lucky I don’t fucking smash his face in right now for eyeing you up like that. But you’re not wearing a patch, so there’s not much I can do.”

I’m not sure what that means, but his stare is intense, like he can see into the depths of my soul. So, I’m guessing it must be serious. I swallow thickly as I take in a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I want to pull his mouth to mine and taste him for the first time. I want it so badly I can barely focus on why I’m actually here.

He looks down at my lips, as if he’s having the same thoughts. His tongue peeks out to wet the inner rim of his mouth. But then his gaze roams back up to mine, and almost as though he decides better of it, he backs away. And the moment disappears… like maybe it never existed.

“C’mon, Sarah. Let me show you around the shop.”What the hell just happened?

* * *

Sentinel keepsme close for the rest of the day, showing me everything I need to know about managing the office. Honestly, it’s not too complicated. He has everything running fairly smoothly, and far more organized than I would have expected for a shop run by a bunch of bikers. I can see his reasoning for wanting to have someone take over the administrative work for him, but it’s obvious it wasn’t needed, which makes me wonder why he offered me the position in the first place.

But every time I want to question his motives, he finds some way to graze my skin or brush his muscular body against mine. The inescapable proximity short-circuits my brain, and all rational thought leaves my head. And this is why I didn’t want to work for him in the first place. Because I can’t focus when he’s around. And my main priority needs to be hiding out from David, not lusting after the sexy-as-sin biker.

Thank God he leaves to go tinker with a bike out in the bay. This gives me some time to get my bearings and familiarize myself with the different paperwork and software they use. But while I’m working, I find myself getting lost in my thoughts. And before I know it, I’ve completely zoned out. It’s not until I hear someone repeatedly callingmy namethat I’m drawn from my spaced-out state.

“Sarah? Sarah?”

“I’m sorry,” I utter, shaking my head. “What did you say?” Sentinel is looking at me with an expression of concern on his face.

“What was going on in that pretty little head of yours just now?”

“Nothing, I was thinking about old ghosts.” I straighten up some files on the desk and look around, realizing there isn’t much left for me to do. Seeking out a way to keep my hands busy, I turn forward, only to bump into Sentinel’s broad chest as he’s suddenly standing right behind me. The gentlemanly thing to do would be to step back, but he doesn’t. Instead, he crowds my space and keeps our bodies closely aligned as he looks down at me.

“What are you running from, baby girl?” His voice is barely a whisper, while the underlying tone is calming and reassuring. Combined with the intensity of his stare, it makes me feel safe—something I haven’t felt in a long time. He comforts me further by gliding his hands along my upper arms, and I find myself wanting to tell him what’s truly going on.

But I haven’t had anyone to lean on for years, and I’m not sure I know how. So, I don’t.

“Nothing. I’m fine.”Lies. All lies.

“I’m not normally a patient man, Sarah. But I want you to trust me. Ineedyou to trust me. So, I’ll wait until you’re ready to tell me.” Sentinel releases my arms to step back, and I immediately miss the contact of his body.

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