Tuck was a handsome man. Shoot, all the guys Sky had met from the RBMC were good looking in a rough and rugged kind of way. They all exuded that bad boy to the core vibe. The leather, tattoos, and piercings only added to the effect that had women drooling all over them, or at least, doing things they wouldn’t normally do just to get a taste of a true bad boy.
Sky knew that none of them had a hard time attracting women of all shapes and sizes, and Sky was no different. She could totally appreciate the package the man in front of her presented. Tuck was every girl's bad boy dream. Typically, seeing a man like Tuck would give her plenty to dream about on those nights when she couldn’t seem to shake the loneliness. But for some reason, she didn’t feel that way about him or any of the other guys for that matter. Sky had been experiencing a dry spell her entire life. Nothing seemed to trip her trigger, not even when she was supposed to have been a horny teenager. Now, it was seriously starting to concern her.
Walking up to the table, Sky cleared her throat. Not to get Tuck's attention, no, he was already looking at her, but to hopefully dislodge the blonde from his side. She needed to discuss business, and Sky knew better than to start before they were alone. When the girl didn’t take the hint, Tuck took matters into his own hands.
“Beat it, Candy, I already said no.”
“But Tuck, just last week you said…”
“Woman, I said not now, move on.”
With a small push, the blonde was in motion. Tuck slapped her ass, and even though the look she gave him would have concerned an average man, Tuck didn’t look the least bit phazed. When she stayed a little too close and didn’t move fast enough, Tuck said one word “Go!” Even Sky felt the threat behind the word. The waitress left, and she took a seat across from Tuck.
“Hey, Pix, you got something for me?”
Sky wasn’t surprised to hear Tuck call her Pix. Since her arrival four months ago, he hadn't called her anything but Pix or Pixie. He told her she reminded him of a little fairy, flitting around all the time. The blue, purple, and green streaks in her hair probably played into his nickname as well. Sky didn’t let it offend her. She kind of liked it. Getting a nickname was almost like having a road name, and in the MC culture that was a great honor. It meant that on some level, she had been accepted.
“Sure do. Are you ready to be a proud owner of a Junkyard Hog?”
“Hell yeah, Pix.”
“Cool, because she’s all ready for you. And I got to tell you, I almost shipped it back to my storage facility. The paint job turned out way better than I expect and the body is a dream. She purrs better than any kitten I’ve ever heard.”
“Now, you’re not telling me that I can’t have my bike are ya, Pix? Cuz I think I might have a problem with that,” Tuck said leaning forward, putting his face inches from hers. It should have been an intimidating gesture, but the curl on the corner of his lips indicated he was trying very hard to hold back his smile.
“No, big guy. No need to worry that beauty is all yours. You told me what you wanted, and damn, I really can’t wait until you see it. I started her up, but didn’t take her for a test ride. I wanted you to be the first, so here you go.”
Sky held up the keys to Tuck's new bike and waited for him to take them. Once he did, Sky kind of regretted she wouldn’t be there the first time he saw the bike or rode it, and that legitimately disappointed her.
“So, no chance of changing your mind and getting you to stick around for a while? I know several of the guys are interested in bikes. I can pretty much guarantee you a full year of business.”
“No, sorry, Tuck, it sounds good, but I have to get Shelby up and out of here. I have a job starting in about two weeks down in Georgia.”
“Well, if I can’t change your mind now, how about later? You’ll always be welcome here, Pix.”
“Thanks, Tuck, and I might just take you up on that, but right now I can’t. So, do you want to talk about the nitty-gritty details or are we good to go?”
“Nope, we should be fine. You gave me the account to transfer the cash. Once I make sure the bike is as good as you say it is, I’ll forward the money to you. You know, if you needed it, we could do this in cash, Pix. I know that cousin of yours has caused some problems in town, and from what I hear, other places as well. If you needed to lie low for a while, it might be better not to have a paper trail.”
“Thanks, Tuck. I appreciate the offer, but everything should be okay.”
“Pix, I gotta ask, when are you ever going just cut that chick loose? She’s only caused you one problem after another. Don’t you think it’s about time you took some of my advice and got shot of her once and for all?”
“Yeah, actually I already told Shelby this was it. It just sucks because I feel like I am letting my aunt and uncle down.”
“Honey, you aren’t letting them down, they caused this. That girl had every opportunity to become something, and she chose to do nothing. I knew Junk and Betty, and I can say they would both understand you’ve done everything you could. Shit, what do they call it, tough love or some shit? She needs to learn how to do things on her own. She also needs to start paying for her own actions instead of you taking the brunt of it. Now, it’s time for you to live a little instead of letting that girl rule your every move.”
“I hope you’re right, Tuck, but we’ll have to see how it all turns out. All I know is, right now, I need to get Shelby out of town. I’ll set her up and then head to my next build.”
“You got to do what you got to do, Pixie. No looking back. You already did the hard part and made the decision, now stick with it. If it all backfires, give me a call and the RBMC will take care of things for you. The guys have decided you get an honor Princess status in the club as long as you promise to come back and make them bikes too.”
Tuck was a good man; his bad boy exterior hid his good heart. He genuinely cared about the people he let into his life, and apparently, Sky was one of them. The sting of tears yet to be shed hurt Sky’s eyes. No way was she going to cry like a baby in front of this man. Standing up and walking to Tuck’s side, Sky bent down and kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re a good guy, Tuck. I’ll miss you and the RBMC.”
Tuck stood up and gave Sky a hug, whispering in her ear, “I’ll miss you too, honey, but you need to know this is the best thing you could do. Get rid of that girl and don’t look back. Whatever happens is on Shelby and her parents, not you.”
Releasing Sky from the hug and the words, Sky was about to turn around and leave when she saw a huge man storming across the bar, headed right for them. At first, she didn’t know if she should stand in front of Tuck and somehow block the threat or run out the door. Tuck answered that question for her when he pushed her out of the way of the oncoming freight train of a man.
Sky had never seen the man before, she would have remembered him. He was huge, at least 6 and a half feet tall and broad. The guy was bigger than any man or biker she’d ever seen, and that was saying a lot. The Ruthless Bastards consisted of a bunch of huge men, and this guy was a monster. Linebacker big without the linebacker girth. No, this man was all muscle.
The other thing she noticed and couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of was he was downright gorgeous—sandy blond hair, rugged manly face, and intense hazel eyes. He wouldn’t be considered pretty by most, but to Sky he was everything she ever wanted wrapped up in one package. The stranger was more burly mountain man than pretty boy, but just as mouthwatering.
His dark t-shirt stretched across massive shoulders and biceps that Sky was pretty sure were as big as her thighs if not bigger. His t-shirt was so tight that while he was moving their way, she could see the definition in his chest and stomach, making her want to trace the path with her tongue. Shaking her head at her thoughts, Sky decided hiding behind Tuck was her best bet.
When the behemoth lunged for Tuck, Sky stepped back to get further out of the way. But in her retreat, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Sky
was stunned momentarily, incapable of doing anything else but to stand there fixated on him. His eyes were different, but also familiar. They had an unnatural glow that illuminated from the man. The man himself was intense, large and in charge, with dominance practically dripping off of him. What she had thought was intense, was now extraordinary, but still unnatural. That alone gave her small amount of pause.
She was an artist of sorts. Her worked required she pay significant attention to details. Whether it was during the planning phase where she designed the bike she was going to build in her mind and on paper or the building stage of bending the metal or putting the engine together, she was detail-oriented. Then came painting and all the details she put into that. The final stage brought it all together. If the bikes she built only looked pretty and didn't run, then she hadn't done her job and would have been out of business long ago. So, instead of going with her first instinct like an average person would, thinking the glow was a play of the lights or weird contacts, Sky looked closer and found neither; they were natural. Then Sky looked around to see if anyone else had noticed or thought it was strange, but didn’t find anyone looking differently. The men around her just looked pissed.
But to her trained eyes, those green, blues, and browns of his were in fact glowing. Sky also noticed other things; the man was puffed up, almost like he had gone ten rounds, lifted a bunch of weights, or shot up with steroids or something. His massive body was taut, ready for action, and the landscape was beyond impressive. The other odd thing she noticed was his hair seemed to be sticking up on end, almost like a live wire or a massive bout of static electricity was coursing through him.
The whole scene would have triggered an average person’s fight or flight response, and Sky was one hundred percent regular. Two men were about to go to blows, both lethal in their own respect. Tuck was the President of the MC, meaning he had proved his worth with strength, grit, and fire. The other man had something else though, a core of fury or menace. It was something Sky recognized, but couldn’t place. It was almost as if he was on the verge of something huge, she just didn’t have a clue what that was. What she was pretty sure of was Tuck didn’t have a chance against the man.
Sky couldn’t put her finger on it. She’d seen this with someone else before. All the signs were nagging at her brain, but she didn’t have the time or will to figure it out right now. No, instead she stared right at the pretty man. Well, not pretty, no one on the planet would call this man pretty. But damn, he was definitely something. He kind of reminded her of the WWE wrestler John something if the guy had longer hair and was twice the size.
The man in question was confronting Tuck without even saying a word. It was some kind of scary standoff. Neither of them was talking, but both of them were primed and ready to blow. The scene should have scared her. Instead, Sky felt her nipples pebble and her panties moistened which did scare her. That’s why she turned around and made a beeline for the door.
Sky knew Tuck could handle himself, and if he didn't for some reason, one of his brothers would step in and back him up. Sky had noticed that Link, his VP, was close behind the man who was bum rushing Tuck. She didn’t see any sense in staying. Her business with Tuck was concluded, and he had the keys to his new bike.
Plus, she didn’t need any more complications right now. She would call Tuck later and arrange payment once he inspected the bike. Sky knew it was perfect, but she wasn’t willing to stick around with the gorgeous stranger who was causing her body to react in ways it had never done before. Nope, not going to happen.
Never in her life had Sky felt such an intense, instant attraction to a person. The arousal coursing through her was epic. Her clit was throbbing in time to her heartbeat, and she was wetter than she thought was humanly possible. Her wrist was also burning like a motherfucker. She had to look down to make sure that she wasn’t touching anything hot. She was shocked to see her usually light birthmark was cherry red.
Sky couldn’t wrap her head around any of it. Her only thought was that it couldn’t be natural. The stranger was turning her on and inside out, at the same time. That wasn’t a good combination as far as Sky was concerned. She didn’t even know who or what he was. Yeah, she said “what” because he was definitely more than just a man; Sky knew it.
Grabbing her wrist and putting pressure on the burning sensation, Sky closed in on the door. Just as she made halfway through, she heard, “What the fuck, Bas!” She thought it might have been Link yelling, but she didn’t turn around to make sure. Sky hoped neither the guy nor Tuck got hurt in the altercation that was brewing, but she couldn’t make herself stick around to find out. No, she was running as far and as fast away from the man in the bar and the feeling he was making her have.
Stepping out of the bar, Sky took in a much-needed lung full of fresh air. At least the air out there was sweeter and obviously more refreshing than the stale air inside of the bar. She could no longer smell the dank smell of the bar or the musky, woodsy smell of the mystery man.
That thought stopped her in her tracks. What the hell? She hadn’t even been all that close. Why was it her brain was telling her that scent was coming from him? How would she even know and why did it all seem right? The eyes, his smell, her reaction—shaking her head she tried to banish the man from her mind. Nothing was adding up. Sky started walking straight out to the parking lot. There were a couple of cars and bikes around, but no people hanging out or lingering on the edges. She was pretty much alone, and she liked that thought at the moment. She needed to get her head together
Sky wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings beyond her first cursory look, so caught up in what had happened. When an arm wrapped around her waist and hoisted her off her feet, she was too stunned to do anything. By the time, she regained enough of her wits to do something, it was almost too late. She was only able to get a little squeak out before the brute behind her roughly covered her mouth.
Her assailant was dragging her somewhere, and Sky knew she couldn’t let that happen. Tuck, Link, or shit, even the man who had caused such a weird reaction in her body, was only steps away. All she had to do was let them know something was wrong, and she was pretty sure they would come out to help her get out of this mess. Consequences be damned, right now Sky was in trouble.
Struggling wasn’t helping because the guy holding her was brutally strong. If Sky got out of this, she was sure she would be sporting a couple of bruises from his punishing grip around her waist. She knew she couldn’t let this person take her to a vehicle. If that happened, she didn’t have a chance. No one would be looking for her. She had told Tuck she would be taking off after the completion of the bike and she had just given him the keys.
Shelby was at the apartment waiting for her, but Sky didn’t put much hope into her cousin coming to her rescue or even calling someone else to do it for her. Then again, maybe because it was just about allowance time, Shelby might at least ask around because she wouldn’t be getting any money if Sky was gone. Unfortunately, Sky didn’t put much hope in her cousin. After a little while, Shelby would find another way to get what she wanted or needed.
Sky fought with everything she had and managed nothing, not budging the man even an inch. Trying to clear her mind, Sky remembered she had read somewhere if you went limp, then your assailant would lose their grip because they had to compensate or something. So, she tried it; the bastard she had yet to see just laughed at her. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
Instead, he moved her further up his body like she weighed no more than a paper doll. Which was quite a feat, considering Sky weighed in at around one hundred and forty pounds on a good day. This guy shouldn’t be handling her with such ease, not to mention laughing about it. It didn’t make sense. Even the biggest, strongest men she knew would have problems handling her struggling, let alone instantly going dead weight.
Her new position offered her a new opportunity, and Sky wasn’t going to let that pass. Pulling her foot forward, Sky kicked back
as hard as she could, nailing him right in the groin. The grunt her assailant let out was satisfying, and she almost smiled until Sky realized it didn’t have the effect she was hoping for. She wanted him to let her go, and he hadn’t. The kick she landed only resulted in one thing; he pitched forward with her still firmly in his grasp.
His grip, which was now on in her armpits and upper breast, didn’t lessen. He seemed to dig into her flesh further, causing her to wince at the pain. Him leaning forward only allowed for a little space between them and Sky took advantage of it, rearing her head back head-butting him directly in the face. This time he let go, and Sky screamed for all she was worth.
Time to teach this asshole a lesson. Her new position provided her with an opportunity she didn’t have before to get the man to remove his hand from her mouth, and the added bonus of a well-placed heel to the groin. Sky screamed, not caring how girly it was. She needed help, and she needed it now.
Chapter 9
Bas had no idea what he was doing. One minute he was playing around with his brother, and the next he saw red. His bear was threatening to rip right out of his skin, and the beast’s full focus was on Tuck, the President of the Ruthless Bastards MC, because the man dared to put his hands on the little sprite.
The human side of him was scrambling to figure out what the hell was going on. Bas thrived on control, and it was taking every skill he possessed to stop what was about to happen. The feel of Link’s hand yanking his arm helped snap him out of whatever the hell just happened, and he stopped in his tracks not even four feet from Tuck.
“Dude, what the fuck is your problem! You look like you’re going to burst a fucking blood vessel,” Link barked.
“Fuck, man, I don’t know, who was that woman?” Bas questioned.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 90
