by Jayne Blue
“What about the Howard project?” she asked as soon as I let her go.
“Stall,” I said. “Buy me a couple more weeks.”
“Quinn …”
“Two weeks. No matter what else, Noreen, I need a break. Hardly anyone knows me out here and I kind of like that.”
“What about this kid, Noel. Is he behaving himself?”
I let out a sigh. I cringed every time I thought about Noel’s stupid antics at Woody’s Bar. On the other hand, I hadn’t done much better with Domino one on one. He currently thought I was a hooker. In retrospect, I’d acted like one. I’d let a perfect stranger ... one who looked like him ... into my car alone. A flare of desire thrummed through me. My skin burned with the echo of his touch along my jaw.
“Quinn?”
Again, Noreen pulled me out of my head. “What? Oh. Noel. He’s more or less behaving himself.”
“You’re sure he hasn’t bit off more than he can chew?” she asked.
The answer was yes. Of course it was yes. Noel had so far done nothing to prove to me that he had the talent and business savvy to get this project off the ground. But I was stuck with him. The Ransom Brothers had made it crystal clear they’d pull their funding if Noel wasn’t involved. It was just my luck their family had picked my dream project to keep Noel busy.
“I told you, he’s green. But he’s got a passion for this project.”
“He’s got more than that,” Noreen said, rising. “He’s got his mother pulling strings behind the scenes. You know she’s the trustee for the Ransom family fortune. Word is she told her brothers in no uncertain terms they better give that kid anything he asks for. So as long as he keeps his passion for this project, that’s good news for you. Just try and keep him out of trouble if you can.”
“I will,” I said, hoping like hell I could.
The landline rang, jolting me out of my head. Noreen and I both looked at it for a moment, confused.
“Uh,” she said. “You do know how to answer one of those, don’t you?”
I laughed. “Yes, Noreen.”
“Better let me,” she said, pushing past me. “Hello?”
She squinted as she listened to the caller on the other end. A deep line formed between her eyebrows. “I’m her agent,” she said. “Any meetings you want to set up with my client should go through my office.”
The hell? I made a gesture. Noreen waved me off.
“You’re with what firm now? How did you get this number?”
I crossed my arms and shook my head. I thought for sure the paparazzi had moved on. The last thing I wanted to do was switch hotels.
“I most certainly am not going to tell her that, Mr. Domino,” Noreen said. My heart hammered in my ribcage. Domino?
“Give me the phone, Noreen,” I whispered, waving.
She held up a finger and shook her head no. “I’ll relay the message to my client. In the meantime, why don’t you just leave me your number.”
Noreen rolled her eyes. She had no intention of writing anything down.
“What do you mean you’re parked outside?” Noreen’s eyes went wide. I went to the balcony and pulled open the sliding glass door. We were fifteen floors up, but sure enough, even from this distance I thought I could see the gleaming chrome of a Harley parked in the valet circle.
I didn’t think. I didn’t even listen as Noreen shouted after me. My boot heels smacked as I went out the door, heading for the elevators. Luck was with me and they opened just as I walked up. Noel stepped out and I waved him off.
“Be back in a sec,” I said. His mouth fell open, dumbfounded as I pushed the button and waited for the doors to close.
This was crazy. I wasn’t acting rationally. Noreen’s voice and Noel’s seemed to become my conscience as I tapped my foot and waited for the elevator to descend. Who knew what the hell Noreen had even said to him as I ran out the door? Why would I even think he would wait? None of it made any sense except I had a real live member of the Dark Saints M.C. looking for me and wanting to talk.
I ran through the lobby and pushed through the revolving door.
Domino was still there, leaning casually against his Harley. The afternoon sun lit him from the back, making him seem even bigger and darker than the day before. He cast a long shadow and I crossed the courtyard and stepped into it.
He gave me a half-smile that looked more like a sexy snarl. I saw my face reflected in his aviator glasses. I was breathless, cheeks flushed. Wearing a red tank top, cut-off jeans, and my designer cowboy boots, I’d left my Quinn Larsen “persona” far behind.
Now that I stood in front of him, he had me speechless. Domino towered over me, crossing one booted foot over the other. One of his muscled arms was easily the size of both of my legs. He was huge, strong, brooding.
“Nice to see you, Hollywood,” he said with that rich voice that warmed my insides like hard liquor.
“You too,” I said. “But what are you doing here? And how did you find me?”
He laughed. “It wasn’t that hard. Let’s just say you leave a wake.”
“A wake?”
“Did you take my advice?” he asked.
“Advice?” God, why couldn’t I do more than parrot his words? This guy had my insides scrambled.
“Laredo,” he said, his tone darkening. He slid off his glasses and tucked them into his shirt.
“Laredo,” I repeated. “You mean the Devil’s Hawks. Right. Yes, I’m looking into that. I’ve got a few promising leads.” It was all a lie. I don’t know why I did it, but Domino’s face changed. His eyes flashed and his jaw twitched. He reached for me, gripping my arm. Not hard, but that same kinetic energy I’d felt the other day seemed to flow through me.
“Don’t,” he said. “Laredo’s no place for you.”
“Well.” I looked up at him, shielding my eyes from the sun. “You didn’t leave me much choice. It was either Laredo or Port Azrael. I will get what I want, Domino.”
“Fine,” he said.
“Fine?”
“You’ve got questions about my club?”
“Yes.” My heart leaped. Whatever the hell was going on in Laredo, he clearly didn’t want me anywhere near it.
He gave me a full smile. His white teeth flashed against his dark skin. Heat coursed through me. “You ready to go for a ride, Hollywood?”
My breath caught and my heart stopped. Smiling, I took a step back. “Hell, yeah,” I answered. Domino’s laugh sounded more like a growl.
Chapter 7
Domino
Two hours earlier ...
“She wants you to what?”
Bear Bullock sat at the end of the long wooden conference table where we usually held Church. This wasn’t a full meeting. Thank God. It was just Bear, Shep, and Mama Bear. She stood behind her husband with her long fingers massaging his shoulders. From time to time, she’d snake them through Bear’s long, silvery hair. It seemed to calm him and I was grateful for it.
Shep was no help. He just sat at his father’s right-hand side fingering the label on an empty beer bottle.
I took a breath and tried to figure out a better way to explain myself. After my outburst in the bar the other night, Bear gave me some time to cool off, but now he wanted answers.
“She’s shooting a movie, I guess,” I said.
“About us,” Mama Bear said. “Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Not about us specifically. I assume it’s a fictional M.C.”
“Pops,” Shep said. “You should have seen this chick. She’s the real deal.” He made a curving gesture with his hands in an hourglass shape. Then he cleared his throat and sat up straighter as his mother gave him a withering stare.
“Josie,” Bear said, eyes twinkling. “I’m kinda getting the idea this needs to be guy talk.”
“Hmm,” she said, eyeing me. “Just do me a favor and everybody think with the organ between their ears instead of the ones between their legs. We straight?”
/> Shep gave his mother a half-hearted salute, but he was barely keeping a straight face. I wanted to knock that smirk off with my fist.
Mama Bear leaned down and kissed Bear on the head. “I’ll be out in the bar if you need me. And you!” She pointed straight at me. “Use some common sense. I don’t mind you having a little fun, but we’ve had enough drama around here over the last year or so. And damn near every time it’s gotten started by one of you thinking with your dick first.”
I sat back hard in my chair and gave her the nod of understanding she wanted. She slapped Bear on the back and left the room. As soon as the door shut, Shep couldn’t hold it together anymore. He started laughing.
I wished I had something to throw at him.
“Listen, son,” Bear started, though he was talking to me. “I’m trying to understand what it is this girl wants with you.”
“I don’t know if it’s me, exactly,” I said. “I told you. She’s researching a part for a movie. She seems to think I can help her out with that.”
When Shep drew a breath to speak, and no doubt to bust my balls again, Bear shot him a look that silenced him. “What do we know about her?”
“I swear to God I didn’t know who the hell she was until ... the guys …”
“Right,” Bear cut me off. “I saw the little peep show Shep put on. That’s a separate issue. You need to control your temper. And you owe my wife a new flat-screen television. It’ll come out of your cut of this month’s haul.”
I put up a hand in surrender. That was more than fair. I would have offered to have a new, bigger one delivered by the end of the day if he’d given me a chance.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t know. This girl seemed, nice.”
Shep lost it. He laughed so hard his eyes started to water. Bear pointed a finger at him and reached across the table. “Knock it off.” And yet, I could see the twinkle of hidden laughter in Bear’s eyes too. I tried to put myself in their positions. Shit. If Shep had reacted this way, I would have been one of the first ones to give him hell for it.
“Dom,” Bear continued. “I could give a rat’s ass what you do in your spare time. If you feel like hanging around this girl, more power to you. Congratulations. But she’s in over her head. I don’t like what I heard about her friend taking pics of all of you at Woody’s. It’s bad for business. With things being how they are, we can’t be too careful. You better be damn sure her story is true.”
“Pops,” Shep said. “Quinn Larsen is one of the hottest chicks in Hollywood right now. You can’t pull up the internet or walk by a tabloid at the grocery store without seeing her on it. I’m sure half of what they print is bullshit. But if the Feds were looking for some cover story to get an in, it wouldn’t be this. You know it.”
Bear put a hand up. He’d heard enough. For as much as I wanted to knock Shep’s head off, he’d stuck up for me. In a lot of ways, he really was like a brother to me. I wavered between wanting to hug him and slug him about forty times a day.
“I’ll put a few feelers out, just to be sure,” Bear said. “But you’re right. This isn’t the M.O. of the Feds. But we’re still blind and deaf since that fucker Rivas had to go.”
Marco Rivas had been Bear’s man on the inside at the U.S. Attorney’s office. For years, if there was heat coming our way, Rivas would give him a heads up. But a few months back, Bear had found out some dark shit about Rivas and he’d had to disappear.
“So you don’t mind if I spend some time with Quinn?” I asked. My heart thumped a little and Shep caught my reaction.
“No,” Bear said. “But if I see that shithead with the cell phone around here, I’m going to kick his ass.”
I nodded and flipped my hands, palms up. “We’re on the same page. I pretty much told her as much.”
“Good.” Bear rapped his knuckles on the table, signaling the end of the conversation. “Have fun, Dom. But don’t have so much fun you lose your head.”
He rose from the table and came around so he stood beside me. Smiling down at me, he ran a hand over the back of my head. Then, looking over at Shep, he asked, “What’s the name of that movie you fuckers were watching the other night?”
Shep’s shit-eating grin widened. “Spring Fling,” he answered. “She’s hot, Pops.”
I vaulted out of my seat, meaning to launch across the table. Bear was ready. He grabbed the back of my cut and pushed me back hard. “We’re just busting your balls, Dom. Relax.”
He slapped me on the back and smiled. Shep came around the table and stuck his hand out in a peace offering. They both laughed when I growled, but I shook Shep’s hand.
“Remember what Mama said,” Bear reminded me. “Use your head.”
I gave him a nod and walked out arm in arm with Shep. The rest of the guys were standing at the door eavesdropping when Bear opened it.
“You mother fuckers!” I yelled to a chorus of cheers.
It was way too easy to find Quinn. It just took one phone call to one of my P.I. contacts to find out where she was staying. Hell, he’d done it while we were on the phone. Somebody had posted her picture on social media in the hotel lobby in Corpus Christi. Thirty seconds later, I had the number to her room. It was dangerous. Damn dangerous. If I could get to her that quick, somebody with dark intentions could too. I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and shield her from everything.
That scene from Quinn’s movie played in my head over and over. Her perfect tits, round ass, sweet smile. The thing was tasteful, I supposed. And yet, the way the rest of the crew ogled her set my teeth on edge. That same protective anger simmered low in my gut.
As I waited across the street, I watched people come through the revolving door. I started to think maybe she had come to her senses and wasn’t planning to come down. It would be for the best. I didn’t know anything about her. She sure as hell didn’t know the first thing about me. Ever since I’d met the chick, I’d been making bad decisions. Yeah. Better for everybody if I just lit out of here and never looked back.
Then Quinn rushed through the revolving door. The valet gave her a concerned look but Quinn just smiled at him and came to me. She stood with her hands on her hips. She had on cutoff jeans and a red top that fit her tight and had a star made out of gold glitter across the front. Her long legs fit into cowboy boots. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail. I liked it. She looked fresh. Sweet. So why had she just agreed to do something as risky as climb on the back of my bike?
I shot her a smile and handed her my spare helmet. Quinn paused for one second before taking it from me. I watched as a quick tremor went through her jaw as she seemed to make up her mind once and for all. She slid the helmet on and swung one leg over the back of my bike, settling herself.
I leaned back. “You’re going to need to get a hell of a lot closer than that and hold on tight if you don’t want to fly off!” I shouted over the thunderous roar of my engine.
I half expected Quinn to bolt. She was braver than I gave her credit for. She scooched forward, getting my blood pumping as I felt her thighs pressed against mine. Quinn had a strong grip around my waist. She put her chin on my shoulder and shouted above the noise. “I’m ready!”
I couldn’t help the wicked laugh from bubbling out. She might be ready, but who the hell knew if I was? We left the poor valet in the dust as I peeled away from the curb. Traffic was light and we had a clean shot toward the bridge. The bike rocketed beneath my legs. Quinn squeezed me even tighter. I felt her breath hitch and she let out a little squeal of excitement as the full power of my Twin Cam engine roared between her legs.
I took her along the coastline. The crystalline waters of the Gulf of Mexico stretched to forever. The sun had just begun to set, casting the Port Azrael skyline in amber. We left Corpus Christi far behind.
Now that I had her with me, I realized I hadn’t really planned where to take her. I never thought she’d actually get on the damn bike. My heart racing, I headed for the Port Az bridge. I knew what she wan
ted, but I wasn’t prepared to give it to her. Not all the way. So I took us back to the park at the foot of the bridge. I felt Quinn’s grip loosen as I slowed the bike and pulled into the same parking spot in front of the fountain.
As I cut the engine, Quinn climbed off. With the fading sun behind her, she cast a dark silhouette as she peeled off my helmet and her hair spilled out around her shoulders. Whatever she’d used to tie it up must not have survived the ride.
Of course she was a movie star. How could I have ever thought otherwise? This woman was flawless from head to toe. She put the helmet on the round stone bench surrounding the fountain and sat down, beckoning me to join her.
I did.
“That was ... I mean ... wow,” Quinn said, gushing. Her cheeks flamed red. top was cut low. That blush spread all the way down her neck. My own blood heated with the desire to know just how far.
I didn’t sit. Instead, I stood next to her, resting one booted foot on the bench beside her. I leaned forward, resting my forearm on my thigh.
“I looked you up,” I said. “You really are famous, huh?”
Quinn ran her fingers through her hair, trying to work through the tangles the wind made. I had to keep myself from stopping her. I think I liked her this way. Unsettled. Breathless. Still a little wild from the ride. I had no basis for knowing it, but I had the strong sense this was a side of her few got to see.
“I really am,” she said. “But I can promise you that’s the least interesting thing about me.”
Her answer surprised me. I laughed. “Yeah. I’m starting to get that.”
“So why did you come back, Dom?” she said. “And what’s your real name anyway?”
I lifted my foot off the bench and stood back, crossing my arms in front of me. I knew it made my shoulders even broader. Her eyes kept traveling to the ink on my arms and the cut I wore. Though I liked her attention, I couldn’t help feeling like some specimen in a zoo.