“I don’t think that’s anyone’s wishes, sweetheart. After Diesel’s house, we’ll go to the shop so bring what you need.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I rolled my finger around the rim of the mug.
“You won’t be staying here.” His gaze was on me, harsh but sincere too.
“This is where I live—”
“You didn’t think I’d leave you alone, did you?”
My heart thumped. “I guess I never really thought about it. Until now.”
“You can stay with me.”
“Wait!” I jumped up so fast that the coffee sloshed over the rim, spilling on the table. “That’s not possible.”
“It’s very possible.”
“Your place is the size of an ice chest.” I couldn’t allow him to come in here and take control.
“But trust me, baby, it’ll feel like a furnace.” He winked and every cell in my body rushed to the surface, begging for more.
“And that’s exactly why it won’t happen.” I grabbed a towel from the hook above the sink and wiped the table.
“We can’t stay here.”
“Why?” I tossed the towel into the sink.
“Seriously?” One thick brow lifted over curious eyes. “I have a shop to run. And I know everything that happens at the shop.”
“And I have a class to teach.”
“You wouldn’t want the kids in danger, right? We don’t have any idea what we’re dealing with.”
As much as I hated admitting it, he brought up a good point. “Okay, you’re right on that argument.”
He chuckled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Let’s take one step at a time. Diesel’s first. Then accommodations.” He emptied his cup and stood. He stepped closer to me, so close that his breath swept across my cheek. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“I’m not taking anything with me. If that’s what we decide is best, we’ll come back and I can grab my things. After we check out what’s in the box, everything might be fine.” I slid the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip, willing my body not to fall helplessly against him. “I’m not your responsibility, Blaze.”
His hand came up and he touched my chin, lifting it slightly. “Oh, baby, but you are.”
I looked at him through the veil of my lashes. My stomach dropped to my toes. “This is dangerous.”
His hand dropped to my neck, then he slid his fingers around to the back of my neck. His callused hand grazed the sensitive skin. I eased closer, drawn to him. I pressed my palms against his chest. The warmth from him heated my hands. I inhaled…his smell was an aphrodisiac. His free hand slipped to the small of my back and he pulled me against him as sweet poison filtered through my body. I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t fight the desire. I wanted this moment to never end.
Our lips touched softly, and then the rhythm increased…the yearning spiraled. He slipped his tongue between my lips, tasting me, sampling me. I brought my arms up and around his neck, clinging to him, my nails digging into his shoulders. He dropped his hands to my bottom, gently squeezing and massaging. The bulge behind his zipper rubbed my stomach, enticing me.
Pressure built in my head, slowly oozing through my body and settling like a force between my legs. I looked up into his perfectly bearded face and his knock-my-panties-off gaze. Here I was again, deeply entangled with this man. When did I ever manage to detangle myself?
I hadn’t learned my lesson the first time.
“Blaze—” His name drifted from my lips, thick like honey.
“You taste sweet. Intoxicating.”
Why did he have to be so sexy? Such a great kisser? His python-like arms wrapped around me in a grip that made me feel more secure than I had in my entire life.
If I could describe this as casual horniness and a need to extinguish the fire burning in my core, I’d go along with it easily. But this was nothing short of a desire that one man created, and only one man could quench.
It scared the hell out of me how much I wanted him.
I pushed at his shoulders as a disgruntled moan fell off my lips.
He didn’t make a move to back away. He brought his hand up and slipped his thumb along the curve of my lips. I fought the urge to lick his finger.
His other hand moved to the waist of my jeans, tugging until the material rested at my knees. His knuckles brushed my inner thighs, rubbing the aching seam. I jerked and automatically rolled my hips, hating the betrayal in my body. He pushed the tip of his finger into my opening, panties and all. I’d never wanted anything more than to release my built-up need. He knew what I wanted. He moved the material to the side, slipping his finger freely back into me. I rode his digit, my breaths coming in spurts. I neared release, so close I thought I’d burst. He continually thrust his finger in and out, swirling two fingers around the muscled passage. Scorching sensation ruptured through my core, flowing down my legs, curling my toes. I arched against him as a moan slipped from my parted lips.
Breathtakingly satisfied, I leaned into him.
He removed his hand and pulled my pants back into place. “I’m as hard as a rod, baby. I want to bend you over the table and slam my cock deep inside of you.” His words did incredible things to my body. “But I won’t rush you. I’ll give you the time to get accustomed to the idea that one day, very soon, you’ll no longer fight the craving. You’ll beg me to suck and lick and stroke every part of you, to release that bundle of desire hidden away in that sweet body of yours.”
“I’ll never beg you,” I whispered angrily.
One corner of his mouth lifted. His warm gaze held mine. “Baby, why do you keep denying the irrefutable?”
Who did he think he was? “I refuse to become one of your whores. I’ll never share my man.” I ground the words through tight lips.
“I once told you that if I had you in my bed, there’d never be another sharing that space.”
“I remember Diesel saying he only needed one woman. Look how quickly that changed. The sheets were still warm when he left our bed and climbed into another.” I leaned back against his arm that still held me close.
He took a short step back, annoyance evident in his dark eyes. “Don’t compare me to Diesel.” His gruff voice cut through me. “We may have worn the same cut, but I assure you that’s where the similarities end.” He let go of me. “And baby, a man doesn’t want to touch a woman who loves another. You wanted me, like I wanted you from the beginning. We thought we hid our feelings, but we were only kidding ourselves.”
I couldn’t argue. “What happened between you and Diesel? Once you two were best friends. You were loyal to him.” I needed to know.
He shrugged and I swore I heard a seam break in his T-shirt. “Power changed him—greed and power. And you. He knew you didn’t belong with him, but he couldn’t let go.”
“I look back and I see that I never loved him, not like I loved—” Finishing my sentence wasn’t an option, not if I planned on fighting the whirlwind of emotion swirling through me.
He pushed his hand through his hair, spiking waves through the silken strands. “We should go. The sun is coming up now.”
CHAPTER SIX
Once we were inside Diesel’s house I concentrated on my legs moving me down the hallway from the backdoor where we’d broken in. I was now a criminal. And worse…I entered the home where Diesel had been murdered.
A big part of me wanted to run away, but I had to be stronger. I had to find the tougher person inside of me. I couldn’t falter. Blaze’s wellbeing was in danger too.
Half way to the living room, I stopped and stared down the narrow hall. I wondered where Diesel had been found. I didn’t really want to know.
“In here,” Blaze tugged my hand, pulling me into the bedroom. Everything appeared a mess. Things were strewn out of the drawers. Pictures were pulled off the walls and glass was broken. The closet door stood wide open.
“Did the police do this?” I asked.
; He shrugged. “Or the person who shot him. Someone was looking for something.”
“Let’s get this over with. I’m getting chills just being here.” I wrapped my arms around my waist.
Blaze bent to his knees beside the bed and looked underneath. “There isn’t a box here.”
“There must be. He said under the bed.” I took a step forward, hearing a crack under my shoe. I looked down. Behind the cracked glass of a frame was a recent picture of Diesel. He sat on his bike, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. He had changed. His hair, once dark as coal, had turned salt and pepper. A long beard covered his chin.
“Nope, nothing.”
A thought came to me. “Push the bed aside, Blaze.”
“Okay.” He stood and moved the bed with his foot. The legs scraped the floor and struck the nightstand on the other side.
“Be careful,” I urged.
“I don’t think we can hurt anything worse than it already is.”
I shrugged. “Do you see any loose boards?” I tapped the floor with the toe of my shoe.
“Hell, I don’t—wait, here it is.” Blaze dropped back on his knees, pulling a closed blade from his back pocket. He clicked it open and used it to wedge the boards free. “I’m getting it.” He laid them aside until the hole was wide enough to look through. “Bingo.”
“What is it?” I peered over his shoulder. I could see something silver in the hole.
“How did you know?” Blaze looked at me, his gaze narrowed.
“I remember coming here with him when his mom was still alive. He said he needed to grab something from his bedroom. I wasn’t supposed to know about the compartment in the floor, but I saw him on my way to the bathroom.”
Blaze reached in and pulled a large box out, groaning. “Damn, this thing is heavy.” He set it in between them. He jangled the lock. “I guess we know now where the key fits.”
I reached into my front pocket and grabbed the key.
I stared at the box. I had no clue what I would find in it, and a part of me didn’t want to look. I wanted to walk away. But there was too much at stake. Blaze’s innocence mostly.
Blaze had stood and he watched me closely. His nerves were on edge. His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. I wondered if he was thinking that Diesel, a man of mystery, could leave them both screwed.
With the key in my hand, I bent and slid it into the lock, turning it. The click sounded loud in the small space. “Here goes.” I lifted the lid and my breath swished from my lungs. “Oh holy mother…” Bills were stacked, piled as high as the top of the box, in three neat rows. “Blaze. I do believe Diesel was doing something illegal.”
“Holy shit!”
“How much do you think is there,” I whispered.
“A shitload.”
I looked at his profile. “We have to call Peterson.” I stood and started for the door.
“Wait,” Blaze said.
“Wait for what? The only reason Diesel would have this much cash is because he was doing something illegal. I’m not going to prison for him!” I dug into my back pocket, grabbed my phone and had it mid-air when I noticed Blaze’s pained expression. “What, Blaze?”
His expression paled. “I agree. He was up to no good, but I have a feeling it’s not as simple as calling Peterson. And remember, I did buy him out of his share of the shop. That could be a lot of the money.”
I panicked. I couldn’t breathe. I dropped my phone onto the bed. “What are you suggesting?”
He shrugged and took something out of the box. “Start by reading this.” He held up a small, white envelope. “It has your name on it.”
Wrapping my brain around his words, I grabbed the envelope. “I hate Diesel. I really do,” I murmured and dropped into the chair by the desk.
“This should get real interesting.”
Sliding open the unsealed flap, I took out the piece of paper and smoothed it on the desk. I read it aloud…
“Rena,
If you’re reading this then you didn’t go to the police. This shit sucks, I know. I’m sorry I dragged you into this, but I need your help. There’s two-hundred thousand here in this box. That’s a lot of dough. I guess I won’t get that new Harley now. As far as I see it, one person needs this to make up for what I’ve done. Take it to 1765 Bellview Park, Grove City. You’ll know what to do. You always did.”
Blaze.”
“What the hell is he up to?” I got up from the chair.
“I’m curious who else knows he had this much cash hidden here? Probably why this place is ransacked.”
“I’m committing a crime if I don’t give this to Peterson.” My head hurt. My stomach flip-flopped. And I was confused.
“Rena, you have to decide what you want to do, but Peterson won’t protect you. If this is blood money, someone wants it back.”
Damn! “Are you suggesting we leave this cash? Here?”
“I’m suggesting you put all of it in a bag and we walk out of here and figure out who Diesel believed should have this. I have a friend in the local PD who’ll look up the name who lives at the address. We can go from there.”
“I’m not a detective, Blaze. I don’t want to be.”
“But you do want to live, right?” His pensive glare made me tremble.
“Of course.”
He stood up, came to me and grabbed my shoulders. He turned me around to face him. His jaw slacked, but his lips were tight. “This is too much cash for anyone to forget. Diesel could have been killed because of it, and I refuse to let that happen to you.”
I blinked back tears. “Why? Why would he entrust me with this money?”
“That’s what we need to find out. I can ask around. We’ll figure it out. But handing it over to Peterson is probably one of the craziest things I’ve heard.”
“Someone has to be trusted.”
One corner of his mouth jerked upward. “I know why we nicknamed you Bambi. Always naive. There is someone you can trust.” He swept the tips of his fingers across my cheek. “Me. I’d never let anything happen to you. I’d put my life on the line.”
I swallowed despite the lump in my throat. The sincerity in his expression made every fine hair on my body stand as my stomach did a twist. How could he make everything feel okay?
Those were my thoughts as we pulled back in front of my house an hour later. Two trash bags stuffed with cash were in the trunk of my car. I felt like a criminal. I swore everyone had their eyes on me. I didn’t know if not telling Peterson was the right thing, but I wasn’t convinced yet that it was the wrong thing either. Blaze could be right. Two-hundred grand wouldn’t be forgotten. If someone else knew about it, Blaze and I both could be in danger.
I had no doubt, though, that Diesel didn’t die over a woman he had been screwing.
I agreed to stay with Blaze at his shop. What choice did I have? I didn’t own a gun, never thought of having one. I couldn’t ask him to give up his life to come and babysit me. He seemed to believe I would be safer there than at home.
Upstairs in my bedroom, I gathered enough clothes to get me through for a few days and zipped the suitcase. I would be safe with Blaze, except when it came to matters of the heart. I’d never stopped loving him. Never stopped wondering what the possibilities could have been…
My cell phone rang from the nightstand. I glanced at the screen. Daisy. I hit talk. “Hello?”
“Okay. You haven’t called in work in forever. I know what’s going on. Fess up, girly.”
My fingers tightened on the cell. “You do?”
“Of course. Your knight in shining armor has come along and swept you off your feet. You can’t even drag yourself out of bed to come to work, can you?” Daisy’s chuckle vibrated the phone.
Movement in the hall grabbed my attention. Blaze stood in the doorway, leaning one brawny shoulder against the frame. His heated gaze made me shift. I licked my lips and hoped my voice would work. “I don’t believe in knights in shining armor. That’s a fairytale. I’m unde
r the weather today.” I hated lying, but I couldn’t tell the truth and put Daisy in the middle of this too.
“Will you be back tomorrow?”
“I’m taking a few days. I don’t want to pass my germs to the kids.” I turned so that I couldn’t see Blaze. He had a way of making me nervous. I especially couldn’t lie in front of him.
“Who am I going to eat lunch with? And you’re not in any kind of trouble, are you?”
“No, I’m okay, besides a scratch in my throat.”
“Okay, I believe you. I can wait until you come back to bore you with my role-playing and complaints. You take care and call me if you need anything.”
I finished the conversation, quicker than normal, knowing I had a pair of striking eyes watching me.
“A friend?” He took a step into the bedroom. The oxygen depleted. He stood in front of my dresser, looking at me through the mirror. The view couldn’t get any better than this. Front and back of gorgeous at the same time.
“A friend from work.” I slipped my gaze down the strong lines of his back, lean hips, nice bottom. Scorching heat rushed through my veins as I remembered the orgasm I’d had at his fingertips. I busied myself packing my toiletries into a small bag. Out of my peripheral, I could see he’d turned around and now leaned against the dresser. There had to be a point when I wouldn’t get all flustered like a teenager when he was around. Something had to put those feelings to rest…but I had a feeling only one thing could ease the need within me. That could be as dangerous as playing Russian roulette. Things were already complicated enough. Within twenty-four hours, my calm, serene life had turned erratic. I couldn’t believe I had bags of cash in my car. I had so many emotions running through me. I wanted off the roller coaster.
“You’re taking a few days off work. I think that’s a good idea.”
“What choice do I have?” I answered bitterly.
“Look, I know this isn’t—”
“Stop, Blaze.” I swung around on him. All of my feelings leaked through to the surface. “I left Wings. The last thing I wanted was to be involved with the club, or involved with any member of the club. I don’t want to live like this.” Wow, I found my voice, so why didn’t I feel better? Why did I feel as if I’d lashed out at the last person who deserved it?
Leather for Two: Wings of Steel MC Page 7
