CLAIMED BY THE BIKER KING

SEVENTY THOUSAND REASONS

VAL'S POV

"Fifty thousand dollars," Jax repeated, his tone smooth as silk, like he hadn't just thrown out a life-changing number.

My brain stalled for a second as I did the mental math. Fifty grand. With that kind of money, I could finally wipe out the last of my father's mountain of debt. I could buy a brand-new, top-of-the-line dyno machine for the garage, tune bikes twice as fast, and bring in higher-paying clients. I could finally breathe without feeling like the roof was going to cave in on me.

Jax broke through my thoughts with a quiet, dramatic sigh. "Oh... is the money too small for you, my Queen? Mr. Cruz gave birth to a really greedy daughter, I must say."

I snapped out of my head, clearing my throat loudly. I lifted my head up slightly, waving my grease-stained hand in a nonchalant dismissive gesture, pretending I wasn't internally screaming.

"Fine," I said, keeping my voice as flat as possible. "I'll take the job."

Jax’s annoying smirk deepened into a full-blown smile. "Great. But I have one condition."

I glared at him, my annoyance instantly flaring back up. "Just because I decided to accept the job, you're here hitting me with conditions? What the f**k is wrong with you?"

"Relax, Valentina," Jax chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "It's simple. My condition is that we work on the engine together. Which means I'm going to be staying in the garage occasionally while we build it."

"Hell no," I shot back without missing a beat. "Not happening. You hand over the parts, you leave, and you let me work in peace."

"I'll add twenty thousand bucks to the total," Jax said casually, crossing his arms.

"If you let me stay while we work, and if you join my team as our official tuner for the race. You build the machine, so you'll know how to handle it best on the road."

My jaw almost dropped. Seventy thousand f*****g dollars?

I cleared my throat again, trying to keep my face completely blank so he wouldn't see how hard my heart was pounding.

"You really are rich, huh? Must be nice just throwing money around like it's dirt."

Jax took a slow step toward me, his blue

eyes gleaming with mischief. "I only throw it around when the prize is worth it, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. “He's paying seventy grand,” I reminded myself. I can handle a little bit of stupid flirting for seventy grand.

"Whatever," I grunted, setting the oil jug back on the bench. "Come back and talk to me when you actually have the cash in hand."

Jax reached into his leather vest and pulled out a sleek smartphone. "Why wait? I can make the transfer right now."

I stared at him in utter disbelief. He just had seventy thousand dollars sitting in an accessible account ready to send on a whim?

"You're serious?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my back pocket.

"Dead serious," Jax said.

He tapped his screen, brought up a payment app, and gestured for me to show my code. I opened mine, still half-expecting his bank to decline it. He scanned my screen.

PING!

My phone vibrated in my palm. A bold green notification popped up across the top of my screen: Direct Deposit Received: $70,000.00.

A massive smile almost stretched across my face, but I caught myself just in time. I swallowed hard, locked my phone, and forced my expression back into a cool, uninterested glare.

Jax caught the tiny twitch of my lips anyway. He stepped even closer, his shadow falling over me. "See? I always deliver on my promises, my Queen. You going to smile for me now, or do I need to pay you for that too?"

“I'm not backing down to this guy, who the f**k does he think he is?”I told myself, squaring my shoulders and staring right back into his eyes. Not now, not ever.

"You couldn't afford my smile if you tried," I bit back.

Before Jax could reply, the heavy wooden door creaked open. One of his crew members, a tall, burly guy with a shaved head named Rex, poked his head into the shop.

"Ghost," Rex called out, looking between the two of us. "We need to head back to the clubhouse. Marcus is calling."

"Right," Jax said, nodding once at Rex without taking his eyes off me. Rex pulled his head back out and shut the door.

Jax turned back and took one fast, sudden step right into my personal space. I opened my mouth to tell him to back off, looking him up and down, but before I could even raise my hands, he moved with terrifying speed.

Jax grabbed both of my slightly oily wrists, lifted them, and locked them together above my head against the cool steel cabinet behind me.

"Hey…!" I gasped.

Before I could finish the thought, Jax leaned down and pressed a soft, firm kiss right onto the center of my forehead.

My brain completely short-circuited. I froze, caught entirely off guard, my heart hammering against my rib as his leather jacket brushed against my chest.

Jax pulled back just as quickly, releasing my wrists. A triumphant, wicked smirk lit up his face. He took a step backward, gave me a dramatic little bow, and winked.

"See you tomorrow, my Queen."

He turned on his heel and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. A second later, the roar of seven engines shook the building as they sped away down the alley.

I stood there pinned against my workbench, my hands still hovering near my head, my forehead still warm where his lips had touched.

I stared at the empty doorway in dead silence.

What the f**k just happened?