^^ Skids ^^

I should probably explain how I know Skids. I've known him since I was born - he was my dad's best friend. I grew up in England, in a town that was pretty average and boring. Even the bike gangs - sorry, clubs! - that I mentioned before were pretty low key. They tended to keep their business out of town, you know, not shitting on your own front doorstep and all that. My mum died when I was ten from lung cancer. She'd smoked twenty a day for as long as I can remember and still didn't quit even after her diagnosis. You'd think this would be enough to put me off smoking, but it didn't. I started at fifteen, and quit last year. When my mum died, my dad started drinking. A lot. He wasn't a mean drunk or a violent drunk. He just used to drink until he passed out, sitting quietly in the corner of a pub until he was kicked out to stagger home, or I was called to come and collect him. Then he'd pass out on the sofa, wake up the next morning and do it all again.

While my dad was drowning himself in alcohol, Skids pretty much brought me up. He made sure I had everything I needed for school (when I bothered going) and kept the fridge stocked with food. When I was fifteen he and his wife divorced after he found her cheating on him, and a couple of months after my sixteenth birthday, he moved to America to get a fresh start. I couldn't blame him. He'd spent years bringing up a kid that wasn't his, and then his wife had shattered his world.

When he says I'm like a daughter to him, he's not exaggerating. Whenever he took me anywhere and people mistook him for my dad, neither of us corrected them. He pretty much was, if you ignored the DNA. He was a protective bastard, putting more than one guy on their arse for messing me around. So you might understand why I tried to play things down around him.

After Smiler had so kindly blocked the door to stop me escaping, I'd planted my arse back on my seat and tried my hardest not to sulk and pout. I might be a dippy cow sometimes, but I'm not completely stupid. It was perfectly clear that I wasn't going anywhere until Skids was satisfied with my explanation. So here I am, sitting at a table surrounded by bikers, trying really hard to disappear into my chair. You know when you're a kid, and you truly believe that if you cover your eyes, people can't see you? I was tempted to try that now. Instead, I hold my coffee - lots of milk, three sugars - in both hands, concentrating on the ripples I make when I blow it gently. Skids clears his throat next to me, making me jump and spill the hot coffee on my hands.

"Fuck!" I shout, flinching when his hand clips me around the back of my head. He always had hated me swearing, not that it ever stopped me. "Sorry."

"We're waiting," he says. I look around and see he's right. Every single one of them has their eyes on me, even Smiler, although his eyes still flick to the road outside every few seconds.

I take a deep breath and give him the simplest version I can think of. "I broke up with my boyfriend a few months ago. Figured I'd do what you did and get a fresh start. I moved just outside of town a few weeks ago," I tell him. Of course, I haven't mentioned that my ex was an arsehole, and I'd had to wait until he got sent down for assault to sneak out of the country. I'm pretty sure he's already got people looking for me, so I haven't stayed in one place for long since I got here. I'm probably paranoid, but I have good reason to be.

"And tonight?" Jay asks. Dammit, I was hoping they'd forgotten. I honestly thought I'd get more questions about being in the good old US of A but maybe I played it down just enough.

"Well, it really wasn't that big a deal," I start, sighing when Smiler grunts and turns to look outside again. "This guy grabbed my arse. I objected. Then he objected to my objection, I ran and Smiler picked me up."

"Lenni," Skids warns, and I roll my eyes.

"Okay, so I objected by punching him in the face. Apparently, he doesn't like it when a girl hits him. Hence the chase," I look down at the table and jump when I hear them all laugh. I look up and can't help the grin that eases its way onto my face.

"Good girl," Skids says, clapping me on the shoulder.

"You taught me well, old man." I wink, moving before he can smack my head again. The man gets more violent the older he gets, I swear. A thought springs to my head, and I can't believe I haven't thought of it before now. "I've got something of yours by the way," I tell him. "It's in storage right now, but I'll show you when you've got a day free," He raises his eyebrows in question but I shake my head, making it clear he'd have to wait and see. I finish my coffee and stand, stretching as I do. Now I'm not an arrogant girl, but I can't help but notice Smiler's eyes on the skin that was exposed as my top rode up. I cringe and hope that my jacket stayed in place and covered up my ink. I have no idea how Skids would react, and I've had enough of the inquisition for tonight.

"Where are you going?" Skids asks.

"Home. I'm tired. Where can I get a cab around here?" I ask, looking between the men still sitting at the table.

Jay laughs. "Nowhere at this time of night. We'll take you." He stands, followed by the others and I wince.

"Uh no, that's okay. I'll find a way." Okay, so maybe I am completely stupid because I should've known that wouldn't work. I hate the thought of people knowing where I live, my paranoia kicking in again. I trust Skids with my life, but I'd known the others for an hour at most. Plus, let's be honest, my place is a shit hole. The landlord's a creep and I'm pretty sure the building needs to be demolished. But it's all I can afford right now. Plus I got a short term lease on it so I can get out quick if I need to. "Fine," I sigh, knowing to not even bother trying to argue when I see Skids' face set in determination. I tell him my address and even I'm not oblivious enough to miss the look they all share as I walk out of the door. I follow Skids to his bike, rolling my eyes when he hands me his helmet. I pull my hair out of its band, running my fingers through it before putting the helmet on. Again I notice Smiler watching my hands and try to fight a smug grin that wants to appear. Who can blame me? The guy is HOT and every girl likes an ego boost every now and then. We pull out onto the road with Jay in the lead. Skids rides just behind him, followed by Philly and Pest, with Smiler bringing up the rear.

When we pull up outside my building, I cringe again when I see them looking at it with disgust clear on their faces. I lead the way inside, through the hallway with its flickering light and unlock my door. Two good thumps with my shoulder and it finally opens. I turn to thank them and say goodbye but Jay pushes past me into the flat, looking around. It's a dump, with the living area and tiny kitchen in one room. I think the carpet used to be cream but is now a dingy brown colour. The walls glisten with damp and the whole place smells musty. Jay goes to turn off the dripping tap in the kitchen but I stop him.

"Don't bother. I've tried," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow and walks down the narrow hall to the other two rooms. The bathroom only has a toilet, sink and a tiny shower cubicle. The mirror over the sink is smashed and covered with lime scale. I'd tried to scrub it clean but just ended up with glass splinters in my hand so had given up. He opens the door to the bedroom and turns back to me with a raised eyebrow.

"You haven't unpacked?" He asks, obviously noticing the suitcase on the floor with the lid open. There is a box next to it with my many pairs of shoes and another that holds my makeup and toiletries. I shrug and am about to answer when he suddenly jumps out of the room. Sammy, my dog, crouches in front of him, growling with his teeth bared. I laugh at the big bad biker being scared of a dog.

"Sammy. Quit it." Instantly the dog is at my side, leaning gently against my leg and watching the intruders carefully.

"It's a bloody wolf!" Pest says, backing up against the wall. I laugh and scratch Sammy's head. He did look like a wolf. His dad was a Husky, and his mum was a white Alsatian.

Everybody jumps as a door slams in the flat opposite, followed by the screaming and shouting I'd become used to in my short time here. Skids and Jay share a look before the former turns to me.

"Yeah, no. You're not staying here!"

I tut and roll my eyes. "It's fine. It's only short term until I can afford somewhere better. Plus it's close to work."

As soon as the words are out, I regret them.

"Where do you work?" Jay asks.

"Um, a bar just down the road." I don't fancy explaining to my surrogate father that I dance in what could only be called underwear, in a cage hanging from the ceiling. I'm not a stripper, I am a cage dancer, but I doubt he'd see the difference. It's good money, and the bouncers are brilliant at making sure no one tries to touch anything they shouldn't. He seems satisfied with the bar explanation so I figure he just assumed I served the drinks.

"You can stay at a room in the clubhouse. It's not far so you can get to work easily." Jay says.

Nope, that is not happening. There is no way I could run from there if I need to without someone noticing.

"No, it's fine. I like having my own space," I start. I see the look on Skids' face and try again. "I can't take Sammy and all my stuff on a bike. Be realistic," I try. Skids nods, and for a second I'm relieved. Until he opens his bloody Irish mouth that is.

"Good point. I'll stay here with you tonight, and in the morning one of the guys can bring the van. We'll get you moved then."

"You don't have a car?" Jay asks.

"I do, but it's at the garage. The brakes needed fixing. That's why I was in town tonight," I explain.

"That's sorted then," Skids says, nodding and clapping his hands together. For a moment it makes me think of a judge, banging his gavel as he sentences me.

Shit. I nod and slump my shoulders. Okay, I can work with this. I'll take extra shifts and save up to find a place of my own that's more suitable, and they'll be happy with. They all seem unaware of my internal plotting as they share satisfied looks. The others say their goodbyes and leave me and Skids standing in the room, looking around at my disgusting accommodation. Maybe this move will be a good thing, I think, as the sound of smashing glass greets my ears from the opposite flat.

***

The next morning I am awoken bright and early by the sound of bikes pulling up, followed by my front door being slammed open. I jump up with a start, before hearing Skids welcoming the others. I put a hand to my heart, willing it to slow down as memories of last night flood back. I am not a morning person by any standards, so when I look at my alarm clock and see it's only eight a.m, I am pissed. I see Sammy standing on alert, looking between me and the bedroom door that was open a few inches. I grin.

"Get 'em, Sammy!" I tell him, pulling my trackies on with a chuckle as he bolts out of the room. A girly shriek sounds an instant later and I laugh, pulling my hood up and exiting my room. I pad into the kitchen on bare feet, cringing as they touch the manky carpet.

"One of you arseholes better have coffee," I grumble, nodding in appreciation as a cup was shoved under my nose.

"Call him off!" Pest squeals. I'm glad I haven't taken a sip of my drink yet, as it would have just been sprayed everywhere. I never knew a man's voice could go that high. I look to where he's leaning against the front door, with Sammy snarling in front of him.

"Sam," I say, pointing to the sofa. He jumps up and sits there staring at Pest as he inches away from the door.

"Still so happy in the mornings, I see," Skids laughs.

I pull my hood to cover more of my face as I stick a finger up at him and walk to sit next to Sammy. I ignore the men as they laugh, concentrating on trying to keep my eyes open as I gulp the coffee. I mean, come on! They're bikers. They should be in bed until at least midday. I should've had a lie in!

I finish my coffee and put the cup on the floor in front of the sofa, before curling up and closing my eyes. I sit up with a jolt as something landed on my head. Pulling it off I see it's the only towel I'd brought with me. I scowl at Skids who's pointing towards the bathroom

"Shower. Then we'll go," he says, leaving no room for argument.

I scowl at him and stand, mumbling under my breath about the joys of having him back in my life.

"Love you too sweetheart," I hear him shout as I reach the bathroom. I make sure to slam the door behind me, just in case they hadn't got the message that I was pissed off yet. Childish, maybe, but I don't believe the day starts until ten at the very earliest.

It isn't until I've finished my shower and have the towel wrapped around me that I realise I'd fucked up. I'm not used to other people being here and had forgotten to bring my clothes in with me. The towel covers the most important bits - barely - but I had been determined to hide my ink from Skids as long as possible. I'm not ashamed, I love my ink, which is a good job because I'm pretty covered in it. I just can't be arsed with a lecture from him, especially before my fourth coffee of the day.

I open the door slowly, peeking down the hall, relieved when I heard voices in the living room. I only have to cross the hall to my room and I'll be safe. I take a deep breath and open my bedroom door before darting inside the room. I'm just about to breathe a sigh of relief when...

"What the fuck is that?" Skids, the recent bane of my life, is sitting on my bed, obviously waiting for me. And his eyes are locked on the snake's tail that wraps around my lower right leg. I watch as his eyes travel up, noticing the tattoos on my arms and chest. I go to pull my hair round to cover as much as possible but it's too late. And as if that isn't bad enough, the others had obviously heard his shouts, because not even a second later they're all barreling through the bedroom door behind me. So here I am, naked and still damp, with a towel only just preserving my modesty, being stared at by five bikers. One of which looks seriously pissed. Oh, joy.

I flinch when I feel someone's finger on the back of my neck, moving my hair. I turn and see Smiler pulling his hand back. I'm not gonna lie, watching his eyes darken as they travel down my back and up again makes my tummy flutter. I'm pretty sure there is a whole cheer routine happening in my ovaries right now.

I turn back to Skids, not wanting to see the others' faces, and instantly regret it. He's obviously still waiting for an answer to his question. The genius that I am, I opt for sarcasm.

"I'm pretty sure they're called tattoos, but you can always Google it." Oops. His face is glowing red and I'm pretty sure I just saw actual steam coming from his ears. His fists clench as he looks at the men behind me.

"Out!" He shouts, and they obey in an instant. "I know what they are, smart arse. What I want to know is, what the hell are they doing on your body?"

I attempt a sheepish smile. "Accentuating the natural beauty of my skin?" I ask. Wrong answer. I sigh and roll my eyes, heading to my suitcase to get some clothes out.

"How many do you have?" He asks, turning to face the door while leaning on it with his hands. I'm guessing this is to stop the others barging in while I get dressed.

I tilt my head and purse my lips. "I lost count," I say, watching as he tips his head back and blows out a breath.

"Why?" He asks.

"I like them. I was seeing this guy for a while. He had a tattoo shop and after my first one I was hooked,"

"Show me," he says, turning around. I'm glad I'd got my underwear and bra on, but I am still trying to pull my skinny jeans on. Seriously, it's not easy, especially when your skin's still slightly damp. I raise an eyebrow at him and he sighs. "Come off it. You're my little girl, and you pointed out yesterday I've already seen you naked,"

I grin. "That was before I had boobs." I laugh when he blushes, but his stern look is back in an instant. I sigh and push the jeans back off, trying not to cower as I stand in my underwear. He's seen me in a bikini, so it isn't much different, but it is still awkward as hell. He steps closer and runs his eyes over my leg. The snake's tail starts at my ankle, and the body spirals around my leg. It carries on over my hip, going across my lower back and curling back round to the front just above my pelvis on my left-hand side, before the head dips down under my panty line, to finish just before my groin. My chest piece is a flock of small swallows that spread all across my front, from the top of my cleavage to my collarbones and spreading across the front of my shoulders. Both my arms are full sleeves, with a mixture of flowers, stars and skulls. There are random words mixed in between the pictures that represented my emotions at that time. I turn and pull my hair up so he can see the angel wings that cover the top two-thirds of my back. I hear him suck in a breath and know he's seen the word "Skids" that wraps around the back of my neck. I turn to look back at him and spot the moisture in his eyes as he blinks.

"Get dressed and we'll go," he says, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Well, that went easier than I expected. I was prepared for lectures and shouting. I guess seeing his name permanently on my neck soothed his ruffled feathers a bit. He'd always told me growing up that I shouldn't put anything permanent on my body, and that I should keep it natural. He had tattoos that he regretted and he didn't want the same for me. We'd argued about it a lot as I was in my teens, and when he moved I didn't have any reason not to anymore.

I pull on my skinny jeans again and grab a black tank top. At least I don't have to wear long sleeves to hide it now. My English body is not used to Arizona weather yet. I'd only worn a jacket last night because the nights get cold, but I was dreading having to cover up around Skids during the hot days. I pull on a pair of wedges and shove my hair up into a messy bun, being too lazy to bother drying it. I can't find the energy to do makeup either, so I head back into the living room. Five pairs of eyes stare at me as I enter and I fight a blush. I don't get embarrassed easily, but they'd all just seen me practically naked, and I can't help but remember my body's reaction at Smiler's finger on my skin.

Jay clears his throat. "You said you had stuff in storage last night?"

I nod. "Yeah, but I need a place with a garage to put it in so it can stay there for now,"

Skids scoffs. "Don't be daft lass. There's room at the clubhouse."

I raise an eyebrow and walk to the window to look at the van before turning to Skids.

"You're gonna need a flatbed," I tell him, ignoring the question in his eyes. I still haven't told him what I have there, and I didn't plan to yet.

"Banjo's got one. We'll pick it up at the clubhouse," Jay says. He obviously sees my confusion because he continues. "Another member."

I nod and look to the hallway where Philly and Pest are bringing my stuff out of my room. "Let's go then," I say, eager to just get it over with. I have work tonight and I really want a nap before I have to go and dance for six hours.