“She isn’t one of the sweetbutts, now let her up. She’s not that type,” Hammer grunted, his own face set in a hard compressed line. He seemed to watch Burner carefully like you would a snake about to strike.
“Not one of those girls? Then why the fuck did you leave her alone?”
“I went to get us some beers and I told her to stay put in the game room,” Hammer said, holding the two beers up.
“I guess she didn’t listen well, did she? You don’t leave a nice girl alone at a party like this and you know it. What the fuck, man?” Burner’s hands didn’t release her but the one on her thigh that had been inching up her leg stopped. Kelsey watched Hammer, still motionless, noting with a frown that he looked a little guilty for some reason. Kelsey raised a brow because she’d bet he’d forgotten about her and that was what had taken him so long to come back. Great, just what she needed, a man who forgot about her when she could be in a dangerous situation.
“Look, just let her up and I’ll stay with her from now on. I didn’t mean to leave her alone for so long but Amber waylaid me.”
“How long did you leave her alone?” Burner growled the question and she felt his grip tighten, becoming slightly painful on her thigh, but seeing the dark look on his face directed at Hammer, she didn’t protest the hold.
“A while,” Hammer evaded, looking even guiltier than he had a moment ago.
“How long? ” Burner demanded gruffly, his hand releasing her thigh.
“Forty minutes or so,” Hammer finally told him and Burner pushed her off his lap, helping her to her feet as he stood beside her, moving closer to where Hammer stood. His glare was dark and his grip on her arm tight but not painful this time.
“You don’t leave a nice girl alone here for five seconds much less forty fucking minutes, you damned moron. What the fuck, man, and for Amber? That bitch? Really, motherfucker?” Burner snarled right in Hammer’s face, his contorted into a cold glower.
“I didn’t intend to leave her alone for that long and like I said, I left her alone in the game room and told her to stay there till I returned so she was safe. I don’t know why she came out here,” Hammer defended his actions and his empty hand rose to rub his neck nervously.
Kelsey glanced back and forth between the two men wondering who Amber was and why she had waylaid Hammer. She felt a little anger that he’d wondered off on their date and left her alone for over half an hour while he chatted up another woman. Who does that?
“Maybe she left the room because she was bored, you fucking idiot. What the hell were you thinking to leave her alone while you chatted up Amber, likely asking her to come by your place after your date. You shouldn’t be around a nice girl, hell, none of us should. We’re a bunch of assholes and apparently in your case morons. None of us should bring a nice girl here and you fucking know it. Now take her home.” Burner was right in Hammer’s face and Kelsey was becoming more and more upset with Burner and his high-handedness by the second.
Who did he think he was to tell her or Hammer what to do? She wasn’t very happy with Hammer either but that didn’t give Burner the right to dictate to either of them. He didn’t know her and he wasn’t the boss of her, that was for damned sure. He wasn’t going to send her home like a schoolgirl caught out after curfew.
“Who gave you the right to decide anything for me?” Kelsey demanded, jerking her arm from his grip to place her hands on her hips, well aware that the only reason she managed it was because he allowed it.
“I’m the man who just saved your ass from getting into bigger trouble than you can even comprehend, little girl,” Burner growled, his eyes resting on her now, his glare hot.
Kelsey didn’t care that the cold steel of his eyes sent a chill of foreboding down her spine, he wasn’t going to intimidate her. She had stared down her sisters in this mood more than once and Burner was no different just because he was a man.
“I didn’t ask you to save me so you can quit congratulating yourself on a job well done,” Kelsey told him even though her insides twisted into knots at the dark glower on his face and the way his eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. He moved into her personal space. His steely blue eyes were hard and the almost haunted look in them made a spike of unease move through her chest.
“You listen to me, little girl. This isn’t a place for girls like you and if I hadn’t caught you a minute ago you’d likely be needing stitches right about now so how about showing some gratitude.” Burner was in her face, his breath teasing her lips as he uttered the words.
“Leave her alone, Burner. You need to walk away, this isn’t your business,” Hammer barked. Burner stared at her for a long moment, so long that she thought he would ignore Hammer and continue insulting her, but he finally ripped his eyes from hers to look at him. His hands curled at his sides and lifted as if he wanted to grab her but was forcing himself not to. Kelsey had never felt fear like the cold spike that ran down her spine in that moment but it wasn’t fear of him, it was fear of what she would allow him to do that was making her quiver.
“Fine, but remember this, girl. You’re out of your league here. Now go home,” Burner snarled before he released her and stomped away leaving her standing there with Hammer, her arms wrapped around her own waist to ward off the chill of his warning.
“Are you okay?” Hammer asked, moving to stand next to her, his hand resting on her arm.
“Yes,” Kelsey replied, even though her insides were still quaking and her hands shook. She clenched them together in front of her trying not to let the way Burner’s words affected her show. Hammer watched her carefully for a long moment before he spoke again.
“Sorry I left you alone so long. I didn’t expect to be trapped at the bar by Amber.”
Kelsey had forgotten he left her alone while talking to another woman she’d been so frazzled by Burner’s closeness and his high-handed behavior. Not to mention her unintentional desire for him that had blasted through her from the moment she’d first seen him. It confused her because she normally wasn’t such a hussy that she lusted after a man while on a date with another. Of course, Burner was such an asshole that she didn’t want anything to do with him despite her raging libido.
“It’s fine. Let’s just go out and dance for a bit,” Kelsey said, even though she wasn’t really feeling it after that nasty scene with Burner and finding out her date had been with another woman while she sat in that room alone. She’d be damned if she left like she now wanted to because Burner had demanded it. Call her stubborn but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that she left right after he told her to.
“Sure, let’s go.”
Handing her one of the beers, Hammer motioned for her to head down the stairs ahead of him and as they came to the bottom he took her arm and began leading her through the crowd. He leaned close to her ear and in a low voice filled with a bit of concern that Kelsey felt was a little misplaced asked her, “Why did you leave the game room? I told you it would be the safest place for you and you knew I would be back.” After all, he’d left her alone for over half an hour; how concerned could he really be about the answer to his question.
His face twisted and she could tell his lips were compressed in a tight line as he continued, “I know I left you alone but you shouldn’t have risked your safety.”
Kelsey felt her fists curl and her stomach felt like a fiery ball of tension. Her eyes narrowed and she wanted to tell him to take her home but she refused to allow Burner to dictate to her. She knew even if it was her choice to leave he would think it was because he told her to; he was just that arrogant. Not that it should matter, she’d likely never see him again anyway. Well unless he came to the bar to collect the monthly income or to break up a fight, because she wasn’t going out with Hammer again anytime soon at this point.
“I wasn’t interested in the free show a couple who entered was putting on,” she replied tightly. Hammer grimaced and she really hoped he felt like an ass because he’d acted like one.
>
“Damn, I’m sorry, Kelsey. Burner’s wrong though, I wasn’t having her come by the house or trying to get with her. It’s––well see, we were an item a few months ago and she messed around on me when we were supposed to be exclusive ––and well she just asked if I could talk to her. I didn’t really want to but I felt like a jerk because she was crying. It was a ploy of course but it took me about thirty minutes to figure that out. It’s no excuse and I’ll understand if you want to leave but I hope that we can move past this. I really like you and want to get to know you better,” Hammer finally finished.
Kelsey watched him carefully, her eyes taking in his expression, wondering if she should take him at his word as they stood on the front porch of the clubhouse. She could just make out his face in the light from the clubhouse, which spilled from the windows illuminating the dark. He was looking at her intently, his face serious. She wanted to believe him but she wasn’t sure she could, even though he seemed sincere. She didn’t want to get attached and then get burned when she found out he was cheating on her.
“Hammer, I don’t know how I feel about this right now. I just want to step back from it for now. Can we just dance and deal with this issue later please?” Kelsey asked, her head starting to hurt from all the thoughts swirling inside her.
She hated when things got complicated. It wasn’t that she couldn’t deal with it, she just didn’t like to. She could see why Hammer had spoken to Amber if what he was telling her was true. She knew what it was like when you cared about someone; even if they did hurt you, you didn’t want to see them upset. Kelsey turned to look out at the fire, her hands rubbing together, trying to ignore the fact that she was searching the crowd for Burner. She wanted to be sure he knew she hadn’t left when he told her to.
“Sure,” Hammer said after a long pause. He took her hand and began leading her out to the firelight where music was playing and people were dancing. Kelsey and Hammer joined them and for a little while she enjoyed her night again, forgetting about Burner and the drama of finding out that Hammer had been chatting up another woman on their date.
Chapter Five
Burner stood in the shadows watching Hammer and Kelsey dance, his eyes narrowed and his shoulders tense. He didn’t know why the hell he was still watching her. When she’d fallen in the clubhouse he’d caught her without a second thought, but once she was in his arms he felt such a visceral surge of desire that he’d been ready to take her to his room and fuck her all night despite her voiced protests. Finding out she wasn’t a sweetbutt or a piece of ass that hung around the club for the night seeking pleasure had made anger burn inside his guts that twisted and turned in venomous delight because he wanted her.
Badly.
He supposed that was what made him act like a total asshole to her but fuck, a good girl didn’t need to be here. Now that he could see past his hardened cock and the burning chasm of need she’d unleashed with her fresh apples and honey scent and her long coltish legs, he could almost feel the sweetness pouring off her.
Hammer, that stupid fuck, had left her alone and he cringed as thoughts of what could have happened to her bombarded him. His anger grew as he watched her laugh in tinkling wonder as she was spun around by Hammer. His teeth ground together and his arms crossed and it took everything he had to stop himself from walking over there and jerking her from Hammer’s arms to take her home. A woman as pure as she was didn’t need to be here with this motley crew or anywhere near a man like him. Burner felt a hot pit open up inside him and his emotions began to be sucked into the vortex of hate and self-loathing that was now his whole world.
How many girls like her had his actions caused to be broken and abused? How many times had he stood back and watched it happen because he was trying to find the mole for men like Hammer? Fuck, just fuck. He shifted from foot to foot trying to get a handle on his rampaging emotions. Burner tore his eyes away from Kelsey and Hammer.
He needed to let this go, damn it. He didn’t know why he couldn’t seem to move away from the couple even when he knew it was for the best. Hammer wasn’t like the Headhunters; he wasn’t going to rape or beat her for fuck’s sake. He needed to get a grip. His body was tensed and he felt a knot forming between his shoulder blades because he held himself rigid, trying to stop himself from attacking Hammer over the woman.
Burner forced himself to turn away, staring out into the night wondering what the hell was going on with him over the last week. He’d been struggling with his role in bringing down the mole again and he didn’t know why. He thought he was past it, that he’d come to terms with his part in the drama.
Over the past few weeks he’d felt more mixed up about his place in the club and what his stint with the Headhunters had done to him than he had been when he’d first gotten back. He wasn’t sure if it was the raids they’d been breaking up or if it was seeing Glenda in that last shipment a week ago. He was helping the men settle the women when she’d begun screaming her head off and he’d been unable to deal with his issues since.
Glenda hadn’t calmed down until he’d left and Bull had promised that she was safe and he’d make sure Burner didn’t come back while she was there. It wasn’t a pretty memory. Burner didn’t want to think about the rescue or the night he’d had to frighten her in order to prevent them from finding out he was not who he pretended to be.
It ripped him up that he’d had to do it but he hadn’t had a choice and he’d made sure she didn’t get hurt. It didn’t clear his conscience but he knew that nothing ever would. What he had chosen to do for his club had scarred something inside him and Burner knew it. Choices had consequences and you faced them head on; there was no hiding in the dark pretending that it never happened.
He glanced back towards the couple that had held his attention for the last half hour, finding them no longer dancing where they had been. Burner pushed off the tree, his eyes panning the area searching for her. His eyes took in the darkened faces, not finding her or Hammer. His chest pounded with the frantic beat of his pulse and his fingers twitched. His blood burned through his veins pulsation in time to his racing heart. He needed to find them before that idiot did something stupid. Yeah, he was completely rational about this too.
Letting out a snort of annoyance, he began walking around looking for them. He wasn’t about to allow Hammer to take off into the darkness and sully her. She was pure and by God she was going to stay that way even if he did have to beat the fuck out of Hammer to make it happen. He found them at Hammer’s bike. Kelsey was already on the back with her arms around Hammer when Burner saw them. As they roared away from the clubhouse, Burner debated following and likely would have if Reaper hadn’t walked up to him.
“What’s up with you? I haven’t seen you all night and Sarah was asking where you’ve been lately.” Reaper watched him in the darkness, making Burner uneasy.
“I’ve been around,” he replied, glancing back at the retreating bike, which was almost out of sight, before he shifted from one foot to the other, his hands shoving into his pockets to hide the way they curled tightly.
“Huh,” Reaper grunted, still staring at him.
“What?”
“You should come to dinner tomorrow night. Sarah’s making your favorite. Stir-fry with rice.” Reaper moved a step closer, his eyes watching Burner.
Burner knew that Reaper could guess what was wrong with him but the other man stayed silent and didn’t push him to reveal anything, which was one of the things that made him a good vice president for the club. Most of the time he minded his own business and let his men come to him when they were ready to talk, unless it was something that needed to be dealt with in order for the club to run smoothly.
“Fine. I’ll come to dinner, but I’m heading out for a ride. Not feeling the party tonight.” He really just wanted to see if he could catch up with Hammer and Kelsey to make sure that son of a bitch didn’t try to touch her. Why the fuck he was so adamant that didn’t happen was beyond him. He just knew that he didn�
��t want her pure sweetness twisted up by Hammer. He wasn’t a bad guy, Burner supposed, but that didn’t mean he should be anywhere near her. Sweetness like hers should be protected at all costs and that meant neither him or his fucking crew should get close to her.
“Sure, let me just call Sarah and I will head out with you,” Reaper said, pulling his phone out of his jeans.
Burner wanted to tell him he didn’t need a fucking babysitter but he didn’t want to deal with the bitching he would surely unleash on himself if he did. He felt the seconds tick by like hours as he waited for Reaper to hang up. Burner realized he wasn’t going to get to chase down Hammer and assure himself the bastard didn’t try anything with Kelsey like he wanted to. It made his movements jerky, almost uncoordinated, as they climbed on their bikes.
He didn’t wait for Reaper to start his bike, he just kicked it into gear and was off burning rubber into the night. The wind slipped past him stinging his face with its cold touch but he didn’t care because riding was the only time the voices seemed to fade and the screams didn’t echo as loudly. Tonight he needed that or he was going to go insane, mostly because he couldn’t assure himself that Kelsey was safe and that made him wonder what the fuck was wrong with him. Why he was so focused on this woman was beyond him. It must be her purity that held him tightly in its grip because that was the only thing that made a lick of sense.
Kelsey climbed off the back of Hammer’s bike about two hours after the run-in with Burner feeling relaxed and a little less pissed off at both Burner and Hammer. She tugged her skirt down to better cover her thighs smiling. She’d had fun dancing with Hammer for the last hour and despite his leaving her alone, she wouldn’t call it a bad date. It wasn’t one of the best but still not one of the worst either.
Hammer took her arm leading her up the walk to her door, his large hands gentle as they held on to her. When they stood before the door, he looked down at her with a smile showing those white teeth she was becoming very familiar with again. Hammer took her keys unlocking her door and pushing it open slightly before he turned, looking down at her again before returning them to her.
Burning Desires (Blue Bandits MC Book 4) Page 4
