by Wild, Nikki
And that meant I had nothing left to worry about except my job…
Screw the job.
I had the cook on my side as a witness, even if the stuck-up bitch of a coworker wasn’t going to have my back. Plus, there was that cheapo security camera…
If Clyde was going to give me shit over taking the night off, with all the insanity I’d been through, then he could kiss my ass.
Grizz hazily murmured as I did my best to clean his wounds. I knew better than to try and insist on a hospital unless things started looking really bad, so I dug out whatever first aid I had in the bathroom.
He was going to have a nasty gash on that hand when the sun rose, but it didn’t seem to bother him too much.
“This is going to hurt,” I winced, dabbing antiseptic onto a cotton ball as I prepared to clean up his face. My gaze averted to the half-empty glass of whiskey on the coffee table. “I don’t have anything else to numb the pain.”
“That’s fine,” he muttered, his words bleeding together. “Been through a lot worse than this.”
“Don’t doubt it,” I shook my head.
It was true. When we were teenagers, he was already a broad, bulky guy. The coaches made it clear that he was first pick for the football team, but he never showed any interest.
That physique had clearly stuck with him since those days, and it had only toughened with the military… and whatever else he’d been doing since then.
Having pulled Grizz out of his leather jacket and stained tee, I could now see how this chest was thickly carved, built upon a staggering six-pack of washboard abs.
I swore that my long-lost Roman god of an ex-boyfriend was a medical mystery with the sheer lack of fat on his body.
“Like what you see?” He murmured cockily, his knees spread wide and his head partially to the side against the wall.
As much as I hated to admit it…
I did.
I really, really did.
From this position, it wouldn’t be much to slip between his shins, tug his jeans down, and service that stiff cock of his on my quivering knees.
Just like old times…
“Don’t be an asshole,” I warned him.
No. I can’t let him do that to me again.
“I was never an asshole,” he sighed.
“That’s true. Well, up until the part where you abandoned me,” I reminded my ex-boyfriend sharply.
I expected him to contest the point. Expected him to explain something – anything that could dull the pain from that promise unfulfilled.
To my deep disappointment, Grizz failed me again. He closed his mouth, without so much as a sigh.
Yeah, I bitterly told myself.
That’s exactly what I fucking thought.
“I’m guessing that you and that guy have some history,” Grizz groaned as I began dressing his wounds.
“Something like that.”
“Care to fill in the gap?”
I paused in mid-stroke, intentionally holding the cotton ball against his face while I thought on the answer. Although that probably burned like a real bitch, he didn’t complain even a peep.
“He’s my ex. Well, my latest ex.”
“I… see.”
“The latest in a long string of fuck-ups,” I continued, finally pulling the cotton ball away. The area looked a little red. “I guess I have a thing for big burly asshole bikers… Sound familiar?”
Grizz’s eyes shifted. “Rings a bell.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my tone dripping with resentment. “I thought that it might.”
I turned away, trying to hide the stinging sensation that was growing in my eyes. I couldn’t let Grizz see me cry.
“What happened, Grizz?” I finally asked. “Why didn’t you come back?”
The wounded, fatigued biker turned his face away, his emotions a mask to me. His face was always a goddamn mask, even when we were younger.
“I deserve answers,” I insisted painfully.
He sighed. I could see his ribcage shudder with the depth of that exhale.
“I know you do, Kate. And you’ll have them.” He turned back to face me, his glance holding back pain that went deeper than some facial cuts. “Give me time, and I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything.”
I brushed my hands off, standing up.
“I gave you a goddamn decade,” I reminded him callously. “And apparently that wasn’t fucking enough.”
“Sorry to have disappointed you,” Grizz groaned, trying to properly sit up. “I’ll just let myself out.”
“Don’t be an idiot.”
He paused, looking my way.
“You’re in no condition to go anywhere or do anything,” I snapped. “Just… sleep on the fucking couch. Get your rest. I’ll boot your ass in the morning.”
He thought on this and nodded.
“Thank you, Kate. I’ll make this worth your while. Just… please be patient with me. It’s been a rough couple of years.”
“Yeah,” I replied coolly, my icy glare fixed on his eyes. “No fucking kidding.”
Before leaving him alone for the night, I brought him a few extra blankets, which he accepted gratefully.
After that, I locked up the place, brushed my teeth, and finally climbed into bed after a long and unexpected night.
It was weird to have Grizz back in my life, even if just for a night. Some part of me felt like it could believe him when he looked at me with those sad, sorrowful eyes… especially when he said that I’d know the truth soon.
It’d better be fucking good, I groaned.
After all… he had derailed my entire life.
I wasn’t supposed to be some poor waitress in Louisiana of all fucking places, fighting for jobs at dumps like Waffle Shack.
I should have gone places.
Instead, I held out for Grizz.
And he’d broken all his promises.
He was only going to have been gone a couple of years, and then we’d pick up together and conquer the world.
But Grizz had never come back.
When I gave up on waiting, I got the hint and tried to make my way out to New York anyway. That’s about the time the economy stumbled and the jobs I’d been promised all but dried up.
It wasn’t long before I was forced to move somewhere that I could actually afford. I decided to chase a lead, pack up, and head down to New Orleans. It was an entry position with a large accounting firm. Not exactly my dream job, but at least it was something solid.
And that ended up being just another in a long line of mistakes.
The ‘big job’ offer came with a few undisclosed office duties. I wasn’t about to let the boss bend me over a goddamned desk. That meant I was out on my ass almost as soon as I’d arrived.
I used the last of my money to buy a bus ticket out of the city. Ended up two hours west of NOLA, scrambling for anything to get food in my stomach and a roof over my head.
Anything besides peeling off my clothes and grinding against half-drunk strangers with my tits out for the world, anyway…
No disrespect to those who can do it.
I just can’t.
I lay in bed for upwards of an hour, fighting an endless barrage of thoughts, half of them trudging up repressed memories of the past.
Usually, I slept pretty great.
But the second that lumbering asshole pushes back into my life…
Irritated, I climbed out of bed and slipped a tee back on. A moment later, I was wandering towards the kitchen for a glass of water when I walked past the couch…
And heard something.
I paused in mid-step, glancing over at my ex-boyfriend. He was out cold, but I could have sworn that he–
He muttered something again.
Wait… I wondered.
Carefully, I lowered my ear down near his face. Feeling his hot breaths waft against my cheek, I could catch a little of his natural musk.
It reminded me of days past.
I didn’t
like it.
But then, just as I lifted my head away from him to return to my original mission, I heard that noise again. But this time, I was close enough to recognize it.
He was whispering my name in his sleep.
And, just to twist the knife another turn, my body betrayed me for a second goddamn time.
I wasn’t going to sleep for ages, and I was turned on like hell, so when I was locked back away in my room, I did what any self-respecting woman does when she’s home alone with a hunky, chiseled biker asleep on her couch.
“Goddamn you, Grizz Hawkins,” I firmly growled to myself in bed as I stroked my clit, squeezing my breast through my shirt. I was so fucking wet and ready for him, but there was no way I’d stoop down to fucking him again, not after what he did to me.
But those growls turned to moans.
Those moans turned to whimpers.
And soon, I wasn’t cursing that name, but begging it, pleading with it, coming harder than I’d done in years…
Kate
I slept like shit. It didn’t help that my slumber was filled with memories of tantalizing sex – clenching muscles against the sheets, lips making carnal promises against tight skin.
I groggily stirred from a wet dream to the smells of something happening in the kitchen.
Who the fuck is in my house?
Before my panic settings could kick in properly, my sleepy brain fired up a few brief flashes of activity from the night before.
There was my shitty biker table.
There was a sudden brawl.
There was Grizz…
“Goddammit,” I groaned.
Sitting up in bed, I scratched my back and cursed my fate. It would have been better if I’d been able to get some answers out of my old lover, but he was just as freaking stubborn as ever…
Before I could climb out of bed and shoo the unwanted guest back out of my house, I heard his approaching footsteps.
I dropped beneath the covers, just in time for the knocking on my bedroom door.
“What do you want?” I pleaded.
“I cooked breakfast,” Grizz thoughtfully replied. “Can I come in?”
My stomach growled at me. I hadn’t eaten anything since quickly abandoning my shift, and breakfast did sound good…
Quickly, I tossed on some pajamas and addressed the closed bedroom door.
“Fine,” I grunted.
It squeaked open as Grizz let himself in, balancing a pair of plates on his arm like a waiter – two pairs of silverware in his outstretched fist.
“I made your favorite,” he quietly explained bending down to hand me my plate and silverware with his free hand.
Sure enough, Grizz had whipped up butterscotch pancakes with whipped cream and strawberry slices. He’d even arranged them in a cute little design for me, just how I used to like them.
I glared up at him as he sat down on the edge of my bed, lifting his utensils.
“This changes nothing.”
“Of course not,” he agreed.
My eyes narrowed, and my lips pursed together. “Are you being sarcastic with me right now?”
“Of course not,” he repeated. “You know, sometimes a pancake is just a pancake…”
I almost cracked a smile.
Despite my best efforts, I was trying to avoid how handsome he was, even after all these years. If I wasn’t careful, the old feelings would come back, and I couldn’t surrender myself to them again.
Not after last time.
As if rebelling against me, my body was heating up at the thought of those strong arms around me, those hard hips pressing against mine. I was already out of most of my clothes. It would be so easy to pull him down into the sheets with me…
No, I hissed inwardly.
You can’t let yourself be hurt again.
We ate in silence for a short while, even after Grizz rose to bring us glasses of orange juice to wash down our food. I remained focused on my food, unsure of what to do with this change in events.
Eventually, Grizz spoke up.
“I want to make amends, Kate.”
What an icebreaker.
“Fine. Start by explaining things.”
He looked uncomfortable. “We talked about this. You know that I can’t do that yet… but all will come in due time.”
I scrutinized him for a moment, chewing on a bit of pancake. When I swallowed, I decided to cut him a little bit of slack… if only for now.
“But you will, right?”
He nodded calmly.
“Promise me, Grizz,” I told him. “Promise me that you’ll explain what happened when you left me behind… but this time, you better fucking mean it.”
He didn’t hesitate. “You have my word.”
I remained suspicious… but it was a start. Unless he had radically changed since I’d seen him last, he was still a man of his word.
And he hadn’t changed much.
Unless you counted the sterling physique that could intimidate all but qualifying world-class bodybuilders, that is...
Even without much time to hold him under the light, Grizz seemed to be very much the same man who left before. He was still reserved, and more than a bit on the quiet side.
He also radiated compassion.
This was a man who was a hopeless romantic at heart, and always had been. I remembered the things he would do for my birthdays, and the means by which he would go out of his way for me.
Every day had been special with him.
Until he abandoned me.
I shook the negative thoughts from my mind as best I could.
“You staying in town long?” I replied finally, done digesting his words.
“Not sure,” he answered quietly. “Was only supposed to be here overnight. Maybe not even that long.”
“Yeah?” I muttered. “What’s got you running out so quickly?”
“I am on a mission.”
“A… mission?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “It’s very important.”
“Better run along, then,” I chided him. “Big man on a big mission. Can’t afford to be late for your date with destiny.”
“It’s not like that,” he shook his head. “I am supposed to go further east. I’m headed to New Orleans.”
“Yeah? And what’s in New Orleans?”
“Home, maybe.”
That threw me off for a moment.
“You want to move to Louisiana?”
“I was here not too long back,” Hunter told me. “After I took a bullet, I was put in a cast that kept me from riding. Once the cast was off, I picked a direction and hit the horizon.”
“You took a bullet!?!” I asked, spitting a tiny piece of pancake in the process.
“I was in the Marines, Kate. Bullets aren’t anything new to me. I took two of the damn things the day I earned my purple heart.”
“I don’t know what to say…” I replied, trying desperately to resist feelings of fear and anxiety over him being in danger. I’d lost track of him after he re-enlisted for another tour. I had no idea that he’d nearly been killed in action…
“And you think you’ve found something down in NOLA?”
“My motorcycle club needs a permanent home. I had a few promising leads and I’m back to follow them.”
His motorcycle club…
My thoughts went to the emblem on his jacket, and the quiet word Nomad stitched below it. That patch looked brand new. It was nothing like the weathered and beaten leather around it.
“So you took a bullet for this biker gang?”
“Something like that,” he smirked.
“Are you some kind of criminal?”
Grizz cryptically raised an eyebrow. “I’m a biker outlaw now, Kate. The line gets a little fuzzy in my kind of work.”
I didn’t know what to make of that.
“Your club,” I changed gears, trying to remember what my thuggish ex-boyfriend had been blabbering about during the fight. “You said they were
the Dragon’s Devils?”
“Devil’s Dragons,” he corrected softly.
“ Never heard of them, but I haven’t seen Mark back down from a fight like that before. Whatever your club is, he knows who they are. Just saying their name put him off...”
“I’m surprised we’re known this far east,” Grizz replied, scratching at his beard. “The Dragons have no business here in Louisiana.”
“Yet,” I corrected.
He paused, eyes on me. “Yet.”
“Where are you guys?”
“We move around. Been sticking to Texas the last little while. El Paso. But we’ve been all over Arizona and Nevada, recently far enough west to Los Angeles.”
“Arizona, huh?”
“More my boss’s call then mine. Didn’t mind it, though. Gave me time to look for a trace of you, but you didn’t leave much in the way of tracks.”
I ignored that. “So, what does your club do? Don’t tell me you guys smuggle drugs and stolen shit.”
“The Dragons were into that crap before Hunter took over and reformed them. We run armed protection now.” He scratched at his chin thoughtfully. “It’s a legal operation that usually runs with support from the local fuzz.”
“What kinds of people need armed protection out where you are?
“We don’t protect smugglers, thieves, and criminals, if that’s what you’re asking. The Dragons only serve those who truly need us, so long as their intentions are true.”
“And as long as they have the money,” I added.
“Bullets and bikes don’t come free.”
“No, I guess not…”
We sat in silence a little longer. Grizz took the opportunity to look around my bedroom, scanning my décor with a glance.
“Don’t do that,” I grumbled.
He looked sheepish again. “I’m sorry. If I’m making you uncomfortable, I need to find myself a hotel room.”
“That might be a good start,” I crossed my arms. “You certainly can’t stay here for long, not after what happened last night…”
That reminds me, I thought to myself.
Darting up from the bed, I snatched my phone off the charger and checked my voicemails.
Sure enough, I had a fresh message from the restaurant. I put it on speakerphone, just in case.