Burning Desires (Blue Bandits MC Book 4)

by Michelle Woods

  “If you mean Hammer, then no, not tonight we’re not,” Kelsey flatly replied, setting the last two glasses into the strainer.

  “Too bad, he’s a hottie.” Brenda let out a little giggle, making Kelsey smile despite her anger over Hammer calling Burner tonight.

  “Yes, but he’s annoying too.”

  “Ha, name one man who isn’t,” Brenda shot back, tossing a towel to her so she could dry the excess water from the counter. “I’ll grab our purses. Do I need to shut down the computer?”

  “No, I already did,” she called after her, still cleaning the water she’d somehow managed to get everywhere.

  Brenda was back by the time she finished wiping it up and they walked out of the back room together. Kelsey was pleased to see that Hammer was still here and there was no sign of Burner. She might get to postpone that lecture after all. Glee flowed through her as she exited in front of Brenda and headed to her jeep.

  “See you Friday, Kelsey,” Brenda called from behind her as she headed to her own car.

  “Night,” she called, climbing into the driver’s seat, her heart pumping fast. Her escape loomed before her only to feel a sinking sensation in stomach when she heard the roar of a bike pulling into the parking lot. Kelsey sighed before cranking up the jeep. She pulled from her spot, unsurprised when she saw Burner following her on his bike in the rearview mirror.

  Damn, she wasn’t going to be able to avoid the lecture after all. It didn’t take them long to make it to her apartment and Kelsey’s heart sank further when Burner zoomed around her just before she got to her place. He wasn’t taking any chances that she could get inside before he spoke to her obviously. Parking, she turned off the ignition, mentally counting to ten before she grabbed her bag and climbed from the vehicle.

  Kelsey expected Burner to say something but he was silent as she got out from behind the wheel, shutting the door behind her. His face was twisted into an unhappy scowl that didn’t bode well for her. She walked up the driveway feeling her stomach twist as unease churned inside her. Burner took her keys when they were a few steps from the door and opened it, swinging it wide to allow her to enter before him. Kelsey warily went in, wracking her brain for a way to avoid the coming confrontation.

  Burner shut the door forcefully behind her, making her jump a little as she turned to face him feeling the knots in her stomach tighten even more. Kelsey stood for a moment wondering what he would say, almost holding her breath as she waited.

  “I believe that you and I made a deal several weeks ago, didn’t we, Kelsey,” Burner asked between his clenched teeth, his blue eyes tracking her movement as she shifted from one foot to the other.

  “We did,” Kelsey agreed haltingly as she set her purse down on the end table.

  “So tell me why I got a call from Hammer tonight instead of you,” Burner commanded.

  Unsure what to say, Kelsey just stood looking at him for a long moment before she turned and headed into her room, trying to escape this conversation for a moment. Entering, she attempted to shut the door but his hand slammed into it.

  “I’m waiting, Kelsey,” he growled, anger evident in his tone and the way he glared at her.

  She watched him for a long moment before turning away again and walking to the dresser, taking out some sleep pants and shirt. An idea struck suddenly and she glanced over her shoulder at him wondering if it would work. He was stand-offish since he had saved her and it just might make this whole conversation go away, but it could backfire. Kelsey weighed her options; should she attempt what she was thinking or try to reason with him? Burner crossed his arms and glared at her, spiking her anger, and she made her choice.

  “I have asked you once and I want a damned answer. Why didn’t you call me?”

  Kelsey began to take off her jeans, ignoring him standing in her bedroom doorway watching. At first Burner didn’t seem to notice. Not until she was standing before him in her underwear that is.

  Burner was livid when Hammer had called him to inform him that Kelsey had shown up at the bar tonight. He knew that her sister was sick and he wasn’t ticked off because she went in, just that she hadn’t called him. How many times had she gone in when he wasn’t aware of it? It made him see red thinking of her working and not having anyone there watching over her.

  Tonight he’d been two hours away talking with a contact about some new information they were trying to gather on the Jackals, who were lingering in their territory. Reaper wanted to lock down what they were up to and had sent him out to look for information along with Pansy and Animal. Had Kelsey called him, he would have told her to stay near Hammer and that would have been that, except she hadn’t called him.

  After the meet with his contact, he had ridden back here to confront her, barely making it before she left the bar. Outside, he hadn’t trusted himself to speak because he knew that when he did, it wasn’t going to be quiet and he wanted to do it in private, not with any nosy neighbors gawking at them from their windows. Not that he cared but he was sure she would. When they were inside, he silently scrutinized her and she purposely ignored him and his anger, which only pissed him off more. He was currently seething, his hands balled into tight fists, a muscle twitching along his jaw.

  Kelsey was gathering things from her drawers and then stood with her back to him before she glanced at him with an odd expression on her face. He glared at her back until his eyes caught on her long legs. His brain slowly processed that they were suddenly bare and all the blood flooded from his head down into his cock. He felt like his mouth turned into a desert and his eyes widened.

  Holy shit, were those black lace panties?

  He almost swallowed his tongue as his eyes took in the curve of her ass covered only in the black lace. His mind wandered to the way that flesh had felt gripped in his hands a few weeks ago and the way those legs would look wrapped around his waist as he pumped his cock into her.

  Fuck.

  “Ar-re th-those black lace panties?” Burner found himself asking in a stunned kind of daze as he watched her turn slightly to glance at him. His cock pressed hard against his zipper and his body tensed as his eyes caressed the curves she’d revealed.

  “Yes,” Kelsey replied matter-of-factly as if standing before him in only her underwear and a tank top that barely covered her upper body from his hungry eyes was perfectly normal.

  Burner couldn’t seem to pull his eyes or his mind from the thought of tumbling her onto the bed that was so conveniently close and fucking her senseless. Except he had decided six weeks ago that she was too good for him or anyone like him. That meant he needed to get his mind back on the issue at hand.

  Of course, that required him remembering what the fuck he’d been on about because at the moment it escaped him. He swallowed hard, trying to wrack his brain for a single coherent thought, but none was forthcoming. Burner blinked and took a step forwards before he forced himself to stop and he pulled his eyes upwards, trying to find somewhere to look that would make his blood return to his brain because otherwise he was going to tackle her to the bed. At the moment his cock didn’t think that was a bad idea but he knew it was for some reason, even if he couldn’t remember why.

  “You were saying?” Kelsey asked, a sly smile slipping over her face, and he knew that she was playing with him. He should teach her a lesson by taking what she was offering but even in the state he was currently in, he knew that was a bad idea. Burner stepped back, his hands out in front of him as he watched her move towards him.

  “I just remembered som-something I have to do,” Burner uttered, his voice much higher than normal as he took a step back from her. Kelsey tilted her head watching him silently. Burner knew he was still backing away from her like a scared little girl as she took another step forward but he couldn’t let her get within touching distance. If he did, he would grab her and then all his good intentions would fly out the window along with his brain cells.

  “But I thought you wanted to talk about what happened at the club
tonight?” Kelsey asked, following him into the living room as he retreated, trying not to look down at her in those lace panties or think about sinking into her wet pussy to the hilt.

  “Sorry, I have to go,” he snapped and forced himself to turn and head to the door, realizing that whatever he’d wanted to talk to her about could wait till she was dressed. Preferably in a gunnysack because surely even she couldn’t make that look good. He slammed out of her apartment quickly. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough because if he looked back at her one more time, he wouldn’t be leaving and he knew it.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kelsey couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her as she stood in her doorway calling out after Burner, who was practically running from her apartment like a scared little boy after she’d stripped to her underwear.

  Ha, score one for her.

  “If you’re sure because I really thought it was something important.” Knowing she was taunting him, she felt a little remorseful but not enough to stop laughing at his reaction.

  Hell, that had been easier than she’d expected.

  She was still standing in the doorway peeking out when a car pulled in behind Burner as he pulled away from the little drive. Recognizing Greta’s car, she didn’t bother shutting the door and instead stood with it cracked to wait on her. Greta came up the walkway looking behind her at Burner’s retreating figure.

  Kelsey sighed because this was likely going to earn her another lecture from her sister. Damn, and after so successfully avoiding the first one too. What was Greta doing here anyway? It was four am after all. When Greta was closer to the door, she looked at her, a frown on her face, and Kelsey wanted to scream mind your own business but she refrained.

  “Was that Burner?” Greta asked as Kelsey let her into the apartment.

  “Yes, what are you doing here?”

  “I came over to ask you if that doctor you know will––wait, are you in your underwear?” Greta asked suddenly

  Shaking her head, Kelsey muttered a clipped, “Yes.”

  “With Burner here?” Greta said, sounding scandalized which was ridiculous because neither of them were prudes.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you two having sex?” Greta demanded, her hands landing on her hips and a scowl on her face. Kelsey’s hazel eyes narrowed before she slammed the door, locking it.

  “If we were it wouldn’t be any of your business, Greta. Now what about the doctor? Is Hanna okay?” Kelsey asked, concerned that something was wrong with Hanna if Greta was asking about Lance.

  “Right, I get it but I don’t think it’s a good idea, Kelsey. And Hanna is getting worse, she started throwing up a few hours ago. She needs to be seen and she’s likely dehydrated because she can’t keep anything down. I wanted to ask if you thought we should drive her to Titusville or if Lance would see her this morning. I hate to wake him but I just don’t know what else to do at this point.” Greta was biting her nails and wringing her hands, which told Kelsey that she was worrying herself half to death.

  “Let me grab my phone and I’ll call him. He offered to see her at one this morning so he will likely see her now if I call him. I need to put some clothes on and then I’ll check with him to see,” Kelsey told her sister, hoping for Greta’s sake that Lance was willing to see them or by the time they got to Titusville she would have an ulcer if she didn’t already. She walked towards her room to grab her phone from the pocket of the jeans she’d been wearing.

  “Okay,” Greta said, before using her own phone to call Hanna again to see if she was all right. Kelsey knew that Greta had likely been at Hanna’s when she got home four hours ago because any time one of them was sick, she turned into a mother hen. Not that she wasn’t always a mother hen, it was just worse when one of them was sick. Digging her phone out of the jeans before throwing them back on, she dialed Lance’s number.

  “Hello?” a gruff male voice husked over the phone.

  “Hi, Lance, this is Kelsey. Sorry to call so early but I wondered if you could see Hanna sooner because she’s started throwing up and can’t keep anything down. If you can’t, we can drive her to Titusville.” Kelsey felt awkward calling him at all, much less at four in the morning. Running a hand through her hair, she really hoped he wouldn’t be ticked off that she was rearranging his schedule.

  “Um, yeah. It’s all good, just bring her over and don’t worry about the time. If you need something just call. I’m used to it with the club and I don’t want anyone to wait if they’re hurt or sick because it makes my job harder anyway,” Lance told her, his voice sounding clearer as he woke up more.

  “Thanks, Lance, I really appreciate your help with my sister and just let me know what we owe you for the early morning visit and I’ll make sure you get it.” Kelsey grabbed a light jacket from the closet because there had been a slight chill in the air when she was standing at the door and she didn’t want to get whatever Hanna had. As she exited the closet, she moaned loudly as she hit her toe on the bedpost when she headed into the bedroom to grab her shoes.

  “Are you okay?” Lance demanded, making her blush because it was something that happened often and it was never fun to explain that she was fine, just clumsy.

  “Yeah, I just stubbed my toe.”

  “Ah, yep, that hurts,” Lance said, his voice sympathetic.

  “It does,” Kelsey muttered, thinking that it was par for the course to her though because it happened about three times a week.

  “As for the credits, you don’t owe me a thing. The club foots the bill for stuff like this so no worries. They pay me well,” Lance explained.

  Kelsey didn’t know what to say to that as she put on her shoes because they weren’t part of the club, but she was unwilling to say that because she was afraid he’d say he wouldn’t be able to see Hanna if she did, so she held her tongue. Feeling a little guilty over the slight fib, she made a mental note to clarify the mistake after he’d seen Hanna and pay him then.

  “All right. Then we will see you in a little while. We have to go get Hanna and then we’ll be over.” Kelsey hung up after Lance’s agreement, heading into the living room where Greta was sitting on the edge of her couch, looking more worried than she had been when she had arrived as she stared down at her phone.

  “He will see her as soon as we get her there,” Kelsey said, bringing her sister’s attention to her.

  Greta jumped up. “Thank goodness. She isn’t answering the phone. I’m worried.”

  “I’m sure she’s just sleeping but let’s go so we can get her seen and feeling tiptop and being her annoying self again,” Kelsey muttered as she grabbed her purse and keys and waited on Greta to precede her out of the apartment before she locked up.

  “Lance, I really appreciate you helping Hanna. I feel bad that I didn’t say anything over the phone but we’re not really part of the club. I was afraid if I said anything when we were speaking that you wouldn’t see her. I’m sorry but if you’ll just tell me how much I owe you, I promise not to ask this of you again.” Kelsey glanced over at the hospital bed across the room where Hanna was hooked up to an IV stand with a slight grimace. She was glad they hadn’t had to go to Titusville because by the time they got Hanna here, she’d been dehydrated from the vomiting and fever she’d had for twelve hours. It didn’t make her feel better about deceiving Lance but at least Hanna was going to be okay.

  “I have a feeling that you’re wrong about that, Kelsey,” Lance told her when she turned back to him, a grin spreading over his face.

  “Umm, no, really we’re aren’t.”

  “Isn’t the bar half owned by the club?” Lance asked her, still smiling at her.

  “Not really, no. They just get a portion of the profits from the club in exchange for protection,” Kelsey replied looking at Greta who was currently fussing over Hanna by rearranging her pillows. Hanna didn’t look too thrilled and Kelsey knew she would have to step in soon to make Greta leave her alone or they would start fighting. Not that they didn�
�t fight all the time but it was embarrassing when it was in front of other people.

  “You still don’t owe me anything,” Lance replied, bringing her attention back to him.

  “I must insist, Lance. The club wouldn’t be too happy with us if we used our association with them to elicit free services from you,” Kelsey told him frowning.

  “That’s not what you’re doing but if it was, I don’t think it would be an issue. After all hasn’t Burner been stuck to your ass like a tick on a deer for over six weeks now?” he asked, his grin slightly wicked.

  “Yes,” Kelsey gritted out between her teeth because she wasn’t too pleased with that description despite its accuracy. “But not for the reason you obviously think.”

  “I would think there is only one reason a man like Burner would see to a woman’s safety personally, trust me,” Lance said, letting out a little chuckle.

  Lowering her voice so that Hanna and Greta didn’t hear her, she hissed, “It’s only because of the near rape he stopped the night I came here with him.”

  “No, it’s not, but you keep believing that if it helps you sleep at night.” Lance laughed a little and turned, setting down the scanner he’d used on Hanna a little while ago to see what was wrong with her.

  “What are you going on about?” she demanded, tilting her head to look at him in question, glancing over at her sisters again to see Greta sitting beside Hanna talking to her.

  “Burner could assign anyone in the club to be sure what happened that night never happened again only he is sticking to you like glue instead. What do you think that tells me?” Lance asked, his brow raised and that slightly wicked smile on his face again.

  “I don’t know, what?” she snapped, her patience with this conversation thin.

  “That it’s a hell of a lot more than your safety he’s concern about.” Lance turned his back on her, lifting supplies from the counter to place them inside the cabinet he’d removed them from when he was treating Hanna.