“Be nice to me,” she said, and lifted the bag she’d been carrying. “I brought frozen yogurt.”
“Oh, yummy. You win.”
She gave him a kiss and sat up, pulling the tray around in front of him.
“Glad to see you’re putting the reward money to good use,” he said, and groaned as he sat up.
“Be careful, will you?” she scolded and hit him with a spoon. “You were shot three times, stop moving.” She handed him the white Styrofoam cup and a pink spork. “The results came back, by the way. Negative. The kid isn’t yours. They’re throwing out the whole child support case against you.”
Miles sighed and lolled his head to the side as though he died again. Watching him go limp sent a shock of terror through her again as she remembered when he’d done that in her arms. It took the paramedics working through the whole way to the hospital just to keep him alive. Through some miracles of modern medicine, they were able to pull out the bullets and keep him alive.
“That’s a relief like no other,” he said.
“Mhm,” she said, pushing aside the residual fear. “And I spoke with daddy, and the job offer still stands. I said you’d think about it.” Saundra fixed him with a very firm and pointed glare.
Miles smiled at her and licked his spork. “Tell him I accept, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
“Good answer,” she said cheerfully.
They grinned at one another and clacked the necks of their sporks together and continued eating in a peaceful silence.
“Saundra?” Miles asked, setting down the frozen yogurt.
“Hmm?” She put hers down and folded her hands in her lap to give him her undivided, but he took up her hands in his and held them as firmly as he was able, considering his wounds.
“Will you marry me?”
“Miles,” she breathed. “The medication must be really heavy.” She made a show of checking his IV.
Miles laughed and nudged her with his knee. “I’m serious. You were with me through everything. No matter what, you’ve stood by my side. Let me make it worth it. Let me make you happy every day for the rest of our lives.”
Saundra leaned forward and kissed him. “Of course yes.”
He grinned and kissed her again. She leaned back and picked up her frozen yogurt again. “Now eat before it melts, dammit.”
He grinned and they did just that.
THE END
Billionaire’s Unexpected Crush
Nyla Lexington stood outside of the biker bar with the bright neon signs, and flashing lights. Unsure if she wanted to go in, she hesitated. She could smell the smoke from here, she knew this wasn't a place she'd ever run into her ex-husband, as he preferred higher-class bars and clubs.
Having her divorced finalized a couple weeks ago, she knew it would take some time before she emotionally got over everything, legally it was done. She was a lawyer, she knew how these things worked, but she wanted to do something risky and reckless tonight to celebrate as a moving on thing.
She always did everything right. She graduated high school with a good GPA, went to college and got her law degree, then got married. Her husband had been another lawyer in the law firm where she'd worked for almost ten years, a seven year marriage, down the drain.
He'd cheated on her with at least three clients that she knew about, four secretaries and goodness knows how many other females outside of the work place he'd been intimate with. She was just thankful she hadn't contracted any S.T.Ds from him, or had children with such an ass.
For once, she wanted to do something out of character, and fun. She'd always liked a bad boy and a man in leather. A biker bar seemed like a good place to pick up a hot man who had an edge of danger.
Apparently marrying a man who'd pretend he was an angel was nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. Disgusted that she hadn't seen through it earlier, or seen the warning signs before she married him, she couldn't blame anyone but herself.
Nyla walked to the doors and walked in, she was immediately assaulted by the thick smell of smoke, sex, and beer. She walked in and went to the bar and ordered herself a martini on the rocks. She wasn't much of a beer drinker, but she could shoot tequila with the best of them. Before she drank, she wanted to get the lay of the bar and see what kind of people were here first.
She was feeling adventurous, but still, she couldn't bring herself to be so stupid she got herself killed.
Sipping her martini, she sat back and watched people play pool and dance in the middle of the bar. The sweaty grinding on the small dance floor had Nyla slightly aroused as she watched the groping and kissing.
Ducking her head to sip on her drink, she eyed everyone from above her glass.
Until he walked in.
Her heart was pounding as she saw him. Hot in mostly all leather, with a bandana around his head and his leather boots made her want to go over there and touch him. She literally felt like she was about to start drooling.
He didn't need to act tough, he looked tough. His leather vest over his white t-shirt showed off the tattoos all over his arms. He walked with an air of confidence and a grace that belied his large size. His arm muscles were as thick as tree trunks and his narrow waist tapered into his pants to show his fit build.
The man was incredibly sexy. Nyla drank the shot quickly and then ordered another one, watching him from a distance. She needed more liquid courage than two drinks if she was going to approach him, and because of it, she ordered three more drinks back to back.
A group of men in the back apparently had noticed her drinking and worked their way over to her at the bar, nodding to the bartender, they tossed a few dollars on the bar and ordered her another drink.
Nyla was intimidated; there were three of them, and one of her. Grungy and dirty looking, they smelled like smoke and as if they hadn't bathed for a few days. This was not the type of bad boy she wanted. She preferred men with hygiene.
They started to crowd her, and her head spun a little bit from all the alcohol. She left the drink they'd ordered her untouched on the counter.
"Don't be rude, we bought you a drink," The shortest one told her. He was also the meanest looking one. "I've had enough, thank you though." Nyla said, trying to avoid confrontation.
"Now that's just plain nasty. We bought you a drink; you should at least take a sip so Eddy here doesn't get offended." The guy wearing a leather vest with patches all over it, including a patch that said 'I heart rape'.
Nyla gulped and shook her head, and went to squeeze around them when the largest of the men who had a large beard grabbed her arm.
"No precious, you aren't going anywhere, we came over here to give you a good time, and you aren't leaving until we are done." He laughed and his fingers tightened painfully on her arm. "Pick up that drink, or I'll force it down your throat."
Nyla glanced at the bartender helplessly, who turned his back on her and started to polish a glass with a rag.
Yeah, great, thanks for the help asshole, Nyla couldn't help but think as she stared at his back in shock.
She looked desperately around the bar to see if anyone would help her, and realized that no one intended to intervene.
The shorter man tried to grope her.
Nyla tried to slap his hand away and earned a laugh from all three of the men.
"Stop, I'm not interested," Nyla told them and tried to grab her purse off the counter to leave realizing she'd almost forgot it.
"No, honey, we are very interested in you. I love me a woman with curves, and you wore that dress on purpose, didn't you. To draw attention. You got it, now you can't take it back." The bearded man sneered at her as he reached out and touched her cheek.
Nyla jerked her head away and looked around the room in fear and finally made eye contact with the hunk that had walked in a few minutes earlier.
He cocked his head as he looked at her and seemed to be assessing the situation, Nyla hoped her face showed her fear and that he'd come help her.
With his military background, he knew he could take on three half drunk bikers by himself, but he generally tried to avoid confrontation. Normally, he avoided regular clubs because people recognized him. He was extremely rich, his grandfather was still alive and kicking, but he was the heir to a huge diamond mining company, and oil properties all over the world. His inheritance ran into the billions. He had no desire to have women drooling all over him because of his money, so he tried to avoid places where he thought women would figure out who he really was.
Ethan had come here to drink and play pool. He hadn't been looking to rescue a girl who stuck out like a sore thumb, a lamb among sheep.
What kind of idiot woman would flaunt her assets in a bar where the women punched harder than the men?
Her dark hair was done up and curled slightly around her face and neck, her red mini dress hugged every curve like someone painted it on her, and her gigantic breasts threatened to spill out over the top. Her black heels showed off her ankles and legs to perfection. She was curvy in all the right places, soft and feminine looking. In a bar where half the women dressed like men and acted tougher than snot, she definitely stood out.
If she had been trying to pick up a man, she bit off more than she could chew. Ethan just wasn't sure if he wanted to rescue said damsel in distress.
If you wanted to tangle with bikers, you needed to be able to handle it when you drew the wrong attention. She looked completely lost and out of her element.
Sighing to himself when her puppy dog eyes made eye contact with him, he couldn't leave her to be molested or raped by the half drunk idiots accosting her. Wishing he'd avoided looking at her, he was a sucker for a damsel in distress.
He got up, his pool cue in hand and walked over to the bar.
"Is there a problem here gentlemen?" He asked nonchalantly, watching for signs of aggression.
"Go away prissy boy, she's ours." The short man told him and reached out to grab the woman's breast through her dress and making her squeak and try to back away from him.
"It doesn't appear the little lady is willing, and I'd wager since there's plenty of willing ladies around here, you should probably let her go and find meat that wants to be caught." He said, his voice going hard when the man reached for a knife in his pocket.
The man flicked his little pocket knife open and Ethan resisted the urge to laugh. His black-ops training would come in handy in a fight, he might be ex military, but he still practiced and didn't let himself get rusty. You never knew when you'd need to fight for your life.
Like in a bar. With drunken fools.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, I'd hate to hurt you," Ethan warned him, and watched as the other two men pulled similar type weapons from their back pocket and turned away from the woman, letting her arms go.
She grabbed her purse and ran to the woman's bathroom, leaving him alone with the three men, not even bothering to say thank you.
"You ass! You scared her off!" The man with the beard yelled at him.
The man with the pocket knife lunged at him, and Ethan danced out of the way, and grabbed the man's wrist and twisted, forcing him to drop the knife.
"Keep fighting and your wrist will break from the pressure. I'd rather not break your wrist. Let's settle this like gentlemen, shall we? You walk away, and no one gets hurt." Ethan told him, the adrenaline from the fight hitting his system and making him hyper focus on the three men in front of him.
"Fuck you man," The short man said as he came to kick him between the legs.
Ethan let go of the man's wrist and jumped out of the way of the kick, stumbling backwards.
The bartender looked at the four of them and shook his head. "Take this outside, or I'll call the cops. Now."
The men froze at the mention of the cops and Ethan took the opportunity to take a few steps back and try to get out of kicking or hitting reach. He bent down and swiped up the pocket knife and closed it.
"I believe this is yours?" He held it out to the man whose wrist he'd bent painfully to make him let go of the knife.
The man didn't say a word but took it from him his eyes slightly averted, not wanting to meet his gaze.
"Are we good now, or do we need to finish this in the parking lot?" Ethan asked the three men who exchanged glances and then the bearded man spoke up.
"No, were cool. Our beef really wasn't with you anyways. We'll just wait for the little lady to come out of the bathroom." The bearded man told Ethan, flashing his yellow, broken teeth.
"Well, I can't let you do that, I claim her as mine. I'll fight for her." Ethan announced and stared them down until all three of the men dropped their gaze from his face.
"Fine. She's not worth it." The short man said and turned to the bar and pounded his fist to get the bartender's attention and ordered a beer.
Ethan walked over to the girls’ bathroom and knocked on the door.
"It's safe to come out, let me walk you out to your car though." He called through the door, crossing his arms like a bouncer, he waited for her to come out.
Nyla had her fingers painfully tight gripping the sink as she leaned on it and was hyperventilating in the bathroom, she'd been sure she just abandoned the poor man to his death, she didn't think a man could take on three, burly bikers by himself.
When she heard him yell through the door to her she almost had a heart attack, she'd been scared to come out of the bathroom and hadn't been able to figure out how she was going to get to her car to get home.
Coming here was stupid on her part, she realized that now.
Walking over to the door, she opened it and looked around outside, seeing the men drinking at the bar with their backs turned to the rest of the bar.
"How did you do that?" She whispered to him in awe.
"I just reasoned with them, and the bartender threatened to call the cops on them if they didn't stop fighting in the middle of his bar." He shrugged, "I'm Ethan."
"Nyla, I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'd have rather it been under different circumstances. I don't normally need rescued." She told him, and then glanced down at the ground, looking embarrassed.
"Would you like a drink?" Ethan asked her, he looked down into her eyes and realized he was drawn to her. Something about the hurt expression on her face making her look like a wounded animal brought out his protective instincts.
"I'd love a drink with you, I'm just not sure here is a safe place to do it," Nyla told him and then decided to be bold. "But, I have plenty of alcohol back at my condo, no pressure and no hurt feelings if you don't want to join me."
"Sure, I have my motorcycle here, I can follow you." Ethan normally didn't go home with strange women, but he wanted to get to know her better. Offering her his arm, he smiled at her, which took years off his face.
Nyla couldn't help but stare at him and resist the urge to kiss him. Looping her arm through his, she teetered on the extra tall high heels she'd stupidly worn and knew she'd struggle to walk through the gravel again to her car.
"Parked out front?" He asked her, almost shouting into her ear as they walked across the bar, the loud music and laughter made it hard to hear.
She nodded, and then breathed in the fresh air once they made it outside.
"The smoke in there made my lungs feel like they were going to explode." She told him as she walked to her car with him following her to make sure she got there safely.
"Luckily for you, I don't smoke." He grinned at her and winked. "My bike is over by the front doors, I'll grab it and follow you, but just in case, here's my cell number if we get lost."
He pulled out his wallet and a pen from inside his leather jacket, and wrote down his number on his business card and handed it to her.
"Thanks, I'll wait for you." Nyla turned her car on and pulled out, waiting for him at the exit
of the parking lot while he started his bike.
Looking down, she examined his card. She recognized the company name. Her law offices handled a lot of their contracts. Thinking about it for a minute, she gasped when it hit her who he really was.
Driving back to her house as he followed her, she panicked. If she got involved with him and it blew up in their face, it could very well threaten a huge financial contract with her law firm, and the partners could fire her if they found out about it.
Her hands tightened on the wheel and she wondered if she should just pretend she didn't work there and didn't recognize his name, or tell him that she did and confess her fears if she got involved with him.
It took a while to get to her house as they hit every red light on the way home. When she finally hit the button to open her garage, she pulled in and turned her car off. Sitting there for a minute, her brain thinking fast.
She wanted reckless. Nothing was more reckless than getting involved with a man who could destroy her career and her life if he got a bug up his ass. But he was hot, and if things didn't go wrong, it might be an amazing night. Deciding not to let her fears stop her, she pulled the keys out of the ignition and palmed them before stuffing them into her purse.
He parked the bike in her drive way and walked into the garage. He opened the car door for her and offered his hand to help her out.
Ethan gave her a boyish grin and pulled her out of the car when she took his hand, she took a step towards her door to the kitchen and tripped on her high heels and almost went down.
SHEIKH'S SURPRISE BABY: A Sheikh Romance Page 46