by Debra Kayn
Goosebumps came over her arms at the sound of his smooth, accent. “Thanks. It’s good to be back doing what I love.”
“I’ll have the normal.” He swiveled in his seat, fiddling with his hat. “How have you been? You weren’t gone because you were sick, I hope.”
“No. I’m good. Well, getting there … ” She shrugged, pouring the coffee straight into the cup. “I’ve been better, but things are looking up. That’s the main thing. How’s the girlfriend trouble?”
Raul waved his hand. “Gone. Life is short, and she wasn’t worth the headache.”
She passed him the cup. “Careful, it’s hot.”
“No advice for me today?” His eyes crinkled at the corners as he continued to adjust his baseball hat.
“Take the hat off, Raul, and women will notice you.” She laughed. “I’ve got my eye on you, Raul. You’re a charmer. Don’t hide from the girls. They like a good looking man with a silver tongue.”
“Ah, you know me well.” He chuckled. “I have no time for more women in my life. Besides, I’m waiting for you to accept my invitation to go out to dinner. We could be good together, hermosa.”
“Ah, but I’m Rain’s woman. I’m blind to all other men,” she said, laughing. “Now get going. You’ve brought a smile to my face. Your job is done.”
“I’ll see you again.” Raul winked, pulling down his hat.
She shook her head in amusement, watching him drive off. Then she closed the window, pulled down the blinds, and set to cleaning the trailer. She’d have to hurry. Rain was due to walk her to the bar in five minutes.
Nervous energy got the job done fast. She threw the soiled rags in the plastic bag and had put the bag in the designer carryall Rain had bought her yesterday when a knock fell on her door.
She opened the trailer. Her insides fluttered, and she smiled as she jumped down onto the ground. “Hey.”
“Bought you something.” Rain kissed her and held up a grape lollipop.
“Oh, my God. You are marvelous.” She pulled the wrapper off and stuck it in her mouth. Her cheek bulged. “How did you know this was my favorite flavor?”
He shrugged. “Guessed. What’s got you so happy?”
“Besides you buying my favorite treat?” She smiled and dug in her shorts for the list she’d made earlier. “I’ve had time to think, and I want us to get along. It’s nice, and … ”
He ignored the paper she handed him and laughed. “And you like our kisses.”
“No.” She fake-punched him in the chest. “Okay, yeah, but I’m talking about us … that part is nice. Better than what most people have, you know.”
“I know.” He frowned down at her note. “What the hell is this?”
“An IOU. I tallied everything you bought me … the extra things, I mean.” She hitched her bag over her arm. “Except the shoes. I’m making you pay for those.”
“We’ll talk about that later.” He crumpled the note and stuffed it in his pocket. “Come on, I have something to give you in the bar.”
“I hope it’s a diet pop.” She skipped along beside him. “I’m dying of thirst.”
“I can’t believe you sell coffee but don’t drink it.”
“Weird, huh?” She glanced behind her. “Maybe I should start selling lemonade.”
Inside Cactus Cove, a crowd had gathered in front of the bar. She followed Rain, smiling at the customers she recognized.
He cleared a path to the counter, picked up a huge bag, and turned toward her. “Got one more thing for you.”
She backed up and put her hand on her chest. “Rain … you can’t be buying me anymore things.”
“You’ll need it all. There’s no sense arguing,” he said.
“What is it?” she whispered.
He set the bag at her feet and pulled out a leather jacket, so light it appeared white at first glance. But it was pink. Her favorite color. She stared at the coat and then up to Rain’s eyes.
“No,” she mumbled. “You can’t do that. You’ve bought me too much already.”
“The whole set is in here. Chaps, gloves, and I even got you boots, since the ones you bought yesterday aren’t made for riding.” He handed over the leather.
She held it to her chest. “I can’t possibly — ”
“It’s a gift,” he said.
“A gift?” Her voice broke.
“Yeah.”
She threw herself at him and planted her face in his chest. He might have chuckled, but she couldn’t hear anything over the sobs coming from her.
Rain pulled her back, holding her shoulders and peering down in her eyes. “Babe … ”
“No” — she swallowed — “No one has ever bought me anything better. Not since … ”
“Damn me,” he murmured, crushing her to his chest. “Sh. It’s only a little gift.”
She shook her head, wiping her face on his vest. “No, it’s mega-big. The best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Ah, Bozo.”
She hiccupped and smiled for no other reason than Rain wanted to give her a piece of his lifestyle. Then she decided she liked when he called her bozo in that soft voice he used when she’d caught him by surprise.
Chapter Seventeen
Unreal.
Tori blinked at Rain. “You had no idea Crystal was using you?”
“Nope.” He cut through his steak and stabbed the piece with his fork. “My first clue came when Sanchez showed up and ordered her to climb on the back of his bike.”
She gazed out at all the other couples at Riverside, a quiet lounge behind the hotel Rain owned. Everyone sat eating and enjoying quiet conversation. She wondered what they discussed, and if they were having a heavy conversation about ex-lovers and motorcycle club problems. Somehow, she doubted it.
She wiped her mouth and put the cloth napkin in her lap. “There are a lot of things I understand about relationships. I can see how people fall out of love, how they grow apart, and how their goals grow apart from each other so that over time it causes them to go their separate ways. What I don’t get is why someone would step out of a relationship without having the courtesy to say something. Wouldn’t it be easier to take five minutes and tell the person you supposedly care about that you want to break up before you go bop someone else?”
“Bop?” He grinned.
“Yeah.” She set her fork down. “How long did you go out with her?”
“A year, more or less.”
“Hm.” She studied her plate.
“Babe?” He rubbed his lips together. “You’re bothered by my past, and it’s done.”
“It’s horrible what she did to you. Of course, you’re over her, right? It no longer hurts to think about what she’s done?”
“There was never any love between us. She wasn’t my woman. We had sex. It ended.” He shrugged.
“I see,” she whispered.
He leaned forward and held her hand. “You don’t see. She means nothing to me.”
It hurt worse than she’d imagined. She stared at their hands linked on top of the table. His way of life and the approach he used to claim someone, only to throw them away when he tired of them, seemed shallow and unfeeling. Yet she’d witnessed how much he loved those he called family. He’d held her tenderly at night, not pushing her for anything more. Of course, she’d been half out of her mind when they were in bed, but still. He never asked for anything she wasn’t willing to give.
“Talk to me, Tori.”
She ducked her chin, not wanting anyone at the other tables to hear. “Someday you’ll sit here with someone else, and you’ll explain me away as someone who meant nothing to you.”
“Come here,” he murmured.
“I don’t think — ”
<
br /> “Now, babe.”
She loved it when he called her babe in that soft, gruff voice. She leaned closer. He hovered over the table and feather kissed her. Once. Twice. Three times. She dug her fingers into the tablecloth. Every doubt fled, even though she warned herself that things were moving too fast. She couldn’t process new feelings the way he could. He had more experience with relationships, and all she had was years of people-watching to help her through.
“Listen to me.” He sat back down, but kept his eyes on hers. “All I can tell you is I feel different with you. I want to kick everyone’s ass that looks at you or thinks about you. I want to make every day perfect for you. Yes, I want to have sex, and we will. That’s a promise. What I have with you, I’ve never once had with another woman. Stop thinking yourself out of what you’re feeling.”
“We’ve only known each other a week.” She inhaled. “I don’t know if this is something you tell every woman you’re trying to sleep with, because we haven’t talked about where this is going between us.”
“Bullshit.” He shrugged, unfazed by her talking to him so openly. “You trusted me before your head told you to have faith in me. When you’re near me, you’re not even aware of how you lean against my side without even thinking, because deep down you know I’ll protect you. When you say my name, it comes out in a whisper and grabs hold of my chest. I’ve never heard you do that with anyone else.”
“Rain … ” She sighed.
“You gave yourself to me before you talked yourself out of growing closer to me. All my life I’ve been looking for a woman who had the right qualities, and I’ve come close, but they lacked one of the things I desired, or were too extreme in others. You’re balanced, and I have to tell you, even sitting here trying to open up and put you at ease, I want to sweep all the dishes off the table and taste you.”
“You want to kiss me again?” Her chin dropped, and she hurried to close her mouth.
He laughed. “God, you’re whacked, and you have no idea how much I like that you don’t assume anything. Makes me feel in control, and you’d allow me to give you the world, babe.”
The smile he gave her told her she’d guessed wrong about him only wanting her for sex. She squirmed on the chair. What would it be like to make love to a man the size of Rain? Her lower stomach fluttered, and it was hard to take a deep breath. Oh, God, she wanted to have sex.
“Damn me,” he mumbled.
Her head jerked up. Rain threw down his napkin and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go home.”
She hurried after him. “Now?”
“Yeah, babe. Now.”
“Why?”
He chuckled. “You have no clue how your emotions play across your face, do you?”
“No.” She stepped outside.
“You can’t look at me that way without me doing something about it,” he said.
She didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. There were times when he said something outrageous, like when he talked about kissing, when she couldn’t even think, let alone talk. He made her insides come alive, and it was hard to concentrate. “What way?”
They barely made it to his Harley parked outside the front door, before Rain had her pinned against a nearby car. “Like you want me inside you more than you want to breathe.”
His arms held her. His mouth settled on her. His heat surrounded her. Leather to leather, she raised her leg, hooking her foot behind his calf as he plunged his tongue into her mouth.
God, he knew everything about her. She slid her hand up his shoulder, over his neck, and sunk her fingers into his long hair. Her body flashed between warm and cold, trembling. Without him holding her up, she’d slowly slink along the side of the car and be sitting on the ground.
His eyelids drooped, and he stared at her intently. She panted, wishing she knew what was going through his mind.
“We’re going home. Me and you,” he rasped.
She nodded.
He leaned forward and kissed her neck, whispering, “I’m not going to let you run away.”
She melted. He always knew the perfect things she needed to hear to grasp what was happening so fast with them.
“Tonight. We’re having sex. Lots of sex,” he mumbled against her skin.
She swallowed. Sensitive to his touch, she could feel his lips smile against her neck. “Okay.”
She followed him to the bike, waited for him to get on and hand her the helmet. After getting used to balancing and taking the corners earlier when they rode to the restaurant, she could see herself becoming addicted to riding.
“Rain!” A female voice came from behind her.
She turned, along with Rain, and spotted a gorgeous blonde hurrying across the parking lot in high heels and a skimpy sundress, carrying a small purse.
“Hell, no.” Rain got off the bike and stalked toward the woman.
Even from her position, Tori could tell the woman was close to tears. Her stomach sank. She hoped nothing had happened at Cactus Cove or the Lagsturns weren’t causing problems again.
Unable to hear what Rain was saying, she had a feeling he had on his scary face when the woman backed up a step and crossed her arms. She swallowed hard. She expected him to come with an ex-girlfriend — because he was hot and women were always checking him out — but she hated the thought that this woman knew Rain intimately.
Rain returned to her. She stepped into him out of dread. His face hardened, and he refused to meet her eyes.
“Everything okay?”
“No.” He latched her helmet. “Damn bitch is here to cause trouble. You stay away from her, hear?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Rain. Don’t walk away from me.” The woman yanked Tori’s arm, pulling her away from Rain. “Give me ten minutes, honey.”
“Back off, Crystal.” Rain motioned for Tori to stand behind him.
Crystal? She looked at Rain’s ex-girlfriend. When he’d described her, she’d pictured a used-up old cow, not a pretty, blonde-haired woman with an attitude problem.
“Please. I’m not allowed to stay at the hotel.” Crystal stepped closer, putting her hands on Rain’s chest. “Take me back. Let me make up for what I’ve done. It’ll be good. You know it will. It was always good between us.”
“Excuse me.” Tori reached over, opened the saddlebag, and removed her new, beautiful, pink blush jacket before turning on Crystal. “I believe my man told you to skedaddle.”
“You are not talking to me.” Crystal never took her eyes off Rain, although she directed her words toward Tori.
“Get the hell out of here,” Rain said. “Go back to Sanchez.”
Crystal moved in closer to Rain. “Honey? Please. I’ll make it good for — ”
“Let me give you a little advice.” Tori stepped beside Rain.
“No, thanks.” Crystal looked down her nose at Tori, dismissing her.
“No, really. It’s free. I’m good at it, and you need all the help you can get. I mean, that’s what you’re asking Rain for, right? You need help, and apparently a lot of it.” She schooled her features.
“Get real,” Crystal snarled.
“Sure.” She smiled as if she’d received permission. “Men appreciate confident women. Not too self-assured, mind you. You have to stay vulnerable, because opening your heart is really the only way you can receive and give love. If you come across too easy, too malleable, too needy, it turns men off.”
Crystal turned and finally looked her square in the eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Love advice, sweetie.” She stepped forward and put her arm around Crystal, walking her away from Rain. “You’re a beautiful woman, and strong. You need a man who will put you first in life. You deserve nothing less.”
Crystal’s mouth opened, closed,
and finally she spoke. “What are you — ?”
“Go on. Hold your head up high.” She stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “Tomorrow, you remember what I’ve told you and people will notice. Men will notice. Before long, you’ll have your pick of any man you want” — she narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice — “except my man. Got it?”
“He … Rain’s not … Just who in the hell are you?” Crystal backed away and sneered.
Tori’s smile came from deep in her soul. From the kiss she’d shared from Rain. From the way he held her as if she was the most valuable thing on earth. “I’m Rain’s new woman. Don’t you forget it again.”
Without letting Crystal continue the absurd conversation, she pivoted on the heel of her boot and leisurely walked back to Rain. She lifted her chin, hiding the fact that Rain led a scary life and she was out of her comfort zone. Despite the rough characters he hung around, there were no doubts, no second-guessing, and no hesitation. She wanted Rain, and she’d fight anyone to have him.
“Damn me … ” Rain studied her as he helped her onto his bike. “You mean that, babe?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter Eighteen
The exhilarating, fast ride on the roads out of town, cuddled against Rain’s back atop the motorcycle, left Tori’s body idling in a purr of sexual awareness. Along with the knowledge of wanting a relationship with him, to be his woman in every sense, she came alive in a way she’d never experienced before.
She followed Rain to the door of the house. Now that she’d given herself permission to feel, her irresponsible behavior both frightened and excited her.
He ushered her inside, cussed at the new alarm panel, stalked to the kitchen, read the instructions in record speed, and punched in the security code. Then he had her in his arms before she could take off her leathers. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling.
“Rain.” She laughed, her boot heels dragging along the hardwood floor as he wrapped her in his arms and walked her backward to the stairs. “My jacket.”
