“You know as well as I do that he’s not fine, Sarah,” Reaper growled, pulling her down into his lap.
“I know it’s not going to get better if you keep hounding him, Reaper,” Sarah told him, kissing him lightly on his tight lips.
Burner watched the two of them, feeling relieved that Sarah was on his side for the time being. He bore no illusion that one day she’d be pushing just as hard as Reaper was and he wondered if he’d end up hurting them by pushing them away. He wanted to believe he would get past it enough to live a little but after the past few weeks, he wasn’t sure that was going to happen.
“Fine, but it’s not okay for him to keep sulking,” Reaper said, glaring at him over Sarah’s head as she sighed and tucked it beneath his chin. “Our boy asleep?”
“Yeah, he was out like a light. After playing with the other kids today, he was really tired,” Sarah replied, her arms wrapping around Reaper’s neck as she turned to face him. “You need to leave Burner alone. He has to deal with what happened in his own way, not in the way you think he should,” Sarah told him.
Hearing them discuss him as if he wasn’t there left Burner feeling as if his emotions were cannon fodder for the two of them. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling and Burner wanted to stomp off the porch after telling the two of them it was none of their fucking business but he couldn’t. Reaper was like a brother to him and Sarah was only trying to get him off his back. That didn’t stop him from gripping the railing so hard his hands ached or release the tension that flooded him, making his shoulders throb.
Reaper looked at him and their eyes met and Burner could see the pain in them. He felt like a total dick because he couldn’t let go of the past despite his many attempts to do so. He knew that because Reaper was the one to suggest he be the one to go undercover, he was blaming himself for the issues Burner was having dealing with this bullshit. It wasn’t Reaper’s fault that he couldn’t accept what he’d had to do while with the Headhunters; he could have told his brothers at any time he needed to get out but hadn’t because he’d known the importance of what he’d been doing. Burner looked away, unable to take the pain he knew Reaper was feeling on his behalf.
“Look, I’m headed out. Got to go over and help Bull keep an eye on Tricky Bitches. They had an issue a few weeks ago so we’ve been trying to keep a better eye on the place as you know and tonight’s my night,” Burner said, pushing off the railing he had been leaning on with a feeling of despair settling in his guts. He hadn’t been scheduled into the Tricky Bitches rotation until next week because they were all willing to hang around the bar but he needed to get the hell away from here and he needed a drink.
“Thanks for dinner and I’ll see you guys later,” he threw over his shoulder, not bothering to look back even when Reaper called out to him because he’d had enough for one night. He climbed on his bike and headed towards the bar to get a drink to clear his head.
Kelsey grabbed the beers from the cooler, popping the tops before setting them down in front of the two men at the bar with a smile. She turned to grab the whiskey bottle to make a drink for the waitress that had just asked for it but before she could lift the bottle, Hanna took it from her hand.
“Hey, what the hell?” Kelsey asked, glaring at her sister.
“Ah, ah, ah, you’re supposed to be doing the inventory downstairs in the cellar,” Hanna told her in a sing-song voice with a huge grin on her face. Kelsey groaned.
Damn, she really hated doing inventory because it was damned boring and there were like a hundred cases of liquor to count.
How had she managed to get stuck with that chore again?
“Don’t give me that look, you made the bet, little sister. I can’t help you lost.” Hanna poured the whiskey into a glass and handed it off to the waitress who’d ordered it.
Oh right, poker and tequila didn’t mix well.
Why the hell had she made that bet with her sister? She knew better than to play poker with them while under the influence, damn it. Kelsey glared at a grinning Hanna.
“You gave me more than a dozen shots of tequila that night, you evil harpy!”
“Ha, I didn’t force you to drink them. It’s not my fault you can’t hold you liquor and make bad choices.” Hanna’s grin turned wicked as she grabbed the bottle of gin to make a drink.
“You know damned good and well that the only thing I can’t drink without getting drunk is tequila and you did it on purpose to get out of the chore and Greta let you,” Kelsey growled, her teeth snapping together in unhappiness.
“Really, that’s what you’re going with? That it’s my fault you got drunk?” Hanna asked, a laugh bursting from her obviously evil eldest sister. Hanna, having been born two minutes before Greta, was the oldest of the three of them.
“Yes, you evil twat. That’s what I am going with because it is your fault! You know that had I been drinking anything except tequila, I wouldn’t have played poker with either one of you.” Kelsey stepped back when her sister moved down the bar to take another order from a man who’d just hit his hand on the end of the bar. She waited till Hanna had set the drink in front of the impatient customer before she spoke.
“I hope you know that I will get you back for this, Hanna,” Kelsey snapped, her eyes narrowing on her sister’s back.
Hanna laughed and glanced at her over her shoulder. “Sure I do but I’m still not the one in the dungeon doing inventory tonight all alone.”
Hanna giggled when Kelsey stuck her tongue out at her before turning to take another order. Damn, it looked like she was going to be stuck in the dungeon doing counts all night. Greta had gone on a date with some guy from another town and that left her and Hanna at the bar tonight with Tally and about three hundred customers.
Kelsey grabbed a water bottle and headed into the back room with a little sigh. She might as well get started on it because otherwise she was going to be down in the cellar all night. Heading down the stairs, she cursed Hanna and thought of ways to pay her back for getting her drunk and sticking her with inventory for the second week in a row.
Chapter Seven
Kelsey stood up stretching out her back about an hour later, staring at the last three boxes of liquor with dismay. She needed a break and she had to pee like nobody’s business. She lifted her arms up leaning one way and then the other, trying to release the ball of tension that had formed between her shoulder blades. Her wavy red hair brushed her shoulders, having fallen out of the little French twist she’d put it in a little while ago.
She moved towards the stairs abandoning the inventory list for the moment, heading to the bathroom before she popped. Kelsey got to the top of the stairs entering the back room and took the side door out to the little hallway where the bathroom was. While she was down in the cellar, the crowd had thinned a bit apparently and she could see that the hall was clear except for two women in skimpy shorts and tight tank tops that tied in the back.
One woman was holding the other one by the arm and she didn’t look happy that she was there with her friend as she stood in the hall. The other was a blonde who looked a little green like she was going to be sick and Kelsey figured she’d had too much to drink and was about to vomit. Kelsey didn’t feel like cleaning up vomit from the floor tonight any more than she did any other night.
“You should take her outside, it might help if she gets some fresh air,” Kelsey told the woman who was rubbing her friend’s back.
“We’re fine. Thanks for the advice,” the friend snapped, not seeming very grateful that she tried to help them at all. Kelsey wasn’t in the mood to stick around and help someone who obviously didn’t want her help. That in mind, she nodded curtly and walked a little farther down the hall entering the bathroom. Fuck, there was a line.
After waiting in line to relieve her bladder, she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. Five women were still lined up near the door and she smiled slightly as she watched one move back and forth from one foot to the other, remembering she�
�d been doing it only moments ago while waiting for the bathroom. She washed a dirt smudge off her face and exited the bathroom behind two other women, walking slowly towards the door again, not in any hurry to get back to the inventory.
She was halfway to the back when she noticed the two women she’d seen when she headed to the bathroom were still there, only now two men were with them. Both were wearing Blue Bandits vests and stood with their backs to her. Kelsey paused a few feet away, for some reason feeling her stomach twist into knots. She didn’t know why but she was feeling nervous suddenly.
She knew that neither man was Hammer because she’d been on two other dates with him and she would have recognized him even from the back, but something about the one with brown hair was familiar and it sent a chill of foreboding down her spine.
“I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. I know that Kitty didn’t get this way from drinking because she can drink me under the table. Someone drugged her or poisoned her,” one woman was hissing at the two men.
“How?” the man closest to Kelsey commanded and the voice sent a little shiver over her, making her cross her arms and take a step back. Kelsey didn’t know what the hell was wrong with her but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Only her feet wouldn’t seem to move; it was like she was frozen in place. Her heart pounded in her ears as her eyes watched the scene play out before her, unable to move or look away.
“I don’t know but––” the woman’s voice trailed off as she glanced over the man’s shoulder and glared at Kelsey. “Is there some reason you’re standing there gawking?” the woman demanded.
Kelsey wanted to sink into the floor and just disappear. The man whose voice had sent chills down her spine had snapped around, his steely blue eyes landing on her, and she suddenly realized why she’d been affected by his voice.
It was Burner.
Kelsey watched him warily as his eyes pinned her to the spot. She was hearing her pulse pumping through her like a drum. Her hands felt sweaty and her eyes darted away from his because the way he looked at her with those narrowed eyes made her even more nervous. She took another step back, wanting to flee.
Burner took a step towards her and threw over his shoulder at the other man, “Torch, take the girls over to Lance’s and have him check Kitty out. Let me know what he says.” He moved closer and Kelsey took another step away, feeling fear spike inside her.
“Burner, you can’t just send us over there and not handle whatever happened here,” the woman who’d been talking protested.
Burner ripped his eyes away from her and turned back to the other woman. Kelsey decided that was her cue to get the hell out of the hallway while he was distracted and moved to rush past the small group.
“I’ll handle it, just go to Lance’s place and get Kitty checked out,” Burner growled.
Kelsey was past the group and could see the door looming only a step or two ahead of her when a hard hand curled around her upper arm. The fingers seemed to dig into her skin and a voice just above her and near her ear whispered, “Oh no, little girl, you’re not getting away that easily.”
Kelsey felt a sharp spike of fear and she tried to jerk her arm away from his tight hold but he wouldn’t release her.
“Burner, you think she’s involved?” Torch asked him.
“No, just take the girls and go. I’ll look into what happened here. Now go,” Burner growled and Kelsey tried again to escape him, to no avail.
“All right. Come on, let’s go.”
Kelsey watched as the two women and the man who’d been with Burner brushed past them. The woman glared at her as she went by, making Kelsey wish she could shoot her the finger for being such a bitch.
“You need to let me go,” Kelsey growled, turning to glare at him over her shoulder.
Burner snorted and pushed her forward towards the door to the back room, shoving it open and guiding her inside with his hand on her arm. When they were in the room, he pushed her into the wall near the door before kicking it shut. Kelsey glowered up at him, her indignation overriding her fear enough for her to snap at him.
“You have no right to shove me around like this. Now let me go, damn it,” Kelsey demanded hotly, her eyes narrowed.
Burner didn’t even blink as he pressed closer to her, his eyes deepening to an indigo as he glared down at her. Kelsey shoved at his shoulders trying to move him back from her, her heart beating a mile a minute and her hands trembling as her insides shook with uncertainty. She felt desire flow through her and tried to push it away because it wasn’t a good idea with a man like him.
“You shouldn’t be here. I told you to stay away from me and my club, that you weren’t able to handle it, and what the hell do you do instead? You come here looking for trouble. Well you’ve found it and tonight I’m not feeling generous like I was the last time we met.” Burner was holding her hands over her head pressing them to the wall, having grabbed them to prevent her from shoving him again.
Kelsey could barely hear anything over the rushing of her pulse that seemed to throb throughout her body as she pressed into the wall to get away from him. Her eyes darted around and she considered screaming to escape from him but couldn’t seem to utter a sound. She wanted to tell him that she owned this bar and that he was full of himself if he thought she was following him around. That was just freaking crazy and very conceited. Burner must think highly of himself if he thought she was following him like a damned puppy seeking attention. She couldn’t seem to get any of that out around the lump that had formed in her throat though as she panted and glared at him.
“I––I didn’t come here looking for you!” Kelsey finally managed to stutter, unable to get more out, her voice having ended on a squeak.
“I just bet you didn’t, sweetness. I’m sure you were looking for Hammer but you found me instead. You should have run when you had the chance, little girl.” Burner leaned closer pressing into her, allowing her to feel the thick ridge of his cock against her stomach and he transferred her hands into one still holding them above her head. Kelsey knew that she should slam her knee into his groin to get away from him but suddenly she was frozen again and the scent of leather and man teased her senses.
“You had better let me go or I’ll scream my head off,” Kelsey finally managed to pant out, her lips parting as she felt his hand slide under her hair tilting her head slightly, his mouth moving closer to her ear.
“I don’t think so, but go ahead and try,” Burner whispered, his breath teasing her ear as he leaned forward, his face buried in her neck.
The warm whisper sent shivers of a different kind down her spine and she was suddenly breathless with desire. Unable to process the quick change from fear to desire, she wasn’t ready for his teeth to nip at her ear, tugging the lobe before kissing his way from her ear to her mouth. Kelsey wanted to scream or at the very least protest but her raging libido wouldn’t let her. Then his mouth was on hers and his tongue was spearing through her parted lips to explore. Kelsey didn’t know what happened but it was as if an electrical shock hit her body and she was suddenly liquid with desire.
Kelsey moaned and twisted slightly, unable to stop the invasion and unsure that she really wanted to anymore. Burner let out a growling sound as he cupped the back of her head, pressing her forwards so that he could devour her. He released her hands and she wrapped them around his neck pulling him closer. His teeth nipped at her lips before his mouth kissed across her jaw, nipping at her skin before scraping his teeth over her neck. He pulled back slightly, groaning before he grabbed two handfuls of her ass and lifted her. Setting her on the counter, he stepped between her legs before quickly taking her mouth again.
His hands were rough when he grabbed her hair, pulling it to hold her mouth in place, invading it with his tongue. Kelsey felt like she was on fire from the lust that raged through her; it was almost like flames burning in her soul and it scared her. She’d never lost herself to passion as she was at the moment. Even knowing that at any mo
ment her sister or Tally could come back here for something, she was ready to let him take her right here on this counter. Her pulse pounded in her ears and her hands curled around his leather vest holding him to her.
Burner’s hands moved to her hips and he pulled her to the edge. Kelsey helped by wrapping her legs around him and allowing his hands to push her shirt up, his lips still clinging to hers as he growled and grabbed a handful of her ass. She felt the bite of his fingers digging into her flesh.
That was when there was a loud commotion and a thump from the hallway making Kelsey jump. Burner ripped himself from her standing a foot away panting, his eyes that dark indigo that seemed to burn with fire as he stared at her.
They watched each other for a moment with him panting as he stared at her and Kelsey trying to come to grips with what had just happened. How the hell had this gotten so out of hand from just a kiss? A dark look came over his face and he stepped back towards her and Kelsey trembled, wondering if he would finish what he’d just started. But he didn’t kiss her; instead he placed both hands on the counter on either side of her, leaning in till his nose was almost touching hers.
“Listen to me and listen well because I will only say this once. Run,” he rumbled roughly. “I won’t stop the next time and trust me, you don’t want that. Not a good girl like you.” He snorted and his face twisted in a grimace.
“I won’t warn you again. If I ever get my hands on you a second time, I will fuck you. It will be hot and nasty and I can guarantee you would enjoy it but it wouldn’t be a relationship. It wouldn’t happen more than once and I can bet it would hurt you. You want the fairytale, babe, and that’s not something you’re going to get from a man like me or a man like Hammer. Find some nice guy who will take you soft and sweet because you can’t handle what I’d want to do to you. What any man like me would want. We’d use your body to get off and walk away without a second thought. Kelsey, we aren’t for you. Don’t come here again,” he snarled, his breath on her lips teasing them.
Burning Desires (Blue Bandits MC Book 4) Page 6