Rainbow (Ruthless Kings MC Baton Rouge #1) - K.L. Savage Page 0,12

date firefighters. It’s one of my number one rules.

Firehouses are full of men who bang on their chests and hate faggots like me. While EMS is still a part of the station, I do my best to stay away from the firefighters. I’ve had my fair share of gay bashings, so I do what any man in my position would do: I stay away from the manly men who feel the need to bang on their chests.

There’s nothing worse than men who have to prove their masculinity—as if I threaten it. Of course, I don’t, but sometimes, a man is automatically on edge when I walk through the door.

“Yeah, so maybe I’ll see you around?” he asks, and his hand goes fishing in his pocket and pulls out his phone.

But then decides against it and holds his arms at his sides.

“Maybe. I need to get back to my shift before my partner starts asking questions. No one else wanted to come down here except for me. I don’t want to be gone too long before they think you tied me to the back of your bikes and drove off with me eating dirt.”

“Oh, wow. We have that bad of a rep? I really thought we turned the corner with the charity run we did last month.” He reaches behind his shoulder and scratches his back.

“Mmm, that was before they found a body with six gunshots in the swamp.”

“That wasn’t linked to us,” he growls, taking a step forward.

I cock my head to the side, planting my feet even though what I really want to do is run. He could snap my neck in two. “Does it need to be linked back to you for people to know it was you? I mean, come on, Rainbow, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened.”

He narrows his eyes at me, and those gorgeous honey pools squint into the light as he hooks his thumbs in his jeans. “And I’d love to know what you think happened since you’re such an expert.”

I roll my eyes.

“And don’t roll your eyes at me.”

I snap my mouth shut and keep my eyes forward. Wait. Why am I listening to him? He isn’t my damn keeper. “I’ll roll my damn eyes if I want, and you want to know what I know? You aren’t the first club I’ve been around, and you aren’t the first to pay me off to keep me quiet. My guess? That guy they found didn’t keep his mouth shut and pew-fucking-pew—” I gesture my hand into a gun and curl my index finger as I pull the fake trigger “—you killed him, so he never had a chance to speak.”

He rubs his hand over his mouth, trying to hide a smile before he gives in to the laughter. He bends over and slaps his hand on his knee, then holds his stomach as he comes down from his laughing fit. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He lifts his hands in the hair in surrender. “Pew-fucking-pew? Really?”

“I don’t feel like bang-bang has the same effect,” I pout. I cross my arms and pop my hip out. “Don’t make fun of me. I have drugs in here that will kill you.”

He takes another step forward. The tips of his boots scrape against mine, and he shoves me against the rig. His arms cage in my head and he bends down, his nose nearly touching mine. My heart races as I feel his breath flutter across my cheek. Now that he’s close, I can smell the coffee lingering on his breath, the spices seared into his cut and the faint hint of a plain bar of soap from a recent shower.

Those plump lips brush against my ear. “You wouldn’t make it out of the parking lot if you tried anything like that. You and I both know it, Ryan.”

A shiver runs down my spine, and I can’t decide if it’s fear or arousal. Can it be both?

“I’d try to,” I whisper.

“Why don’t I doubt that?” Then his thumb brushes my lip, and this time when my eyes roll back, it’s because the simple touch has my knees shaking. “You’re a ball of attitude. Pretty ballsy to come down here by yourself.”

“I prefer sassy.”

“Whatever you say, sassy. Sass-quatch. Sarsaparilla. Sassafras. It’s going to get you in a lot of trouble one day.”

My eyes lift from the ground to meet his. This time the sun isn’t shining against the deep browns; instead, they’re pools of