by Joanna Blake
Safe In His Arms
By
Joanna Blake
Copyright © 2014 by Joanna Blake
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2014
Pincushion Press
http://pincushionpress.tumblr.com/
Chapters
1. Hidden
2. Forgotten
3. Shaken
4. Unproven
5. Driven
6. Frozen
7. Sudden
8. Deepen
9. Stolen
10. Awoken
11. Brazen
12. Heaven
1
Donnie sat in one of the booths and stared out into space. Actually, that's not true. He blinked and realized he was doing it again.
He'd been watching her. Just like he did every time he came into the diner.
Sally.
She was the quiet, mousy waitress that worked with Kaylie most every shift. In fact, she seemed to practically live at the damn place. Almost every time he came into Mae's he found his eyes drawn to her irresistibly. He tried to look away but he always ended up with his eyes following her as she worked.
The damnedest part was, he couldn't figure out why.
It's not that Sally wasn't pretty. She was definitely a cutie, in an extremely wholesome way. But Donnie liked his women uber feminine and flouncy. This girl, with her blond hair constantly pulled back in a ponytail, long bangs concealing her eyes and no makeup, was practically fading into the background. Never mind the fact that he couldn't get a glimpse of her body. Lord knows, he had tried. But with her loose fitting uniform and fuzzy old cardigan, it was impossible to tell what sort of figure she had hidden under there. He frowned. She was always wearing that thing. Even in July. She kept her apron tied loosely as well. The woman could be a swimsuit model or a wraith for all he knew.
And yet he watched her.
Even stranger was how much he enjoyed it.
Maybe it had to do with how gracefully she moved around the diner. Or those big eyes of hers. A couple of times he'd caught her eye and felt a pure jolt of energy sizzling between them. But she always looks away too fast for him to be sure.
She glanced his way and blanched, growing even paler if that was possible. He shifted his eyes away momentarily and then watched as she scurried into the back. He stood and stretched.
"Gonna hit the head."
Dev just nodded, distracted by watching his old lady fill up the salt and pepper shakers. Donnie rolled his eyes. Man, Dev was whipped.
Devlin was the head of the club and was strong willed as hell. But when it came to his woman, he was putty. It was funny to watch, sure. But Donnie promised himself he would never let a woman make him feel that way.
Jack was just as bad. Ever since he'd known him Jack had been silent and grim. A couple of months ago that had all changed abruptly. Jack was frequently seen smiling. Donnie even heard him laugh once or twice.
Jack's transformation was even funnier than Dev's.
Women.
He shook his head and pushed open the swinging door to the back. They'd been teasing him that he was next. No way man. Donnie wasn't the settling down type.
He was walking down the hallway toward the bathroom when he heard it.
Singing.
Not just singing. Beautiful singing. It sounded like an angel. It was a sweet country song that he was sure he'd heard on the radio before but he couldn't quite place it. Something about Sundays and maydays.
He followed the sound to the stock room where Sally was standing on a step stool stacking boxes of napkins. He could hear her voice even better now. He was practically frozen in place by the shock of it. She should be singing professionally, not waiting tables in a tiny place like this.
Incredible.
He stood there listening to her sing, completely enraptured. She was an amazing singer but it was more than just that. There was a sweet sadness in her voice that pierced him to the core. He stood there mesmerized as she sung softly to herself and leaned forward to stack boxes of paper napkins on the shelf.
The other bonus was that he finally had a really good view of her legs.
They were good legs.
Really good.
He must have made a sound of appreciation because she turned suddenly and gasped. Shit, he hadn't meant to scare her. Her eyes widened as she tottered back and forth on the stool. Donnie realized she was about to fall a split second before she did.
He caught her against him and fell backwards against a stack of boxes, knocking them over. His arms were around her so she came with him, landing squarely on top of him.
Dear God.
Donnie was in shock as he stared into the biggest green gold eyes he'd ever seen. Hazel. They were hazel. How had he not noticed that?
And he finally had his answer about her body.
Phen-fucking-nominal.
He grinned at the girl lying sprawled on top of him. Her big, luscious breasts were crushed against his chest. Her waist was tiny under his hands and… he let them slide down a bit to feel her rounded hips and bottom. Accidentally of course.
Jesus, the woman was stacked.
"You alright sweetheart?"
She made a little sound of outrage and pushed against his chest.
"Let me up."
He grinned and squeezed her waist.
"What's your rush?"
She frowned at him and wiggled out of his grasp. Damn, he really hadn't wanted to let her go. She brushed herself off and stared down at him, looking annoyed.
"Can you help me up?"
He held up his hand and made his best puppy dog eyes at her. She looked at his hand distrustfully before grabbing it to hoist him up. Damn, she was a suspicious little thing!
He made sure to overshoot so he could get close to her again, landing on his feet up with his chest pressing against her body. He slid his arms around her waist to stabilize himself and smiled down at her. She gasped and jumped backwards. He raised his eyebrows at her with an unspoken invitation.
If it wasn't obvious enough the first time.
Usually that's all it took for Donnie to get a girl on her back. Of course the girls he messed around with were mostly hangers on who showed up at the club night after night, not shy little waitresses. He'd also never done it in a storage room. There was plenty of room though. Especially if he bent her over… He was already hard at the thought of it.
Or not.
Sally did not look like she was picking up what he was putting down come to think of it.
In fact, the girl looked even angrier. She was obviously not used to male attention. That's all it was. Once she got over the shock that Donnie wanted her, she'd come around.
God, he hoped so.
"You guys okay?"
Kaylie stood at the door to the storage room, surveying the mess. He glanced over at Sally. She looked ready to jump out of her skin.
"I fell and-"
"I caught her."
Sally yanked her apron off and crumpled it into a ball.
"I'll clean this up in the morning Kaylie. Do you mind closing up? I just- I have to go- sorry."
Donnie got goosebumps just listening to her talk. Her voice was beautiful, melodious, even just
yammering about closing up. He grinned at her dopily. Then she shot him a furious glance and pushed out of the stockroom. They heard the little bell over the front door jingle.
"Jeez, what happened Donnie?"
He smiled at Kaylie.
"Nothing. She just slipped. Here, I'll fix this mess."
He didn't know why, but he didn't like the thought of Sally having to do this all by herself.
"Okay Donnie. That's nice of you to do."
She turned to go but he stopped her.
"Hey Kaylie, why don't you invite your friend to the barbecue on Saturday."
"Who, Sally?"
He smiled and nodded.
"Tell her to wear something cute."
"Are you sure Donnie? She seems kind of quiet for you."
"What, don't you like her?"
Kaylie gave him a look that would have cut glass.
"I like her a lot Donnie. I just don't want you messing with her head. She's not really your type anyway."
He just laughed.
"Maybe my type has changed."
**********
Sally stared at herself in the mirror. She sighed, pulling her button down shirt forward to cover her breasts. Not that they were easy to hide. She'd blossomed at twelve and they had just kept coming. She tried yanking the top underneath up. If she left it open over her pretty pink camisole, you couldn't see how big they were from the sides. Or how tiny her waist was. She had the sort of figure that attracted attention a little too easily. Unfortunately she didn't have a potato sack laying around.
It would have to do.
When Kaylie had invited her to the barbecue, she'd specifically mentioned leaving her cardigan at home. She'd smiled to show she was joking but Sally knew it held a kernel of truth. She was unnaturally attached to her grandmother's old sweater. Maybe it was time to retire the ratty old thing. It made her feel safe though.
Hidden.
She stood up straight. No more. She'd been here for over a year now. It was plenty of time to learn how to protect herself. This town was her home now. It would be okay to go out and socialize a little bit.
It would.
Besides he would be there.
Donnie
She felt a tremor of butterflies go through her. Donnie was a frequent presence at Mae's. Whether he was outside, lounging on his bike while waiting for Dev and Kaylie, or inside, lounging in one of the booths and eating apple pie.
The guy loved to lounge.
She knew he was a biker and bad news. Those guys didn't treat women right. Kaylie's boyfriend Devlin seemed to be the exception. He was absolutely devoted to her. And Jack with his new girlfriend Janet. But they were smart girls. Brave and always standing up for themselves. For someone like her, it was better to stay away.
That didn't mean she couldn't look though, did it?
With his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, Donnie was gorgeous. He was almost too pretty to be a biker. She'd even heard some of the other guys give him shit about it. She'd nearly laughed out loud at the sour look on his handsome face.
Yeah, Donnie could have easily modeled with his looks. Never mind being tall and incredibly well built. The man was pure muscle. Not that he would ever notice someone like her.
The old her, yes. But the new, mousy, afraid little ghost? Doubtful.
She'd have to resign herself to her extremely active fantasy life and leave it at that. After the other night she had something new to add to the pot; the ways his arms had felt around her. And the way he smelled. And the moment when he looked at her the way a man looks at a woman he wants to kiss.
She'd seen that look before.
Of course, they always started out looking at her like that. Before the looks turned to disgust. Before they started using their fists.
She shook off the thought and reached for one of her old sparkly pink lip glosses without thinking. She immediately snatched her hand back as if the pink tube were a poisonous snake. No. She would wear her hair down and leave the cardigan at home but she would not wear makeup. She didn't want anyone to actually look at her. She reached for her good old cherry chapstick and slipped it into her jeans pocket. The designer jeans were from her old life. They were sexy and hugged her rear tightly but that couldn't be helped. She couldn't afford a whole new wardrobe on a waitresses salary.
At least these didn't have rhinestones on them like most of her other ones did.
**********
"She said she was coming?"
Donnie knew he sounded like a chick but he couldn't help it. Kaylie was being nice enough not to mention it, though he had seen her hiding a smile the fourth or fifth time he'd asked.
"Yes. Well, she said she'd probably stop by. I don't think she goes out much."
He frowned. Why was that? She certainly wouldn't have trouble finding a date. Even with her dowdy clothes and lack of makeup, she was a very, very pretty girl.
"What does she do when she's not working?"
Kaylie shrugged.
"I'm not sure really. She works a lot of shifts. I know she likes to reads a lot of books too."
"Books?"
"Yeah, they are these pieces of paper with words on them, all stuck together."
Jack and Janet laughed from their perch on the picnic bench nearby. Great, he was hoping no one had heard that. Those two always seemed to be in their own world these days.
"That's it?"
"Yeah. Sally doesn't really talk about herself too much. Oh I know! She said she wanted to get a dog."
Now Donnie rolled his eyes. She wasn't giving him much to go on. It didn't really matter anyway. He wanted her. In fact, he couldn't remember wanting a woman this badly ever before in his life.
So, it was more or less a foregone conclusion that little Miss Sally Adams was going to be in his bed. Soon. Not one woman on Gods green earth had ever been able to resist him yet. Usually, he didn't even have to do anything. Well, he did have this one move he used a lot. Not a move so much as a smile. He'd turn on the charm, flash the pearly whites and BAM, the panties came off.
He'd brushed his teeth twice this morning just to make sure they sparkled.
"She's here."
He straightened up and looked toward the clubhouse entrance. The entire parking lot had been turned into areas for cooking and eating. And of course, drinking. A lot of people were drunk already.
He felt like the air got sucked out of his lungs when he saw her. She looked… different out of her uniform. Beautiful really. And nervous. Very, very nervous. No wonder, with all the drunk people horsing around. He made a beeline right for her.
She was wearing an open button down shirt over a tank top and tight jeans. Her beautiful blond hair was down, tumbling like spun gold over her shoulders.
Spun gold? Who the hell was he?
Donnie told himself to get it together or he was going to make an ass of himself. No- even more of an ass of himself. He decided he'd be friendly but he wouldn't hang all over her. He'd let her come to him.
As he got closer he saw the lacy little camisole she was wearing. His mouth dried up as he stood over her and stared down her shirt. He didn't mean to, but he was tall and she was a tiny little thing. Well, not all of her was tiny.
Jesus, what a rack!
He couldn't look away for a minute. The tops of her luscious mounds were visible from up here in a way that made his body react instantaneously. A man could get lost in there. He had never seen anything so sensual in his life. Shy little Sally and her lacy underthings.
Damn.
She stared up at him, startled. He realized he was standing there like a dolt. So he smiled. She looked even more alarmed if that was possible.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Come on, Kaylie's over here."
She smiled at him nervously so he took her arm and started shouldering people out of the way. He glared at anyone who even glanced at Sally. And then he glared more when he saw that Kaylie, Janet and Jack were all laughing at him.
<
br /> He was used to being funny. He was not used to being amusing.
At least Devlin was out on an errand. He was picking up the fancy mustard Kaylie liked. Devlin wouldn't make fun of him for this ridiculous crush.
That's all it was. A crush. Right?
The girls greeted Sally warmly and pulled her up onto the picnic table between them. He felt ridiculous, standing there and watching her, not sure what to say.
He never had a problem knowing what to say.
"So, do you want a beer?"
She nodded shyly and he smiled, feeling much more at ease. A beer. He could get her a beer.
**********
Sally sat on the wood picnic table sandwiched between Kaylie and her friend Janet. Donnie had been acting strange, overly solicitous. It was throwing her off guard.
He was acting like they were on a date.
"So did you figure out why we invited you yet?"
Kaylie was smiling at her as if she had a secret. Sally shook her head and tried not to stare as a biker threw a half naked woman over his shoulder and carried her into the clubhouse.
"Other than the pleasure of your company of course."
Janet winked at her. She felt her cheeks warming up suddenly. She knew what they were going to say. Of course. It all made sense now.
Donnie.
He was walking toward her with two beers and a determined look on his face. Her stomach seemed to drop out of her body and hit the ground. How could it be that her forbidden fantasy, the one thing she wanted but could never risk having, was now coming to life?
Damnit.
Why did it have to be him? Anyone else she could brush off. In fact, she did on a regular basis. Even without the makeup and fancy clothes she used to wear, she seemed to attract more than her fair share of male attention. She groaned inwardly. She should have gotten a fake wedding band when she first moved to town. Or made up a boyfriend. One that was big and mean and in the military.
"He likes you."
Kaylie leaned close and whispered the obvious. It sent a shiver of pure excitement down her spine. Immediately followed by dread.
