“Diesel almost kicked that guy’s ass because of you, but why?” There wasn’t any malice in Mora’s voice, just clear confusion.
Maggie felt the same way. “I don’t know. I mean I know him and the club because of my dad, and have seen him while growing up, but aside from talking to him a few times at the shop he stayed away from me.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs and breathed out. “I couldn’t hear what they were saying aside from Diesel pointing at me and saying my name in that angry, growly voice of his.” They were both quiet for several long seconds.
Mora pulled the car onto Maggie’s father’s street and parked at the curb. She left the car idling, but neither moved. “What are you going to do about that?” Mora turned and faced her.
“What do you mean? What am I supposed to do about it?” Why were her hands so sweaty, and why was her heart still pounding a mile a minute?
Mora shrugged, turned and then looked out the windshield for a second, and turned her attention back on Maggie. “Shit, I don’t know. But you walked up to him, touched him on the arm like he didn’t scare the piss out of you like everyone else, and he just stopped.” Mora lifted her hand and snapped her finger in front of Maggie’s face. “I mean, Maggie, it was like your touch just stopped the fight.”
Yeah, Maggie had no clue why she had walked up to him and gotten between them. And when he had faced her and she had seen that his normally blue eyes were swallowed up by the darkness of his pupils, she had known that what she was looking at was more animal than man at that moment.
“I don’t know, Mora. Something just came over me, and before I knew it I was standing right next to him and had my hand on his arm.” Even now she could feel the tingling in her palm and fingers at where she had touched his hard, hot, bare flesh. She curled her fingers into her palm and set her hand on her thigh. “Maybe it was the fact I drank way too much alcohol and had balls of steel.” She glanced at Mora, but her friend had her attention focused in front of her once more.
“I’ll tell you this, Maggie, I have never seen a guy look at a woman the way Diesel looked at you.”
“What do you mean? He didn’t look at me any way.” But that was a lie, because there had been this feeling she got when Diesel had looked right at her, and she just couldn’t ignore the way this spark had traveled up her arm when she had touched him.
Mora looked at her again. “Like the way a man looks at a woman he wants to possess. Maggie, that biker was staring at you like you were his.” Mora licked her lips and leaned back in the seat. “Yeah, that was exactly what it was. Hell, I think he was more bear at that moment than human. He wanted you, no doubt about it. It was like you stopped a derailed train with only a touch.”
“That’s crazy, Mora.” The words came from Maggie in a harsh whisper. Shouldn’t she be excited that Mora was saying the man Maggie had wanted for years reciprocated those feelings? Yes and no, because the way Diesel had looked at her was so intense, so powerful, that she had felt it consume her as if a fire was inside of her, intent on drowning her alive in flames.
“Yeah, it really fucking is.”
Maggie snapped her head up and looked at her friend, only just realizing that she had been looking at the hand that had touched Diesel’s arm.
“But I want to know why you were the one to start the fight—in so many ways—and what exactly you plan on doing about it.”
Maggie didn’t say anything for several seconds. “I’m not going to do anything about it, Mora.”
“Well, I can tell you this, I don’t think a man like Diesel is just going to walk away from you.”
Maggie’s heart pounded fast and fierce at those words.
“That’s crazy. The man hasn’t said anything to me that didn’t have to do with buying parts for Harleys. And you’re trying to say he thinks he has some kind of claim on me after he sees me for the first time in five years?” That whole thing sounded ludicrous and ridiculous, and Maggie wasn’t about to dwell on it any more. Yeah, she wanted Diesel, but she didn’t want crazy. “He was just drunk, just like the other biker. That was all. For all I know they were talking about my dad, my name got thrown in there, and the liquor took care of the rest.”
Mora was still staring at her, but hadn’t responded. She tightened her hold on the handle of her purse. “Maybe you’re right,” said Mora.
Maggie breathed out. Yeah, that was all it had been, because anything else didn’t make sense. “I hope that you’re right, because I don’t think anything short of a bullet to the head can stop a guy like Diesel from coming after what he wants.”
Maggie nodded, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. The night had gone from her admiring him from across the bar, to her watching as he took on this very scary demeanor, and looked seconds away from kicking that other guy’s ass.
“Okay, well, I better get in before my dad wakes up and realize I’m as drunk as I really am.”
Mora smiled, but the look on her face told Maggie that her friend was still thinking about what happened back at the bar. Maggie climbed out, leaned down to wave at Mora through the closed window, and turned to head to the front door. When she had the door unlocked and closed behind her, she leaned against it and breathed out roughly. It was surreal the way the night ended, and honestly, if Mora hadn’t pulled her out of there she didn’t know if she would have left. Honestly, Maggie might still be standing right in front of him, letting him do whatever he wanted to her. That intensity that poured from him as he stood only inches from her had been like a blast from a furnace, and Maggie wanted to feel more of it.
She pushed off the door and went into the kitchen for a glass of water and some ibuprofen. She knew tomorrow was going to be horrible in the hangover department, but for how drunk she was, she was strangely coherent enough to remember every little detail of how Diesel had looked when he had stared at her. But no longer in his presence and breathing in those dark pheromones, the alcohol that had taken a backseat to her stunned arousal and confusion was now back full force, and her stomach turned. She should eat something, preferably loaded with carbs and fat to combat the booze in her, but just thinking about eating anything had nausea settling heavily inside of her.
Instead she sat at the table, rested her head in her hands, and breathed out. This was the most intense experience she had had since living in Steel Corner, and how sad was that?
****
Diesel stood in the center of the circle formed by all the men that had come to watch a dirty fight. There was a good mix of humans and shifter spectators, but Diesel was focused on his opponent. The tiger shifter stood just as nude as he was, but there was nothing sexual about what was about to happen. When they got the all clear they would shift and start this fight. Diesel needed this desperately, needed to burn off the residual rage that he still felt for the shit Dallas had spouted off. He also really needed to get rid of this need to have Maggie that pumped through his veins. She had looked up at him with a hint of fear, and although he was a violent, scary asshole, she had nothing to be afraid of from him.
“We got a special treat tonight. A member of the Grizzly MC is in the fight to face off with a tiger,” the announcer said, and there was a loud roar of cheers.
Diesel kept his attention on the male in front of him. He wasn’t as tall as Diesel, but he had a stockier build. He was also sporting several bruises and cuts on his body, which told him that he liked to fight. Diesel cracked his knuckles, rolled his head around his neck, and stretched his arms. He was ready to kick some ass, knock this fucker’s teeth in, and have the blood coat the dirty floor beneath their feet. There wasn’t a bell that started the fight. They just knew when it was time to go after one another, and that time was now.
Both shifted at the same time and went after one another. Diesel’s bear rose up to its full ten foot height, and he easily had hundreds of pounds on the tiger, but the other male was smaller, quicker, and could attack before Diesel knew it was coming. But although the tiger might b
e swift on its feet, Diesel had a lot of anger powering his actions right now. The tiger moved to the side right when Diesel swiped a paw out. He turned and roared out when the tiger sank his claws into Diesel’s arm. They moved back and forth for several seconds, and Diesel reached out again and knocked the tiger back a few feet. The spectators moved back to give them more room and to keep out of the violence. Diesel went after the other male before he got back on his feet and opened his jaws wide. He roared out loud enough to make the wood all around them shake, and leaned down to sink his teeth into the tiger’s side. He growled and hissed out, and the tiger dragged his claws down his neck hard enough that Diesel felt the flesh open up under his fur. But he loved the pain, revealed in it, and wanted more.
The tiger managed to move enough that Diesel fell forward, but he anticipated the quick movement from the cat. He twisted to the side, wrapped his paws around the feline’s neck, and sank his incisors into the tiger’s side. He roared out in pain, and the tangy, metallic flavor of the cat’s blood filled Diesel’s mouth. He tore away from the tiger, took several steps back, and huffed out. He waited for the tiger to come back for more, but the other male lay on the ground panting as blood pooled around. After a couple of seconds Diesel shifted back to his human form. There were a few guys that groaned as they had bet against Diesel, but the rest roared out and started exchanging money. Sticks went around and collected the cash, and walked up to him.
“Good fight, man.” Sticks slapped a thick wad of cash in his hand.
Diesel looked down at it. There were a few guys—tiger shifters as well and presumably the friends of the shifter currently bleeding heavily on the floor—that walked up and lifted his body off the ground and hauled his ass out of the barn.
“You should fight more often, D. You could bring home a lot of extra cash for taking down guys like that.”
Diesel shook his head. “Nah, this was a night I had to let my bear out to burn off some fierce energy.”
Stinger stepped up to him and tossed Diesel a towel. He started wiping the sweat and blood off his body and applied some pressure to his neck. It hurt like a motherfucker, but a little pain made him stronger.
“What about you, Stinger? You want some extra cash and to beat a few guys’ skulls in?”
Stinger had a joint between his lips and inhaled before pulling it out and blowing the smoke in Sticks’ face. “I’m not into the whole spectator shit. When I fight I want to do it in a back alley where I can crack a skull against a brick wall.”
Sticks was human, but he was also a hard-ass and didn’t take shit from anyone. Running and being the main organizer or these fights required the man be tough as nails, and he was for a human. But he was also dealing with shifters, and it was smart when Sticks took a step back and nodded.
“Yeah, Stinger. Just thought I’d throw the offer out there.” There was a decrease in the volume in the room, but Diesel was busy walking over to the corner where he had stashed his clothes. He started putting them on, and when he shoved his arms through his cut and smoothed the leather across his chest he noticed movement by the double doors toward the front. Stinger was leaning against the wall smoking on his joint, but his attention was at the front as well. Four big fuckers walked through the crowd, and instantly Diesel could tell they were human. But they were huge for humans, easily as big as he and the other members of the Grizzly MC were. They wore cuts as well, and the one at the front wore the patch that stated he was the president. He glanced at Diesel, eyed his cut up and down, and smirked. Diesel let out a low growl, but instead of having the human show fear, it had the bastard smirking bigger.
Everyone started forming a circle for another fight, and the four MC humans turned to watch. Diesel got a look at the back of their cuts. The patch was of a burning phoenix with its wings spread and a motorcycle in the center of that. The top rocker read “Brothers of Menace”, and the bottom rocker stated they were of the Colorado-bred variety. The fact they were in Steel Corner and he didn’t know about it didn’t sit well with Diesel. But calling Jagger would only have his president’s voicemail picking up since he was out of town with Sonya until tomorrow.
He looked over at Stinger, who was staring at the humans that had just walked in as well. “Come on.” His bear was still pacing inside of him, and it was like he hadn’t just fought even though his neck burned from the claw wounds marring it. Stinger pushed off the wall, and they made their way past the biker humans. They slowed marginally when the President looked over his shoulder, grinned, and lifted his chin in acknowledgment, but before Diesel or Stinger could say anything the next fight started, and the cheering and shouts for more blood increased.
They headed out without incident, although Diesel wouldn’t have minded doing a little bare knuckle fighting with the human biker that had that smug fucking smirk on his face. They stepped into the night, and there were a few drunks stumbling around, smoking pot, and laughing loudly. They made their way toward their Harleys by the tree line.
“You know them?” Stinger took one more drag from the joint, kept the smoke in for a few seconds, and flicked the roach away. He exhaled, and the sweet scent of marijuana filled the space around them.
“Nah, I’ve never heard of their MC, but I don’t like them, and neither does my bear,” Diesel said. There were a lot of MCs in the country, but that didn’t mean The Grizzlies knew every single one, even if The Brothers of Menace were from Colorado.
Stinger straddled his bike and put his helmet on. “Me either. They had my hackles rising, though.” Diesel grunted at Stinger’s word and got on his bike. “You headed back to the clubhouse? Big ass party happening.”
Diesel snapped his helmet in place and looked over at the other male.
Stinger made a low noise in his throat. “You good to ride?”
Diesel didn’t respond, just stared at Stinger until he nodded again, revved his engine, and pulled away from the barn. Diesel knew the other bear was talking about his anger and the wild, fierce energy still running inside of him. Was he good to ride? He was always good when he was on his bike with the road rushing beneath him, but even that fierce fight didn’t stop this strange and ludicrous need to have Maggie.
He started his engine and pulled away from the bar. Once he was on the main road he just rode. He didn’t want to go back to the clubhouse, not when it would be filled with females he didn’t want, ones willing to spread their thighs at the snap of a member’s finger. But his ride ended up taking him to a residential part of Steel Corner, one that was older, with the houses close together and the yards postage stamp sized. Then he found himself pulling next to the curb across from a white house with black shutters and a small flower garden in the front.
“Shit, D, why are you here?”
And now he was fucking talking to himself.
Chapter Four
The sound of a motorcycle had Maggie setting her cup and plate in the sink and moving toward the small kitchen window. She had made something to eat even though it was going on midnight, and she felt much better and less intoxicated. But when she pulled the curtain aside and stared at the dark figure straddling the motorcycle right across from her house, her heart stopped. Although she couldn’t see exactly who was on the bike with the shadows around him and the light from the kitchen behind her, Maggie knew that it was Diesel who was sitting out there. She could see that his head was lowered, and against her better judgment she stepped away from window, went into the foyer to grab her jacket, and opened the front door. The sound of his bike was so loud that she quickly shut the door as to not wake her dad. Diesel was still looking down, and she didn’t know if he realized she was walking toward him or not. When the only thing that separated them was the small strip of road, she just stood there and stared at him.
He slowly lifted his head and looked at her, but there was no surprise that she was standing just a few feet from him. There was this clear indecision on his face, and he was probably wondering why he was at her house the same a
s she was. Maggie somehow found the courage to step off of that curb and move toward him. Her heart was thundering so fast in her chest that she felt it at the base of her throat, and her pulse filled her ears. She stopped when she was only a foot from him, and the scent of leather and exhaust filled her nose. The asphalt was rough beneath her bare feet, and a breeze blew by, moving up the thin cotton of her pajama bottoms.
“What are you doing here?” She heard how breathy she sounded, and she cleared her throat, feeling embarrassment and knowing that the steady arousal inside of her was increasing the longer she was this near to him. He didn’t answer right away, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable around him.
“I don’t know, Maggie.”
God, his voice was so low and deep that she felt it in every erogenous zone in her body. The way he said her name was like he was having sex with her, and the dirty, explicit images that claimed her were enough to nearly have her knees buckle from the force of them. He shifted so his upper body was more toward her, and she made a small noise when she saw the nasty looking claw marks peeking up over the collar of his cut.
“Oh my God. Did you get that—”
He was shaking her head before she even finished. “No, this wasn’t because of the fight that was started with Dallas at the bar.” He didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t delve in with the questions. They stood there another few seconds before he spoke again. “I was just riding, and I found myself in front of your house.”
She nodded and swallowed. “I…” She stopped talking because the words failed to come.
“Yeah, Maggie, I know. This whole situation makes no fucking sense.”
No, it didn’t, and she didn’t know where to go from here. One minute she was imagining speaking to Diesel in more than a professional manner at her dad’s shop. And in the next everything had turned into the Twilight Zone. Now she was standing in front of the man she had wanted for years, and unless she was totally reading the vibes wrong he acted like he wanted her, too. But she knew the kind of man Diesel was, hell, the kind of men that were involved with the Grizzly MC. They didn’t do relationships, and going from woman to woman seemed to be a trending hobby for them.
One Night in the Outlaw's Bed Page 3