My order sheet wavered. I swiped out my pen and stabbed it, showing them that this would be all business, not personal.
“Much better. What can I get you boys?”
All eyes were on me. Not one eye on a menu. No one even touching a menu. Except for Red. He kept his head down.
It seemed that our meeting at the side of the road was now common knowledge. Why? I could only assume it was because Red stood up for me, driving a wedge between him and another Bastard. Lee and the others in his booth clocked me hard.
“Coffee all around. Black for me,” King said.
No one else said a word.
I prepared myself for something. What, I had no clue, but I prepared myself. It was too quiet.
Then it happened. Lee gave me a slap on my behind. I flinched and looked horrified, because I knew that everyone heard it. The echo of his slap on my rear cracked through the whole diner.
“Extra sugar for me, babe,” he added, “and I wouldn’t mind you on the back of my ride after.”
“Fucking Lee,” Red grunted with a clang, throwing himself from his seat. I understood how he got his nickname now. His face was a bright, furious red. His brothers, once smiling at the comedy of it all, jumped into action.
He blocked me back with one hand, his other balled into a fist, ready to pummel Lee.
“Tell me you didn’t just do that,” he seethed.
Lee swung out from his booth. He spread his arms wide, inviting Red to throw a punch. It happened so quickly that the others didn’t know how to respond or else they were fine with them settling their differences with a brawl. I wasn’t sure.
“She’s not your old lady, Red. What’s your fucking problem, man?”
“You stay away from her. You don’t own her.”
Did no one care what I thought?
I wanted to pipe in and tell them that no one owned me. I was my own woman. Once, my asshole husband claimed to own me. That didn’t end well. After fighting for my freedom, it wouldn’t be taken from me so easily again.
Another body entered the fray: King, shoving his way between. Angry Santa put his gorilla palms up to stop them dead. Lee’s arms dropped. Red’s fists unclenched.
“You fucking idiots. We don’t do this here. Stop with this bullshit, especially before I get my coffee in the morning. Both of you sit down and shut up.” His finger wagged in anger and then pointed to the booths.
Giving them his back, King dropped back down. He clasped his massive palms together and smiled up at me. “Go on, get the coffee,” he whispered.
He turned to his compatriots. “And if someone makes my coffee late again, I’ll have their fucking head.”
Looking around the diner, I noticed everyone stopped eating, staring at the bikers like deer in headlights. I took a step back to distance myself from all of the drama. When King glanced their way, they all resumed eating, doing a poor job at faking interest.
Lee muttered and cursed under his breath. Red stared straight ahead with a thousand-yard stare. He looked like he was about to snap at any moment. At least his face started to return back to the usual shade.
“I’ll get your coffee,” I said, and scurried off, trying to escape. I didn’t want to add any fuel to the fire.
As I grabbed the pot, Kim slipped beside me. “What was that all about?”
I shrugged again.
“That one looked like he was ready to fight for you. You guys seeing each other?”
Jeez, what a busybody. No, we weren’t seeing each other. Before this happened, I was sure I turned him off for good. It seemed like he wasn’t happy how the ride went the day before, but still, he continued to protect me.
“No, he just helped me when my car broke down. That’s all.”
“He’s good-looking,” she said, leaning against the counter while checking him out. I wanted to grab her shoulder, tear her back, and growl in her ear “He’s mine. Off limits.” My reaction was telling. Perhaps I was playing the part too well, letting it seep into my actual life.
“He’s not bad, but he’s part of The Bastards.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” she said with a sigh. “Need help filling their mugs?”
“I really could. Get some of the heat off me. Thanks, Kim.”
“No problem. I hope they don’t shoo me away again.”
Red and Lee played nice. Once one said something, it would be all-out war. Mutually assured destruction. If they disobeyed King’s orders, they would both be screwed.
I dropped off the receipt at their table, then picked up some dirty plates, hoping no one would notice me. Red’s heady stare was focused on the cusp of my cleavage, the corner of his smile rising. I could’ve kicked him in the shins, but decided not to.
As I was about to leave, King rustled into his jacket.
He held out a wad of cash. He didn’t even bother to slip it to me secretly.
“Take it. We’re sorry to trouble you. Use it to get away from that asshole that messed with your pretty face.”
Red regarded me again, his eyes tracing from my legs to the curve of my breasts, then up to my anxious eyes. “Can’t break a face that beautiful.”
Lee snorted behind him. Red elbowed the back of the seat. I decided to take the money, just because I didn’t want to stick around and push my luck, but I regretted it. This was blood money. What kind of illegal things went on for this cash to wind up in King’s hands and now mine?
I hurried away to the waitressing station while stashing it in my apron. Red thought I was beautiful?
It seemed out of character for him to say something like that, especially in front of his brothers. He went out on a limb there. He would be ridiculed for it. Maybe it would cause another fight. This one serious.
I brought their plates through the kitchen to the small washing station. The cooks rushed and yelled orders. It smelled like hash browns and pancakes, making me want to drown myself in syrup and have a deep carb-fueled sleep. Kim wasn’t around. I decided she would be the one to get King’s money.
When I didn’t find Kim in the dishwashing area, I took a step out the back door. The sticky, sweet aroma wafted past me and into the valley. I gazed into the relaxing scene in front of me— the palms of the joshua trees covering a deep ravine. In the distance, a jutting formation of ember rocks rose up to meet the clear blue sky. When I could manage it, I often visited that spot to think. Untouched nature was something I wasn’t used to.
I soaked it in. Until a huge shadow loomed over me.
Red. He leaned against the doorway, blocking it, glaring down at me. His chest was held high, showing off his spectacular form as he looked out into his dominion, his land to hunt and fuck as he pleased. He made it known to all others that he would fight for his throne. What did that make me? His queen or his prey?
“Nice view. Sad that I would’ve missed it if I didn’t come looking for you.”
“Why are you looking for me?”
Red stood in front of me, blocking the beautiful view of the desert and replacing it with a different one, one of Red. I stretched tall against the wall. My whole body remembered the thrum of his motorcycle. When he got closer, that thrumming started again. I clamped my thighs together. When they brushed, I recoiled. They were much too sensitive and tender for my own good.
Why did I always have to fall for the bad guys?
Still, I had a good grasp on myself. I knew that even though I was attracted, this would lead nowhere. Red, deep down, was a controlling asshole who discarded women after he used them. I was next on his list.
“I thought you might want another ride.”
He grinned. He thought he had me in his grasp. Not so.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be done with my shift.”
He put his hand against the wall, right above me, leaning closer.
“You want to take a ride, we take a ride. I’ll take care of it. Nothing stands between us and the bike.”
“Thanks,” I said, shuffling away a little. He
remained close, his fiery stare heavy on my chest.
“You still seeing the guy who hurt you?”
I shuffled a little more. “No, I’m not seeing him.”
“You’re not seeing him?” he asked again.
“What did I say?”
“Thought I might have to ask twice, since you’re good at keeping secrets.”
“I’m not keeping secrets. I fail to see how it’s your business. I can handle myself.”
He craned his neck and let out a grunt. He directed my attention to his bulging bicep, then lower, to his meaty fists, ready to fight for me. “Yeah, I’m not sure about that. This guy comes around again, are you going to be prepared? I won’t hurt him, but I’ll scare him enough where he won’t mess with you again. You sure you don’t want me to do that?”
“I told you already I’m fine.” I lashed out at him with a threatening look that should’ve sent him a couple steps back. He got closer.
“What’s your problem? Why are you running from a good thing?”
His hands dropped to my hips. Fire swept through me, burning all my indecision, in its wake a new woman rising, one which would take all the Red she could get. Digging into my sides, binding me, he forced me against him.
Here I was trying to infiltrate their group...and I had been the one infiltrated.
It felt like defeat. But a sweet defeat.
“I want you. It’s pretty fucking obvious. If you need me to show you, I will.”
Before I could reply, he pressed his lips to mine. Trembling, whimpering, I was all his as he drove them apart. I took a deep inhalation, sucking in his masculine, leather scent. Our tongues went mad, frantically playing. My hands, they were possessed, roaming over his solid form, obsessed with what could be mine.
I pulled him in, and then startled, I let go. His hard cock pressed against my stomach. Only one kiss, and he was that fired up? My weight shifted back, but he swept me up in his arms, his cock so hot it could brand me.
Driving in again, he crushed my lips then shoved them open to plunder. Red broke away when I moaned. A brief moment to breathe would be his downfall...something told me that I needed to stop. Not to save my job. It was fear.
It had been so long since I had a kiss, never mind a passionate, magical one like that. I wasn’t sure what I was falling into. I was a careful woman. Red, whose world was ruled by instinct, scared me.
“Stop,” I managed to say. It wasn’t forceful but it worked.
His brows furrowed, hard lines creasing his beautiful face. I wasn’t sure if I was going to see him go “Red” again. I hoped not. I didn’t want to see him get angry at me like he did to Lee, but if he did, that would tell me something. I could never trust him.
“Is there a good reason why you stopped me? If not, I’m going to keep going.”
“There’s a good reason,” I said. Not coming up with one in time, I blurted out, “I’ve got to go back to work.”
“I don’t think you understand how this works. You want protection. I can give you that.”
He sneered like a rabid dog that had been denied its dinner. It was a scary look that made me tremble for the complete opposite reason minutes ago. It gave me an excuse to scamper off.
“You’re going to tell me you didn’t feel that?”
“I need to go to work,” I said again, this time more forceful. I managed to break free.
“Next time Lee is an asshole, I won’t be around to stop him.”
“I don’t believe you.” I called his bluff. It would be out of character if he didn’t... Out of character? What was I saying? Was I saying Red had character?
“I don’t owe you anything,” I said flatly, staring him down.
“After that kiss, you owe it to both of us to stop with the bullshit.”
I let out a deep sigh, more like an angry, exhausted growl. “You’re good at wearing me down.”
“I don’t believe that, either. I’m good at exciting you.”
I placed my hand on his chest to get him to stop. Wrong move. The touch entangled me again in his web of lust. Why did he have to feel so right? Protective. Solid. Enticing.
Maybe I could let him down easily. Retreat. Gather my thoughts, then I could face him again, when I wasn’t so horny and my brain wasn’t mush. “I tell you what, you let me go work, and tomorrow we’ll go for another ride. Okay?” That sounded like a nice compromise, also a way for me to run before I melted to a puddle at his boots.
“That ride will be your downfall.”
“Maybe it will. You’ll have to wait and see.”
He left, not before giving my ass a solid spank. I gasped. I panted for air while hiding my rosy cheeks.
“Can’t wait to see that sweet tail on the back of my bike. You’re on, sweet thing.”
So far, so good. The kiss was a slip-up. But how was I supposed to string around this horny animal without giving him a treat every once in a while? I heard his motorcycle rev from outside. I wished I could’ve gone with him, but I had a job to do.
* * *
It was a long, stressful day at the diner. All I wanted to do was have a bath and read a book. I could play the part of someone who couldn’t afford nice, lavish things, since I’d been living it my whole life. When Wyatt told me that he needed me to stay in a one-bedroom near the poverty line, I said, “Under one condition, it needs to have a nice bathroom with a big tub.”
Wyatt understood a girl’s need for a nice bathroom. He was good like that.
My apartment was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room. The bathroom was spacious, the big, blue tub from the late 80s. The walls were all redone with new paint and the sink and cabinet was brand new too. There wasn’t much to complain about. Right now, I didn’t dare. All I thought about was stripping and sliding into the cool water. It had been sweltering, chokingly hot outside. The diner had kept me running.
Stripping out of my white shirt and my black pants, I let the ladies out, pleased to be freed. I started the water, squirted some bubbles in, and dropped my black panties. My creamy white skin showed some color. Being in the desert was nice for that.
My nipples looked perky and ripe. My bush was a landing strip. Should I shave it? What should I wear tomorrow? I should wear something not too formal, but not too revealing. I would need to be prepared for Red’s ride. Anticipating it too much? A little too much.
Cutting off the bath water, I slipped in. “That’s perfect,” I moaned and kicked my feet out and curled my toes. If there was anything that could make a stressful day better, it was a long, warm bath.
Few days could beat the stress of a fight between MC members over spanking my ass. Then there was the kiss from Red. A chuckle escaped my lips when I thought about it. I groaned “Oh, God” at myself in response.
It had been a long time since I was kissed like that. My body reminded me. One kiss wasn’t enough. Those lips hooked me. Red knew it. That was the worst part. He knew my weaknesses. Every step I made, somehow I got closer to him.
Spreading my legs onto the side of the tub, I leaned back. Another moan rumbled past my lips, riding the curve of my raised chest to my flared hipbones sticking from the bubbly surface. My purr lasted longer than usual, thrumming against my beating clit. Where was Red’s bike when I needed it?
Tomorrow, I wouldn’t kiss him again if I could help it. If I kept stringing him along with sexual favors, like leaving a trail of crumbs for him, soon enough he would want the whole cake.
I would need to use my words to seduce him. I might be able to do that...but he was relentless.
He was bad news. I was through with bad news. If I ever wanted a family, I needed a real man, one who could support me. Red promised an uncertain future. He might be hot, but how hot would he look in an orange jumpsuit when I would only be able to see him in prison?
I went on a couple dates with the bad types back in my early twenties, not as bad as Red, but still, they were “bad boys,” one in a heavy metal band and another who liked fa
st cars. None of those relationships went far. After a couple dates and being ditched for a brand-new toy, the bad boys moved on, and I moved on too. I looked at those days with regret.
Mid-twenties brought Sam, which realistically was a bigger waste of time. Sam seemed like the ideal husband, a cop, a respectable member of society. He had a good, supportive job. The stresses of the job got to him. Sam wasn’t a good guy. He was sadly just like my father. Abusive. A liar.
What a waste of time, I thought. My biological clock was ticking. Sometimes I could swear I heard it beating in my chest. It would alert me to time racing by. It would tell me I needed to hurry. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep with all the energy, that energy telling me I needed to find the one, and quick.
But when I was surrounded with bad guys, when I couldn’t find anyone stable, how was I supposed to jump into another relationship? Even fantasizing about hopping on Red’s motorcycle with him, wrapping my arms around him, and letting the thrumming take control felt guilty. It felt like another opportunity to waste my time.
Something pounded on my front door. Feet swinging back into the tub with a splash, I jumped straight up. I looked toward the noise. It must’ve been a mistake. I wasn’t expecting a visitor.
“Ash,” someone screamed, their voice muffled but urgent.
I felt like sinking into the bubbles and hiding there, but the knocking sounded again. It was a loud, harsh pounding with a heavy fist, like the type cops would do before breaking in.
Oh, fuck, cops.
It wasn’t the cops. It was a cop. Fear rushed to the surface and consumed me. It couldn’t be...I thought being under cover across the United States would stop Sam. Nothing stopped Sam.
“Ash, I know you’re in there,” Sam screamed. “Open up.”
Leaping out of the tub, grabbing a towel, I rushed into my living room. What to do? What could I do? I couldn’t call the cops, could I? No, I couldn’t do that. It would blow my cover. They would start asking questions. The cops were on Sam’s side anyway.
Shaking, tunnel vision closing in, I stood like a wet, scared puppy in my living room. I cursed in my head over and over, looking around, trying to think of my options. I wouldn’t dare speak back to him behind that door.
In Bed With The Outlaw Page 3
