by KB Winters
“Perceptive.”
“That’s me.” She turned now and looked at me, flashing a wide grin as phony as a three-dollar bill. “All perceptive and shit. So, are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Or I will be. Eventually.”
She laughed and the sound, for the first time, was light and airy and free.
“Come on, let me pick out something for you to eat, Mr. President.” She nodded toward the diner and flashed a teasing grin. “Damn, I’ve missed the smell of greasy diner food.”
“You eat greasy diner food? You’re shattering my illusions, Savannah.”
“Yeah, I eat. So?”
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
We walked across the parking lot, and when I pushed open the door, she let out a laugh that drew a few stares from truckers worn out from too many miles without sleeping in their own beds and a couple tables of weary road-trippers.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” she said, inhaling the aroma of fries, burgers, and beer. She sidled up to the counter with a wide grin for the elderly server. “Two double cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings and one large milkshake, please.”
“And two waters,” I added with an amused grin.
“Coming right up, sweetheart.”
Savannah leaned on the counter and added, “Can you make it to go so my friend and I can go outside and enjoy the stars? They’re so bright tonight.” She gave the woman her full attention, completely unaware of all the eyeballs raking over her curves.
“You two from Vegas?” Her gaze bounced between us; a slow smile spread across her thin lips.
“Close enough that we don’t get to see the stars like you do, and I don’t know about you, but I prefer my double cheeseburgers with an excellent view. Oh, and bacon.”
“Me too,” she smiled. “Five minutes, honey.”
“Thanks.” Savannah turned to me, blue eyes bright with mischief and good humor. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry. I hope you don’t want too many onion rings because they are my favorite.”
“I know. No one orders onion rings from a pizza place, Charlie.”
That blue gaze studied me for a long time, and I wondered what it was Savannah Rhymer saw when she looked at me. A stupid biker? A new Prez in over his head? The man who could get her killed?
And then she picked up her earlier question. “What’s got you so worried, Mr. President?”
“Nothing,” I told her with a sigh that said the exact opposite. “Everything.”
She laughed and turned again when the waitress returned with our food. “Thanks, Denise,” she said reading the woman’s name tag. “Have a good shift.”
I left enough money to cover the bill and a big tip, then caught up with Savannah who was already outside, scanning the area for a place to sit.
“Wait up,” I called, picking up my feet in a jog to catch up with her.
“Relax. It’s not like I could get far if I tried to escape, we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.”
“Liar,” she said and stuck out her tongue as sat down and stole an onion ring. “Talk to me, Charlie. Your secrets are safe with me.”
“Are they?” I remembered the Bastards warning me about telling secrets. Not that I needed a warning. I wasn’t that stupid.
She shrugged as she unwrapped her burger. “Even if I wanted to tell your secrets, who would I tell?”
“Good point.”
“I know, right?” She took a big bite of her burger around a smile. “So?” She rolled her wrist, a move meant to encourage me to talk.
“I don’t know what to say, Savannah. There’s a lot of shit going on and none of it’s good.”
She nodded. “That’s the nature of the game we play, the life we live. Right?”
“Yeah, and I’ve been in it my whole life, in one way or another.”
“Poor little biker boy?” There was no venom or amusement in her voice, and I shook my head.
“You had a bad childhood?” she questioned with a look that told me she wanted to know the truth.
I chuckled. Bad childhood was not even in my thoughts. “Nah. Not really. My mom and dad were great. Still are. You?”
“Pretty normal, I guess. I used to think my dad had a regular nine to five. Well, up until my mom died. You know she’s dead, right?”
“No, I didn’t. Sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” Savannah looked at me and took a sip of water. “Cancer. I was just a kid. After she died, my dad and Brendan went crazy. Mom was pretty cool though.” She turned her face away and let out a long, slow breath. “Anyway, that’s enough of me. What about you?”
I sat there in silence for a few seconds and took a bite. Savannah had so much hurt and loss in her life. I could see why she was the way she was. We may have been outlaws, but I’d had a fairly good life.
“Where do I start?” I took another bite of my burger. “Okay, grade school. You’ll never believe this, but my brother and I were bullied because of the scar on Ma’s face. It started in first grade up until I learned how to fight back.”
She frowned. “Really? Kids are shits.”
I chuckled at the authority with which she spoke. “Yes, they are, and I hated it, but it made me tough. And gave me an appreciation for the effectiveness of a well-placed fist in someone’s mouth.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded, laughing at the memories that finally brought me some humor. “Oh yeah. In fifth grade they suspended me for threatening to pull Timmy Littleton’s teeth out with pliers, one by one.”
Blue eyes went wide. “Damn Charlie. That’s both gruesome and impressive. Probably pissed Jana off, though, right?”
“Grounded me for triple the time of my suspension, which was five days.”
Savannah’s eyes widened again as she sipped the milkshake and then handed it to me to share. “I knew she was a badass underneath those pastel sweaters.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her you think so. Mom’s a badass in her own right.” I probably wouldn’t tell Ma anything. She’d already asked too many questions about my ‘pretty little houseguest’.
“Raising two boys while married to a biker? I think she’s probably tougher than all of you put together.”
“Dad tells her that all the time, but he’s the one who taught us to fight. Well, he and the rest of the Bastards. Every time Jamie or I got in trouble for fighting, they all got in trouble with Ma.” I snorted a laugh.
She smiled and dunked her fries in the pile of ketchup beside her burger. “Sounds like a big, boisterous family. I envy that.”
“Even if it’s a family of bikers?”
She shrugged. “Family is family, Charlie. You’re lucky you have so much of it.” There was a lot she didn’t need to say with that one statement.
“You don’t have family anywhere else?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Ronan’s only sister died when I was a teenager. Her husband, my uncle-in-law owns a data storage company in Glitz. Probably keeps a bunch of interesting shit on those servers for anyone who cared enough to look.”
I froze, onion ring caught mid-bite as her words sank in. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” I was grateful for the tip, extremely grateful, but there was no such thing as free in our world.
“Because your mom is good people and eventually, helping me means they might go after her.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it.” Her lips curled into a devilish smile. “This is gonna cost you, though. Ten grand and a ride out of town, when the time is right.”
“Does that mean I don’t have to worry about you running off?”
She shrugged. “As long as you don’t give me a reason to want or need to run away, you don’t. At least not right now.”
“Okay.”
“The Black Jacks get their drugs from an American guy, some surfer-
looking guy. Not a Mexican national.”
I blinked at the unexpected news. “But they call their shit Mexican Madness.”
“I know, but that’s only because the guy lives in Mexico, well he actually lives on a boat, but he’s not Mexican. I’ve seen him. Up close and ugly if you get my drift.”
Shit. “Yeah, I got it.”
“So? That’s worth cash and a ride, right?”
More than. “I guess. At some point.” I didn’t want to think too hard about why the thought of her leaving made my stomach tie in knots, so I shoved another bite of food in my mouth.
“Excellent. Now tell me more about all the little shits you beat the crap out of in school. Start with a good one.”
“You really want to know?”
“Oh yeah. I loathe bullies. Give me a bloody one.”
I laughed again. “You are not at all what I expected, Savannah Rhymer.”
“Neither are you, Mr. President.”
There was definitely something wrong with me if my dick got hard whenever she called me that.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Savannah
Charlie leaned across the table, and for a minute I thought he was going to kiss me.
“I like hearing you call me Mr. President. Better be careful, Savannah.”
It disappointed me that all I got were words, but I was really starting to like the way Charlie said my name. Savannah. It rolled off his tongue in what was almost a low growl, sending a bolt of electricity through my spine before all that heat and energy settled between my thighs.
It was fucking unsettling. The way his lips curled up into that sexy, lazy grin as he flirted with me. And I had no doubt that Charlie was flirting with me. He had my nipples hard and aching, a fact not helped by the cool breeze that swept through the park.
“Yeah?” I teased. “What’ll happen if I’m not careful?”
“Keep it up and you’ll find out.” Those short words, growled with a dark promise were too much, too soon. I wanted him, that much was obvious, but I couldn’t be sure my reaction was genuine or some Stockholm shit.
He leaned back and popped the last bit of onion ring into his mouth. “Maybe I will. Only time will tell.”
I shrugged and searched my mind for a topic of conversation I could handle until I decided whether to listen to my body, or my mind.
“So,” I said, twirling the straw in my shake. “You gonna tell me about the childhood beatings you doled out, or what?”
Surprise and then easy acceptance flashed in his eyes before Charlie told me about one of his high school nemeses. “Let’s just say that Jake learned his lesson the hard way. And his jaw still clicks when it rains.”
I tossed my head back and laughed, trying to square the hot as hell boy next door charm with the big bad biker President I knew him to be.
“How do you know?”
“Ran into him in Bungalow Thirty, and he told me as much, after a half-assed apology for being such a shithead back then.”
“Did the apology help at all?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t know. I mean, I tried to let that shit go a long time ago, but yeah, I felt lighter, I guess. Less burdened with the past.”
He had a dreamy expression on his face for half a second, enough to make me want to dive into the mystery behind those irresistible eyes.
Instead, I gave him one of my secrets. “ I should have just beat up the bullies. Opportunity missed.”
I’d had more than my fair share of bullies, thanks to Ronan and Brendan, but I was encouraged not to fight back.
“Bummer,” I said knowingly.
His gray eyes flashed in surprise. “You were bullied? I find that hard to believe.”
“Why? Rich girl whose family made their money in dubious ways, which is pretty much a sin in private schools where everyone brags that their daddy made his millions in the stock market, or the casinos, or ad industry. I didn’t brag, and I didn’t lie. Oh, and Ronan and Brendan were terrible to everyone.”
“And you got all the blowback?”
“Every bit of it. I was an easy target because he was an asshole to parents and teachers alike, so no one was rushing to my defense. I graduated a year early just to get away.”
We’d gotten up from our hard wooden seats to look up at the stars again. I leaned back on the table and scanned the sky, the points of light twinkling down at us from every corner of the universe.
I looked over at Charlie. “You know what’s ironic? Running away from my last name. That seems to be the story of my life. Even back then.”
This time, I’d run for good.
His gray eyes darkened, and Charlie licked his lips, slowly and deliberately. “Interesting.”
“Is it?”
Charlie nodded. “It is.”
Holy hell. There was something seriously wrong with me if I could be turned on by a slow lick of the lips, when just a few short weeks ago I was being fucked hard nonstop by whoever had the cash or the favor to offer up. Another shiver stole through my body, and I had to look away.
“Why?”
“Because,” he said, and put one hand on top of mine to get my attention. “I had you all wrong. You probably have me all wrong too.”
“I don’t think so,” I told him without looking at his face. “I might have a few biases against bikers, but you took me in and treated me with kindness when it made your life more difficult. You’re a decent guy, Charlie. A good man. Your mama is good people too.”
A gorgeous man too, who’s thumb swirled circles around my pulse until it was thumping out of control.
His hand left mine and instantly, I felt colder without him, looking up to see what I’d done to cause such a quick separation. I had to sit down again to clear my head.
But Charlie sat right beside me on the bench, his thigh brushing up against mine. Was that deliberate?
“Great. I’ve gone from prison warden to a good man, I’d call that progress.”
I nodded, taking my time to turn and stare at him up close. His dark hair and those eerie gray eyes made a panty-soaking combination, but it was that boyish smile that promised a lot more than it should, that made him irresistible.
“And what about me, Charlie? Am I more than just Ronan Rhymer’s daughter? More than a whore?”
He bit out a curse and shook his head. “Fuck. I’ve never thought of you being a whore. You’re such a stubborn girl, aren’t you?” Instead of waiting for an answer, Charlie grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on his denim-covered cock. His long, hard, and incredibly thick cock.
“You think just talking to some whore could get me rock hard like this?”
I chuckle-snorted. “Honestly, I have no fucking clue. I don’t know you that well.”
His gaze was dark, his expression fierce as he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at his face. “Then let me make it known for you, Savannah. I do not think you’re a whore. I think you’re a sexy as fuck woman who found herself in an unfortunate situation. And most telling about you, that you survived. You fucking survived it, Savannah. Remember that. Fuck!”
He pulled back and shook his head, from; I didn’t know, disappointment or sympathy or some vulnerable shit I didn’t want to see when I looked at him.
He wanted me to know he was attracted to me. He wanted me, Savannah, with no last name. If anything, the Rhymer name made his desire feel complicated or dirty.
“Charlie.” I said it hesitantly, maybe just to say his name.
He didn’t look up at me, and I gave his cock a squeeze, letting the thrill of that small movement rocket through my body. It had been far too fucking long—if ever—since I touched a cock solely for the pleasure of feeling the heavy weight of it in my hand.
“Savannah.” My name exited his mouth on a growl, low and guttural, the visceral need like an invisible string tied to my clit. He grabbed my wrist to stop the slow stroke of his cock.
“Yes, Mr. President?” My lips tipped into a smile when he glanced
at me. “You want me to continue?”
His mouth opened and a breathy, “Yes,” slipped between a smile as his head shook in a clear sign that he didn’t want me to stop.
“You sure?” he asked in a low tender voice.
“No,” I told him and nodded slowly. “But I’m here, and I’m sure enough to try.”
Charlie opened his mouth, and the last thing I wanted to hear was more good guy shit, so I leaned forward and stopped his words with my mouth. His lips were soft with just a hint of dryness that let me know I was kissing a real man, not the fragile ‘yes men’ Ronan so often shoved in front of me.
Charlie didn’t move at first, giving me time to make up my mind and that one small act was, apparently, exactly what I needed. In the next second, I was straddling his lap, both hands shoved through his thick black hair while I kissed him and ground on him, eager and horny. The jeans I wore provided no barrier against the hard denim or the harder cock straining beneath it.
“Savannah,” he hissed. Charlie’s chest heaved in quick breaths, his eyes wide, showing that he was just as surprised as I was at how hot that had gotten and how quick.
“No more talking, Mr. President.”
“Some talking,” he said around a smile as he freed my bun so my hair came tumbling down around my shoulders.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I nodded and leaned in for another kiss, because it was the only thing I could think to do, and Charlie seemed to enjoy the feel of my lips against his. A groan slipped out, and I swallowed it down, hips grinding against his cock as he took over the kiss, devouring my mouth like I was his favorite dish.
Charlie’s hands slid up my thighs and across my ass. His hand snaked its way down the back of my panties. I squirmed, wanting to feel more of him. I unfastened the button of my jeans so he could fit more of his hand in there.
“Just take them off,” he growled.
“There’s people here,” I whispered back.