Claimed by the Biker king

Honest Conversation

The news reached Killian before the prospects did. Small towns like theirs just had a way of gossip spreading like wildfire. Phones were not necessary. A bartender heard something. A mechanic repeated it. Someone’s old lady overheard a conversation at the grocery store. Before s**t reached the club it had already made three laps around town.

Some people hated it.

Others thrived on it.

Killian never cared for town’s gossip. He minded his own f*****g business and was of mind that everyone else should too. Yet today s**t reached him anyway because it involved his woman. He cursed hating that he called her his woman even in his own damn mind.

Ex.

Dahlia had been seen. That was not news. What made it news was who she had been seen with.

Beck.

Killian tried not to react to the news. Not outwardly. He kept tightening the bolt on the engine in front of him, turning the wrench until the metal groaned beneath the pressure.

One of the younger prospects shifted awkwardly beside him.

"Rita said she was flirting with him."

Killian kept working.

"I didn't ask what Rita said."

The prospect rubbed the back of his neck, "Right..."

Silence settled over the garage again. The kid should have walked away. Instead, curiosity got the better of him.

"Didn't look like she was trying to get anything out of him. More like..." He frowned, searching for the right words. "...they were challenging each other."

That finally made Killian stop. It had been a split second but the kid noticed it too. Killian new Dahlia loved a challenge. She always flirted like she was arguing with you. Every smile was a challenge. Every sarcastic remark was an invitation to push back.

It had driven him insane the first time they met.

It had made him fall in love with her not long after.

The prospect mistook Killian's silence for permission to continue, "She called him out on his s**t too."

Killian finally looked up, "About what?"

The kid almost smiled, "Said he must have a lot of free time on his hand if he was doing prospect work.”

A low chuckle escaped one of the mechanics nearby.

"Jesus..."

The prospect laughed nervously, "And she told him he looked like he had more stamina than old man John."

The garage fell silent. Every man within earshot slowly looked toward Killian. Waiting for Killian to lose his s**t over this. Instead Killian let out a quiet breath through his nose.

“Sounds like her.”

The prospect blinked, "You're not pissed?"

Killian wiped the grease from his hands before answering, "Pissed at what?"

"She was flirting with the Prez."

Killian's expression remained unreadable, '"No."

His answer surprised everyone but it wasn’t bullshit. Dahlia flirted with confidence. She was witty as hell with anyone who pushed back and made it entertaining. She made you want to come back for seconds.

Sure she had nice t**s and an ass you could grab when f*****g her but that personality it’s what kept a man. When he first started seeing Dahlia she hadn’t been experienced at all. They learned how to f**k together. Find out what they liked and what they didn’t like. It had never been about the s*x with her.

She wasn’t his woman anymore.

So he didn’t give a damn or at least…that’s what he told himself because it was f*****g Beck. He couldn’t exactly give his damn opinion about what happened between Beck and Dahlia.

Beck was his president.

Dahlia his ex.

They had every right to do whatever they wanted yet an hour later Killian climbed the stairs toward Beck’s office. He made up the excuse to see him about the weekly security report.

The gatekeeper was there, Deke, like always. The man was scrolling through something on his phone. He glanced up when Killian approached.

No one could bullshit Deke, he saw right through you.

"You hear already?"

Killian didn't answer immediately.

"I heard."

Deke studied him for a moment then sighed, "Town talks too much."

"It always has."

Deke nodded.

"She's got a mouth on her."

The corner of Killian’s mouth twitched, “Bet she was holding herself back.”

“Yeah… she likes to see a man sweat?

Killian smirked, “It’s how she flirts.”

Deke held his gaze probably trying to see if they could continue their conversation without Killian losing his s**t over this. When he figured Killian wasn’t there to start anything he continued.

“Beck liked it.”

Killian swallowed painfully. He was aware Beck liked it because most men in their club liked it when a woman dared to flirt like that. They had bunnies when they wanted easy. A woman like Dahlia is who you called your old lady.

“You sure?”

“Know him pretty well. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t sit down with her and he definitely wouldn’t ask questions.”

They held each other’s gaze but didn’t say anything after that. Deke let that conversation be what it was. Not giving more information. He was loyal as hell to Beck. Killian understood though. Beck was interested.

That was a tough pill to swallow.

Deke then knocked on Beck’s office door and pushed it open when Beck told them to come in. He motioned for Killian to head inside.

Beck stood by the large table in the center of the room, studying maps of the surrounding counties. He didn't look up immediately.

"You've got the security report?"

Killian handed him the folder.

"I do."

Beck flipped through the first few pages.

"Looks good."

That should have been the end of it but it wasn’t. Beck closed the folder and tossed it on his desk.

“Tell me about you and Dahlia.”

Killian hesitated and Beck noticed. He didn’t comment on it, and told Killian that Beck didn’t give a f**k about how he felt about this situation. Beck wanted to know more about Dahlia, that’s why he asked.

“We dated. Four years. It was good until it wasn’t. We wanted different things and went our separate ways.”

He only said the bare minimum. Information Beck could get from anyone he asked that stayed long enough. The club knew.

Silence stretched between them before Beck spoke, "I'm not asking permission."

There it was. Killian knew because of how Beck asked him about his relationship with Dahlia. He should have kept his mouth shut instead he shot back, "I wasn't giving any."

A ghost of a smile touched Beck's lips, “Interesting. Then we’re clear about that.”

They were because Killian knew what was going to happen. Beck would go after Dahlia with or without his permission and he couldn’t do s**t about it.

Killian left Beck’s office knowing this would be the start of complicated s**t. No doubt Beck would be successful because no woman had rejected him so far.

Dahlia would be no different.

Beck pushed back hard and she enjoyed that. Beck would match her fire and the two of them would burn everything on their path.