by Chiah Wilder
“Are you going to be able to eat all of those?” Rory said, pointing to the pile of clams on Claudia’s plate.
Picking up the salt shaker and a lemon wedge, she nodded. “You bet. I love this dish so much.”
Hailey laughed and picked up her fork, digging into her chile relleno con camarones—a large poblano pepper lightly fried and stuffed with cheese and shrimp. Popping a piece in her mouth, she leaned back and savored the burst of fresh flavors from the cilantro and peppers. “This is so damn good. I’m officially hooked.”
“Mine’s to die for too. How’s your chicken enchilada?” she asked Rory.
“Good, but I’d be just as happy to drink my dinner and forgo the eating. I’ve got to have another one of these margaritas.”
As the women ate their food, drank, and talked, a loud rumble traveled through the restaurant. “Is that thunder?” Claudia said.
Craning her neck, Rory looked up. “It can’t be. There isn’t a cloud in the sky.”
“You’re right, and it’s clear over the mountains too. I wonder what it is.”
Before Hailey could voice a guess, eight motorcycles roared by the eatery. Several diners covered their ears and many more directed their attention to the street, clearly annoyed. A shiver climbed up Hailey’s spine as her stomach fluttered. I’m turned on over a motorcycle? How stupid is that? The truth was her body was reacting to the possibility of seeing Goldie again. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she’d seen him and she already missed him. Earlier that day, she’d hoped he would’ve called her, but she wasn’t all that surprised he didn’t because the bad boys always wanted the women to chase them.
“Did you see all those motorcycles? I bet the guys are in the Night Rebels,” Rory said as she gestured to the waiter for another round of drinks.
“Probably. I’ve seen some of them and they’re damn good-looking. Real buffed and firm.” Claudia giggled.
Rory’s eyes widened. “Oh shit. They’re coming in here.”
Hailey’s stomach turned over, and she slowly looked over her shoulder. Amid all the people, her gaze found his penetrating one—the one that was striking yet soft and made her insides dance. Goldie turned to a guy next to him and said something, then approached her, his shimmering gaze fixed on her. Mesmerized by his powerful legs encased in blue denim and his toned arms in a sleeveless T-shirt, she gawked at him as he came closer. The way his biceps bulged as he walked made her clench her legs together. A long silver earring dangled in his left ear, picking up the sun’s rays, gleaming against his tanned skin. She’d never seen him wear an earring and she found it incredibly sexy, even more so than the colorful ink that moved with him across the room. Every muscle in his body rippled, and her body ached for his touch. His raw maleness didn’t go unnoticed by several of the female patrons, who ogled him as he passed their tables.
“Hey, isn’t that the guy who gave you the tattoo on your butt?” Claudia said, breaking the spell. Hailey turned around and nodded. “He’s coming over here. He must’ve remembered us.”
“Great. Why can’t a good-looking guy in something other than denim and leather come over here?” Rory hiccupped loudly.
“Hey, Hailey.” His baritone voice landed right between her legs.
“Hi,” she mumbled before reaching for her drink.
“You’re the tattoo guy,” Claudia said.
He nodded. “How’re you ladies doing?”
“Just great!” Rory replied. “These margaritas are damn good. Are you a Night Rebel? You got the bike, the body, and the leather vest. If you’re not, you’re impersonating them and they’re going to kick your ass.” A peal of laughter burst from her mouth.
“She’s liking the margaritas a little too much,” Hailey said softly.
“That’s cool. And I am a member of the Night Rebels.” He pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. Claudia and Rory lowered their heads. “I guess that was a conversation killer.” Grasping her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. “It looks like you survived your day.”
All of a sudden, Hailey’s mouth went as dry as the summer heat and all she could do was nod.
“Did you get the contract for the couple’s wedding? The ones from Tula.”
Wow… he was actually listening to me last night. A huge plus. “Yeah, I did. How was your day?”
“Busy.”
“Goldie! What the fuck do you wanna eat? This sweet babe wants to take our order,” a man with long red hair yelled out.
“Is that your friend?” Hailey asked as she turned to look at the table of bikers.
“Yeah. That’s Sangre. I better get over there.” He rose to his feet, then reached out and stroked her cheek as he locked his gaze on hers. For several heartbeats, he stood transfixed, and she thought he was going to kiss her. Her body tingled and pulsed in anticipation of it, but a half smile curled on his face and he sauntered away.
“Oh my God. What the fuck was that about?” Claudia said.
Rory grimaced. “Don’t tell us you’ve got a thing for the biker tattoo guy. Not when you had a chance with Brent.”
Hailey took a big gulp of water. “The tattoo guy is Goldie, who used to be Garth. I found that out when I bumped into him in Mrs. Humphries’s room at the rehab center. She’s at Cherry Vale just like my aunt. Isn’t it a small world?” She smiled weakly.
Claudia looked over at the biker table. “Holy fuck. That gorgeous guy used to be Garth Saner?”
“And you still have a crush on him, don’t you, Hay?” Rory held up her hand before Hailey could answer. “Don’t say it. I know you do. I could tell by the way you were looking at him. And he’s into you too. Don’t let this happen, Hay. Brent really likes you, and he’s a nice guy. A sure bet. Garth will be a disaster.”
Grinding her teeth, Hailey raised her chin. “For who? Anyway, we’re not dating, but if we were, it would be my decision. And since you’re so hot for Brent, why don’t you go out with him?”
“Because he likes you. I wish he liked me that way. Anyway, it’s just a matter of time before you start up something with Garth. Remember, he’s a player. Ryan’s best friends with him, and he told you that. He was such a jerk in high school too. He went out with all the easy girls. Do you really want a guy who’s been with most of Alina?”
“Fuck, Rory. Lighten up. If Hay wants to screw Garth-turned-biker-turned-Goldie’s nuts off, it’s her business. I’m still reeling about what a hunk he is. And you had a crush on him too back in high school.” Claudia brought her wineglass to her lips.
“You did?” Hailey said to Rory.
“I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Let’s just forget about him being here, have some more drinks, and let me tell you about the vacation I have planned for me and Troy next month.”
While Rory went over every detail of her travel itinerary, Hailey was acutely aware of Goldie’s presence in the room. She felt his eyes on her, and the connection they had pulled hard at her. Pretending to look for their waiter, she turned around, catching his piercing gaze that held a mixture of emotions: lust, irritation, tenderness, and impatience.
“Are you listening, Hay?” Rory’s thin voice broke through her heated haze.
“Uh… yeah. I’m trying to find our waiter. I could use another drink.” She glanced back in Goldie’s direction, and even though he was talking to the guys at his table, the pull was still there. Lingering on his rugged face, she chided her foolishness, but just when she was about to focus back on Rory’s travelogue, his heated look grounded her. Oh, Garth. I still have a massive crush on you. But this time around she was a woman and he was a man, and her body ached for him in the worst way.
After sharing dessert, Rory placed her elbow on the table, rested her chin on her hand, and drooped her head. “I’m so sleepy,” she mumbled.
“Then we better go. It looks like she’ll be crashing with me,” Claudia said as she stood.
“Do you need me to follow you home to help you with her?” H
ailey picked up her purse.
“She’s not that smashed. I’ve seen her worse. I’ll be good.” Claudia helped Rory up from the chair.
“I’ll at least help you get her to the car.” Hailey came over and placed her hand around Rory’s arm.
“You guys, I’m good. Quit making a fuss over me,” Rory said as she swayed.
On the way out, Hailey glanced over at the biker table, disappointment twisting inside her when she saw it empty. He didn’t even come over and say goodbye. It doesn’t matter. I don’t give a shit. But she really did. She wanted to keep in contact with Goldie, yet she was afraid of her feelings for him. She was afraid he’d treat her like just another one of his women. I’m so damn mixed up. I never should’ve gone to the tattoo parlor. She pressed her lips together. I should’ve stayed in Albuquerque.
After strapping the seat belt over Rory and waving goodbye to Claudia, Hailey went to her car, pressing the remote to unlock the doors. Before she could open her door, she heard the crunch of footsteps behind her. Darting her eyes around, she realized she was the only one in the parking lot. Hurriedly, she pulled open her door, only to have a hand slam it shut. She screamed out, trying to turn around, but someone pinned her against her car.
“There’s money in my purse. Take it,” she said hoarsely.
“That’s not what I want,” a deep voice replied.
Goldie! Pushing backward, she shoved him away, then spun around. “You scared the shit out of me!”
He chuckled and drew her close to him. “I didn’t mean to. I thought you saw me by my bike.”
“I didn’t. I thought you left. What do you want?” The pounding in her ears began to dissipate.
Without saying a word, he grasped her shoulders and yanked her to him. She couldn’t help but notice his strength, the way his biceps bulged as he held her, and the bulk of his shoulders. Before she could say anything, he slammed his mouth on hers and kissed her with such passion her knees buckled. Holding her up, he cupped her ass cheeks while he continued to devour her mouth. His tongue invaded her mouth, flicking across her teeth, entwining with hers, and she looped her hands around his corded neck. She’d never been kissed like that; it was wild, consuming, and addictive all at once, making her senses come to life.
“Oh, Hailey,” he murmured on her lips.
Hearing him say her name between kisses sent chills from her pulsing lips into the opening between her legs. She never wanted him to stop kissing her. Moaning, she ran her fingers through his hair, her nipples hardening as his hard dick rubbed against her. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to have him inside her; it didn’t matter that they were in a public place. His scent of soap and leather filled her senses, and her arousal screamed for his touch. Pressing closer, she ground against him, loving the low growls he emitted.
“What’re they doing, Dad?” a small voice rang out in the parking lot.
“Nothing. Come over here, Scotty,” a man’s voice replied.
“I can’t believe this,” a woman’s shrill voice added.
The voices pierced the sexual veil engulfing her and she pushed Goldie back, immediately missing the warmth of his body. She glanced sideways at the couple and their child, noticing other diners walking to their vehicles.
“We need to go somewhere and get this thing we have going between us out of our system,” Goldie said as he traced her jawline with his finger.
His words were like a bucket of cold water thrown at her. “What does that mean?” Her voice dripped ice.
He raised his eyebrows, then smiled. “I think you know. We both hunger and crave each other, and that’s standing in the way of everything. I need to watch over you, but all I can think about is fucking you.”
“How romantically put.” She crossed her arms.
“I don’t go in for romance.” He cocked his head back.
“That doesn’t surprise me. So you’re proposing that we have sex so you can get it out of your system?”
“Yours too.”
“My system’s just fine.” I’m such a liar, but he’s worse. He just wants to screw and move on. Treat me like a piece of ass like he does all the other women. He’s such a player.
Goldie stepped back, his smile gone and his lips forming a thin line. “Guess I misread you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll wait until you take off. You haven’t heard from your ex-douchebag, right?”
He’s pissed at me. He has a lot of nerve. “No. Ryan’s overreacting on this. He usually does when it comes to me.” Her glare held his.
“He just wants to make sure you’re safe. Go on now.”
Sexual tension sparked between them, and then she opened her car door and slid in. Pulling out of the parking lot, she watched him as he stood by his bike watching her. Her body was wound tightly from unquenched desire, her lips red from his ardent kissing. Part of her regretted not taking him up on his offer to “get it out of our system.” But she didn’t want to be like all the women he’d had in his life. She’d had a crush on him for so long that if they were going to come together, she wanted it to be special, to mean something to her—and to him.
I was doing just fine before I bumped into him. She’d have to go back to her life pre-Goldie. She could do it. After all, they hadn’t really had much between them except a few kisses. But his kisses are mind-blowing. She shook her head. I’ve got to stop thinking like that. She’d just have to forget about him. When she spoke to Ryan, she’d tell him to call off his watchdog. The whole thing was wearing thin.
She was done.
End of story.
Chapter Thirteen
Linda Salinas trudged up the porch stairs to her house, swaying slightly as she held grocery bags in both hands. From the shadow of the bushes, he watched her. He knew her routine and her every move. For weeks, he’d been watching her, and Tuesday night was grocery night. He smiled as she dropped a bag to grab onto the railing so she wouldn’t fall. When she bent over to pick up her groceries, he glimpsed the backside of her tanned thighs. His breath quickened as his eyes fixed on her movements.
Tuesday night was the one night she was alone. There were no children or grandchildren who came over, no friends, and she had nowhere to be. After learning her schedule, he’d marked Tuesday as the day he would pay her a visit. Many Tuesdays had come and gone, but that night he was in predator mode. That night he would attack, and afterward, he’d find another target. There were a couple women he’d been staking out, but nothing as intense as Linda Salinas. At least not yet.
The excitement of surprising her, of seeing the fear in her eyes, of smelling it oozing from her body was what he loved. Fear and dominance were what drove him to seek, stalk, and attack his victims. A lot of his time was spent fantasizing and hunting, and once he decided to give in to his craving, he was past the point of no return.
That night, as he watched Linda Salinas close and lock her door, he was beyond fantasizing. The rush of adrenaline surging through his body reminded him how badly he needed this. He would wait for the next several hours until she went to bed. He’d broken into her house earlier that day and unlatched a window in the family room. She never checked her windows before she went to bed.
In all his hunting, it never ceased to amaze him how many women left their windows and door unlocked, or never checked them when they arrived home. He wasn’t complaining because it made what he did so much easier. It just surprised him how trusting people were in general. Maybe some would reason that the women felt safe in a small town, but he’d seen it when he was hunting in the city before he moved to Alina. He chuckled. Predators such as he relied on women’s naiveté to feed their hunger.
With a backdrop of crickets in the long grass, nighttime erased all remnants of twilight. The predator’s gaze fixed on his prey’s lighted bedroom window. Very soon now it would go out. Licking his lips, he shoved his hands in his pockets and waited. Darkness brought the primal nature to the front, an invigorating state for those who craved fear
and dominance.
Then the light went out. Jittering a foot against the ground, his heart pounded as he imagined the look of fear on Linda Salinas’s face. Slow down. Keep cool. You’ve got time. You want to make sure the bitch is fast asleep. Waking up a woman from sleep when she thought she was safe hit him below the belt each and every time. He doubted that he’d ever tire of the rush of excitement the woman’s fear brought to him. And it only got better as he threatened her and told her all the awfully nasty things he was going to do to her. There was really nothing like it.
A little less than two hours later, he was in Linda Salinas’s bedroom doorway. In the glow from the moonlight, he saw her form encased in a blanket. The air conditioning made the room cool, and it reminded him of a tomb. He smiled at his analogy, then pulled the knife out of his pocket. The blade gleamed as he slowly approached the bed, his heart beating, his excitement through the roof. And still she slept, oblivious to how drastically her life would forever change.
Standing over her, he saw her black hair curled around her forehead and her body moving up and down as she breathed. Showtime, my sweet lamb. Grasping her shoulders, he shook her firmly, loving the way her eyes flew open and confusion masked her face. When her sleepy gaze became clear, it fixed on his ski mask, then on his brown eyes. Her gaze was terrified. Perfect. You didn’t disappoint me, darling.
“Don’t move or I’ll kill you,” he gritted as he held the blade against her quivering neck. Her fear kept growing and his desire pushed him on.
He threw off her bed coverings, and the small whimpers and ever-present fear etched on her face fed him and pushed him on. He cut off her clothes with the knife, his eyes feasting on her breasts. I’m going to have fun with those. Out of instinct, her hands flew to her breasts in an attempt to cover them from his piercing gaze. He shoved them off and leaned close to her ear.
“You’re going to do everything I tell you to do. If you don’t, I’ll fucking kill you. If you scream, I’ll cut you bad, then fucking kill you. And if you ever try to cover yourself, I’ll fuck you with the knife. You got it?” She nodded, her face pained with terror. “Then we understand each other.”
