Trust The Devil (The Devil's Riders Book 3)

by Joanna Blake

  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 up underneath it. If she left the button down open over her pretty pink camisole, you couldn't see how big she was up top from the sides. Or how tiny her waist was.

  She had the sort of figure that attracted attention a little too easily. Attention she didn’t want. 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 grandfather'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 a few months now. It was plenty of time to learn how to protect herself. She’s worked her butt off at her self-defense classes.

  No one could find her here. 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. The Devil’s Rider with the sparkling blue eyes and ready smile.

  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.

  He was the most relaxed human being she’d ever laid eyes on. He seemed nice too. And he was way too good looking for comfort. Rugged, but with bright blue eyes. He had the kind of smile that could power an entire city.

  She knew he was a biker and bad news. Those guys didn't treat women right. It was a well known fact that they used women like tissue paper.

  Kaylie's boyfriend Devlin seemed to be the exception. He was absolutely devoted to her. It was almost funny, watching the big guy in leather follow her around like a puppy.

  And Jack was the same way with his new girlfriend Janet. But they were special. Both were stunning not to mention they were smart girls. And they were different, stronger than Sally could ever be.

  They were brave and always standing up for themselves, she thought wistfully. She knew she was weak. He’d told her enough times.

  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, even if it had been a while. She sighed wistfully. It was so delicious to have a man look at you that way. Especially when you felt the same way about kissing him.

  Of course, it always started out like that. Her ex had looked at her the same way. Before the looks turned to disgust. Before he started using his 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. That would attract attention. She could peak her head out of her shell, but only a little.

  Baby steps, Sally.

  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 waitress’s salary.

  At least these didn't have rhinestones on them like most of her other ones did.

  Chapter 3

  Donahue

  "She definitely 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 had been 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, he was going to have her.

  In his mind, 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 God’s 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 an area 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. A nice girl like her wouldn’t want to be around all that. He made a beeline right for her, his protective instincts on high alert.

  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?

  But it was true. Sally wasn’t just pretty. She was beautiful.

  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 soft pink camisole she was wearing. His mouth dried up as he stood over her and stared down her shirt. A deep cavern of golden skin between two glorious globes.

  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.

  His mouth was dry from just
looking at her. 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. Nope, that didn’t work.

  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 charge. He lifted her arm and laid it gently over his. Then he started shouldering people out of the way.

  A strange feeling came over him as guys turned to stare at her. She was like a fresh rose in a sea of dandelions. He felt possessive.

  She was his rose dammit. Or she would be. He hoped.

  He glared at anyone who even glanced at Sally, not just the guys with their tongues hanging out of their mouths. And then he glared more when he saw that Kaylie, Janet and Jack were all laughing at him.

  Every single one of them.

  He was used to being funny. He was not used to being the butt of the joke.

  At least Devlin was out on an errand. He was picking up the fancy mustard Kaylie liked. Devlin would understand. He 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. At least the view was nice. He realized she didn’t have a drink and sprung into action.

  "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.

  Chapter 4

  Sally

  Sally sat on the wood picnic table sandwiched between Kaylie and her friend Janet. They’d met a bunch of times at the diner. Janet was nice, but way more confident than Sally felt. Plus her boyfriend followed her around like a hulking mama bear keeping an eye on her cubs.

  Maybe, now that they were getting to be friends, Janet could give her some tips. If not on how to act confident, on how to get a big guy like that to turn to mush.

  But maybe she didn’t need help in that department. 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 did like her. She wasn’t imagining it.

  He was walking toward her with two beers and a determined look on his face. He looked like a man on a mission. And she knew what the mission was.

  It was her.

  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, she was not ready for this.

  Why did it have to be him? The one guy who she had a harmless little crush on? The one guy that might make her slip up, and do something stupid.

  Like let her guard down.

  Anyone else she could brush off. In fact, she did on a regular basis. She’d declined to give her phone number to at least twenty guys since she’d moved into town a few months ago.

  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.

  Oh no. This was bad.

  Dangerous.

  Scary.

  He handed her a beer and leaned against the edge of the picnic table, staring at her intently. He looked hungry. And he was looking at her like she was something good to eat.

  This was very, very bad.

  She had to get out of here. Now.

  "Thank you."

  He grinned again. He looked like she'd just thanked him for saving a kitten from a tree. Way too proud of himself.

  And way too sure he was going to get what he was after.

  Her.

  Sally had a sudden vision of what would happen if she didn’t skedaddle. He would take her home after the barbecue. He’d kiss her, then she’d ask him inside. He’d run his hands all over her, making her lose all sense of perspective.

  Then after, when she was a needy, vulnerable pile of goo, he’d change. He’d be cruel. Maybe just a little bit at first, but more and more over time.

  And then the monster would come out.

  She couldn’t bear it. Even if she wanted him. Which she did.

  Badly.

  How could she not? He was big and strong and so gorgeous it made her head spin.

  Sally felt a flush of arousal as his eyes slid down her body. She was under no illusions that he just wanted to get her into bed for a quickie. She was sure he had women throwing themselves at him all the time. Looking around this place, there were tons of hot girls and more than a few were looking his way.

  But Donnie was in for a surprise.

  Sally was not going to make it easy for him. She was not going to jump into bed with him. Ever. She knew the risks all too well. No matter how much she might like to. If she was honest with herself, she wanted to a lot.

  She sipped the beer, wondering how long it would take before she could leave without attracting more attention. She wracked her brain for an excuse- something that wouldn't offend her friend.

  She really did like Kaylie. If things were different, she would tell her everything. Explain how things were. How men always seemed to treat her, judging from her limited experience.

  But as it was, she couldn't be too open, not even with the few girlfriends she'd made in this town.

  Who was she kidding? She had one friend. Janet was nice but they'd only hung out a few times. Mae was her boss, even though Sally liked her a lot, it wasn't that kind of relationship.

  Kaylie was it. And now Sally was going to ruin it by running out of here. Donnie would lose interest. And Kaylie would never invite her out again.

  She'd be all alone. Again.

  She felt tears welling up in her eyes suddenly.

  Coming here had been a mistake. She started to stand and make her excuses when there was a big commotion toward the gate.

  Devlin was here. Heads were turning and everyone was hooting and hollering. Kaylie gripped her hand as he jumped up on a table in the middle of the courtyard.

  Chapter 5

  Kaylie

  Kaylie was watching Devlin with a bemused look on her face. What was he up to now? She had a strange feeling of foreboding as she stared at his handsome face.

  Devlin waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking. It was so quiet that he didn't even have to raise his voice.

  "As all of you know, I met a very special lady about a year ago. She's been my old lady ever since but now it's time to make it official."

  Her stomach did a funny little flip. What was he doing? Oh god.

  Was he proposing to her?

  He smiled at her and then opened his mouth and said something that made her doubt her sanity.

  "We're getting married!"

  A thunderous cheer went up from the crowd. Except from their table. Kaylie barely noticed that Janet, Jack, Donnie and Sally all looked as shocked as she was. She felt sick, like the world was tilting on it's axis.

  "Oh my god."

  White hot anger filled her body, replacing t
he shock. Then she felt like bursting into tears. She had to get out here, go somewhere private where she could cry.

  She glanced around for an escape route but people were already starting to crowd the picnic table to offer congratulations. Thankfully, they were crowing around Devlin first.

  "I need to get out of here."

  "I'll go with you."

  She nodded, grateful for Sally's support. Kaylie looked around wildly. They'd have to go in through the clubhouse and out the back. Then they could sneak around around to the other side.

  It was the only way. Otherwise they'd be swarmed by well wishers.

  Or worse yet, Devlin himself.

  "Come on, this way."

  Sally set her beer down and followed Kaylie as she murmured 'sorry, bathroom' over and over again. They were inside the cool building and out the back in less than five minutes. She was breathing hard, her mind racing and her stomach in knots.

  "What now?"

  "If we go around the far side, where the dumpster is-"

  "Kaylie?"

  She turned to see Devlin standing behind her. He looked utterly baffled. And hurt.

  Darn it.

  "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

  She closed her eyes. There was no holding back now. No running away to lick her wounds and gather her thoughts. It was now or never.

  "Weren't you even going to mention this to me before telling the rest of the world?!?"

  He blinked, his gorgeous green eyes guileless.

  "I thought you liked surprises."

  "Devlin, listen to me. You've been making decisions for me since the day we met. But this is something I have to decide for myself. Besides, I am too young to get married!"

  He took a step towards me and I took a step back. If he kissed me- if he held me- I would never be able to say what I really felt.

  "I thought you wanted this. You said you wouldn't move in with me until we were married."

  She just stared at him, mouth agape. How could he miss the point so completely?

  "Don't you want to marry me, sweetheart?"

  He looked at her with those big green eyes of his and she almost melted. Almost.