Dallas

by Claire Rhine

  I jerked off in the shower the next morning to images of her before work but it did little for me. I was still semi hard when I walked into the shop.

  Until I had laid eyes on Grace, I thought I was destined to live for work and the club. That’s what I had been focused on. I had seen the twisted and messed up relationships my brothers had been in. I was never with a woman long enough to let anything happen.

  Was it possible the small empty feeling I always carried around was meant to be filled by a woman?

  Chapter 4

  Grace

  I woke with a pounding headache the next morning. I had tossed and turned all night. The moment I closed my eyes I kept reliving what had happened. If I had to guess it was probably around four when my body shut down and I fell asleep.

  I scrounged around my night stand drawer for the bottle of ibuprofen I was sure was in there. I found the bottle all the way at the back behind my vibrator and swallowed two pills. I settled back waiting for the relief.

  My thoughts quickly went to Dallas and his dinner offer tonight. I hadn’t been on a date in years.

  Mom had died four years ago after a yearlong battle of being sick. We only had each other so I had taken care of her until the very end.

  Sitting up to pull myself out of the sad memories I returned to my present predicament. Should I shave? Should I bring a dress with me to change into? Or should I tell him I changed my mind and go home after work. I could easily find something to eat in my fridge, and then settle in for the night with the romance novel I was close to finished with?

  My feelings for Dallas scared me and I didn’t know if he felt the same. I had never felt such an intense immediate attraction before. If I was smart I would hold onto only the feelings and not let it go beyond tonight’s date. I didn’t have the energy to deal with more rejection and loss. I was finally getting my feet back under me and it felt good.

  Shuffling to the bathroom I showered, did not shave my legs, and threw a nice top into my bag before I left for work. I would see how I felt at lunch.

  My life was predictable. Every day was the same. Nine to three I worked the front desk at the only salon in town. It had zero experience when it came to hairdressing but I knew the basics about running a business so had landed the front desk job.

  After the salon I would grab a quick lunch and then to the cafe for the closing shift from four to nine.

  Walking to work was normally a mundane blur but this morning was different. I didn’t feel comfortable. A man passed wearing a black coat and I nearly ran across the street in panic. Chastising myself for being overly sensitive I quickened my steps.

  Several times during the day I heard the sound of a bike and I wondered if it might be Dallas. I had decided after the first bike I was going to go on the date. Dallas and I had gotten along last night and if things went well I would have some happy positive memories to replace the not so fun ones I had from previous dates.

  I was finished at the salon and walking to the cafe when I heard heavy footsteps coming up behind me. I discreetly tried to veer to the side to let the person pass.

  “Want any company?” A deep male voice asked.

  “Shit!” I breathed out nearly falling off the curb. “Don’t do that,” I scowled looking up at Dallas.

  “Didn’t mean to scare you sweetheart. I’ve been calling your name.”

  “Oh, sorry I didn’t hear you.”

  “Little distracted today?”

  “Yeah I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  Dallas’s brows scrunched together in anger at my last statement.

  “I’ll be done at the shop at seven and be over after that.”

  I wanted to argue he didn’t need to keep me company but if I was being honest with myself keeping it together once I was alone would be tough.

  “What’s your number? I want you to call the moment you don’t feel comfortable,” Dallas said.

  I rattled off my number and then stopped and dug around in my purse for my now ringing phone.

  “Thanks. I better go. I need to change and clock in,” I said inching towards the door of the cafe.

  “Call,” Dallas commanded as he turned and started to cross the street.

  I took a moment to watch him walk up the street towards the bike shop. The man was beyond sexy.

  Why couldn’t I have fantasized about him last night?

  Walking into the cafe I was greeted by the afternoon staff and my boss.

  “Afternoon Grace,” the owner Bill called out.

  “Hi Bill,” I replied and headed towards the back to change from one work shirt to the next.

  “Everything okay last night?” Bill asked when I walked back out.

  “Yeah, fine. Sorry if I missed something last night I had a splitting headache,” I lied.

  “All was as it should be,” the older gentleman replied.

  I worked with a high school student for the first half of my shift but when they left it would be just me to sit and wait, alone with my thoughts.

  I pulled out my phone and opened a new text message. I was typing out a message to Dallas with my finger hovering over send when a customer walked in.

  The man in front of me was in jeans and a black sweatshirt.

  “What can I get you,” I stammered when my nerves went into overdrive.

  My thoughts instantly went to last night.

  “Black coffee,” he said gruffly.

  I turned to fill the order and felt uneasy the entire time my back was to him.

  “Here you go,” I said with a strained smile when I turned back around. “Have a good evening.”

  “Always do,” he said with a sleazy smile and left.

  I let out a sigh of relief when the door swished closed. I hoped Dallas was right and there wouldn’t be any more problems.

  Dallas strolled through the door at seven fifteen in a clean black skin tight t-shirt, a mouthwatering pair of faded jeans that fit him perfectly, and black boots.

  “Hey gorgeous.”

  “Hi,” I said leaning against the counter.

  “Any specials today?” Dallas asked.

  “We’ve got one maple walnut scone left.”

  “Can I get that and a black coffee?”

  “Sure.”

  I filled a mug with coffee and plated the scone.

  “So you work at the hair place too?” Dallas asked leaning against the end of the counter.

  “I manage the front desk at the salon and then come over here for the closing shift.”

  “That’s a lot of working. You ever get an evening off?”

  “I usually have one night off a week but we’re short staffed so it’s been a few weeks.”

  A customer walked in and I busied myself filling the complicated order.

  The remainder of the evening flew by with Dallas there to keep me company. Before I knew it I needed to start closing.

  Dallas had to take a call while I closed and sat himself down in the corner of the cafe. I caught his gaze following me around the room and it made every part of me tingle with need. It was impossible to concentrate. I rushed through closing for a second night.

  I had gone to the back to change and was startled to see another man sitting with Dallas when I returned. The man turned around and I realized it was the guy I had met last night. Beard I think was his name.

  “Sorry about that,” I said rushing over to the table. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No worries sweetheart. Just here to see Dallas. Besides, coffee these days past noon will keep me up all night.”

  “Oh, okay. I just need to count the register and we can go,” I said looking at Dallas.

  “Take your time. Diner’s open late.”

  Chapter 5

  Dallas

  “You think you might be able to get a night off next week?” I asked as I scanned the menu. “Thought we could do dinner and catch a movie,” I said with raised brows and a half smile.

  I was already p
lanning another evening? What the hell was happening to me? We hadn’t even started this one.

  “Let me see what I can do,” she replied.

  I didn’t date. The last date I had was so long ago I couldn’t even remember who it was.

  We ate, we talked, and we laughed a lot. An invisible weight I hadn’t realized was sitting on my chest lifted the more time I spent with Grace. It was slowly becoming addictive.

  “You folks have room for dessert?” The waitress asked clearing our plates.

  “I’m all set,” Grace smiled.

  “Just the check please,” I replied.

  “You want to go for a ride?” I asked holding out my hand for Grace when I returned to the table after paying.

  “I would love to!”

  Graces enthusiasm made my cock twitch and my chest swelled with pride.

  I drove out of town to one of the scenic overlooks. Grace had heard about the amazing views but never having anyone to go with her it was the first time she had seen the town like this.

  “Oh my god it’s amazing up here,” she said in awe.

  I sat sideways on my bike and pulled Grace between my legs.

  “Glad I could be the one to show you,” I whispered in her ear.

  I watched her shiver a little and wondered if it was the slight chill in the air or my breath tickling her skin.

  I wrapped my arms around Grace’s waist and pulled her snug against me. I had been craving the contact all day.

  Grace fit perfectly.

  “Yeah. I don’t really get out much,” she laughed at herself.

  I could feel all the tension melt from her body as she leaned against me with a sigh.

  The luscious ass I eyed every day as it walked past my shop was even better in person. It fit perfectly against my crotch.

  “How about we get you home?” I urged not wanting Grace to be scared off by my stiff cock pressing against her ass. I barely knew this woman but I didn’t want to do anything to cause her to bolt.

  “Not just yet. Another minute. It’s so peaceful.”

  I tried to move back a little but Grace pressed herself closer to me. I nearly groaned out loud from the pressure that kept building. I wanted to take her right here in the grass.

  I smiled to myself knowing that my stiff cock was wedged nicely against Graces ass and she wasn’t running. She wasn’t even moving.

  We sat a little while longer before we both started to get cold. I pulled my jacket out of my saddle bag and wrapped Grace in it for the ride back to town.

  “Mmm,” Grace purred. “I’ve always loved the smell of leather.”

  The woman was fucking amazing.

  The ride to Grace’s apartment ended sooner than I wanted.

  “I‘ll walk you to your door,” I said as Grace stood and removed her helmet.

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “Yes I do,” I said and urged her towards the door I knew led to her apartment above the flower shop.

  Grace opened the door and was ready to ascend the stairs when I heard muted footsteps above us. I pulled her back with a finger to my lips. I bent down to whisper in her ear.

  “Go across the street and hide behind those mail boxes.”

  Grace was frozen.

  “Go,” I commanded quietly in her ear as I pulled my phone out and sent a quick text to Beard calling for back up.

  Grace finally got her feet moving and ran across the street to duck behind the two blue mail boxes in front of the hardware store. The street was silent. Time felt like it had stopped when I heard the rumble of bikes.

  I peeked my head out and saw Beard standing in the middle of the street. He must have been looking for Grace because he headed straight for her hiding spot.

  Chapter 6

  Grace

  “Come on sweetheart let’s get you outta here,” Beard said quietly walking to the mailboxes I had been crouched behind.

  Dallas must have been texting him while I had been frozen in fear standing in the door way.

  “But what about Dallas?” I protested.

  “He can handle himself and he’s got back up.”

  Beard pulled me along towards his bike and then plopped his helmet on my head.

  “This ain’t normal but we got no other options right now. Hop on.”

  Beard’s words reminded me of the conversation from earlier about bikers not letting their women ride on any bike but their own.

  Did Beard think I was Dallas’s woman?

  We rode through town at a faster speed then Dallas ever had with me. Minutes later we stopped in front of the bar Dallas had taken me to last night.

  “Why are we here?”

  “Dallas will meet us when he’s finished.”

  “What is he doing?”

  “I’ll let him tell you.”

  Beard led me inside. Instead of settling at a table we weaved our way through the crowded room to a door leading to the back. A short walk down a hallway revealed a large common room with a bunch of couches and a huge flat screen TV against the back wall.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get us a few drinks.”

  Two hours later and I was still waiting for Dallas. Beard had left to go deal with a situation in the bar leaving me alone.

  This was going down as the worst date I had ever been on and that was saying a lot. I once had a guy tell me on a second date I was too fat for him and he walked out of the restaurant before our food came.

  I was reading a book on my phone lost in a very hot and steamy sex scene when Dallas returned. The moment my eyes connected with his my brain instantly went to what I was reading. I quickly looked away to search for my purse.

  “You ready to go?” He asked quietly reaching for my hand.

  “Yes. Please.” I said with a huge sigh.

  I wasn’t paying attention during our ride and was surprised when Dallas pulled into the drive way of a nice two story house. Riding on the back of his bike with my arms around him breathing in his delicious scent caused my brain to go to naughty places and apparently my eyes to stop working.

  “Wait, where are we? I thought you were taking me home?”

  “Let’s go inside and talk. I’ll explain what happened.”

  Wanting answers and not one to cause a scene I trailed behind Dallas into the house. The living room he led me into was furnished with a couch, coffee table, and another huge flat screen TV mounted to the wall. It was a bachelor pad all the way. Not even a blanket on the back of the couch.

  “You want anything to drink?”

  “No. Can you just tell me what’s going on?” my voice thick with annoyance.

  Dallas plowed his fingers through his hair and sank down into the couch. The tired look I had seen earlier was etched even deeper into his face.

  “I fucked up Grace. I told you the guy from last night wouldn’t be a problem and I was wrong.”

  “How do you know that? What does that have to do with why I’m at your place?”

  “The guy figured out where you lived. My brothers are cleaning your apartment but I didn’t want you to have to deal with the mess so I brought you here instead.”

  “What did he do to my apartment?”

  “He tore the place apart.”

  “How do you know he won’t come back? You said I didn’t need to worry yesterday but look at where I’m at now,” I said in a rush as I felt the panic starting to set in.

  “Fuck! I’m sorry. I should have gone after the guy yesterday but I didn’t want to leave you alone. I thought after I made it clear who I was he wouldn’t try anything else.”

  “How did you make it clear who you were?” I asked confused.

  Dallas held out his left inner forearm showing an intricate looking tattoo with the words Alpha Pack scribed at the top.

  “Most people see this and they know to fuck off. This guy couldn’t take a hint.”

  “How do I know this guy isn’t going to keep coming back? What does he even want? Why would he ev
en come to my place? I don’t have any money.” I shrieked pacing in front of the coffee table.

  “Okay let’s sit down,” Dallas said grabbing my hands and guiding me to the couch.

  I took a few steadying deep breaths to try and calm down.

  “This guy got the hint the second time. I’m not going to tell you how but he won’t be a problem.”

  “But why me?”

  “He figured if you were with me he might be able to get some more money out of you. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I’m not going to lie to you. He thought he could ransom you back to me.”

  Silent tears began streaming down my cheeks. What the fuck was my life coming to? It was one shitty thing after another.

  Dallas gathered me into his arms and let me silently cry on his shoulder for a moment.

  “I’m sorry,” I said wiping my tears as I pulled away from him. “I don’t know where that came from. I’m not usually a crier.”

  “I’m here anytime you need a shoulder.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” I whispered.

  “Something has drawn you to me and I can’t turn away.”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s not about what you know.”

  I sat back against the couch and swiped at the lingering wetness on my cheeks. I needed to go to bed and think about this all in the morning.

  “Can you show me where I can sleep?”

  Chapter 7

  Grace

  Dallas led me upstairs to another sparsely furnished room. This one though had a slight feminine touch to it.

  “Did you pick that out?” I asked a little shocked pointing at the soft pink bedding.

  Dallas laughed. “No that would be my sister. She visits occasionally and was tired of the bleakness of the room so she made me get it.”

  Dallas gave a quick tour of the upstairs showing me where the bathroom was and towels if I wanted to shower.

  “I’m at the end of the hall if you need anything,” Dallas said softly and leaned down to brush a kiss against my forehead.