Bruiser's Caress (Warpath MC Book 2)

by Raven Scott

“Isn’t it supposed to be a powder?” I grunted lowly in acknowledgment before wiping my hand on my jeans, and Cole rocked back on his heels to whistle low. I could practically smell the questions backing up between his ears, making his head three times too big, and I rolled my eyes.

  “What, Cole?” Pushing past him through the empty shed, I ignored Cole’s curious eyes following me. We were going to put in electricity, a lined basement for storage, some sofas, but right now, the ‘clubhouse’ was just four walls held together with some posts and screws. Fuck, we barely had insulation up.

  “I also got a call from my sister this morning.” I tensed as Cole’s dark tone rolled up my back, and I twisted as he rubbed his jaw and neck roughly. “Would you back me up?”

  “You know I would. That’s a dumbass question. Why?” Cole’s expression wavered, and I gestured for him to follow me out of the shed. He scratched his scalp and sniffled behind me, but when he spoke up, his voice was clear.

  “I’m not sure yet, but I have a bad feeling. I’ve never questioned you, Bruiser. You’re my best friend, and even if you don’t like it, you show up, like with Bailey. So, I just wanted to be clear. If I need you, you’ll show up, right?” Turning to catch Cole’s eye, my own strained under the intensity that glared back at me, threatening to burn my retinas. I wordlessly held out my hand, and the muscles in Cole’s neck twitched before he reached for it. His palm was cold and clammy as we shook hands, and I nodded firmly.

  “I will, Cole.”

  Chapter Eight

  Nicole

  Biting back a groan as I locked my phone and slid it into my apron, I closed my eyes briefly and took a huge, cold breath. My sister had been blowing up my phone for days. Ever since I ran away from her wedding, through the first week of her honeymoon, she’d called and texted me for hours. Not constantly, though, which is good . . . I think. I mean, who the hell knew if it was a good thing or not. I knew she must’ve been worried, but damn, it was her honeymoon. Plus, she knew me well enough to know the only thing I needed was some space.

  I just hope I didn’t ruin Jackie’s trip to Europe with my bad decisions. I leaned over to peek around the corner before shaking my head. My heart thundered against my ribs, the mortification still fresh and hot between my lungs. Rubbing my face with both my hands, I walked over to the sink to wash my hands quickly and glance at the clock above. I’m glad Tom’s not the one blowing up my phone.

  Everything balanced out, though, Tom posted a scathing rant on my social media about my being a two-timing, gold digging piece of crap, and I blocked him everywhere. Even on my professional profiles, which he thankfully didn’t know my handles for. Reaching into my pocket, I fingered the diamond ring he’d proposed to me with and frowned. I should’ve been happy to finally get this ring, to have the heirloom my grandmother left for me when she died five years ago, but the sickening feeling that constantly settled in my stomach made holding onto it unbearable. My damp fingers trembled slightly, and I clutched the thing in my fist tightly as anger simmered in my blood. I didn’t even know why I still carried this thing around. I could’ve given it back to my mom for safe keeping, considering my grandmother was relentless on the timing in my life where it would be mine. Hell, maybe I’d still held onto it as a reminder to never settle for anyone like him ever again. For fuck’s sake, he didn’t even have the decency to respect what I asked of him, to not propose to me. Still, I wondered how he even managed to get the ring in the first place. I bet he convinced my parents he wouldn’t propose to me at my sister’s wedding, and like the lovely people they’ve always been, they’d believed him.

  “Nicole, can you take table thirty-two for me?” Whipping around, I nodded as I walked out of the small corner designated for breaks. Kayla smiled as relief slumped her shoulders. “It’s a seven top, and I don’t wanna get into it just before my shift’s over.”

  “Yeah, no problem.” Ducking out of the kitchen, I released my ring to grab my pad and pen as Kayla pulled her order from the racks. The River didn’t have party rooms so people could have intimate dinners for celebrations, but it did have outdoor seating, and I shook my head to gather myself before heading out the open, double doors. “Welcome to The River. My name’s Nicole. Can I start you off with something to drink tonight?”

  “That’d be perfect! It’s your birthday, Bailey, you go first.” I glanced up, pen poised, and paused as a familiar, handsome face flooded my field of vision. Surprise rose my brows, but I couldn’t even begin to think of it before the woman in question spoke up. Blue eyes flashed in recognition before a feminine voice stole my attention, and I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose and pursed my lips in concentration.

  Shorthanding all the drink orders, I found myself gazing steadily at the man who'd helped me down the mountain the night of my sister’s wedding. He wore a cut-off leather jacket, with worn patches, that looked like a second skin over his plain, gray t-shirt. He ordered a Sprite, but I felt more than heard his deep voice under the blood drumming in my ears. Nodding as I scribbled it down, I repeated my mantra before walking off back into the restaurant.

  You’re at work. Nothing can faze you, you’re working. Absolutely nothing.

  I worked on autopilot as I got their drinks ready, my mind wandering back to a week and a half ago. What was his name? I don’t think I ever got it. I swore I saw the name ‘Bruiser’ on his leather jacket, though. Frowning lightly as I popped the top off a beer bottle, I set it on the bar to shake my head and clear my thoughts. Placing the margarita orders with the bartender, I hiked my drink tray up to walk briskly back to the patio. I didn’t have many tables, and the dinner rush hadn’t slammed us yet, and my heart flipped when I saw that guy sitting, staring at the menu under tightly knit brows.

  “Would you like to order any appetizers, or do you need some more time?” I scanned the table relentlessly. There were two women, but the other five were men, and they were all wearing the same name on their jackets, or maybe it wasn’t a name, maybe it’s a club of some sort? It read ‘Warpath MC’. I knew I’d seen people like this in my travels. As a kid, my parents constantly had my sister and me on cross country road trips. Going down the interstate, we were always bound to see people like them, with their matching jackets.

  “We’ll take two of the tasters. Can we have all the different options between them?” I nodded, scribbling down the request before running through all the options. The River, true to its name, had a lot of seafood options, and I was pleasantly surprised that the group picked rather quickly. It’s gonna be a long Friday night. This is a nice way to start it, at least.

  “I’ll put that in and be right back with the rest of your drinks.” I closed my pad and turned to walk before a clearing of a throat caught my attention, and my gaze automatically found the man from the gas station.

  “Sorry, could I tack on a third taster with sizzler steak fajitas?” Nodding, I flipped open my pad again to scribble it down, and intense eyes bored into my back before I disappeared behind the wall. Reaching to rub my head, my palms tingled, and my cheeks warmed as I stared down at my pad.

  Stopping by the register nearest to the bar, I put in my ticket and paused on the steak fajitas. Gnawing in my inner lip, the cogs turned in my mind, and I tapped the ‘chicken’ option before sending the ticket to the kitchen.

  “Nicole, here’s your ‘ritas.” I smiled secretly to myself. I owed that guy because I’d probably still be on that mountain, four hundred miles from home, without him. It was the least I could do. Grabbing my drinks off the bar, I headed back out to drop them off before my pager beeped from the hostess podium.

  Procedure took over my individual thoughts, and I scurried between my filled tables as people started to flood in for the dinner rush. Checking the time on my phone as I waited for the drink station to empty, I frowned lightly at how early it was. “It’s gonna be a long night, but I need a bigger paycheck.”

  My commissions didn’t make as much money as I’d expected this month, b
ut it’d all be worth it in the end. Flexing my fingers, I wished I had a paint brush in my palm instead of a serving tray, but waitressing was only temporary. It was merely a means to an end. I’m going to be a successful artist, come hell or high water, and I won’t stand by and let negative thoughts or doubts keep me from my dreams.

  That’s right! All I had to do was stick it out for a few more months, three years, maybe, and I’d flip the tables. My following was growing, and my online store was gaining traction. It was just a waiting game, now. One day, my paintings would be at the Louvre, or maybe even the Museum of Modern Art!

  “Or, at the very least, a super popular online forum.” Muttering to myself, I smiled broadly as determination burrowed deep in my gut. The line cook called my ticket number, and I carefully placed the three large starter plates on a platter.

  “Here you go. Are you ready to order your mains, or would you like some more time?” Scanning the group after I set down the apps, I caught those blazing, blue eyes as I fished my pad and pen out of my apron. A strange sense of excitement whirled in my chest as he reached for one of the fajitas. I tore my eyes off him when the rest of his group began ordering, once again leaving him to say something last.

  I really wish I had his name. What did ‘Bruiser’ even mean? Was it a nickname? The anonymity was killing me. I wanted to thank him for helping me out, but a free app would have to do.

  “I’ll take the bacon-wrapped scallops, but these are chicken fajitas, and I ordered steak.” He spoke very matter-of-factly, and I rose my brows as I struggled to fight the smirk that tingled my lips. I glanced down at my pad briefly, but when I looked up again, he stared at me with a knowing glint.

  “I’m so sorry. I’ll get the right app as soon as possible.” Rushing back toward the kitchen, I put the new app order in and then all the entrees, making sure to double check the order. Smiling to myself, I exhaled a shaky breath as flames licked up my neck.

  “Excuse me.” Glancing up at the deep, familiar baritone, I stiffened as the guy walked up to me with a confidence that was intimidating. He was so much taller than I expected, and my mouth dried as he stopped a few feet from me. “You don’t have to put in a new order.”

  “I already did it. It’s my fault, so it’s on the house.” Belatedly, I realized I didn’t sound very nervous, and the man smirked a charming smile that stole the breath from my lungs. “U-um, so . . . yeah, it’s no problem at all.”

  “Right . . .” He didn’t sound convinced at all before holding out his hand, and I automatically took it. Tensing as something soft transferred palms, I licked my lips heavily under his narrowed gaze. “Well, since you already put the order in, I’ll go back to my table.”

  “Okay.” Clutching my fist tight, I watched him saunter off, and I couldn’t help but stare at his ass in his form-fitting jeans. I bit back a groan and stomped my heel lightly, dramatically, before turning back to the register to unfurl my palm. The napkin had a date, time, and place. It was a little coffee place that was quite close to my apartment. Heat flooded my veins, and I stuffed the napkin in my apron as a giggle clogged my throat. Holy fucking shit. I can’t believe that just happened, but I’m here for it.

  After all, I felt the need to properly thank this hot guy for his help anyway.

  Chapter Nine

  Bruiser

  “I can’t believe you didn’t ask her out, Bruiser.” Parker couldn’t help but make a sly remark. As it filtered through my headset, I pulled up on the curb in front of the bank sharply. “You seriously didn’t get her number? I don’t believe your ass.”

  “I didn’t ask for or give her my number, Parker. It’s been a week. Will you shut the fuck up about it?” Growling into the receiver, I tapped the ‘end call’ button on my phone and jerked my helmet off to bluster a huge, hot sigh. Closing my eyes briefly, I soaked up the sun on my face to melt the ice lodged in my chest. This is starting to bug the shit out of me. I think it might be time to kick Parker’s ass to the curb.

  The thing was, though, I did ask Nicole out, although not in so many words. Not in any words, actually. She was hot, but there was something else about her that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I wanted to know what it was, aside from her perfect ass. On the mountain, I was preoccupied, that I hadn’t given much thought when it came to Nicole at first, but as I’d discovered her at work, I realized I was interested in the mysterious woman. Seeing her at work somehow set a fire within me. One I didn’t plan on putting out.

  Nicole hadn’t entered my mind even once in the last week, but she kept me up at night. Her smile was bright and untainted, and the shadows in her eyes had fled. Maybe, I was taking a shot in the dark, but there was something about her that captivated me. The least I could do was explore it and see where it led if it led anywhere in the first place.

  Hoisting my backpack up on my shoulders, I glanced down the sidewalk on either side of me before heading into the bank. Reaching to rub the back of my head roughly, I took a deep breath of the crisp, spring hair and held it. I twirled my keys to drown out the bad music in the bank and flipped my phone in my other hand before unlocking the screen.

  Shooting Spyder a quick text that I’d arrived, I navigated to the news to waste some time in line. I’d need to deposit this money with the teller, after all, and it always took no less than twenty minutes. I’m on one of the nail salon’s accounts as an owner, so it doesn’t look weird that I was the guy making deposits. I’d only make a couple of deposits a month, so they’d never thought it was weird I’d come in here with so much cash.

  Coming to Provo was about the same distance as going to Las Vegas, and it was safer. Who came to Provo, of all places, and thought, ‘let’s set up a money laundering scheme’? That’s right. No one.

  “Can I help you, sir?” Shuffling up to the counter, I dropped my backpack as the teller shot me a welcoming smile. “Welcome back, sir. ID and account information, please.”

  I pulled out my wallet to slide the cards under the bulletproof glass, and she clacked away on the computer for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. Her directions were muted as I took my credentials and started unloading cash from my backpack. She and I had gone through this dozens of times, now, and she effortlessly transferred the money to a black moneybag before gesturing me to follow her to the office.

  Dropping into a chair as she set about fiddling with the machine that’d count my bills, I stretched my legs and rubbed my jaw roughly. My mind wandered, and my gaze unfocused until the squiggles in the carpet disappeared.

  Despite dinner last night, I couldn’t help but feel something big was happening. That clawing sensation in my gut had only intensified the past week, and having a keg like Rook just one wrong glance from exploding didn’t help the situation. My younger cousin did nothing but sleep and wallow until last night, and that was perfectly fine but . . .

  Something, somehow, was gonna happen. I didn’t know what or who it involved, but the foreboding eating away at me was rarely wrong. Like that old saying goes, when you know, you know.

  “Alrighty, everything seems to be in order. Let’s get your receipt, and I’ll confirm the deposit.” The manager spoke up, breaking into my thoughts, and I glanced at the clock on the wall in surprise. Standing up, I smiled politely before she gestured me out of the office, packing up and bringing my cash to the safe embedded in the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her, struggling to keep my mind in the present.

  Maybe asking Nicole out wasn’t a good idea? What if she didn’t show? Why else would she intentionally fuck up my order? Sure, it could’ve been a simple ‘thank you’ but she was oozing vibes that I wanted to reach out and grab.

  I guess I’ll just have to see. I picked the coffee shop because it was right across the street from the bank, and I had to make a drop anyway. In relative silence, I followed the manager back to the registers for my receipt. For a brief moment, my mind cleared, reading the pages intently and nodding more to myself than her. “Thank you. Hav
e a nice day.”

  “You too, and thank you for choosing Provo Regional Credit Union.” Shouldering my backpack, I headed out of the bank to twirl my keys absently. I had nothing to do now. I never had anything to do but pickup drugs, drop off drugs, and the bankroll. Restlessness shot down my legs as I crossed the street, and I lifted my gaze to the high rises holding back a sigh.

  Thinking back on my past, I knew why I left Canada. In my experience, it’d been a shithole, but so many others loved it there. Don’t know why the fuck I moved to Utah, though. I should’ve been looking for some excitement, and instead, I’d moved to the second most boring place on the planet. But, when Spyder’s uncle died, my uncle needed someone down here to help facilitate transactions. Or, in other words, teach Spyder not to fuck up.

  Spyder was my friend. I’d put my life on the line for him or anyone in our club, but God damn, did he live in a boring ass place. Shit, the nearest titty bar is how far off? Hours, not minutes, hours.

  “Hey!” Pausing at the shout, my gaze flew to the left, and Nicole waved her arm with a huge, beaming smile on her face. She wore a cute little sundress that barely held back her tits and showed off her slim waist. The rust color was pretty on her, too. It really made her blue eyes pop, shining brighter than I’d remembered. My gut tightened as she flounced down the sidewalk. “Hey, hi. I’m on time, right?”

  “You really showed up.” Bemusement lilted my tone, and Nicole’s blush raced down her neck and across the exposed swell of her breasts. She rocked back on dark brown ankle boots, and I scanned her shrewdly before a flash caught my eye. Reaching to grab her hand, I examined the modest rock on her finger skeptically. “You didn’t let that asshole bully you into it, did you?”

  “Oh, no . . .” Gingerly extracting her fingers from mine, Nicole flushed brightly even as fondness sparkled in her eyes. “I love this ring. My mom gave Jackie hers, and this one is a close replica. My grandmother left me this ring, told me and everyone in my family the man who married me would be the one to ‘bestow’ it upon me as she’d say. This ring . . . it’s so damn important to me, and I’m not letting a man take it from me ever again.”