The sound she released was pure annoyance. "There's more to life than sex. I know you know that, because you had it once."
A slow anger began to simmer inside me. "And I know how to get it again if I want it." I tried to keep my tone from turning nasty.
"Do you?" Marnie asked seriously, and then her voice turned soft. "I think you've forgotten how. I think you've convinced yourself that all life has to offer you is loneliness. That maybe you don't deserve what everyone else has." She paused briefly. "I just don't want to see you lose something good that's staring you right in the face because you refuse to see it."
I knew that she meant well, and if it had been anyone but Marnie talking to me like that I would have thrown them out of my office. Sometimes she took advantage of her age to offer unsolicited advice. I didn't necessarily like it--not many people had the guts to verbally criticize the way I lived my life. I didn't say anything to contradict Marnie’s beliefs, though, because I knew from experience that she wouldn't back down. I also knew exactly what I deserved, and it wasn't Bailey.
But that didn't mean that I didn't want her.
That I wouldn't claim her.
Christ, I'd already claimed her.
First, though, I had some trouble to take care of. Jackie for one. She was going to pay for snooping around my office and stealing that SD card. She'd invaded my fucking space and taken something that didn't belong to her. I wouldn't kill her, but I would teach her a lesson that I wasn't someone to fuck with. She was just lucky that there were other copies out there. Tonight, after Bailey went to bed, I planned on paying the scheming bitch a visit.
Then I would hunt down Martin Hale and take care of him.
****
Bailey
Thank God, my shift was over and the place was closing for the night. I was exhausted, not in small part from the intense orgasm Moody had given me at the start of my shift. I'd felt drained afterwards. Being hungry hadn't helped. Finally, late in the day I'd been able to sneak a few pretzels in between filling drink orders. Spending two hours serving tables had made the time go by faster. Belinda hadn't been able to make it in after all.
"Mind if I go now, kiddo?" Tommy asked, putting the rag he'd been using to wipe down the bar into the bin next to the sink.
I laughed. "Kiddo? I'm not much younger than you. Go ahead, I'm just waiting for the boss," I said, using his familiar reference for Moody.
"Okay then, see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" I began to protest, and then, "Oh yeah, I forgot Marnie asked me to fill in for Jackie."
"Think of the tips!" he said, before leaving out the back door.
As tired as I was at the moment, I didn't give a shit about the tips. Everyone was gone now, except for Moody and me. I wondered what the holdup was and decided to go find out. As I grew closer to his office, I heard him talking to someone and decided to wait out in the hallway until he was done. I'd thought that he was alone, but when I heard Alisha's voice I grew rigid.
What was she doing in his office? When the tone of their conversation revealed the intimacy that existed between them, I walked back out into the bar. That bastard! Did he never get enough? I'd worked a full shift on my feet, and he had kept me waiting so he could screw someone after hours? I was suddenly fuming. Well, there was nothing in my job description that said I had to hang around while he fucked another woman over his desk. Or in his chair.
That visual hurt.
God, the whole thing hurt.
Damn. I felt tears cloud my vision.
I grabbed my phone out of my small handbag and got an Uber. By the time it arrived I was shaking, I was so upset. Apparently nothing I'd said to Moody had mattered. He was just a cold, heartless asshole who was going to fuck who he wanted, when he wanted. He didn't give a fuck about my feelings. I didn't even tell him that I was leaving, I was so pissed. But I did leave a note on the back door.
Got an Uber home, asshole. Didn’t want to interrupt your fuck session.
I climbed into the Uber and continued to fume as the driver pulled away from the bar. Moody would be pissed when he discovered that I was gone, but that was just too damned bad. I was tired of his running my life on the pretext that he was protecting me. I was tired of his mood swings, the back and forth of him wanting me one minute and then pushing me away the next. I was tired of giving myself to him, and only getting a tiny piece of him back in return. I was tired of everything Moody. If he couldn't see what he was doing to me…
I wanted my life back.
Tears ran down my cheeks during the short ride home. I tossed the driver a tip before opening the door to exit the vehicle, and then slammed the door shut and didn't look back. Fifteen minutes later I'd showered, eaten some toast, and crawled into bed.
I also locked my bedroom door.
Just in case.
I lay there, more hurt than angry, really. I'd fallen for the jerk. The thought of him with another woman left a hole in my heart. Sure, I didn't know for sure if they'd been fucking, but the sounds that I'd heard coming from inside his office had been incriminating. A husky murmur, a light feminine giggle--what was I supposed to think?
Well, screw him!
I knew that I would lay awake until I heard him come in. And when I heard the doorknob of my room turn, I held my breath. Moody didn’t protest the locked door, he didn’t say a word. After a while I relaxed again, and let the exhaustion and emotional turmoil take over.
I closed my heavy eyes and exhaled loudly.
I couldn't wait until morning to hear what he had to say for himself.
No, nothing he had to say would take away the hurt.
I was so over Moody.
Chapter 29
Bailey
I was still pissed at Moody the next morning, but I kept my feelings inside, letting them simmer like a pot on the stove. He'd made coffee. I helped myself to a cup, lacing it with plenty of cream, and went to the table to sit down. I glared at his backside where he was sitting outside on the patio smoking, wishing that my eyes were daggers. He was shirtless. God, even his back was sexy, all muscular and wide, and covered with dark, edgy tattoos. He stood up from the chair and flicked his butt away before turning to come back inside.
Our eyes met. No big surprise that his were glittering with something that looked like irritation. I tried to avoid looking down his magnificent body, especially to the spot where that sexy V disappeared into his jeans, but when he walked toward me I couldn't help but notice that his pants were still undone and hanging low on his hips.
If I didn't know Moody better I would have sworn that he was doing it to tease me.
"I want my car." I decided that it was time I made some demands. I took a sip of my coffee.
He continued walking, his eyes missing nothing as they moved over me. The next thing I knew his hands were on the table and he was leaning over it, putting his face so close to mine that I felt his breath against me. "Just so you know, I don't explain myself to anyone." My eyes fell to his mouth as I leaned away from him. "This is the only time I'm going to say this. I haven't fucked anyone else since I started fucking you. And I don't intend to fuck anyone else until I'm done with you."
I swallowed hard, believing him, and very relieved. "Okay." It was all I could think to say as I let his words sink in.
"What you did last night did not make me happy," he continued in the same firm tone. "Leaving by yourself was stupid and could have landed you into trouble. Next time you'll be punished."
A short snort of laughter escaped me before I could stop it. His expression revealed that he didn't appreciate my response. "Punished?" I tried but failed to hold back my smile. "How?" I told myself that I was only asking because I was curious.
"There are plenty of ways I can make you suffer," he replied. "Go ahead and test me if you want to know how."
I decided to save that for another day. Moody looked too eager to show me what he might have in mind, and I still had an idea that I wanted to share with him before the day got goin
g. "I'll take your word for it, but just so you know, I'm an adult and I won't take any kind of punishment willingly." He smirked, but remained quiet. "What about my car?"
"I had it delivered to a garage to be worked on."
That comment caught me totally by surprise. I wasn't sure how to feel about him taking control like that, but the truth was that my car was acting up and it needed work. "I'm paying for any repairs," I said stubbornly.
He acknowledged with the briefest nod. "I'll have a friend bring it here when the work is done."
I narrowed my eyes on him. That had been too easy. "I have a plan about Martin so that we can end this whole situation."
Moody pulled back and sank down into the chair opposite me. I was surprised that he seemed willing to listen to me. I was suddenly nervous, and took a deep breath before speaking. "I told Martin that someone else had stolen the card before I could, but I'll tell him that I was mistaken and that I have the card now. I can arrange to meet him somewhere to give it to him. You can be hiding in the shadows somewhere, and when he shows up do your badass biker thing and then we turn him over to the police." I thought that it sounded like a solid strategy, maybe even one that was a little too obvious.
Moody crossed his arms. "He used to ride with an MC in California. He's a biker, we deal out our own brand of retribution, and we don't involve the cops."
"So, ah, you're just going to beat him up or something?"
"Or something. Let me worry about dealing with him."
I wanted to remind Moody that Martin had kidnapped Holly and threatened to kill her. He had threatened to kill me, too. He deserved to go to prison for that. And I deserved to know what information was so damaging that mine and Holly’s lives had been threatened for it. "What's on that card that everyone is so interested in?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself about. Let's just say it could ruin the ambitions of someone in politics."
"And that's why Jackie stole it?" The look that came over Moody's rough features kind of frightened me. "Did you get it back from her?"
"I didn't want it back, there's more than one copy. But I did teach her a lesson about snooping around where she doesn't belong."
This was the first that I was hearing about another copy. "Then why were you so enraged when you discovered that it was gone?" I was so confused now. At the time he'd been mad enough to kill.
His eyes crystallized. "I'm a private person, Bailey. I don't like people thinking that they can snoop around in my space and take what doesn't belong to them. I don't like dishonest people. I keep my shit locked up tight because of what I do for a living."
"The bar?"
"The bar is just a fucking investment. With the exception of recently, I rarely go here."
"Then what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a nomad biker, baby. I take on jobs all over the country for people who need my particular skills." He smirked.
I was pretty certain that I didn't want to know what those skills were, and I'd already seen how proficient he was with a gun. Moody was a dangerous man, there was no question about that. He was dangerously attractive, frighteningly intense, and he could give me heart palpitations with just a look. The aura that surrounded him left no doubts that he was an alpha of the male species and not to be underestimated. To be avoided, definitely.
"You didn't hurt Jackie, did you?"
"Not physically," he admitted with the tiniest curl to his lips. Not physically. That left a lot open for question. "Let's just say that the money she got paid for stealing that card has been donated to a good cause."
Well, she deserved something for what she'd done. "What about my plan?"
"You think I'm going to let you put yourself at risk?"
"But you'll be there, too," I reminded him.
He shook his head. "Martin is a desperate man, and that makes him dangerous. And you seem to forget it's not just the card that he's after, he wants you, too. At this point I'd be willing to bet that even if he didn't get the card, he'd still come after you."
"All the more reason to try my plan. I'm tired of waiting for him to make his move, Moody. And Holly can't stay with the Desert Rebels forever. Aren't you tired of babysitting me?"
He grinned. "It has its perks." His gaze dropped to my breasts. Instantly my nipples peaked beneath the thin material of my tank.
I resisted the urge to cover them with my arms, momentarily spellbound by the natural smile on Moody's face. He should do it more often. Something else that awed me was the fact that we were having an actual discussion. It felt good, as if we were a normal couple who were sharing conversation over morning coffee. I couldn't help but smile with amusement at him over the rim of my cup as I took a sip.
"What's so funny?" he frowned.
I set my cup down. "We're actually having a normal conversation, Moody. Doesn't it feel good that you remember how?" I teased.
His brow shot up. "I can think of better things I'd rather be doing than talking." The smoldering look in his eyes sent the tingle from my hard nipples down to my pussy. I clenched my legs together. "You still owe me an orgasm."
My eyes widened as my mouth opened with surprise. So he hadn't come when we'd been grinding our loins together in his office. Heat enveloped me as I recalled his strong fingers inside me, and how easily he'd pulled an orgasm from me.
"Go get dressed, baby. I'll treat you to an early lunch."
Another surprise. "A date?"
He growled. "I don’t date."
"I know, you just fuck."
I got up from the table and brought my cup to the sink. "I guess it's a good thing that you like me for something."
I turned around and gasped, finding myself caged in between two thickly muscled arms. My eyes traveled up the wide expanse of his chest and shoulders, and thickly corded neck to meet his eyes. The warmth and scent of male testosterone assailed my nostrils, turning me on. My whole body was attuned to his nearness, each one of my senses firing with electrical sparks in response to the man in front of me.
How did a man as big as him move so quietly? As we continued to stare into each other's eyes I wondered what he was thinking. I sensed that he was at war with himself, thinking carefully over what he wanted to say and do.
"Be patient with me, baby." He tucked my hair behind my ear in an unusually tender gesture for him. His eyes dropped to my mouth briefly before returning to mine. "Yeah?"
I felt as if something very important was happening between us at that moment. My heart pounded hard as I relished the tenderness coming from a man who didn't possess any. I thought that I saw something in his eyes that revealed that there was another Moody who was trying to break free, someone with the ability to lock up his demons and embrace what was standing right in front of him.
"Okay," I finally murmured with a smile. "I can do that."
He surprised me with a firm, yet gentle kiss. Arousal flared as quickly as the strike of a match, but Moody kept his hands against the counter on either side of me. I wanted more, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, but my invitation went ignored. I moaned, a little annoyed when he pulled slowly back.
The sexual haze clouding my eyes cleared to reveal a devastating grin on his sexy mouth, and evidence that he was just as aroused as I was. It took my breath away. I wasn't used to Moody holding back. He was very physical, and any other time that kiss would have ended with us fucking on the counter, or the floor, or anywhere that he wanted. Was he trying to prove something to himself by denying us both what we obviously wanted? I was a little amazed.
"Go dress. I'm hungry," he murmured with slight amusement.
"I thought, I ah, thought you said that I owed you an orgasm?" I flinched at the disappointment in my tone because it made me sound desperate.
His grin was purely evil. "There'll be plenty of time later for you to give me that orgasm."
On that note Moody turned and walked away. He went back outside and I watched him light another cigarette. I finally took a breath t
hat I hadn't known I'd been holding until then. Had I cracked that shell around his heart just a little bit?
I told myself not to get too excited.
Moody was unpredictable. He'd kept too much locked up for too long.
The fact that he'd asked me to be patient made me think that he knew he had issues that he needed to deal with, and I had a feeling that it all stemmed from what had happened to his wife and son. Getting him to talk about it could help, but I knew that I'd need to tread carefully. He'd already shut me down once.
I checked my appearance in the mirror, satisfied with what I saw. I'd chosen a short, sleeveless jumpsuit with a flowery design in greens, creams and plumb. A fair amount of cleavage was exposed by the halter-style top, and the bottom half flowed over my hips and down my thighs like a skirt. There wasn't much I could do with my hair other then pull it up and secure it with a comb. I kept my makeup light, noticing that I had more color than usual. Riding on the back of Moody's bike was exposing me to the sun, and I had to admit that the color looked good on my cheeks. A little bit of lip gloss and I was ready for our lunch date.
Chapter 30
Moody
There was a little deli restaurant in Boulder that I decided to take Bailey to for lunch. It wasn't far from the Naked Lady, and I could drop her off there for her shift after we ate. I knew that she was confused. Hell I was confused, too. I'd given some serious thought to what Marnie had said to me the day before. It had kept me awake half the fucking night. I knew that she was right, that I'd never given any women a chance to get close. What she didn’t know was that most of them hadn't been worth the time of day.
Getting relief and sending them on their way had been my only objective.
Until Bailey had come along. She was the first for me in many different ways since Maggie had died--the first woman I'd had in my house, in my bed, on my bike; the first woman I'd fucked while looking into her gorgeous eyes as we both came; the first woman I'd fucked without suiting up. Christ, she could already be pregnant with my kid, and I realized that if I was ever going to get another chance at a family that she was it. Maybe I lusted after her more than liked her, but fuck, there'd been relationships that had started out on less.
Furious (Nomad Outlaws Trilogy Book 3) Page 22
