by Jamie Begley
“Why should I say anything? You wanted Willa to hate you, and you succeeded. You have your reasons. They’re probably bullshit, but they’re your reasons.”
“They aren’t bullshit. Willa’s a sweet woman, and I refuse to lead her on. I’m not attracted to her, and I never will be,” Lucky denied heatedly.
“Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?” King’s mouth twisted with a mocking smile.
“Neither. I’m stating a fact. The sooner she gets over me, the sooner she’ll find someone else.”
King looked at him in disbelief. “You really believe she has a thing for you?”
“Yeah, Evie told me … and the way she acts around me.” At first, he had thought her keeping her distance was because she didn’t approve of him as her pastor, but Evie’s comments on Willa’s attraction to him one night had opened his eyes to the fact that she didn’t know how to deal with the one-sided attraction she felt toward him.
King shook his head, making Lucky doubt the validity of Evie’s claim. “That woman has a thing for you about as much as I do. Willa is very perceptive; she sees past the pretense you put on in front of everyone, and it scares the hell out of her. She has a thing for one of The Last Riders, but it isn’t you.”
Lucky stiffened, as if receiving an imaginary punch to the gut. If he didn’t know better, he would think it was jealousy. Fuck, he didn’t get jealous. There wasn’t a woman he wouldn’t share or hadn’t shared with the brothers, so why would he give a fuck if Evie was wrong about which brother Willa wanted?
“Who?” he demanded, not realizing his voice had deepened into a growl.
“Rider.” King gave a sardonic laugh. “That’s why she was so embarrassed when she heard your big mouth spouting stupid shit. Rider was behind her when she came outside.”
Lucky felt a lessening of his tension. “She doesn’t like Rider. She’s never been around him,” he stated confidently.
“Really? Hmm … I wonder whose ass is sitting in my restaurant every Wednesday afternoon when she’s scheduled to make her deliveries. It sure as fuck looks like Rider helping her carry all those pastry boxes inside.”
“You’re shitting me.” Lucky started to brush off King’s words then remembered Rider had been disappearing from the factory every Wednesday afternoon.
“Why would I do that when you said you don’t care about her and want her to find someone?” King threw his own words back in his face.
“I do. Then why did Evie think Willa liked me?” His brow furrowed in thought. He had even been given the impression that Shade had believed the same thing.
Looking over King’s shoulder, through the open doorway, he saw Shade eating a large slice of the cake Willa had made. Could that cold-hearted bastard have his own agenda? Like feeding his sweet tooth? Could Shade have been the one to give Evie the idea?
“I don’t know. Evie’s not the best judge. She believes I’m helpless around the house.” King gave a laconic shrug.
“You are.” Lucky remembered King’s failed attempts to do even minimal household chores. Hell, one day, Lucky had ridden past his house and seen him trying to mow the lawn. Lucky had pulled over to the curb and finished the job for him instead of leaving Evie to find an uneven lawn when she arrived home.
“Am I? Or maybe I’m smart enough not to have to do that shit. I’d rather get someone else to work on a broken disposal, mow the lawn, or put together a bookshelf. I have the money to pay for it, but Evie insists I at least try. Pretending to be helpless keeps Evie off my back, and I don’t have to fix crap on my day off. I also have the advantage of seeing the men my wife used to fuck have to do my shit jobs.”
“I’m going to tell her,” Lucky threatened, becoming madder by the second. It had been hot as fuck that day he had mowed the lawn. He didn’t know what was pissing him off more: King’s attitude or the thought that Willa did actually want Rider.
“Go for it. She won’t believe you.”
King’s smugness had Lucky wanting to punch him as he straightened from the banister.
“I don’t know why you’re getting so angry. A few minutes ago, getting rid of Willa was more important than making sure she was having a good time. Rider wouldn’t hurt her. In fact, I think they would make a great pair. He’s obviously more sensitive to a woman’s needs.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about! Willa needs someone who will lead a quiet life with her. She’s very firm in her beliefs. She’s shy. Rider would—”
“Rider’s very gentle with her,” King cut him off. “See for yourself. Come to lunch at the restaurant on Wednesday.”
“Why would I do that? It’s no concern of mine if she becomes involved with Rider. I’m not her pastor anymore.”
“Suit yourself. The only reason I told you was so you would quit making an ass of yourself around her, but I can see that’s going to be impossible for you.” King went inside, leaving him on the porch alone.
Could he be wrong about Rider chasing after Willa? Lucky didn’t think so, but he recalled Rider’s face when he had stood in the doorway. When had Rider ever given a fuck about anyone besides himself? The brother forgot about women as soon as he found a new place to stick his dick. He loved breaking in new women …
Lucky cut the thought short.
Maybe he would stop by King’s restaurant on Wednesday. He would reassure himself that Willa was safe from Rider’s charm. After all, the man didn’t deserve a woman like Willa. She deserved a man like he had pretended to be—a decent, God-fearing man, a man like he used to be before he joined the military and left his hometown that was even smaller than Treepoint.
It hadn’t taken long for the war to strip away his beliefs in the integrity of the human race and then turn him into a man who had discovered his own weaknesses and failings. She deserved more than a man with blood on his hands and a target on his back. No woman deserved to be made a widow and left alone brokenhearted or to have her children left behind to mourn his passing. He had been forced to deliver too many condolence visits to want his own family to experience that kind of grief. That was why he had long ago decided he would have no children he wouldn’t be around to protect. Even if he were to get married, it would be to a woman who lived off the logic that one man was as good as the next. After all, a slut wouldn’t grieve for him when the man who was waiting to end his life finally struck, when his luck finally ran out.
Chapter 2
Lucky ignored King’s amused look when he entered the restaurant on Wednesday, seeing Rider already seated at one of the bar tables that faced the door. He walked to the table and slid into the seat across from him.
“What are you doing here?” Rider asked.
“Thought I would try out the lunch special that has you here every Wednesday,” Lucky stated, taking the menu from the bleach-blonde bargirl who gave him a flirtatious smile as she waited for his order. Lucky stared at her long legs before meeting her eyes with a blatantly sexual grin of his own.
“Give me a burger, fries, and a beer,” he ordered.
“That’s all?” Her teasing reply and the huge display of flesh overflowing her top drew his deepening interest.
“For now.” Lucky gave her a wink, ignoring Rider’s apparent aggravation.
When the waitress moved away, he glanced around the busy restaurant.
“So what has you eating here? I thought the diner was your favorite place.”
Rider shrugged. “Obviously, you already know Willa brings her desserts in today. If you don’t get them the day she brings them in, they’re gone by Friday. Why do you give a fuck where I eat?” He looked across the table at him quizzically.
“I don’t,” Lucky stated matter-of-factly, gazing at the waitress’s cleavage when she bent over to place his beer down in front of him then left with a seductive swish of her hips.
“Doesn’t sound like it to me,” Rider contradicted.
This time, it was Lucky
who shrugged, taking a drink of his beer. “So her desserts are the only reason you’re chasing after Willa?”
“Fuck no. Are you blind? Her tits and ass are why I’m sitting here. The desserts are merely a bonus.” Rider gave him a cocky grin.
Lucky’s hand tightened on the beer bottle, tempted to smash it over Rider’s head.
“Willa’s not a slut you can fuck and walk away from. She’s not that kind of woman.”
“How do you know? Maybe she is. Maybe I won’t want to walk away from her. Razer settled down,” he pointed out.
“You’re thinking of settling down with one woman?” Lucky asked in astonishment.
“Are you motherfuckin’ crazy? Hell no, I’m not ready to settle down.” Rider stared at him as if he had stepped in dog shit. “I’m too young to settle down with one woman. I might when I’m over sixty so I’ll have someone to take care of me when I get old, but until then, no.”
Lucky’s teeth ground together, beginning to understand Shade’s exasperation with the brother.
“So, you want Willa to use as your fuck toy and to make desserts for you at the same time?”
“Yeah.” Rider grinned in satisfaction. “It’s a win-win situation.”
Lucky lost it. He was about to reach across the table and wipe the smug grin from his face when the waitress inadvertently saved Rider by placing his food down, Rider took the opportunity to slip out of the booth before she moved away. His earlier flirtation bit him in the ass as she lingered, blocking him from following after Rider.
Lucky’s head snapped around to see Rider taking the stack of pink boxes Willa was carrying through the door King was holding open.
“I get off in twenty minutes,” the waitress commented, drawing his attention back to her.
Lucky quickly glanced at her name tag. “I’ll be outside. Don’t keep me waiting, Anna.”
Her appreciative gaze slid over his body before returning to meet his eyes. “I won’t.” She hurried away, her lush ass drawing his own appreciative gaze. It wasn’t as perfect as Willa’s, but it would do.
Lucky remained seated, eating his burger and fries as he watched Rider charm Willa. The pretty woman was becoming flustered at the brother’s attention, nearly dropping the boxes of desserts. Lucky prayed she would drop them and deny Rider the treats he was after.
Then Willa handed Rider the boxes, and he nearly choked on a french fry when the top she was wearing was revealed. She had on a peach top that was over large on her except through the breasts, which were snugly outlined, and the top button had come undone, leaving a generous portion of her breasts bare. Rider’s ravenous gaze lighted on the display, and the brother nearly dropped the boxes he was juggling. King hastily snatched them away before they ended up on his polished hardwood floor.
Lucky finished his food as he continued to watch Rider and Willa talk near the doorway while King disappeared into the kitchen. Lucky assumed she was waiting for her money since she appeared to want to bolt from Rider’s attention. Rider fucking got off making women uncomfortable, overwhelming them with his attention until they found themselves in his bed, wondering how they got there.
Willa took a step to the side when Rider stepped closer to her, her eyes inadvertently catching his. Blushing, she jerked her gaze back to Rider. Lucky wished he could read her thoughts at that moment. He was willing to bet she saw herself in the crosshairs between two wolves.
When she adjusted her stance so her back was to him, he threw some cash down on the table and stood, making up his mind to rescue her from Rider. He was doing her a favor, not because it bothered him to see her within touching distance of the lecherous biker, but because watching her about to be Rider’s next lay was like watching a cute kitten about to be devoured by a pit bull.
As he strolled nearer, he almost rolled his eyes at hearing Rider invite her to lunch, though he had to admit he was stunned Rider knew what a lunch date was. Usually, he crassly asked the women he wanted back to his room at the clubhouse.
Lucky refused to admit to himself his own recent behavior wasn’t much better. He was even more shocked by Willa’s answer.
“I’m already having lunch with someone,” she stated. Rider looked unhappy, but he didn’t have time to say anything else when the door opened and Drake Hall entered.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I had an unexpected phone call when I was about to leave the office. Have you been waiting long?”
“No.” Willa gave Drake an appealing smile, flashing those damn dimples of hers.
Drake gave Willa an affectionate kiss on her cheek that had Lucky’s eyes narrowing on the other man. Willa should know better than to trust a man that good-looking. Lucky was rapidly beginning to wonder if the shy woman was as virginal as he had assumed with the number of men in town pursuing her.
He wished Willa had her gun on her. He wouldn’t mind if she placed a bullet hole or two in the town’s most lecherous citizens.
Drake’s hand took Willa’s arm as King approached with his elegant menus in hand.
“I have your table ready, Drake.”
“Thanks, King.”
Both Lucky and Rider watched as the sophisticated man led Willa away.
“What the fuck?” Rider grunted. “Why’s she having lunch with him?”
“I don’t know. King might.”
“You think he’ll tell us?” Rider was definitely pissed off with the turn of events. Lucky could practically see the wheels spinning in his mind on how to overcome this new obstacle that was blocking his cock and stomach from what he wanted.
Anna came from the bar area with her purse in hand. “I’m off. I talked the owner into letting me leave early.”
Frustrated, Lucky saw King give him an amused smile as he handed Willa and Drake their menus. Lucky wanted to tell Anna he had changed his mind, but he gathered his senses in time.
He had no business being here, certainly not being curious about Willa’s relationship with Drake or preventing her from getting hit on by Rider. He needed to remind himself why he had stayed the fuck away from the attractive woman who had an abundance of curves that his hands and lips itched to explore.
“Let’s get out of here.” Lucky took Anna’s hand, opening the door with the other one.
“See you back at the clubhouse,” Lucky told Rider, who was staring at Anna with new interest.
“She going to be there?” Rider nodded toward Anna.
When Lucky gave Anna a questioning glance, the excitement in her sultry eyes was the only answer he needed.
“Meet me in my bedroom; it has a bigger bed,” Lucky offered graciously to the other brother. “See? I can share.”
Lucky congratulated himself for proving he had no desire for a monogamous relationship. Of course, Anna wasn’t Willa, and she didn’t raise the same feelings of protectiveness, but Lucky wasn’t going to analyze the differences between the women even further. There was no way to compare perfection against a cheap copy.
* * *
Willa had to force herself to listen as Drake discussed the properties that were available to rent in Treepoint. Her gaze kept straying to the mirror on the back wall that gave her a perfect view of Lucky and Rider leaving with the pretty waitress. She had blonde hair knotted smoothly on her head in a way that Willa was never able to achieve with her own messy hair, despite several spritzes of hair spray. She had even tried becoming a blonde herself during the time Lucky had been dating Beth.
Lately, Willa had given up trying to turn herself into a woman who would attract the opposite sex—Lucky in particular. It had taken a lot of soul-searching, but she had finally come to the conclusion that The Ugly Duckling was a work of fiction, and there was no way her size twenty body was going to miraculously become a size six.
“I think your best investment would be to purchase the small lot of land next to this building. King’s customers could get a taste of your desserts here and then stop at your shop to take more home
. Several large restaurants are having their bakeries set up next door. It not only builds a customer base, but repeat business. There is also a spot opening in two months that’s close to the diner. It wouldn’t be as upscale as what you could accomplish if you built next to King’s, but I think it would be lucrative all the same.”
Willa dragged her eyes away from the window. The waitress had climbed on the back of Lucky’s bike, holding tight to his lean waist as they roared out of the parking lot.
“I can’t afford to buy the property and build new. How much is the rent for the one beside the diner?”
“Nine hundred a month,” Drake answered. “If you’re interested in buying the property, I would be willing to invest, Willa, and handle the financing.”
Willa shook her head. “I would be too afraid you would lose your money. If I go under, at least it will only be my money lost.”
Drake’s lips twisted at her words. “You’re not going to lose money. If anything, I think you’re going to have a hard time managing to keep up with the demand you’re going to have.”
“There’s already one bakery in town. Plus, the grocery store has a good selection. It’s going to be hard making a go at a new business, but I can’t keep up with the customers I have now in my kitchen. If I open a bakery, at least I can come home and not be surrounded by cakes and candy all the time. I might even manage to lose a few pounds.”
Drake tilted his head to the side, his eyes going to her breasts that were pressed against the side of the table. “God, I hope not.”
Willa gurgled with laughter. “If I didn’t know the women you dated, Drake, I would be worried, but I happen to know who you’re after.”
Drake’s affability disappeared, but his changed attitude didn’t deter her.
“Everyone in town knows you want Bliss.”
“Everyone but Bliss.” Drake’s short reply didn’t arouse sympathy for him since Drake often dated more than one woman at a time, so it wasn’t like he was sitting home, pining for the attractive woman.