AUDIO RELEASE ALERT
Excerpt
She walked over to a table where three guys had just
finished their beers and grabbed their empty bottles. “Refills?”
“Yeah, thanks,” one of the guys said.
She walked away with the human inferno that was Jace
Stone on her heels.
“Dixie, how can you be upset with me? I gave you a
twenty-thousand-dollar donation for the auction.”
She set the bottles on the bar and said, “Which I truly
appreciate, but giving of yourself and giving money are two different things.
One is easy and mindless. The other tells me who you are. It was a real
eye-opener.” She crossed her arms and said, “What did you need help with anyway?”
Diesel grabbed the empty bottles, and Dixie said, “Another
round, please.”
“I’m rolling out the Legacy line in the fall.”
“So I’ve heard. Bear’s pretty excited.” In addition to
working at Whiskey Automotive, Bear worked part-time designing and building custom
motorcycles for Jace’s company. He hadn’t worked on the Legacy line, but he
raved about it.
“We all are. This line is my baby. I’ve put blood, sweat,
and tears into it. It’s the first motorcycle line that will have bikes designed
specifically for women. Nobody’s doing that, Dix. This is a huge deal.”
Bear had told her all about Jace’s innovative, sleek designs
for women. It was a genius idea, and it didn’t surprise her that Jace had come
up with it. But she couldn’t help thinking about Jace researching the
contours of women’s bodies…
Diesel put three bottles on the bar, eyes locked on Jace. “Stone,”
he said evenly.
“Diesel.” Jace lifted his chin in the manly greeting Dixie
was accustomed to.
“Thanks, Diesel,” Dixie said, and as she headed to the table
with Jace beside her, she said, “Congratulations on the line, but what does it
have to do with needing me?” She set the bottles down, flashed a smile at the
customers, and said, “Can I get you boys anything else?”
One of them looked her up and down lasciviously. Jace
stepped closer, and the guy shifted his eyes away and said, “No. We’re good.”
Dixie spun on her heels, grabbed Jace’s arm, and dragged him
to the side of the room. She felt Diesel’s antennae springing and glanced at
the bar, mouthing, I’m fine! Turning her attention to Jace, she spoke in
a harsh whisper. “You just fucked up my tip, and I don’t appreciate it. So
whatever you have to say, say it and be gone, okay? I’ve got work to do.”
“That guy was looking at you like you were a piece of meat.”
“No shit. They all do.” Except now that she was thinking
about it, Jace never had. Not once. In fact, in all the years she’d known him,
this was the longest he’d ever looked at her. He didn’t live in Peaceful
Harbor, but he traveled there often to see his brother Jared, who had
signed up for the auction. Jared owned a restaurant in Pleasant Hill and lived
there for several months out of the year. “I have a lot to do, Jace, so if you
have more to say, please get on with it.”
“I’m launching a women’s clothing line called Leather and
Lace when we launch the Legacy line. We’re making a calendar to promote the
clothing and the new bikes. The photo shoot is next week, and the woman I hired
to model got hurt and can’t make it. I want you to replace her.”
She blinked several times, unable to believe what she was
hearing. An incredulous laugh tumbled out. “Do you even fucking know me,
Stone? I am not a pinup girl!” She took a step away and he grabbed her
arm, tugging her back to him and keeping her so close, she could see flecks of
gold in his sexy hazel eyes.
“This is important to me, Dixie. I don’t want someone who
fakes being a biker. I want an authentic woman. I want you.”
“Do I need to point out that I was your second
choice, or maybe your tenth. I don’t know or care, because any way you
cut it, the answer is no. I told you, I’m not a pinup girl.” She held
his steady gaze with an ice-cold one of her own and said, “For the record,
Whiskeys don’t play second fiddle to anyone. Sorry, Stone, but you’re out of
luck.”
“Come on, Dixie,” he pleaded gruffly. “I’ll let you auction
me off.”
“Too little, too late. The ballot is full.” The lie
felt victorious. She yanked her arm free and said, “I have customers to help.
Good luck with the line. I’m sure, like everything you touch, it will turn to
gold.”
“With you on board, it’ll be legendary.”
“No.”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice to say, “This isn’t
over, kitten.”
“What the hell did you just say?” Anger simmered inside her.
She poked him in his rock-hard chest and said, “I’m nobody’s kitten, and
you’re this close to earning a knee to your groin.”
“You definitely know how to use those claws, and you’re so
sweet I bet you purr,” he said arrogantly. “You know you want to do it,
Dix.”
His eyes drilled into her, causing heat to sear through her
veins and her traitorous nipples to pebble into aching peaks. Damn, he played
dirty.
“Careful, Stone. This kitten bites.”
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