by Lilly Atlas
Then why did he feel like he was playing with fire so hot someone was bound to be incinerated?
Chapter Six
Rebel’s house wasn’t fancy, but it was medium sized and Kori had a room and bathroom all to herself. Maybe while she was here she’d add a few feminine touches, spruce the place up a bit. It could certainly stand to be a bit homier. The furniture was comfortable enough but ancient and worn. Not a single picture adorned the walls. No knickknacks lay around on any tables.
Her bedroom held a simple, no-frills queen-size bed. Basically, a box spring and mattress on a metal frame. No headboard, no footboard, no colorful comforter. A dresser that could use some serious sanding and more than one coat of paint was shoved in the corner of the room. That was it. Nothing else.
Maybe she’d give the dresser a little TLC while she was around. She loved that sort of work. Refurbishing furniture, working with her hands to take something that, on initial appearance, was old and unimpressive and making it beautiful once again. It would give her something to occupy her time at least, while she decided if she wanted to apply for a job here in Vegas or venture back home. Or even go somewhere else. Really, there was nothing stopping her from starting over in a whole new area. And given the fact that she was leery about tying herself to another MC, moving somewhere she had no connections might be the wisest idea.
There hadn’t been much of an opportunity to chat with Rebel over the past twenty-four hours and she was okay with that. It gave her some quiet time to buy a few things for her room, settle in, and think. And she’d thought all right. She thought about Lucky’s hard chest and his shit-eating grin. She thought about his swagger and the muscles in his arms that bulged in just the way that made her want to sink her teeth into them. She thought about how his strong hands would feel cupping her breasts, pinching her nipples, parting her folds…
Basically, she’d thought herself into such an aroused state, she was forced to shove her hand in her pants and take care of the problem. She’d bitten down on the pillow to muffle any cries of pleasure the fantasy Lucky may have wrung from her while she pleasured herself in her father’s house like a horny teenager with no other outlet.
Apparently, her subconscious didn’t get the no biker message.
She shook off the memories from hours ago and tried to get in the mood for the welcome party Rebel insisted on hosting.
“Hey, I thought the boss said he didn’t want to see you lifting a finger for this party.” One of the three prospects who’d been running around all afternoon stood a few feet away. His colossal arms were crossed over a chest so massive it looked like a caricature drawing. Rebel had said his name was Vee, after Humvee, since he was built like one.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m just filling this cooler with beer. I think I can handle it. Plus, you guys have been working your assess off to prepare for this barbecue. No harm in me pitching in a little.”
Vee snorted and yanked the beer bottles out of her hands. “Sorry, babe, not even for your hot ass am I going against a direct order from the Pres. And it is a hot ass.” He winked. “So I recommend you sit it down in that chair over there. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”
Kori rolled her eyes. Bikers. Different club, same in-your-face sexuality and macho bullshit. Now why couldn’t she have had the same uninterested reaction to Lucky?
“You threatening to spank the president’s daughter, Vee?” Lucky’s mesmerizing voice floated over her shoulders and wrapped around her like a soft, warm blanket.
Had her thoughts conjured him? Her face flamed, and if she was a betting woman, she’d wager it rivaled the beet-red flush that crept up Vee’s neck and invaded his face.
“Uhh, no, Luck. I was just…uhh…well, you see, Rebel said…” The poor guy sputtered and danced from one foot to the other like the ground was on fire.
It might have been mean, but she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing. She shot Lucky a put-the-poor-guy-out-of-his-misery look as he drew up next to her.
Lucky didn’t bother to hide his own amusement and let the laughter fly. “Get the fuck back to work, prospect, and keep your eyes off the woman.” After Vee scrambled away, Lucky turned his panty-melting grin on her. “Well, that was fun. But you know what would be more fun?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“How about you let Uncle Lucky take you for a ride on my powerful—”
And back to predictable. She held up a hand. “Okay, let me stop you right there. Your club brothers are going to start arriving any minute so, no, I will not be going for a ride on your hog, or your bike, or your cock for that matter. I told you. I don’t do bikers. And for the record, can it with this whole King Shit act. I’m not buying it.”
With that snooty speech, she spun on her heel and marched into the house. There had to be some menial task they’d let her help with. At least until more people arrived and she could blend into the crowd.
The problem was that the man tempted her in ways she hadn’t experienced in ages. Her dating life was an abysmal story summed up in one word: nonexistent. She didn’t date bikers, and the many bikers she knew tended to run off any nice, tame prospective boyfriend she brought home. Just because she’d tried to steer clear of the MC her mom married into, didn’t mean she’d been successful.
Lucky was everything her brain and heart tried to avoid, but everything her body wanted desperately. Sometimes life was so unfair. She was almost grateful for his obnoxious cocky attitude because, without it, she just might throw caution to the wind and break her most important dating rule.
Then she’d just be a number in a long line of foolish girls who fell under the charming spell of an experienced womanizer. Wondering why she wasn’t enough to keep him for more than a night or two.
And that was the last thing she needed when everything else in her life was upside down.
What was it with that woman? She was literally the only female to call him on his bullshit and flip him ass over ankles. For twenty years, he’d been charming women out of their panties with a quip and a smile. Hell, it was why they called him Lucky for fuck’s sake. He couldn’t recall a time when a single woman had turned him down, let alone read him the riot act.
It was different. It was disconcerting. It was…refreshing. But the weirdest part about the whole thing was how it did nothing to squash his desire for her. Instead, it only made him more determined to have her. Sure, the challenge of it all appealed to him a bit, but it was more than just a she-rejected-me-so-I’m-gonna-show-her thing. No, he felt an actual interest in both the body and the woman who owned it.
It was a strange as fuck feeling.
He snagged a beer from the cooler, popped the top, and let the frosty liquid extinguish the fire smoldering inside of him. Now he had to figure out how to get her to agree to a date.
“That one’s got an ass on her that gives a man all kinds of ideas, huh?” Savage’s voice cut through Lucky’s musings.
Lucky’d been uncomfortable around the man ever since he’d found out he was one half of the drug running operation. Savage had never been his favorite person to begin with, but he was the club’s VP, so Lucky afforded him the respect the position demanded. Now, though, it felt forced. And he was certain Savage could sense a shift in his attitude recently.
“You gonna make a play for her?” Savage grabbed a beer of his own.
“What’s it to you?” It wouldn’t pay to lay his cards on the table. Savage was also a man who had his nickname for a damn good reason.
“I just might give you a run for your money on this one. She might make a good ol’ lady.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Nor did it warm them. Those eyes were always cold, calculating, and way too shifty to read.
Ol’ lady? Really? What the hell was Savage’s game? He was already in line to take over the club whenever Rebel bowed out. That wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon, however. Maybe Savage thought of her as a bit of an insurance policy. Get in cozy with the new
club princess to ensure he never fell out of Rebel’s favor. Not for one second did he consider Savage’s intentions were pure, or as pure as a hardened biker’s could be.
Whatever the reason, Lucky didn’t like it. Savage had a bit of a nasty reputation when it came to women. He was too rough, too severe, too controlling. Most who slept with him weren’t willing to go back for seconds, or so rumor had it. Lucky had never given much thought to those rumors. They’d never been his business before. Hell, they weren’t his business now. Except for the raging hard-on he had for the woman in question.
Silence settled between the two men. Lucky was at a complete loss for what to say to his VP. All that came to mind was, “Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing pushing drugs and working with the Grimm Brothers?” And that question would get him a serious ass beating at the very least.
After a few minutes of somewhat uncomfortable silence, they both turned their attention to the house where Rebel and Kori were emerging. His president pointed and nudged his daughter in their direction. She nodded at whatever he said and made her way toward them.
“Baby girl, have you met Savage and Lucky?” Rebel asked as they drew close.
A mischievous grin formed on her mouth. “Lucky has hit on me a few times, yes, but I haven’t met Savage yet.”
Lucky grimaced and Kori’s eyes twinkled with mirth. The little vixen. She had to know her new found old man wouldn’t necessarily appreciate a member of his club trying to worm his way into her bed.
Thankfully, Rebel laughed. “Well, you are a female, and knowing Lucky, I should have expected he put the moves on you already.”
“Funny,” he muttered.
“Well, Kori, this is Savage, club’s VP, and my right arm.” Rebel gestured toward Savage as he spoke.
Kori switched her beer to her left hand and shifted her focus to Savage. Her smile faltered a smidge as she looked up into his eyes, but she rallied and allowed him to grasp her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You planning to stay in Vegas a while, princess?” Savage asked.
She visibly bristled when the word princess rolled off Savage’s tongue, but Lucky seemed to be the only one who noticed.
“For a bit. Not sure how long yet. I’m still considering my options.” Her voice lost some of its warmth. She looked up at her father. “We haven’t really even had much of a chance to talk since I got here.”
Rebel nodded. “And I’d like to change that, baby girl. Dinner tomorrow? Just the two of us?”
Her face lit up once again and Lucky couldn’t help but stare. Today, her hair was down flowing past her shoulders, and if he thought she looked angelic yesterday, today she might as well be wearing a flowing white dress and a halo. She was smiling now, and he wanted to be the one to put a smile on her face, but for a very different reason.
What the fuck was happening to him?
“That sounds great, Rebel, thanks,” she said, totally unaware of the internal strife Lucky was suffering.
“Good. I’m gonna introduce her around a bit. Savage, I need to talk some business with you before you leave later, so don’t get too wasted.”
“I’ll find you in a bit,” Savage answered.
With a little wave, Kori turned and strode off with Rebel. Lucky risked a glance at Savage. The man’s gaze was riveted to her firm ass, an almost predatory expression on his face.
Attention from Savage was the last thing Kori needed. He’d have to keep his eye on that situation. Better yet, he needed to find a way into her bed. Once he got her there, he was certain he could keep all other men from her mind.
Chapter Seven
Kori glanced at the clock on her phone for what had to be the tenth time in the past twenty minutes. Rebel was seriously late, and her rear end was growing numb from sitting on the rough concrete stoop for the past half hour.
Lateness was something she despised. Looked like that character trait wasn’t inherited from her father.
The distant rumble of motorcycle pipes vibrated through the air. “Finally,” she muttered. As the reverberation grew louder, she rose to her feet and rubbed her sore bottom. Rebel didn’t seem the type to take her anywhere fancy, so she’d donned a pair of jeans and a simple red Harley tank top. Shorts weren’t preferable for riding on the back of a bike, which meant she’d have to suffer through the warm evening in fitted denim.
The bike came into view so she rose and strolled down the driveway. No point in making Rebel come up to her when she was just going to hop on behind him anyway. A tiny ripple of unease crawled up her spine. This would be the first time she and her father really had any quality time to bond.
What if they didn’t get along? What if she discovered they didn’t have any common ground? Nothing to connect over? At least she could ask questions about her mother. Find out what she was like twenty-odd years ago. That should fill up a sufficient amount of time. Plus it would quench her thirst for knowledge about her mother’s past. She had so many questions she’d wanted to ask but never did due to her mom’s negative reaction to her past. If she really delved into it, Kori had the feeling her mother regretted her decision to leave Rebel. It would explain why she’d never talked about it. Painful memories were tough to relive.
Sunlight glanced off the chrome in just the right angle, blinding her with the strong reflection. She nudged her sunglasses from her forehead to the bridge of her nose and waited for her father to coast to a stop.
The first thing she noticed when he slowed to a roll was the lack of a President patch on his cut. Whoever the rider was, it wasn’t her father. “What happened to Rebel?” she called out over the roaring bike.
The mystery rider killed the engine and blessed silence graced the neighborhood once again. He dropped the kickstand and leaned back, pulling his helmet off. Lucky’s grinning face filled her field of vision and her mouth dropped open.
Well, that was attractive. Staring at the man with an open mouth, ready to catch any stray bug that happened to be buzzing by.
Not that she cared if she came off attractive to Lucky.
“He can’t make it. Something came up. He sent me instead. Hop on and let’s go get some grub.” His smile was so wide, it looked like he’d just won a million-dollar poker pot.
Not for one second did she believe in this bogus coincidence. “All right, nicely done. What? Did you offer to polish Rebel’s bike every day for the next month to get him to let you come?”
He threw back his head and let out a genuine laugh. The sound ran down her spine and settled between her legs. Great. Just what she needed. A sexy, off limits man who turned her on with just a laugh.
“No, babe, though I gotta admit I thought about it. This really was just dumb luck. Must have something to do with my name.” He winked.
Kori huffed out a sigh. Damn it. She was starving and had been looking forward to a dinner out. “Please, I’ve heard all about how you got your name. Listen, cowboy, you may be used to women falling at your feet, but I’ve told you a number of times. No dates with bikers.”
“Come on. You gotta be hungry.” He gave her a look that was probably as innocent as he could get. On anyone else, it would be positively sinful, but he lived a notch above the rest of the world on the sin-o-meter.
“I’m good.” She spun toward the house just as her traitorous stomach let out an oh-so-appealing growl.
This time Lucky’s laughter grated on her nerves.
“Okay, how about this. I promise to be a perfect gentleman. Nothing beyond some light flirting. No blatant innuendos. No unauthorized touching. No mention of sex.”
Well…she really was famished and had been looking forward to getting out for a few hours. Slowly, she turned back to him. “Completely hands off?”
He nodded and a teasing glint lit his eyes. “Hands one hundred percent to myself. Unless you ask me to put them on you. Ball’s in your court.”
She raised an eyebrow.
A shrug lifted his shoulders. “Hey, I said I’d
be a gentleman. Didn’t say I was a martyr.” With another semi-innocent smile, he held out a spare helmet.
Kori’s empty stomach won out and she stepped closer. “Okay, fine.” She grabbed the helmet. “But this is not a date. You did not win anything here. You did not wear me down. I’m just freakin’ hungry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lucky said, his eyes on her as she secured the helmet. He looked damn good seated astride the powerful machine with the T-shirt under his cut stretched across his wide chest. The idea of sitting with her arms and legs wrapped around him for an unknown period of time was discomfiting. He had an effect on her body and mind that was powerful and went against her sense of self-preservation. It would be impossible to be so close to him and not react.
But she’d damn well try.
“All set,” she said. She placed a hand on his rounded shoulder and forced her fingers to remain stiff instead of prodding the muscles as she so wanted to do. With a quick look to the heavens in search of common sense, she swung her leg over the bike and settled in behind Lucky.
She’d been on a bike a handful of times, but not enough to feel fully secure when the dangerous hunk of metal lurched forward. Without any other options, Kori wrapped her arms around Lucky’s midsection and held on for dear life.
After about ten minutes of trying to hold on while maintaining at least an inch of distance between her front and Lucky’s muscle-corded back, she gave up. Her core strength wasn’t sufficient enough to maintain the position and her trunk sagged against Lucky. That’s what she got for skipping planks in that yoga class at the gym.
It was a poor idea. The press of Lucky’s body against hers was far too warm and solid. Far too comforting, something she’d done without for so long. When was the last time she’d found any comfort in a man’s body? Even more dangerous was the arousal and magnetic pull to him.
It had been too long and that’s what made it so treacherous. Had she been laid recently, had she had a man in her life, she may not have been so tempted. As it was, she had to link her hands together around his waist to keep from trailing them downward and assessing whether he was half as affected by their proximity as she was.
