by Marla Monroe
“Just one quick kiss. Nothing more,” she whispered.
“One quick kiss and nothing more. Unless you ask,” he said just before his lips brushed against hers in something so sweet and innocent that Delta felt her hands tightening in his shirt and her head lifting as his did, chasing in hopes of not losing that touch. One simple kiss, and Delta would never be the same.
Chapter Three
Walker pulled back when what he wanted to do was crush her against the door and eat her up. Better still, he wanted to carry her to their room and make mad passionate love to her until he couldn’t get it up anymore. What had she put on her lips while she’d been in that bathroom? It had to be some type of aphrodisiac because there was no way one innocent kiss could have that effect on him.
Taking a step back he stared down at her. She looked as shocked by the kiss as he felt. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and the pupils slightly dilated. Her lips showed no real sign that he’d touched them, but her cheeks were pink and warm looking. He bet that if he dared to shove his fingers up under her skirt he’d find wet panties.
Fuck! Why did I think of that? Just thinking about her pussy has me hard as a fucking steel pipe. Going down on her is bound to be a feast at heaven’s gates. I’m going to find out just how sweet she is before she gets away from here. I want her.
He realized she was trying to slide past him now. He stopped her by catching hold of her hand and leading her back to the bedroom. He dearly hoped there wasn’t anyone in there unless it was Butch. Walker wanted another taste of sweet Delta.
When he turned the knob, the door was jerked out of his hands. He didn’t think twice, just shoved Delta behind him and pulled his gun.
“Fuck, man. What’s got your dick so jumpy?” Irish asked holding his hands out to his sides.
“What’s going on?” Turk, Irish’s cousin walked to the door and stared hard at Walker, still holding his gun up though it was no longer pointed at Irish.
“Sorry. Didn’t know who it was that had the doorknob in their grip.” It was weak as apologies went, but then he was protecting a woman who was a relative of The Dixie Devils.
“You must be Delta Dawn.” Irish held out his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I’m here to go over the business part of the bar with you.”
“Great. The sooner I get started the sooner it will start making money for the club,” she said, walking around Walker and moving into the bedroom behind the other man. “Did you bring the books with you?”
“No. I thought it would make better sense to go over some of the problems we’ve had after taking over and talk about the business itself instead of starting out with the finance part right away,” Irish said.
Walker watched as Delta followed Irish over to the desk where he’d left some things. He looked over at Butch who didn’t look any happier about the impromptu business meeting as he was. No doubt Reece put them up to bombarding her with it right then instead of waiting a day. Asshole.
He and Butch remained in the room with Irish while he talked to Delta. At some point Turk left for a while, but when he returned he caught Butch’s attention and the two men disappeared into the hall for several long minutes. He kept his attention on Irish who hadn’t really done anything to piss him off, but just his being there was enough.
When Butch returned, Irish seemed to take his cue from that and wrapped the meeting up. He left several folders with her but took the majority of what he’d brought, with him.
“We can look over the books tomorrow, Delta. They’re pretty straightforward, but if we keep losing money, they’re going to want to close shop and do something different with the building,” he said.
“Well, it’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen. Thanks for the information, Irish. Tell Turk I hope he didn’t find anything out about me that’s going to piss off my bosses. I really need this job.” She winked at the man making Walker want to punch him.
“Delta,” Butch snarled behind her.
She rolled her eyes, but his friend couldn’t see her. “See you tomorrow, Irish.”
Once they were alone, just the three of them again, Walker marched over to the door and set both locks. When he turned around it was to find that Walker had collapsed into the club chair again. That left him with the desk chair and Delta with the bed, but she was ignoring them as she opened one of the containers, rummaging through it.
“What are you doing?” he finally asked.
“I’m going through my things to see what I’ve got to work with for the bar. I didn’t wear jeans very often with my previous job. Most of my clothes aren’t suitable for running a bar. I have enough that I can make do for a while, but I’ll need to go shopping in a month to round out my wardrobe,” she said as she looked at one blouse or pair of slacks after another.
“Why aren’t you unpacking instead?” Butch asked her.
“I’m still not sure where I’m going to be sleeping yet. I’ve told you that I’m not sleeping with the two of you. I’m just waiting to find out if you’re going to give me blankets and pillows for the floor or my own room before I start unpacking,” she told them.
Walker slowly let a smile drift across his face before he answered. He caught Butch’s eye and winked. He would get her into their bed without force. That wasn’t their way. He already respected her for how well she was taking everything she’d been through in stride. He wasn’t about to take her trust, uneasily given as it might be, and betray it.
“It’s not safe for you to stay in your own room, Delta. Some of the guys who come through here from time to time aren’t as civilized as we are. They’re just hanging around while we work on their bike, so I’m not willing to take the chance they won’t bother you. We’ll fix you up a pallet on the floor for the time being and figure something else out for the future.” Walker smiled at her. “Do you want some help unpacking? You can use the dresser for your folding clothes. We’ll clear out one of the closets for you as well.”
Butch walked over to the two modest-sized walk-in closets and started transferring his clothes over to share the other closet with Walker. They didn’t really have that many that they hung up anyway.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble. I don’t need any help, thanks. It’s just a few things. I’ll only need three or four drawers. You can still use one side of the dresser for your things,” she told them.
Walker was the only one with anything in the dresser. He pulled out his T-shirts and socks and moved them over to the chest of drawers. Butch wasn’t even using the bottom two drawers anyway. They both preferred to hang their jeans in the closet. That was working out for them now when they needed it, too.
“We’ve got plenty of room, darling,” Butch said as he finished transferring his jeans and the few more formal things he owned. “That gives you the entire closet for your good clothes. You don’t want to ruin them.”
Walker’s chest tightened when she looked first at Butch then him with what he was sure was a grateful and maybe even watery smile. By simply giving her room without fussing or arguing with her, they’d somehow managed to get to her when he’d least expected it.
“Sure you don’t want help?” he asked, nodding toward the door for Butch’s benefit.
“Thanks, but I can manage this.”
“Don’t leave the room until we come back to get you. As soon as we’ve talked to all the other guys, you will have the run of the place pretty much. Just give us some time to make it clear to everyone that you’re off-limits,” Butch said.
She winced but nodded. “I understand. It’s going to take me a good hour to arrange everything, but I’ll go stir crazy if you leave me much longer than that, guys.”
“One of us will be back to get you in about an hour, then,” Walker assured her. As much as he hated to leave her side, they needed to make sure Reese and Dom had spread the word that Delta was off-limits and under their protection.
Walker closed the door behind them and looked over at his friend. “She’s going
to officially belong to us before too long, partner. I’ve never met a woman yet who could give her a run for her money. She’s perfect.”
Butch grunted. “That bossy way of hers has my cock hard and my balls just about boiling. I hope you know what you’re doing. She’s not going to be an easy one to get between us. Letting her sleep on the floor is not my idea of how to treat a woman, Walker. I won’t be doing much sleeping thinking about her there, either.”
“I know. I don’t like it either, but keeping her in the room is more important than that. I’ve got an idea how to move her up into our bed. Leave it to me,” Walker said, chuckling.
* * * *
Delta breathed a sigh of relief when the two sexy men finally walked out of the room. She resisted locking the door behind them only because she believed that no one would bother her as long as they were her protectors. What surprised her was that Reece and Dominic had chosen their top two enforcers, the sergeant at arms of all people, to be her guards.
She couldn’t help but feel the attraction between the three of them. Their interest in her was obvious. She was trying to keep hers under control so that they didn’t sense it. If they ever caught wind that they stirred up things inside of her she’d rather remain asleep, there would be no holding them back. Delta had no intentions of being a sweet butt like her mom or even a long-term plaything. Very few bikers did long-term relationships.
She sighed and opened all the canisters they’d placed on the bed. Yeah, her sister had found a good man in Knuckles. The man was a little rough around the edges, but was clean and doted on her sister as if she were a princess. Delta liked him for that alone. Cassidy had been through hell with her first marriage. The man had been a first-class dick despite his prestigious position as a partner in his law firm.
Delta carefully unpacked her hanging clothes first, shaking them slightly as she added them to the closet. She hoped the wrinkles would fall out, but if they didn’t she was sure there would be a dry cleaner in town somewhere.
It reminded her of her own pillar of society she’d trusted. No, both she and Cassidy had screwed up choosing their men. She was pretty sure that Knuckles was a good man for Cassidy. Her sister had the tendency to get into trouble because of her big heart. Which was something Delta didn’t really have.
She was just glad that Cassidy had held out for the top position in a biker club and that was being a biker’s old lady to a man who had a position of power in the club. It was the only reason Delta hadn’t protested her sister’s choice. That and how well Knuckles treated her. She saw the closest thing she’d ever seen of real love in that man’s eyes for her sister. If she ever dated again, she wanted that. She wouldn’t accept anything less now that she knew it was real.
By the time she’d gotten to the bottom of two of the plastic boxes, Delta was exhausted. She’d been running on fumes for days now. That paired with sleeping in her wreck of a car meant very little restful sleep. She wanted a nap more than just about anything right then, but the other thing she wanted that was just as loud at the moment was something to eat.
Delta opened a dresser drawer and began unpacking her panties, then her bras. Once she had all the canisters empty, she stacked them next to the closet door she was using and eyed the bed. It looked fairly comfortable. It was certainly big enough. Did the two men sleep together in the big bed? That seemed odd to her because she hadn’t gotten those kind of vibes off of them. Yet they’d both had clothes in the same room.
Unwilling to think about it any further, Delta sat on the edge of the bed and lay back with her arms spread. Room. It wasn’t a tight enclosed space where she couldn’t really even lay down. It would be so easy to let herself fully relax and go to sleep.
If I go to sleep right now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Sleeping on the floor will be a hell of a lot more comfortable than the car was, but I don’t think I would be able to sleep as easily after a nap and with those two hunky men in the same room.
Delta was realistic. She knew that given half a chance, her hormones would be calling the shots instead of her more logical brain. The men were built like Greek gods in a rough, down-and-dirty sort of way. Butch had intelligent light blue eyes that despite his severe buzz cut spoke to her of lazy days drifting together in a boat on a lake or sitting on a blanket under a live oak eating grapes he fed her.
She snorted at that picture as it merged with the one of him standing with his legs apart and his arms crossed over his massive chest. He wore his cut like a businessman wore a suit, with pride and determination.
Walker was an enigma for her. She saw him more of the biker than Butch. While Butch seemed all business, Walker was all play. She had little doubt he would be a serious threat in a dangerous situation, but he wasn’t stoic or stiff. His shaggy, wild hairstyle said much about the man himself. He had sun streaks throughout it that would look more at home on a surfer or beach lifeguard. Yet he had the attitude of a biker through and through. Life was his for the taking and the only rules he recognized were the rules of the open road and his club.
To be able to live that free sort of life would be amazing. She could admit that without compromising her goals. It was the slight lawlessness of some clubs and the refusal to treat women respectfully in most cases that had kept her as far away from the clubs as was absolutely possible.
She chuckled to herself. The clubs her mom had hung out with had been more than slightly lawless. They’d dealt in everything from guns to coke and a lot of things she didn’t want to know about. They’d killed as easily as they’d lived, and for a long time, Delta had resented her mom for how they’d grown up wondering what would happen to them. But once she’d gotten older, Delta could tell that her mom always made sure they were protected before she forged any type of bond with any of the clubs they’d lived around.
Then, when they’d gotten old enough to be out on their own, she’d warned them not to get involved with the life. She’d begged them to find good men who had a steady job and an easy hand. That’s what they’d both set out to do. Only it hadn’t worked out for either of them. Maybe her mom had the right idea in the long run. Delta shook her head. No. Not for her.
She missed her mom more than anything, especially now. Delta’s mom would know what to do in her situation. Her mom hadn’t been a druggie or even an alcoholic, though she’d drink more than she should at times. They’d been raised in clean apartments and almost always had food on the table. When they didn’t have enough, and one of the bikers found out, they’d bring them what they needed. It was an unspoken rule in all clubs. Everyone associated with them in a family way was always taken care of, period.
The more and more she thought about their life growing up, the more she’d realized it had probably been better than it would have been if they’d lived in a city somewhere. Their mom would have worked herself to death or worse than that, had to resort to prostitution to make ends meet. When they didn’t have food or clothes there would be no help from anyone else, and prostitution on the streets was a far worse life than being a sweet butt for a decent club.
Times like now, she was ashamed of how she’d viewed her mother for so many years. She loved her and always had, but as a young girl who knew everything, she’d thought her mom was a weak woman. Now she knew her mom had been much stronger than either she or Cassidy had realized.
“She was far stronger than I am. I’m running from my life because I screwed it up. Mom would have figured out a way to stand her ground.”
Then again, no one would have ever dared to treat Mom badly among the club, and if anyone outside the club dared to do such a thing to one of their women, they would have felt the swift justice of the bikers.
When their mom had died of a stroke five years earlier, she and Cassidy had returned to take care of the arrangements and say good-bye. They hadn’t known she’d been in the hospital for nearly a month before she’d died and at first had been angry that the president hadn’t contacted them. They’d made sure he had a
ll of their information.
What they found out was that the club had taken care of their mom themselves, making sure she was comfortable and never alone. She hadn’t wanted her daughters to see her like she’d been, nearly unable to talk and unable to use her left side. They’d honored her wishes and waited, giving her all the support she’d needed. Then they’d called them once she’d slipped peacefully into death. They would only have the good memories of their mom strong and independent. It was what she’d wanted.
Then, on top of what they’d done, they had already taken care of all the arrangements according to their mom’s wishes. All she and Cassidy had to do was pick the flowers they’d wanted and add the trinkets they’d wanted to be with her. It had been the most surreal thing to follow them on the back of bikes with over seventy-five other bikers to say good-bye.
There had been a preacher as her mom had wanted who was familiar with the biker way of life. He’d given a good sermon that spoke of peace and happiness and being right with God in their own way.
She and Cassidy had cried with the women of the bikers surrounding them, giving them support and comfort. When it had been over, and they were back at the club, it had continued with the president and vice president telling them they were always welcome and part of the family. It was then that she and Cassidy realized how much they cared about their mom. They had respected her when so many would have not given her another thought had she been someone out in the world.
Their mom would have died alone in fear and distress since there probably wouldn’t have been anyone who cared enough to track them down to let them know. She’d have been buried in a pauper’s grave with no one to watch over her or grieve for her. No, Delta had made mistakes in judging them. Maybe it wasn’t for her, but it didn’t mean it was wrong for others.
And once again, the bikers are the ones who are here when I need them. Not the law or anyone else. I’m a complete fool for trusting implicitly a stranger when I wouldn’t trust the ones who’d taken care of me.