Blink: An MC Romance (Savage Crows MC Original Charter Book 1), page 1
BLINK
AN MC ROMANCE
SAVAGE CROWS MC ORIGINAL CHARTER
BOOK 1
T.O. SMITH
Copyright ©November 2023 by T.O. Smith
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Formatting: Tiff Writes Romance
Cover Design: Tiff Writes Romance
Editing: Tiff Writes Romance
Proofreading: Kimberly Peterson
For Riley, my reason for everything that I do.
For every reader who wanted Blink’s story, here it is.
For every reader who wanted a glimpse into a younger Sabotage, get ready to dive into these pages.
CONTENTS
Books in the Series
Note from the Author:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Also by T.O. Smith
About the Author
BOOKS IN THE SERIES
Savage Crows MC Original Charter
Blink
Carver
Grit
Carter
Savage Crows MC Texas Charter
Ink & Reina
Ink
Sabotage
Hatchet
Copper
Ghost
Alex
Thor
Bullet
Scab
Grim
Scorpion
Grave
Judge’s Girl
Layla
Savage Crows MC Mother Charter
Brett
Kyle
Damon
Halen
Logan
Walker
Vincent
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book contains themes and situations that not all readers may find enjoyable. These include child abuse and neglect, violence, murder, and pregnancy.
If you find any of these triggering, I advise against reading. If you have any questions about any of the above, please reach out to me via email (authortosmith@gmail.com), Instagram, or Facebook.
If you decide to continue from here, happy reading!
1
Blink
I loved the open road. The freedom I got as my bike cut through the wind. How much more beautiful the world was when it wasn’t blocked by a windshield. There was something irreplaceable about hearing the roar of the road beneath my bike tires and the growl of the beast beneath me as I cut my way through the country roads.
But nothing would ever beat coming home to the clubhouse and walking inside. When I bought this place right after getting out of the military, it’d been a wreck. The realtor told me I probably would’ve been better off just tearing it down and building something new. But this place had something about it that drew me in, and I didn’t want to destroy it. Instead, I wanted to focus on restoring it.
So, the friends I’d made in the military and who had gotten out with me joined forces with me. They helped me pour money into this old building to restore it back to its former glory, and when I offered them a cut to be part of my small club, they took the opportunity to belong to something again with both hands.
Four years later and we were now a small but respected club. The four of us were all that made it up, but that was all we needed. There was strength to still be had in small numbers, and that was what we focused on.
“Fucking shit, my ass hurts,” Carver grumbled as we walked up to the clubhouse doors. Grit unlocked it and pushed one side open, and we followed him in, heading straight for the chapel so we could count this money out and go to the nearby bar to get food.
I was fucking starving.
We were all shit at cooking and only halfway decent at making a drink for ourselves. We’d been on the hunt for a good person to hire to cook for us and keep this place clean, but none of us had been impressed by any of the applications so far. Most of them were women more interested in trying to change a bad boy than actually doing any kind of work. And they were talkative, too, which meant they’d be untrustworthy. Last thing we needed was a bunch of gossipers.
I took my seat at the head of the table before pulling the envelope of cash out of the inside pocket of my cut. Grit took a seat to my left, Carver took a seat to my right, and Carter took a seat beside Carver. They silently watched as I began dividing up the money between the four of us and our club fund. Once it was divided, I slid their cut across to them before getting up and putting the cut for the club fund into the safe.
“Are we finally going to fucking eat now?” Carver griped.
I snorted and turned to face him once the safe was locked back. “You’re in a pissy mood today,” I noted.
He rolled his eyes at me. “My ass hurts from riding for hours with no break, and my stomach is eating my insides.”
Grit barked out a laugh and stood to his feet. “Let’s head to the bar. I need a drink. And I could do with one of their greasy burgers.”
I waved them off. “I’ll meet y’all there. I want to shower first.”
Grit clapped me on the back as he moved past me. “See you in a bit, brother.”
The bar was already packed when I walked in, which wasn’t all that uncommon this time of the evening. I saw the guys sitting in a corner booth, food already in front of them. To save the waitress some time, I headed to the bar and put in a order for a burger, basket of fries, and a beer.
“Hi! I just finished the app—”
I turned to face the woman who appeared beside me, and immediately, my breath caught in my lungs. She was so fucking beautiful, she captivated every bit of my attention without even trying. Her face was free of makeup, and her blonde hair hung down her back in soft waves. Skin-tight jeans shaped nicely to her perky, round ass, and the V-neck shirt she had on allowed me to see the swell of her breasts—it was just enough to tease the hell out of me.
“You new to town?” I asked her, my voice gruff.
She nodded as I eyed the application in her hand. “I heard they need help here.”
I hummed, letting my eyes meet hers. They were a startling shade of blue—somewhere between the blue of the ocean and the blue of the sky. A color all of its own. Probably wasn’t even a name for the shade.
“How good are you at cooking?” I found myself asking. I wanted her close. Wanted her somewhere I could see her every day. Something about this woman called to me.
“I’m pretty good at it,” she said, frowning at me now but answering my question despite her confusion. “I’m no chef, but no one’s ever complained.”
I nodded, drumming my fingers on the bar top. “You know how to make a drink?”
She nodded. “I was a bartender for my last two jobs. I can make most drinks in my sleep.”
I grabbed a napkin and a pen from the other side of the bar and quickly scrawled my club name, address, and phone number on the napkin. When I held it out to her, she slowly took it, eyeing me suspiciously.
“What’s this?”
“My brothers and I are looking to hire someone to cook, make drinks, and keep the clubhouse clean. Room and board are provided at no charge to you. And I’ll pay you exceptionally well. You’re free to quit whenever you want or never show up, but if you want the job, be at the clubhouse at eight in the morning.”
She eyed my cut. “So, you’re a biker?”
“Mhm,” I hummed, nodding once at the bartender who set my food and beer in front of me. I grabbed them. “What’s your name, darlin’?”
A pretty pink blush stole over her cheeks at the pet name. “Lindsey,” she told me, her voice a little quieter.
I smiled at her, and she blinked, looking just a little bit dazed. “I hope to see you at eight in the morning, Lindsey.”
With that, I walked toward the booth the guys were sitting at, my dick stiff in my jeans.
She was going to be trouble, but fuck, I couldn’t damn help myself.
2
Lindsey
Blowing out a soft breath, I stared at the fenced-in property in front of me. The chain link fence was high—about six feet—with barbed wire wrapped around the top of it. A black privacy screen was wrapped around the fence, making it a little harder to see through.
I’d heard things about motorcycle clubs and bikers. I knew enough to know that there were some good clubs out there—ones that supported their community, did charity fundraisers, and other things like that. And then there were the one-percenters who lived on the wrong side of the law.
Staring at this fence through the windshield of my car, I had a feeling Blink and his club were one-percenters. And I wasn’t all that sure how I felt about it.
With a sigh, I stepped out of my car and walked up to the gate. It was unlocked, so I lifted the latch and pushed it open enough for me to drive through. After driving through, I closed the gate back and then found a place to park that seemed out of the way.
“You drive that?” Blink asked as I slid out of the car.
I squeaked and jumped in surprise before spinning around to face the man that had crept up on me so easily. He still looked as good as he did yesterday. His medium-length, almost-black hair was pushed back off his face by a pair of shades, so his dark eyes were even clearer to me than they’d been last night. One of his long-fingered, scarred hands that I’d subtly admired the night before in the bar was wrapped around a coffee mug, and the other was shoved into the pocket of his jeans.
Blink was tall and lean, but power emanated from his pores. There was a hint of confidence in every single move he made that I deeply admired.
“What’s wrong with my car?” I demanded, a tad defensive. It’d been what I could afford. I wasn’t exactly rolling in money, and my parents were so strung out on drugs that when I’d left at eighteen, they hadn’t even seemed to notice I was leaving.
Blink grunted, running his eyes over the vehicle before looking back at me. “It doesn’t even look safe to drive, darlin’.”
I tilted my chin up the slightest bit and crossed my arms over my chest. “It may look like nothing, but I’ll have you know this car has been good to me. It’s reliable. That’s all I need it to be.”
His lips quirked at the corners in amusement. “You got your things?” he asked instead of continuing to argue with me.
I opened my back door and grabbed my two mere bags of belongings, which were just one suitcase for clothes and the other for my toiletries. He frowned down at my bags. “That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it,” I told him, getting a little pissy now. “I don’t have much.”
He stared at my bags for another moment before turning on his heel and gesturing for me to follow him. The clubhouse was a two-story, long wooden structure that was pretty non-descriptive. But the inside was gorgeous. It was very rustic with log-cabin-like walls. I felt like I’d stepped back a century the moment I walked through the doors.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed as I took in the dangling, overhead light fixtures and the wall of shelves, which contained numerous liquor bottles.
“Thanks,” he gruffly murmured. “Let me show you where you’re staying.”
We walked up the stairs to the left of us, and he led me to the second door on the right. After pushing it open, he stepped aside and gestured for me to walk through.
The room was gorgeous and looked much like downstairs with the log-cabin-like walls and dark, wooden furniture. It was done in warm colors, and the bedding was black. The air was cool, unlike the crappy motel I’d been slumming it in for the past two weeks. The air conditioning was downright blissful.
“Oh, this is great,” I told him, a wide smile on my face. I turned to look at him. “Are you sure I don’t need to pay anything?”
Blink shook his head at me. “No. Room and board is free, just like I promised.” He nodded his head toward the bed. “Set your things down so I can show you around and give you instructions on what to do.”
I quickly set my things down beside the bed and followed the handsome man out of what was now my room.
I had a safe place to lay my head at night, a place with air conditioning and food. Honestly, this was the best my life had been thus far.
The rain pounded against the kitchen window as I wiped down the counter before setting the cloth aside and washing my hands so I could check on the food. I’d been cleaning all day, but it was nice. Quiet. No one bothered me. The guys occasionally checked on me, but otherwise, they left me to my own devices.
I was going to end up loving this job. It was honestly the simplest one I’d ever had, and I was really enjoying the peacefulness of it.
“Something smells hella good,” Grit rumbled as he stepped into the kitchen. He walked over to where I was standing at the stove and peered into the pot, pulling at his beard. “Is that soup?”
I nodded. “Creamy potato and bacon soup,” I told him, a proud smile on my face. “With it raining outside, I thought it might be nice.”
A smile tilted his lips. “It’ll be fuckin’ great.” He walked over to the pantry and grabbed a small bag of chips. “Just needed a snack. Don’t work too hard.”
I chuckled as he left the kitchen. Working too hard was actually difficult. There was hardly anything for me to do. The guys were already neat and seemed to pick up and clean up after themselves. It didn’t leave much for me to do except normal, every day kind of stuff.
After taking a glance around to make sure I’d kept the surfaces clean, I walked out to the bar area to take stock of the beer.
And ran smack into Blink’s rock-hard chest.
He grunted and wrapped his hands around my biceps to steady me. My head snapped up, my eyes connecting with his. His nostrils flared, and something akin to lust flared in his hypnotizing, dark eyes.
Just as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he released me and took a step back, roughly clearing his throat. My heart was hammering against my breastbone, and my pulse was fluttering at the base of my neck. I knew my skin was flushed a light shade of red.
No man had any right being as sinfully hot as Blink was.
“The guys and I are going on a run,” Blink gruffly told me. “We’ll be gone a couple of days at most. Just keep doing what you’ve done today, and make sure you eat three meals a day. Understood?”
I nodded even though a frown tugged at my lips. I’d made a big dinner basically for no reason, but I guessed this was something I should get used to now. “Understood,” I quietly told him.
“You’re free to do what you want otherwise,” he added. “You’re not a prisoner here by any means.” He reached into his cut and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. I frowned at the thickness of it. “That’s an advance. I just ask that you at least use some of it to get some clothes and other things that you may want for your room or for things to do when you don’t feel like going out.”
“Uhm…” I was a little lost for words, to be honest. A tentative smile tilted my lips. “Thank you, Blink.”
He just grunted and turned on his heel, walking off. I peered into the envelope, and my eyes almost bugged out of my head at the hundreds and fifties inside.
There was no way this was a small advance. Christ, it usually took me months to make this much money!
I opened my mouth to call for Blink so we could discuss this further, but by the time I looked up, he was already shutting the clubhouse doors behind him.
3
Lindsey
I rolled my neck around, trying to relieve the ache at the base of it, and set down the glass I’d been wiping to make sure it was sparklingly clean with absolutely no water spots. If Blink was paying me this much and giving me advances that damn big, I was going to bust my ass to make myself worthy of the amount of money he was paying me.
I’d gone shopping, just as he ordered me to, and I still had a huge sum left over. I’d purchased a safe and deposited it in there. I’d thought about depositing it in the bank, but it felt like too much of a hassle to open a bank account. I hated paperwork with a passion; it left trails.
I didn’t like trails. Wasn’t running from anything, but growing up like I had with shitty fucking parents, I knew shit could flip on a dime, and if I needed to disappear, I didn’t want anyone to be able to track me.
I grabbed the trash bag out of the trashcan and quickly tied it up before toting it to the clubhouse doors to throw it in the dumpster the guys had out back. Rain hit me in the face as I stepped outside, and I sighed, tightening my hold on the bag, glaring at the rain pouring down.
How did a place rain so damn much? I’d honestly never experienced anything like it, but in my short time in this town, there’d been more rainy days than sunny, clear ones.
