Beast (A Righteous Outlaws Novel #4) (The Righteous Outlaws) by Savannah Rylan

the God’s honest truth.”
    The dog licked my cheek, and then pushed her paw against it. “You like attention, don’t you…What’s its name?”
    “Beauty.”
    Everything I thought I knew about Beast suddenly went out the window. I stood there staring at him, trying to figure out this complicated man. He killed someone in cold blood right in front of me, yet he had a Yorkie that weighed no more than five pounds, and was named Beauty no less. “You’re kidding?”
    “Do I look like I kid?”
    That obviously wasn’t a trick question since there was only one acceptable answer. No, he didn’t. Not in the least.
    “She came with the name,” he offered, and I finally felt like we were getting somewhere. “Which is why Aubree insisted she come home with me.”
    “Aubree?” I didn’t mean to sound so disappointed when I said her name, but it was too late. It already came out.
    “Jealous?”
    “Not in the least. I’m just surprised a girl can put up with your ass.”
    “She’s not my girl.”
    “Oh.”
    “Is that relief I hear?”
    “In your dreams.”
    “So, where were you that this Aubree insisted you take this cutie?” I held Beauty up and gave her a kiss on the snout before placing her back on the ground. She immediately rolled to her back, and put her legs in the air, wiggling around to get my attention. I bent down and ran a hand over her stomach. “She really loves attention.”
    “Tell me about it,” Beast mumbled. “I’m sure you’ve heard of The Hill Foundation’s Paws for a Cause.”
    “I remember seeing fliers for it when I came home for a visit last year.”
    “It’s a bi-yearly event the club runs. Our way to prove to the good citizens of Black Hills that we’re puppy-loving, good-natured boys.”
    “Your way of trying to get them off your backs, in other words.”
    “Pretty much.”
    “And Beauty happened to be one of the pups up for adoption.”
    “Yes, and the fucking rat wouldn’t stop following me.”
    “Aww she’s not a rat,” I said and scooped her back into my arms, which excited her. She jumped from my hands, and attacked my face with her tongue. A laugh rumbled up my throat as I tried to get her under control.
    “Beauty!” Beast said and she stopped, turning to look at him with her big puppy dog eyes. “Behave.”
    I watched as his hard stare softened beneath the stare of a five-pound pup, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
    “What are you smiling at?”
    “You.”
    “Why?”
    I shrugged. “It’s just…unexpected I guess.”
    “What? A biker in an MC can’t have a dog?”
    “Of course they can, but make that dog a cute little Yorkie, who clearly has your number, then it’s a different story.”
    He grunted at me in response, and that was more satisfying than any words he could have responded with.
    “So, back to you being here.”
    “You still don’t believe me?”
    “No.” When he saw my black eye, he went into over protective psycho mode. I contributed it to the fact that we went through a pretty crazy experience together that somehow made us closer than we ever needed to be. But now, as all these things fell into place, it became a little suspect.
    “Would you believe me if I told you I live a few blocks over?”
    “We live in the same neighborhood?”
    “Apparently.”
    How the heck did I not know that? Wait. I looked through his records and saw his address. “The address on file for you at the station is across town.”
    “Looking into me, huh?”
    “I looked into all the Outlaws.”
    “Sure you did.” He tilted his head at me, a knowing smirk on his lips that I was tempted to smack off, but his lips flattened into a straight line on their own. “That was my address five years ago when I got arrested. I moved. Bought a house over on Pine.”
    “Bought a house. The drug business must be going well.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Sorry, that was uncalled for. I tend to speak before I think. I also am extremely