Road to Peace by Piper Davenport Read Free Book Online Page B

club.”
    “What kind of a club?” I asked, and took a sip of water.
    “Motorcycle club.”
    “Oh, so you show off your motorcycles and ride them together?” I’d seen clusters of motorcycles on the freeway during the summers sometimes and everyone always looked like they were having a blast.
    He smirked. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”
    I smiled. “That sounds fun… if not a bit dangerous.”
    Our server returned with our drinks, so I never really got clarification on the dangerous part. But regardless, motorcycles scared me. Especially the thought of folks riding them in such a rainy climate.
    “What’s the name of your club?” I asked.
    “Dogs of Fire.”
    “Oh, interesting.” I didn’t really know what to say. The name was a little silly in my opinion, but I doubted Hatch had much to do with it. I heard his low chuckle and heat crept into my cheeks. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay, Sunshine.” He smiled. “I like it.”
    “My inability to hide my thoughts?”
    Hatch nodded. “Nice change.”
    “People hide things from you often?”
    “They try.”
    “Oh.” I bit my lip. “I’m sorry.”
    “How was work?” he asked, changing the subject.
    “Good.” I smiled. “Uneventful.”
    “What bucks do you stop?”
    I pressed my lips into a thin line.
    “Too personal?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “No. I’m just never sure what people will think when they find out.”
    He raised an eyebrow, sitting back slightly. “Oh, yeah?”
    I didn’t tell people what I did. My company had a boring and vague name, Mann Industries , and until I really got to know someone, they just thought we did imports and exports. Which we did… our imports and exports just happened to be of a sexual nature. For whatever reason, I felt comfortable with Hatch and I figured if he was going to run, it would be now and it would be good to get it over with. Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and whispered, “I run a sex toy business.”
    “Shut the fuck up,” he said.
    I sat back and nodded, my face on fire.
    He grinned. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”
    I laid my palms against my cheeks, trying to cool them. Now I felt weird… well, weirder than I had previously. I shouldn’t have told him. He was probably just another pervert who would assume I was a slut because of the business I was in. God, I needed to get out of there.
    “Don’t, Sunshine,” he said, his hand snaking out to pull mine from my face. “You’re okay. This isn’t gonna get creepy.”
    I gasped. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
    “As a beautiful woman in a position of power, you probably attract some assholes, but in the business you’re in, those assholes probably have some proclivities that make it difficult for you to trust them. I get it.”
    God, he did get it. “Proclivities is the exact right word,” I confirmed.
    “Word a’ the day calendar,” he retorted, and released my hand. “I’m lookin’ forward to hearin’ more about your company, but let’s shelve it for tonight, yeah?”
    I nodded; glad to be off the hook. “Thank you.”
    Our food arrived and I had a few minutes to gather myself.
    “What about you? Do you like being a mechanic?”
    He shrugged. “Sure. We moved up here from San Diego and I worked a few of the shops the Dogs own until about a year ago. I bought a place of my own and my brothers work it with me when they’re not workin’ construction. I also help out with deliveries. It was a good way to get to know the area. Now I just like gettin’ out of the shop.”
    “How many brothers do you have?”
    “Three. And a sister. My nephew’s currently livin’ with me too.”
    “Wow, that’s a big family,” I said. “How often do you work together?”
    “Cullen and Cameron usually work Cade’s construction company unless the weather’s bad,” he said. “But, my baby sister works for just me typically… when she’s not drivin’ me nuts.”
    “So, you only let her