by Lilly Atlas
“Oooh yes! They’re my fav. Good thinking, Michelle. And I do have tequila. Always.”
Michelle giggled and placed the mix on the counter. She’d also changed but wore capri leggings and an oversized tank. Her curly hair hung down her back in damp spirals. “One thing to get out of the way,” she said. “No more calling me Michelle. My friends call me Shell, and I think we’ve officially graduated to friends.”
Friends. It was nice. “We have. So, Shell it is. You mind rifling through my refrigerator? I’ve got some salsa in there. Can’t have margaritas without chips and salsa.”
“Sooo,” she said as she stuck her head in the fridge, her voice full of mischief. “You didn’t tell me you lived next door to Zach.”
Midway through twisting the tray of ice cubes, Toni jolted and fumbled the tray. Slippery squares of ice scattered across the counter and slid to the floor, shooting throughout the kitchen.
Instead of apologizing for startling her, her new friend burst out laughing. So hard and so loud she snorted and slapped a hand over her mouth.
Heat rushed to Toni’s face as she scrambled to rescue the ice before more plunged off the edge of the counter.
“I was going to ask what you thought of him next, but I think I’ve already got my answer,” Michelle said, when she finally stopped giggling.
“What? Oh, that’s just me being clumsy. Happens all the time.” Toni dumped the ice in the blender and stared everywhere but at Shell. The excuse sounded lame, even to her own ears.
More laughter ensued. “You’re a terrible liar. Come on, dish, girl.”
With a sigh, Toni turned and leaned against the counter with the blender at her back. “There isn’t anything to tell. I only just met him a few days ago. He introduced himself, we chatted. He’s nice. That’s it.” She turned and pushed blend on the machine. Loud whirring from the motor drowned out whatever Shell was going to say next. The momentary reprieve gave Toni a second to compose herself.
Mention of Zach’s name shouldn’t send her into such a bumbling tailspin. She barely knew the guy. No, barely would imply she knew something about him. And she knew absolutely nothing. Maybe she’d known a few things about the boy he was years ago, but nothing about the man he was now. Nothing beyond the fact that he claimed to be attracted to her. And claimed he’d be acting on it in a week. Less than a week.
Just four more days.
Not that she was counting. No way. No how.
A shiver of anticipation raced down her spine. Not good. He was a mistake Toni wouldn’t be making. Just physical attraction. Chemicals and pheromones. And she didn’t make any decisions based on those. Not anymore.
She chose her partners based on merit. Strength of character. Discipline. Mutual future goals. The downside was her last two relationships were devoid of the passion she craved, but it didn’t matter. Passion faded anyway, right? Compatibility wasn’t based on fireworks and lust. It was mental, not physical.
Punching the off button, Toni reached in the cabinet over her head for two margarita glasses. After pouring the frosty liquid into the glasses, she turned and was greeted by a smirking Shell.
“He’s pretty potent, isn’t he? All those muscles? And he’s so good looking, he’s almost pretty.” Shell fanned herself. “There isn’t a woman out there who could be immune to that.”
Suddenly, she recalled Shell’s uneasy reaction to news that the bikers would be allowed in the diner. Since that day, at least a handful of the leather-wearing men were in the diner every shift she worked. They asked for her section every single time. And called her Shell. Hadn’t Zach mentioned she brought them food on occasion?
She was more than just a waitress they liked. She was a friend. Maybe even more. Oh God, could she possibly have a thing for Zach? Did they have a history?
“Oh. No!” Shell said. She waved her hands in front of her in a stop motion. “No, no, no, no, no. It’s not like that, at all. I promise.”
“Not like what?” Toni frowned. She hadn’t even said anything.
“Your face. You looked crushed. I’m sorry if I implied I had a thing for Zach. I am one hundred percent immune to the charm that is Zach. Well,” she winked. “Maybe ninety-three percent. He is hot as hell. But immune enough to be not interested at all. Not interested.” She shuddered. Actually shuddered, as though the thought of being with the sexiest man Toni had ever laid eyes on was repulsive. “I see him, just about all of them, like brothers.”
Oh. Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected. “Here.” Toni handed Shell the two glasses. Carry these, and I’ll get the snacks. Couch is through there,” she said, pointing to the den. “So, you know a lot of the Hell’s Handlers well then?”
Instead of answering, Shell sipped her drink. Her eyes closed and she tilted her head back, letting out a little moan of pleasure. “Oh man, that’s good. I need more of these in my life.”
Toni chuckled. Befriending Shell was a breeze.
“I’ve known them my whole life. My dad was in the club until he was killed when I was a teen. It’s a family more than anything else, so my mom and I were taken care of by the club members even after he died.”
“You said just about all of them.” Toni lowered herself to the couch and propped her feet on a giant square ottoman before sipping her drink. Shell was right. More margaritas were necessary in her life as well.
“What?” Confusion had Shell’s eyebrows drawing down and her lips curling in.
“You said you saw just about all of them as brothers. That means there’s someone you don’t see as a brother.” It was Toni’s turn to smirk. “Come on, talk to Mama.”
She thought she’d get a smile, maybe a laugh out of Shell, but instead the other woman lost some of her light. “Copper,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Not like it’s a secret. Pretty much everyone in town knows I’ve been pining away for him since I was a kid.”
“Copper, seriously? The giant one with the beard and the eyes that look like they could fry you on the spot? He kinda scares the snot out of me.”
A sad smile tilted Shell’s lips. “He’s not one to cross, that’s for sure. But that’s just one side of him.” There was a wistful quality to her voice, as though she was recalling a memory she wished to return to.
“He know how you feel?”
“Oh yeah, he knows. Well, at least he knows how I felt before I moved away years ago. I was young and stupid and made it painfully obvious. I’m more discrete now.”
Hmm. Interesting. Copper, the biker who showed up at the diner more than any of the others. Always sitting in Shell’s section. Always watching her like a hawk but with a fierce frown.
“He says I’m too young. He’d never touch me.” She stared at her drink, a far off look in her eyes. “But it wouldn’t even matter if he dropped to his knees and professed his love to me tomorrow,” she said in a small voice. “Too much has happened. Things he doesn’t know about. Things from my past that make it impossible for me to ever be with him. Geez, listen to me. Three sips and I’m spilling my guts.”
“No, it’s okay. I get it. About the past. I did some things, and had some things done to me, that changed who I am. Especially when it comes to men. Things that occurred years ago but I’m still dealing with and paying for.” Toni shrugged.
“I started working at the diner because of the no biker rule.” Shell giggled. “Thought it would be a good way to keep myself away from Copper. At least there would be a few hours in the day where I wouldn’t have to see him. Despite his refusal to be with me, he’s always taken it upon himself to be my shadow. Protector, as he calls it.” She chuckled and rubbed her eyes, exhaustion bleeding into her features. Exhaustion Toni now knew wasn’t from physical fatigue alone, but from heavy emotional scars. “It’s all so fucked up,” she whispered almost to herself.
Desire to ease her new friend’s pain hit Toni hard. Along with guilt. “God, Shell. I’m so sorry. I had no idea lifting that ban would cause you trouble.”
Shell
swallowed a healthy gulp of her drink, then took a deep breath. “Please, don’t feel bad. I’m at the clubhouse all the time. Hell, one of the ol’ ladies is my steady babysitter. I can’t avoid them. And I don’t really want to. They’re my family. Sometimes it’s just hard to pretend I don’t feel what I do when I’m around them. So I got a job where I wouldn’t have to be around them.” With a wave of her hand she brushed it off. “You want to talk about your past shit? Because I really don’t want to think about mine anymore.”
“Hell no.” Toni didn’t talk about the mistakes of her past with anyone. Not even with Mark, who was privy to more than anyone. “Movie time?”
“Absolutely.”
Toni leaned back on the couch and turned on the television. Three hours and one Sex and The City movie later, Shell begged off and headed home. Toni remained on the couch for a while. Thinking about all the decisions lingering out in space, waiting for her to act.
Keep the diner? Sell the diner?
Return to Chicago? Stay in Tennessee?
Live in the house? Unload the house?
Avoid the biker? Sleep with the biker?
And if her gaze drifted to the window where Zach’s dark house was on display every few seconds, no one had to know about it. Nor did anyone have to know she was still on the couch watching when the headlights and rumble of a bike pulled in at well past midnight.
But what she’d really be keeping to herself was the intense feeling of relief that flooded her when only one rider hopped off the bike.
It didn’t mean Zach hadn’t been with a woman.
But it did mean there wouldn’t be one sleeping in his bed and wouldn’t be one waking with him in the morning.
Those were dangerous thoughts.
It was all dangerous. Staying in the house. Breaking up with Chris. Spending so many hours in the diner. Because with each passing day, she felt the options being selected without any real thought or planning on her part.
Keep the diner.
Stay in Tennessee.
Live in the house.
Sleep with the biker.
Chapter Eight
Zach’s stomach growled so loud, Maverick was razzing him before he’d even gotten off his bike. “Fuck you,” he grumbled. “I’ve been wanting to eat here my whole life, but the fucking Jennings’ had log-size sticks up their asses. Bad enough they’d scurry from their cars to their house every time my pops walked around with his cut on. Like he was just going to go apeshit and attack. You know how many times they called the cops on him for bullshit? Engine too loud. Thinking he was smoking pot every time he lit a fuckin’ cigarette.” Zach shook his head. “Bunch of uppity assholes. Toni’s lucky to have gotten away from them.”
Maverick arched a pierced eyebrow. “Toni, huh? You two kids getting all chummy?”
“What, because I know her name?” Mav was baiting him, and like a moron Zach was falling straight for it. That’s what four nights in a row of fewer than five hours sleep would do to a man. Made him lose his edge. Also made him hungry as fuck for a giant, energizing breakfast.
“So—” And there it came. The taunt Zach shouldn’t fall for “—what you’re saying is that I’m free to let all this loose on the lady?” Mav ran his hands over his whipcord lean body, stopping at his crotch where he gave his junk a squeeze.
And like the sucker he was that morning, Zach took the bait. “If I catch you so much as flicking a gaze in the direction of her tits there won’t be anything left down there for you to fondle.”
Maverick whistled. “Wooow,” he said as they walked toward the diner’s entrance. “You know—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Zach muttered, pulling the door open and shooting Maverick a look he hoped would be interpreted as an I’ll-kill-you-if-you-keep-running-your-trap glare.
Of course, Mav being Mav, he only laughed. “Well, hey there, baby doll,” he said to Shell who walked by balancing a very full tray of steaming plates. Poor girl couldn’t weigh more than a buck five soaking wet, and she worked herself to the bone for that kiddo of hers. Club always tried to help but she refused any so-called charity.
“Hey, Maverick,” Shell said, accepting the kiss he pressed to her cheek. He lingered just long enough to have her giggling the laugh only Mav could wrangle from women. “Oh, Zach, you’re here too!” She grinned. “Go sit on over there in my section, you guys. It’s so busy this morning, I’ll try my best to serve you, but I might have to send Toni over to give me a hand.” Her eyes sparkled and her lips turned up in a too-innocent way. What was the little rascal up to?
“Will do, Shell,” Zach said, smacking her cheek with his own kiss. She chuckled and swatted his shoulder. Kind of amazing she could do all that and manage to keep the plates from tumbling. Now that the biker ban was lifted, they could at least eat at the diner and leave overly generous tips to help her out. If she saw straight through it, who cared? She couldn’t call it charity if it was direct payment for a job well done.
“Man, it smells so good,” Mav said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation after they’d seated themselves in the booth.
A few of their brothers were there as well and Zach couldn’t help but chuckle. If Toni wasn’t careful, the place would become a biker den before she knew it. That’s what happened when you served big hungry men delicious food. They kept coming ’round.
“Good morning, I’m Toni and I’m helping Shell this morn—oh!” Toni’s mouth formed a perfect circle and her gorgeous eyes were wide with astonishment. “Zach. You’re here.”
He grinned at her statement of the obvious. “I’m here. And I’m hungry.” He let his gaze roam over her. Hungry for way more than breakfast. Forget the damn menu, Toni looked good enough to eat in a short denim skirt that showed off her smooth, tanned legs. On top, she wore the diner’s signature teal T-shirt and her hair was pulled high on her head in a ponytail. Since her hair wasn’t longer than her shoulders, strands that didn’t quite make it in the rubber band hung down in back. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a dusting of flour across her left breast.
What were the chances that she would slap his face if he reached out and brushed it off for her?
Pretty damn high.
Her eyes narrowed at him, as though she could sense his dirty thoughts, but a pretty pink flush stole across her cheeks. That flush had nothing to do with the heat of the kitchen and everything to do with the heat of Zach’s stare. She may deny it until she turned blue, but she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Now, how to bust down her walls?
A throat cleared. “You gonna hand over those menus, darlin’ or you want me to read them with my mind?” Maverick did his own perusal of Toni, pausing his gaze on her tits before he turned his smug grin on Zach.
Swallowing down the urge to rip the bar right out of Maverick’s eyebrow, he turned his attention back to Toni. Mav was harmless. Well not really, but despite his horny bastard status, he’d never poach on a brother’s turf. The taunting was all in good fun. Fun for Mav, anyway.
Not that Toni was Zach’s turf. But she would be. For a short while.
“Oh yes! Sorry. I, uh, I was just…”
Maverick laughed. “No need to explain. My man Zach here can turn even the most eloquent of women into a blabbering mess.”
Toni raised an eyebrow at him. Wonderful. Now she’d think he was as much of a dog as Maverick. Not that it really mattered what she thought of his character. As long as the teasing didn’t impair his chances for five weeks of no-strings sex.
She snickered. “I’m sure he does. Here’s your menus. Coffee?” she asked, after placing a laminated menu in front of each of them. They both nodded. “Be right back.”
Zach wanted to watch her ass as she walked away, but he also wanted to keep Maverick from staring at the same ass, so he kept his focus on his friend and asked. “What looks good?”
“Oh man.” Mav groaned. “Think they’d look at me funny if I ordered one of everything?”
“I don’t th
ink your girlish figure could handle it.”
“Fuck you. Not my fault I ain’t built like the Hulk. What do you think cinnamon roll waffles are?” Face blocked by the tall menu, Maverick groaned again. “Scratch that. I don’t care what it is as long as I can get enough bacon to clog each and every one of my arteries.”
With a snicker, Zach glanced over his own menu. “I know I like cinnamon rolls. And I know I like waffles. Besides that, I don’t have a clue what they are. You’ll have to ask Toni.”
“Ask Toni what?” She reappeared with a coffee pot and filled their glasses. “Sugar and creamer,” she said, indicating a small bowl filled with coffee fixin’s. “Now, what did you want to ask me?”
Zach opened his mouth, but Maverick beat him to the punch. “Two things,” he said. “First, what are cinnamon roll waffles, and second, how the hell do you manage to make a diner T-shirt look so sexy?”
“Uh, well…” Her eyes cut to Zach, as though gauging his reaction to his brother’s blatant flirting. To put her at ease, he rolled his eyes. Nothing in the world would change who Maverick was. And neither Zach nor anyone from their club would have it any other way. He was the best of all of them in good times and could flip the switch to coldest and deadliest when necessary.
Pleasure surged in Zach when Toni decided to go along with the crazy. If she was going to be his fuck buddy for a month, she’d need to be able to handle his brothers. And they were an armful.
“It’s my gift really. Looking like this in a diner shirt.” With a giggle that was more of a snort, she struck a pose. “And my little gift to my customers.”
Mav burst out laughing and winked at Toni. “Damn, Zach, I like this one. You chose wisely.”
The smile slid right off Toni’s face, and Zach could have killed his friend in that moment. Damn idiot was going to destroy his chances with one stupid comment. He cleared his throat. “The waffles?”
“Oh, right.” She brightened again. “Well, they’re cinnamon roll dough but instead of baking them in the oven, they are pressed in the waffle iron. And they’re served with a cream cheese, cavity-inducing glaze. One of Ernesto’s new creations, and they are to die for. Well worth the six pounds you’ll gain eating just one.”