Sweet Burn

by Winter Travers

  “I think you need an Abe special.” I rolled out from under her, and slid out of bed.

  “An Abe special? I’m kind of afraid of what that might be since I know you can’t cook.”

  I left her in the bed and walked to the fridge. “Trust me, Brynn. I’ll never steer you wrong,” I called. After I popped one of the containers I had brought over into the microwave, I grabbed a fork from the drawer, and grabbed the chilled bottle of wine.

  I hadn’t planned on surviving on only cake tonight. I had planned on spending the night in bed with Brynn, and brought the perfect food to help us keep up our stamina.

  Chicken Alfredo from Mario’s was just what we needed right now.

  I filled two wine glasses, grabbed the steaming container from the microwave, and hightailed it back to the bedroom.

  “Ah, the Abe Special is having someone else cook,” she laughed. She sat up and draped the blanket over her shoulders. “I guess I can handle that.”

  I handed her a glass of wine, and managed to crawl into bed without spilling any wine or food. “I’m a work in progress, sweetheart.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” She grabbed the container and stirred the sauce laden noodles around. “How did you know Chicken Alfredo was my favorite?”

  “I may or may not have talked to Karen on the way out today. She gave me a little insight into Brynn Marshall.”

  “Is that so? I might have to ask her where her loyalty lies.”

  She loaded the fork with pasta and chicken, and held it up to my lips. “She’s loyal to you, sweetheart. I just happened to have Blake’s number that she was jonesing to have.”

  “Typical,” she muttered.

  For every bite she took, she fed me three.

  “You ready for round three?” I asked as she ate the last bite.

  She set the plate on the floor, and shook her head. “I’m pretty sure this is going to be round five.”

  Shit, really? I grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her to my side. “Well, whatever number it is, I’m ready for more.”

  “You’re rather insatiable.”

  “Only when it comes to you, sweetheart.”

  “And cake,” she sassed.

  I rolled my eyes, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “But only your cake.”

  “Pretty sure that’s a double entendre.”

  I wiggled my eyebrows. “That’s because both types of your cake are so sweet.”

  Her cheeks heated and she blushed ten shades of red.

  “There’s the sweet innocence that caught my attention that first day.”

  Brynn

  “Wanna know what caught my attention the first time I saw you?” I asked.

  “Tell me, sweetheart.”

  I brushed my fingertips across his cheek. “I don’t know how to say this,” I muttered.

  “You can tell me anything.”

  I sighed, and a grin spread across my lips. “That you picked the right profession because you are smokin’ hot.”

  He busted out laughing, and rested her forehead on mine. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you.”

  I shrugged. “At least I’ll keep you on your toes.”

  “Can I use a cheesy line on you now?” he whispered.

  I nodded.

  “I’ve been in more fires in my career than I can count, but I’ve never been consumed like I am with you. You’re the sweetest burn, sweetheart.”

  My eyes closed and I sighed. “I don’t know what to say, Abe.”

  “Nothing to say. I think it’s time to let our bodies do the talking again.”

  “And then what?” I had known this man for four days. This wasn’t something that happened everyday.

  “Uh, we eat more cake, and then we see if I can keep you up all night.”

  I giggled and smacked him on the shoulder. “I meant after tonight.”

  He pressed a kiss to my cheek and pulled the covers over us. “We keep burning up the sheets, and everything else will work it’s way out. You’re what I want, Brynn. I know we barely know each other, but sometimes that doesn’t matter. Sometimes you just know, and the second I saw you, I knew that you were it.”

  My hand cupped his cheek and I smiled. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  “Good. Now let’s see about setting these sheets on fire.”

  “And then cake?” I giggled.

  “And then cake, sweetheart.”

  The End

  Make sure to pick up

  Five Alarm Donuts!

  Karen and Blake’s story!

  About the Author

  Winter Travers is a devoted wife, mother, and aunt turned author who was born and raised in Wisconsin. After a brief stint in South Carolina following her heart to chase the man who is now her hubby, they retreated back up North to the changing seasons, and to the place they now call home.

  Winter spends her days writing happily ever after’s, and her nights zipping around on her forklift at work. She also has an addiction to anything MC related, her dog Thunder, and Mexican food! (Tamales!)

  Winter loves to stay connected with her readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact her.

  http://www.facebook.com/wintertravers

  Twitter: @WinterTravers

  Instagram: @WinterTravers

  http://www.wintertravers.com/

  Coming Soon

  Holeshot

  Nitro Crew Series

  Book 2

  September 29th

  Dive into the First Chapter of Loving Lo!

  Loving Lo

  Devil’s Knights Series

  Book 1

  Winter Travers

  Chapter 1

  Meg

  How did just stopping quickly to get dog food and shampoo turn into an overflowing basket and a surplus pack of paper towels?

  “Put the paper towels down and back away slowly,” I mumbled to myself as I walked past a display of air fresheners and wondered if I needed any.

  “Oh dear. Oh, my. I… Ah… Oh, my.”

  I tore my thoughts away from air fresheners and looked down the aisle to an elderly woman who was leaning against the shelf, fanning herself. “Are you ok, ma‘am?”

  “Oh dear. I just… I just got a little… dizzy.” I looked at the woman and saw her hands shaking as she brushed her white hair out of her face. The woman had on denim capris and a white button down short sleeve shirt and surprisingly three-inch wedge heels.

  “Ok, well, why don’t we try to find you a place to sit down until you get your bearings?” I shifted the basket and paper towels under one arm to help her to the bench that I had seen by the shoe rack two aisles over. “Are you here with anyone?” I asked, as I guided her down the aisle.

  “Oh no. I’m here by myself. I just needed a few things.”

  “I only needed two things, and now my basket is overflowing, and I still haven’t gotten the things I came in for.”

  The woman plopped down on the bench chuckling, shaking her head. “Tell me about it. Happens to me every time too.”

  “Is there something I can do for you? Has this happened to you before?” She was looking rather pale.

  “Unfortunately, yes. I ran out of the house today without eating breakfast. I’m diabetic. I should know by now that I can’t do that.” My mom was also diabetic, so I knew exactly what the woman was talking about. Luckily, I also knew what to do to help.

  “Just sit right here, and I’ll be right back. Is there someone you want to call to give you a ride home? Driving right now probably isn’t the best idea.” I set the basket and towels on the floor, keeping my wallet in my hand.

  “I suppose I should call my son. He should be able to give me a ride,” the woman said as she dug her phone out of her purse.

  I left the woman to her phone call and headed to the candy aisle that I had been trying to ignore. I grabbed a bag of licorice, chips, and a diet soda and went to the checkout. The dollar store didn’t offer a healthy selection, but this
would do in a pinch. The woman just needed to get her blood sugars back up.

  I grabbed my things after paying and headed back to the bench. I ripped open the bag and handed it to the woman. “Oh dear, you didn’t have to buy that. I could have given you money.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I hope if this happened to my mom there would be someone to help her if I wasn’t around.”

  “Well, that’s awfully sweet of you. My names Ethel Birch by the way.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ethel. I’m Meg Grain. I also got you some chips and soda.” I popped opened the soda and handed it to Ethel.

  “Oh, thank you, honey. My son is on the way here, should be only five minutes. You can get going if you want to, you don’t need to sit with an old woman,” Ethel said as she ate a piece of candy and took a slug of soda.

  “No problem. The only plans I had today was to take a nap before work tonight. Delaying my plans by ten minutes won’t be a problem.”

  “Well, in that case, you can help me eat this licorice. It’s my favorite, but I shouldn’t eat this all by myself. Where do you work at?” Ethel asked as she offered the bag to me.

  “The factory right outside of town. I work in the warehouse, second shift.” I grabbed a piece and sat down on the floor. If I was going to wait for Ethel’s son to show up, might as well be comfortable while I waited for him.

  “Really? Never would have thought that. Figured you would have said a nurse or something like that. Seems like you would have to be tough to work in a warehouse, sounds like a man’s job.”

  I laughed. “Honestly, Ethel that is not the first time I have heard that, and it probably won't be the last. You need a certain attitude to deal with those truckers walking through the door. I have an awesome co-worker, so he helps out when truckers have a problem with a woman loading their truck.”

  “Sounds like you give them hell. My Tim was a trucker before he passed. I know exactly what you are talking about.” Ethel took another drink of her soda and set it on the bench next to her.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Surprisingly, yes. It’s a wonder what a little candy can do. How much do I owe you?” Ethel asked as she reached for her purse by her feet.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that I was here to help.”

  “Mom! Where are you?” Someone yelled from the front of the store.

  “Oh good, Lo’s here. You’ll have to meet him.” Ethel cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled to him she was in the back.

  I started getting up off the floor and remembered I wasn’t exactly as flexible as I use to be while struggling to get up.

  “Ma, you ok?” I was halfway to standing with my butt in the air when his voice made me pause.

  It sounded like the man was gurgling broken glass when he spoke. Raspy and so sexy. Those three words he spoke sent shocks to my core. Lord knows the last time I felt anything in my core.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I forgot to eat breakfast this morning and started to get dizzy when Meg here was nice enough to help me out until you could get here.” Ethel turned to me. “Lo, this is Meg, Meg this is Lo.”

  Oh, lord.

  I couldn’t talk. The man standing in front of me was… oh, lord. I couldn’t even think of a word to describe him.

  I looked him up and down, and I’m sure my mouth was hanging wide open. I took in his scuffed up motorcycle boots and faded, stained ripped jeans that hugged his thighs and made me want to ask the man to spin so I could see what those jeans were doing for his ass. I moved my eyes up to his t-shirt that was tight around his shoulders and chest and showed he worked out.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I worked out. Did walking to the mailbox count as exercise? Of course, I only remembered to get the mail about twice a week, so that probably didn’t count.

  His arms were covered in tattoos. I could see them peeking out from the collar of his shirt and could only imagine what he looked like with his shirt off. Tattoos were my ultimate addiction on a man. Even one tattoo added at least 10 points to a man’s hotness. This guy was off the fucking charts.

  My eyes locked with his after my fantastic voyage up his body, and I stopped breathing.

  “Hey, Meg. See something you like, darlin’?” Lo rumbled at me with a smirk on his face.

  Busted. I sucked air back into my lungs and tried to remember how to breathe.

  Lo’s eyes were the color of fresh cut grass, bright green. His hair was jet black and cut close to his head with a pair of kick ass aviators sitting on top of his head. He was golden tan and gorgeous. The man was sex on a stick. Plain and simple.

  “Uh, hey,” I choked out.

  Lo’s lips curved up into a grin, and I looked down to see if my panties fell off. The man had a panty-dropping smile, and he wasn’t even smiling that big. I would have to take cover or risk fainting if he smiled any bigger.

  “Thanks for looking after my ma for me. I’m glad I was in town today and not out on a run,” Lo said.

  Ok. Get it together Meg. You are a 36-year-old woman, and this man has rendered you speechless like a sixteen-year-old girl. I needed to say something.

  “Say something,” I blurted out. Good Lord did I just say that. Lo quirked his eyebrow, and his smirk returned.

  “Ugh, I mean no problem. I didn’t do that much. No problem.” I looked at Ethel while Lo was smirking at me; Ethel had a full-blown smile on her face and was beaming at me.

  “You were a life saver, Meg! I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.” Ethel looked at Lo and grinned even bigger. “You should have seen her, Lo. She knew just what to do to help me. I could have sworn she was a nurse the way she took charge. She’s not, though, just has a good head on her shoulders and decided to help this old lady out.”

  “That’s good, Ma. You got all your shit you need so we can get going? I got some stuff going on at the garage that I dropped to get over here fast.”

  I took that as my cue to leave and ripped my eyes off Lo and bent over to get my basket and paper towels.

  “Yes son, that’s my stuff right here. I just want to get Meg’s number before she leaves.”

  “Why do you need my number?” I asked, as I juggled my basket and towels.

  Ethel grabbed her purse off the ground and started digging through it again. “Well, you won’t let me pay you back for the snacks you got for me so I figured I could pay you back by inviting you over for dinner sometime. So, what’s your number, sweetheart?”

  “I don’t eat dinner,” I blurted out. I was going to have to have a talk with my brain and mouth when I got home. They needed to get their shit together and start working in unison so I wouldn’t sound like such an idiot.

  “You don’t eat dinner? Please don’t tell me you're on a diet.” Lo said as he looked me up and down.

  “No,” I said. Lord knew I should be.

  Lo and Ethel just stared at me.

  “So, no, you don’t eat dinner?” Lo asked again.

  “Yes. I mean no, I’m not on a diet. Yes, I eat dinner. I just work at night, so I meant that I wouldn’t be able to come to dinner.” I looked at Lo and blushed about ten shades of red. “Why is this so hard?”

  “What’s hard, sweetheart? Can’t remember your phone number? I can barely remember mine too. Don’t worry about not being able to make it to dinner; I can have you over for lunch. You eat lunch right?” Ethel asked with a smirk on her face. Lo had a full-blown smile on his face, even his eyes were smiling at me. That smile ought to be illegal.

  I could see where Lo got his looks from. With Lo and Ethel standing next to each other, I could totally see the resemblance. Especially when they were both smirking.

  I had to get out of here. I’m normally the one with the one-liners and making everyone laugh, now I couldn’t even put two words together.

  “Lunch would be good.” I rattled off my number, and Ethel jotted it down.

  “Ok, sweetheart, I’ll let you get your nap. I’ll give y
ou a call later, and we can figure out a day we can get together.” Ethel shoved the pen and paper back in her bag and leaned into me for a hug.

  I awkwardly hugged her back and patted her on the shoulder. “Sounds good. Have a good day, Ethel. Uh, it was nice meeting you, Lo,” I mumbled, as my gaze wandered over Lo again.

  “You too Meg. See you around,” Lo replied.

  I gave them both a jaunty wave and booked it to the checkout. Thankfully there wasn’t a line, and I quickly made my escape to my car. I threw my things in the trunk and hopped in. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and plugged it into the radio and turned on my chill playlist, as the soothing sounds of Fleetwood Mac filled the car.

  Music was the one thing in my life that had gotten me through so much shit. Good or bad, there was always a song that I could play, and it would make everything better. Right now, I just needed to unscramble my brain and get my bearings. Fleetwood Mac singing “Landslide” was helping.

  I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. All I needed was to forget about today. If Ethel called for lunch, I would say yes because she did remind me so much of mom, but I wasn’t going to let Lo enter my thoughts anymore. A woman like me did not register on his radar, he was better just forgotten.

  When I was halfway home, I realized I forgot dog food and shampoo.

  Shit.

  Lo

  I helped mom finish her shopping and loaded all her crap into the truck. I looked around the parking lot for Meg, hoping she hadn’t left yet so I could get another look at her. As soon as I saw her ass waving in the air as she struggled to stand up, I knew I had to be inside her.

  It took all my willpower to not get a hard-on as her eyes ran over my body. Fucking chick was smoking’ hot and didn’t even know it.

  “Thanks for coming to get me, Lo,” Ma said as she interrupted my thoughts about Meg.

  “No problem, Ma. I’ll get one of the guys to bring your car to you later. Make sure it’s locked.” Ma dug her keys out of her huge ass purse and beeped the locks. We both got into the shop truck, and I started it up.