by Anna Mara
Savage straightened to his superior height and gently tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “You have no idea how beautiful you look, Victoria Alexandra Jones, with the sun shining behind you like that, giving you a glow like some otherworldly angel come down to earth to save a sinner like me. Can you save me, little one? Or will I be damned to hell fire for eternity?”
Tori sensed uncertainty in him. The big, strong, powerful Savage Monroe was feeling unsure—unsure of her! He wanted to kiss her—badly—his desperate eyes were shouting out, but would she let him? It was her call, he was telling her. After all, he was no fool. He knew who he was and where he came from—and he knew who she was too. Out of respect for her, he wouldn’t cross that line unless she allowed it. His burning eyes and hard body telegraphed all that to her in a flash.
Instinctively, Tori knew that all she’d have to do would be to lean into him and that devastatingly, sensuous mouth of his would immediately capture hers in a kiss—a kiss her own lips were screaming to taste. It was all so easy, if she just let herself…
Suddenly, a surge of fear rippled through her. What was she thinking? She’d only met the man yesterday, for goodness sake, and frankly, he scared her—pure and plain—no matter what Nana’s tingle said about him. After all, she was in ‘his world’ now, abiding by ‘his rules’. And his world terrified her. It was ruthless and lawless and violent—everything she abhorred!
No, she wouldn’t kiss him, no matter how badly she wanted to. She needed to put a stop to this craziness before it went too far—and she needed to put a stop to him!
Mentally, she pulled herself back from the abyss she’d just about fallen into. She stiffened her spine with resolve. “I thought my grandmother paid you to save me, Mr. Savage, not the other way around.”
Her matter-of-fact tone registered in Savage’s befuddled brain. His gaze flew back up from her tempting lips to her cold, hard eyes. Had she just said no to him?
His fuzzy thinking cleared as he reined in his erratic breathing and racing heartbeat. Minutes ago, as he’d watched her trying to unfasten those damn, stupid helmet straps, he’d been captivated by how amazingly beautiful she was—inside and out—and his need for her had snapped. His hungry eyes had devoured her lush body from top to bottom—from her rosy lips as they’d pouted at the inconvenient knot, to her cap of chocolate brown hair highlighted in the sunshine, to her ripe breasts straining beneath her sweater, to her tight, denim jeans cupping her full, rounded ass.
But it wasn’t just her sweet body that he longed for. It was more than that! She had a serene, quiet, gentleness about her that the badness in him craved, like a junkie needing a fix. She was kind and decent and good—everything he wasn’t.
A primitive force had gone off inside him, demanding pleasure and cleansing and release; and he’d known that only she could give him that—no one else. In fact, he burned for her—for the noble, small-town schoolteacher and preacher’s daughter—like a tortured soul in hell who thirsted for a single drop of water to ease his pain.
In an instant, his skin had grown hot and slick with aching need, and a throbbing heat had invaded the rest of his body, making him hard. But it wasn’t only her goodness that he wanted to absorb into him, it was her everything. He wanted to taste her moist lips beneath his own frantic ones, and to feel the softness of her skin against his taut, rough body, electrifying every nerve ending in him. He wanted to see her naked and clinging to him, and to hear her moaning and purring as he drove into her hot, tight core. Then afterwards, he wanted to hold her tight in his arms, knowing that she was his and his alone. He’d whisper in her delicate ear that he knew that they’d been created for each other and by coming together, they had righted one more wrong in this cruel, crazy world.
Blood pounded in his brain at the mere thought of all that, and his insides melted. Why was he feeling like this? It wasn’t like he was some inexperienced, gawky, teenage kid who’d never been laid before in his life. He was a grown man who’d had his fair share of women, and then some. Whatever he’d wanted and whomever he’d wanted, he’d had. After all, fucking was in his lifeblood. But this was different. She was different. And she made him different.
But she’d said no just now, and this was new territory for him because no one ever said no to him on anything. But she had!
Yeah, she wanted him too; he knew it as sure as shit that she did. In fact, he’d seen it blazing in her eyes, but she had made her decision. And he now knew she would never ever come to him—willingly—of her own accord.
He pulled a fraction away to control the fierce heat for her, spinning out of control in between his legs. Rejection hurt like hell and he did have some pride. He forced his eyes to match the coldness glistening in hers.
“I didn’t read your signals wrong, Tori. You want to kiss me, you know you do. Admit it,” he drawled, his voice low and edgy with a threatening undertone to it, like a volcano before it blows.
Tori angled her chin up and met his defiant gaze head on. “Okay, I’ll admit it. I do want to—kiss you, I mean—but I won’t. Sometimes, when the devil has his arm around you, and he’s handsome and nice, you don’t know he’s the devil.”
“But you do?”
“Something like that.”
Savage felt the anger in him rise at her insulting words. “But you have no qualms about buying the devils’ services when you need him, do you?”
Tori blazed with fury at his accusatory words. “I need your skills in navigating through this town, nothing more!”
“Then you should have hired yourself a fucking tour guide instead!”
“Look, Mr. Monroe, I’m not standing in judgment of who you are.”
“Sure sounds like it to me, lady.”
Tori watched in fascination as a small vein pulsed at the base of his throat. No doubt about it, he was furious. Okay, maybe she had gone too far with what she’d said but she was scared—scared of herself really. What would happen between them if she didn’t get this crazy situation under control—and under control fast? Because right now, all she wanted was to slide her arms around his neck and feel his searing lips on hers. In fact, she was burning for it.
“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I don’t mean to, but I just want to keep this professional between us, all right? Nothing personal.” Inside, her heart was beating wildly against her ribcage but on the outside, Tori made sure she was a block of ice.
Savage backed away. His mouth spread into a slow, knowing grin. “Well, well, well, Snow White has fangs. I’m actually impressed. There’s more to you than I thought.”
“If you want to back out of our agreement right now, you have that option. I’ll understand.”
“What about the balance of the thousand bucks you still owe me?”
“The job wasn’t done to my satisfaction so, sorry, I’m not paying you.”
Savage burst out laughing. “You’ve got balls too, big ones, considering you know exactly how I usually collect what’s owed to me.”
Tori’s hands clenched into fists at her side as a flare of fury shot through her. “Let me make this perfectly clear, Mr. Monroe. If you harm me or my grandmother in any way, I will go to the police and have you arrested. I’m not like Wizard or Roger. I’m not afraid of you,” she seethed.
Savage took in her angry stance and his blood boiled even more at all the nasty, insulting things she’d just said to him. How could they go from an almost kiss to an almost kill within the blink of an eye? And yeah, he was fuming mad at her right now but did it make him want her any less? Hell, no! In fact, he wanted her even more.
Mentally, he counted to ten and reined in his temper. His lips curled into an easy, charming smile. “Okay Snow White, I won’t back out of our little arrangement. I’ll finish the job—to your satisfaction—and when my complete services are rendered, I’ll expect payment in full.”
“Of course, without question.”
“And the devil will remove his arm from around you. You
don’t have to worry about that ever happening again. How does that sound?”
“Professional, as things should be between you and your client,” she spouted. A pang of remorse shot through Tori at his clipped words but this was the way it had to be.
Savage’s eyes narrowed on her but he said nothing. Tori couldn’t discern what he was thinking. He walked around the Harley, strapped on his helmet and straddled the bike. He put on his sunglasses and turned to her.
“We need to speak to your grandmother again, so come on, let’s ride.” He used a very formal, matter-of-fact tone of voice. It was obvious he was taking her lead and keeping everything on a more businesslike level from now on.
Tori positioned her helmet and tightened the straps underneath her chin. Perching her dark sunglasses onto her nose, she straddled the bike. Nudging her hips forward, she came up against his back and immediately felt a rush of desire as his clean, male scent, mixed in with his pheromones, enveloped her. She eased her hands around him and over his chest, feeling every hard muscle and ripple along the way. His body felt warm to the touch and she could feel the rapid beating of his heart beneath her fingers. For one brief moment, she closed her eyes and savored the feel of him in her arms. What would it feel like to make love to him?
“Ready, Snow White?” Savage turned his head slightly back to her.
Tori’s eyes flew open at the sound of his voice and guilt washed over her at what she’d been thinking. “Y—yes, ready,” she stammered.
The biker nodded and turned the ignition on. The Harley roared to life and he swung the mechanical beast out of the parking spot.
As they drove out of the hotel premises and onto the road, Savage could feel every line and curve of Tori’s sweet body hugging his own, and his naked desire for her spiraled out of control again. There was no doubt about it, he was drawn to the woman like gravity and before the weekend was up, he knew—one way or another—he would have to have her.
Chapter 25
Friday – 5:25 p.m.
Las Vegas Expressway
Savage glanced again at his rearview mirrors and reassessed the relative proximity of the dark blue BMW car to his Harley. The vehicle had been on their tail ever since they left the parking lot of the Selah Casino. It had then followed them onto the Las Vegas Expressway. Of course, it could have all been a coincidence that the car was travelling in the same direction they were heading in, but Savage didn’t believe in coincidences—and his street smarts were telling him otherwise too.
Now, as he and Tori sped along the highway picking up speed, the car had too and had ridden on their ass like a cowboy chasing a steer before roping it in. His eyes darted again to his mirrors, noting how the older model German auto had black-tinted windows, obscuring the identity of the driver. His clever brain memorized the license plate number, and he made his heartbeat and breathing slow down, forcing himself to go into a stony, cool, clear state-of-mind. All of his instincts sharpened immediately, just like those of an animal ready for fight or flight, prepared to meet impending danger head-on.
But his top priority was Tori’s safety. If he’d been riding alone on the Harley, he would have rocketed away from the vehicle by now, to see whether the BMW would have given chase or not, but with Tori sitting behind him, and her being an inexperienced rider to boot, he wouldn’t take any chances with her life. He’d just calmly keep an eye on the situation until they could get off at the next exit. Luckily, the highway wasn’t that crowded and that would allow him room to maneuver the bike more easily if he had to.
Suddenly, he sensed rather than heard the BMW’s engine revving higher. Within seconds, the car was barreling down on them. It came within three feet of the bike, nipping aggressively at their tail. Tori’s head swiveled to look at the encroaching danger and Savage heard her gasp into his ear. Her grip tightened around his chest and her body tensed.
“Hang on!” Savage revved his bike hard and rocketed away from the car’s front bumper.
The hiss of the wind pounded against his body as the Harley picked up speed. The buildings and landscapes on either side of the road blurred into a haze in his peripheral vision. The BMW gunned it harder too and in a flash, it swiveled into the left passing lane beside them. It matched their speed and raced alongside them.
Suddenly, the car veered into the Harley, but Savage swerved to the right, barely missing being slammed by the vehicle’s passenger door. Horns honked all around but the biker didn’t care. This was a matter of life and death—for him and for Tori.
Revving the bike as hard as he could, Savage shot forward, putting distance between him and the car. He came up against an SUV directly in front of him that was blocking his progress. Milking every ounce of horsepower, he pivoted onto the shoulder and weaved the Harley around the truck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the driver of the SUV flip him the finger, oblivious to what was really happening around him.
Savage jetted past and veered back into the lane before crossing over into the next one and then the next. As the traffic increased, he skillfully weaved in and out of the vehicles, putting even more distance between them and the BMW.
Glancing into his mirrors, he spotted the German car becoming trapped in the middle of the burgeoning traffic. Savage made a hard right, ready to take the next exit.
Gearing down, he eased the bike onto the off ramp and re-entered the Vegas streets at a slower, safer pace. He checked his mirrors and noticed that the BMW was nowhere in sight, never having taken the ramp exit as they had.
Savage spied a donut shop and quickly spun the bike into its parking lot. Coming to a full stop, he turned off the engine. Tori released her death grip on his body and jumped off the bike, yanking off her helmet and glasses. He could see that her hands were trembling and her entire being was shaking violently. Her breathing was rapid and shallow; she was having a hard time regaining control of it.
Savage swung off the Harley and threw out the kickstand, securing the machine. Flinging off his own helmet and glasses, he yanked Tori against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. “Are you okay?” he rasped, his voice rough with worry as he cradled her head deeper into him with his hand.
She nodded yes, but her movements were jerky. Tremors of fear shot through her, as she wrapped her own arms around him, clinging for dear life. A primal rage at the asshole who’d caused this terror in her ripped through him. If he ever got his hands on them, there’d be hell to pay; he’d make sure of it!
It was clear that whoever had done this had meant to hurt them—or kill them even. But who and why? Did it have anything to do with their search for Joe Sorelli? Did it have to do with the gun deal he had lined up for later that night? Or was it one of a million other lowlifes that were after him for all of the shit he constantly pulled as a Son of Perdition biker?
His thoughts returned to the sweet woman in his arms and his heart melted. “You’re okay now, Tori, you’re safe,” he mumbled into her soft hair. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.” With his finger, he tipped her deathly white face upwards and met her frightened eyes. “Do you believe me?”
“I be—believe you,” she stammered, her words coming out reedy and thin.
Tori stared into his probing eyes and tightened her arms around him even more. She had been so scared that if he hadn’t been holding her up just now, she’d have collapsed. Adrenaline was still raging through her system and her knees were shaking like a baby sapling tree in a hurricane. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and nervous sweat slicked her hands. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to get her panic under control.
Savage gently brushed the hair out of her eyes before wrapping his arms around her again. “You did good, Snow White. You hung on like a seasoned pro—a true biker chick.”
A timid smile flitted across her lips. “Does that mean I pass the test?” she whispered, as her breathing calmed down, her frightened eyes never leaving his steady ones.
“I’m grading you A++, top of the c
lass.” He grinned.
Savage’s gaze travelled from her beautiful eyes to her soft lips, entranced by the way her breath was floating out of her mouth. His own anxiety about their near brush with death evaporated and he suddenly felt his body relax, his hands splaying against her back. A surge of pleasure shot through him as every line of her body curved into him. He lowered his lips to within inches of hers, hungry to taste their sweetness. But she released her grip on him and slid out of his arms, taking a step away.
“What happened back there—on the highway?” She crossed her arms against her chest, as if putting a barrier between them.
Savage’s wild eyes narrowed on her cold demeanor. So, she was back to being all business again, was she? Her disgust at having “the devil” wrap his arms around her once again was plainly written across her face. He had forgotten his place one more time!
He retreated into an icy stance. “He followed us from the casino but I couldn’t be sure if he was tailing us or if he was just going our way.”
“Do you think they were trying to stop us from finding Joe? Or…” Tori let the word hang between them like a knife.
“Or what?”
“Or was it one of your legion of enemies and I just got caught in the crossfire?” Her accusatory eyes demanded an honest answer from him.
The biker’s mouth twisted wryly. He shrugged matter-of-factly. “If you swim in the devil’s pond, you’re liable to get bitten by whatever monsters lurk deep beneath the scum.”
Indignation flashed in her eyes. “I’m not paying for your sins, Mr. Savage,” she retorted.
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you hired a bad seed like me. Because sweetheart, the way I look at it? You were the one who invited the demon in because you needed him, and all your high-falutin’, church-going morality be damned if it gets in the way of what you want,” he shouted, losing his cool. No doubt about it, the woman could piss him off in a heartbeat!
Tori glared back at him, his harsh words reverberating throughout her body and convicting her. Without thinking, her right hand suddenly came up and cracked him across his cheek—whack!—hard. But even before her hand had dropped back down to her side, a look of pure horror had splashed on her face at what she’d just done.
