Diesel (Aces MC Series Book 1) Read online

  “You think I can’t handle myself? You know nothing about me and what I’ve had to deal with.” Now she was shouting again. She crossed her arms in an almost defensive stance. I tried to defuse the situation, “Do you wanna talk about it?” She looked sexy as hell when she got annoyed and I debated whether to keep pushing her for my own sick gratification but my comment had obviously surprised her by the look on her face.

  “Look I’m sorry. You must think I’m a lunatic?” I raised my eyebrow slightly which made her laugh. “I’m not usually this emotional. He just upset me by judging me for looking like a tart.” As she spoke she looked at the floor swinging her right foot from side to side, I thought this may be a nervous thing. I placed my hand under her chin lifting her head slightly so she looked directly into my eyes. “You don’t look like a tart, you look fucking hot Harlow.” With those words, it was as if everything around us had stopped. She looked at me intently and it was only her and I in this moment, sizing each other up. I could see the pulse in her neck steadily beating and could hear her breathing accelerate. She reached out to touch my face but the moment was broken by the car I was leaning on being unlocked.

  A short overweight man came up to the vehicle and Harlow moved slightly to let the man get closer to his car. He huffed and muttered something under his breath which I thought was brave but he soon stopped when he noticed me glaring at him. He drove away quickly leaving us standing on the pavement.

  “I thought that was your car. Do you want a lift home?” I asked looking up and down the street to see if there was another vehicle. “No I’m fine, I’ve got my ride.” She turned and walked over to the Heritage Softail Classic Harley and cocked her leg to sit comfortably on the seat. She secured her helmet, which made her look even hotter, if that was at all possible. She could see from my face that I was totally shocked and she was clearly enjoying my reaction.

  “Thank you for calming me down and hopefully I will see you again soon ‘Diesel’?” Before I knew it she’d pulled away into the traffic, giving a little wave with her left hand at the guys who had now congregated outside the shop. “You certainly will, Harlow.” I said to myself walking back towards the shop.

  All four of my Brothers were standing outside the shop laughing at the entertainment that had just been played out in front of them. “Was that your girl riding the Harley?” Duke asked with humour in his voice. “It certainly was.” I said more to myself than to Duke. All of them started laughing at my expense. I barged past them as I walked into the shop, “Fucking pricks!”

  Chapter 2

  Harlow

  It was a bright sunny Monday morning which had put me in a good mood. I couldn’t stop thinking about the events that had taken place on Friday and the mere thought of Diesel gave me butterflies in my tummy. Diesel was one hot alpha male. His short dark hair, chiselled features and his bulging biceps were probably the reason for the butterflies, I am so shallow!

  I arrived at the shop with coffees in hand. As I walked through the door the bells chimed which made me chuckle to myself. Jimmy came bounding into the reception area with a smile on his face until he saw me. He turned on his heels, ready to go back into the main room, “Jimmy, look please hold on a minute.” I said quickly. Jimmy stopped and turned around looking at me blankly. “I’ve come with a peace offering.” I held a cup of coffee up in the air so that he could see. “I’m sorry about the other day. I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Grinning at Jimmy I waited patiently for him to respond. Jimmy took the cup and mumbled “Thank you.” under his breath. He stood there fiddling with the lid like he was pondering on something, then quickly turned and walked into the main room. This didn’t mean that we were now friends but it was a good start.

  The morning had run smoothly and it was getting close to lunch time, I could hear my stomach rumbling as I was finishing CJ’s tattoo. “Are you hungry girl?” CJ asked with a smile on his face. CJ was a hulk of a man. There must be something in the water around this area, to help create such beautiful men. CJ had an incredibly toned body and must work out regularly to achieve such stature. “Sure am.” I said almost embarrassed that he had heard my stomach.

  That’s when I felt him before I even saw him. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “Good job I’ve brought you some lunch then.” Diesel held the white plastic bag up as he stepped further into the room. “I’ll be out back when you’re ready.” Winking at me he casually walked into the kitchen area. A flush came over my body and my mouth went dry. CJ started chuckling at my obvious discomfort. I looked over at Spike as he watched Diesel walk into the back room but I couldn’t read the expression on his face.

  I finished up with CJ and went to find Diesel. The backroom consisted of a kitchenette, containing a small oval table with four chairs and a comfortable sofa bed that was positioned at the back of the room, next to the door leading to the bathroom. It was clean and practical but was missing a woman’s touch, something I was going to rectify over the next couple of weeks.

  “So what brings you here?” I asked as I washed my hands and gathered two plates. “I was hungry.” Diesel said with a smile on his gorgeous face. “How’s it gone so far?” I turned to see him stuffing a ham sandwich into his mouth. That mouth was just beautiful and I started to imagine it on various parts of my body. He caught me looking and I mentally kicked myself.

  “It’s been great. I’ve always wanted to be a tattooist but haven’t had the opportunity to do it until now.” I quickly stopped myself from babbling further. Diesel had a way of extracting information from me. “So where did you learn how to do it? You obviously have a talent and you don’t just learn that overnight.” Diesel put his sandwich down, his eyes searching mine. I had his full attention and he was waiting for me to explain. “I had friends who spotted my talents and they introduced me to tattooing. I wanted to work in their shop but I wasn’t allowed.” I could see Diesel pondering on my answer. “Why weren’t you allowed? Did your parents stop you?” He was looking at me intently. “Yeah, something like that. Do you want a drink?” Not waiting for a response, I got up and pulled two glasses out of the cabinet.

  “You don’t like talking about your past much do you?” I looked around to see the concern on his face. I gave him a weak smile and poured the two glasses of orange squash. “Obviously the main reason I came here was to have lunch but I also wanted to invite you to a party on Saturday.” He must have seen my hesitation. “It’s a big get together at the club house. You can meet the rest of the club members before you leave your mark on them permanently.” He said with slight humour in his voice. I looked at my watch and noticed that I had 10 minutes before my next appointment. “I’d like that Diesel, thank you.” His creased face lifted a little as the tension left his body, as he was obviously worried of my response.

  Comfortable silence surrounded us as we sat there eating our lunch. I thought I’d better break the silence, although I could look at him forever. “Thank you for bringing me lunch.” It came out almost breathy. I grabbed my sandwich taking a quick bite to try and stop the fact I was making an idiot of myself. “I don’t mean to be rude but my next customer will be here soon.” I said trying to regain my composure. “Not a problem Ink, I’ve gotta get back to work anyway.” Diesel gulped down the rest of his orange squash and placed the empty glass on the table. Had I heard him correctly, had he just called me Ink? My heart rate increased as I started to get excited. Stop being so stupid, you’re acting like a child with a crush. I mentally told myself off as I stood clearing the leftovers. Diesel helped me clear away our plates and I was amazed by how easy this all felt. “Oh, you do actually work then. I thought you just went around buying women lunch.” The humour in my voice was evident and I was trying to get a reaction out of him. “Only the lucky ones, Ink.” He said with a wink opening the door. There it was again ‘Ink’. It seemed to roll off of his tongue effortlessly and gave me butterflies in my tummy again.

  “Ah shit! What’s she doing here?” Die
sel asked as he walked over to my next customer. “Hello Ethan, nice to see you too. I thought this may be the place to get a tattoo, dumb arse!” She stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss on his cheek and he picked her up in return, swinging her around in a giant bear hug. “You know you can’t stand the pain, so why put yourself through it?” The concern on Diesel’s face intrigued me. He most certainly had a softer side and cared deeply for this lady. I observed their interaction closely and could see that they weren’t sexually attracted to each other by their body language. “It’s all in the name of beauty.” She said as she sat in the chair. This woman was a very attractive red head with a natural wave to her hair. She was slim and petite at around 5’3” and was wearing faded jeans and a vest top displaying a Harley. Very fitting, I thought to myself.

  I walked further into the room when Diesel bent down and kissed me on the cheek taking me by surprise, “See you Saturday Ink.” He left the shop leaving me all hot and bothered and earned me another unreadable glance from Spike.

  “Wow! How long have you been seeing my brother? Is it serious?” Amy was bouncing around in the chair like an excited child at Christmas. “One, we’re not dating and two, it’s not serious because we’re not dating!” I said defensively crossing my arms. I had had the wind knocked out of my sails. I sat in the chair next to Amy and sighed heavily, rubbing my forehead. “Oh baby girl, I know that look. I would say that you like Ethan, a lot. If he’s calling you anything but your real name and has invited you to the party on Saturday, then I would say that he’s into you too.”

  I could tell that my skin was still flush. “Do you mind if I take a minute before I start your tattoo? I’ve just had lunch and need to pop to the bathroom quickly.” I stood not waiting for her to respond, walking swiftly towards the back room.

  I locked the door behind me and walked over to the sink, looking into the mirror at my flushed face. Leaning on the counter I tried to compose myself, breathing slowly. I splashed a little water onto my cheeks, then reapplied my lip gloss. I needed a couple of minutes before I was bombarded with further questions from Amy.

  Amy

  “Not at all baby girl, you go and compose yourself.” I said to myself as I grabbed Harlow’s phone which was left on the side. “Jackpot!” Harlow’s phone wasn’t locked.

  Diesel obviously liked Harlow so I was going to play cupid.

  Hey Diesel, thank u for lunch. Can’t wait 4 party on Saturday but would like 2 C U B4 then. How about meeting Thursday? X

  I sat there impatiently waiting for a response.

  Thursday’s good, what do you want to do? D

  Man of many words, no wonder he’s single!

  Surprise me! X

  That should get him going!

  Pick you up from shop at 6.00 on Thursday. Wear something warm! D

  “What are you doing?” Harlow shouted catching me red handed texting on her phone. “Playing Cupid. I’ve got you a date on Thursday evening.” I stated, proudly showing Harlow the messages on her phone.

  Harlow lifted her hand covering her mouth whilst sitting down in the chair. “What, did I get this all wrong? Are you not interested in him?” I asked panic clearly evident. “No, it’s just that, oh I don’t know.” Harlow let out a loud sigh, “I like him but like all bikers and no offence I know he’s your brother but all bikers are players. I don’t think I have the energy to be cocked about.”

  I slid off the chair and bent down between her legs. “Look, Diesel’s had a rough couple of years. It’s not my story to tell so if he decides to tell you then you should feel honoured. Just cut him some slack, he obviously likes you ‘Ink’.” I moved my eyebrows up and down animatedly to try and lighten the situation which made her laugh.

  I stood and got back into the chair, “Now are you going to give me this tattoo before I shit my pants?” We started to giggle like a pair of young teenagers.

  For the next twenty minutes Harlow worked on my tattoo with me screaming like a baby. Time flew and I realised we had a lot in common considering the six year age difference. When I couldn’t handle the pain any longer, Harlow stopped and booked me in for Friday morning to finish it off.

  Chapter 3

  Harlow

  The week had run smoothly and I’d attracted new customers which pleased Spike. Thursday had now arrived and I had butterflies in my stomach again. What was I doing? Did I need any more drama in my life? I’d finished my last client 10 minutes ago and taken myself into the bathroom to brush my hair and top up my makeup.

  As I was looking in the mirror, something caught my eye. “Hey Spike, is everything okay?” I asked as he walked into the small bathroom. “I don’t know yet? How serious is it getting with you and Diesel?” He asked seriously crossing his arms as he leant on the door frame. “Well, we’re going out this evening and he’s asked me to the party at the club on Saturday. Do you have a problem with me seeing him?” I asked genuinely. I didn’t want to fall out with Spike. He’d been kind and had given me this great opportunity. “Look Harlow, Diesel is a nice guy, he’s not only my cousin but my closest friend.” Spike retreated out of the bathroom moving into the kitchenette. I packed away my stuff and put it into my locker before following him.

  “I’m not sure how much you know about how clubs like ours work but I just want you to be careful and not get into anything you don’t want too.” I could see that he was embarrassed trying to have this conversation with me, like a dad talking to his daughter about sex for the first time.

  “I know more about club business than most. I’m not gonna go into details but my mum was a club whore before she died of an overdose when I was four.” I looked into his eyes so that he could see I was serious but again I couldn’t read his expression. “I’d never put myself in any unnecessary danger and that’s one of the reasons I moved recently.” I smiled at him, “I appreciate you looking out for me though.” I closed the gap between us and hugged Spike, holding him close.

  Spike was a good looking guy, he had it all going on but he didn’t give me the butterflies that Diesel did. It’s a shame as I think life would be a lot less complicated if I were attracted to him. At this moment in time, I needed a friend as I’d left mine behind when I parted with the Skulls after the death of my dad. Who would’ve thought I’d find a friend in a big hot biker.

  I was pulled from my thoughts as an irate Diesel stalked into the room. “Do I need to kick your arse all over the shop?” Diesel looked menacing with his fists clenched. “Shut up you dick. We were just… bonding! Now get out of my shop, I have a hot date tonight.” Spike walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a bang. “You ready?” Diesel asked holding out his hand, which I willingly took moving into his embrace, feeling those bloody butterflies coming back again!

  It had turned chilly and I was pleased that I’d brought my leather jacket to work. Diesel gave me a helmet with a mic so that we could talk to each other during the journey. “Where are we going?” I asked as I put the helmet on, securing it tightly under my chin. “For a drive, maybe grab some food later if you’re hungry?” I got onto the bike and snaked my arms around him, holding him close feeling our bodies fit perfectly. I let out a long loud sigh, “You okay there babe?” Diesel asked with humour in his voice. “More than okay. Don’t worry about me.” I moved my hands closer to his belt and snuggled further. He took in a big intake of breath and I knew I was affecting him like he had me.

  We drove for around twenty minutes when he turned off the main road and onto a dirt track lined with pine trees. We stopped near a small clearing, Diesel turned off the engine and got off the bike, taking my hand to help me. He continued to hold my hand as we walked down a shingle path that led through the trees and the comfortable silence continued between us until we reached the edge of the cliff. “Wow Diesel, this is beautiful. You can see the whole town from up here.” I looked around at the marvellous view in front of us.

  “How do you know about this place?” I looked over at Diesel
and could see his facial expression change, like he had an internal struggle with something. “It’s okay you don’t have to tell me but thank you for bringing me here, it’s beautiful.” Diesel sat down on the floor with his back against a tree stump. I joined him on the floor and nestled myself between his legs, surprising myself by my boldness but I truly wanted to be close to him.

  The stars were starting to come out and were visible for miles around as the sky was so clear. “I used to bring my son here.” He said staring into the distance. It was a good job I was sitting down already because that statement alone would have knocked me over. We sat in silence but he must have felt me stiffen because he curled his arms around me and continued his story. “He was beautiful Ink. Blond hair, blue piercing eyes and such a kind temperament.”

  He stopped talking and held me tighter. “I was married to his mother ‘Amber’.” This statement shocked me but I was relieved that he said ‘was’. “She was a club whore, it wasn’t planned but shit happens. I wanted her to have an abortion but she refused,” I could feel his body tense. “It’s not something I’m proud of. She had the baby and once the paternity test came through positive, I decided to do the right thing and marry her.” He shuffled getting comfortable on the floor.

  “Stupid I know but I wanted right by my boy. To cut a long story short she was ‘high’ driving the car with Shaun in the back. She ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle.” Diesel started to shake his head from side to side. “Shaun didn’t stand a chance, he died on impact. I suppose that’s something to be grateful for.” Diesel paused whilst he gathered his thoughts, “I used to bring him here when he couldn’t sleep at night. A beautiful place for a beautiful boy.” I wiped the tears that had fallen silently from my eyes whilst he told his story.