Lake: A Steel Paragons MC Novel (The Coast: Book 5)

by Eve R. Hart

Shit.

  There was that warm feeling in my chest again.

  I resisted the urge to look down to see if there was some strange glow coming from where my heart was.

  Yeah, I knew it was silly but I didn’t think I’d be surprised if there was.

  “Alright,” she said, catching me off guard because I had been a little lost in my head. “Get to work, slacker.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied with a mock salute.

  With that, I turned and made my way up to the garage.

  Ky took one look at me and shook his head.

  “What?” I asked in a tone that clearly sounded confused. Or maybe it was more like I’d been caught.

  “You got that damn smile.”

  “Smile? I smile, so what?”

  “No, brother. That smile,” he said like that made it any more clear. “You’re so fucked.”

  He turned his back on me without waiting for me to respond.

  And yeah.

  I was fucked.

  So fucking fucked.

  “Hey, Ky?”

  “What?”

  “Your nipples…” I couldn’t finish the question. Really, I wasn’t even sure why the hell I was thinking about it now. I guessed it was all things Bridget running through my mind.

  The look on his face was almost comical because it was clear he was confused as to why the hell I said that.

  “My nipples?”

  “Uh, why did you get them pierced?”

  Not that I was thinking of doing it. Honestly, I’d never even given my nipples any thought until Bridget showed me the light. And yeah, I could admit that I really liked the things she did to them. Maybe I was just curious if I was alone in that or something.

  His brow went up like he could read my mind.

  “Yeah, like it when Chris does shit to mine, too. You’re not a freak.”

  I let out a short, dry laugh.

  “Especially when I’m right there and he—”

  “Nope! No. I don’t want to hear this. Chris is like my brother. Just, nope, man.” My head whipped back and forth violently.

  He got way too much amusement out of that.

  “Get to it. Her car isn’t going to fix itself,” he said turning his attention back to his rebuild and there was no mistaking the amusement in his tone.

  No, it wasn’t.

  But would it be such a bad thing if her car didn’t get fixed?

  As much as I wished she would stay, even if it was just a little longer, I knew I couldn’t be that guy. I wasn’t a dick and I wasn’t going to keep her from getting back to her life, no matter how much I was starting to wish she would stay.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Bridget

  I tried not to think about the events that had happened over the last few days. Especially not the ones that happened this morning. It felt like Lake had shared something special with me and that, well, forced me to think about things that maybe I’d been trying to push away.

  I had a type.

  Okay, in my head I did.

  And though Lake wasn’t a rough-and-tumble typical biker type, he wasn’t near what I envisioned the man of my dreams to be like.

  That wasn’t to say that I had anything against the biker types or the MC or whatever. In truth, everyone had been pretty nice to me. Oh, and I couldn’t forget how the women seemed to take me in right away. And Chris. I really liked him.

  My head was spinning and even the cold air wasn’t doing anything to cool me off on the inside.

  I stood there for way too fucking long numbly watching Lake walk away in the direction of the garage. I imagined he was going to work on my car today and it was all I could do to run after him and tell him not to bother.

  However, that was stupid and I fucking knew that too.

  I wasn’t the kind of girl that threw herself at someone. I didn’t get clingy or start planning a future the minute I met an attractive man that looked my way. I really hadn’t thought much about the future actually. I was more of a here and now kind of person and if you wanted to call and get coffee later, I might not turn you down. That was if there happened to be enough chemistry and shit going on there.

  But things felt different with Lake.

  As my eyes closed, I let out a heavy sigh.

  Even if he felt some of what I was feeling, it wasn’t like it would work out. He had his life here and mine was, well, not here. I had a business and a dad that I was still desperate to not let down even if he wasn’t around to see it.

  The case.

  That was what I had to focus on because I needed to figure out what the hell was going on. Last night only reinforced the shaky feeling I had inside that something was very wrong with the whole thing. I pulled out my phone as I climbed the stairs. I wanted to see if Cable had found anything to help me out since I hadn’t been able to check in with him the night before. Hoped he was awake because I was about to knock.

  Right after I called to check in with Art, that was.

  I cursed him when his phone went to voicemail, again.

  Yeah, there was some funny business going on here. I just needed to figure it out so I could move on.

  I knocked on Cable’s door, remembering which one it was from the previous day.

  “Hold on,” he called out in a rough voice.

  Oops, maybe I did wake him.

  There was a thud, followed by a curse and a bunch of ruckus that came from behind the closed door. Then the door pulled open wide and Cable looked down at me appearing like he was half awake.

  “Bad time?” I asked with a smirk as I saw the rumbled sheets around the half covered naked mass in his bed. One that was currently unmoving and I would have guessed that my knocking had gone unnoticed to her.

  “Uh, no,” he said. “Come in.”

  “I’ll wait out here,” I said with a playful wink.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  He turned his back to me and walked over to his desk. After he grabbed a file he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

  “By the look on your face, I’m going to guess that you don’t have much that will help me.”

  “Look,” he said blowing out a breath. “I’m not sure where you got your info but none of it matched up. There is no one living in those buildings and hasn’t been for a while. I’m sure you’ve figured out that much already.”

  “Petra said she owned the block,” I said with a nod.

  “Yeah, for almost five years now.”

  “So you looked into her?” I asked just because I was curious about the woman. And maybe a little bit about her business too.

  “Had to.” He didn’t say anything else on the matter and I figured it was more for the club than for me. “The name you gave me was shit too. Common enough name without being obvious. There are three in this town alone. One is in her nineties and in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. One is six feet under. And the third is fifteen years old. So none of them are what you’re looking for.”

  I snatched the file out of his hand and leaned my forearms on the railing as I flipped it open.

  “None of this makes sense,” I said scanning the lack of information he had found. Which I didn’t fault him for because I was pretty sure there wasn’t much to find on what I needed. Because I was almost positive this case was shit.

  “I don’t think I need to tell you that it looks like a bum case. Or maybe someone ran with the wrong intel. I don’t know. I can look into more if you want me to.”

  There was a long pause and I wasn’t sure how to answer. I appreciated his help and I hated to take up more of his time. Especially if it was all for nothing.

  “Have you talked to the client?”

  “No,” I said shaking my head thinking, not for the first time, how it was strange that Art hadn’t given me that information in the file.

  I had brushed it off thinking that maybe he was getting a little loopy in his old age. But I also got the feeling that he wanted to be the one to contact the clien
t since he’d been the one to take the case.

  I had no reason not to trust him.

  Or did I?

  “I didn’t see that info in the file.”

  “Because it wasn’t there when Art— my partner, handed the case off to me.”

  “I don’t need to tell you that something isn’t right here, right?” He had a softness in his tone that made it seem like he cared more than he should have. But only because he didn’t really know me and it was odd to me that a stranger would care like that.

  “Yeah,” I said in a daze. “I just need to figure some things out.”

  I started to walk off, my head a spinning mess. I hadn’t even thanked him but I was too worried about what the fuck was going on to think about it.

  “I’ll keep looking. If you need anything, I’m here,” he called after me.

  “Yeah, thanks,” I tossed out over my shoulder as I ducked into Lake’s room.

  I dialed Art again.

  “Art, I need you to call me back. This case is bullshit and I need to talk to the client. I’m going to be livid if I got myself into this shit for nothing. Call me the fuck back.”

  Yeah, I was a little pissed. I was miles away from home, away from my own bed. I had a broke down car that I had to pay to get fixed, which wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have to make the trek up here. Something that I wouldn’t have minded so much if it was for something real.

  I was frustrated. It was time to move on. There was nothing here. So, with a mad-as-hell fire running through my veins, I stomped my way up to the garage to find out how much longer it would be until I could get on my way.

  Only, the sight of Lake elbows deep in some random car had me practically skidding to a stop. I wasn’t mad that he wasn’t working on my car and maybe I should have been right now. Only, I figured he knew what he was doing and I didn’t expect him to be sitting around waiting on parts or whatever when they had a business to run.

  No, I stopped for another reason altogether.

  Okay, the man was hot. He had a great ass. One that was currently rendering me speechless.

  And there was so much more than his looks that got me all hot and bothered. Not that he wasn’t sexy, because I found myself attracted to him even when I might have been trying to ignore it when we first met.

  I would miss him, I could no longer lie to myself about that.

  His dark hair that had almost a candy apple red tint to it when the light hit it just right. The freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose, so light that you really had to look to notice them. His long fingers that I imagined were smeared with grease right now. Those fingers that seemed to know my body so well. His eyes, I think I liked those the most. The way the color was cool but the way he looked at me made me feel so warm inside.

  But the thing that really made him sexy was the fact that he accepted me. He didn’t make me feel strange for my quirks. And the way he played into it made me think that he was much like me though he seemed to hide it a little better.

  Yep, I was going to miss all those things about him and maybe a few more.

  “Lake,” someone called out but I didn’t take my eyes off of him.

  “Yeah?” he replied as he stood tall. Then he turned and when he caught sight of me not even a second later, he moved in my direction. “Bridge, you alright?”

  My mouth was dry.

  I walked up to him and he seemed to be frozen stiff and unsure of what was going on. It could have been the look on my face.

  “Break room,” I whispered next to his ear.

  He inhaled sharply but said nothing.

  I didn’t look back as I made my way into the lobby and down the hall to the break room, praying like hell that there was no one back there.

  It seemed like forever later that I heard boots coming down the hall. It was really only like a minute but there were so many things zipping through my mind that it felt like longer.

  “What’s going on, Bridge?” he asked, his voice a little raw as he stepped through the door, closing it behind him.

  “I need you,” I said, fisting the front of his dirty work shirt and pulling him to my lips.

  I was a little messed up. My emotions were all over the place and I couldn’t stop long enough to pull myself together.

  Maybe I was using Lake at this moment. Which was shitty, I got that. But I was angry and frustrated and irritated.

  And I was also battling feelings that I’d never had before. Feelings that I couldn’t have right now and that only made me more frustrated and angry.

  “Fuck me,” I demanded and then I caught his bottom lip between my teeth and pulled.

  “Shit,” he hissed put didn’t pull away.

  He worked the fly of his pants at the same time I undid mine. With one last bruising kiss, I pushed my pants and panties down my legs and turned around. A second later, I was bent over the small table, hands wrapped around my cheeks as I spread myself wide for him.

  “Fuck,” he muttered as I heard him tear open a foil package that he must have pulled out of his wallet.

  His blunt head brushed up against me and circled once as if he was testing to make sure I was ready for him.

  Oh, I definitely was.

  Then with one hard thrust, he filled me up completely.

  A moan ripped from my throat as my hands flew to the edge of the table, my fingers gripping so hard my knuckles instantly went white.

  “Harder,” I grit out wanting to take everything he had to give me.

  I needed him to make me forget. I was desperate to get lost and remember at the same time.

  His hips pounded into me as his fingers dug into my hips so hard I knew I’d walk away marked from him. His grunts mingled with my moans creating a melody that was our own. Mine. His.

  Us.

  But I didn’t want to think of that right now.

  Maybe I was just trying to fuck him out of my system.

  Then there was a crack as a stinging pain shot through my right ass cheek.

  We both froze like we couldn’t believe that it had just happened.

  “Did you just—”

  “Yeah,” he said cutting me off and I could tell he was just as shocked as me. “I’ve never done that before. I’m sorry.”

  I tried not to laugh. He was really fucking adorable.

  I turned my head and looked at him over my shoulder. His eyes were wide, staring at the spot that I imagined was turning a nice shade of pink. Then his gaze slowly slid to meet mine.

  “Harder,” I said and my brow raised as if making it a challenge.

  And somehow I felt him swell even more inside of me.

  My forehead dropped to the cool, hard surface of the table as I waited with anticipation.

  His hips fucked into me as if we hadn’t stopped.

  His hand fell hard against my ass again and this time he left it there, his fingers kneading the hot flesh.

  And again. Crack. Soothe.

  Crack. Soothe.

  Crack. Soothe.

  Until my ass felt like it was on fire and the sting was on the verge of being raw and painful.

  Just when I knew I wouldn’t be able to take any more, his hand was in my hair, his chest pressed against my back. His lips were there right beside my ear and his labored pants caused my body to shudder.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” he growled into my ear and it honestly shocked me how dark and raw his voice sounded.

  My pussy quaked and tightened its hold on him.

  “Lake,” I whispered out feeling like my lungs were having trouble taking in fresh air.

  My eyes stung and even as I felt the wetness build up, I tried with all my might to deny what was happening.

  I let my lids fall closed as his lips sweetly latched onto the curve of my neck. Yeah, that magic spot. It was like being in a sauna and having ice water dumped over my head. The contradiction of punishing thrusts and sweet kisses, it made my body feel alive and split open at the same time. />
  And I knew right then that it was going to kill me to walk away from him.

  His hand left my hip and then it was there, covering mine, his fingers forcing their way between mine even as I held tight to my grip on the edge of the table.

  My mouth fell open and a strangled moan ripped free as I came so hard that I lost my breath once again.

  “Bridge,” he said next to my ear in a hoarse whisper as his hips thrust forward one last time and I felt him twitch and pulse inside me with his release.

  He relaxed on top of me but his hands remained where they were, one still tangled in my hair, the other holding onto mine for dear life.

  Like he was afraid that I’d slip away.

  Which was exactly what I was going to have to do.

  What seemed like hours later, he pulled away from me. As he removed the full condom, I moved quickly to pull my pants up and act like nothing had happened.

  I couldn’t meet his eyes as he tucked himself back into his pants and fastened them.

  “Look at me,” he demanded softly.

  The moment I did, he cupped my jaw and brought his lips to mine so sweetly that I melted.

  A shuttered breath left me as he broke the kiss and pulled me into his body.

  I held him as closely as he held me. And for just a moment, I let myself take everything he gave me.

  “I really want to say something but I have to be honest, I don’t even know what that is.”

  His words were sweet and I could hear the smile in his tone.

  “Don’t,” I whispered shaking my head in the crook of his neck. “Just go back to work.”

  I prayed like hell that he couldn’t hear the choked emotions in my voice.

  He let out a slow, heavy sigh then I felt his warm lips against my temple.

  I let him go.

  I let him go because I had to.

  Because there was nothing else I could do.

  Not another word was spoken as he turned and walked out of the room.

  I rested against the table, took in a deep breath, and put myself back together. Then I walked out with my head held high, determined to begin the process of putting this all behind me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN