“Hey,” she gasped. “Help.”
Her sides were aching and suddenly, there was another massive push from the crowd and she found herself pinned and completely unable to move. She gasped in and out, trying to catch her breath while the room swam in front of her and with each passing second, she drifted closer and closer to unconsciousness.
Her eyes went heavy and the pain in her ribs was too much to bear. But suddenly, a pair of hands slammed down on her shoulders and gripped her underneath the armpits. She was pulled and lifted free and brought forward, over the top of the bar and down onto the floor.
She lay against the cool tile as a big pair of hands cradled her head and a voice she didn’t recognize spoke to her, gruff and loud over the other noise in the room. She rubbed her forehead and felt how slick with sweat it was. She had been trapped but someone had come for her. Her vision was still blurred and as she tried to open her eyes, it took a while for the features of the person who had saved her to focus, but when they did, she almost lost her breath once more.
The man leaning over her was big and brutish, his eyes were dark and penetrating, but they locked in on her and pinned her even further into the floor. His hair was shaggy but slicked back behind his ears and his arms were thick and snaked with tattoos. He held a cocktail stick between his teeth and Paige couldn’t help but focus in on a scar he had running from one corner of his lip right down to his chin. It made him look even wilder, as if he had been broken and put back together. His jaw was strong and the scar only defined it even more. He was handsome in an unconventional way, almost as if he was built by a fantasy but darker at his core. Paige gulped and tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t form and she found her mouth gaping like a fish.
“Are you all right?” He said with a growl. His lip curled and she could see that he was angry. “This fucking bar,” he continued. “It’s just one big shit show tonight.”
He lifted her up so he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder for support and he looked sideways into her eyes, holding her gaze for a long, drawn out moment. Around them, the bartender was still working, pulling bottles out of the refrigerators and making drinks. They were completely concealed behind the bar, and it felt like they were in hiding.
“You pulled me free,” Paige finally managed to croak.
“I saw that whole thing unfold from the other side of the room,” he said as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“How?” Paige rubbed her side and winced.
“I was already watching you,” he admitted and then he lifted the cocktail stick free and tucked it behind his ear.
He took hold of her face in his hands and looked at her deeply. For a moment, Paige thought he was going to kiss her and her heart raced in her chest wildly, but she soon realized he was checking her over for any signs of injury.
“Your eyes aren’t blood shot,” he said. “If they had been, I would have insisted on taking you to the ER.”
His hands were hot and all over her, checking her, making sure she was all right. Paige bit her lip and tried not to smile at the sensation of his touch.
“I think I’m okay,” she said.
She reached down and touched her side, lifting up the t-shirt slightly and seeing that there was a long red mark and already the signs of a bruise that was ready to form.
“That fucking guy,” he said. “I’m going to kick his ass.”
Paige smiled and felt herself blushing.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It was probably my fault, I mean, come on, what the hell am I even doing here?” she tried to laugh but it hurt so she clutched her side again and winced.
He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. When they emerged to standing height Paige instantly regretted it with all of the faces and heat and swarming bodies that were encircling the bar, making her feel trapped.
“You okay?” the man asked as he took hold of her by the elbow and looked at her with concern.
Paige felt the heat roll over her again and her vision started to swim.
She shook her head and he quickly took hold of her and helped her out from behind the bar, pushing his way through the crowds and toward a door at the back of the room.
“Come on,” the stranger said. “You need some fresh air.”
And he pulled her out of a fire escape and into the cool desert night.
5.
Paige sat down on a low wall with her head in her hands as she waited for him to come back with a bottle of water. When she heard his boots crunching across the gravel, she instantly felt better. This man, whoever he was, had just saved her life.
“Thank you,” she smiled as he passed the water to her gently.
“No problem,” he sat down next to her and looked at her properly again.
Paige unscrewed the cap from the bottle and took a long sip.
“Who are you here with?” he asked. “Do you want me to go and find them?”
Paige shook her head. She was glad for a bit of an escape. It had been a long night already and she was done with drinking. She just wanted to feel safe and secure, and this guy, being as massive and protective as he was, was certainly making her feel it.
“It’s okay, but thank you,” she smiled. “I just need some fresh air.”
He nodded and patted her lightly on the leg.
Paige was almost too nervous to look at him properly, her mind was awash with panic and relief, but everything had been so scattered and overwhelming, she hadn’t even really had the chance to say anything properly.
“I’m Paige,” she finally managed when the silence between them became just a little too long.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his teeth, lit up and smiled at her.
“Good to meet you, Paige,” he exhaled smoke out of his nose. “Albeit, in rather terrible circumstances.”
She smiled and laughed.
“At least you got to me in time, I was about to go unconscious.”
“I know, I could tell,” he said seriously. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
“Talk about drama,” she said before she took another sip of water. “And this is why I never go on night’s out.”
“Well, when you do, you shouldn’t have to worry about some dumbass trucker crushing you half to death.”
“It was the crowd,” she said. “They were all pushing. Maybe I should blame the management for having such a shitty setup, or going overcapacity.”
He laughed and raised his eyebrows.
“Well, for that I can only apologize,” he said with a scouts salute.
Paige looked at him and couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized earlier. He was big, broad, rough around the edges and covered in skull and gun tattoos. His jeans were black and scuffed, and his boots were big, thick leather. The rings he wore across his knuckles were silver and chunky, and his hands were so large they could have broken her in two. He was like a hulk sitting next to her, and she could see that across his shoulders, written across the back of his leather jacket was one big, emblazoned word.
Forsaken.
He was one of the bikers.
Paige instantly tensed and swallowed hard.
“You own this place?” she asked. More as a statement that a real question.
“Me and a few others,” he replied as he sucked in on his smoke.
“I see,” she said nervously and looked down at the floor. The atmosphere between them had instantly changed and now she didn’t know where to look or what to say.
“That doesn’t mean you need to be embarrassed,” he said. “It was an accident, those truckers shouldn’t even be in here. All they do is cause trouble.”
Paige’s face was burning with embarrassment. After all Faith had told her about The Forsaken Riders, and now she was insulting one of them practically the second they had walked in and was causing trouble. She just wanted to get the fuck out of there.
“I’m Hunter,” he said, breaking her thou
ghts, as if he could sense her unease. “And Paige, let me assure you, you don’t need to worry about hanging out here.”
She looked up into his eyes and he smiled.
“Thanks,” she said shyly.
She felt like such an idiot. How had she managed to be such a big screw up?
“Well, I mean it,” he continued. “You look terrified. Just take a minute and then we can go back in, okay?”
He was being so kind and genuine, it almost made her feel even worse. She took his advice and breathed in deeply to try and calm herself down. She had to be brave and go back inside anyway, she couldn’t exactly leave her friends and try and get home alone from that side of town. She had no clue where she really was and she didn’t fancy her chances out on the streets. If she could nearly be crushed to death inside a bar over there, then who knew what could happen to her down a deserted, dark alley.
“Ready?” he asked as he got to his feet and held out his hand.
Paige faltered and looked up at him as he took the last drag on his smoke before throwing it to the ground and standing on it. He ground it out into the sand and it fizzed under his boot.
“Okay,” she answered finally. “But is there somewhere quiet I can stand while I try to text my friends? I don’t fancy going back toward that crazy bar.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he walked on, leading the way. “I just got some of the boys to clear the majority of the place, the only people left are regulars from Slate Springs and the guys I work with.
Work with…
She thought about it for a moment as he pushed open the back fire escape and led her inside.
She wondered what his working day consisted of. She had no idea but she was pretty sure it wouldn’t be as tame as hers, sitting in a class room with a bunch of five year olds, reading stories and doing finger painting.
She let out a little laugh.
“That’s more like it!” he said as he nudged her playfully on the shoulder. “And man are you sexy when you smile.”
He winked at her and it made her whole body quiver.
It had been a while since she had been in the dating game, but she was pretty sure he was flirting with her. Suddenly, she felt the need for some Dutch courage.
The door to the back of the bar area opened and they stepped inside. The place was still loud, rammed and full of naughty, but it was certainly a lot quieter than it had been and the swell of people around the bar counter was smaller and no one was pushing.
Hunter motioned for her to follow him down to the right side and they stepped down two stairs and were in a kind of side walkway that ran along the outskirts of the room.
Around the sides, there were booths and tables, and it wasn’t long before Paige managed to catch a glimpse of Faith and Penny at one of them. They were sitting with a group of guys, equally as tall and big as Hunter and they were slamming down shots and roaring with laughter.
“They’re your friends, right?” Hunter asked her as he nodded in their direction.
“How did you know?” She laughed with confusion.
“I already told you,” he leaned across and whispered in her ear. “I watched you come in.”
He looked to the side and she noticed he had a wry smile on his face. She felt her heart skip a beat.
“Oh my god!” Penny shouted as she came tumbling over to them. “Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
She didn’t even seem to notice the massive, gorgeous man that Paige was standing with, and she couldn’t help but laugh as she threw her arms around Paige and hugged her close to her chest.
“This place is crazy!” Penny bawled. “And look, Faith and I are sitting with the elusive bikers! Haha, come on, you’ve gotta meet them.” Penny tugged on Paige’s shoulder and started to pull her away, but Paige dug her feet into the floor and stopped.
“Hang on,” she said with irritation. She was so embarrassed, could this night turn into any more of a cringe-fest!
Hunter was looking at them both and smirking, and it was as Paige spun around to speak to him again that Penny realized who she was talking to.
“Oh,” Penny shouted. “I see you’ve found one of your own!” she slapped her thigh and laughed loudly.
Hunter raised his eyebrows and Paige just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
“I… I…” she stammered.
Hunter ran a finger down her cheek and winked.
“She’s drunk,” he said. “Come on, let’s go sit down.”
Penny dawdled ahead of them and approached the crowded table of bikers who were sitting with Faith. Faith had her arm wrapped around one of them and they were all equally massive and intimidating.
“And this is my other new friend,” Faith smiled. “Boys, I’d like you to meet Paige. A fucking kindergarten teacher, can you believe it!”
All of the men whooped and cheered and she felt Hunter come closer to her, pushing himself up to her side as if he was already claiming her for his own. She looked up at him and she felt butterflies dance in her belly.
“Looks like Hunter’s got there first,” one of the other bikers laughed.
“Hey!” Hunter snapped defensively, “Don’t be so fucking disrespectful.”
Paige’s heart hammered.
“He actually saved my life,” she spoke up. “I was getting crushed against the bar and was about to pass out. If it hadn’t been for Hunter I dread to think what may have happened.”
“What the hell,” Penny gasped. “But you were right there next to me!”
“Yes, and a whole lot of use you were,” Paige said it a little harsher than she meant to and instantly, felt guilt rising within her.
Penny looked down at the floor, half chastised and half hurt. Paige reached out and mouthed sorry. But Penny just scowled at her playfully and then knocked back some more of her drink.
“Come and sit down, anyway,” Faith smiled as she patted the seat next to her. “The boys were about to start a drinking game. I wonder if we could keep up?”
Paige looked up at Hunter who raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
“Only one way to find out, Paige,” he winked.
She smiled and found herself thawing again. What could another half an hour hurt? She had gone all the way over to that side of town anyways, surely spending a little more time there wouldn’t do any more damage than was already done…
She slid into the booth and Hunter followed her. He pressed his wide thighs up against hers and she felt something inside of her clench when she looked down under the rim of the table top and caught sight of the huge bulge in his jeans. She felt a heat creep up her chest and to the top of her throat. It was a sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time. One of longing and need. A feeling of lust that was becoming overpowering.
She looked away and reached down and picked up Faith’s half empty whiskey and knocked some of it back. It was such a harsh taste that she had to actively try not to gag.
“Yeah, I think I’m done on that front,” she said as she wiped the corner of her mouth and blinked to stop her eyes from watering. “Sorry guys, but you’re going to have to count me out!” she slammed the glass down and slid it back over to Faith.
“Boo, hisssss,” some of the voices around the table came at her playfully and she held her hands up in surrender.
“It’s okay,” Hunter said into her ear. “Don’t worry about it, after what just happened, I want to make sure you’re okay and drinking a ton of that isn’t going to help.”
She looked up at him and his big, dark eyes were gleaming down at her. She smiled and felt warm inside. For all he looked like a total sexual monster, he was actually very sweet, thoughtful, and kind. It felt both confusing, and right.
“I’ll play,” Penny chirped and threw her arms up in the air. “I’ll show you boys how it’s done.”
Paige covered her eyes and laughed, and Hunter nudged her in the side and did the same.
A
s the table began to play, she turned slightly to face away from the crowd, so her attention was just on him.
“So, is it like this every night in here?” she asked warily. “I mean, this is pretty wild.”
Hunter smiled and shook his head.
“It is often,” he admitted with a nod. “But not every night, no. The reason all of us are here and acting as crazy as we are tonight is because he’s leaving…” Paige followed his line of sight. Hunter was looking at a man on the other side of the table. A bearded man who looked almost like a lumberjack.
“Who is he?” Paige asked.
“Ax,” Hunter took a sip of his beer. “He’s heading off to look into something for us. He’s going to be away a while.”
He seemed cagey about what he was saying and about what that may mean, and although Paige was intrigued enough to ask him where he was going, she also could tell it was off limits.
“Well, it seems like a wild party,” she smiled. “I’ve had fun, apart from the almost being crushed to death thing.”
“It’s what we do best,” he nodded. “Again, the partying… Not the crushing.”
Paige looked up at him and they both smiled and burst out into laughter. There was something about him that was so soft and kind, it was almost as if his personality didn’t fit with what he was. How could he be this big, badass biker but have such a caring heart?
“And the others?” Paige asked as she looked around the table and the other booths that surrounded them. “Who are they? Are they all part of your gang?”
Hunter looked around too and thought on it for a moment.
“Many are, yes,” he said. “That’s Diesel,” he said, pointing across the table. “And there we have Stick, Rocket, Bull and King.”
Paige’s eyes were wide as she flitted around taking it all in. The men were all so tall and big, all so fiercely attractive and raw. It was hard to believe that these men had existed alongside her in the same town and she had had no idea. It was as if this secret society had suddenly unfolded in front of her and she was being welcomed in. Either that or it was a beautiful dream.
HUNTER (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 11) Page 4