Just when I expected a new line to spill out of his mouth, he adjusted his hand and rubbed my back with his thumb.
“I like you, Peach. I want to get to know you. I can’t do that here.”
“What’s with the nickname?” My brows pinched inward.
His hand raised my chin, bringing me closer to his lips. My body tingled, feeling needy for his touch. I knew this man’s kiss would be phenomenal, but I had to control my wistful desires. Nix had warned me he was a womanizer, and so far, he’d proven to be just that.
“You look like you’d be just as sweet in my mouth.”
I stared up at his bold, brown eyes looking down at me, pulling me deeper into his web and damn, if he didn’t know he had me in his crosshairs. His lips parted into a grin.
“I think you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Peach?”
I adjusted my footing as I grew wet under his penetrating stare. Movement around us pulled me from our heated tension. I glanced in Nix’s direction and his dark, green eyes narrowed in on us.
Jake leaned into my ear as his thumb dipped into my jeans and gave my hip a tug, pulling me against the firm knot in his jeans.
“We’ll continue this later.”
He walked away from me, leaving me standing there with my breath heavy and an unwanted sexual yearning aching between my legs. I stepped up to the bar and ordered another shot. The smooth, warm liquid had just gone down when Nix approached. He placed his hand on my arm and gave it a squeeze.
“What’d he say to you?”
I glanced down at his hand. His grip was unusually tight. I removed his hand, he looked down, and his face reddened, realizing he’d left a mark.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“I know you didn’t. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing, don’t worry about it. The fight is gonna start soon. Stay close to me, okay?”
Club members were moving tables out of the way, clearing the area in the center. A few guys stripped down, removing their jackets, vests, or t-shirts. Money exchanged hands and bets were made. I caught sight of Jake moving through the crowd toward Nix. Holding several bills, he extended his hand.
Nix looked down at the money. “Who’s it for?”
“Me,” Jake responded coolly.
“You never fight. What changed?” Nix glared at him, eyes narrowing.
Jake glanced at me, looked back at Nix and deadpanned.
“Tonight, I have a reason to.”
Nix snatched the money from Jake’s hand and leaned toward him, saying something private, so I couldn’t hear. Just as Nix finished whatever he had to say, Jake walked away with an arrogant smirk smearing his face. Nix’s temper was on the verge of flaring. The vein in his temple was bulging, and his jaw was locked. I touched his arm, and his cold eyes softened when they looked at me.
“What was that about?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” Nix put his arm around my back. “Just some club business. You ready for this?”
“How bloody is it going to get?”
“Oh, c’mon you’re a nurse, you should be used to seeing blood.”
“Yeah, from accidents, not from people intentionally hitting each other’s faces.”
“It’s good for the club morale, and we’re men, we enjoy this shit.” A deep rumble of laughter escaped Nix’s chest.
Two men were already moving into the center. I recognized one of them as Wesley, one of the older members who ran with my Uncle Dallas. A younger man—tall, bald, with ink covering his back and traveling up his neck—raised his fists across from Wesley. One of the club members on the sideline held up his cell phone and a buzzer went off.
The younger guy with the neck tattoo lunged instantly, but Wesley raised his arm and blocked the fist aimed for his face. Wesley went low and slammed his fist into the younger guy’s ribs. He buckled over, holding his side and immediately put space between him and Wesley. Wesley went in for another shot, but the younger guy twisted and turned his body. Wesley’s arm swung through the air, and the younger guy took the advantage and put a left hook into Wesley’s jaw. Wesley’s eyes darkened. The man took the hit like a champ. No doubt he’d received a few in his years. With two more swings, Wesley had the younger man hunched over, spitting up blood. The buzzer sounded and money exchanged hands. Wesley had won that round.
This display of testosterone fueled fist-play continued for another round before it was Jake’s turn. He stripped off his black tank and revealed an intricate puzzle of tattoos covering his shoulders, ribs, and lower back. Nix nudged me, and I checked to make sure I wasn’t drooling. The man going up against Jake was Lucas, a long-standing member of the club and nearly as big as Jake. They eyed each other carefully, then Jake raised his boulder-like arms in the air.
The buzzer went off, Lucas took a step and swung. Jake leaned his body back and dodged Lucas’ fist. Jake moved his feet, luring Lucas in a circle, seeming to study Lucas’ body language. Irritation filled Lucas’ eyes, and he swung, putting weight into his punch. Jake blocked the swing and slammed his own fist into Lucas’ face. Lucas stumbled backward, and a few club members caught him, then tossed him back into the makeshift ring.
Lucas came at Jake again and clipped him in the jaw. Jake shook it off and landed a fist in Lucas’ chest. Lucas stumbled back, the wind clearly knocked out of him. Jake paused, showing restraint, letting his opponent collect himself. Moments later, Lucas came at him again, and Jake grabbed his arm, locked it in place, quickly turned his body and flipped Lucas over his shoulder. Lucas landed on the floor and didn’t bother to get up. The buzzer went off, and Jake reached down and gave Lucas his hand. Lucas stood, giving short, heaving breaths.
My nursing instincts kicked in and I headed toward Lucas. Nix grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“Let him get out of the ring and to the side first. He doesn’t need everyone to see you nursing him. It’ll embarrass him.”
I nodded, knowing Nix was right. These guys didn’t like to show weakness, even when they were wounded. I walked around the outside of the crowd to where Lucas was sitting. Someone handed him a shot and he chugged it. With his face squinting, he tried to sit up straight.
I took the seat next to him and gave him a sympathetic smile. “It’s been a long time, Lucas.” He nodded and bit back a grimace. “Let me have a look at you.” I lifted his shirt and saw the bruising already taking place. “You’ve got a broken or bruised rib. You’ll need to rest and cough when you feel you need to, even if it’s painful. If you don’t cough, you put yourself at risk of a chest infection.”
“I need another damn shot is what I need.” He touched his tender chest and grimaced.
“Listen to me,” I frowned at him, “I know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah… Nix said you just… got back from nursing school.”
“I did.”
“Sorry… I didn’t get a chance… to welcome you back.”
“It’s all right. I saw you were busy with the blonde. Where’d she go?”
“That’s my girl, Crystal. She left… to go to work… night shift.”
“Ah. Well she’s a looker.”
Lucas tried to laugh, but couldn’t.
“Want another shot?”
He nodded.
“I’ll get ya one, bud. Sit tight.”
As I returned from the bar, the winner of tonight’s fight night was being chosen. The three winners were put into the center, Nix raised each of their arms and the crowd cheered for each one. When they got to Jake the cheering escalated. Nix’s disappointment was obvious. Jake took a bundle of money from Nix’s hand, then pulled him in to say something. Nix leaned back and his eyes darkened. His stare was deadly; he was clearly pissed about whatever Jake had said.
Nix shook his head and the VP of the club, Pat, chimed in. Some kind of argument was happening between the three of them. Finally, Pat made a declaration and both Nix and Jake stopped arguing. Jake developed that same smirk I’d se
en earlier when he’d spoken to Nix, and Nix looked as though he was ready to put fight night into another round.
Some of the crowd quieted down as I handed Lucas his shot.
“Jake has chosen what he wants,” Pat spoke up over the remainder of the crowd.
Nix and Jake’s eyes stayed locked on one another. Pat glanced at me and grinned, then spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Jake has chosen Liz.”
CHAPTER THREE
___
LIZ
STANDING OUTSIDE THE door of Nix’s office, I could hear his fist hit the desk before he barked out in anger.
“Damn it, Pat, I should’ve seen this comin’! What the hell is he thinking claiming her like that? In front of the whole damn club?”
“He’s ensuring he gets what he wants. You know he’s a smart shit. What ya gonna do about it? The rules are the rules. Besides it’s only one night, and Liz is a grown woman.”
“It’s not enough he fucks his way through every woman who enters the club, now he wants my sister too. She’s not a fuck-and-dump he can do as he pleases with. I’m gonna make that shit clear right now!” Nix’s heavy boots thudded toward the door and then stopped at the sound of Pat’s voice.
“Don’t do anything stupid, son. These rules are in place for a reason. Liz can take care of herself just fine.”
Nix let out a huff and stormed out the door. I kept myself out of sight, against the wall, until he disappeared around the corner. Pat walked out, and I stepped forward, catching his attention.
“What’s going on between Jake and Nix? There’s more to it than what he’s telling me. He’s far too angry.”
“Been there the whole time, ain’t ya?” A smile stretched across Pat’s face. “You did the same when you was a kid, too. I remember Dallas catching you countless times and tellin’ ya not to listen in on the men’s business. Well nothin’s changed, darlin’. Let Nix handle his business.”
“Don’t treat me like a child just because I don’t have a dick, Pat.” Looking him in the eyes, I squared my shoulders. “You should know better by now. I don’t take orders from anyone.”
Pissed off and done with the drama for the night, I headed back to the front room to say goodbye to my Aunt May and to tell Dillon I’d see him tomorrow. I entered the bar to find Jake, Dillon, and my brother having a heated conversation of their own. Forget it, the date with Dillon wasn’t important enough to interrupt that conversation. I hugged my Aunt May goodbye and waved to a few others I’d caught up with throughout the evening.
Several eyes followed me around the room and watched me walk toward the exit of the bar. Someone whistled behind me and I glanced back to see someone nodding their head to Jake and my brother, alerting them I was leaving.
Jake started towards me and Nix grabbed his arm. With a menacing stare and a few words spoken, Jake stayed back, and Nix came after me. Nearing my car, I could hear Nix’s boots pounding the ground behind me.
“We need to talk,” Nix said as I opened my car door.
“About what?”
“That date with Dillon isn’t going to happen.”
“Why?” I crossed my arms, my anger already surging through me.
“Jake will be coming by tomorrow to pick you up instead.”
His comment took me by surprise. I admit I was attracted to Jake, but I’d seen what Nix had warned me about. Jake was a cocky playboy, and I wasn’t interested in having any part of that.
“I thought you didn’t want me anywhere near him?”
“What I want doesn’t matter. He won the fight. He chose you. There’s nothing else to talk about. He’ll be coming over tomorrow at seven to pick you up. You’ll need to be ready. After the date, you can tell him to piss off, but you’re gonna have to go on the date.”
“Jesus, Nix. I’m not some damn kid or puppy you can arrange play dates for.”
“I don’t want this anymore than you do, but the rules are the rules.”
“I don’t belong to your Club. I don’t have to follow any rules.”
“Damn it, Liz, you’re a part of this family as much as I am. Don’t make this any harder on me. Go on the damn date, then tell Jake to go fuck himself.”
“Fine, but you’ll owe me, and you know I’ll collect.”
“You’ve made things a lot easier on me by doing this,” Nix ran his hand through his hair and let out a breath, “and yeah, I’ll owe you big, cuz I have no doubt Jake’s gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with. And don’t give into his games neither.”
“Anything else?”
Nix turned back toward the entrance of the bar.
“Yeah, don’t dress sexy.”
It was ten minutes before Jake was supposed to be picking me up for our date, and I was still scrambling to get ready. I put on my dark liner, a fresh coat of gloss, and slid my black, leather skinny jeans into my black boots. My gray t-shirt had cursive script-like writing on it that said, Not For Sale. I couldn’t help feeling like the shirt was appropriate for a date with Jake Castle. One last glance in the mirror at my long, dark, loose curls and smoky green eyes, and I was ready to go. I tucked my wallet in my back pocket and headed downstairs. Nix came waltzing in the front door of our home, a beer in hand.
“What are you doing over here? I thought you were workin’?”
“I came to check on you.”
“Really? I can handle a date.” I grabbed my leather jacket and slid it on.
Nix looked me up and down and frowned.
“You look too good.”
“Get over it. I’m not changing.”
“Be careful tonight.”
“Jeez, you act like I’m going out with a criminal. Wait, am I? Does he have a record?”
Nix shook his head. “He’s clean. nothing more than speeding tickets and a disorderly conduct which was dropped.”
“All right. Anything else I need to know?” I was hoping he’d share whatever it was which seemed to be stewing between the two of them.
“Nothing. Have a good time, but don’t let ‘em in your pants.”
“I got the chastity belt on and threw away the key,” I laughed and gave him a reassuring smile. “Nothing to worry about.”
The rumble of a Harley vibrated the walls as it pulled up to our house. My stomach churned with excitement. The thrill of a new ride always did get me buzzed and whatever he was driving sounded like it could satisfy.
I patted Nix on the shoulder and said my goodbye. He stood at the door and watched me approach Jake’s bike like a father watching his daughter go on her first date. He was even equipped with an expression mixed between disappointment and fear. Jake didn’t seem to notice Nix’s presence. He watched me walk to his bike, then laughed and shook his head.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nice shirt,” he said, handing me his helmet.
“Thought you’d like that.”
I clipped the chin piece as I slid on behind him. After tucking my arms around his waist, I glanced back at Nix who’d disappeared inside.
“Where we headed?”
“Somewhere private.”
The rumble of his Harley vibrated my body as he started it up and pulled out of the drive.
Soon we were moving through traffic, making our way to the strip downtown. The dark evening made the lights of the city a beautiful dome of scenery as we drove through. Jake stopped at a light, and as we waited, he rested his hand on my leg. The warmth of his touch felt good on a cool night like this. As the light turned green he caressed my leg, then took hold of the handle, taking us off down the rest of the strip.
Just outside of the main strip, he pulled off to the side of the road and parked. I unclipped my helmet and looked up at the restaurant sign. We were standing outside of a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant I loved.
“How’d you know?” I smiled at Jake, surprised by the gesture.
“Your Aunt May.”
“Nicely done, playboy.” The guy sure did have game
. No doubt he did recon before every date.
A smile stretched across his face as he took the helmet from me and set it on his bike. Walking up to the restaurant, his hand fell to my lower back, holding me close to him and guiding me to the door. To my surprise, he outstretched his arm and opened the door for me.
The podium at the front said, Seat Yourself, like it always did. I pointed to a booth and slid into the seat, tossing my jacket in the corner. Jake slid right into the same side, trapping me between him and the wall. I laughed and tried to nudge him down the seat, but his massive frame didn’t budge. He glanced over at me and smirked, then grabbed the side of my ass and tugged me toward him. His arm stretched around me and settled on the back of the seat. He leaned close and grazed his scruff across my cheek. His breath tickled my ear, sending a shiver over my body.
“I like you close to me, Peach. Get used to it.”
He leaned back and raised his hand, placing his thumb on my lower lip and pressed it down. I could see the hunger fill his eyes. He leaned in, ready to replace his finger with his tongue, but the waitress disrupted that plan.
“Welcome to Illano’s. What would you like to drink?”
After the waitress walked away, Jake turned to me. I couldn’t help feeling like every time he looked at me he was hypnotizing me. His stare was sensuous and dangerous and I found myself wondering what it would be like to be kissed by him. Then I reminded myself of how many women had no doubt fallen for those warm, chocolate eyes and enticing smile.
“What should I order?” His words were smooth as silk, slipping out of perfect, full lips and coated with masculinity. He licked his bottom lip and waited for me to answer. Watching him study me told me he was intelligent. The wheels were always turning in this man’s head. I’d have to be on top of my game to dodge his smooth moves, or I’d end up as putty in his hands.
“What do you like?” I asked him.
“That’s a loaded question. I like a lot of things.” The sexual connotation was clear. Was everything about sex with him?
“Go with the lasagna.” I closed my menu and pulled my delivered drink close, sipping while looking at anything but those chocolate eyes. The waitress returned and took our order, and I went back to looking at everything else, but him.
Castle of Kings: (A Kings MC Romance) Page 2