Out of the Darkness: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  Her eyes went wide one second before she burst into laughter, the sound sweet and musical.

  “Wow,” she giggled as her hilarity waned. “You just thought of everything, didn’t you?”

  “I’m a very smart man.”

  When she smiled up at me, I felt that warmth start in my chest and spider outward to my stomach and arms. “Yes, you are. But as tempting as that offer is, I’ll have to pass. Hair like this requires serious product. I need shampoo—”

  “I’ve got that.”

  “And conditioner.”

  Well fuck.

  “Then an anti-frizz serum, Moroccan oil, and smoothing balm, all of which I’m pretty confident you don’t have. Not to mention lotion, moisturizers, eye cream, makeup and clothes.”

  I arched a brow and gave her a bland look. “So what you’re sayin’ is, for a chick raised around bikers, you’re seriously high maintenance.”

  “No,” she dragged out on a giggle. “What I’m saying is, I might be a tough biker babe, but I’ve got good skin and great hair. And if God’s gonna grant me those gifts, I’m gonna do what I need to do to show my appreciation by taking care of them.”

  “So . . . high maintenance.”

  “Whatever,” she groused, rolling her eyes playfully. “Call it what you want, big guy, I’m still gonna need you to get me to my car.”

  It took a lot, but I managed to pull out and shove up from the floor, grabbing Sage’s hand and bringing her up with me. A few minutes later, we were both dressed, and I was following her to the front door, silently wishing life didn’t have to get in the way so I could keep her here in my cabin, just the two of us, until I eventually sated this overwhelming desire I felt for her.

  If that was even possible.

  * * *

  Sage

  This morning had been . . . different. He was different.

  After the second time we had sex, I’d seen a side of Xander I’d never experienced before. Sure, I knew he could be funny. He’d joked with me in the short time we’d been friends, and I totally dug his dry sense of humor, but I’d felt as if I had to pull each one of those out of him.

  The Xander that I had this morning was something else. He’d teased in a way he’d never done with me. Hell, he was downright playful. And if it hadn’t been for those shadows I could still see playing in his inky eyes and the way he said discussing his past was out of the question so unflinchingly, I would have thought he was actually happy.

  “What’s on your mind, Shortcake?”

  At Xander’s question, I pulled myself from my silent contemplation and turned to look at him.

  “I miss the bike,” I answered on a pout. It might not have been the honest answer to his question, but it wasn’t a lie.

  When we’d left Xander’s earlier, I noticed that the temp outside had taken a serious dive. Instead of leading me to where he’d parked the Harley the night before, he led me to a rustic-looking shed a few yards from the cabin where a big black and chrome truck was parked.

  It was nice, relatively new and clean. I’d even go so far as to say the bench seat took my mind into some pretty deep gutters.

  But it wasn’t his bike.

  “Know you like the bike, baby, and you look sexy as shit in those pants and that jacket, but you’d have frozen to death on the back of it.”

  My belly fluttered at his compliment of the outfit I’d painstakingly chosen the night before with him in mind. Good to know it had the intended effect.

  He wasn’t wrong about the cold though. As awesome as my faux leather leggings and moto jacket were, they didn’t do a damn thing against the cold.

  “Hmm. So what you’re saying is you like me in leather,” I teased.

  He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, and the side of his mouth hooked upward. “I haven’t seen you in much I haven’t liked. But yeah. That leather comes in a close third.”

  “After the red dress?”

  “After the red dress,” he confirmed.

  Curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t help but ask, “So what came in at number one?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Those ripped jeans with the fishnets underneath and that cropped black top you wore to The Tap Room a while back.”

  “Seriously?” I turned to face him full-on. “That’s nowhere close to the best I’ve got! You’ve seen me in way hotter outfits. Hell, half of what I wear to work is better.” Then something hit me. “Wait—how did you even see me in that?”

  “Was walkin’ by the bar, saw you dancin’ through the window,” he answered. “And I didn’t say it was the hottest, babe. Yes, most of what you wear to work has me walkin’ around with a hard-on I can’t get rid of, but that one was still my favorite, ’cause it was you.”

  My lips parted and I suddenly found it difficult to breathe as I whispered, “It was me?”

  “Yeah,” he replied casually, keeping his eyes on the road, so he couldn’t have seen how big an impact his statement was having on me right then. “From the hair to those boots, it was all you.”

  Oh shit. Do not cry, Sage, I mentally scolded. I’d spent three years with a man who did everything in his power to change me. He took who I was and twisted and molded until I became something completely different, and I’d let him.

  But with one simple comment, the man beside me not only showed he knew the real me, but that he liked it. He couldn’t possibly know, but having him say that meant absolutely everything.

  “Sage,” he called, making me blink. I inhaled deeply and forced the burn to leave my eyes. “Where’s your head?”

  I couldn’t bring myself to admit to him that he’d just moved me in a way that, if I wasn’t careful and he didn’t stop, I could easily fall for him, so I deflected.

  “It’s currently wondering if I have time to suck you off before we get to Rebels.” I patted the middle of the bench seat. “I’m thinking this bench could come in pretty handy.”

  A wild, animalistic sound rumbled up from his chest and his fingers squeezed the steering wheel so tight the leather beneath creaked. “Don’t start somethin’ you can’t finish.”

  I looked out the windshield just as he turned into the parking lot. The bar looked even worse in the day than it had the night before. “Darn,” I said, looking back at him and poking out my bottom lip. “Oh well, maybe another time.”

  He pulled up beside my baby—that was blessedly scratch-free—and put the truck in park. I shouldn’t have been surprised, after all, Xander had warned the man at the door, and if there was anyone who could intimidate a guy named Butch who worked at a place like this, it was Xander Caine.

  “Thanks,” I said, looking back at him as I grabbed the door handle. “I’ll see you in a—”

  He cut me off by hooking me around the back of my neck, yanking me across the seat, and slamming his lips down on mine in a heated kiss that made me melt.

  “See you in a couple hours,” he said in a husky voice once he pulled his head back.

  All I could manage after he scrambled my brain was, “Uh . . . y-yeah.”

  I climbed out of the truck and unlocked my car, climbing inside and giving Xander a wave as I started her up and reached beneath my seat for my purse. I heard his truck rumble off as I pulled my cell out, and when I brought the screen to life, I saw I had nine missed calls. Nine.

  All from John.

  Going through, I deleted them all—along with all the voicemails he’d left—and threw the phone into a cupholder before putting my baby into gear and driving away from that shitty bar without giving my ex-husband a second thought.

  I’d just experienced one of the best mornings I’d had in forever, and no way in hell was I letting that asshole ruin it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sage

  A dull throb between my thighs had stayed with me all morning, and as I walked into work a couple hours later, the ache radiating with ever step I took, reminded me of everything that had happened.

  “Morning,
Rox,” I called as I moved past her desk.

  “Mornin’, darlin’,” she returned, then, “Hey, what’s that on your neck?”

  I stopped and lifted my fingers to my skin, giving her a curious look. “I don’t know. Did I screw up with my makeup or something?”

  She stood up and leaned over the ledge of her desk, squinting her eyes to get a better look. “No. It looks kinda like a rash . . .”

  She trailed off, her head tipping to the side as I my skin grew heated under her scrutinizing gaze. Just then the doors opened and Xander came in. The instant his eyes landed on me they flashed with a very familiar fire I’d become intimately familiar with.

  “Ladies,” he greeted casually.

  He started toward me, one corner of his mouth lifting infinitesimally, but it was enough for me to see the wickedness in his smirk.

  “Orange and cranberry, right?” he asked, handing over a small paper bag with the Muffin Top logo on the front. “And Dani told me what you drink.”

  When I reached out to take the coffee cup, he let his fingers slide across mine before releasing it. It was so subtle I doubted Roxanne even noticed, but that gentle touch was enough to make every nerve ending in my body spark to life.

  “Uh, th-thanks.”

  He gave me a wink with his left eye so Rox wouldn’t see and sauntered around to the hall that led to the control room.

  Once he disappeared around the corner, I did my best to school my features, even though I was pretty sure everything I was feeling was written all over my face, and turned back to Rox.

  “Guess I better get to work.”

  I took one step when she spoke up, her words rooting me in place. “Know what else that spot on your neck looks like?” My head slowly swiveled in her direction, and I lifted a single brow in question. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and grinned. “Beard burn.”

  Oh shit, hell, and tarnation.

  “Huh. Weird.” God, I was so bad at playing it cool.

  “Yeah. Weird. Especially when it happens on the same mornin’ a certain bearded badass shows up to work three hours later than usual and looks like the cat who just got the canary and the cream.”

  “Yeah. Crazy coincidence. Well, I better, uh, head back. Tons to do. Busy, busy, busy.” And with no cool whatsoever, I practically ran down the hall and into my office.

  Damn Roxanne and her crazy insightfulness.

  All I could do was hope she’d keep what she suspected to herself, because I had a feeling once the cat was out of the bag, the dramatic, gossiping assholes I worked with would get a huge kick out of giving me hell.

  * * *

  I managed to get through the next few hours without any more incidents by burying myself in work.

  When my cell rang earlier and John’s name popped up on the screen I’d decided to shut it off, shove the phone into my purse, and put him out of my mind.

  It appeared that my mom had finally given up and took the hint, but John hadn’t been so easy to shake. If anything, he’d gotten even more obsessive over the past month, his calls going from sporadic to damn near constant. I knew the smart thing to do was block his number, but there was a small, niggling part of me that worried how he’d react if I did that. As far as I knew, he didn’t have a clue where I was, and I didn’t want to do anything that might push him into looking.

  I’d just finished updating my filing and shooting off an email to Missy Kline with her invoice when my stomach let out a loud rumble.

  The clock on my computer screen told me it was time for lunch. I was in the middle of shutting everything down and grabbing my purse when I heard Bryce’s voice. “Looks like I made it just in time.”

  “Time for what?” I asked, looking up at him with a smile.

  “To take you to lunch, gorgeous. What’re you in the mood for? We can hit up the diner or head over to The Tap Room.”

  At the mention of food, my stomach let out another rumble as I moved to Bryce. “Honestly, I don’t care where we go. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse, so you can pick.”

  He hooked his arm over my shoulders as we started down the hall. “There’s a great little Chinese place about ten minutes from here. How’s that sound?”

  I let out a happy groan just as we hit the reception area. “Sounds perfect.”

  My excitement over Chinese food was quickly snuffed out when I an irate voice asked from behind me, “What the fuck is this?”

  When Bryce and I stopped and turned to face Xander, I saw the pissed off expression on his face matched the tone of his voice perfectly.

  “Uh, hey. We were, um . . .” I stumbled over my words in the face of his fury. “We’re just heading out for Chinese if you want to join us.”

  His piercing gaze stabbed into mine before it shifted down to where Bryce’s arm still rested over my shoulder. “What I want is for him to get his fuckin’ arm off you.”

  “Jesus, brother,” Bryce spoke, removing his arm, but keeping a hand on me to pull me partially behind him, like he was trying to block me from Xander’s rage. “Take it down a couple notches, yeah?”

  He turned all that fury to Bryce and clipped, “I’ll take it down a couple notches when you stop fuckin’ touching her.”

  Unfortunately, the threatening way he said it had the opposite reaction he wanted, and I felt Bryce tense before stepping farther in front of me. I appreciated the protective gesture, but shit was about to hit the fan, and I had to stop it.

  “Xander,” I started in warning, trying to move out from behind Bryce, but my new self-appointed guardian wasn’t having any of it and grabbed my arm to pull me back.

  “We’re all used to your particular brand of attitude, my man, but you’ll forgive me if I don’t want your shit bleedin’ all over Sage.”

  I hadn’t thought it possible, but his frown actually grew deeper. “She’s got nothin’ to be scared of from me, and she knows it, so she doesn’t need you protectin’ her.”

  “The look on your face right now is sayin’ differently.”

  “Both of you need to tone it down,” Roxanne snapped at them. “’Cause I’m tellin’ you now, you shed blood in my area, I’m gonna be all kinds of pissed.”

  Trying to cool things down, I stepped out from behind Bryce and raised my arms in a placating gesture. “Okay, this is ridiculous. You guys just need to—”

  “Wouldn’t have this look on my face if I hadn’t just stepped out here to find your hands all over my goddamn woman.”

  Oh no he did not.

  Feeling my own anger begin to bubble up, I shouted, “Xander!”

  “I knew that was beard burn!” Roxanne crowed.

  “Your woman?” Bryce asked in bewilderment, his whole body growing stiff.

  “You heard me, but if that wasn’t clear enough, I had her last night and again this mornin’. Know what she tastes like and what she looks and sounds like when she gets off. So, yeah. She’s my woman.”

  A sharp, pulsing pain started behind my temples, and I just knew my head was about to explode. “I cannot believe you just said that!”

  “What the hell’s goin’ on out here?” At the sound of Linc’s voice, I turned to find he and Marco had stepped out of his office to see what was happening.

  Well this is just freaking great.

  “Xander and Sage got it on last night,” Roxanne decreed.

  “Told you it would happen,” Marco said to Linc, holding out his hand. “You owe me twenty.”

  “Oh my god,” I muttered, covering my face with both hands. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “It’s no secret you put the moves on anything in a skirt,” Xander said to Bryce, the low blow he’d just landed uncalled for and totally not cool. “But now you know where shit stands, you need to back the hell off and keep your hands off things that don’t belong to you.”

  That was it. I’d gone from pissed to nuclear in one point three seconds and was just about to let it blow, but before I could, the sudden chill in the air
brought me to a stop.

  In the time I’d known Bryce, he’d been nothing but laid back and funny. He was a roll-with-the-punches type of guy, but with that comment and the change in the atmosphere thanks to the anger rolling off of him, I realized right then that his easy-going demeanor had become something lethal. “Fuck you, man. Sage and I are tight, and that’s not gonna change just ’cause you’ve decided to put her on your roster with all the other bitches you fuck from that shithole bar.”

  That was another blow landed. However, its aim wasn’t true, and instead of hitting Xander, it nailed me square in the gut so damn hard I couldn’t hide my wince.

  Apparently, Xander disliked it even more than I did, because with a sharp, “Motherfucker,” he moved, lunging at Bryce so fast I barely had time to dart out of the way.

  Marco and Linc moved just as fast, rushing to rip the two men off of each other. The action swirling around reception was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the office, and two seconds later the reception area was filled with every member of the Alpha Omega team.

  It was chaos, no other way to describe it, and at the sight of Bryce and Xander fighting against the men holding them back, I lost it.

  “Enough!” I shouted so loud everyone came to a stop. “That’s fucking it!” Stomping over to Xander, I shoved my finger in his face. “Everything you just said about me and the things we’ve done in private was so beyond cool, I can’t even think straight enough to sift out which pissed me off the most, so I’ll tell you this, until you get your shit together and can stop acting like an epic dick, I’ve got absolutely nothing to say to you.”

  I swung around to Bryce. “And you. Next time you want to take potshots at someone, make sure you hit your intended target, ’cause you just managed to make me feel cheap and dirty without even trying.”