by Sophie Oak
“Zane, where ya going?”
“I need a beer.” Zane was out the door in a heartbeat and headed for Hell on Wheels. A beer? He would probably drink a dozen, and it wouldn’t help.
An hour later, he knew he’d been right. He was only into his second beer, and it wasn’t starting to obliterate the image of Nate and Callie. Who was he kidding? And could he really blame Nate?
Fuck, yeah, his inner asshole said. Inner Asshole usually warred with Reasonable Guy. This time Reasonable Guy was perfectly silent. Zane shook his head. Turned out Reasonable Guy had a thing for Callie Sheppard, too. Inner Asshole was spewing some serious venom. Who the hell did Nate think he was? They had agreed that she was off-limits long ago. They had agreed that she deserved better. Maybe Nate had just decided he was better.
Maybe Nate had decided he was sick of putting up with his shit and was ready to move on.
Zane slumped forward, his elbows on the somewhat dirty bar. He called for beer number three. The low light of the dive bar revealed the other patrons. Leather and denim seemed to be the dress code, though some of the women wore bikini tops under their vests. Zane made a quick roll call of the MCs in attendance. The Animals, the Wasters, and The Colorado Horde were there in decent numbers. Zane could tell from the three-piece patches they wore on their leather vests. There were a couple he didn’t recognize, but he wasn’t worried. If someone figured out who he was, they would kill him quick. Now the Barbarians, that was another story.
In the background, Zane heard the small door to the prefab building swing open but turned back to his beer. The big bartender swung a fresh mug of whatever was cheapest in front of him.
“Damn it, there’s trouble.”
Zane looked up, following the line of the bartender’s sight. Two newcomers stood in the doorway, two women who looked to be a bit lost. Zane struggled a little to see them through the smoke. There was one with dark hair and a banging body, and a thinner, taller one with lighter hair piled in a bun on her head. Zane liked the short one. She had long, thick hair and round breasts. Yeah, he could do that one. Maybe he would try. It wasn’t like he was married or anything. If she didn’t mind ugly sons of bitches, he’d give the girl a ride.
Or he’d fix her car. That had to explain it. The two women were so out of place, they had to have had car trouble. The hot one was dressed in a yellow sundress. It exposed an expanse of creamy, ivory skin and made it look like a little piece of the sun was walking through the clouds. The other girl had given it a better shot. She had on a denim mini and a tank top, but still looked out of place due to the innocent air surrounding her. There wasn’t a place for innocence in here. Zane sighed. Everyone was staring at the newcomers. If he was half as heartless as he pretended to be, he would just leave, Inner Asshole told him. But Reasonable Guy finally woke up, and Zane knew he was going to protect those girls. They were going to get in trouble. Already Zane could sense the sharks beginning to circle. That old familiar tightening in his gut began. The adrenaline started to flow. Yeah, maybe a good fight was just what he needed.
“This is the worst idea, ever,” the girl in the denim mini was saying as they sort of floated through the cloudy bar. Maybe one of them had a lick of sense.
“Oh, I think it’s charming, once you get past the smell,” the other one said. She approached the bar, and Zane got a good look at her face.
He turned as quickly as he could, praying she didn’t see him. Fuck. What was Callie doing here? The adrenaline was still flooding his system, but he turned from fight to full on flight mode. He started to push back the stool, but stopped. Callie was about to be in serious trouble. His hand was on his cell, texting Nate to come and get his woman. He threw in a text to Stefan Talbot just in case. As pissed as he was, he wasn’t about to let Callie get hurt just because she didn’t belong to him.
“I would like a…I don’t drink very much. Maybe a Cosmo. Those always look good.” Callie’s voice was bright and optimistic.
“I got beer and tequila. I can get you a whiskey, but that’s about it.” The bartender did not seem amused.
“We’ll take the tequila.” Callie’s friend nodded and wiped off her barstool before sitting down.
Zane watched through the sooty mirror behind the bar. He didn’t do what he wanted to do. He wanted to toss Callie over his shoulder and haul her out of this bar.
“You are being very negative, Jen.” Callie pushed a pair of glasses up her nose. “Why can’t you see it as an adventure? We’re like Thelma and Louise.”
“Thelma and Louise died, Cal.”
Callie shook her head. “Nope. I choose to believe they made it across the Grand Canyon in their convertible. Why do people keep trying to get me to see the dark side of life?”
The bartender set two shot glasses in front of them and poured out the gold liquid. He set down a shaker of salt and two lime wedges. Zane had a sudden vision of himself doing body shots off Callie. He would suck salt off her nipples, shoot tequila from her navel, and who needed a lime when her pussy tasted so good? Damn it, his jeans were getting awfully tight.
The girls bit down on the lime, completing their first round. Callie’s friend Jen seemed more acquainted with the procedure. “Is that what Sheriff Dickhead did today?”
Now Zane was listening closely. He leaned in just a little so he could hear over the loud jukebox playing classic rock.
Callie motioned for another. She turned to her friend. “Sheriff Wright made a very heavy pass at me, which I politely turned down. That’s all.”
Zane wanted to fist pump, but it might call attention to him. So Nate wasn’t in so good with their former lover. Nice.
“You turned down that hunk of man? Callie, what are you thinking? I know he’s a jerk, but he’s a completely hot jerk. Seriously, you drag me out here tonight because you want to get laid, but you turned down the perfectly safe hot guy? What is wrong with you?”
They were already on their third shot. What were those girls thinking? Who was going to drive them home? And she’d been very smart to turn down Nate since he was a backstabbing, half-woman stealing dickhead. Goddamn it, half of Callie was his.
“Wow, that works fast.” She turned down a fourth shot with a little wave of her hand. “I turned down the sheriff because I have some self-respect. The sheriff has made his opinion of me plain. He doesn’t like me or my town, so I will not sleep with him whether I want to or not. However, the episode pointed out the fact that I have been lax in dealing with certain bodily needs.”
“You’re horny.”
Jen seemed good at stating things plainly. Zane could appreciate that. And Callie wasn’t the only one who was horny. God, if he wasn’t afraid she would run the minute she got a look at the left side of his face, he would shove her up against the wall and take care of them both.
“I am seeking a bit of physical affection, that’s all.”
Jen sighed. “Then let me call Stef. He knows people, people who would be nice to you.”
Callie’s hands came down on the bar, slapping angrily. “No. I am not so pathetic that I need Stef to find someone willing to sleep with me again. I know I’m not the world’s most beautiful woman, but I’m not hideous, either.” She turned to him. “How about you? You looking for a date?”
Zane wondered if the floor would magically open up and swallow him whole.
“Wow.” Jen was staring at him in the mirror. Her face was a wide-open book. “That is amazing.”
Zane put his head down and started getting off the bar stool. There was no way he would stand around and take their pity.
“Well, that figures.” Callie’s hands were on his arm.
He turned because there was nothing to do now. She’d recognized him. Zane looked at her, drinking in her face for the first time in years. Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t that she felt sorry for him.
Her pretty face was frowning at him. “I go out to find someone who might want me, and I run into you. That’s just perfect.” Sh
e turned back to the bartender. “I changed my mind. Hit me again.”
At least now he could do something. “You give her another drop of liquor, and I swear I’ll tear you up when you least expect it. You understand me?”
The bartender took a step back. Zane was satisfied with the way the man turned a little white. He pulled the tequila bottle back. “Sorry, sweetheart, bar’s closed for you. I don’t think I want to see what that ugly son of a bitch could do.”
“That is not a nice thing to say!” Callie pushed her empty shot glass toward the bartender. “I am not tipping you anything above the normal twenty percent. You’re rude to your customers. What kind of service professional are you?” She turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Please feel free to flee. I promise I won’t chase after you.” She gave him an imperious wave of her hand.
Zane felt his face set stubbornly. He would not let her know how much she affected him. “I was here first, Callie.”
“Well, of course you were. Tell me something, Zane, how long have you been in town?” There was a suspicion in her voice, and her eyes were brown lasers cutting through him.
“Couple weeks.”
“That’s what I thought. You’ve been here a couple of weeks, and you didn’t bother to call.”
Jen was at her side, but her eyes were on Zane. She looked utterly fascinated. It made Zane uncomfortable. “You know this guy? Wow, Cal, he is stunning. I would really like to paint you.”
Zane ignored her. He was too busy paying attention to Callie. “I didn’t think you would welcome a call from me. I figured you were married and stuff.”
Her smile held not a hint of humor. “Well, I showed you, didn’t I? Not married. Not dating. Still alone. I haven’t even…”
He thought he knew what she was talking about. She hadn’t had sex since him and Nate? How was that possible? Her face was a flaming red. “Babe, I couldn’t call you.” Was she looking at him? Could she not see his freaking face?
“You’re like a fallen angel. It’s really beautiful.” Jen’s nose was a bright red. Girl couldn’t handle her tequila.
“Well, as I see the cell phone in your pocket, I can only assume you couldn’t call me because you didn’t want to.” There were tears shimmering in her eyes, and his heart was going to shatter if she cried.
“Callie, look at me.” He turned his face straight to her, so she couldn’t miss a single inch of the scars that ran down the left side of his face. Besides the long one, there were two others. One on the side of his jaw, deep and puckered, and one across his forehead. He’d damn near lost his eye. Only Nate had managed to save him. She couldn’t even see the scars on his body.
She snorted. “Yes, you’re horrible. All of your hotness is gone. Don’t give me some lame story about how a few tiny marks are supposed to make me not want you. They’re scars, Zane. Get over it. You’re gorgeous, and you know it. Just be honest. You slept with me as a favor to Stef, and that was it. It’s fine, but don’t lie to me.”
“You slept with him?” Jen’s mouth was wide open as she looked between them.
“At least Nate was honest enough to tell me he didn’t want to see me.”
“You slept with the sheriff, too?” Jen asked.
He was going to beat the sheriff to death for putting that look on Callie’s face. He felt his face bunch up and was sure he sounded like a pleading little boy. God, if he still had a chance with her, he wanted to take it. If she could see past how awful he looked, he’d do anything for her. She’d haunted his dreams every night for the past six years. The fact that she was here and still thought about him, too, well, it just floored him. “Babe, I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you so bad. But you can’t possibly want me like this. You have no idea what I’m like now. And these aren’t the only scars I have. They’re everywhere.”
Callie shrugged out of his grasp. She was on her feet. They were encased in little sandals with ladybugs on them. “Like I said, Zane, at least Nate was honest with me.”
She stalked off toward the dance floor, and Zane was left staring after her. Her ass swayed as she approached the jukebox.
“Seriously, you have to let me paint you. You are amazing.”
He squinted at the brunette. “What are you talking about?”
He needed a minute to catch his breath. If he went after Callie, he would be on his knees in a second, begging her to give him just one night. Just one. He needed to get this situation under control because she hadn’t reacted the way he’d expected.
“I’m talking about the dichotomy of your face. It’s amazing. The things you must have been through. It’s really beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Are you insane?”
She shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no, I’m an artist.”
She slid into the seat Callie had recently vacated. Zane had a sense of her leaning in, but his eyes were firmly on Callie. So far no one had crowded her, but two assholes in leather vests and blue jeans had eyes planted on the delicious little treat.
Jen was still talking. “You’re the perfect model. So beautiful.”
He had no idea how to respond to the drunken artist. But maybe she could help him out. “Why hasn’t Callie gotten married?”
Callie’s body was swaying slightly to the sounds of Metallica. The two guys eyeing her were talking to each other and then looking back at him. He growled a little and bared his teeth.
“See, wow, that’s just hot. Ummm, I guess Cal isn’t married because she never found anyone. It’s hard in a small town. And then there’s the fact that she’s always busy. And her mom only died last year.”
Zane turned suddenly. “Her mom died?”
Jen nodded. “She had cancer for a really long time. Callie took care of her. Callie takes care of everyone.”
Yes, he remembered that. She was very concerned with the comfort and well-being of those around her. Even during their crazy weekend, when she should have been content to let them treat her like a princess, she had taken care of them. She had rubbed his scalp when he got a headache and cuddled against Nate after he’d gotten off the phone with his dad. She hadn’t asked questions, just been there. He bet everyone took advantage of her nature.
“So, you slept with my friend and then dumped her?”
Maybe Jen wasn’t as wasted as he thought. “I didn’t dump her. I had a job to do.”
Jen’s lips pursed. “Must have been a great job to leave someone like Callie.”
It hadn’t been. It had been hell. He’d give anything to go back. He’d refuse to go and refuse to let Nate go. “You think Callie and the sheriff have something going on?”
“Well, I certainly do now, given the fact that they have some sort of super freaky past where she slept with both of you. Did she do you at the same time?”
“None of your business.” They hadn’t. He and Nate had decided she was too green to take her together. There hadn’t been time to prepare her. He’d dreamed about it, though. Apparently Nate didn’t have the same thoughts. He was planning a sweet little vanilla life with the girl of their dreams. Screw that. He wasn’t giving her up. He jumped off his barstool. “And you can tell that town that she’s taken.”
“She is?”
He nodded. She would be once he was done.
* * * *
Callie tried to focus on the jukebox menu, but all she could see was Zane’s beautiful face. He had a few scars. Anyone could see that, but she wasn’t stupid. He was still a gorgeous giant of a man. His hair was longer than she remembered. It was pitch black and curled at the ends. His face was so masculine it was as though someone had carved it. His jaw line was perfectly square, and he had a sharp blade for a nose. His eyes were a deep green and intelligence still sparked out of them.
That was a lie. There wasn’t a lick of intelligence in him if he thought she was falling for that whole “I’m not good for you” crap. Like she hadn’t heard that before. Next he would want to be her friend because
he didn’t like her that way. Story of her life.
She was not going to cry. Nope. No crying allowed in the tough biker bar. If she thought it would be hard living in the same town with Nate, how bad would it be with Zane here, too? It would happen all over again, watching two men she cared about search for what they wanted when what they wanted wasn’t her.
Tears made the jukebox menu a watery mess. What had she expected? They’d had a couple of nights together years ago. It meant the world to her, but they had probably had so many women, she was lucky they remembered her face. She couldn’t be mad at them. It was the way the world worked. Women like her didn’t get guys like Nate and Zane.
“Hey, pretty lady, you with that rough rider back there?”
Callie looked up into a very rugged face. There were two of them, bikers both, or so their leather vests proclaimed. They appeared to belong to some form of horde that claimed Colorado as their home. The men had no right to call Zane rough. They were far rougher than Zane.
“No, I’m not. Please excuse me.” She wasn’t with him, and now she wondered what the hell she was doing. Was she trying to punish Nate? Jen had been right. This was stupid. She pulled out her cell and dialed Stef’s number. He picked up immediately.
“Callie?” He sounded harried, and she could hear movement, like he was in a car.
“Is that her?”
Was Nate with him? “Yes, it’s me. I’m sorry to bother you, Stef, but Jen and I need a ride. We’ve had a bit to drink, and I don’t feel safe with either of us getting behind the wheel.” She was feeling a little woozy.
“Give me that phone.” She heard a little tussle, and then Nate’s voice was the dominant one. “You stay right where you are, Callie Sheppard. Do you understand me? What the hell were you thinking?”
Callie moved the phone away from her ear. He was yelling really loud. “Sheriff, stop yelling. The signal is fine. I can hear you. I just need Stef to come get me.”