Hard Ride

by Opal Carew

  “You want to leave?” Magic asked, his glass empty in front of him.

  “Give it a minute,” Shock said.

  The discussion between Liv and her friend seemed to be heated, judging from the guy’s tight expression and the look of anxiety on Liv’s face. The guy leaned in close, his eyes blazing, and Liv flared right back at him. A moment later, the guy pounded on the table, then stood up and strode out the door.

  * * *

  Liv watched Carl stalk off, anger still blazing through her. How could he be so callous? He was totally unwilling to help.

  She knew he was barely making ends meet himself, so it wasn’t as if he could do that much, but she’d hoped he could do something. And, of course, it didn’t help that Julia had made her swear not to tell him anything about her illness. So all Liv had been able to do was tell Carl that Julia was having some financial problems and needed his help.

  She felt so alone. She knew she was looking for a miracle, but that was what it would take to save her sister. A miracle.

  “Hey, sweet cakes, I see your boyfriend ran out on you.”

  She glanced up to see a slightly drunk man grinning at her.

  “I could give you a ride home … or anywhere else you’d like to go, if you know what I mean.”

  Oh, she knew what he meant all right. And she also realized that Carl had abandoned her here, all alone, putting her in exactly the same position as she had been last night. But this time she didn’t have Shock to come to her rescue.

  “No, thank you.”

  She wondered if she should use her last twenty dollars to call a cab. Payday was next week, and she could stretch the last of her food until then.

  She was about to reach for her phone when the guy plunked down on the chair beside her and rested his hand on her arm. When she tried to pull it away, he grasped it. “Come on, honey. I promise to show you a real good time, if you know what I mean.”

  She tried to pull her hand away again, but he just tightened his grip and panic welled inside her.

  “The lady said no.”

  She swung her head around to see Shock standing there, tall and intimidating, staring at the guy.

  “What’s it to you?” the man holding her arm said.

  “Remove your hand from the lady or I’ll remove it from your arm,” Shock threatened through gritted teeth.

  His three friends from last night—Magic, Dom, and Wild Card—stood behind him.

  She felt the man’s fingers loosen, then he released her and held up his hands.

  “All right. Whatever.” He stood up and walked to the bar.

  Then Shock’s hand clamped around her wrist and he dragged her to her feet.

  “What the hell are you doing back here?” he demanded as he marched her out of the bar.

  Her lips pinched together as she gave him a sidelong glance, trying desperately to keep up with his long-legged stride. He slowed down a little.

  She welcomed the freshness of the night air filling her lungs, after the stale smell of the bar. Shock’s friends gave them a little distance while Shock took her aside.

  She drew her arm from his grasp. Although her natural impulse was to tell him to mind his own business, she just couldn’t find the energy.

  “I wasn’t here alone” was all she could manage, remembering her promise from last night.

  “I noticed. Who was that guy?”

  “That was Carl.” She didn’t explain any further.

  “You shouldn’t date a jerk like that who’ll leave you alone in a place like this.”

  “I’m not dating him.”

  * * *

  Shock frowned. “So what did you intend to do once he stormed off and left you all alone?”

  She let out a deep sigh and gazed at him. “To tell you the truth, I was going to call a cab.”

  He nodded. At least she was being sensible, but after last night …

  “Give me your phone,” he said.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “So I can put in my number, and the next time you need a ride, you can call. We’ll be in town for another couple of weeks.”

  She handed him her phone, and after he’d added the number, he handed it back to her. She gripped his hand and didn’t let go.

  “Could we go somewhere and talk?”

  Her touch sent wild tremors through him. Fuck, he hated how he felt out of control around her. But he was sure she felt it, too. Maybe she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  Could that be what this was all about?

  He gazed at her speculatively. “Like your apartment?”

  “No,” she said too quickly. “That’s not … I was thinking we could get a coffee somewhere.”

  He drew her closer, heat thrumming through him. “I bet you have coffee back at your place.”

  God, he wanted her. His cock had been in a constant state of arousal since he’d first spied her in the bar yesterday, and since that kiss … God, he had to get ahold of himself.

  “There’s a diner a few blocks from here that’ll be quiet,” she said. “And it’s out of this rough neighborhood.”

  “All right.” Shock turned and started walking, Liv trailing after him. “I’ll see you guys later,” he said to the others.

  His bike was just around the corner.

  He handed her a helmet, then mounted the bike. She climbed on behind him and placed her arms around his waist, then leaned close to him.

  His groin tightened and his cock bounced to attention. Fuck, what he wouldn’t do to feel her soft hand glide over his hard flesh. To feel it wrap around him and …

  He started the engine and tore forward, pushing aside the destructive urges. There was nothing between the two of them but old memories. Frustrating memories of him wanting her with a hunger he’d never felt since.

  And her rejecting him.

  * * *

  Shock opened the door of the diner and waited for Liv to go in ahead of him. She led the way to a table by the window and they sat down and ordered two coffees.

  The waitress brought the coffee right away and Liv wrapped her hands around the warm mug, her fingers suddenly cold. A frigid cold that filled every part of her.

  She had decided to ask Shock for his help, but she didn’t know how to start. And, gazing at him now in his rough clothes and leather jacket, she wondered if maybe he wasn’t living this way by choice.

  “So this really is a change for you,” she said. “The way you dress. The way you live.”

  “You’re wondering if I lost everything.”

  The statement jarred her. “No, not at all.” Actually she would never have thought that. His family was so wealthy, and Shock was so savvy and intelligent, the thought of him losing everything made no sense to her. “I just assumed you were taking a break.”

  He shrugged. “Well, in fact, I did lose everything.” He sipped his coffee. “It turned out that my father and brother were embezzling money from the family company. The shareholders didn’t want the company to lose its value, so they quietly offered a deal that they wouldn’t prosecute if we gave up our family shares and walked away.”

  “Oh, my God. That’s terrible. Why would they do such a thing?”

  “I can’t begin to explain it. It seems the two of them made some bad personal investments, then got into some pretty heavy gambling and kept falling further and further in debt.”

  “So you lost your part in the business, too?”

  “That’s right. The board didn’t want anything to do with anyone in my family.”

  “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you to be so betrayed by your family. And abandoned.”

  Shock nodded. “I haven’t spoken to any of them since—my father, my brother, or any of the execs I’d once considered friends. It’s amazing how money can destroy relationships.”

  Liv could see the pain in his eyes and wondered if he had lost a woman, too.

  But as much as she felt sympathy for Shock, she also felt h
er last hope spiraling away. If Shock didn’t have any money, then he couldn’t be her savior after all.

  “So now you’re broke.”

  “No, I was broke. After I was ousted from the company my great-grandfather built, I took all the experience I’d gathered over the years and created my own company. It took a few years, but after a few gaming investments took off, the company skyrocketed in value and I made back everything I lost and more.”

  “Wow, that’s quite an accomplishment. Building from the ground up. Your great-grandfather would be very proud.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose.”

  “But now you ride with a gang of bikers. What happened to your company? Did you sell it?”

  “I still own it, but I leave the daily management of the company to some of the brightest young minds in the business world. After everything that happened in the past, I prefer to manage from a distance.”

  “That makes sense,” she said.

  She sipped her coffee. Silence hung between them as she tried to build up the courage to ask him for help.

  * * *

  Shock watched her as she sat across from him. He was pleased that she’d asked him to join her for coffee, and at how interested she was in his life and what had happened to him over the years since they’d parted. Maybe this would be the first step to them rekindling their friendship, and maybe this time, it might develop into more than that.

  But he was concerned that she was growing nervous.

  Something was wrong. In fact, he’d sensed it earlier. When he’d demanded to know why she’d been in the bar, she’d barely protested, just given him a terse, uninformative explanation. That wasn’t like her.

  Now she seemed drained.

  Sad.

  He narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong, Liv?”

  She tilted her face up and gazed at him, and his chest compressed at the glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.

  Fuck, had that guy she’d met with at the bar broken up with her? Was she in love with him, and he’d coldheartedly ditched her?

  “I…” She blinked quickly, he was sure to stop tears from escaping, then frowned, looking totally forlorn.

  “I have a problem and…” She sucked in a breath and gazed at him uncertainly. “I could use your help.”

  “What is it?” It tore at his heart to see her looking so vulnerable.

  “I promised myself I’d never do this. That I’d never, ever—”

  Her voice broke and a tear welled in her eye. She dashed it away, clearly hoping that he hadn’t noticed.

  His chest compressed and he took her hands and cradled them in his.

  “Just tell me.”

  “I…” She shook her head and gazed down at her cup. “I need money.”

  He stiffened.

  “I see.” So that was what this was all about? She wanted money from him? He drew his hands away. And he’d thought … Fuck, he’d thought he finally had a shot with her. That she actually cared about him and was trying to make a real connection.

  But that was all a lie. She’d just been making small talk, listening to his story as a way of leading up to making her request.

  She wanted money from him. That was all.

  “Why do you need it?” he asked, not really caring.

  She gazed at him, looking totally miserable. “Does it matter?”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I guess not.”

  His jaw clenched as he stared at her. He couldn’t believe she was asking him for money.

  And she wouldn’t even tell him why she wanted it. Did she just want to get out of that dump of an apartment and needed the down payment for a house? But he didn’t think she’d ask for such a big favor—especially from him—for something like that. He knew it would take a lot for her to allow herself to be so indebted to him.

  If he thought she had a gambling or drug problem, he wouldn’t even consider it, but he was sure that wasn’t it. On the other hand, she might borrow it to help someone else out. She wouldn’t want to tell him if it was to help out a guy. Maybe that jackass he’d seen her with earlier.

  “It might take me some time to pay you back.” She toyed with the spoon lying on the table. “But we can agree to a monthly sum and I’ll pay it on time every month—I promise.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “It’ll take time because I take it you need a lot of money.”

  She glanced at him, then stared back at her coffee and nodded.

  “How much?” he demanded.

  “Fifty thousand,” she said hesitantly.

  The amount surprised him, but he showed nothing in his expression. Not that he cared about fifty grand. But from her perspective—from anyone’s, really—that was a huge loan. Especially based on a friendship in college. A friendship he’d wanted to be so much more, but she’d never allowed.

  He remembered when he’d known her in college. At first they’d just been study partners, but as he’d gotten to know her, he’d started to fall for her. There were so many things about her he loved. The way her eyes glittered when she smiled, her quick and agile mind, her melodic laugh, and the sweetness of her nature. He also admired how close she was to her family. She’d lost her parents a few years earlier to a car accident, but the way she’d talked about the times she and her sister and parents had spent together had warmed his heart. Especially since he’d always wanted that with his own family.

  The more time they’d spent together, the more he’d known he wanted a real relationship with her.

  He remembered the moment he’d let her know how he felt. They’d walked to the courtyard outside the library, overlooking a small pond, and a duck had waddled by, followed by a trail of ducklings. Liv’s eyes had lit up when she’d seen them and a small smile had curved her lips. At that moment, he had been so taken by the breathtaking image, he’d leaned in and kissed her.

  A moment he had forever regretted.

  When he’d released her lips, instead of her looking up at him with a warm smile, she’d averted her gaze and fumbled with her book bag. When he pressed on and asked her out on a date, her eyes had widened and she’d almost seemed panicked, mumbling something about having too heavy a course load to start a relationship and wanting to just be friends, then had practically fled, claiming to have forgotten an appointment. At that moment, he’d realized he hadn’t really expected her to say no. Not because of overconfidence on his part, but because he’d thought they’d developed a real connection. When she wouldn’t even give him a chance, he’d felt crushed. Her rejection had hurt more than he’d thought possible.

  He picked up his coffee and gulped down the rest, which tasted sour in his mouth, then stood up.

  “I’ll have to think about it.” He dropped some bills on the table and strode to the door.

  She followed him into the night. As he mounted the bike, she glanced at him, clearly uncertain about whether he was going to give her a ride home.

  “Get on the bike,” he said curtly.

  She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her softness pressed against his back sent his hormones surging, and that annoyed him. He lurched the bike forward and raced along the open road, going way too fast. When they got to the highway, he tore along the road, hoping the wind whipping against his face would clear his mind.

  But it didn’t. When he pulled in front of her building, he was still in turmoil.

  She got off the bike and handed him the helmet, then hesitated.

  “You said you’d think about it. So, you’ll let me know?”

  She seemed genuinely worried that he would say no. And there was a very real possibility of that.

  Damn it. Anger surged through him. He wanted her to want him, but all she wanted was his money.

  He got off the bike and walked toward her. Why the fuck shouldn’t he get what he wanted, too? As he stepped closer, his gaze raked over her body, the sexy curves accentuated by her tight-fitting jeans and clingy shirt. He wrapped his arm a
round her waist and pulled her against him.

  “So tell me, if I loan you the money, what will you do for me?”

  Her big, sky-blue eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  He tugged her closer and captured her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her lips. Her body, so soft against him, so incredibly warm and inviting, drove him crazy. He’d wanted her for so long. Yearned for her.

  And she melted against him. Her mouth responded to his, her soft breasts cushioned tightly against his chest. He nudged his tongue between her lips and, God help him, she opened for him, welcoming him inside. His cock ached for her. He wanted to feel her naked skin under his hands.

  Without ending the blazing kiss, he pulled his jacket open and tugged her even closer, feeling her nipples blossom against him, so hard that he felt them even through the fabric of her top and bra.

  He pushed his hand between their bodies and under her shirt, then cupped her ripe, round breast.

  She sucked in a breath and pulled away her sweet, warm lips. “No.”

  He barely heard her protest, the feel of her soft flesh in his hand consuming him, but then she pushed against his chest.

  “No,” she said with more strength.

  He gazed down at her and saw, shock and … fuck, was that hurt in her eyes?

  He released her and stepped back.

  What the hell had come over him? This was not the kind of man he wanted to be. Arrogant. Controlling. Demanding whatever he wanted and intimidating people to get it.

  That was one of the reasons he’d abandoned his wealthy lifestyle even after making all his money back. He’d never been like that by nature, but he’d seen it in his family and former associates. Seen what money could do to people.

  He’d gotten out. And changed. But now … with her. Why the fuck did she bring out the worst in him?

  He strode to his bike.

  “Devin? I mean, Shock?”

  He turned and glared at her.

  “I … uh…”

  “You’ll have my answer tomorrow.”

  He climbed on his bike and pulled on his helmet.

  “And, Liv. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll find you.”

  * * *

  Liv watched Shock race off on his bike, her hands shaking, then she opened the door to her apartment building and got on the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, she slumped back against the wall. The elevator moved upward, counting off the floors.