by Unknown
“About damned time you decided to get out. You only had ten more seconds and I would have--” Travis stopped when he turned. Holy fuck, she was a beauty. The bruising on her face made his fists clench at his sides and he wanted to go back and blow up the whole fucking compound. Nobody who put bruises like that on a woman deserved to live. His teeth gritted and he glared at the bruises as if that could make them go away.
“What?” Raven asked, unsure what the heck the man was glaring at her for. She hadn’t done anything to cause him to be angry.
Travis shook his head to clear it. “Nothing, let’s just get the fuck out of here, Princess.”
“Fine,” Raven said in a clipped tone. She didn’t want to deal with this bullshit. He was being an ass. Crap, she’d done it again. When was she going to break that bad habit? She knew she needed to, her mother had always taught her that ladies did not cuss. Raven sighed. Travis didn’t like her much and she didn’t know why. As far as she knew she’d done nothing to warrant his calling her a princess in such a snide tone.
She followed him out the door, not bothering to bring the clothes she’d been wearing because they were a lost cause. Even if she’d been able to clean them, she wouldn’t have because they would always remind her of her stay with the Headhunters. That was one set of memories she could live without.
Travis led Raven over to the bike, which was parked near the room he’d rented. He climbed on and waited for her to get on behind him, his body suddenly unruly at the thought of her pressed against his back with her arms around him. His cock felt like a damned log in his pants and he was sure that he needed to get laid. It had been a while, but sex without a connection only made him feel lonely. It had been months since he’d gotten laid, which was the reason the thought of her pressed against him was making him hard enough to pound nails.
Raven climbed on, her soft hands on his shoulders as she adjusted herself with a little wiggle that made him want to moan aloud. She settled, but before he could start the bike she’d begun to shift again, her breast brushing against his back making his cock jump again. Fuck.
“Stop wiggling around! We don’t have all night here, Princess!”
“Sorry, I was just trying to get comfortable,” Raven grumbled, her arms wrapping around his waist.
He didn’t respond to her, he just took off headed over to the diner to get food. He parked along the wall in the alley and shut off the engine. She got off the bike ready to go in with him. He needed a minute to calm his unruly dick down so he barked at her, “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Why can’t I go with you?” Raven demanded, wanting to know why he was being such a jerk. It wasn’t her fault that they’d kidnapped her. Okay, she thought wearily, so maybe it had been her fault for leaving with a man she barely knew but she’d learned her lesson.
“No, wait here with the bike. They’re looking for you and they haven’t seen me. If you see anyone from the Headhunters, get on the bike and be ready to ride. I’ll come out the back.” Travis indicated the door right near them. After a moment of thought, she figured that it was a sound idea. She just hoped he got her some food; she hadn’t had anything but bread for days.
Travis walked into the diner, his dick swollen and his mind on the pretty blonde with the bruise across her face. This quickly made his cock deflate, remembering that livid black and blue mark. He hadn’t been able to see much other than the dirt that had caked her before her shower. Afterwards was another story. Not only was he able to see that livid bruise, but also how much of a beauty she was.
He moved towards the counter where an older woman wearing a blue apron and a hairnet was wiping the counter. She looked up. He smiled at her but she glared back at him.
“What would you like?” the woman asked. Her eyes looked tired and her hands were unsteady as she set the rag aside.
“I was wondering if you sold ration cubes as well as meals?” Travis asked politely.
“Course we have cubes,” the woman said as she turned away, grumbling about people who were stupid as she shuffled towards the boxes near the kitchen. She lifted one and walked back, slamming it onto the counter.
“How many you need?” she demanded.
“I’ll take the whole box. I’d also like to get two burgers with fries to go please. Wait, better make that two turkey sandwiches with fries instead,” Travis told her, realizing that Raven likely hadn’t had anything except ration cubes if she’d had anything at all. Which meant that her stomach wasn’t going to do well with a greasy burger.
“Fine, it’ll be twenty minutes,” she told him, ripping the order off the pad she’d written it on.
Travis nodded and sat down at the counter looking around. It was only a few minutes before a man in his early twenties moved over to sit next to him. Travis felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The man leaned close and asked quietly, “You seen a man on a bike with a blonde woman around? Woman’s likely bruised up and dirty.”
Travis almost pulled his gun. He waited for the man to jump him and nothing happened. When the younger man just looked at him expectantly, Travis plastered a fake smile on his face and shook his head. “Nope.”
The man nodded and got up, heading back to his seat with two other men about his age. Travis was relieved when his order was placed on the counter with the ration cubes and he was able to get the hell out of this diner.
It was obvious that these were either some men who were looking to be prospects, or the Headhunters had spread the word through this town. He was glad that he’d left Raven in the alley and planned for hiding in the woods. Otherwise they’d have been stuck out in the elements tonight because there was no way he was taking chances on them being caught again.
He exited the diner, looking around before he headed into the darkened alley to be sure no one was watching or following. He was relieved to see Raven standing next to the bike with her back pressed against the wall. Damn, she was a beauty.
Her blonde hair was escaping the braid in places, falling around her face in a halo of golden waves. Her bruises were covered by the darkness of the alley, but he could just make out the perfectly symmetrical lines of her face. Her lips were rosy and plump, if a bit cracked from the lack of water over the past two weeks. Her slender body was prettily displayed in the jeans and blue peasant blouse her brother had sent with him.
Approaching her and the bike, he saw her startle and sighed. Yeah, she was a princess all right. She hadn’t even been paying attention to the fact that someone had walked into the alley when they were on the run from the Headhunters.
Raven had been aware that Travis had entered the alley, but she’d looked away after that first glance. When she’d looked up she’d been startled that he was so close. He’d been moving fast down the alley.
“Get on the bike, Princess.”
“We’re not eating first?” Raven asked dismayed. She was staving and she could smell the food in the bag. It was making her stomach squeeze with hunger pangs.
“Look, we’ll eat when we’re a bit safer. I just got questioned about you and I for one would like to not get caught. So get your tight little ass on the bike and shut up.” Travis knew he was being harsh but his desire for the woman was ticking him off. He didn’t want to be attracted to a woman who was likely moody and a lot of trouble. He didn’t want to deal with bullshit like her whining and bitching every time he turned around. He placed the sandwiches and the cubes into the saddlebags and climbed on.
Raven didn’t know what the heck the man’s issue was but she didn’t really care. If he’d just told her they weren’t safe, she would have had no problem waiting for her dinner no matter how hungry she was. She didn’t want to go back to the tender care of Viper and his gang, at least not in this lifetime.
Climbing on the bike behind him with a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his waist. In seconds they were flying out the back of the alley.
Chapter 11
Raven climbed off the bike in the cleari
ng, her legs wobbly and her head aching. She was tired and she wanted to eat something and then sleep. Travis was getting out the food and another oddly shaped duffle. Raven wondered what it was. He walked to her, handing her the bag with the food.
Raven couldn’t help it, she was like a ravenous beast. She tore the bag open and grabbed for the turkey sandwich. She took a huge bite, feeling her stomach twist as the bite hit it. Then she was devouring the meal.
“Slow down or you’re going to get sick,” Travis warned darkly.
Raven glared at him. She knew that eating it this fast wasn’t a good idea but she couldn’t seem to help herself, she was starving. He shook his head, turning away.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he grumbled, walking to a flat area in the clearing, where he stopped. He rolled out the odd shaped duffle and she realized it was a dome tent. That was smart, she thought, as she ate and watched him.
He had the little tent up in seconds and then he was back at the bike. He removed two bedrolls from the bike and placed them into the tent. She had to admire his admittedly smart plan to hide out rather than stay in motels. It would be a lot safer for them.
Raven wasn’t too sure about staying in the same tent with a man she didn’t know, especially after what she’d been through in the last fifteen days. She knew that her brother wouldn’t have sent someone who was dangerous after her. At least not someone who was going to hurt her; dangerous, she supposed, was relative. The man her brother sent after her would be a deadly force to anyone who tried to stop him from getting her home.
She eyed the man warily as she finished her sandwich and fires. She felt her stomach twisting a bit from the food it wasn’t used to being given, but she didn’t vomit. She was counting that as a win.
Travis walked over to her, taking the bag and his own sandwich from it. He ate it in silence as she went over and climbed into the tent, lying down on one of the pallets. Pulling the blanket up over her, she turned away from the door closing her eyes.
Travis climbed into the tent twenty minutes later and looked over to see that Raven was turned away from him. He lay down with his gun resting on his chest. He didn’t want to be surprised without his weapon handy. He fell into a fitful sleep, his mind distracted by every noise in the forest.
It was about three in the morning when he was startled awake by a whimpering sound. He was up within seconds, casting his eyes around expecting to see Raven being attacked. There was nothing in the tent, but Raven was trembling and moaning as she lay on the pallet nearby. Unable to stand the pathetic sounds of fear that were coming from her, he slipped onto the pallet behind her, his arms wrapping around her gently. He rubbed her hair from her face and waited for her to wake and protest. She didn’t; instead she slowly stopped trembling and she almost melted into his arms.
He was grateful that she stopped whimpering and her hands were now resting on his arm. She felt good in his arms, damned good. He buried his face into her hair inhaling the scent of lemon that he knew was the shampoo from the little motel. He’d smelled the scent when she’d opened the door of the bathroom. It mixed well with her natural scent and he was mesmerized by the smell. It didn’t take long for him to be lulled into a deep sleep with her cradled against him.
Raven awakened slowly, her body warm, and she felt safe for the first time in what seemed like forever. She felt the arms that were holding her against a hard male chest and was surprised. She wondered what the hell she was doing pressed tightly to Travis. He was behind her on the pallet, his arms tightly wrapped around her, his body spooning her.
She wasn’t sure what had prompted him to end up on her pallet and she didn’t know if she wanted to know, fear suddenly making her heart pound. Why was he in her bed?
Raven’s body stiffened. Travis stirred behind her, his arms clenching for a moment before he released her. He rolled away from her with a groan.
“Get up, Princess. We need to get a move on it,” Travis told her without explaining how he’d ended up holding her in his arms the night before. “We have to head over to the Blue Bandits, then we’ll head home. Hurry up and you can talk to your brother before we go.” He stepped from the tent without another word and she got the message. He wasn’t going to talk about why he’d been holding her. Raven shook her head at his audacity. He was such a dick. Darn it! There she went again; her mother would be ashamed.
Raven took a moment to brush her hair with the brush that was stuck in the small duffle by the door. Travis must have put it there last night. She re-braided her hair and stood, stepping out of the tent.
Travis felt like a dick. He’d held her all night and slept better than he had in years. He wasn’t sure why. He’d not been a saint over the past two years since his mother’s death. A few women had stayed over, but he couldn’t remember sleeping so soundly with them in his arms. It was disturbing because he didn’t want a woman who was moody and irrational. Women who looked like her were always more trouble than they were worth.
He paced outside the tent waiting for her to get up. What the hell was taking so damned long? He needed to get the tent wrapped up so that they could make it to Death Rider’s, the Bandits M.C. president, clubhouse by nightfall. He wanted to be headed to Devils territory before morning. It would take them twelve days to get home as it was.
He dug his phone out of his pocket. He might as well call her brother to let him know that she was safe, at least for now.
Marcus answered on the second ring. “You have my sister yet, asshole?”
“Yes, she’s safe.” Travis ran a hand through his hair, a headache forming behind his eyes.
“Put her on now!”
“Look, dickweed, I don’t care who the fuck you think you are, you don’t talk to me that way if you want to talk to her anytime soon. I can make damned sure that you don’t, you know!” Travis growled, pissed that the other man thought he could boss him around.
Hearing a slight sound behind him he turned, seeing Raven’s horror-stricken look. He realized that she thought he was threatening to hurt her and he winced. Raven cowered in the opening of the tent staring at him with wide eyes. Damn, he didn’t want to scare her, she’d been through enough.
“Shut up and let me talk to her! I want to know she’s okay!” Marcus yelled into the phone.
“You can talk to her, but only because she’s now thinking I am about to kill her and hide the body. I don’t want her afraid of me. She needs to trust me and that’s the only reason you’re getting to talk to her, asshole!” Travis turned as he spoke, meeting Raven’s fearful gaze with his own.
He’d been talking to her as much as to her brother. She did need to trust him. They were going to be on the run for days and trust was important between them. Travis held the phone out to her and she only hesitated for a moment before she took it.
“I’ll pack up. We’re leaving when I’m done. Tell that idiot that we have to visit the Bandits before we head back.” Travis walked away after that comment and Raven watched him silently.
It was true that his words had scared her a bit, but for some strange reason she wasn’t really afraid of him. It was almost as if she sensed that he wouldn’t hurt her. It made her realize how stupid she’d been for leaving with Viper in the first place. She’d known that something was off somehow. She just hadn’t known what it was. She had known that her brother didn’t want her to go and that was what had pushed her to leave with him, which was stupid. She really needed to learn not to do stupid stuff to irritate her brother.
Placing the phone to her ear, she whispered “Hello,” in a croaked voice that broke a bit.
“Hey little sis, how are you.”
“Okay,” she told him, surprised by the gentle almost soothing tone from her brother, who was normally a rough, growly man with a chip on his shoulders, and wondered how long that would last. She kind of liked the kid glove treatment if it meant she wasn’t getting a lecture.
“Good, good. Don’t be afraid of Travis. He doesn’t like
me much but he wouldn’t hurt you, okay,” he said in that soft voice. Raven smiled, she couldn’t help it. She wanted to laugh at his ridiculousness. But she knew that as soon as she did she’d be getting one hell of a lecture, so she refrained.
“I know that. I was just a bit surprised was all. I’m not afraid of him.” Raven meant that too. She was remembering that warm almost comfortable feeling she’d had this morning when she’d awakened. She heard Travis mumbling something and turned to see him packing the bedrolls on the bike.
“Raven, I’m glad you’re okay. You are okay, aren’t you?” Marcus asked, his voice sounding haunted.
“I’m really okay. I’m a little banged up, but I’ll live and that’s what’s important.” Raven felt tears sting her eyes as she remembered how close to death she’d come a few days ago. Her heart pounded in her ears and she started to hyperventilate. Suddenly Travis was there, his hand taking the phone from her nerveless fingers.
“Down, now,” he growled, pushing her down on a log, his hands gentle as they pushed her head between her legs. “Breathe. Just breathe, Raven.”
Raven knew she was being ridiculous but it was like this whole ordeal was hitting her all at once. It was crushing her chest and she didn’t know how to make it stop.
“You’re fine. It’s okay. You’re safe.” She could hear her brother yelling on the phone and Travis let out an angry growl.
“She’s having a panic attack, asshole! Give her a minute,” Travis roared into the phone.
Raven’s eyes stung and her chest felt achy but her breathing was evening out. She closed her eyes with her head hanging down, her hands on her knees with Travis rubbing her back. His big hand slid up and then back down as he continued to make soothing sounds, having put the phone down.
Raven was grateful that he was composed. His calm reaction to the situation was helping her panic recede. When she was finally able to lift her head, she expected him to jump up and move away, only he didn’t. He rubbed her back for several moments.
