He curled his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into his kiss. His other hand went to my ass and squeezed. I moaned, arching into his hard-on, not giving a damn that we were in a public parking lot.
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever had on the back of my bike,” he confessed once he broke contact.
The first woman he’d ever had on his bike? “I must be special,” I joked with a smile, knowing that the only reason we’d taken his bike was because my car wouldn’t start.
Bowie just looked at me quietly, his eyes holding mine captive. He was a hard man to read, keeping his expression neutral as if he was afraid to reveal too much. I doubted that he was afraid of anything. More like he just didn’t like sharing himself. He draped his arm over the back of my shoulder, and we began to walk. No response was forthcoming to my comment, and I didn’t press him.
We’d almost reached the entrance door when the sound of motorcycles drew Bowie’s attention. He paused, and waited until they came into view before opening the door. There were three of them. When they turned into the parking lot he said, “Go on in and get us a booth. Order some wine if you’d like. I’ll be right in.”
I did as he asked. I was starved and if he made me wait too long I’d order dinner, too. Bowie might be an alpha male, and liked things done his way, but he had to learn I was a woman with a mind of my own.
I’d just decided at that very moment that if I was going to make it on my own I had to be strong.
Chapter 6
Gwen
I was seated immediately, and left with two menus. Normally when I ate at a Chinese restaurant I ordered the same thing, spring rolls, and house fried rice. But I glanced over the menu anyway, just to have something to do. My mind wasn’t on what they offered though, I was thinking about getting my car fixed, and what I was going to do after that. Staying in Four Corners for a little while was very tempting. I hadn’t noticed any apartment buildings along the way but I was sure there was more to this town than one main street.
When Bowie walked through the door our gazes met, and I realized he was one of the reasons I was thinking about staying. Not that I wanted to jump into another relationship so soon, but we were as involved as two people could get. He might be used to picking up women, and having sex with them but I’d never let myself fall into the trap of one-night-stands, even before Greg and I got together. As Bowie got closer, it dawned on me that I’d never met a man like him either. My body was already responding to the way he was looking at me.
Like he wanted to devour me.
Slowly.
I was screwed.
I was also hooked, and that’s not good. After two days? It was purely sexual, and I wondered if that was the way to go this time around. Instead of dating and getting to know one another before sex, just dive right in and start with the physical side of a relationship. Was there any right or wrong ways anymore?
“Babe,” he put his hand on my shoulder, and leaned down. “Switch sides with me.” I didn’t question why. He didn’t step back when I slid from the booth, and suddenly we were flush against each other. I was instantly hot. “I’m going to fill your fucking pussy with cum when we get back to the room,” he snarled in a low tone for my ears only.
I caught my breath, looking around the room to see if anyone was paying attention to us. Bowie stepped aside allowing me to move to the other side of the booth.
“Do you have to say things like that in public?” I whispered across the table.
“Does it make you hot when I tell you what I’m going to do to you?”
“Yes, but—“
“Then that’s all that matters, babe.”
I noticed Bowie didn’t look at the menu. The waitress came by and we ordered. As soon as she was out of earshot he said, “You might as well get used to it because I say what I want, when I want.”
That wasn’t the first time he’d told me to get used to something. “Without filters.”
He laughed low. “It’s the only way I know, and no one has to guess where they stand with me.”
Well, that was true. “You told me that I should get used to it.” I was very interested in what Bowie had to say in response to that. Because I took it to mean that I was going to be around for a while. Otherwise, why would I have to get used to it?
He took a deep breath, and sat back in the booth, keeping his gaze on me. I nervously took a drink of water. “You leaving tomorrow?”
What did that have to do with my question? The man could be exasperating! “I’ve actually been thinking of staying for a while, and I have to get someone to look at my car.”
“Good. We’ll get your car taken care of in the morning.”
The waitress came with our meals before I could respond to that. It was quiet between us for a while as Bowie and I ate. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I dug into my spring rolls. They tasted homemade, and were really good. So was the house fried rice.
“This is really good food. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“My pleasure, babe.” He pushed his empty plate away, glancing down at my plate.” Worried about your weight?”
“I never eat it all.” The habit had followed me from childhood, when I’d learned early on that I wouldn’t always get breakfast. “I’ll take the rest and have it for breakfast. Do you know a place I can take my car?”
“I told you babe, we’ll take care of it. Fish will take a look at it, he works in a garage.”
His phone went off. He reached for it in his back pocket and brought it to his ear. “Yeah?”
I could hear someone speaking on the other end but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Going by Bowie’s expression I guessed it wasn’t good.
“Fuck!” he swore. “Bastards are fucking with us. I don’t like that we haven’t heard from Jonesy.” He listened for a minute, running a hand through his hair. “Tell the brothers who brought their old ladies to head back to the fucking compound tonight. Notify Skip they’re coming.”
“Trouble?” I asked when he was off the phone.
“Club business,” Bowie said in a hard voice, which meant absolutely nothing to me. He moved to get up. “We have to go.”
He tossed some money down on the table, and I followed him out of the restaurant. I noticed Bowie scanning the parking lot, and then the street, as we walked to his bike. He was obviously looking for someone. He pulled out our helmets, and handed me one.
“There’s a rival MC in town.” I lifted my chin as he took care of the strap to the helmet for me. “If we run into them there might be trouble.” Our gazes held, and I grew scared, in spite of the calm in his eyes. “If that happens, you fucking do whatever I tell you, no questions.”
“What kind of trouble?”
He mounted his bike. “You don’t want to know. Come on, get on.”
I don’t want to know? But I did, especially if I was going to be involved. I did what he asked, sliding on behind him. Bowie reached for my hands and brought them around his waist, and we tore out of the parking lot. No sight-seeing ride back to the hotel at a nice, safe speed. Bowie pushed his speed over the limit with unconcern for any consequences, even when we passed the police station.
I held onto him tightly, with no choice but to put my trust in his motorcycle driving skills not to get us killed. The powerful bike felt good between my thighs but I was too afraid to enjoy the benefits of what I’d dubbed the huge dildo. We were coming up on an intersection, and a light. I saw it turn red, and wondered if he would ignore it. But he slowed down and came to a stop. I took the break to relax and look around. Bowie was looking around too.
I felt him stiffen, and glanced in the direction he was looking. Three motorcycles were off to the right of us, five car lengths behind other vehicles. They had the green light, and as they turned in front of us each rider stared at us. I noticed Night Bandits MC was in big bold letters across the top of their leather vests.
At first I thought they were friends with
Bowie until I heard,” Fucker has a hot old lady!” He was talking to someone in his group, and then he looked back at us. “Better keep the bitch close, brother!” They laughed, and yelled some other things but they’d ridden too far away for me to make it out. I turned to face the front again, realizing that Bowie had been watching them, too. He turned away from me but not before I saw his fierce expression.
“Not friends?”
He shook his head, and we took off as soon as the light changed. Ten minutes later we were turning back into The Pink Pussy, and Bowie was backing his bike into the parking spot next to my car. I got off quickly, sensing his urgency, and barely got the half-helmet unstrapped and off before he took me by the upper arm, and guided me to my door.
“Got your key?”
The tension in his voice was palpable. “Yes.” I pulled it out of my hip pocket.
He snatched it from my hand before I could say anything else. “I want you to stay in your room until I come back.” I balked at that, and I guess Bowie knew that by the change in my body language. I didn’t like being ordered around. “Don’t fucking argue with me, okay babe?” Calling me babe was supposed to make me more pliable?
No, but his rough kiss did.
As soon as he pushed me into my room he shut the door. Realizing he still had my key I swung around to open the door but thought better of it. As soon as Bowie came back I was going to demand he explain what was happening, and definitely before I let him back into my panties. If I let him back into my panties. I wasn’t sure I needed to get involved with a man like him. I laughed. How much more involved could I get?
One thing I did know. I needed to decide what I was going to do. I thought about the things that had happened to me since arriving in Four Corners. I’d been offered a job, I met a hot biker who seems to like me, even if it is only sex, and my car breaks down. Is that an omen, a sign that I should stay put for a while? Maybe give Four Corners a chance? I could talk to Rob about that job, and maybe he would know where I could begin to look for an apartment.
The more I thought about it, the more it began to appeal to me. It would certainly be better than just driving around until I figured out where I wanted to go permanently. I went to the window, and pulled back the curtain. There was a commotion across the street at the bar. Several men were gathered in the parking lot, and having a heated discussion. It was starting to get dark and I couldn’t see who they were but their attire told me they were bikers. Was Bowie one of them?
Someone threw a punch, a man went down, and then all hell broke loose. My first instinct was to call the police, but I hesitated. Maybe it was just a harmless brawl between drunken friends. I watched for a minute, unable to make much out in the cluster of men involved. I saw a bike go down when two men slammed into it. I closed the curtain, and turned to go to the bathroom.
Something told me I wouldn’t be going out again so I’d grab a shower, and get ready for bed, maybe watch a little TV before Bowie came back, if he came back. I hoped he did. In spite of his dark, rugged looks, and that he was part of a motorcycle gang, I was drawn to him. It surprised me that I wanted to get to know someone like him. He couldn’t be more opposite to the kind of men I usually found myself attracted to, yet at the same time it seemed appropriate. I was making a change in my life. I’d done a lot more than just leaving Greg.
Thinking about Greg, maybe it wasn’t so surprising that I was attracted to Bowie after all. Greg had charmed his way into my life, and once I was hooked he put me in a cage like a fucking bird. Not literally. But it was a cage no less. He’d controlled every aspect of my life until I couldn’t breathe, until I felt like a possession instead of his partner. I had no doubt that Greg was beside himself right now, full of rage and disbelief that I’d had the balls to actually leave him a second time. He would look for me; I had no doubts about that. Greg didn’t like to lose.
After my shower I brushed my teeth, and slipped into a pair of lacy boy shorts and matching camisole. I ran a brush through my hair, gathered it into a soft knot at the back of my head, and then walked over and turned the TV on low. A bottle of wine was sitting in the ice bucket of cold water now, and just as I reached for it to pour myself a glass there was a knock at the door.
I set the bottle back in the water, and turned toward the door, smiling. Bowie must have forgotten he still had my key. I unlocked, and opened the door, my smile disappearing as I froze in place. Bowie’s earlier comment about my opening the door without checking to see who was there first came back to me in a flash, only it was too late now.
My heart skipped a beat.
I think I stopped breathing.
And I knew I was going to pay.
Chapter 7
Bowie
I stood back, breathing heavily from the physical exertion of the fight, and spit out a mouthful of blood. Fish and Big John stood back, too, exchanged looks of satisfaction, and bumped knuckles. Fish wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his face. Big John had a bloody nose, and his left eye was swelling shut. High on adrenaline, none of us felt any pain. We just felt fucking good that business with the Night Bandits had been taken care of fast, and efficiently.
We stared down at the three members moaning, and squirming on the ground. Fuck with us, in our own town? I was pretty sure if they hadn’t gotten the memo that they didn’t ride through another MC’s territory without making contact first, they knew it now. They were either new members, or just too young and cocky to follow the rules. We’d taught them a painful lesson.
“Hey, prez.”
I turned to see Sweet Lips sauntering our way with an expression that said he’d smoked a joint or had some pussy, maybe both. He was too fucking happy. I gave him a chin lift.
He gave us each a look, glanced down at the ground, and I could tell he worked out what had happened in his head. “Awe, fuck man, looks like I missed out on all the fun.”
“I can give you a bloody nose if it will make you feel any better,” Big John offered.
Sweet Lips just laughed, focusing his gaze on me. “Heard from Jonesy.”
“Where the fuck has he been?” Fish growled.
“On the protection run, seems he dropped his burner and broke it,” Sweet Lips explained.
“Dumb ass.” Fish’s tone was filled with disgust. “If there’d been trouble he would of fucking been ended.”
“I’m sure he knows that,” I said.
Sweet Lips indicated the Night Bandits members. “What are we doing about them?”
I looked down at them. They were starting to come around. We’d already removed their weapons, and smashed their burners. “Get them on their bikes.”
Each brother grabbed a handful of leather, and hauled the Night Bandits to their feet. With a little rough assistance they groggily mounted their bikes. Words weren’t necessary, they were leaving Crows Feet whipped, and they knew they were lucky to get off as easy as they had.
“We going inside?” Big John wanted to know as we stood there watching the three beaten men ride away.
“You brothers go ahead; I have plans for the rest of the night.” They laughed knowingly but were smart enough not to say anything. “We leave as soon as the papers are signed in the morning.” I wanted to be home if there was any fall-out from what just went down, and with a little luck, Gwen would be on the back of my bike with me.
I wanted her like fuck. Not as an old lady, it was too fucking soon to be thinking anything like that. But I wanted more time with her. At forty-three I was getting tired of sloppy seconds, tired of having to check for STDS because condoms weren’t always reliable, tired of going home to an empty house. I’d given the club my twenties and thirties, hell, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I was going to claim the rest of my fucking life. Watching my brothers Kurt and Jelly find their women, and have babies made me realize what I was missing, and I wanted a woman like Gwen. Not the barely legal-aged girls who whored themselves out to whoever wanted them. From the moment I�
��d looked into her eyes I’d felt something tell me that she was special.
I wondered who would be next to go down that road.
I glanced over at Sweet Lips as he came up beside me. “Tell Rod to give Bonnie a couple of days off for moving if she needs it.” He nodded, reaching for the handle on the door to the bar. “I hope you know what you’re doing brother.” He wasn’t going to have an easy time getting into sweet, innocent Lola’s bed, especially once she found out that he’d fucked Bonnie.
“Fuck, two fine women under my roof? Maybe I can get them into a threesome.” He shot me a grin and disappeared inside.
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
I checked for traffic before darting across the street. If it wasn’t for the lights being on in the few rooms Gwen and my crew were staying in, I’d think the place was closed. I could barely make out our parked bikes, and her car, and as I got closer I could see another vehicle parked next to hers. I frowned when I was able to make out the car, it was too nice to be parked at The Pink Pussy, and then I heard a scream.
It was a woman’s cry.
I recognized that it was Gwen.
I rushed to her door, and kicked it in.
****
Gwen
Expecting to see Bowie, I stood there in shock, losing a few precious seconds when I could have been slamming the door in his face. How the fuck did Greg find me so fast? Reacting on pure instinct and fear I moved to shut the door, but he was ready for me. He wedged his foot against the frame so it wouldn’t close all the way, at the same time bringing his hands up to force the door open. We played tug of war for a second before I let the door go and ran further into the room, watching helplessly when he casually stepped inside.
I knew his calm and unhurried movements were an exact opposite emotion to what he really felt inside. Greg was a pro at making me think that everything was okay, but experience taught me that he was like a tiger, stalking his prey until he got close enough to get his hands on it. My heart was pounding hard with the knowledge that I was his prey.
Dangerous Surrender Page 6
