by Joanna Blake
I realized the poor girl was about to cry.
“This is a good place. Try not to worry.”
She nodded and gave me a brave smile. That smile just about broke my heart. In fact, I felt like my chest had cracked open and all these unfamiliar feelings poured out of me.
I felt protective. Possessive. And wildly turned on.
What the hell was wrong with me? Women were a dime a dozen. But that way of thinking made zero sense to me right now. Staring at her. Wanting her. Fucking worshipping her.
“I’d better get back to work.”
“Do you need a ride home? I can wait. Nana is reading, but I can hang out a while.”
She looked startled but she shook her head rapidly.
“I work the night shift.” Then she gave me a shy smile. “But thank you.”
I watched her push her cart into the hallway, fighting the urge to ask her what time in the morning I should pick her up.
Then I decided, fuck it. I’d just ask at the front desk and surprise her.
Molly. Her name was Molly.
Chapter One
Callaway
I sat on my ride, letting the motor idle. It was six AM and I was outside Nana’s nursing home, waiting for Molly. I’d spent the night at home alone, not drinking and not doing much of anything.
I’d slept a little, but mostly, I’d lain in bed and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
I’d thought about my past. I’d thought about the present, which was an empty wasteland full of motor oil, tattoo ink, and easy women. The bright spots were hanging with my brothers and their families. My present that was hopefully about to change.
But mostly, I’d thought about the future.
I wanted Molly in it, whatever that looked like. I was far from the settling down type, but in the past few hours, I hadn’t been able to imagine a future with her not in it. Not that I was picturing white picket fences. But I was thinking about having the girl in every damn way, as often as humanly possible.
Hell, I wanted to impregnate her. It didn’t make sense, but some animalistic part of me wanted to maker her flat belly grow round with my baby. Either way, though, I wanted to go to pound town.
I figured that seven or eight times a day would take the edge off.
I’d never fantasized like that about a woman. I’d never had to. I’d been swimming in tail since I hit puberty. The truth was, I’d been the most popular boy in grammar school, too.
So all of this was out of character for me, to say the least. But I couldn’t fight the overwhelming urge I had to claim her as my own. To mark her. To take her.
It wasn’t just a sex thing, though that was a big part of it. I wanted to empty my balls into her so badly it made me break out in a cold sweat. But it was more than that.
It was a primal, caveman type of thing.
And that was after spending five minutes with the girl. I had no idea if I would have the same reaction to her in the light of day. I could hardly wait to find out.
So I waited. After a few minutes, a slight-looking girl appeared in the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder, waving at someone. Then she stepped out into the early morning light.
I stood up, putting the spare helmet under my arm. She didn’t see me at first, so I took the time to have a long, thorough look at her. I was halfway hoping my memory had been exaggerating, embellishing her beauty.
But no. If anything, she was more beautiful than I could have imagined.
It was as if she was so perfect, my mind couldn’t hold onto her image exactly right. Seeing her now, in person, well, it was like taking a long, cold drink on a hot day.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the misty air waft over her.
I cleared my throat, and she startled, sensing a predator. She opened her eyes. They were the deep, rich blue of the sky at twilight, or an ocean wave right before it crested on the beach. She looked at me like a startled deer must look at a hunter.
I smiled at her without thinking. My instincts were to play it cool but I couldn’t help it. Seeing her face just made me happy.
Fucking absurdly happy. Like a crazy person. Or a little kid who really, really wanted a red balloon.
“Hey.”
Chapter Two
Molly
I blinked at the mirage in front of me. I was tired, and I had a full day ahead of me. So for a minute, I was a hundred percent positive I was hallucinating.
There was a ridiculously good-looking guy on a motorcycle staring at me.
Good-looking, with chiseled cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a penetrating gaze. But dangerous-looking, with his fitted leather jacket and the tattoos peaking out at the top of his shirt and wrists.
He looked like a movie star. Like a modern-day James Dean, but even more dangerous. He looked like a Bond villain. A stranger.
But no. I did know him. I’d met him briefly, less than twelve hours ago.
Callaway. Bonnie’s grandson.
How could I forget? The truth was, I hadn’t. He’d flustered me badly the night before. I’d had a hard time not thinking about him throughout the long night shift.
I just hadn’t expected to see him again so soon.
“Oh. Hi.” I frowned. He was dedicated to his grandmother, I knew. Bonnie had told me all about him when I came back around with my book cart. But he’d just been here the night before. Surely, he wasn’t coming twice in one week, let alone twice in one day? “What are you doing here? It’s too early for visiting hours.”
He smiled, and I almost took a step back. It was so blinding. The man looked like a GQ model, minus all that ink.
“Giving you a ride.”
He held out the helmet, offering it to me. I stared dumbly at it, then back at his handsome face.
“Where to?”
“Huh?”
“You said you got off early, so I came back. You want breakfast? I know a good spot.”
Oh, how I wanted to say yes. He made me nervous. But he was being so nice. And he was so very, very nice to look at.
But I didn’t have time. I had to get to my day job. And I was so tired. I didn’t have any room for distractions, especially one that looked like trouble.
Callaway looked like he knew everything about women and sex and lots of other things I should definitely stay away from. Meanwhile, I hadn’t gone out with a boy since ninth grade. The year my folks died in an accident. The same accident that put my little brother into a coma. A coma he woke from briefly now and then and then almost immediately went back under.
My aunt had taken me in and helped with the paperwork to take care of Tommy. But when I turned eighteen, he had become my responsibility and my aunt had washed her hands of us.
She wasn’t unkind. She just hadn’t ever wanted kids of her own. And she had done her best for us without any actual enthusiasm.
After I moved out, she sold her little house and moved down south. She wanted to be warm all year. She told me I had an open invitation to visit her.
A small, unkind voice in the back of my mind told me that she knew I never would.
She knew I would never leave Tommy. Never risk his waking up and my being so far away, not being there when he needed me.
All these thoughts passed through my overtired brain as the gorgeous, somewhat disreputable-looking man waited patiently for me to respond. It was probably less than a minute, but it felt like a lot longer to me.
“Oh. No. That’s okay.”
He tilted his head to the side.
“You got a ride? I can follow you to Mae’s diner. It’s real good.”
I shook my head swiftly. I wished I had a car! It would have made my eighteen-hour workday a lot easier. Then again, I was usually so tired I was delirious. I caught lots of cat naps on the bus.
“No. No car.”
His head remained tilted to the side, his eyes raking over me. But he didn’t leer, like so many men did. He drank me in like his eyeballs had straws in them.
&nbs
p; He was . . . intense. But not scary, which was odd, considering how he looked.
He stepped closer and I realized how tall he was. How big and how strong. He probably could have broken me in two. I still wasn’t afraid.
Wary, yes. Skittish, but not frightened.
“Is it the bike? Is that what’s bothering you?”
He ran his hand through his hair.
“No. I mean, yes.”
He cracked a smile, and I was once again struck by how insanely attractive he was. The man oozed sex appeal. Not that I actually knew a thing about sex!
“Which is it?”
“It’s . . . I have to go.”
“Okay. I’ll drop you anywhere you want.”
“I have to go to work. I—”
“Like I said, I’ll take you. We can catch a raincheck on the food.”
I had no answer for that. I stood perfectly still as he came closer, lowering the helmet onto my head. I broke out in chills at the gentle way he pushed my hair away and fastened the chin strap. I was mesmerized by the look in his eyes.
It wasn’t just warm. It was blazing hot.
He took my hand and rubbed his cheek on it. I got shivers from the feeling of his skin on mine. It was so strangely intimate. Almost like he was a cat, wanting to be petted. He smiled at me, this time looking like a wolf. He squeezed my hand and tugged me toward the bike. ‘Bike’ was a laughably soft word for the giant metal machine he rode. I tried not to shiver when I saw the Devil’s pitchfork emblazoned on the fuel tank.
“Where are we going?”
“Oakley’s.”
He nodded.
“I know where that is.” He helped me onto the bike. “You always pull back-to-back shifts?”
“Yes. I mean, I take every shift I can get.”
He frowned a little bit, then shook his head.
“That’s a lot of work for a little girl like you.”
He climbed on in front of me, then reached back to drag me against him. I gasped at the feeling of our bodies pressing together. It was by far the most intimate thing I’d felt in my life. And the smell of him . . . leather and oil and something else. Pine. He smelled like the woods on a cool autumn night.
I shook my head at that fanciful thought. Like I’d ever been in the woods at night!
I held on for dear life during the twenty-minute ride over to Oakley’s. It was exciting and exhilarating. I was grateful for the cool wind in my face, which finally woke me up. Usually, it took me almost an hour to make the trip. I was actually early for my shift. This was definitely a much better way to travel.
I smiled in thanks as he helped me to my feet.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“Can I see you later?”
I shook my head swiftly.
“I have to work.”
He stared at me, his brows snapped together over his stormy green eyes. I was pretty sure he wasn’t used to being told no. Not by anyone, let alone a girl.
“You’re working tonight?”
I nodded, rubbing my arms. It wasn’t cold out, but I hadn’t worn a jacket. Tonight when I went home to shower before my shift, I would handle it. I’d dress warmer, I decided.
Maybe I’d even sleep a few hours.
“You’ve got to sleep sometime, girl.”
I stood up straight.
“Molly.”
He ran his knuckles over my cheek, and I shivered, swaying a little on my feet.
“You have to get some sleep, Molly.”
“I’m fine. I should clock in.”
I went to go, and he grabbed me, his hands firm on my shoulders. Then his mouth swooped down on mine. I inhaled sharply at the feeling of his lips. They were shockingly soft but firm. Insistent.
I gasped when I felt his tongue slide along my lips and jumped backward.
He stood there, a slow smile on his face.
“Dear God, I hope you’re legal.”
“What?”
“How old are you, sweetheart?” He held up his hand. “Actually, don’t tell me. Lie. You are eighteen, right?”
I nodded slowly. What was he asking me?
“Are you really eighteen?” He shook his head. “I guess I do have a conscience, after all.”
“Yes. Why?”
“Because if you weren’t, this would be illegal.”
He pounced on me, pressing me against the brick wall. His body pressed into mine. He seemed to mold into every soft part of me until we were one. I was shocked and elated at the same time.
His tongue dove into my mouth. It should have been gross but it wasn’t. It was hot and tingly and fascinating. His tongue stroked mine, exploring my mouth. I felt my head fall back, and his lips were on my throat, sucking and licking and biting. His hands roved over my tee, up and down my back, until they settled on my bottom. He squeezed me and I let out a yelp.
“Please, don’t stop me, sweetheart.”
I pushed against him.
“I have to go.”
He didn’t move. He just leaned against the wall behind me.
“What time do you get off?”
“Seven,” I blurted out.
“Liar. That’s a twelve-hour shift. And the night staff at the home comes on at six thirty.”
I glared at him. He was smart, damn him. I suddenly felt myself go limp.
“Four. I need to go home and sleep for an hour though.”
He nodded.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up.”
I shrugged, the fight gone out of me. I didn’t understand what was happening. A big part of me wanted to curl up against him like a cat and go to sleep.
But I needed this job.
“Do they have coffee in there?”
“No.”
“Okay, I’ll bring you one.”
“I’m not allowed to have a drink at the register.”
He ran his hands through his hair.
“What about lunch?”
“I usually catch a nap in the stock room.”
“That doesn’t sound safe.”
I shrugged. He was right. It wasn’t. I’d been undetected so far, but the store manager gave me the creeps.
“It’s okay.”
He stared at me, his jaw ticking.
“What time is lunch?”
“Oh, no, you can’t come in the store looking for me. I could lose my job, and I’m already . . .”
“You’re already what?”
“I just have a lot of bills.”
He nodded and looked away, finally stepping back. He watched me straighten my clothes and look around. He was holding himself back from something, but what, exactly, I wasn’t sure.
“Have a good day.”
“I’ll see you at four.”
Chapter Three
Callaway
Two jobs. No sleep. Alone.
This girl was going to kill me. Not just from the geyser ready to blow in my pants. She was going to make me lose my mind worrying about her.
How the hell she was still standing when I drove up to get her at four was beyond me. I’d though about going in there a dozen times and held back. I was already in over my head and all I’d done was kiss her.
But holy hell, what a fucking kiss it was.
She’d felt like an angel in my arms. A buttery-soft, sweet-smelling, supple, soft, and utterly feminine little package. A special fucking delivery, right to my gut.
I’d had a moment of panic when I realized she wasn’t used to being kissed. Not that it made it any less sweet. But I had to wonder if she was of age. A girl who looked like her, well, it was hard to imagine she’d never been kissed.
But it felt that way. There was something untouched about her. And even though I was an outlaw, I wasn’t about to go after an underage girl.
I remembered how Devlin had to wait for Kaylie. He’d nearly gone out of his mind, especially as the time drew near. If Molly had been seventeen, or even sixteen, well, hell . . . I had a feeling I would wait for her too.
But I would have lost my damn mind in the process.
There was no drug, no bottle, not even enough ink in the world, to take away this particular ache.
She stepped out of the double glass doors and into the parking lot. She shaded her eyes with her hand, blinking like a sexy little owl.
Hold up, Callaway. An owl? What the hell was happening to me? I slapped myself internally.
Get a fucking grip, Callaway. You’ve never once lost your mind over a piece of trim, no matter how hot she was. Why start now?
But I had already lost my mind over this girl, and I knew it. And she was way more than a piece of ass to me. In fact, if anyone called her that, I had a feeling the guy would end up in the hospital. Or worse.
I walked over to her and pulled her in for a kiss. I did my best not to slobber all over her. She looked a bit surprised, but she didn’t push me away. I winced when I saw how tired she looked. Not that she wasn’t beautiful. She was. But her eyes looked weary and her face was pale.
“Come on, doll. Let’s get you some rest.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll get you tucked in and grab some food.”
“Okay.”
I grinned. I liked how agreeable she was being. Of course, she might just be too exhausted to argue. I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere with this girl tonight. It wasn’t like I was going to try and hump her while she was unconscious or anything.
“You working all night again?”
She nodded as I helped her with her helmet.
“And tomorrow?”
She nodded again.
“You’re going to hurt yourself doing that. Tell you what—why I don’t pull a shift for you? If they aren’t paying you anyway, they won’t care if you take a night off.”
“No, you can’t.” She shook her head swiftly. “I need to be there in case he wakes up.”
I sighed.
“But doll . . .”
She set her jaw and looked at me. She was no pushover, my little angel. I gave up, knowing I had to find a way to help her.