by Debra Kayn
All options to get her to safety meant putting her on the back of his bike.
He set her on her feet and turned her around without letting go. "I'm trying to help you. To do that, you'll need to set your ass on my bike and stay there."
She ducked her chin and shook her head. "Thanks for helping me at the store, but I need to leave. My cars back in town, and I—"
"Lady, you're going the wrong way." He faced the motorcycle. "I'm going to get on. Then you're going to climb on behind me. Your arms are going to hold on to me. Everything else, I'll do. Just don't let go and don't move your ass or you'll send us both to the asphalt."
She pressed her hands against his chest, backing away. He grabbed her wrist and sat on the bike. Tugging her forward, he lifted his chin. "Get on."
Startling blue eyes stared at him. His chest tightened. Hell, he'd like to kill the bastard that put the sadness in her eyes. She was gorgeous—maybe a little skinny, but she had a face he'd like to look at longer if he wasn't standing on the God damn on-ramp.
She continued studying him, taking in his clothes, his Harley, his eyes, and then she glanced over the barrier where she had a view of the town, the store, the emergency rig's flashing lights in the parking lot as they worked on her man, and nodded.
The lady moved toward him. He lifted her arm to balance her as she stepped on the peg, and climbed onto the motorcycle behind him. He put her hand on his stomach and pressed her fingers against him. Her other arm came around him, and she clasped her hands together. Confident she was holding on and not giving her a second to rethink her decision to follow orders, he took off.
Traffic flowed without stopping. He barely got on the highway and he took the next exit, taking the back street to ride to the club. Once he was out of town, he opened the throttle. He first had to deal with his decision to put her on the back of his bike. Then he'd take her back to town in the club cage after he settled his intentions with the club.
He wanted no misunderstandings about his reason for putting her on the back of his bike.
The trees on each side of the road narrowed in on him as the canyon nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains grew cooler. Normally, he enjoyed the lower temperatures and higher altitude away from the valley, but the change made him highly aware of the woman warming his back, and that's not something he wanted reminded of. A woman in his bed, on the floor, or up against a wall was something he'd never turn down, but he'd never willingly put a woman on his bike.
Club rules forbid any woman, except a member's old lady, to ride. Every Bantorus MC member took the rule as an oath, swearing to respect the higher position reserved for their old lady when they finally decided to make a lifelong commitment. Hell, members achieved bragging rights knowing they upheld the rule and their woman would be the first to press her ass on the leather seat. He shifted down, rounded the corner, and gazed ahead at the clubhouse nestled in the side of the mountain. Today's hasty decision cost him the special moment every biker held special.
That left him using his one 'get out of jail free' card, because the rules had a loophole, a member's bike can be used in an emergency, and women were at the top of the list of people to protect. He couldn't let the lady go when he had no idea what happened back in town to make her fear the man who was intimidating her. He also couldn't leave her to walk on the interstate with a clear conscious.
He pulled into the gravel area and brought the Harley to a stop. His hand caught her wrist before she could escape. "Off."
She awkwardly scrambled off the bike, tugging on her arm. He threw his leg off the motorcycle, and led her to the stairs without another word.
"Wait." She squeezed his hand, slowing him down. "You're supposed to take me to my car."
"Right." He deepened his voice. "Let me finish my business, and then I'll take you to your car."
On the ramp, on the ride, on the way up the stairs, he wanted to do whatever he could to get rid of her. Now that he was going to take her inside, around the other men, he had the urge to turn around and keep the knowledge of what he'd done to himself. Her steps faltered and he stopped outside the door.
"Why?" she asked.
The back of his head tingled. Hell, he wanted to keep her away from the others, and he had no idea why. There were women everywhere. Behind the club in a cabin, in town at the bars, and anywhere he went. Taking her inside the club would practically go unnoticed with the stream of women who came and went with the other bikers, including the girls he brought to the club to enjoy. He faced her, tipped her chin with his finger, and gazed down into her eyes.
"We're only staying long enough I can talk to my president, so I can let him know I'll be escorting you out of town," he said, liking the way she gazed up at him.
There was something vulnerable and anxious about the way she looked at him for guidance. He lowered his voice. "You'll be safe here."
As soon as that good feeling happened, she stripped it away when she dropped her gaze and nodded. "Thank you."
Jesus Christ. Why would a classy woman, dressed knockout gorgeous, and who had the ability to tag a man with one look, cower in front of him as if she wasn't worth everything?
"Come on," he said, opening the door.
Inside, the main room of the clubhouse, the members fell silent. A rolling pool ball fell into the pocket and dropped onto the metal ramp back into the side holder. Remmy gazed around the room, looking for Kurt and found his president's old lady, Risa, instead. He lifted his chin, motioning to talk with her.
Risa raised her brows and with a simple glance at the woman beside him, brought her eyes back to Remmy. He loosened his grip on the woman's wrist and stroked his thumb on the tender flesh, trying to put her at ease. Once he talked to Kurt, he'd be done with dealing with outsiders for the day and she could go on her way.
"Risa, I need you to stay with..." He gazed down at the woman who refused to look at him. "What's your name?"
The woman turned her head away from him and refused to answer. His jaw tightened. If she were his woman, she'd know better than to disrespect a Bantorus member or an old lady.
"It's okay." Risa laid her hand on Remmy's arm. "Go. I'll watch her."
"Where's prez?" Remmy let go of the woman.
"He's downstairs in the gym working out. He's been down there for hours, so it's good that you're here to get him focused on something besides punching those bags," Risa said in a light tone, amusement tinting her words. "We'll be fine up here, so take your time."
Even with the added assurance that Risa had everything under control, he paused. He had no time to deal with a citizen, a tourist at that, or the desire to involve himself in the woman's troubles.
He was the one who brought her to the club. He was the one who witnessed the abuse put on her by her man. He was the one who set her on the back of his bike.
He was responsible for her.
"Look at me," he said, directing his order to the woman.
Her gaze lifted. His chest muscles clenched in frustration over her plight and warmed because she was gorgeous. The mix of emotions wasn't unpleasant, just odd. Her lack of attitude only compounded his mood, because there were times he swore he saw a spark of life behind her eyes before it was gone.
"Stay with Risa. I'll be back to take you out of here." He lowered his voice, feeling the need to go easy on her. "Okay, lady?"
She nodded in compliance. He glanced at Risa, because damned if he could understand what was going through the woman's head, and received a tender smile in understanding from Risa.
He walked away to find Kurt, so he could return to enjoying his only day off this week. The last thing he wanted to do was babysit a lady. There were too many women in the world that weren't taken care of properly, and he preferred the freedom of keeping company with ones who didn't require a lot of maintenance. A few hours of their company, until he had his fill, was more his speed.
A classy lady needed attention he couldn't afford to give her. Someone always needed to have
the woman's back and make sure she was safe and happy. That took time and commitment. The asshole back in town was not the man to give her that.
He strolled into the weight room downstairs, spotted Kurt punching the speed bag, and made his way across the room.
"I need a second, prez." Remmy leaned against the dumbbell stand.
Kurt dropped his arms to his side, breathing heavy, and covered in sweat. "What's up?"
"I laid a man out on his ass in town who was verbally intimidating a woman." Remmy sighed. "I stepped in, but before I could contain the situation, the woman took off running up the on-ramp to get away from him. I ended up putting her on the back of my bike—"
"Fuck," Kurt muttered.
Remmy's back stiffened. "Yeah. Not the best decision I've ever made, but it's done. I can't go back and change it."
"What's the woman saying?" Kurt asked.
"Not a fuck of a lot." Remmy gritted his teeth before continuing. "I don't step between a man and his woman, but she's broken. She barely speaks and struggles to look me in the eyes. She was also a little too easy to convince to take a ride with me. Any man could lead her around with a firm voice and a stern look, and she needed help."
"Where is she?" Kurt swept up the towel and mopped his face.
"Upstairs with Risa," he said.
Kurt froze, lowering his arms. "Is my woman safe?"
"Yeah. Risa's okay with her and the guys are upstairs watching them." Remmy straightened and walked to the door. "I'm taking the lady back to town. If everything goes okay, I'll be back in an hour. I plan on trailing her for a few miles on the interstate to make sure the asshole doesn't decide to follow her."
"Hey." Kurt strode toward him. "Keep your head on. I don't want this to be part of a bigger plan orchestrated by Los Li to get inside Bantorus."
"Right." Remmy slapped the back of his hand against Kurt's chest. "Your wife wants you upstairs."
"I bet she does." Kurt's mouth softened. "I'll shower and come up."
Remmy moved out into the hallway and shut the door. He leaned against the wall. Kurt had a point. After Los Li burnt down the Sterling Building last summer, shot sheriff Colby, kidnapped Risa, and threated to take out the clubhouse—and instead blew up the warehouse, none of them could let their guard down. Bantorus history proved that the women belonging to the members were the most vulnerable. The long line of women scarred and traumatized by Los Li sat on everyone's conscious.
Maybe that's why the woman upstairs appealed to him. He wanted to save her. She deserved more than being another statistic for domestic abuse. But, he'd never leaned toward having a hero complex before and he wasn't starting today.
Author Bio
Top Selling Romance Author, Debra Kayn, lives with her family at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains in beautiful Idaho. She enjoys riding motorcycles, playing tennis, fishing, and driving the men crazy in the garage.
Her love of family ties and laughter makes her a natural to write heartwarming contemporary stories to the delight of her readers. Oh, let's cut to the chase. She loves to write about REAL MEN and the WOMEN who love them.
When Debra was nineteen years old, a man kissed her without introducing himself. When they finally came up for air, the first words out of his mouth were...will you have my babies? Considering Debra's weakness for a sexy, badass man, who is strong enough to survive her attitude, she said yes. A quick wedding at the House of Amour and four babies later, she's living her own romance book.
Website: www.debrakayn.com
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Debra Kayn's Backlist
Breathing His Air – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Aching To Exhale – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Soothing His Madness – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Grasping for Freedom – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Fighting To Ride – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Laying Down His Colors – Bantorus Motorcycle Club, anthology titled Melt My Heart
Archer, A Hard Body Novel, book 1
Weston, A Hard Body Novel, book 2
Biker Babe in Black, The Chromes and Wheels Gang, book 1
Ride Free, The Chromes and Wheels Gang, book 2
Healing Trace
Wildly, Playing For Hearts, book 1
Seductively, Playing For Hearts, book 2
Conveniently, Playing For Hearts, book 3
Secretly, Playing For Hearts, book 4
Surprisingly, Playing For Hearts, book 5
Chantilly's Cowboy, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 1
Val's Rancher, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 2
Margot's Lawman, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 3
Florentine's Hero, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 4
Suite Cowboy
Hijinks
Resurrecting Charlie's Girl
His Royal Princess
Love Rescued Me
Double Agent
Breaking Fire Code