Page 2 of Colt

The deep timbre of his voice still managed to make my knees weak, much to my dismay. I spun around on my seat, ready to respond with a snarky greeting, but the words got trapped in my throat the moment I laid eyes on him. My god, the asshole still had the power to take my breath away. His chestnut-colored hair was messy in a stylish way; his beard was long but well maintained. More tattoos than I remembered ran up and down both of his arms, and I found myself mesmerized by them.

Of course I’d seen Colt here and there when he’d first joined the club, but he’d never noticed me until I was eighteen and he was in Reno on club business. He was the typical biker type—just like the other guys I’d been around all of my life, but I’d developed the biggest crush on him. At twenty-four, Colt had a lot of confidence and charm that I hadn’t been able to resist back then. His hair hadn’t been as long, no beard yet, and just a few tattoos, but by far the best looking guy I’d ever seen. However, whatever he’d seen in me had been fleeting, and remembering his rejection of me made being in his presence more than uncomfortable.

I realized I was staring when I heard him let out a low chuckle. Irritated by my internal musings of his attractiveness, I grumbled out a curt hello.

“Enjoying the party?” he asked as though the two of us engaging in conversation was a regular occurrence.

Well, two could play that game. I sipped from the tumbler Zeke placed in front of me, allowing the smooth taste of the Irish whiskey to linger a moment before swallowing.

“Same shit, different location.” I smiled back at him in an effort to mask how his proximity to me was affecting my ability to think clearly.

“That bad, huh?” He shook his head and laughed.

I shrugged my shoulders like I didn’t have a care in the world, but my eyes darted around the room, making sure Torch wasn’t watching me. I didn’t see him anywhere, but that didn’t ease any of my worries. If he saw another man speaking to me, I would pay for it later.

Before I could decide whether or not to continue the conversation, Colt’s phone started buzzing on the bar. He looked down to check the message. “Looks like church is about to start. I’ll catch up with you later.” I watched as he downed his drink and started to walk away. He took a few steps before turning back around. “You look good, Ember.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, but the warm feeling in my chest was unexpected. Before I could say anything, Colt was already talking to a few of the other guys sitting nearby, motioning for them to head into the meeting. I looked for my brother but didn’t see him or Torch where I’d left them. I assumed they’d already made their way to the back room with Viking.

I caught sight of Fitz, who was following Hawk and Wolf, and he gave me a brief but friendly smile before also heading back. I hadn’t seen him in ages and would have loved to catch up with him, but with Torch around, that’d be next to impossible.

As all of the patched members left the room, I went back to sipping my drink, ignoring the occasional glares I was receiving from some of the girls that I could tell were not old ladies but possessive of the guys here, nonetheless. Unless they saw me walk in with James and Torch earlier, they probably assumed I was a local girl looking to party. I’d learned a long time ago not to let girls like that get to me and ignored them.

A few minutes later, a soft, female voice caught my attention. “Hey, there.”

I needed to get my shit together and stop letting people sneak up on me tonight.

“Hey.” My response was less than enthusiastic, but I didn’t know this girl and wasn’t sure why she was approaching me. My experience with other females usually came in the form of old ladies who I didn’t have anything in common with or club girls who pretended to be friendly with me in an attempt to get closer to my brother.

“You came in with the guys from Reno, right?” the beautiful blonde asked as she sat down next to me.

That was a question with two very different answers. I was here with Torch and expected to play the role of the happy girlfriend. But anyone familiar with our club would also know that he had a wife. It was something guys dismissed easier than the women associated with the club. Since I didn’t feel like being judged, I went with the safe choice.

“I’m here with my brother, Ice.” Whenever I talked to other people, I used my brother’s road name, even though I hated how it made him sound. As president, it was required for him to have a hard and stoic exterior, but I knew him to be someone who was warm and caring toward those he was closest to.

“He’s the president of the chapter up there, right?” my new companion asked. “So you must be one of his sisters I’ve heard Dad talk about. Ember, I’m guessing?”

“He is, and yes, I’m Ember.” I was still unsure of her intentions, so I kept my answers brief.

“I’m Kate,” she introduced herself, not at all deterred by my less than friendly demeanor.

“Viking’s daughter?” I’d heard all about the daughter Viking found out he had not too long ago. If I weren’t wrapped up in my own shit and distracted by my interaction with Colt, I would have noticed the similarities between her and Viking the minute she sat down next to me. She shared his ocean blue eyes and had been blessed with the same Scandinavian features.

Knowing who she was allowed me to lower my defenses a little. I loved Viking like a father, and I’d heard nothing but good things about Kate. It only seemed right I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

We chatted for a bit and I was happy to have someone keep me company while I waited for the guys to finish up.

After about an hour, Kate let out a huge yawn. “Sorry, I’m super tired. I had an early shift at the diner this morning. If I didn’t think Mac would get pissed that I walked home in the dark, I would head back and wait for him there.”

“You’re dating Mac, this club’s secretary?” I asked, vaguely remembering hearing something about that.

“Yes,” she answered with a dreamy, far off look on her face. The newness of their relationship was evidenced by her heart-filled eyes.

I knew Mac in name only and had never officially met him. We had moved long before he started hanging around the club. And, since the Las Vegas chapter covered a large area, north about halfway up to Reno and west out to Los Angeles, they divided up their territory, having members deal with different areas. That way of doing business allowed them to build up contacts and get to know the area. With Mac being a newer officer, he hadn’t yet made a trip to Reno.

“First MC member you’ve dated?” I asked. She looked vibrant and happy, not like most of the women I was familiar with. The ones who were around long enough to be jaded and bear the scars of a rough life.

“He is,” she gushed. “I’d never met anyone like him until I came here looking for my father. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made.”

I was slightly envious of her positive outlook on life. It was doubtful I would ever feel that way about my own decisions.