Burnout: A Legal Heat Novella Read Online Free

intimidated by his six-foot-two-inch frame and his harsh Scandinavian features, but not that little firebrand with the big tits and the sensuous mouth. Hell, she’d almost seemed angry he hadn’t keeled over after that beer.
    And wasn’t that what he was looking for? A challenge. A woman who had no intention of tumbling into his bed or dropping to her knees just because of who he was or what he could offer. After years of easy women and casual sex, Ace had been hit with a wake-up call when his friend, Ice, had fallen hard for a sexy private detective who had infiltrated their old MC. Lana was no pushover, and she’d made Ice work damn hard for her attention. Too hard, his brothers thought, but Ace had never seen Ice so damn happy.
    “She’s Jason’s sister.” Kickstand stepped in front of him, interrupting his train of thought and his view. “Just moved here from Toronto. That’s all I got.”
    “I want more.” He gestured Kickstand out of his way so he could watch Sophie through the glass door. He liked the way she worked her dress, with the kind of confidence he didn’t often see in the women who frequented the clubhouse. But he didn’t like the attention she had attracted, or the number of men who were looking at what he had already decided belonged to him.
    “Only person here who knows about her is Jason, and he’s not going to talk to me,” Kickstand said.
    “He won’t talk to you, but he will talk and your job is to listen.” Jason was a big player in the West Coast arms market, and he wouldn’t have time for men who weren’t in a position to make a deal. Men like Ace. Men he wouldn’t want anywhere near his sister.
    Not that Ace wanted anything more than one night with Sophie in his bed. He wasn’t looking for a relationship simply because he had witnessed how soul-destroying they could be. His father had never been the same after losing his old lady in a bike accident when Ace was only three years old. Anger had twisted his soul, and he’d taken out his pain on Ace and his younger brother until social services had taken them away.
    Yep. Relationships were definitely off the cards. But Ace was tired of emotionless, mindless sex with women who would do anything he asked for the chance of becoming his old lady. Sophie didn’t seem to care about his cut or his sergeant-at-arms patch. She wasn’t intimidated by his size or his scars or his association with an outlaw MC. Hell, she hadn’t even hesitated before trying to poison him, and then she’d coolly turned her back and walked away.
    After the prospect returned with a shot of whiskey to take away the taste of Sophie’s concoction, Ace made his way through the house looking for Jason. Although he wanted nothing more than to follow Sophie and charm her into his bed, he had business to conduct with Jason, and his duty to the club came first.
    He finally spotted Jason near the back patio doors, his attention focused on a small group of people chatting outside on the grass. A mid-level arms trader and old acquaintance, Jason had contacted Ryder, the Rogue Riders MC president, looking for protection for illegal arms shipments coming into port from Korea and destined for Mexico. It was a lucrative contract for a fledgling MC that had only recently split from its mother club, Hades, and one that would help establish the club as a serious player in Vancouver’s criminal underground. Ryder had entrusted Ace with the negotiations, and Ace had come prepared for any eventuality, except a curvy brunette with a dazzling smile.
    “Hey, Ace. I was wondering when we’d get around to business.” In his torn, heavy metal T-shirt and a ripped pair of jeans, his blond hair flopping in his face, Jason looked more like a college kid than an arms trader. But who was Ace to judge? He sure as hell wouldn’t be caught dead in a suit.
    “You said you needed protection for a shipment going south. I came for the details.”
    Jason’s smile faded. “Yeah,