Chapter 2

Aria

Buck and the guys storm back inside after throwing the three Ragging Machines guys outside. I watch Buck storm into his office while the rest of the guys disperse to different areas of the bar like nothing happened. All except Daniel who comes sauntering over to the bar where I’m drying glasses. His brows are furrowed in worry and when he sees the mark on my wrist he reaches out and gently takes the glass from my hand. I swallow the knot growing in my throat when he sets the glass down and carefully examines my wrist. His touch is far too gentle for a man who could kick someone's ass with ease.

“Did he hurt you, princess?” He asks sharply.

“I’m fine,” I say and try to pull my hand away but he doesn’t let me go.

In truth, the Ragging Machines guy grabbed me pretty hard. He’d been laughing with his buddies and making comments about me every time I brought them more drinks. It's not the first time some asshole made sexist comments to me, so I ignored them. At the time I didn’t know who they were since they weren’t wearing their club cuts. It wasn’t until one of them grabbed me that everything blew up. Pulling my hand out of his grip sent a bunch of drinks falling from my tray getting everyones attention. The guys must have recognized the trio because they were on them in an instant.

Buck grabbed two of them while Daniel grabbed the third and dragged them out before an all-out brawl could start.

“Princess-“

“Stop calling me that,” I growl in fake annoyance which brings back Daniel’s usual cocky smile.

As much as I try to hide how he affects me, my protests are starting to sound weak. Why does he look so hot when he smiles like that? I hate him.

“What’s wrong with it? What name would my girl prefer? Maybe sweetheart, babe, or baby?”

“Not your girl Daniel.” I remind him and myself.

I finally get my hand loose from his grip and turn my back to him to grab him a fresh drink.

“If you say so, but I’ll be around when you decide you want me.” He takes the drink I set in front of him with a wink and saunters away.

My eyes follow him without permission and one glance around the bar tells me I’m not the only one watching him. The eyes of every girl in the bar are on him too. Daniel is sexy as hell. No red-blooded woman would be able to look at him and not think so. His honey-brown hair is cut short on the sides and longer on top. The longer parts are mussed in such a way that it looks like he’s run his fingers through it a few times. He’s tall for a Beta and well built but not in a bulking way like some of the other guys around here.

Today he’s wearing one of those no-sleeve t-shirts that show all his arm muscles, distressed ripped jeans, and biker boots. He’s letting his facial hair grow, but it’s still early on so he has this scruffy look to him that is so yummy. Then there are the tattoos. He has a skeleton hand tattooed across his throat and a huge collection that travels down his chest and over both his arms.

“You’re drooling.” I jump at the familiar voice.

Beth chuckles when I snap surprised eyes at her. “Am not,” I grumble.

My face flames with embarrassment, which only makes her laugh more.

“You are. When are you going to put that boy out of his misery?” She asks with a nudge of her elbow.

“Ma come one. You know why I can’t go there.” I remind her with a sigh.

She shakes her head. “That boy knows exactly what you are. All the boys do and none of them have treated you with anything but respect. As they should. Also, he’s talked to Buck about his intentions already.”

My mouth drops open. “What? You and Pop talked about this?”

Her laugh is all the answer I need. “Buck already knew. You’re the only one who can’t see the way Daniel looks at you. Do you think he’d let that boy near you if he didn’t approve? He’s always going to be protective of you, but I think he likes knowing one of his guys would be around to look out for you when he can’t.”

That sounds more like Pop. To everyone else, he’s a scary as shit biker who would sooner break someone’s hand than shake it, but to me he’s the man who saved me. Three years ago I showed up behind the bar scared and covered in bruises. He and Beth took me in and gave me a safe place to live and a family. Since the moment they took me in they became the parents I needed but never had. Buck took on the role of a protective father almost immediately.

Which is why it’s no surprise he reacted like he did when those Ragging Machine guys gave me trouble. Honestly, he could have hurt them a lot worse, but the situation with the rival club is volatile and he doesn’t want to start a beef with them if he doesn’t have to.

“So he wants Daniel to be my bodyguard with benefits?” I ask Beth with a raised brow.

She laughs. “Of course not. It’s a bonus though. He’s better than those other losers you’ve gone out with.”

I shudder at the memories of the few times I tried to have a somewhat normal dating life. If the guys didn’t freak when they found out about me, Buck would scare the shit out of them and send them running. None of them lasted longer than a couple of weeks. My eyes search for Daniel.

“He could have any girl he wants,” I say with resignation.

“If he wanted any of these silly girls he would have made a move, but he hasn’t. You don’t know if it will go wrong unless you try, and something tells me you won’t regret giving him a chance.” Beth’s voice grows serious. “After everything you’ve been through I know letting yourself hope is hard, but you deserve to be happy. However, that looks.”

“I’ll think about it,” I tell her, and I mean it.

“Good. Now get out of here. It’s already past your shift.” She nods in the direction of the hallway that leads out to the back of the bar. “Make sure to say bye to Buck on your way out.”

“Are you sure? I can stay. It’s still pretty busy in here.”

She shoos me off. “I can handle it. Go get some sleep.”

I hesitate but she gives me a look that would make a grown man nervous. It’s a pointless fight, so I give her a quick kiss on the cheek and remove my apron. I reach under the bar to grab my bag and hang the apron on the wall before heading down the hall toward Buck’s office. When I reach it I stand in the doorway watching Buck for a minute. I have to bite back a smile at the sight of the big burly man wearing wire-rimmed glasses low on his nose. He’s looking over some papers, but it doesn’t take long for him to notice me. He takes his glasses off and throws me one of his rare smiles.

“Hey, kid. You off for the night?” He asks.

“Yep! Ma kicked me out.”

He chuckles and pushes his chair back to stand.

“Good. Be careful and text me when you get home.” He gives me a stern look before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

“Yes sir,” I mumble into his shirt.

When he finally lets me go he kisses the top of my head and releases me. “Maybe I should send one of the guys with you. It’s late.”

I roll my eyes. “Pa, I’ll be fine. I don’t need an escort.”

He grumbles but doesn’t fight me. “Fine. I still don’t like you living on your own.”

That makes me laugh. “I’m a grown woman. I need to stand on my own two feet.” I remind him.

“That place is a dump. Let me find you a better place.”

“No. I need to do this myself.” I say with a shake of my head.

Buck means well, and I will always appreciate his protection and generosity but I need this. I need this. Too much of my life felt out of my control, but this…this was me taking control of my life. My apartment is a crappy basement studio but it’s mine and that's all I care about.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?” I say giving him a sweet smile.

“Yeah. Go on before I change my mind.” He nods toward the door and I leave before he can convince me to stay with him and Beth tonight.

When I walk back into the main bar I notice most of the other customers have left leaving only the club guys behind. A few club bunnies stuck around too and are riling up some of the guys for a night of fun in the sheets. I say a quick goodbye to a few of the guys as I make my way to the door. Once I’m outside I suck in a much-needed breath, and it’s then that I realize why the last few hours felt especially long. I pull my phone out and curse to myself. Taking over this shift overlapped with my next dose of medication.

“Shit.” I hiss and try to hustle to my car.

This could have turned really bad if I had decided to stay longer after all. Thank you, Beth!