by Joanna Blake
• Gorgeous
• Funny as hell
• Cute as a button
• Sexy as all get out
• Loyal
• Virtuous
• Friendly
• Impulsive
• Terrible driver
• Mine
She just didn’t know that last one yet. But she would. I just had to find a way to be with her and keep her safe from the killer at large. I was already setting things in motion.
Things had finally shifted. I had a plan now. Being with me was actually safer than her running all over the damn place by herself. I was sure her brother would see that too.
Probably.
“Pull over, dammit,” I muttered to myself. I could pull over and text her, but she’d been ignoring those lately. And I didn’t want her to text and drive. That infuriated me. It was so reckless and dangerous. Thankfully, Kelly didn’t do that.
Instead, I pulled up closer, riding her ass. I could have predicted what happened next.
Kelly slowed down. I could practically hear her telling me to ‘fuck off.’
I decided to add a few other qualities to the list.
• Stubborn
• Obstinate
• Cock tease
The woman had me tied up in knots and she wasn’t even trying. I was in a perpetual state of arousal around her. Even when I wasn’t around her, I was hot for her. Just thinking about her did it to me. And I had my guys taking surveillance photos, which had kept me company on many a lonely night. I scowled at the back of her head, her brown hair shining through her rear window. Maybe she was trying. If it was on purpose, she was way too fucking good at it! Especially for a virgin!
“Pull over!”
I never raised my voice. Never. And certainly not around a woman. But this time, I did. She must have heard me over the engine. Bless her, she put on her turn signal and found a parking lot behind the local Stop and Shop. It was a good spot to meet. Most of the people had parked in front at this time of day. There were some trees on either side of the lot to provide cover.
It was almost private.
I pulled up next to her car and got off my ride.
She opened the door and got out, already shouting at me. She barely noticed as I pulled off my helmet and stalked over to her.
“Honestly, you shouldn’t drive so close to me. You are a menace!”
I grunted, walking her backward until her back was against her car. I gripped her head and got really close to her. I only stopped when I was inches away.
“I missed you too, sweetheart.”
Her eyes opened wide a fraction of a second before my mouth came crashing down on hers. I’d been tense and crabby for weeks now. More than usual. It was pretty obvious to me that the reason was in my arms right now.
Not being near her was fucking torture.
Five minutes later, I lifted my head. Kelly looked stunned. Good. I knew she hadn’t been kissed by anyone but me. Not since we met. Maybe not ever. I hadn’t laid a hand on anyone else either. No sex. Nothing. I was not even tempted. In my case, it had been years, way before we met. In her case, she’d never been with anyone.
She was mine and that was the fucking end of it.
It was about time I fucking claimed her. I would just keep her on the down-low. Nobody needed to know Kelly was my old lady.
“Backseat. Now.”
She glanced over her shoulder at her hatchback and back at me. Then she burst into laughter. I glared at her, bracing my arms against the car on either side of her shoulders.
“What’s so funny?”
“You will never fit back there!”
I pressed into her a little harder. Her eyes widened. My extremely hard cock made my point for me.
“I’ll make it work.”
“You think I’m losing my virginity to you in the back of my car?” She looked around the parking lot. “In broad daylight?”
I grunted. She was right, of course. But I needed her. I wanted to get as close as possible.
As naked as possible.
“I just want to fool around a little.”
She shook her head at me.
“You are crazy. You ignore me for months at a time—years, really—and you think you can snap your fingers and I will come running? I have a life, you know. I have friends! Men want to date me! Other men who have actually conversations and don’t just swoop in and kiss a girl.”
I kissed her again. I couldn’t help it. She was so fucking sexy when she got fired up. She kissed me back, even though I could tell she was still mad.
Angry kissing. That was another Kelly specialty.
I was smiling when I lifted my head.
“I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“What do you call it then?”
“Protecting you.”
“Liar!”
She narrowed her eyes and tried to push me away. I didn’t budge. My grin widened.
“Not lying.”
“Fine. Explain yourself.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know. Club business. Your friend Cass got caught up in it a few years ago. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
Her eyes got huge. Bigger than usual. The girl looked animated. She was so damn adorable.
“You mean, the murders?”
So she did know. I guess I could thank Connor for that. I gave her a curt nod.
“That’s why you . . . you really aren’t just playing the field?”
“No.”
She bit her lip, looking away. Even after two years, we didn’t really know each other. Not on the surface. But in my heart, I knew the girl. Something deep inside me recognized something deep inside her.
“Really? But you’re a biker. They all play around. Well, except Mason.”
It was true. Most bikers were pretty rowdy. Certain types of women flocked to the clubhouse, and the guys made use of them. But some of us, Mason and myself, in particular, always took a pass on the easy pickings. They’d even called Mase ‘The Monk’ for years. Until he met Michelle, that is.
I had heard people calling me ‘Granite’ a few times. Not to my face. They respected me too much for that. I knew why they called me that though. Because I was made of stone.
“I said no, and I meant it. There’s no one else now and there hasn’t been since before I met you.”
Her mouth was open. I squinted at her. She almost looked like she was . . . laughing.
“What?” I sounded disgruntled and I was.
“That’s the most words you’ve ever said to me.” She paused, giggles bubbling to the surface. “Total.”
I smiled slowly and let my eyes roam down her body. I was a hell of a lot taller than her and her tank top gave me a nice view of her cleavage. Her golden globes were so round and smooth, I wanted to dive between them.
“You’ve been a bad girl.”
“Who are you, my daddy?”
My voice was a growl.
“Yes.”
“Ugh! Fine, what did I do wrong, Daddy?”
Her voice was thick with sarcasm. I decided I would make her scream that word one of these days. Real soon.
As in ‘Oh yes, daddy.’ and ‘Harder, daddy.’
“You haven’t been taking precautions.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last Saturday. You went out with your girlfriends. You didn’t keep your hand over your drink and then you waited for the cab outside alone.”
Her jaw dropped again. She was an open book. She practically came with thought bubbles.
“You are going to get jumped. Mugged. Dosed. Or worse.”
“You were there?”
I nodded curtly.
“I was fine. Nothing happened.”
“What if something did? What if I wasn’t there, Princess?”
“I didn’t see you! You didn’t come in the bar!”
“That place was not a bar. It was a lounge.” My voice dripped with scorn. “I sent one of my
guys in.”
“Your guys?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I told you. I’m protecting you.”
“Oh.”
I leaned in closer, brushing her gorgeous lips with mine.
“Come home with me.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t safe.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Even knowing Michelle and Mason puts you in danger. I can do a better job of keeping you safe if I am with you.”
“Cain . . .”
“Come home with me.”
“Why do you always do that? You just make these demands!”
“Fine. Please come home with me.”
She tossed her little head.
“No. I’m not some floozy, you know.”
I growled, pulling her against my hard body. All of me was hard. I was tired of waiting. She was mine in fact. It was time to make it true in a more tactile way. Now, she would know just how ready I was to commit to her.
“Cain!”
“What?”
“You’re so . . .”
“Hard.”
“Yes.”
“Woman, you do this to me. I have a fucking boner. And your name is written all over it.”
She looked intrigued.
“Will you come home with me?”
“No. But I will meet you somewhere.”
“When?”
“Well, I guess I could meet tonight.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at me a little. Now I was intrigued.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
I ran my hand through my hair.
“Fine. I’ll text you an address. It’s safer if we meet away from your house.”
“It had better not be your place!”
I shook my head and opened her car door for her. I would find someplace to meet. Someplace we could be alone where no one would expect us. I pressed a kiss on her lips through her open car window.
“Drive safe, you little maniac.”
Chapter Four
Kelly
Tonight.
I was actually going to see him tonight. I wasn’t sure whether to put on a pretty dress or battle armor. I wanted to see him so badly, but I was sure there was going to be a power struggle when it came to how far things went.
Lord knows, I’d been waiting for this night for long enough.
Cain was nothing like any other man I’d ever met before. He was kind of like the Terminator, but in the second movie. Where he was still a bad ass, but also kind of nice. Physically perfect, stone cold, but also hot. With laser beam eyes that missed nothing.
Cain is my Terminator.
Of course, he wasn’t mine. Not really. But I thought of him that way. Even when I’d assumed he was out chasing tail all those lonely nights. That’s why I had been so pissed about it.
Cass had set me straight, but I’d needed to hear it from Cain himself. And it was true. I could tell the truth from a lie when I heard it. Every single thing she’d told me.
Apparently, Cain didn’t chase women. He didn’t even touch them, even if they threw themselves at him, which they did frequently, according to Cass and Mason. Even Connor knew about his reputation. In fact, Cain pretty much ignored women altogether.
All women. Not one had sparked his interest. Not until me.
I couldn’t help but feel a small thrill at that knowledge. Just like I’d felt when I saw him trailing me earlier today. He was frequently in my rearview mirror, but today, he’d flagged me down. He’d actually raised his voice, which was definitely a new thing.
And then he’d kissed the hell out of me.
I’d lied to him about the other men. I’d had a few internet dates over the years, but those had dried up right away. Most had ditched me mid-date. Some had even disappeared completely off the dating app. I had a suspicion that Cain and his club had something to do with that, but I couldn’t have told you exactly how he’d done it.
All of my dates had left early. Every single one. That stung a bit, to be honest. I hadn’t even gotten a single kiss. Of course, it wasn’t them I wanted kissing me. It was the big, clean-cut biker with the limited vocabulary. He’d been overly familiar with me since the moment we met.
Cain was bossy. Rude. Definitely crude.
But also direct, protective, and in a filthy way, affectionate. He wasn’t just horndogging me. It almost felt like he really wanted me. Not just my body.
The whole Kellylicious package.
I sighed dreamily. There was just something special about him . . . other than being gorgeous and built like a body builder or a movie star. Cain had sincerity and honor. He was noble. I just couldn’t stay mad at him.
I just like him too damn much.
But I was going to make him wait. I knew I should have played it cooler. A smart girl would have postponed our date a few more days, but I just couldn’t. I was too excited to spend time with him, especially when he told me why he’d been keeping his distance all these years.
Multiple murders are a pretty damn good excuse.
Even I had to admit that. The truth was, I could be petty as fuck. I was known to hold a grudge. When I’d thought he was playing me, I’d been so pissed. Con and Cass had to talk me down from going down to the club and raising hell. A couple of dates and he disappears? Unreal.
That’s when I started noticing him. Not online or anything. Bikers didn’t really go for social media, and especially not someone like Cain. No, I noticed him trailing me in real life.
He came and went like a damn ghost. It was confusing. To be honest, it felt like he was everywhere.
All the time.
The man was slippery as an eel! I’d be sure I saw him, catch a glimpse at a coffee shop, or getting out of my car on my way to class or something, and POOF.
Just like that, he’d be gone.
Every damn time I tried to follow him, I failed. The man was a freaking ninja. I knew he was there, though. I’d started calling him ‘the stalker’ in my mind. The only time I could regularly catch him in the act was on his bike. His big, black motorcycle from hell was kinda hard to hide.
That bike was sexy as hell. Even I had to admit that. Almost as sexy as him.
I pouted as I checked myself out in the mirror. I put on sexy pale lavender lingerie just in case my clothes ‘slipped’ a little bit. I did not plan on sleeping with him tonight. True, he’d waited a long time already, but he’d made me wait too! I was still put out by that, even now that I knew he had a good reason.
A very scary, very murdery reason who was still at large . . .
I tilted my head to the side, thinking.
Is it worth risking attracting the attention of a murderer to be with Cain?
I imagined his thick shoulders, icy blue eyes, and chiseled jaw. I let my mind wander, remembering the hard feel of his body against mine that afternoon and how excited I was whenever I caught sight of him in my rearview mirror. It was a very easy decision to make.
Yep! Totally worth it.
I picked out a pretty summer dress and slipped it on. It was royal blue with black and white flowers all over it. Very French-looking, according to the girl in the shop at the mall. I giggled, realizing Cain would care less about the style factor. He would appreciate the way the neckline accentuated my boobs though.
I had to force myself to stop smirking long enough to dab some pink lipstick on my lips. A little blush on my cheeks, hair combed out, and voila! I was ready.
A pair of black kitten heels completed the outfit. I hoped to hell he wasn’t taking me on a picnic or some such. I glanced at my phone. I had to hurry. Cain had specified an exact time and place, as well as a very specific route I should take. He’d even told me what speed to drive.
I rolled my eyes at that. I had a very specific relationship with Siri. Siri was my GIRL when it came to directions.
Even if we disagreed sometimes.
Okay, even if I legit cussed her out now and then
.
No man was going to tell me which way to drive! If I wouldn’t let the all-knowing Siri do it, no way I was going to let a guy boss me around! I would go whichever way the mood took me, I decided with a firm nod.
I took a last look in the mirror and shouted ‘bye’ to Mom. She was reading and had only murmured, “You look nice,” when I told her I was going out. She didn’t worry about me. Probably because she and I both knew that Con had put tracking on my phone and my car. He’d done the same with all of us. Cass had nearly had a fit when she found out she was Lojacked! He even put a tracker in her purse and sewed one into her jacket. I was pretty sure he planned to put them into her panties before she put her foot down.
I snorted, shaking my head. My big brother was a righteous pain in the ass. But it was sweet at the same time too. He was so whipped on my gorgeous sister-in-law it was laughable. Big, strong, and totally helpless in the face of his woman.
I wondered if Cain could ever be like that with me . . . if this ever went beyond a few dates, anyway. He didn’t show a lot of emotions, so I doubted it. I knew I’d be extremely lucky if I ever got a guy who loved me half as much as Con loved Cassandra.
I got into my car and Googled the location. Siri piped up, telling me to take a left turn. I was too busy staring at my phone in shock. The man had big brass balls, I had to give him that.
Our ‘date’ was at a very fancy-sounding spot, two towns over.
Not a restaurant, like a normal date. A hotel. Cain had picked a very classy hotel.
A hotel! On our first date!
Or at least, it was our first date in years. Still, it was brazen as hell to think he was going to score. He had another thing coming! And I was going to tell him, just as soon as I saw the big jerk!
I narrowed my eyes and pulled out into the road.
Chapter Five
Cain
The moment she passed the town line, I pulled out to ride in front of her. Kelly didn’t miss a beat as two of my guys brought up the rear. I was frowning, confused and irritated by her actions.
She’d tried to dodge me by taking an alternate route. I would have to put my foot down about that. Everything I did was for her own good. It was about time she recognized that. She was my woman. She was going to have to learn to obey me.