Reinventing Mel: A Hellion MC Novel

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  Damn.

  He'd lost it again and over what? But the argument just epitomized how Der was no longer willing to be a part of their family. That he wanted out maybe to even go back to Texas.

  Mel sighed and glanced at Julie.

  "Call Miss Dee," she offered with a small shaky smile. "Either she'll come or one of the other Honeys will. I'd rather stay with them than Derek anyway."

  He pulled his phone from his back pocket and scrolled to Dee's contact info.

  The background noise of what sounded like a party hit him first before Dee said, "And what do I owe this wonderful call from a hot young stud on a Tuesday night?"

  "Hey, Dee. Uhm, I was wondering if you or one of the other Honeys could watch Julie tonight. I kind of have a date…"

  "With the beautiful kittenish Ms. Palmer. Yeah, I heard and was surprised you didn't ask earlier," the husky voice interrupted.

  "I thought I could count on Derek to watch her but he bailed."

  "What time, sweetie?" She cooed and for a moment Mel wondered if the older buxom woman had been drinking. But quickly remembered that she always flirted with him especially on the phone.

  "Ah, as soon as possible. I'm supposed to be picking her up at…"

  "Seven, yes I know. Shit, everyone knows." She laughed into Mel's shocked silence. "I'll be there in ten. Call her and let her know you're running a little bit late."

  How did word get around? Hell, he'd been approached by almost all the managers on some lame excuse but which had ended up being a conversation about how to work his date with Lulu. Some, like Bishop and Silo, offered advice about taking it slow; that their receptionist wasn't that kind of girl.

  Or like Dare saying that the woman was hot for him and he should, if given the opportunity, go for the gusto. Whatever that meant, although he'd had an idea by the hand gesture that accompanied his sponsor's suggestion.

  Even Huff, Brand and Trey had added their two cents even though it was of the congratulatory kind that acknowledged he'd snagged a date with what Huff'd said was, "the beautiful but elusive and cagey Lucille".

  Mel hadn't had any idea of what they were trying to say.

  He finished up his call with Dee and immediately went to contact Lulu and let her know he was running late.

  But as soon as Dee arrived he was off and racing to the address he'd been given, anticipation curling in the sides of his stomach. He hadn't dated one-on-one in high school and never afterward, so he could be forgiven his eagerness at being alone in the company of such a beautiful, bright and smart girl. A girl that seemed to enjoy his company as much as he did hers.

  He did a breath-test before exiting his car and bounded up the stairs to her second floor apartment.

  The vision that met him as she opened the door found his heart kicking up a notch in spite of his fast stair climb. She was wearing another dress although this one was green with a thin shiny belt that accentuated her tiny waist. It was also strapless and he found himself swallowing deep at the sight. Primarily because it exposed a bit more of what he'd often fantasized about.

  She'd paired it with the black petticoats, fishnets and the shiny black shoes he'd met her in. Had even woven a black headband into her hair which she'd left loose and that fell softly over her gleaming tanned shoulders to touch the beginning of her dress. The pink portions were framing her face and shyly peeking through the loose curls.

  "Hey, Mel," she'd greeted softly, her rounded blue eyes turned up at him and smiling.

  Dddaaammmnnn, came his body's moan from somewhere around the level of his crotch.

  "Ah. Hey, Lulu. Don't you look pretty. You ready to go?" He wasn't sure but he didn't think he'd blinked since she'd opened the door.

  "Just let me grab my sweater," she said turning around and going down her hall. He had to deliberately pulled his stare away from her swaying hips and sent his gaze to roam around her place.

  It was…different. A long low-backed purple couch dotted with pink and orange pillows was set in the middle of her living room bracketed by to bright blue chairs. There were even streamers of what looked to be hundreds of white Christmas lights twined together and hung on the walls just below ceiling level. It was amazing, cool and quirky, just like her.

  And as she came back into the room, he couldn't help his blurt of, "great place."

  "I know, right?" She turned and looked around the space, from the kitchen that had all pink (pink!) appliances and the dining room with a green table and multi-colored chairs before sweeping the living room. "Trey told me about it and then helped me get a deal. Even negotiated to get me moved in before it was supposed to be available!"

  Man, Mel wasn't sure but it seemed that the Hellions held the reins in Missoula.

  "Shall we hit it, my lady?" he asked and offered his arm to his very first one-on-one date.

  He caught a bright flare in her blue, blue eyes before she looped her arm in his, a move that caused a swirl of butterflies in his stomach to be released.

  As he opened the heavy door of the old Cutlass, Lulu turned her face to his. "This is so perfect! A classic, right?"

  He didn't know if she was referring to their date or his ride but just nodded and tried to smile. Which seemed to be the right thing to do as she sat first, then twisted to pull her curvy legs into the car with a hand to her skirts in order to seat herself. He took the time walking behind the car to readjust what was already throbbing in his jeans.

  She was too screaming hot for words!

  As he drove they kept up a steady stream of their favorite things about their new town which kept the conversation lively. But soon, all too soon in Mel's opinion, they were pulling into an open space at the club.

  "Do you dance? Country, I mean," she asked as he offered her a hand to help her from the car. The fact that she'd waited for him to open her door was, for him, a big deal and spoke of respect.

  "It's been a while but yeah. It was popular back home although I learned the some of the dances from the forties and fifties from my mom who learned it from her mom," he said, tucking her hand into the crook of her elbow as they went inside. " I'm not much for the newer stuff."

  At her shift in posture, Mel glanced down and saw she was looking up at him. "Me either."

  He got another round of butterfly wings in his belly and whisper of 'jay-sus' from what was in his jeans.

  Paying the entrance fee, he guided her into the club which was fair shimmering with the loud strains of the bluegrass band on stage. He glanced around and spied an empty table for two just three tables back from the dance floor. And Mel was intent on dancing with her. Of being able to touch her if only within the social confines of a dance.

  He asked her what she wanted to drink before they sat down and was taken aback by the surprise in her eyes and voice as she told him. When the haltered and daisy-duke clad waitress wove her way to their table he ordered a draft and a whiskey sour.

  "I've never…that…before," she yelled over the loud music.

  "What?" he called back, cupping a hand around his ear.

  She shook her head hard enough to set the waves of her hair moving. Deciding enough was enough, he reached around the table and grabbed the bottom of her seat before dragging it closer to his. At her somewhat shocked look, Mel bent and placed his mouth down by her shell-like ear which was festooned with a black earring in the shape of a flower. "Only moved you 'cause I couldn't hear you, Lu. Say again?"

  She blinked at him more than a few times before she tilted her chin so that her mouth aligned with his ear. "I've never had that before. You know, somebody that ordered for me. It's nice."

  The words were great but it was the feel of her hot breath on his ear, cheek and neck that was better.

  As they waited on their drinks, he saw her palm on the tabletop keeping time to the music which he had to admit was pretty good. He wondered if she'd be amenable to him reaching a hand across the back of chair. Was it too soon? According to Billy, his best friend and the biggest player at
Beaumont High School, girls gave off signals on when it was time for a guy to step up his game.

  As the waitress set their glasses down and Mel slipped her his cash, he reached a hand to the back of Lulu's chair while he lifted a butt cheek to place his wallet back in his pocket. He made sure to slide the hand on the chair along until it touched her furthest arm.

  As moves went, Mel thought it was pretty smooth. And must've been in his date's view too because she wiggled a shoulder in his armpit, snuggling closer.

  The smell of her damn sultry perfume had his teeth clenching and hard length pulsing.

  Lifting her chin to look up at him, Lulu asked, "Can we dance now?"

  Hell, the real question was he gonna be able to stand up without everyone and their sister knowing about the kick-stand in his pants which had been created with nothing more than her words, breath, looks and smell.

  "Surely," he mumbled and stood, his hand at the top of her chair pulling it back when she gained her feet. Snagging her hand he found a place for them on the crowded dance floor and turned to maneuver her backwards to start the beginning of the standard two-step.

  If Billy was right and women really did do the dirty like they danced, then he and Lulu were destined to be perfect together between the sheets.

  Mel couldn't wait to find the time and a quiet, private place to get Miss Lulu Palmer alone.

  Chapter Five

  Were you kidding me? This guy was like something out of a book. Not only was he extremely easy on the eyes with a body that made me dizzy but he was chivalrous, too. Which was a huge point in his favor since another one of my personal dating codes was that my partner had to lead but do it in such a way that was gentlemanly protective.

  Mel hit that in a huge way. In every way.

  I knew what I was talking about having started dating at sixteen. And I was an equal opportunity dating partner that hadn't really gotten picky about who she spent time with until after my twenty-first birthday.

  So in the five years between sixteen and twenty-one I dated all sorts: the jocks and the nerds, the bad boys and the religious ones, the really smart and the not so bright as well as the handsome and the his-looks-could-use-some-work. Both my sister and my girlfriends thought I was nuts but I knew I was figuring out what kind of boy (and then man) I was attracted to, what ones were worth going out with again and those that needed to be avoided at all costs.

  Then my father had stepped in and I discovered all my research was for nothing since he'd basically not allowed me a choice.

  "You're really good at this," I praised when Mel changed our positions and moved straight into the 4am Waltz.

  "You too Lulu," he murmured back and smiled into my eyes causing a tummy tumble so strong I stumbled. But he quickly made sure I was steady on my feet before we resumed our steps.

  That was another thing. I liked my men to be able to dance which seemed to be a dying art form among the masculine gender. And I didn't mean standing in the middle of a overly crowded floor bouncing up and down in one spot to a techno beat. Having a sense of rhythm and taking the time to learn some actual moves no matter what style of dance was important to me. Because if a man had rhythm and had taken lessons or learned how to perform certain steps, I knew he'd be much more interesting when it came to our bedroom activities.

  And less involved with just himself in that activity, too.

  "Whew, I need a breather," Mel advised and turned us towards our table as the band took a break.

  Again, he made a point of pulling out my chair but didn't seat himself. Instead, he leaned down with a warm hand on my shoulder, until his mouth was again next to my ear.

  "I need to call home but it's too noisy to do it here. Are you gonna be okay if I step outside for a couple of seconds?" I felt a shimmer of goosebumps move over my skin at the feel of his breath.

  I nodded and twisted my head so he'd be able to hear my answer. "Sure. I'll be fine." I pulled back and made another point of beaming my smile directly at him. Something that had him staring again before he rubbed my skin and moved away. A touch that had me shivering with anticipated pleasure.

  I let my eyes follow him as he stepped towards the entrance unable to help comparing him to the other men as he passed them. And discovered that my opinion of Mel being the best looking man in the bar wasn't out of line, not with all the women's eyes that tracked his progress.

  "Well, looky here, Mole! It's that girl with pink hair," I heard from in front of me. Which if I could hear so clearly, meant whoever said it was shouting. I whipped my head forward hoping it was someone else talking about anybody else but my mind's initial assessment was right.

  Cheese and rice! Of all the dumb luck.

  The unclean bikers who's attention I gained at the Sit 'n' Sip, the ones who wore the gray vests, were standing directly in front of our little table. I eyed them noting the uncombed locks and untidy scruffs of facial hair. Their clothes looked as if they'd been slept in and from the smell emanating from their direction, hadn't been washed in quite a while. But it could've been just the stink of their bodies, a thought that had my stomach roiling and found me lifting a hand to my nose.

  "And lookin' all purty. Don't Pinky look purty, Lucky?" The man named Mole had his eyes glued to my cleavage in such a way it made my skin crawl in both worry and disgust. Feelings that only intensified when the man scratched his crotch as he stared.

  Lucky, the fatter of the two, smacked his lips as he looked me over and reached for an empty chair. "Yep. Too much woman to walk away from. Pro'lly what made the kid leave. Knew she was outta his league." The chair he plopped his wide butt in groaned in protest. And I gagged at the smell his movement had caused to waft my way. His friend sat in Mel's chair and I scooted mine as far away as possible while holding my breath.

  They continued to make comments about me and my appearance, about what a coincidence that we frequented the same places but I tuned them out as my eyes frantically searched for a member of the Boots staff to help me. But I couldn't see anyone, not a waitress or bouncer, in the milling boisterous crowd. What would Mel think when he returned to our table and saw who'd joined me?

  "I need you to leave, please," I instructed loudly and was thankful my voice didn't reveal my distress. "My date will be back any moment…"

  "Aw, Pinky, don't be that way," Lucky chided. To add an 'ick' to the 'eww' factor, the man seemed to spit when he spoke. "We saw him high-tailin' it out the front door. 'Sides, why keep a kid around when you've gotta couple of real men interested?"

  I again anxiously hunted for someone to help but felt my shoulders immediately relax when I heard, "You're in my chair," rumbled from behind me as a warm hand slid onto my shoulder. Dragging my eyes all the way up to Mel's face, I saw a muscle tic in his cheek as his narrowed eyes spoke of danger as it shot between my two unwanted table-mates. Those were the only clues that signaled the menacing vibe rolling off him.

  And set my body to thrumming with the heat it generated.

  The other men laughed as if Mel had said something wildly funny and I felt his hand come off my shoulder before it pressed against the hand Mole had on the tabletop. While I couldn't see exactly what Mel was doing, his fingers moving on back of the other man's hand, whatever it was made Mole squirm in his chair as the smile slid off his face. Within seconds, I saw sweat appear on the biker's upper lip.

  Mel stared directly at Lucky but asked me, "Are these friends of yours, Lu?"

  "No, Mel," I answered firmly, looking up at him although his eyes were still on the fat biker. "They just showed up and sat down. I asked them to leave and they wouldn't."

  "So the lady doesn't want your company and I don't share. What's your next fucking move, boys?" The words Mel ground out through clenched teeth weren't all that scary. It was the way he said them, in a deeply menacing voice, that had me clenching my thighs as I tried to contain the heat, the pressure he'd caused with his bad-ass attitude.

  I saw Lucky's eyes shift to Mole before they m
et Mel's again and the older fat biker tried to sneer, appeared to try to look tough but in my opinion, he missed the mark.

  The stare down continued for a few seconds before Lucky finally stood, yanking up his filthy jeans as he moved. As soon as the dirty, unkempt biker was on his feet, Mel released Mole's hand who immediately cradled it against his chest using his other hand to protect it.

  With a glare our way, the two men wordlessly moved off, the crowd quickly swallowing them up.

  Mel sat down and put a forearm on the table in front of me, the other arm around my shoulders so that our faces were only a few inches apart. I looked into his green eyes and saw concern before I heard his voice. "You okay, precious?"

  I nodded and he quirked an eyebrow as if to question my silent response. I took a deep breath, the first full lungful of air I'd taken since the bikers had turned their attention my way, and answered. "Yes. Rattled a bit but I'm okay now."