He never feels safe with her on the back of his bike, ever since he’s learned that someone’s out looking her. They are like a slow moving target and she is like his life essence, trapped inside his hunched form. But the thrill of having her on his bike, wearing those tall tall shorts, is worth the risk.
It’s dark and he knows just the place to settle their scandalous desires. It doesn’t look like anyone is following them, but Aliah makes it difficult to stay focused. She wiggles her rear and snuggles back against him at the stoplight, like a lazy cat looking for love. He wonders if she knows what that does to him. If she hadn’t, then she certainly does now, with his aroused cock stabbing her in the rear end.
With a quick change of plans, Harley makes a speedy turn and heads down the long dead-end ramp that leads to the public park. The second he cuts the engine, he feels the need to get her underneath him. He loses his helmet and flattens her on the seat. His breaths are hurried, as he divests her of her helmet. He brings his lips close to hers. He really wants to kiss her. Her lips look ruby red and silky soft. Her mouth is partially open, leaving him wanting to dive in to fill that void.
The urge to fuck her overwhelms him. He unbuttons those sexy little shorts and slips his hands inside her panties.
“You’re so wet. You’re always so fucking wet for me.” His lips are so close to hers that he can almost taste her.
She looks up into his eyes, and in that moment it’s as though she only has eyes for him. “Only for you,” she whispers.
That’s all it takes for him to make his decision. There’s no question now. He’s fucking her. Right here. Right now.
He drags down his zipper and pulls his dick through the fly of his briefs. Aliah closes her eyes and sucks in a breath, when he massages his fingers over her. He makes sure she’s ready for his thickness before taking the plunge. Her chest is heaving. She’s so excited. He kisses the tops of her fleshy mounds, letting his tongue dart out for a taste. Holding her panties to the side, he slides into her, and pauses when he’s pressed in to the hilt.
“Oh, sweet Jesus.” He lowers his head to the leather seat, over her shoulder, hissing in her ear. “I could fucking stay here, like this, all night.” He keeps the pressure on her, and loves the way she wraps around him, gripping onto him from the inside out.
After kissing her neck, he lifts his head until they’re nose to nose again. His lips barely kiss her, a whisper over her soft flesh. “Tell me you want this.” He backs out, painfully slow, and eases back into her, burying himself again to drown in her warmth. “Tell me you need more.”
Her hand hooks around his neck and she arches her back, bringing her luscious lips to his ear. She takes his lobe between her teeth and tugs on it. It has him aching inside her. “I need you.”
A bullet crackles through the air and ricochets off the curb next to where they’re parked. Harley instantly slides Aliah off the bike and slams down on top of her, still wrapped in her silky warmth. He reaches for the gun strapped to his ankle, hating the moment when he has to leave her body. He pulls out a gun and reaches for another one, tucked in the back of his pants.
Once Aliah tugs on her shorts, he hands her a twenty-two Mag. “Have you ever used one of these things before?”
She takes the small gun and gets a feel for it in her hands. “I’ve been shooting one of these things since I was a little girl.” Rain begins to sprinkle from the sky. “Ask any of my four brothers. I’ve always given them a run for their money.” She then glances at the smooth black gun clutched in his palm. “I prefer the Glock 40.”
A sly smile touches his lips as he checks the magazine of bullets and slaps it back into the gun. “The Glock is mine.”
After feigning a pout, she cocks her gun with her thumb. “So what’s the plan here exactly?”
Harley wipes the rain from his forehead with the back of his hand as the droplets turn into showers. “Let’s start with why you think Brandee would want you out of the picture.” A rumble of thunder sets the stage for a war.
“Because she’s crazy? I don’t know. Why are you asking me this? You’re the detective. Why don’t you figure it out?” She peers around the bike carefully, but she can’t see anything, between the rain and the darkness.
“I plan on it, smart mouth. But a little cooperation can go a long way in an investigation.”
Aliah huffs. “Since when was I the one on trial here? Jesus! All I can think is that she’s jealous of me. If I were out of the picture, then she’d have Mitchell all to herself.”
Harley nods, accepting that as the truth in the matter. “Do you think she’s capable of murder?” he asks, as another shot is fired.
Another miss.
He doesn’t leave her time to answer. “We’re not safe here. If they hit the gas tank, we’re both cooked.”
She crouches to her feet behind the motorcycle and aims the gun in the direction of the shots. If they only knew how good of a shot she is.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Saving our asses.”
He puts a hand on top of the revolver and lowers it until it’s pointing away from them. “This isn’t like at the range, Aliah. If you pull that trigger and you hit the bull’s eye, you’re taking a life.”
A visible tremor rocks her body, but she nods her head meekly in acknowledgement.
Now he’s the one crouching, ready for a pre-emptive strike.
“What are you doing?” she snaps, with a hushed voice.
“We’ve nowhere left to hide. The next time a shot fires, cover me.”
Another shot rings out, and she screams, “No!” as Harley makes a hunched run for the nearest picnic table. He pushes it over and flattens his back to the wood.
Aliah’s outburst seems to have worked to his benefit. They’re likely to believe he’s been hit. He can now hear the gunmen talking. Then another shot rings out and he hears it clank off his bike. He realizes then that Aliah is a perfect target for the ricocheting bullet. Her silence is like a sudden knife in his gut.
Someone’s dead now.
He’s not used to having to worry about anyone but himself and Hannah. If something has happened to Aliah, the responsible gunman can only hope that Harley murders him after he’s done torturing him. Then Aliah shouts out, and relief washes over him temporarily.
“Why are you hounding me?” she shouts, her voice bearing heavy emotion.
Aliah’s a good actress.
Harley’s shocked when the guy answers her. “We’re only doing our job, Miss Brooklin. Now, if you’ll let us get to it…”
Aliah looks like she’s going to scream out to him, but he presses a finger to his lips and she manages to zip it like a good girl. He pulls away from the picnic table and sneaks up behind the outdoor auditorium, where the voices are coming from.
He peers around the corner. One of the gunmen are in range. He fights the urge to blast the guy’s head off. One false move and Harley will have no issue with blowing his brains out.
Aliah cries out again. “Who’s put you up to this?”
She’s brilliant.
“Whatever they’re paying you, I’ll pay you double.”
The distraction is just what he needs to sneak up on the criminal.
The man laughs to himself, seemingly joyous to hear the offer. “We don’t want to hurt you. Only scare you a bit. If you come with us, we can get this all sorted out. Just tell your boyfriend to get out of here, and everything will be just as it should.”
“How will I know you won’t kill me?”
The man suddenly realizes that Harley’s been awfully quiet. He looks agitated and is scouring the area for him.
“Looking for me?” Harley growls, as he clocks him over the head with the butt of his gun.
The other assailant calls out to him. “Will you shut up, Larry? I can’t see Gates anymore. Can you see him?”
Before Harley can locate the other man, another shot is fired. He hangs onto his breath as pain sears his mi
dsection. Then he hears his bike motor to life, as three distinct shots fire toward him. He can hear a man howling nearby. He’s been hit too.
Harley wants to tell Aliah to stay put, but he’s short on breath. When he turns toward the sound of his bike, he sees her riding through the grass with her gun drawn.
She just keeps getting sexier.
“Wipe that dumb look off your face and get on,” she orders.
He’s in no position to argue with her.
“Are you okay?” she asks, as she gives it gas and tears away.
The injured man emerges from the shadows. A few blasts wail through the night, but they’re mere echoes passing behind them as they speed off. No one seems to have followed them, but Aliah is driving as though their life depends on it. He has no idea where she’s heading, as she motors out of town. When she finally slows, she takes a turn and hits a slick of mud. He feels the bike wobbling beneath them as it tries to regain traction on the wet, country road.
It’s going down.
He tries to right them, but it’s too late. Aliah lets go of the steering wheel and flies off the bike into a lake of mud. Harley’s motorcycle crashes on top of him, and he slides to a stop not far down the road.
Not much caring about himself or his bike at the moment, he drags himself out from under it and fumbles back toward Aliah. She’s sitting in a swamp-like mud puddle, crying.
“Are you hurt?” he hollers.
She narrows her eyes, and that stops him in his tracks. “No!” she barks out.
Harley laughs at her. The happiness that wraps around his heart is a mystical force of nature.
“You are not laughing at me right now. You’ve been shot, dumb ass.”
“I’ll survive,” he answers, with a chuckle.
“I have never felt so filthy in my life.”
Harley secures his gun inside his pants and covers it with his jacket. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s thinking, but he’s going to do it. “I can fix that.”
He takes a running dive into the mud bath, face first. It splatters all over his face and gets more in her hair. Not that there was an inch of her face that wasn’t already covered in the dark brown muck.
“What is wrong with you?” Her voice screeches, but he can already hear the change in her tone.
He starts laughing again, and he feels more playful than he ever has, dating back to his childhood. “I thought you could use some company.” His face turns more serious, but she still can’t believe what he has just done.
Neither can he!
“Was that really necessary? I already look disgusting, and now you’re a mess too.” She lays back in the mud and he watches her hair sink in deeper. She doesn’t even seem to care.
Harley crawls closer to her and leans over, resting on his good side. The moment feels surprisingly intimate. He smears a muddy finger over her right cheek. “You have never looked more beautiful than you do at this very minute.”
Aliah stares at him, dumbfounded. He too wonders if he has lost his brain.
“Who told you to say that?” She looks around, as if someone is dictating his words to him.
“My heart.” His answer is quick, spoken without a doubt.
Her pretty green eyes pop right out, causing him to groan. Her shock squeezes at his heart, and grips his ribs, making it difficult to breathe.
What is she so afraid of?
Harley pulls his hand away. “You’re fine, Aliah. I’m not going to say it.” He sounds a little disappointed. That’s because he is.
“Say what?” Now she’s playing stupid.
“I won’t say that I’m falling in love you. Not until you’re ready to hear it.”
His heart has never thudded so loud and fast in all his days. He can see that she is very uncomfortable having this conversation. But too damn bad for her.
“You’ve been hit,” she says, noticing the way he favors his left side. She reaches out and lifts his shirt, running a finger just above his melted flesh. “The bullet’s only grazed your skin.”
“Yeah, but it hurts like a mother-fucker.” The flesh wound will heal. It’ll take a little longer for his heart to recover from this rollercoaster ride. Harley’s never felt more fear than that moment when he thought Aliah had been shot.
He instantly takes her hand and tugs her back to his motorcycle. He only hopes that it’ll still run. Harley rights his bike and tries to get it started. It stalls out on the first try, but with his next attempt he finds success.
“Where are you taking me?” she shouts, over the roar of his engine.
He doesn’t look at her, but then again it wasn’t up for debate. “Away from here.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Why does he make her feel this way? She’s not allowed to feel. She doesn’t need something to lose. He doesn’t even tell her where he’s taking her. It’s so infuriating, but it’s of no use to fight him. Harley is a big boy. There’s no winning with him. He can cheat the law and lie all he wants and he acts like there’s no one he has to answer to. That attitude is going to stop today.
He drives for what seems like forever, then he turns into an average, run-of-the-mill hotel parking lot. She’s sure now is as good a time as ever to ask him what the hell is going on.
“Who are we running from?” she asks him. “It’s obvious that you know.”
“I don’t.”
“Who do you think it is then? And why do we have goons after us?”
“Those goons you’re talking about, I’m afraid to say this, but they’re after you.”
“What?” Her voice is shrill. What a ridiculous suggestion. She hasn’t done anything wrong, unless being fabulous is a crime. “Who?”
Harley removes his key from the ignition. “Brandee Hawkins.”
“I keep hearing this girl’s name.” She isn’t very happy about it.
Aliah is reminded, with a sharp pain in her side, how Harley has been seriously lying to her all this time. First, about his name. Then, about his daughter. And now about the investigation. It’s obvious there’s something he’s not telling her. Is the investigation truly over, or is he still pumping her for information? Their entire relationship is a sham.
“What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say the name Brandee Hawkins?”
He’s tried this once before and it didn’t work. Why does he think now is going to be any different? He’s the one who lies.
“That bitch who hired you to stalk Mitchell? I thought that was over. You told me the case is closed.”
“And it is. But I fear that she’s found someone else to replace me. She doesn’t believe I’ve done a very good job. She thinks that you’ve worked your wiles on me now too and, since it’s true, I’d have to agree that maybe I’m a little biased in your favor.”
“What do I have to do with this?” Aliah feigns a pout. “We haven’t even discussed the whole of it yet. I know there’s more to it. I feel unsafe in my own home. You said you’d protect me.”
“You’re still sitting here, aren’t you?” Now he’s acting smart.
She usually swoons over his confidence, but now it’s just annoying.
Aliah rolls her eyes, then makes eye contact with him. “You really think it’s her? I feel like there are eyes all over me. It’s only gotten worse. Why would Brandee have anything to do with this?”
Harley glances around the parking lot, suddenly in a hurry to get her inside the hotel. “Let’s go. We can finish this conversation inside.”
He gets out, rounds the hood and is opening her door in a matter of seconds. He makes a grab for her arm, but she yanks it out of his grip and stomps off ahead of him. With his long strides, he keeps up with her rushed pace with ease.
In the lobby, they’re greeted by a receptionist sitting at a computer desk. She is illuminated by a bluish light shining from her monitor, making her skin look even more pale than it already is.
“Good evening. Do you have reservations?” she asks them, ogling th
e filth covering their clothes, but making no comment on it.
“No,” Harley answers gruffly. “Give us whatever room you got.”
By the way he’s acting, Aliah wonders what it is he’s seen in the parking lot. They had stopped at his house to exchange his bike for an SUV, but he’d insisted there was no time for a change of clothes. Has someone followed them? She just wishes he would be honest with her.
The woman smiles at Aliah and thoughtfully poses her next question to her. “Are you looking for one bed or two, hun?”
“One,” Harley answers.
“Two,” Aliah insists at the same time.
Harley looks frustrated, but glances back at the woman, seemingly unprepared to argue about it at the moment. “Two.”
It’s really for the best. Aliah figures she’s probably better protected without her silky thighs rubbing up against his hard muscular legs all night. She wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off of him and he can’t say no to her.
“Okay, then. Maybe I’ll give you two another minute to discuss that.” She turns to walk away, but Harley stops her.
“No. Just make it two. Please,” he adds, making his tone sound no less urgent.
Aliah smirks. Harley’s trying his hardest to remain pleasant, but both ladies can tell that it’s forced.
The receptionist gets her fingers tapping away on her keyboard. “Uh, oh.”
“Uh, oh? Why, uh oh?” Harley says.
“I really am sorry to say this, but we’re all booked up for the queen rooms. There’s only one room left this evening and it’s the honeymoon suite.” Her face takes on a pained expression, knowing how Aliah’s going to react to that.
“That’ll do,” Harley answers, without turning to Aliah for her opinion.
That certainly isn’t going to stop her from adding her two cents. “Whoa, wait. We are not staying in a honeymoon suite. Have you lost your mind?”
“Have you, Aliah? We’ve searched this City high and low. There isn’t another room available for miles. We’re staying here. So suck it up, buttercup.”
Twisted Desire (The Twisted Series) Page 15
