Page 17 of Ruined (The Knights of Ruin)

CHAPTER FIVE

Cat

I WASFINISHING up my shift at Lucky’s when the door opened with a bang and Smoke strode in.

Carl, who owned Lucky’s Bar, wasn’t a fan of the Knights, and he didn’t much like Smoke and the other brothers hanging around. He could make life difficult for me when he was in the mood, so Smoke tended to steer clear of Lucky’s whenever I was working.

Though tonight it looked as if he had something important to say.

Dear God, if it was about that blow job again, I’d get security to haul his ass out of there myself.

‘Hey, Cat.’

His deep, husky voice rolled over me as he approached the bar and I had no idea why I found myself staring at him like a complete idiot. Because there was no reason to stare—none at all. Not when he was dressed like he normally was, in black boots, worn black jeans and a faded black T-shirt, his cut over the top. Nothing special, nothing fancy.

Yet I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Looking at how the cotton of his T-shirt pulled over the hard muscles of his chest and biceps, how the waistband of his jeans sat low on his lean hips, how one corner of his mouth curved in a sexy half smile, how black his eyes were and how they drew me in, made me feel like I was drowning.

What was wrong with me? It was like he was projecting some kind of electric field, sensitising my skin, making it prickle with awareness and a heat that was totally unwelcome.

No. Just no. The weirdness of a couple of nights ago was fresh in my mind, and I’d been hoping that it would have all gone away and everything would be like it was.

Seemed I was destined for disappointment.

Smoke leaned his elbows on the bar and raised an eyebrow without saying anything.

I jerked my gaze away, busying myself with folding some of the cleaning cloths we kept behind the bar for drying glasses.

‘What are you doing here?’ The question came out quick and graceless, but I couldn’t seem to moderate my tone.

If he took offence, or even noticed, he didn’t show it.

‘I got to talk to you.’

‘Now? I’m in the middle of work.’

‘It’s important.’

I folded the cloth in half, lining up the edges and making sure they met. ‘Can’t it wait? You know Carl doesn’t like you hanging around.’

‘Yeah, but, like I said, this is important. It’s about Annie and you.’

I couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer—avoiding it was already strange enough as it was. Bracing myself, I finally looked up and met his dark eyes.

There it was again, that electric shiver moving over my skin like static.

Crazy. He was here to talk about something important, to do with Annie and me, and all I could think about was my physical reaction to him.

I had to get a grip. I had to put this stupid...whatever it was...to one side and forget about it. I wasn’t getting involved with a biker—not after the lesson my dad had taught my mom, let alone the fact that the biker in question was my best friend. So there wasn’t any point fixating on this irrational attraction.

I was over men—possibly for good.

I had to let it go.

‘Okay?’ I leaned a hip against the bar. ‘So what’s the deal?’

‘I’ve figured out a way to make sure Grant never comes near you or Annie.’

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