and unselfconscious.
He was so comfortable and confident in his riding leathers and faded leather jacket, both soft-looking from years of hard use. And he was so at ease in Ballast, untangling his arm from Blade’s shoulder and greeting other members with a big grin. It was so fucking sexy—distractingly so. The gray at his temples, the crow’s feet framing the corners of his dark brown eyes, his strong hands wrapped around Maverick’s as he greeted him with a firm handshake—everything about the way he carried himself was lighting me up.
And what the fuck was that about? Now was not the time. This night was about our new prospects, and I needed to focus. I shook away the thoughts, trying to tune back into the conversation with Mark, Paul, and Coop, as Mal was quickly wrapped up into an animated conversation with Maverick.
The front door to Ballast swung open again, and Xavier finally walked in. He had white-blond hair with striking blue eyes, and a short, narrow build that belied his big personality. Walking into a place like Ballast, though, crowded with bikers, was surely intimidating—and that appeared to be the case, if the anxious way Xavier cast his gaze around the room was anything to go by. So with a friendly nod to Mark, Paul, and Coop, I hopped off my stool and strode across the room to Xavier.
“You made it,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Come on, there are people I need to introduce you to.”
“Let’s get this party started,” Xavier said with a grin. Didn’t apologize for being late. That irked me a little, but I’d address it later, when we could have more privacy.
I guided him over to the end of the bar, where Blade was chatting with Gunnar, Tex, and Siren. “Blade, this is Xavier, the prospect I was telling you about.”
“Xavier,” Blade said with a nod. “Great to meet you. Heard a lot about you.”
“Thanks,” Xavier said warmly, returning Blade’s handshake, not looking the slightest bit intimidated now. “Really excited to be here.”
“We’re happy to have you,” Siren said. “Priest said you’re from outside Monterey?”
“Yeah,” Xavier said. “I work in marketing out there, but—”
“Hey! What the fuck!” Mal barked. He stormed across Ballast, boots heavy on the hardwood and eyes blazing in anger. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“Whoa,” I said, one hand on Xavier’s shoulder and the other outstretched toward Mal, like I was trying to calm a spooked horse. “What’s the problem?”
Mal knocked my hand out of the way and glared daggers at Xavier. “The fucking gall of you to show up here like this,” he growled. “The fuck are you doing?”
I hadn’t seen Mal look this angry in a long time—probably not since he found out about Bane’s involvement in Ankh’s death. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, looking like he was ready to launch himself at Xavier and beat the shit out of him. I glanced around at the other members, but everyone seemed to be just as confused as I was. Even Xavier looked unfazed, smiling placidly in the face of Mal’s radiating anger.
But despite the confusion, we trusted Mal, and the other members began to look warily at Xavier.
“I’m here to meet everyone,” Xavier said pleasantly. “I’m the new prospect.”
“Like fuck you are!” Mal spat back and surged at him.
Luckily, my reflexes were still pretty good, and I caught Mal with a hand on his chest before his fists could connect with Xavier’s face. Xavier took a step back, so he was pressed up against the bar, but he still had that same demure smile on his face. Blade and Gunnar both stood at the ready, glancing between Xavier and Mal, and then at each other, as if to try to piece together what was going on and whether they should step in. Blade looked at me, and I could only shrug—I was just as confused as he was.
“Don’t act so pissy, baby,” Xavier said coolly to Mal. He turned to Blade. “Mal and I are dating. I’m surprised he hasn’t mentioned me.”
His words ran like ice through my veins. Dating? From the way Mal was looking at Xavier, that simply couldn’t be true. But there was obviously something going on between them. And that weighed unexpectedly heavy on me—the thought of Mal involved with someone else. Especially someone like this.
Why did it, though? It’s not like Mal and I were involved—thinking about him with other men shouldn’t bother me.
And yet this did