He turned to walk away, and she grabbed the sleeve of his lab coat, tugging him back to her with a fierce and somehow also playful expression.
“Don’t stop, Zevy. Don’t ever stop.”
Chapter Thirteen
“ONE LAST HANDFUL,” Carly said as she buried her arm in the half-empty box of Cap’n Crunch they’d brought to eat on the way to the bar.
They’d been so sidetracked getting dirty in the shower, they’d ended up running too late to eat anything real before leaving to meet her friends at the bar. Carly shoved a handful of cereal into her mouth as Zev climbed out of the truck, taking in the parking lot full of motorcycles and pickup trucks. The building looked like a rustic version of Cracker Barrel, with a long front porch and enormous windows. A neon ROADHOUSE sign glowed bright orange above the front doors. Several tough-looking bearded and tattooed guys sporting black leather vests with Dark Knights motorcycle club patches were talking by the front door. Zev couldn’t imagine Carly going near a biker hangout, and as he helped her from the truck, he wondered if he was being pranked.
“This is going to be so fun,” she said, straightening her cleavage-baring top.
As she ran her hand over the hip of her flouncy miniskirt, looking too damn sexy for a dive like this, Zev looked at the guys by the door. One of them had his eyes locked on Carly. Zev rolled his shoulders back and stepped into his line of vision, staring him down as he put an arm around Carly.
“Is this some kind of joke?” he asked.
She made a face. “A joke? No. Why?”
“I can’t see you in a biker bar.”
“Neither could I until I met the Whiskeys. Come on,” she said, heading for the entrance. “You’ll love them.”
He wasn’t so sure.
The men turned as they approached, and several pairs of scrutinizing eyes hit Zev at once. This should be fun. He tightened his hold on Carly, lifting his chin in greeting. “How’s it going?”
The men all answered at once with a round of goods, fines, and not bads.
“Hi,” Carly said cheerily, earning much more enthusiastic greetings from the men.
The big, bearded guy who had been eyeing her stepped forward. He was a good two or three inches taller than Zev and probably thirty pounds heavier. What is it with the men out here? Do they eat cows for lunch and work out for fun? His brown hair was short, his beard thick. Tattoos snaked down his arms, and several piercings decorated his ears, septum, and nostril. He locked his eyes on Carly and said, “How about some sugar, princess?”
Zev stepped between them, readying to fuck him up, and said, “Her sugar is spoken for.”
“Says who?” the guy countered, looming over him. More guys wearing the leather vests with Dark Knights patches stepped beside him, arms crossed, steely scowls offering fair warnings.
Unaffected by the show of force, Zev said, “Your worst nightmare,” and stepped closer with his own warning. “You show my lady respect. Got it?”
“Oh my gosh, you two, stop!” Carly put a hand on each of their chests and pushed them back, earning chuckles from the other guys. “What is it with men and pissing contests? Zev, this is my friend Dare Whiskey. Dare is one of Birdie’s brothers. Dare, this is my…” She looked perplexed for a second, then quickly said, “My Zev. Zev Braden. He’s in town for the week.”
My Zev? He guessed that was a hell of a lot better than friend. He extended his hand and said, “You talk to all your female friends that way?”
“Only the ones I give a shit about.” Dare shook his hand. “You’re a Braden? You related to Hal and Rex? They own a ranch in Weston.”
“Yeah, I am. Hal is my father’s cousin.”
Dare gave him another serious once-over and said, “They’re good people.”
“So am I.” Zev returned the scrutinizing glance. “You’re a Whiskey? Any relation to the Whiskeys in Peaceful Harbor, Maryland?”
“Cousins,” Dare answered gruffly.
Zev nodded curtly, and with a smirk, he said, “They’re good people.”
“Are you two done sizing each other up yet?” Carly asked. “Think you can play nice tonight?”
Zev draped his arm around her and said, “I’m not looking for trouble, babe, but if your friends bring it, I’ll give it right back.”
A slow smile crept across Dare’s face, and he nodded. “See you inside, Braden.”
“Looking forward to it, Whiskey. You can buy me a beer.”
As they stepped into the loud and fairly crowded bar,