Sketch: The Devil's Highwaymen Nomads #2

by Claire C. Riley

  I went silent while I waited for him to tell me what I was calling about, and thankfully he cut the chit chat and got right to it.

  “The kids doin’ good. Parents moved to a bigger house and she’s started some kindergarten. Got a woman on the inside that says the kid is happy and healthy, but you know the drill—we’ll keep our eyes on her.”

  I nodded, happy to be able to tell Crank that his kid sister was still doing good. He never asked me or the club to check up on her. In fact, he never brought her up, but I knew that he slept better knowing that she was doing okay.

  “Alright, well, we’ll swing by in a couple of months and catch up, I gotta go get a beer.”

  “Alright, brother, look after yourself. And stay out of trouble,” he barked out like an angry father. “Don’t be a ghost,” he said and then hung up.

  I hung up too and headed back to the table. A couple of prospects went and ordered drinks since the waitresses were busy with other tables already and we were thirsty as hell.

  I was in a good mood. Hungry, ready to eat and drink and maybe tattoo a couple of brothers later on if I didn’t get too shitfaced. But I had a feeling the food wait was going to piss me off and eat into my night.

  Skate smoked a cigar, leaning back in the booth. Vin had come with us, which was unusual of him since there was so much going on with the club right then I didn’t think he would make it. Plus his old lady had been giving him shit about not coming home for days in a row. We’d all laughed at that. Not that Vin seemed to care about what anyone thought about him or his relationship with Lex. Unless it was to insult his old lady—then the shit hit the fan. Lex and Vin were as solid as any couple could be, and then some.

  Jase and Mason, the two prospects that had come out with us, returned with the drinks and informed us that food was over an hour wait, but the manager had said he’d put a rush on our orders. I smiled, happy to hear the news.

  Crank crunched down on some ice and leaned back in the booth, his gaze far away as he watched the crowd on the dance floor, couples moving together slowly as the bass hit low and the live band that was on slowed things right down. He looked sort of miserable, like he wished Sydney had come with us, and I wondered whether Buddy was right and I should give Crank a nudge to maybe stay on and see how things panned out with Sydney.

  “You good, brother?” I asked.

  He turned toward me and grinned. “Yeah.” He crunched on the ice again, unapologetically loud, and a shiver ran down my spine, obvious distaste written all over my face.

  “Gotta fuckin’ stop that before I knock your teeth out,” I grunted, picking up my beer and taking a long drink of it.

  Crank crunched some more. Always the fucking joker when it came to me. I listened to his teeth grinding over the cold ice, my own teeth feeling sensitive at just the thought. The song finished and the band picked up the pace, a heavy bass hitting hard. Crank crunched again and I reached over and shoved my hand into his glass of Coke, grabbing the ice in his drink and pulling it out before dropping it on the floor. I wiped my hand down my jeans as the table of men turned to look at me.

  “Anyone else wanna chew on ice?” I snarled.

  Skate smirked and continued with his cigar and Buddy let out a loud laugh, slapping Crank on the shoulder.

  Crank didn’t say anything to me, but his laughter spoke volumes.

  As the night wore on I got a nice warm buzz going. The food was good, and as promised, the manager made sure we got it quickly. I pushed my plate away, finally done with it, and looked up as a woman’s loud laugh echoed across the bar. My gaze sought her out and I wondered how the fuck I’d missed her all night.

  She was small—much smaller than I normally go for—and slender. Her waist was tiny, her hips jutted out perfectly, and her curves were fucking poetic. Fuck me she was hot, and I knew immediately that I wanted a taste of that. I adjusted myself as my dick woke up.

  She was laughing with another man as they walked away from the bar, and I wondered if he was her boyfriend but quickly decided against it. At the very least, though, he wanted to be; that much was obvious. Though she clearly wasn’t interested as she brushed his hand off of her hip while they threaded through the crowd. I watched with curiosity as she confidently moved. She may have been small, but every fucker in that bar noticed her. Her legs were long, and her blond hair shone as the light reflected off it.

  She gave a slanted smile to some dick wearing an Abercrombie and Finch polo shirt as she edged past him and he gave her ass a hard slap. I sat up straighter, my nostrils flaring as I tried to control my temper. Though why the fuck I should be bothered I wasn’t sure. She glanced over her shoulder and he winked at her obnoxiously before she went on through the busy bar, the other guy she was with turning to throw a scowl at Mr. Ass-Slapper.

  “You know her?” Crank asked with a jut of his head toward her.

  I shook mine.

  “She’s fucking hot.”

  “You’re telling me,” I replied, my eyes still following her through the crowd. Hot didn’t even begin to describe this woman. She was fucking mesmerizing. Hottest thing I’d seen in a while. I was half inclined to stick around Montana just to fuck her for a little while.

  Because I would be fucking her before this night was through…and once would not be enough. That was for damn certain.

  “Think I need a taste of that before the end of the night,” Crank said, and I practically growled at him as a warning to back the fuck off. “All right, all right, consider her pissed on.”

  Skate leaned forward. “You like the look of that?” he asked.

  “You don’t?” I scowled, wanting to smack his teeth out for looking at my girl.

  My girl? Where the fuck did that come from?

  “Bitch don’t put out,” he laughed. “Don’t blame you for trying though—every other brother has tried, but I’m telling you you’re wasting your time with that one. Grab a bitch from the table over there, or a sweetbutt from the club. Half the time, half the trouble, and twice the fun.” His cell rang and he pulled it out of his cut, and Buddy moved so he could get out from the booth to take the call outside.

  No idea what the fuck he was talking about, though, because I couldn’t see how she wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Hottest piece of ass I’d seen in all of Montana. Besides, I liked a woman with a bit of fight in her, and if she was trouble than she’d basically hung a collar around her neck already saying “property of Sketch.”

  I was about to stand up and go find her when I saw her threading back through the bar. She strutted back across the floor, her hands free of the beers she had previously been carrying and her gaze on the Abercrombie and Finch guy. I scowled, wondering why she was paying him any attention.

  She was short, barely scraping five feet four inches, even in heels, with small hips, small tits, and a head full of loose blond curls. Her lips were painted bright red, but the rest of her face was almost bare of the shit most women piled on their skin. Fucking beautiful.

  She strutted straight up to the guy that had slapped her ass, reaching up to tap him on the shoulder. Her black leather jacket rode up so I got a view of her smooth, pale stomach, and damn I wanted to reach out and spread my hand across her skin and feel her warmth under my fingertips.

  My nostrils flared at the thought and I lifted my beer, taking a long swallow and almost spitting it back out as he turned around and she reached back, punching him square in the face.

  “Fuck me!” I barked out giving a laugh loud enough that every brother at the table turned to see what I was staring at.

  Abercrombie called out, stumbling backwards and grabbing his face as she yelled something at him before turning to walk away.

  Jesus Christ she was insane, and I fucking loved it. By the way she unapologetically punched that guy in the face, I had no reason to doubt that she was more than just trouble. No, she was wild and untamed, and my dick was ready to bust out my jeans at how turned on she’d just made me.

 
“Fucking crazy bitches,” Crank muttered, and sank the rest of his Coke in one mouthful.

  Abercrombie let go of his nose and reached for her and I stood up, ready to dive in and kick his ass for two reasons. One, he was a fucking prick for wearing that shirt in a bar like this. And two, you never hit a woman. Especially a woman that I wanted to fuck.

  Turns out she didn’t need my help though.

  He reached for her shoulder, his fingers gripping it tightly as he yelled something at her, and in a move that was better suited to a Jackie Chan movie than a biker bar in Montana, she gripped his arm and threw him over her shoulder before slamming him onto the ground.

  “Fuck yeah!” I was standing up, staring in awe and admiration at this beautiful little thing.

  “Touch me again and I’ll break your arm,” she snarled like she was going to rip his throat out. And I had no doubt she could and would fucking do it. “Now, say you’re sorry.”

  I watched his friends closely because I was more than ready to wade in if any of them decided to try to help out their buddy, but none of them seemed stupid enough to. Good thing.

  She leaned down over him, his arm twisted in an uncomfortable position. “I said, say sorry!”

  “Sorry? Are you fucking psychotic?” he screamed at her from the ground. He bucked to get her off him as she leaned down and grinned wickedly. She was small, but she clearly had him by some pressure point, because one small move of her arm and he stopped bucking and started yelling something incoherent.

  Damn, she had big lady balls.

  Big beautiful lady balls.

  Women like that don’t come along every day.

  Yeah, she’d be worth sticking around an extra couple of weeks for.

  A crowd had formed around the two of them, most people looking on and laughing as the dickwad got overpowered by a woman half his size.

  “Last chance.” She winked. “Apologize for being a pig…” She squeezed the trigger point again. “…or I break something.”

  “All right, all right!” he screamed in agony. “I’m sorry!”

  “Sorry for what?” she teased, her tongue darting out across her bottom lip like the whole thing was turning her on. Fuck. It was definitely turning me on.

  “For being a fucking red-blooded man!” he snarled back. “You strut around here in your tight leather pants, tits spilling out for every man to see, and expect no one to want to tap that! Fuck you. Sluts like you are just asking for it.”

  Her face fell, the soft edges turning hard as her eyes narrowed in on him. She shook her head. “No, the only thing I’m asking for is to take my girl to a bar for a drink without getting felt up every time I pass a man.” She twisted his arm once more and let go of him, standing back up she glared down. “Touch me again and I’ll do more than sprain your wrist.”

  He climbed back to his feet and rolled his shoulders. “You bitches are just cockteases,” he said, turning away from her. His friends were laughing but he was far from it. In fact from the look in his eyes, he wasn’t going to let this drop so easy.

  The music got louder, the crowd dispersed, and she shook her head and walked away from him. I was still standing up, and my gaze followed her through the bar to a table by the dance floor where another woman and the guy from earlier sat.

  “What was that all about?” Crank asked, following my gaze.

  Miss Blond and Gorgeous ran her hand up the other woman’s thigh and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Fuck.

  “I think I just fell in love,” I replied. Crank started to laugh and I looked back at him and grinned. “It’s not funny, brother. I think I just fell for a dyke.”

  Crank laughed harder and I shook my head, my gaze still on the blond. She leaned in and kissed the other woman on the mouth, her hand wrapping around the back of her head so she could kiss her harder, and my dick all but exploded in my jeans.

  She was level one hundred hot.

  Maybe more.

  And I had zero fucking chance with her.

  ~ 3 ~

  I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her all night.

  She was damn near seducing me without evening trying to. Weirdest fucking thing I’d experienced. Normally my type was the quiet, do-as-I-say type, but that was the opposite of what this woman was about. She didn’t seem afraid of anything or anyone, and I fucking loved it.

  “Told you she didn’t put out,” Skate laughed, bringing his beer to his lips and swallowing a mouthful down. “Damn shame though, right? All that beauty in an untouchable package.” He sucked on his teeth. “It’s like looking through the window at a cake but not being able to get a taste. Fucking unfair.”

  “Real damn shame,” I replied, my dark eyes still on her, watching every move of her body as she danced around the floor with her girlfriend, I presumed. The other guy was still with them, but he was standing by the table, his heated gaze on her the whole time.

  Pissed me off, him looking at her like that. Really wanted to go over there and pull out his eyeballs out with my bare hands.

  “What’s her name?” I asked Skate, hating that he knew more about her than I did. Hating more the thought that he’d tried to hit on her at some point, but also really wishing I’d been there when she’d fucked him off.

  “Nancy California,” he replied, and I turned to look at him. He shrugged, a knowing look on his face. “I know, I know, but that’s her name. My kid brother used to go to high school with her a few years back. She was always hot, but she had this holier-than-thou vibe going on apparently,” he laughed. “One day she dropped out and skipped town. No one saw her for five or six years until her mom got sick and she came back to look after her. And that,” he said, pointing toward Nancy, “is what she looked like when she came back. Ain’t nothing fucking holy about that crazy bitch.”

  “Crazy, sexy bitch,” I replied.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Skate chuckled and picked up his beer. “Other thing that changed was that she came back with a girlfriend.”

  “She wasn’t into chicks before?” I asked, my gaze still glued to her.

  “She was dating the school quarterback before she left,” he replied with a knowing look. “Apparently she put out more times than one of our sweetbutts, took on the whole football team or some shit. Guessing none of them gave her what she wanted, though, since she’s been with that other woman ever since.” He smirked and downed the rest of his beer.

  “Damn, well, wherever she ended up it did her good,” Crank said, sucking in his bottom lip.

  “Reel it in,” I barked, and Crank and Skate laughed loud enough to let me know he was fucking with me. “What happened to her mom?”

  “No idea, but I think she needs help with day-to-day shit since Nancy’s stuck around. She works in INKslingers now.”

  “Tatting people or making coffee?”

  “Tatting,” Skate said.

  “Well shit,” I replied. Seemed like Nancy was all but made for me. My perfect woman, if ever there were such a thing.

  INKslingers was the only place, other than with me, that you could get a tattoo or a piercing in Miles City. As if overhearing us, Nancy slid off her leather jacket, revealing arms full of colorful tattoos. She dragged her girl away from the dance floor and toward their table where she picked up her beer and downed it in one. She slammed the empty glass on the table and laughed, one arm wrapping around her girl and pulling her in close to her body so she could press a kiss to her mouth.

  All the time the fuckwad friend of hers stared on, lust and envy rolling from him in waves. It was probably the same look I had on my face.

  She said something to her girlfriend and turned, heading for the bar, and I took that as my cue to introduce myself to her. Had to be done. Even if I had no chance with her. I never say never.

  “You really gonna try and tap that? After everything I’ve just told you?” Skate laughed, and I gave him the middle finger as I stepped out of the booth.

  I waited at the bar to be served
and Nancy arrived seconds later. There was one other person between us and I discreetly looked around them to get a better look at her.

  Fuck me, she was even hotter close up. Her skin was smooth and clear, a light glistening of sweat across her forehead. She pulled out her red lipstick and started to reapply it while looking in the mirror in the bar. Never wanted to be a lipstick so much in all my damned life. Satisfied, she put the lid on the tube and slipped it into her pocket before putting one finger in her mouth and sucking on it, hard.

  I was going to come in my jeans if I didn’t look away, but there was also no way I could look away as she slowly pulled the finger free of her mouth. My dick twitched, a warning of its intentions.

  “It’s rude to stare,” she said, finally turning to look at me. She gave me a wink and my jeans tightened even more. Her eyes connected with mine and her tongue darted out across her mouth. Damn, her eyes were so light that they were almost clear. Like glass, with just the faintest of blue in them.

  The guy between us looked between her and me, his eyes going wide when he saw the size of me compared to her. I was easily twice her size. I could pick her up with one arm and carry her around like a little puppy if I wanted.

  “Not sure how that’s supposed to work,” he slurred, and both of our gazes fell to him. He held his hands up in surrender and chuckled, no idea of the imminent danger he was in. And not just from me kicking his ass, but from her too. “Sorry, just saying.”

  “Move,” I barked, and he slid backwards off his stool and stumbled away.

  The barman came to stand in front of Nancy. “What’ll it be?”

  “A pitcher and three fireballs,” she said, tearing her gaze away from mine and leaving me practically panting for one more look from her. What the fuck was happening to me?

  “Make it four and a beer for me,” I said, cutting in.

  “Presumptuous,” she replied. Her gaze moved over my body like she was marking me with her stare, cutting and pasting parts of me and putting them into the boxes that fit her world perfectly. Or maybe making a point as to why I didn’t fit in her world. Either way, I was unperturbed.