Free Stripping Her Defenses by Jessie Lane Page A

Regulators for six years now, and I damn well knew Riley wasn’t a member. Ice would have asked if there was a connection the very first time he heard my last name, Sullivan, if he’d known Riley or Declan.
    A loud bang vibrated against the wall next to the office door, and I winced at the familiar sound. You didn’t work or hang around a strip club run by bikers without learning what the sound of a body hitting something sounded like. The only question I had now was whether that had been Riley’s body being thrown around. I winced at the thought and my stomach felt heavy with dread. I didn’t want Riley hurt. I’d already hurt him enough by filing for divorce and disappearing after the loss of our son. I didn’t want him hurt anymore because of me. Besides, our marriage might have gone to shit, but I would always love him.
    I knew better than to try and step into club business, though. Ice and the boys had taught me the rules a long time ago. I kept my ‘pretty little nose,’ as they liked to call it, out of club business, and they would always make sure club business never bothered me. I also knew anything and everything having to do with After Midnight qualified as club business since they owned and ran the place, but that was Riley out there. Could I really stand here while they possibly beat the shit out of him or worse?
    I took a step towards the door, determined to do what I’d never done in the entire time of working for the Regulators—stick my nose where it didn’t belong. This might be club business, but that was my ex-husband, and I wasn’t about to let them beat the shit out of him just because he’d been shocked as shit to see me dressed in next to nothing, while getting ready to flash my tits and ass on a stage.
    I hadn’t made it more than one step, though, before the door burst open, broken pieces of wood flying in all directions. Riley came barreling towards me while shaking three guys off his arms like they were nothing.
    I gasped in surprise. Frozen to the spot with a hand covering my mouth, I locked eyes with a furious Riley while I heard Ice shout from the hallway, “Somebody grab that asshole before he gets to Kara!”
    I could hear Declan shouting something in the hallway, but I didn’t make out the words. All I could see was Riley standing before me in all his enraged glory. All I could hear was his fast, furious breathing and stomping steps as he closed the distance between us. And all I could feel was my heart start a familiar pitter patter I hadn’t felt in over eight long years. It was proof that time simply couldn’t change some things. Like the way my mind, body, and soul reacted to the man who was now barreling towards me like an angry bull.
    He didn’t make within grabbing distance of me before we heard the familiar click of a gun being armed. Riley stopped dead in his tracks at the sound, and I watched as his jaw clenched in frustration. He turned around slowly, both hands held out to his sides in surrender, and faced Hammer who held one of the largest pistols I’d ever seen, pointed at Riley.
    “You take one more step towards Kara, and I’m gonna splatter your brains all over the walls and call it redecorating.” The chill in Hammer’s words sent shivers up my spine.
    Oh, holy shit, this situation had gotten so out of hand so fast it was no wonder I felt like my head was spinning.
    When Ice also came through the doorway with his pistol in his hand, I knew I had to do something before they hurt Riley more than I already had.
    Quickly closing the distance between Riley and myself, I saw Ice watch me, raising his eyebrows in surprise when I put myself in front of Riley, blocking Ice and Hammer’s line of sight, instead of running out of the room like he had more than likely assumed I would.
    Putting my hands in front of me, I murmured in a shaky voice, “Just hold on a damn second, Ice. This isn’t what you think.”
    One of Riley’s arms was wrapped around me by the