Smolder: Trojans MC by Kara Parker Read Free Book Online

knife or something in there? Her pulse pounded. A gun? Whatever it was, the other bikers revved up their engines and took off back down the road, leaving a cloud of dust swirling through the darkness.
     
    “What was that about?”
     
    Luke shrugged. “Tough guys trying to be tough.” He pulled his hand out and started the ignition on his bike. Shayla gripped him harder, and his chest rumbled with a low chuckle.
     
    She found it hard to believe that the whole confrontation she just witnessed was simply a matter of “tough guys trying to be tough.” There was no show in it. No peacock feathers. Their presence had seemed, to her at least, to be more of a wordless threat than a display of dominance.
     
    The first creeping of doubt began to trickle into Shayla. Perhaps not doubt about whether Luke was a good, safe guy. It was more doubt about the simplicity of perceiving him that way. There was a lot under the surface of Luke that she clearly didn’t understand, which wasn’t necessarily a problem in itself.
     
    Who didn’t have skeletons in their closet? But, a guy who rode a bike and had tattoos like Luke’s might have more than his share. She was already walking a tightrope even getting on his bike. How would she feel about her adrenaline high when the stakes rose?
     
    The bike roared, gliding forward through the parking lot. Shayla’s arms tightened even further now that they were moving, and she resisted the urge to close her eyes and shove her face in the back of Luke’s jacket.
     
    She could do this. This wasn’t all that scary.
     
    But it was a bit scary. Every time they turned, she felt their bodies angle down toward the ground. It told her instincts that she was near death and pain, and a wave of panic rose in her gut. But, once she got past that—or rather, overlooked it—Shayla enjoyed the rest of the ride.
     
    It was like she was an animal, a monster, roaring down the streets at impossible speeds, experiencing the scents and sights of the world without the barrier of a windshield. Though the turns were scary, each one came with its own little dose of euphoria. It kept her alert and wide eyed, because even just holding on to Luke was a conscious process that she couldn’t afford to overlook. She was aware.
     
    She could see why people loved it, and the vibrating seat wasn’t exactly strumming the wrong chord with her either. She could also see why motorcycle deaths were so gruesome. She was acutely aware, every second, that one wrong move from Luke could be their last. It would only take a moment for them to be wiped of the face of the earth. Or smeared across it.
     
    Luke stopped at a diner on the outskirts of town. She hadn’t expected him to go to McDonalds or anything, but part of her had expected he’d choose some place a little bit less...family friendly.
     
    A bell above the door jingled as they walked in, but there was nobody around to hear it. It didn’t appear so, anyway. But, sure enough, a call from the kitchen a moment later informed them to seat themselves, and that someone would be right with them.
     
    The booths were green and white, with colorful menus perched on them. Shayla glanced around, unable to choose from so many options. That had always been a crux of hers. She could easily figure out her top choice between two or three options, but she couldn’t even pick a favorite color because there were too many.
     
    “Where should we sit?” she asked, leaving it up to Luke.
     
    He shrugged and walked over to the table in the far corner. He slid off his coat and chucked it into the corner of the booth. “Here good with you?”
     
    Shayla nodded, sliding into the opposite side. She pulled off her blazer and set it aside as Luke had done his jacket. Beneath, they were both wearing t-shirts. Shayla smiled.
     
    “So,” she said. “Tell me about Trojans MC.”
     
    Luke shrugged. “Not much to say. I started the club after high school. We’ve got a decent number of