Reckless (Renegades #1)

“Kevin, get back here.” The mother’s scolding kick-started the boy into a run. “Kevin, don’t run.”

Biker Boy ignored the argument, lazily turning the page of his magazine.

The mom slapped down whatever she’d been reading and huffed, clearly short on patience. “Kevin, watch where you’re go—”

The kid looked back over his shoulder toward his mother and slammed right into Biker Boy. The coffee flew onto its side. The lid spit off and liquid shot out, splashing the duffle sitting alongside him.

Lexi gasped and covered her mouth.

Biker Boy dropped his magazine and caught the kid by both arms just before he took a nosedive into the carpet.

“Holy shit,” Lexi murmured. Biker Boy had some quick moves.

Kevin stared up at the man. The boy’s eyes were wide, his face lax in shock. Biker Boy said something to the kid. Kevin nodded. The man’s mouth turned up on one side in a grin, and Lexi’s stomach released a gymnastics team of butterflies.

That grin turned him from fun-to-fantasize-about-sexy to positively magnetic.

He pulled something from his pocket and held it out to Kevin. When the boy reached for it, Biker Boy pulled it back and said something else. The boy nodded again and received what looked like a toy.

Kevin dropped to his knees and pushed a small car back toward his mom. After the woman had offered apologies, Biker Boy evaluated the spill damage. Judging by the look on his face and the frustrated way he shoved clothes around, the result hadn’t been good.

Lexi remembered the words of his friend at the truck: “It’s not a good time for him.” Then of their long flight ahead and how Biker Boy would have to suffer with that smell, then find a place to wash his clothes. Lexi felt bad for the guy. And he’d been nice to the kid.

When he sat back, staring at his bag with a mixture of irritation and resignation, Lexi chose one of his numbers and texted him using her speech-to-text app.

“If you’re on the flight to New York,” she said into her microphone, the words appearing on her phone’s screen as she spoke, “you’re in luck. I just read a survey that women in that city are most turned on by the scent of coffee.” It was actually true, so she added, “No joke.”

She grinned, hoping the note would at least cheer him up a little.

That was her excuse, and she was sticking to it.

Lexi said, “Send.”

Then pulled out her sketch pad.

Four

Jax’s day was going downhill fast—and it wasn’t even one a.m.

Now he’d have to arrange getting his clothes and bag cleaned when he got to the hotel before he went out to the set. He stared down at his coffee-soaked bag with thoughts of Veronica, the Bond contract, each one of his five stunt guys, his nonstop schedule for the last month…and sighed.

He definitely needed to change something in his life. But when he felt like this, it was hard. All he wanted to do was fall into his old habits. Especially when the woman he’d spotted in Hudson News was sitting nearby.

He’d smelled her first. He’d been reaching for a motocross magazine when her scent—light, floral, sensuous—stirred the air…

Jax’s groin tightened in memory. He wanted to go sit next to her, just to breathe her in. But he knew himself. It wouldn’t stop there. And he was choosing her based solely on his assessment of how she’d filled out her jeans. She was slim, tall, perfectly proportioned. And that ass… If he’d thought Veronica’s backside was perfect, this woman lifted perfection to a new level. Her hips had flared from an ultraslim waist, her ass cheeks high and round beneath sparkling pockets sporting big, jeweled buttons. That was all he’d seen of her, with her back turned toward him, her hair and face hidden by one of those military-style caps with the wide brim that were in style. But it was all he’d had to see to know.

She was showy. She wanted that ass noticed. Which figured. She was the type of woman he’d always gone for—flashy, gorgeous. Just like the passenger in that Ferrari. His heart hammered one extra hard beat. Damn, she had been a serious knockout. Those eyes, so blue. And the way they’d held his, never once leaving his face for Wes’s…as so many women’s did.

His phone chimed with a text message. Jax pulled out of his head and dragged his phone from his jacket pocket while using the few napkins that had survived the spill to wipe at the coffee residue on his boots.

When he sat back and glanced at the message, he frowned.

UNKNOWN: You’re in luck. I just read a survey that women in New York are most turned on by the scent of coffee. No joke.

Jax stared at the message, confused. Then at the identification, showing ‘blocked number’, even more confused. It was really late—or early, depending on how he looked at it—and he’d desperately needed that coffee. His mind spun but couldn’t find traction. His cell number was unlisted. Only his family, his Renegades, his friends, and the women he’d dated had it. Everything related to work went through a separate cell or the office phone. No one who had his phone number had a blocked identity, but those bastards he worked with could hack, rig, and wing anything they got their grimy hands on.

Had to be one of them fucking with him. So typical.

Jax returned a text to unknown.

JAX: Then I’ll finally be more popular at Kiss N Fly than you are. Don’t hide in the shadows, you prick. Come keep me company.

He couldn’t think of any reason his guys would be flying in or out of town. Renegades didn’t have any jobs scheduled outside LA this week other than the one Jax was handling in New York. Wes wouldn’t be coming out for another few days.

UNKNOWN: I do hear the women at Kiss N Fly go both ways, but I don’t, so I’m sure you’d be far more popular at the bar than I would.

“Sir?”

Jax lifted his frown from the phone. A young woman stood in front of him holding a coffee cup. She wore a green apron from the restaurant where he’d gotten his coffee earlier, the coffee that now resided in his clothes.

“I was asked to deliver this to you.”

The text and the coffee clicked at the same time. Not one of his guys. Ooops. “Who asked you to deliver it?”

“I don’t know, sir. It was called in.” She glanced at his soaked duffle and smiled. “I guess you had an accident here and someone wanted to replace it.”

Jax glanced over at Kevin and his mother. The boy was still sliding the car around on the carpet at her feet. His mother read Jax’s silent question and shook her head. He took the offered coffee and thanked the girl from the restaurant, reaching for his wallet.

“Oh no, sir. It’s been taken care of.”

He paused with his wallet in his hand. “Let me at least give you something for bringing it over.”

She grinned. “That’s been covered too, but thank you.”

And she walked away. His phone chimed again.

UNKNOWN: And while I do love coffee—both the scent…and the taste—I have no doubt I’d prefer the scent…and the taste…of something…more personal.

Jax stared down at the message. Heat gathered low in his gut. “Whoa.”

He glanced up and around the terminal, where the space was filling with more passengers. But no one particularly interested in him, which was good. He took red-eyes as often as possible to avoid what little recognition he occasionally still received. But now he didn’t want to get caught up with one of his exes. Didn’t want to start something inappropriate with one of his friends.

JAX: I’m guessing I should thank you for the coffee?

UNKNOWN: No need. We all can use a little pick-me-up now and then. It was nice for me to be able to do it. Hope this turns your day around.

Jax took a sip. The fresh, hot brew filled his mouth, and his shoulders relaxed. He finally asked:

JAX: Who is this? Your number is showing up blocked.

The tension returned as he waited for the answer.

UNKNOWN: We don’t know each other.

Jax frowned. His mind darted.

JAX: How’d you get my number?

UNKNOWN: Just a little harmless hacking. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you or share it. I just wanted to tell you how great you were with the kid and how I’m drooling over your jacket.

He laughed. The hacking part didn’t bother him overly much. Any of his guys could have surely done the same. And he appreciated ingenuity. If she became a problem, he’d just block her.

At the moment, he could use a frivolous diversion. And since he had no idea who he was talking to, this could be considered focusing on the inside of a woman, right?

And…she had bought him coffee.

JAX: Wait. My…jacket?

UNKNOWN: You know that jacket is totally hot.

JAX: But you’re missing the fact that what’s *inside* the jacket makes it hot.

UNKNOWN: Mmm, no. I can assure you I haven’t missed any of that goodness. You do a lot for fine leather. Did you get it in Italy? Do you favor Brutale bikes?

Jax’s eyebrows rose.

JAX: You know your bikes. Yes, I picked it up in Italy and I’m impressed with Brutales. Why don’t you come over and chat with me until the plane loads?

UNKNOWN: No, but thanks for asking. Tell me, do you always carry toys in your pockets? What else have you got in there?

He laughed at her toy innuendo, but puzzled over her refusal to meet him. Curious. Without moving his head, he simply lifted his eyes to watch the lobby for busy fingers and noticed several women using their phones, but it was nearly impossible to figure out who was doing what. Unfortunately—or not—the woman from Hudson News had a sketchbook out and a pencil in her hand moving lightly over the page. On the upside, all the women in the area appeared relatively attractive. A couple of them were quite pretty. And whoever it was had to be close enough to have witnessed the incident with Kevin.

He refocused on his phone.

JAX: You’ll have to come over to find out.

UNKNOWN: Are you flying to New York on business or pleasure?

Dammit. She didn’t take the bait.

JAX: Business. You?

UNKNOWN: Business. What do you do?

JAX: What’s your guess?

UNKNOWN: Construction.

JAX: Good guess, but no.

UNKNOWN: Model.

JAX: Excuse me while I choke on my coffee.

UNKNOWN: Give me a break. Totally possible. Escort?

Jax chuckled.

JAX: Now that has potential. Are you looking?

UNKNOWN: That is a complex question.

JAX: We’ll come back to it. What do you do?

UNKNOWN: Dress designer.

Jax muttered a curse. She couldn’t have done something he could talk intelligently about, for Christ’s sake?

JAX: And how does a dress designer know about hacking phones?

UNKNOWN: I didn’t say *I* hacked your phone.

JAX: Sneaky. Okay, I’ll let it go for now. But I don’t think I’ll be able to speak on the topic of dress design.

UNKNOWN: Good. It’s the last thing I want to talk about. You haven’t told me what you do.

A woman who didn’t want to talk about herself? Now that was definitely different for Jax. And a welcome change.

JAX: I was working the escort angle. But I’d like to know a little more about you before I say yes.