by Carmen Faye
That gave Maya doubts. Sneaking back into town to avoid being shot at? It didn’t sit well, and her stomach churned. “Are you sure we need to take that much precaution?”
“Absolutely.” He was serious and determined. Maya didn’t argue; she could charter a jet to arrive in Phoenix late this evening, or she could have her agent book a commercial flight that left tomorrow.
Nodding her reluctant agreement, Maya went to the drawer where she’d tucked away the few items of clothing she’d managed to fit into the saddlebag on Vance’s bike, along with a couple of outfits she’d bought hastily on arrival. She grabbed a scarf for her head—it had been ridiculously windy since they’d arrived—and said, “Coffee is great, but I’m starving. Let’s go downstairs for breakfast.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Since their arrival in Los Angeles, Vance had lacked the comfort he felt in Wheelie. He’d traveled from place to place with his mother, but he’d been young, and they had moved so often he’d never put down roots. The only place he ever called home was the small town he ran with his club, and the difference between Wheelie and this urban jungle was so vast he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
The only time he felt any sense of peace was alone in the hotel room with Maya. And even then, unless they were making love or watching television, he couldn’t quite settle in. The room was luxurious, and though he furnished and outfitted his humble house to feel coddled and happy, it didn’t hold a candle to the expensive décor in a five-star hotel.
He missed home, but he refused to leave Maya’s side as long as there was still danger. Besides, he couldn’t imagine being without her. Maya had carved out a very real place in Vance’s life in a short time, and that spot would be empty if they went separate ways. Having no experience with the emotions he held for her, he had no clue how to repair the damage of life without her. He was in turmoil, his instincts to run and keep her out of trouble battling with his irrational need for her in his life.
Now, he sat at a booth in the swanky little restaurant, looking over a menu that offered expensive and creative dishes. All he wanted were some damn eggs and bacon, maybe with a waffle. He flipped to the back and was relieved to see that they offered some traditional dishes.
He’d changed his style of dress, too. While he clung to his need for black duds and motorcycle boots, he’d dressed it up, wearing nicer jeans he’d bought when they arrived and uncomfortable polo or button-down shirts. He hated not having his vest on, too. In this place, people still stared at him and kept a wide berth like he was a pariah, gawking or wrinkling their noses in disgust at his tattoos.
He was bound and determined that, after Maya had done her shopping, they would hit one of the biker bars before they left town. It would give him a better sense of control over something and hopefully prepare Maya for spending real time in his hometown.
Before they left, Maya wanted to go back up to the room and make a couple of calls to schedule their flight. She put the meal on the room tab, and Vance gritted his teeth. He may be old-fashioned, but he firmly believed the man should pay. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the money. And for her to get the flights, too…it was almost too much.
He was pacing as she hung up, trying to be calm. “I don’t mean to sound like a chauvinist pain in the ass, but I’m having a bit of an issue with you picking up all the bills.” He shook his head and tried to make light of it with a chuckle. “You’re hurting my pride here.”
To his dismay, she burst out laughing, and he scowled at her. Was she making fun of him? “Wait a minute, cowboy. If you want to pay for something, all you have to do is say so. But I’m not the one picking up the tab. My agency is covering the hotel, reimbursing food costs, and paying for the flight. So, it’s not coming out of my pocket. Such are the perks of fame and fortune. The more I have, the less I need to spend to live in the lap of luxury.”
Vance felt like a complete idiot. He shouldn’t have brought it up. He hadn’t realized Maya was so well cared for by her agency. It showed his naivety about things he should have understood, and he was angry because he was embarrassed. It wasn’t a position he liked to be in for any reason. “Why didn’t you tell me that before? It would have been nice to know so I wasn’t sitting here, getting all worked up about letting you pay for things.” He shouldn’t be lashing out at her, but his pride found the nearest target and went to town.
Maya rolled her eyes and gave him a look like she thought he was being childish. “I guess I thought you knew already. It’s not a big deal. I don’t like talking about it because it makes me feel weird, like I’m accepting charity I don’t need. But on the flip side, I can spend more of my money on the things I want.”
That didn’t help. He’d sounded petty, and he’d made her talk about a subject that bothered her, embarrassed her. Maya was as proud as he was and didn’t want to admit to having a silver spoon in her mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten irritated.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. If we’re going to do any shopping, we have to get going. Franz is chartering a flight leaving LAX at seven o’clock and landing in Phoenix around nine. We need to be at the airport by six, and with traffic, it’s going to take a minute to get there.”
Another thing Vance hated about LA. There was never a time when the traffic wasn’t at a standstill. How the hell could he enjoy a road trip if he couldn’t even hit open road? “Then get that tight little ass up, and let’s go.” He smacked her on the rear as they left, making her squeal and getting him worked up enough so he had to adjust his pants. They really had spent far too much time learning each other’s bodies and not enough time exploring the chemistry that had brought them together in the first place.
Vance was ready to get out of this damn hotel and the high society world he’d been thrown into for the past week and back to a place where he felt at home. Then, he could really show Maya a good time.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Maya eyed Vance with interest. He was obviously completely out of his element and extremely uncomfortable on the private jet. “Have you ever flown?” she asked, wondering if it was just this particular jet or planes in general that turned him into a nervous wreck.
“I’ve been on three planes and hated every one of them.”
She snorted and gazed out the window beside her, looking at whatever distant point on the ground seemed to hold her interest. He sat across from her, facing her with the small table in between, and Maya considered whether it would help or make things worse if she moved into the seat next to him. He might see it as comfort, or he might see the action as pity and coddling. The latter wouldn’t receive a very good response.
“Private flights are better than commercial flights,” she prompted. “You have lots of room to move around; it sits like a regular room; it’s faster; and it’s smoother. We rarely hit turbulence. And the rules about staying seated and wearing your seatbelt don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if you want to take a nap, there’s a bed in the back room.”
Vance’s head whipped around, and he locked eyes with her. Maya knew instantly what had sparked his interest, and she couldn’t blame him. Today had been hectic, even though they’d had a great time, and they had hardly touched each other or made a sexual remark. It was like going through withdrawals, and Maya’s body begged for his touch.
“A bed, huh?” he asked, his curiosity piqued. He rubbed the two days’ worth of stubble on his chin thoughtfully, as his eyes sparkled with mischief. “What size is it?”
Putting on a seductive grin, Maya leaned forward and told him, “It’s a queen with a pillow top. It’s really comfortable. Let me show you.” She stood and reached for his hand, and with a second’s hesitation as he stared at her outstretched fingers, he clasped them and let her lead the way.
Maya had only used the bedroom flying long distance on the way to Malaysia and again when she’d gone to Greece. She had another shoot in three or four months, when spring returned to New Zealand. She’d sleep then, too. Oth
erwise, no one had used the bed at all.
The linens were fresh, and the air blew cool in the room. The lights were dim, and Vance tensed visibly with excitement, the evidence of which was beginning to make quite the notable appearance at his crotch. “Why don’t you lie down on your stomach, and I’ll give you a massage?” she suggested in a suggestive tone.
He started to follow her orders, but Maya stopped him. “A proper massage requires the removal of clothing, sweetheart. Strip.” Now, there was command in her voice, and she could almost feel his mouth go dry with pent up desire. Her own anticipation grabbing at her, Maya knew this wasn’t going to be the long, sensual coupling she had planned when she brought Vance back here. It would be frantic and desperate, satisfying a deep need in both of them.
How in the course of less than two weeks they had become so connected and so desirous of each other, Maya couldn’t explain. And considering their mutual opinions on settling down, it really didn’t make sense.
However, her stomach and things lower in her gut growled with hunger as Vance stood unclad before her. She could have run her tongue up and down his body, over every last inch of it, and never grown tired of it. “I think I’ve changed my mind,” she told him, hearing the drop in pitch caused by her arousal. “I want you on your back.”
“Then I’ll oblige,” he agreed, lying back with his erection at full staff. God, he was gorgeous! Maya was suddenly grateful she hadn’t changed out of the sundress for the flight; it made shedding her clothes so much easier. She was on him like a snake that crept under the covers and slithered up his body with the ravenous hunger of not having eaten for days.
Vance caught her and drew her up to his mouth, devouring her like he hadn’t had a drink in weeks. She met his fervor and reached down to stroke him, wanting to be sure he was good and ready. Her patience had vanished, and Maya wanted him right now, as foreplay was thrown out the door. Without giving him a chance to protest or try something else, Maya impaled herself on his shaft, not stopping until she sheathed him completely. Her body shook, and Vance cried out, clenching his teeth as his body jerked. He fought the instinct to finish right then and there, and Maya delighted in the fact that she challenged his control. It was a heady feeling of power, and she began to rock on him before he managed to fully bring his body under control.
It gave her fiercely strong orgasms, and she bucked and whimpered and cried out in her insane pleasure, while Vance closed his eyes and threw his head back, obviously concentrating on some distant thought to keep himself from ending this too soon.
And just as quickly and thoroughly as she’d demanded her way with Vance, Maya found herself lifted from his body, no longer straddling him. She blinked, not quite sure how he’d moved so fast. He put a hand on her back, guiding her gently to her hands and knees, and he knelt between her legs as he spread them apart.
Maya shook and moaned as he ran his length over her wet folds, and she waited anxiously as he aligned his tip with her center. He thrust into her forcefully, and Maya saw stars as she reeled from the sensation. This angle touched places inside her that made her erupt instantaneously, and Vance had to keep his hand splayed on the small of her back so she wouldn’t sit up and buck.
He began to slide in and out of her with precise, slow motions, but as her moisture made everything slicker, he moved faster, shoved harder, and filled her with an indescribable ecstasy. She fisted her hands in the sheets and screamed, not caring if the pilot heard her or not. She was lost in her senses, the way her body reacted to Vance. She hadn’t been with anyone who could do this to her before.
And before she could lose her enjoyment by analyzing too closely, Vance thrust deep into her and pulled her to her knees. He came hard, and Maya came with him in an explosive mutual wave of pleasure. The moment his arm fell away, she collapsed, and Vance dropped down beside her, obviously as drained as she was. However, she could see the afterglow in his dazed eyes that matched her heavy eyelids.
He was satisfied.
Coming in and out of consciousness for a few minutes as she recovered, Maya didn’t move any of her heavy limbs and didn’t think. She just lay there, let her lungs naturally remember how to breathe, and watched Vance’s chest heave up and down, fast at first and then slower, calmer. Finally, she rasped, “This flight is only a couple of hours, so we should wait to sleep when we get to the hotel in Phoenix.”
Rolling to his feet and reaching for his clothes, Vance shook his head. “We’re not staying in a hotel tonight.”
Maya was confused. She’d had her agent reserve them a room at one of the nice hotels at the airport. Where exactly did Vance want to go? “What do you mean, we’re not staying at a hotel? It’s going to be late by the time we pull in at the gate, and it’s a long drive to Wheelie.”
“It’s perfect, and I’ve got transportation ready.” He smiled at her as she managed to push to a seated position. “If we want to get in undetected, the cover of night is the best way. It’s about a two-hour drive from the airport.”
Skeptical and again thinking about the danger she hadn’t counted on and the one part of this whole scenario that kept it from being ideal. It just happened to be a very large problem. “With the Scorpions watching the road, how are we going to sneak in with our faces clearly visible in a car window, in the middle of the night, when there’s no other traffic around for distraction?”
He sighed and gave her a long, suffering look. “Do you trust me, Maya?”
“Yes,” she answered. She didn’t even have to think about it; she truly did trust him.
“Then know that we’ll be alright, if we do this my way.” He said nothing more about it, and Maya gave up the fight. It was an important topic, but the argument was petty, and she realized it was the second one today. They hadn’t fought at all up until now. Was the honeymoon period over? Were they headed toward the conversation of, This isn’t working out? She shook that thought out of her head and got dressed.
They touched down forty minutes later, and true to his word, Vance greeted three of his brothers there, all in their vests. He threw his on over his clothes, and Maya grew nervous. He’d just put a target on his back. Then again, anyone looking for him in this area likely recognized him without the insignia, so she supposed it didn’t really matter.
Butch and Caleb introduced themselves, both younger members of the club, and Maya greeted Dusty with a hug. They weren’t exactly friends, but having been through some serious shit together and both being protective of Vance gave them an understanding and a bond. Maya didn’t know if she’d ever get over how strange it was to hug a tattooed, leather-clad man with a scar down the side of his face and at least one gun tucked somewhere on his body. However, it felt strangely good…familiar, and she hoped that if she and Vance really got serious about this thing they had, she could befriend more of the guys.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Vance was elated to see Dusty, Caleb, and Butch as they exited through security. All three of them stood off to the side, away from the small crowd that was late-night airport traffic. He hadn’t known until they landed how it worked with a private jet, but the one that had been chartered for Maya was large enough to pull up to a gate with a jetway.
“Are we set to go?” he asked, taking Maya’s hand and pulling her close to him. This was a very large and open public place, and while guns couldn’t get through security, they could be carried here, in the baggage claim area. He knew his boys were carrying, and if anyone looking for them showed up, things could get disastrous. Vance didn’t want to see innocent bystanders harmed, but if it took a gun fight to stay alive and keep Maya out of harm’s way, they would engage.
Dusty nodded. “The truck’s out there. We’re stopping on the way to pick up a storage load, if that’s alright. I figure since we’re all the way out here, we might as well grab a couple of orders and kill two birds with one stone.”
“That’s fine,” Vance agreed, practically blowing it off. A routine run to the storage fac
ility just outside of Phoenix they used for overflow when they ran out of room for the weapons they trafficked was not a big deal. They’d get there, get in and pull the inventory for the order, pack it nice and neatly in the truck, and be on their way. It would take thirty minutes, tops. They were fast and efficient at their jobs, and they’d learned to keep the storage building organized so they wouldn’t have to fumble through everything and potentially lose an arm because someone had left a loaded gun around.
As they filed out toward the truck, Maya leaned into him and asked in a quiet voice, “How big are these orders?”
She looked a bit wide-eyed and concerned. He doubted she’d spent a lot of time around large weapons, and he wanted to reassure her, though he wasn’t quite sure how. “Typically, whatever we’re getting from storage is small. It’s filler for an order we’ve pulled from our regular stock when we’re short a few pieces. Or a special order of things we don’t keep on hand. Don’t worry, the guns and ammo come separate.”
