Page 1 of Rowdy & Kat

KATARINA “KAT” DARVILLE

I couldn’t complain about my current life. I worked as a nurse at a colonoscopy clinic. My job wasn’t exciting, but the position left me comfortable. I shared a spacious townhouse with my twin sister. I had the money to travel twice a year with Mariana, who went by the name Maria.

Despite everything good in my adult life, my thoughts often returned to the time I spent attending high school in Little Memphis. I had been an insecure teenager, carrying twenty extra pounds and worrying over every pimple.

To make matters worse, I had a crush on a guy who seemed too cool to be in the same grade. Tall, leanly muscular, and beautiful, Roy “Rowdy” Reed had oozed sex appeal. I was dumbstruck by the bad boy. No other guy could compete.

For most of my life, the only person I trusted was Maria. My childhood had been rife with emotional chaos. My main goal was to reach adulthood with my sanity intact.

Except Rowdy felt like a temptation I couldn’t deny. When he smiled at me, I got it in my head to ask him to go with me to the Winter Formal. The idea was insane! Maria warned me that wild students like Rowdy didn’t attend school dances. He was bound to say no, yet I still worked up the courage to walk up to him and ask.

And the sexy bastard laughed in my face!

I had hurried away before Rowdy finished chuckling. I hoped he would forget I even asked. Instead, he chose to bully me every day afterward. Rowdy followed me around the hallways, tugging at my blonde hair and stealing my books.

Later that year, my third mother decided parenting was too much for her to handle. She sent Maria and me to live with her mother in Little Rock. I left without telling my bully crush goodbye.

In Little Rock, our grandmother showed little interest in parenting. Maria and I took care of each other. We kept to ourselves with only the most casual friends and zero dating.

After high school, we attended the same college. I was able to lose my extra weight with the help of Taekwondo classes. Though I built a comfortable life for myself, I could never forget the sexy boy from Little Memphis.

Then, last spring, something primal came over me. Maria had gone on a weekend getaway with a doctor she was dating. I feared they would become serious, and she would leave me. All those worries spurred me to behave impulsively.

“I have an itch that must be scratched,” I warned Maria during her vacation.

“Promise you won’t do anything until I get back.”

“I have to be reckless now, or I’ll always regret it.”

After arriving in Little Memphis, I had nearly chickened out rather than enter a bar called Fire Hooch. The flashing pinup girl above the front door made me feel lame. I was a simple woman living a safe life while the women entering ahead of me were tough chicks. They wore biker vests and guns on their hips. Shuffling along behind them, I was ready to flee back to Little Rock.

Instead, I forced my ass into the bar. My fantasy was clear and obtainable. I would flirt with my high school crush/bully until he showed interest. Once he wanted me, I would laugh at him. We’d be equal. Only then could I move on and forget him.

The bar was busy with people drinking and dancing. The hum of chatter fought against the music playing from overhead speakers. I wasn’t familiar with the songs. The female bartender yelled over the music to ask what I wanted. I ordered a Jamaican rum punch.

I sipped my drink and casually peeked around the bar for Rowdy. A local girl and I had remained in touch online. She often shared gossip about people from our school. I knew Rowdy had joined a motorcycle club like his dad. His sisters rode with him, which didn’t surprise me. Tallulah, Sabrina, and Vanessa had tough chick reputations.

Fire Hooch was the Crimson Guard Motorcycle Club’s main hangout. I wasn’t sure if Rowdy would be there tonight. I might need to come back for a few nights if I hoped to see him.

I was aware my plan had many problems. I didn’t know if Rowdy had a girlfriend. Even if he were single, what made me think he’d show any more interest in me now than he did in high school?

Still sipping my punch, I eyed the door and felt an incredible sadness come over me. I’d spent more than a decade feeding an obsession over a guy who had laughed at me. Why couldn’t I move on?

Just before I was ready to bail, the door opened, and several men walked inside. Each one was handsome in a rough, dangerous way. Only one of them left me breathless.

Rowdy Reed was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. No matter where I had traveled over the years, no one could compete with his good looks.

He was taller than in high school, well over six-two. His body was still leanly muscular, yet his shoulders were wider, and his ass had filled out nicely. His faded jeans, white T-shirt, and club vest showed off his every curve, leaving me overheated.

Rowdy’s brown hair had always been on the long side. Tonight, it reached past his shoulders. His crooked smile warmed my heart, but his eyes were my favorite thing about him. Icy blue pools that seemed to glow. When he leveled his gaze on me in high school, I’d been too dumbstruck to do more than babble nervously.

The same mind-numbing awe hit me when Rowdy’s gaze washed over the room, skimmed past me at the bar top, only to return and lock onto my face. In my head, I thought to play coy. Instead, I stared right at him as if I were under his spell.

Rowdy strutted over to me. The bastard couldn’t even walk like a normal man. His every movement exuded a cocky attitude.

“You look familiar,” he said as he leaned next to me and gestured for the bartender to bring him a beer. “Are you one of my sisters’ friends?”

My mouth went dry until I could barely mumble, “No.”