by Lexi Blake
He felt his face set stubbornly. He would not let her know how much she affected him. “I was here first, Callie.”
“Well, of course you were. Tell me something, Zane, how long have you been in town?” There was suspicion in her voice, and her eyes were brown lasers cutting through him.
“Couple weeks.”
“That’s what I thought. You’ve been here a couple of weeks and you didn’t bother to call.”
Jen was at her side, but her eyes were on him. She looked utterly fascinated. It made him uncomfortable. “You know this guy? Wow, Cal, he is stunning. Hi, I’m Jen and I would really like to paint you.”
He ignored her. He was too busy paying attention to Callie. “I didn’t think you would welcome a call from me. I figured you were married and stuff.”
Her smile held not a hint of humor. “Well, I showed you, didn’t I? Not married. Not dating. Still alone. I haven’t even…”
For the second time that day he felt the world shift. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? She hadn’t had sex since him and Nate? How was that possible? Her face was a flaming red. “Babe, I couldn’t call you.”
Was she looking at him? Could she not see his freaking face?
“You’re like a fallen angel. It’s really beautiful.” Jen’s nose was a bright red. Girl couldn’t handle her tequila.
“You couldn’t call me? Well, as I see the cell phone in your pocket, I can only assume you couldn’t call me because you didn’t want to.” There were tears shimmering in Callie’s eyes, and his heart was going to shatter if she cried.
“Babe, look at me.” He turned his face straight to her, so she couldn’t miss a single inch of the scars that ran down the left side of his face. Besides the long one, there were two others. One on the side of his jaw, deep and puckered, and one across his forehead. He’d damn near lost his eye. Only Nate had managed to save him. She couldn’t even see the scars on his body.
She snorted. “Yes, you’re horrible. All of your hotness is gone. Don’t give me some lame story about how a few tiny marks are supposed to make me not want you. They’re scars, Zane. Get over it. You’re gorgeous, and you know it. Just be honest. You slept with me as a favor to Stef, and that was it. It’s fine, but don’t lie to me.”
“You slept with him?” Jen’s mouth was wide open as she looked between them.
“At least Nate was honest enough to tell me he didn’t want to see me,” Callie replied.
“You slept with the sheriff, too?” Jen asked.
He was going to beat the sheriff to death for putting that look on Callie’s face. He felt his face bunch up and was sure he sounded like a pleading boy. God, if he still had a chance with her, he wanted to take it. If she could see past how awful he looked, he’d do anything for her. She’d haunted his dreams every night for the past six years. The fact that she was here and still thought about him, too, well, it floored him. “I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you so bad. But you can’t possibly want me like this. You have no idea what I’m like now. And these aren’t the only scars I have. They’re everywhere.”
Callie shrugged. She was on her feet. They were encased in dainty sandals with ladybugs on them. “Like I said, Zane, at least Nate was honest with me.”
She stalked off toward the dance floor, and Zane was left staring after her. Her ass swayed as she approached the jukebox.
“Seriously, you have to let me paint you. You are amazing.”
He squinted at the brunette. “What are you talking about?”
He needed a minute to catch his breath. If he went after Callie, he would be on his knees in a second, begging her to give him just one night. Just one. He needed to get this situation under control because she hadn’t reacted the way he’d expected.
“I’m talking about the dichotomy of your face. It’s amazing. The things you must have been through. It’s really beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Are you insane?”
She shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no, I’m an artist.”
She slid into the seat Callie had recently vacated. Zane had a sense of her leaning in, but his eyes were firmly on Callie. So far no one had crowded her, but two assholes in leather vests and blue jeans had eyes planted on the delicious treat.
Jen was still talking. “You’re the perfect model. So beautiful.”
He had no idea how to respond to the drunken artist. But maybe she could help him out. “Why hasn’t Callie gotten married?”
Callie’s body was swaying slightly to the sounds of Metallica. The two guys eyeing her were talking to each other and then looking back at him. He growled a little and bared his teeth.
“See, wow, that’s hot. You’re very alpha male. I can capture that on a canvas. Ummm, I guess Cal isn’t married because she never found anyone. It’s hard in a small town. And then there’s the fact that she’s always busy. And her mom only died last year.”
Zane turned suddenly. “Her mom died?”
Jen nodded. “She had cancer for a really long time. Callie took care of her. Callie takes care of everyone.”
Yes, he remembered that. She was concerned with the comfort and well-being of those around her. Even during their crazy weekend, when she should have been content to let them treat her like a princess, she had taken care of them. She had rubbed his scalp when he got a headache and cuddled against Nate after he’d gotten off the phone with his dad. She hadn’t asked questions, simply been there. He bet everyone took advantage of her nature.
“So, you slept with my friend and then dumped her?”
Maybe Jen wasn’t as wasted as he thought. “I didn’t dump her. I had a job to do.”
Jen’s lips pursed. “Must have been a great job to leave someone like Callie.”
It hadn’t been. It had been hell. He’d give anything to go back to that moment in the hotel when they’d made their decision. He would call his boss and quit and slide back into bed with Callie. If Nate wanted to go, he would have let him. But Zane would have gotten under those covers. Unfortunately, he knew all too well he couldn’t go back. “You think Callie and the sheriff have something going on?”
“Well, I certainly do now, given the fact that they have some sort of super-freaky past where she slept with both of you. Did she do you at the same time?”
“None of your business.” They hadn’t. He and Nate had decided she was too green to take her together. There hadn’t been time to prepare her. He’d dreamed about it, though. Apparently Nate didn’t have the same thoughts. He was planning a sweet vanilla life with the girl of their dreams. Screw that. She hadn’t run away. She’d been pissed off that he hadn’t come for her. Well, he could fix that. He wasn’t giving her up. He jumped off his barstool. “And you can tell that town that she’s taken.”
“She is?”
He nodded. She would be once he was done.
* * * *
Callie tried to focus on the jukebox menu, but all she could see was Zane’s beautiful face. He had a few scars. Anyone could see that, but she wasn’t stupid. He was still a gorgeous giant of a man. His hair was longer than she remembered. It was pitch black and curled at the ends. His face was so masculine it was as though someone had carved it. His jawline was perfectly square, and he had a sharp blade for a nose. His eyes were a deep green, and intelligence still sparked out of them.
That was a lie. There wasn’t a lick of intelligence in him if he thought she was falling for that whole “I’m not good for you” crap. Like she hadn’t heard that before. Next he would want to be her friend because he didn’t like her that way.
Story of her life.
She was not going to cry. Nope. No crying allowed in the tough biker bar. If she thought it would be hard living in the same town with Nate, how bad would it be with Zane here, too? It would happen all over again, watching two men she cared about search for what they wanted when what they wanted wasn’t her.
Tears made the jukebox menu a watery mess. What had she ex
pected? They’d had a couple of nights together years ago. It meant the world to her, but they had probably had so many women, she was lucky they remembered her face. She couldn’t be mad at them. It was the way the world worked. Women like her didn’t get guys like Nate and Zane.
“Hey, pretty lady, you with that rough rider back there?”
Callie looked up into a very rugged face. There were two of them, bikers both, or so their leather vests proclaimed. They appeared to belong to some form of horde that claimed Colorado as their home. The men had no right to call Zane rough. They were far rougher than Zane.
“No, I’m not. Please excuse me.” She wasn’t with him, and now she wondered what the hell she was doing. Was she trying to punish Nate? Jen had been right. This was stupid. She pulled out her cell and dialed Stef’s number. He picked up immediately.
“Callie?” Stef sounded harried, and she could hear movement, like he was in a car.
“Is that her?”
Was Nate with him? Why would Nate be with him?
“Yes, it’s me. I’m sorry to bother you, but Jen and I need a ride. We’re at the bar on the other side of the mountain and we’ve had a bit to drink. I don’t feel safe with either of us getting behind the wheel.” She was feeling a little woozy.
“Give me that phone.” She heard the sounds of a tussle, and then Nate’s voice was the dominant one. “You stay right where you are, Callie Sheppard. Do you understand me? What the hell were you thinking?”
Callie moved the phone away from her ear. He could yell really loud. “Sheriff, please stop. The signal is fine. I can hear you. I need Stef to come get me.”
“I’m coming to get you,” he shot back. “How dare you walk into that bar? What were you thinking? Do you have any idea the kind of men who run around that bar?”
“Zane, apparently.”
“Yeah, who do you think called me, baby? Now you go to the bar and sit your pretty ass down, and don’t you move. Don’t you leave Zane’s side. I will be there in ten minutes, and then we’re going to have a talk. I have an awful lot to say to you.”
That didn’t sound promising. “Maybe I don’t have anything to say to you, Sheriff.”
“Good, then you can listen. Do not disobey me. I have a headache and a half because you left me with Mel. I took that damn tonic of his because I’m the idiot who’s trying to fit into this weird town to please you.”
When had he started doing that? She sighed sympathetically. “Yeah, you really shouldn’t drink anything Mel gives you. He tends to put rotgut whiskey in all his tonics.”
“And that’s illegal.” Righteous Nate was back with a vengeance.
It was time for some more advice. “Nate, how do you expect to be sheriff in this town if all you care about is what is or isn’t illegal?”
He sputtered. “Just stay where you are. What got in your head to go to someplace called Hell on Wheels, I have no idea…”
In the background she heard a third voice. It seemed like Nate thought he needed to bring the cavalry. “Uh, Sheriff, I don’t think I’m allowed to go to that bar.”
She heard Nate huff at Logan Green. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you a deputy, son, or not?”
“Oh, no.” He was bringing along Logan? That was a bad idea. Marie was going to have his hide. “You can’t bring Logan here.”
“My moms will get really upset,” Logan explained.
Then there was a whole lot more cursing, but the phone fell out of her hand when she was twirled around bodily. She gasped as the biker from before was squeezing her wrist. He was short but stout as a bull, and from the way his fingers tightened around her wrist, he was as strong as one, too.
“If he don’t claim you, then we will, right, Bone?”
The gentleman named Bone nodded his assent. He was slightly taller than his compatriot but didn’t have his thick build. “Damn straight, Len. This one is real pretty. Nice tits.”
Maybe Jen had been right. She should have gone down to the gas station and tried hitting on tourists. Callie attempted to pull her wrist out of Len’s grasp. “Please excuse me. I really need to go.”
She would go wait outside for Stef. If the sheriff walked in here, all hell would break loose and someone would get hurt, possibly him.
“You heard the lady.”
Callie looked up, and Zane was a hulking presence behind the two men. Bone and Len were big, nasty-looking men, but Zane made them look like boys in comparison. He had gotten rid of his jacket, and his big biceps were on full display. She could plainly see he’d added some ink to his body. His jaw was set, and his eyes were cold. She had a sudden desire to put her arms around him and soothe that look off his face.
After he’d taken care of the men who were attempting to assault her, of course.
“Take your hands off her right this second, or I’ll break them,” Zane growled.
Jen was suddenly behind her. She slipped her arms around Callie’s waist, anchoring her.
“I won’t let them take you,” Jen promised.
Len simply dragged Jen along, too. “Get your own fuck for the night, asshole. This one is ours.”
Jen held on, and Callie was being tugged in two directions, then she was on her ass on top of Jen, looking up from the floor. Zane had Len dangling in the air, one big hand wrapped around his opponent’s throat.
“I warned you.”
Bone took the opportunity to attack, but Zane simply used his free hand to punch him squarely in the face. There was a satisfying crunch, and Bone slumped to the floor.
“I’ll deal with your friend later. Now, I think you owe my lady an apology.” The words came from between Zane’s gritted teeth, each one an order. Callie wished she could be enough of a pacifist to be alarmed by Zane’s propensity for violence. In this particular case, her female parts differed with her political beliefs. They were completely aroused watching that giant of a man defending her honor. And his possessive use of the word “my” was another thing she would argue with if she could stop drooling over the way his jeans molded to every muscle in his legs.
“I’m sorry, lady,” Len spat out.
He didn’t sound sorry. He sounded pissed. The room was filled with smoke and loud music, and potential violence throbbed through the air. Callie looked around. No one was dancing or drinking anymore. Every eye in the place was on Zane and the man he dangled in the air. Her mouth went dry. No one in the place looked like they were about to step up and help Zane out. They were looking at him like a group of hungry lions. Even Zane seemed to feel the tension filling the room. He set Len down and reached for something at his waist. When his hand only met his belt, she could see his eyes tighten. According to Nate, Zane had been a cop, an agent with the DEA. He was looking for his gun out of habit, but it wasn’t there anymore.
His eyes never stopped moving as he spoke. He looked around the room as though assessing the threats. “Babe, I recognize some of these people. When Nate gets here, I want you to run to him. He’ll protect you. For now, damn it, just run.”
Jen was on her feet helping her up when Callie screamed. Another big biker came from behind Zane, brandishing a pool cue. There was a loud crack as it came down across Zane’s back with brutal force.
“The Barbarians say hello, pig!”
Zane hit his knees.
“Callie, no!” Jen screamed as she pulled away.
She moved from the relative safety with Jen with one thought and one thought only in her head. Don’t let them hit him again.
She threw herself across Zane’s back. There was the terrible sound of a man shouting and the pool cue hit, but on the floor next to her.
“Get out of the way, you stupid bitch!” Len screamed.
She slumped across Zane, feeling his muscles moving as he threw her off with a roar that filled the room.
Zane was yelling, but she wasn’t sure at whom. She forced herself to sit up before she got crushed under boots and heels. She was surrounded, and Zane’s hands
finally pulled her up and into the cradle of his chest. His palm covered her head, forcing her down against him. She struggled to see.
“She doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Zane said.
Len was grinning now, showing off a plethora of teeth in severe need of dental attention. She wound her arms around Zane’s waist. He was the only thing that seemed real now.
“I think the girl has a lot to do with this, pig. You see, there’s a bounty out on your head, Hollister.” Len pulled out a wicked-looking knife and held it up for inspection. When Callie tried to move her head to see, Zane pulled her back. He encircled her as Len continued to talk. “Ellis might be in jail, but he’s still got power. He wants you bad. He’s willing to pay.”
That name seemed to trigger something in Zane. “Let the girl go and you can do what you want with me.”
“No.” Callie struggled against him. He held her fast. “No.”
She wasn’t about to let that happen. She wasn’t going to stand by while they hurt him.
“See, I think that you’ll fight like hell if the girl isn’t involved.” Len sounded like the leader of this group.
Callie could hear the thundering of Zane’s heart. It matched her own. Complete terror swamped her as she realized there was no way out. Something terrible was about to happen. She felt Zane huff. She tilted her chin up and could see the blank look on his face. He looked like he couldn’t care less, but she could feel him. She could feel his heart racing, the fine tremble in his hands as he clutched her like he was afraid she would die if he let her go.
His voice was a chilly grumble. “I don’t guess you would believe me if I told you I haven’t seen her in years and she doesn’t mean anything to me?”
Callie shook her head against his chest, and he gave her a little tap. He wasn’t good at the lying part. Even she had to acknowledge the man felt something for her.
“Nope. Not for a minute. Get her.” Len’s order boomed through the room, and Callie felt Zane’s arms go so tight around her she was sure she would pass out from lack of oxygen. There was a press of bodies around them. And they needed to spend some serious time on hygiene.