Riding Danger (BBW Biker Romance) by Adriana Hunter

front of the refrigerator, she smiled, happy to see him. She hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning through the night as she thought about the fact that she had a truly gorgeous man sleeping on her couch, one she’d like to feel curled up next to her through the night, yet she couldn’t let herself just give into her feelings of longing. Then there was also all of the unknown danger that he was facing.
    “How long have you been up?” she asked as he reached into the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.
    He shrugged. “Ahh, not long.” He didn’t even turn to look at her. “You like omelets?”
    “Sure,” she replied, trying to ignore the fact that he stood there in nothing but boxers. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from his flawless back, taking in the line of tattoos and watching the muscles stretch as he worked efficiently, cooking breakfast for the two of them. No man had ever cooked for her before, and despite the circumstances, she rather liked it.
    “Is there anything I can do to help?”
    “No, I got it. I wanted to show a little appreciation for everything you’ve done for me.”
    “You don’t need to do that,” she quipped as she sat down in a chair at the table, smiling. She could get used to having such a sexy man kicking around her apartment.
    “I wanted to.”
    Within minutes, Jace presented her with a huge omelet stuffed with sausage, bacon, bell peppers, and cheese. It was absolutely delicious.
    “Where did you learn to cook like that?” she asked, smiling.
    “My dad. It was just the two of us for most of my life. My mom ran off when I was a kid so he was stuck taking care of me. Had to feed myself, so he taught me how to make a few quick meals, and omelets were one of those dishes that you could throw together regardless of what you had in the fridge.” He looked away with a slightly embarrassed smirk. “And there were times where there wasn’t much to put into the pan.”
    “I’m sorry it was so rough,” Piper replied slowly. “Were you and your dad close?”
    Jace nodded, his eyes dropping to the table. “Yeah, really close. He was all that I had, you know? But a few years back he got caught up in a bad deal...” he paused, clearing his throat, his gaze returning to Piper. “Trusted the wrong guys and found himself without protection. How ironic that I repeated his mistake, huh?” He laughed with self-derision. “My old man thought he was doing the right thing for the club. The Iron Soldiers was like family to him, so I get it. He would have done anything for them, and well, he did. He lost his life for the club.”
    Piper was staring widely up at him and he reached out, taking her hands into his. She shook her head sadly, squeezing his fingers gently.  “I’m really sorry, Jace. I can’t imagine.”
    “Yeah, it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. It was the first time that I felt truly alone.” He shrugged, forcing a smile. “But enough about that. It’s pretty heavy for a morning conversation,” he chuckled, but she caught him wince in pain.  “So, are you working today?”
    “I’m supposed to go in for a meeting this morning, but I’m technically off the clock. I shouldn’t be more than two hours, though. Do you need the car for something?”
    Jace considered. “I need to figure out how to contact the ATF agents, see if I can talk to them about a deal.”
    “One of the agents left a card at the nurses’ station. I’ll see if it’s still there while I’m at the hospital.” Getting up, she headed toward the bedroom to get dressed. She needed to be at the hospital in a little over an hour, and she just wanted to get it done and over with.
    * * *
    O ver the next couple of days, Jace spoke with Donnie, who kept him up to date on all that was happening. According to him, several club members were considering abandoning Alec and the club in order to stand behind Jace. Everyone but Alec wanted out of the gun-running business, especially now that there was