by Jayne Blue
King shot me a devastating wink and walked forward, his booted feet falling heavily over the wood floor. God help me, I couldn’t help craning my neck when he bent forward to gently set the chest down. I got a view of his toned ass in tight jeans and it made my heart trip.
When King stood up, he carved a hand through his long hair then turned to face me. Two days’ worth of dark stubble covered his anvil-sharp jaw. It gave him a devilish look; coupled with the dramatic ink across his chest, he seemed downright dangerous.
“Thanks,” I said, finding a way to put the workbench between us. He was so familiar and easy, leaning with his forearms on the table, he smiled at me.
“I’ll come to your rescue, anytime,” he said, keeping that stunning smile in place.
“Why did you?” I cleared my throat. “I mean, what are you doing here? And uh...shirtless.”
King stood up and raked his hand through his hair again. He gathered it in one hand, reached into his pocket, and tied it back with a strip of leather. “Pete’s letting me stay in the apartment upstairs. Mickey says it’s going to take a day or two for him to get the part he needs to fix my Harley. So, I figured I’d cool my heels in town and take in the sights.”
His eyes flashed with mischief as he said the last part and once again, my heart started to pound. He was so easy, so sure of himself. This was a man who seemed to know exactly what he wanted and had no qualms about going after it. By the look in his eye and the swagger in his step, there could be no doubt that what he wanted right now was me. My spine seemed to turn to jelly.
“There’s not really much to see in Crystal Falls I’m afraid,” I said, straightening my back. I reached forward and grabbed the velvet rag I meant to use on the chest. Better to get busy and focus on something other than King Jackson’s smoldering brown eyes.
I stepped around him and squatted in front of the chest. I wrapped my index finger with the rag and started tracing the intricate grooves on the lid, carving out decades of dust. If I thought King would get the message and leave me to my work, he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed another rag from the bench and squatted right beside me.
“This is something special,” he said, admiring the patterns in the high relief on the lid. “What is it?”
“Chinese,” I said. “I think it’s a wedding scene.”
“So, uh, Ming Dynasty or something?” He smiled so I knew he was teasing.
I smirked and kept on polishing. “More like the Cold War. This is probably only mid-twentieth century, but it’s well made and once I get it cleaned up and refinished, Pete can probably get two or three thousand for it.”
“What’s he pay you?”
The question took me by surprise. I stopped polishing and looked at him. It was hard not to stare at the rough-cut muscles of his biceps as he worked that cloth with skillful fingers. My gaze traveled to his hands. Large veins cut across them and a patchwork of scars marred his fingers. These were the hands of a man who knew what hard work meant and wasn’t afraid to get dirty.
It was dangerous to go down this road, but I found I couldn’t help myself. It had been so, so long since I’d allowed myself the indulgence of a harmless flirt. “So, what do you do when you’re not stuck here in Nowhere, Texas?”
He paused just for a second, then kept polishing. “You’ve never heard of the Great Wolves M.C?”
“I’m sorry. Should I have?” The question seemed to surprise him. King set his jaw to the side. No, I’d never heard of the Great Wolves, but I could fill in the gaps. King Jackson with his V.P. patch was probably knee-deep in the kind of danger women like me should stay away from. Except, five years ago, when I’d taken the safe path it had led me straight to hell.
“Well, I suppose that depends.”
“Ah.” I kept on polishing, almost scared to meet the intensity of King’s eyes again. He was a strong, virile presence, and I couldn’t deny that being so close to him made my knees a little weak. “Are you an outlaw, King?”
The question earned me that sultry laugh of his that sent heat skittering across my skin. “Not lately,” was his cryptic answer.
“Because you look positively dangerous,” I said, upping the ante.
King stopped polishing. He sat back on his heels and stared at me. “Lately, I’m part owner in a bar over in Emerald Point. You ever been there?”
I bit my lip and stiffened my back. The defensive posture had become a habit, and it didn’t escape King’s notice. The more he asked, the more I’d have to lie, and I found I didn’t want to. That hadn’t happened to me in months. Those old alarm bells started ringing in my head and I willed my heartbeat to slow.
“No,” I finally said. “I can’t say I’ve been that way. Although I heard the beaches are beautiful.”
“Best in the world,” King smiled. “Almost like walking on powdered sugar. Maybe when the Knuck is up and running, you might like to take a ride down there.”
My breath hitched. This time, I couldn’t keep the alarm bells quiet. I stood up fast and stepped back around the workbench. If King sensed my unease, it didn’t stop him. He stood up with me and came to my side. I stared straight ahead, desperate for something else to focus on. I’d known this man less than twenty-four hours and he seemed to have some sort of bullshit radar where I was concerned.
“Thea,” he said. “It’s pretty. I like it.”
My heart turned over. As I steeled myself to look up at him, I had the sensation of stepping out on a tightrope.
“Short for Theodosia.”
King searched my face. He kept his earnest smile in place, but his eyes flickered. Did he know something? Could he sense it?
“Well, that’s a mouthful, but still beautiful, Thea.”
“So, King,” I said, blowing that same strand of hair out of my face. “That’s a road name?”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Well, it is now. Rumor was I weighed over ten pounds when I was born. They told my dad I was king of the nursery and it kind of stuck.”
“So what’s your real name?” I asked, instantly realizing the mistake I’d made in phrasing it that way. But, King didn’t seem to catch it. He just folded his arms in front of him and kept my gaze.
“Arthur,” he said.
“King Arthur?”
He gave me a playful scowl that was still rakish enough to set my blood humming. “Something like that,” he finally said. “But there’s no one alive who calls me that.”
“Not if they know what’s good for them?” I teased, and a dark look came into his eyes.
He let out a short laugh and shook his head. “No. Just that my family’s all gone. Well, blood family anyway. The club’s really the only family I’ve ever had that mattered. I’ve been King to them since I was seventeen years old. That’s that.”
“Well, King. I like it. It suits you. But, I’ve kept you here long enough. Thanks again for helping me out with the hope chest. But, you probably should go. Pete will be here any minute.”
“I don’t think so. Pete lit out earlier this morning for Clemente. Mickey’s got him on an errand to pick up the part for my bike from some picker he knows up there.”
“Oh.” Heat simmered just below my breastbone. If Pete was gone all day, that meant I’d have to open the store on my own. He should have told me. Though we didn’t have much foot traffic during the week, the fewer strangers I had to deal with, the better.
“I’d like to see you later,” King said. The lack of pretense in his words startled and thrilled me. Again, it should have been so easy. Five years ago, it would have been. I would have smiled, run my fingers along his hard, tanned forearm and said yes. I might even have kissed him. I wanted to. He would be great at it. How could he not?
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be here tonight,” I said. “With Pete gone…”
“Thea,” he said. King took two confident strides and let his fingers graze my upper arm, leaving a trail of molten heat. “I won’t bite. That is, not unless you want me t
o.”
I sucked in a breath and tried not to react. It was a corny line, but it had the effect he wanted. He got me to blush, then he got me to smile.
“Dinner,” he said. “You know where to find me. Work as long as you like. But then, let’s walk over to Lottie’s and you let me buy you dinner. Out in the open. Public place and all. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“With a guy like you? That’s a loaded question, King Arthur.” I dared him to react to the name. Oh, he did. A roguish spark came into his eye that stirred something equally naughty in me. God, why couldn’t I just for once give in to this? When would I ever be able to?
Now. The answer sprang up inside of me. Why not now? King was no one. He was just passing through. Tomorrow he’d be gone. No strings. No questions. Just now. It was perfect.
“Eight o’clock,” I said. “I was planning on heading over there anyway. You’re welcome to tag along if you’d like.”
King’s wicked laugh vibrated through me. “Sounds perfect. In the meantime, you need help with anything down here, you let me know. I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Thea.”
He reached for me. Before I could react he lifted my hand and examined my thumb. It was just a scratch and the bleeding had already stopped, but King’s eyes narrowed with concern and he tugged me along with him. He brought me to the sink in the corner of the workshop and ran my hand under the cold water.
I wanted to pull away. Just this simple gesture of kindness nearly undid me. Loneliness reared up inside me and threatened to swallow me whole. I shouldn’t let him do this. I shouldn’t let anyone get this close. But it felt so good. He was strong and confident, a man used to taking what he wanted. And right now, it seemed he wanted me.
Later, after the sunset, I closed the shop and walked outside. It was a full hour before I said I’d meet King at Lottie’s. I thought about walking upstairs to the apartment. But, if he was there alone and things got heated, I didn’t trust myself to do the right thing. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I knew what that was anymore.
And that’s why I reached into my purse and pulled out the burner phone. It was only supposed to be for emergencies. This wasn’t the kind I intended, but my heart lurched as I put some distance between myself and Pete’s shop. I stood under an unlit streetlamp two blocks away. I could see Lottie’s from here.
I let my fingers hover over the screen and I finally punched in the number I swore I wouldn’t call unless things got really bad.
She answered on the third ring. I took a breath and held it. I should have hung up then and there.
“Veronica? Honey?”
Tears stung my eyes. She sounded so far away. Her voice strained as she choked back the alarm I knew I’d made her feel. I rubbed my forehead and tried to make my voice sound light.
“Hi, Aunt Marie,” I said.
She let out a great sigh and I pictured her sinking into one of her kitchen chairs. I’d refinished them for her a few years ago. They had high, wooden backs and I’d used lime green fabric, her favorite color. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine sitting in her living room with the floral patterned couches. She’d have a pot roast ready in her slow cooker and she’d make me watch old movies with her until we both fell asleep. She had a curio along one wall of her living room filled with colorful Depression glass she collected. I was always on the lookout for things she’d like. For her last birthday, I’d sent her a cobalt blue bowl I found just outside of town.
“Vee! Oh, sweetheart! We’ve been so worried about you. Where are you?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I’m safe. I’m all right.”
“But where are you? When are you coming home?”
She knew the answer, but she always asked anyway. “I just needed to hear your voice,” I said, staring up at the sky. The moon was already out.
“You don’t sound all right, Veronica. What’s happened?”
“Nothing,” I said. I had a thousand other things I wanted to answer. Nothing had happened. Everything had happened. “I’m just...well...I’m about to go on a date.” Such a normal answer. If only it were true.
The alarm in Marie’s voice dissolved into light laughter that warmed my heart. “Good. Oh, Veronica, that’s wonderful. You should. You should be happy. That’s all I want for you, honey.”
“I know. And I shouldn’t have called. I didn’t mean to scare you. I know I said I’d only call you if there was an emergency. I just needed…”
“Oh, honey,” Aunt Marie said. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I understand. But, don’t you think it’s been long enough? Your father wouldn’t want you living like this.”
My breath hitched and I pushed away the tears. I couldn’t think about my father now. I’d only survived this long not thinking about him. It was my fault. Everything that happened to him was my fault. He was gone now because of me. I couldn’t undo that, but I could stay away before anything else bad happened to the people I loved.
“Aunt Marie, I know it’s hard to understand. I wish I could tell you everything. Please just trust me. It’s better this way for everyone.”
“Is he cute?”
It was my turn to laugh and the force of it took my breath away. God, it was good. Why shouldn’t it be? Maybe enough time had passed. Maybe I deserved a few hours of normal. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be twenty-eight.
“He’s something, all right,” I said. Just then. That something started strolling down Junction Avenue headed for Lottie’s Diner. He wore his leather cut and a white t-shirt over faded jeans. He looked for me across the street and I stepped deeper into the shadows. He didn’t go in. Instead, He leaned against the window, putting one booted foot up on the brick wall. King Jackson wasn’t just good-looking; he was as delicious as sin.
“Then you go and you have fun, Veronica. Oh, I’m so glad you called to tell me. I miss sharing this stuff with you.”
Smiling, I turned my back to King. Aunt Marie started talking a mile a minute and it took my breath away how much I missed it. She talked about the weather and how Uncle Jeff couldn’t get his lawnmower started and how he was too stubborn to buy a new one. They weren’t even married anymore, but he still lived down the street. Her soothing voice acted like a balm to my soul, and for those few minutes, I could forget everything that happened over the last two years. I could be me again. I missed her. I missed both of us.
But then, Marie ran out of steam and grew quiet again. When I turned around, the streetlamp decided to finally turn on. It caught King’s attention and he saw me. His thousand-watt smile burned even brighter.
“Aunt Marie,” I said. “I have to go. I promise I’ll try to call you again really soon.”
She told me she loved me and I said it back. Before King started to walk across the street, I held up a finger and started toward him. Smiling, he held the door open and waited for me. I said my last goodbyes to Aunt Marie.
“I was afraid you’d stand me up,” King said, his eyes sparkling.
“I’m only here for the pie,” I teased.
After we got inside, I let King walk ahead of me. When no one was looking, I tossed the phone in the trash.
Chapter Five
King
Thea picked a booth in the back of Lottie’s place. I took the side facing the door. She swung her hair over her shoulder as she sat down. Her pale blue eyes searched my face and she gave Lottie a light smile as she came over to our booth to take our orders.
“I’ll have my usual,” I said, shooting Lottie a wink that made her blush.
“Fried chicken and pie, good choice. Two beers?”
“Sounds perfect,” Thea said. “Double it up.”
Lottie slid a pencil behind her ear and left us alone, her sneakers squeaking against tile floor as she went. As soon as Lottie was out of earshot, I leaned back and hung one arm over the back of the booth. Thea was uneasy and I didn’t want her to be.
“How’d it go with the Chinese thing?” I aske
d.
She screwed up her face for an instant, then softened when she remembered. “Oh, the hope chest. It’s beautiful. You should come and see it.”
Lottie came back with our beers and settled the bottles in front of us. Thea grabbed hers a little too quickly and knocked it back as if she were looking for strength. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“That bad, is it?” I asked. She froze mid-swallow, then gave me a sheepish grin as she set her bottle back down.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped as she gulped down her beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. I had the overwhelming urge to kiss those lips. But, she was still so uneasy around me, like she couldn’t quite trust herself.
“Don’t be. I like seeing you smile. But, why do I get the impression you don’t do it often enough?” It was bold of me to ask her that, but I call them like I see them. Thea Clark had something brewing behind those baby blues of hers, and it had her running a little scared. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I didn’t think it was me or she wouldn’t be here.
Lottie came back with our food and set it in front of us. She put her hands on her hips and smiled down at me, then looked to Thea. “Glad to see you out,” she said. Thea’s eyes darted up to her and she painted on a fake smile. I didn’t like it. I was going to make it my mission to get this girl to let her guard down, or at least figure out why she had it up in the first place.
“Couldn’t go without your fried chicken another day, Lottie,” she said.
“You treat her right,” Lottie said, slapping the back of her hand against my shoulder. “Thea’s a hard worker. Old Pete doesn’t appreciate her as much as he should. His business has doubled, maybe tripled since Thea started doing work for him. You ask me, he doesn’t pay her nearly enough. Now, you behave yourself.”
I put my hands up in surrender and my shoulders shook with low laughter. “Uncle. Hell, I can’t take the both of you on. But, don’t worry, Lottie. I’m not Pete. I know a good thing when I see one.”
Thea blushed. She played with the label on her beer bottle, looked out the window then took another drink. Lottie took the hint and made herself scarce again.