Even with the shirt, he screams bad boy.

   The bright pattern isn’t fooling anybody.

   Blue eyes lock on me. “Bronte Pierce?”

   “That’s me,” I say, shaking his hand as he offers it. “Nice to meet you.”

   “I’m Crow, and I’m in charge here. We have two mechanics coming in and out to help Cam put together the bikes. But it’s a small group since we only do custom pieces.”

   So this is who messaged me yesterday.

   “So are you Abbie’s partner?” I ask, since Uncle Neville said he owned the place. If he is, she has done very, very well for herself.

   He gives me a confused look, then laughs. I don’t want to admit what the sound of his laugh does to me; it’s deep and all consuming. Great, now I’m having weird feelings about my cousin’s partner and I haven’t even met my cousin yet. Way to build a relationship. Oh yeah, and he’s my boss.

   Snap out of it, Bronte. You’re here to work, and that’s it.

   Once he’s done laughing, he still has a smirk on his face. I’m not going to lie; it kind of annoys me. “No, Temper is Abbie’s partner. Don’t let him hear you ask me that.”

   “But you said you’re in charge. I was told Abbie’s partner owns the place.”

   His smirk is gone and now he just looks annoyed. “Yes, Temper technically owns it, but I am in charge here. Is that going to be a problem?”

   Shit. Great, first I was attracted to the boss, and now I’m pissing him off. “Nope. Not a problem. Sorry, I just found out about Abbie, so I’m playing catch-up. You’re in charge. Got it.”

   And apparently not a topic I will bring up again.

   He looks at me skeptically but gives me a brief nod. “We basically need someone to man the reception, answer phones, order parts and stay on top of all the bookkeeping. Sound manageable?”

   I decide that honesty is the best policy. “I have done some admin work before, but I don’t know anything about bikes or ordering parts. But I’m a quick learner and I’m sure I can pick it up.” I give him my best I-am-confident look.

   I hope he buys it.

   It’s the truth, though. I’ve done work more complicated than this, and I’m eager to learn and be the best at whatever job I am doing. I’m someone who takes pride in her work, and I know that I’m going to be an asset to his team.

   “Abbie said you were a private investigator?”

   “I was an assistant to one, yes.” I nod.

   “Huh. I would have guessed a librarian,” he comments, making my eyes widen. I mean, I was only just thinking the same thing based on how I dressed today, but it’s rude of him to mention that, especially after only just meeting me. “I hope you’re able to handle the job, and don’t expect any special treatment just because you’re Abbie’s long-lost cousin.”

   My jaw drops. His comment really gets to me, even though I don’t want to let him see that. “I don’t expect any special treatment.”

   “That’s good, but not true, because special treatment got you this job in the first place,” he replies casually, as if his words aren’t hitting every damn nerve.

   I should have known that this job was going to come with a catch, and it looks like I’ve found it. An annoying, smart-ass boss.

   “I might have gotten this job because of my family, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a hard worker who’s going to be an asset to your business,” I fire back, eyes narrowing. “But I guess only time will prove that to you, especially since you seem to already have made your mind up about me.”

   He studies me for a moment, giving nothing away with his expression. “Look, I take this job seriously and I need someone who will also take it seriously, regardless of who your family is or what you used to do.”

   “Understood.”

   “I guess time will tell. Come on, I’ll show you around.” He opens a door behind the main reception desk. “So back here is the staff room. There’s a kitchen, a bathroom and lots and lots of parts back there. There’s also a bed because Dee thought it needed one for when he’s here and wants to take a nap.”

   I have no idea who Dee is, but I nod. “I can assure you that I won’t be napping on the job,” I promise.

   He doesn’t reply. After the brief tour, he shows me the computer I’ll be using and the software I need to learn to keep stock of all the motorcycle parts. It’s pretty straightforward, and for the first time since I found out I was going to be working here, I feel a little more confident.

   “I’m going to leave a list of contact numbers here. You should have mine from yesterday, but it’s the first one,” he says.

   “Okay.”

   Then he gets up, removes his bowling shirt, revealing biceps to die for, picks up a leather vest off the chair and puts it on. I can’t seem to take my eyes off him, which annoys me, because I need to control myself. But him in that leather vest, white tank top underneath, his beautiful tattoos covering his muscular arms...it really works for him. He even flicks his blond hair back, just like he’s in some fucking advertisement or something.

   “You’re a biker,” I say out loud.

   He tilts his head to the side and gives me a look like he thinks I’m stupid. “They really didn’t give you much information at all, did they? Are you sure this is the place you want to work?”

   As he turns, I see the words Knights of Fury MC written on the back of his vest.

   I’m working for a biker gang?

   Just what crowd exactly does my new cousin hang with?

   “Yes. I was just surprised, that’s all,” I say as I watch him head toward the door.

   I start to panic. I may feel a little confident, but I’m not ready to be left alone. What if customers call? Or come in?

   “Wait, you’re going?” I call after him.

   “Yep,” he calls back, sounding unimpressed, and walks over to a big, badass black motorcycle. I stand at the entrance, watching him, wondering how the hell he can leave me alone here with nothing more than a crash course on how to work here.

   “You can’t leave. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

   He kick-starts his motorcycle, the engine loud. “I thought you were a fast learner. Was that a lie?”

   Well, shit. He has me there—I did say that. But I am not in the wrong here. “But what if a customer calls? And besides ‘admin work’ you didn’t really tell me what I should start with.”

   “I think you’ll be able to figure it out. I have somewhere to be.” And with that, he starts driving off.