Claiming Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 2)

by Nikki Wild

  It was awhile before Trent finally started to stir. The tiny, makeshift bed creaked with his sleepy, sluggish movements, and I firmly pressed my fingertips down over his pectoral.

  “No. Stay down. Rest.”

  He nodded quietly, relaxing back down.

  I lifted my fingers from his chest. Even through his shirt, I could tell how built he was. He probably had a stack of washboard abs below.

  Privately, I grumbled that it hadn’t occurred to me to bother checking that.

  This guy was probably a muscle powerhouse beneath these clothes, and I’d missed my one chance to sneak a peak without him knowing.

  “Do you want something to drink?” I asked.

  “Water,” he asked.

  I reached for the glass that I’d prepared and left beside him. Holding the edge to his lips, I carefully slipped him some of the cold water.

  “Where are we?” He asked me, coughing.

  “Where I live,” I answered truthfully.

  We were in a backroom with a single window casting in moonlight from above. A bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling but I hated its sickly glow, so I relied on the natural light (or lack thereof).

  Besides, I was used to moving around in the dark.

  It made it easier to forget that I was trapped living in such a complete dump.

  “I thought you were an asshole when you walked in,” I remarked. “You kept looking at me like I was a hot piece of meat... And then you go and save me from those fuckers.”

  “Yeah, well…it’s been a weird night.”

  “Tell me about it,” I agreed. “But listen. I need to check you out.”

  In the dim lighting, I saw his lips curl into that cocky smile again. “You don’t need my permission for that.”

  “Ugh. Not like that,” I corrected. “But you took a beating there. Like a fucking champ, I’ll admit. Still, I need to take a look at your head. You might have a concussion.”

  “Explains why my head hurts so much,” Trent laughed painfully. “Go ahead, doc.”

  He slowly pulled himself to a seated position, and I helped him out of his shirt. After telling him to close his eyes briefly, I flicked on the overhead light.

  Oh sweet Jesus.

  He was temporarily blinded, but I adjusted quickly – fast enough to see how amazing his powerful, rugged build really was.

  There could barely be an ounce of fat on this guy’s body. He was all muscle – built to last. His sinews rippled just below the skin, pulling taut as he shielded his eyes. His powerful shoulders and tight pectorals were to die for.

  Turns out that I had been completely right about his abs.

  You could probably slice onions on them.

  “Are you done checking out the goods?” Trent chuckled arrogantly. That stupidly sexy smile of his curled along his lips again.

  Ugh.

  “You’ll stop talking if you want my help,” I warned him.

  “Alright, alright…”

  I pulled down my medical kit from a shelf. Popping it open and spreading a few supplies along the bed, I sat down beside him and dabbed rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball.

  “This might sting a little,” I explained.

  “Pfft. I can take it.”

  The slight waft hit my nostrils as I pressed it to his cheek, bringing me back to when I was a child. It was one of the few memories that really stuck out, patching up my stepfather after one of his famous barroom brawls.

  I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t help but wonder why alcohol seemed to be the common denominator in pretty much everything I did, despite how much I hated the stuff.

  Dabbing lightly, I checked his cuts and bruises. After applying some of the rubbing alcohol to his wounds, I ducked out of the room and came back with a hot, soapy rag.

  “Nothing broken,” I observed. “Worst thing I’m seeing is a few deep bruises and the lump on your head. Still not sure about that concussion, but you don’t look too worse for wear. It’ll hurt later. But you probably don’t need a doctor.”

  It was clear that he was starting to finally remember things as I cleaned him up.

  “What happened after I hit the floor?”

  “You’d be surprised how fast a bunch of fat ass bikers can run when you point some buckshot in their direction.”

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” Trent said, letting out a low laugh. “Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks to you,” I replied.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. You were a beast. You kept taking punches and returning them harder. Those bikers weren’t exactly pushovers. And you took on four of them at once.”

  “You had two of them distracted.”

  “Still. That’s no easy feat.”

  “You sound impressed,” Trent said, cocking a smile.

  “Maybe a little, but let’s not forget that I saved your ass too. With a shotgun and everything. I mean, I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty epic. You should have totally been there, instead of unconscious.”

  He smiled at me for a moment, before the grin faltered. “What about the bikers, though? Are they coming back, or…?”

  I shook my head. “Called the Sherriff. He picked them up on the interstate headed west. They won’t be bothering me or anyone else for awhile.”

  We sat in silence for a moment while I wiped him down. There wasn’t a lot more I could do. He was going to need some painkillers for the morning, which I didn’t really have access to, so… yeah.

  “So, who are you, anyway?” I asked him.

  “I already told you. I’m Trent Masters.”

  “Yeah. Doesn’t exactly really ring a bell.”

  He flashed a cocky smile, as if he was about to announce himself as the lord of some distant land. “You ever heard of Trent Masters and the Whiplash?”

  I laughed aloud.

  I didn’t think this could get any dumber.

  “Yeah, your name probably would have tipped me off if that meant anything to me.”

  Trent looked a little disappointed.

  “I figured,” he murmured with dejected irritation. “If you didn’t recognize me when I came in, you probably weren’t going to, anyway.”

  “So, enough with the bullshit. Who are you? What’s this about whiplash?”

  Trent grinned cockily. “We’re a rock band.”

  “Funny,” I chuckled. When his grin only grew wider, my face only hardened. “Wait, you’re serious? But I’ve never heard of you…”

  “You’re right. I clearly made that up. I mean, I can’t imagine how a tiny, backwater town halfway up the ass of Alabama might have missed a band that tops the hottest Top 40 stations.”

  “I’m more of a country girl,” I conceded. “But we get radio here. Wait…”

  It started to dawn on me.

  “Wait, no, there’s this one rock song that comes on every once in a while, what is it…I can never hear the name, they never announce the band or the song title…”

  “How’s it go?” He asked.

  “Nuh-uh. I can’t sing.”

  He shrugged. “Recite some lyrics.”

  “Um.”

  I thought for a second.

  “Reeeeaad my bones, whispered, taken?”

  Trent laughed with amusement.

  “That’s…wrong. That’s really wrong. But yeah, that’d be us. You’re talking about a song I wrote, Wicked Wilds.”

  “I see,” I thought aloud. “So, that’s you?”

  His eyes glistened with delight. His voice began to sound more familiar now – it could definitely be close enough to be behind that song. I mean, I hadn’t heard it often, but it was one of the few rock songs that really drew my attention.

  It had always been sung so soulfully.

  The singer’s voice really rang with emotion.

  But he could still be making this shit up. Wouldn’t be the first time some asshole came into my bar pretending to be something he wasn’t.

  “Sing it,�
�� I demanded, crossing my arms.

  He looked surprised. “You want me to sing for you?”

  “If you expect me to actually believe this bullshit you’re spewing, then yeah, I definitely do.”

  “You do realize that people usually pay me thousands of dollars to sing, right? And I just saved you from, from…”

  “Classy as fuck, Trent,” I laughed. “You’re right. You just saved me from being raped. Low blow, much? But I distinctly remember whipping out a shotgun when you went down, so I think you and I are one for one. Besides. I don’t think it’s that big a request. You’re making a total fuss over a few lyrics?”

  Trent flashed a grin. “Good point.”

  “So, go on, then,” I waved at him with my wrist. “Prove that it’s you. Work your magic.”

  “What if I’m an impersonator?”

  “I’ll know if you’re full of shit.”

  Trent shook his head, smiling softly. He looked deep into my eyes, as if searching to see if I was being serious. After a moment, he smile settled in a big, arrogant grin.

  “Fine. Have it your way, then.”

  While I sat next to Trent Masters, he turned to me, looking deep into my being, and his sturdy voice yarled the rugged chorus to his alleged rock hit single:

  “Reeee-yee-yee-ead my bones… broken, laid, and / Heeee-yee-yee-eed my moans… whispered, taken / Seee-yee-yee-eee my frown… buried, bathed in / Feee-yee-yee-eel my crown… dust and vapor”

  Trent’s deep voice rang in the small space, digging into a dark octave and pouring out his very soul against the walls.

  My head flashed to the alternative rock heroes of the Nineties – Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, guys like that. They’d never been my jam, but as I listened, I knew the truth. I was tending to the wounds of a real-life rock star.

  He was so young, and oh so fucking hot.

  Maybe I could give up on country… Just this once…

  “You believe me now,” he smiled cockily.

  “That’s…definitely you, on the radio.”

  “Me, and my band,” he added.

  “What the fuck are you guys doing here in the middle of nowhere?” I asked breathlessly. “I mean, what brought you to Riverton? How did you wind up in my bar?”

  “We’re playing the RipFest, just an hour or so over from here. It’s the biggest music festival in the state. The after-party wasn’t my scene. I decided to hit the road and find somewhere a little quieter to nurse a beer.”

  “Well, if you wanted quiet, I guess you probably picked the wrong bar…” I told him.

  “No...” Trent said, his hand covering mine, “I think I came to the right place.”

  I gulped. It was a total move, but it was working.

  “Is that so,” I strained to say dispassionately.

  “Yeah,” he agreed, his widening smile exposing a few bright white teeth. “That’s so.”

  I knew how he was looking at me. His eyes tenderly slid along the curvature of my skin. I could have stopped him… I should have stopped him… The problem was, I wanted him to look at me like that.

  Goddammit, I want him.

  I want him BAD.

  And the worst part is…he knows it.

  As my throat grew tight and my cheeks reddened, I became suddenly aware that I was still dressed for work… Barely. My shirt was torn half open by the bikers, exposing the pink bra beneath. The miniskirt had hiked itself up my thighs as I patched Trent up. Now I was sitting in bed beside the hottest hunk of man flesh I’d ever laid my eyes on.

  And the very same man had an infuriating, damning look plastered on his face. I could feel it, burning down in his gaze as he looked at me.

  That smug look that just screamed victory.

  Fuck me.

  Trent

  This bartender chick was putty in my hands, gazing at me with widened eyes and heaving breasts. Her lips subtly formed that slight little ‘O’ that I like so much, and I couldn’t help but smile deeper.

  She only seemed more aroused.

  But I wasn’t going to overplay the charm.

  My knuckles brushed lightly against her cheek, pushing a few strands of hair aside. She quivered beneath my touch, her eyes locked onto mine.

  “Thank you for cleaning me up,” I whispered.

  “Mhmm,” she nodded softly.

  “How could I possibly repay you?”

  “You’ll…think of something.”

  “I think I already have.”

  I leaned down towards her.

  Down towards my prize…

  And suddenly, the distant clang of a door.

  She leapt up from the bed, from me, and hesitantly wandered to the doorway. With a hand against the wall, she carefully peered out.

  A voice called out, distantly.

  “Angel… Angel?”

  It was the sound of an old man, older and raspier than the bikers. Sounded like it was probably an old bag of bones, at least from first impression.

  At his calling, she immediately left.

  So, THAT’S her name, I thought to myself. It was fitting…

  It was only then that I realized that I’d never learned it. Any immediate shame got dismissed with a quick shrug. Hell, half the groupies I’d fucked never had a name to their faces.

  And the ones that did…well, I usually forgot those names by the morning.

  I let a few moments idly saunter past, waiting for her to come back and tell me that everything was fine. As the seconds dragged on to minutes, I realized that this was a little more serious…

  I couldn’t make any out any of the conversation from back here, but it sounded like the intruder and my improvised medic were having quiet the emotional chat.

  Grumbling, I slowly rose from the bed.

  She had been right here.

  She was going to be mine.

  My muscles ached, and I ignored how they snarled in pain. Steadying myself against the wall, I took a few injured steps, finally making it to the doorway.

  Fuck. I’m in worse shape than I thought.

  Entering the hallway in a slight hunch, I was able to limber up a little with each consecutive step. By the time I rounded the corner, crossed a storage room, and came to where they were, I could move far easier.

  It was the bar.

  The bar?

  “I thought you said we were at your place,” I complained to Angel, who was speaking to some old, grumpy looking bastard of a man. They both immediately turned to me with mutual shock, their conversation temporarily forgotten.

  The old geezer looked indignant.

  What is he, her grandfather?

  “This…is my place,” Angel replied, her eyes full of surprise and embarrassment. “This is where I work, and where I live… home sweet home! And what the hell are you doing up?”

  “Angel,” the decrepit old man addressed her, his withering gaze locked disdainfully onto me. “Would you care to explain why a shirtless man is back there with you, in my bar, after hours?”

  “I was telling you that someone saved me,” she answered. The look on her face told me that she was furious that I’d revealed myself.

  Tough shit.

  She continued, waving her hand in my direction. “Well, this is that someone.”

  “I…see.” He turned to her, a disappointed look plastered across those old wrinkles. “So, in exchange for rescuing you, you just thought that you’d throw this stranger a little pity fuck?”

  Angel was visibly stunned.

  “Hey,” I told him. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but don’t you dare talk to her like that.”

  The man chuckled. “Got a mouth on you, too. I’ll have you know that Angel lives here, rent-free, under a few conditions. Rule number one, no boys.”

  “I’m not a boy,” I growled.

  “Yes…I can see that,” he observed, his withered glance sliding along my muscles. “And that’s even worse.”

  He turned to face her, and she wilted under
his angry gaze.

  “Nice to see that you have such reverence for my rules. You have disappointed me, Angel. I thought that I had been very clear what would happen if you did. Have I not put you up here, taken care of you, and put up with your constant rulebreaking? And now this.”

  “I’m sorry, Old Greg,” she murmured. “Don’t throw me back out. I was only patching him up, honest. He just woke up. Ask him.”

  Old Greg glowered at me.

  “Is this true?”

  I thought about spitting out some sort of retort. Of punishing him for daring to come between us, or her for leaping up and ripping my prize away.

  “Yeah, it’s true,” I answered begrudgingly.

  “But you’re shirtless.”

  “You’re observant, aren’t you?” He was seriously pissing me off, and I couldn’t help but take the pot shot. But before his indignant glare could smolder into action, I quickly added: “I took a few hits. She was making sure my ribs weren’t broken.”

  After a moment to stifle his reaction, the old man nodded, apparently accepting this explanation.

  “Which reminds me… next time, you let the hospital handle your wounded friends. Angel, you told me that you’re supposed to be letting that part of your life go. Always patching people up yourself. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes sir,” she quietly agreed.

  “Because it doesn’t look like that now.” He pointed at me. “He should be seeing a doctor right now. Not lying around in the back of a bar. I mean, what kind of supplies do we seriously have? What if he needs an emergency room? You should have sent him from here in an ambulance.”

  “I’m in good shape,” I cut in.

  “No son, you look as bad as your attitude. Both of which are absolute shit,” he grumbled throatily. A slight cough rumbled out from his chest, and he quieted it with a handkerchief. “Tell me, is that your fancy jeep out front?”

  “That’s right,” I answered.

  “Good. Can you drive?”

  “I think so,” I blurted out.

  I realized my mistake too late.

  “Fine. Get in your jeep and drive, then.”

  I swallowed angrily.

  Old Greg continued. “Closest after-hours clinic is a few miles down the Interstate. Head east. Look for Brightsdale. Pass the welcome sign, a mile down on the left. Can’t miss it. Big bright building, probably the only one with the lights on at this time of night.”