BULL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 6) (164 page)

5.

Courtney moved quickly down the side of the highway without looking back. Gunner had seen her and now she knew what he looked like her mind was swimming with possibilities.

Could he be King’s brother?

And if so, why hadn’t he been in Slate Springs and more involved with the motorcycle club?

She kicked her feet along the dusty road and chewed her bottom lip. She was desperate to ask, but knew if she did she would be overstepping her boundaries.

As she began to approach the diner she decided to try and push Gunner and the rest of the Forsaken Riders out of her mind. She didn’t have to try and solve whatever was happening, they had things fully under control and in the long term it was probably best that she didn’t know anything about it.

She climbed the metal steps to the diner and pushed open the door. It was still relatively quiet inside and Jamie, one of the waitresses, looked up and smiled.

“Morning Courtney,” she said as she tucked her pen behind her ear.

“Hey Jamie,” she smiled.

Courtney moved to one of the high stools in front of the counter and pulled a menu up close. She hadn’t eaten properly in almost two days and her belly was aching with hunger.

“What can I get for you?” Jamie said cheerily.

“The biggest, strongest coffee you’ve got,” Courtney laughed. “And a plate of scrambled eggs.”

She slid the menu away and yawned. Her job at Tanner’s had been kicking her ass so much lately, she was even starting to forget to eat. Her insides felt raw and she could feel her ribs jutting out beneath her breasts. Even though she still had a perfect hourglass figure, she had started to feel a little on the slim-side and she didn’t like it. Every time she realized she’d forgotten another meal she scolded herself and made sure that she more than made up for it.

“Were you working last night?” Jamie asked as she leaned forward with a mug and a pot of coffee.

“Yeah,” Courtney yawned. “I’m worn out.”

Jamie sighed and filled up the mug for her.

“Hopefully this will bring you back into the land of the living,” Jamie smiled.

“I hope so…” Courtney nodded.

She picked up the steaming mug and clasped it between her hands. As she sipped it she could almost feel the caffeine bouncing through her and was beginning to zing back to life.

“How’s things up at Tanner’s?” Jamie asked as she leaned back against the hatch through to the kitchen.

“Busy as ever,” Courtney shook her head. “I mean, it’s a bit of a mad house, but I love it.”

“It’s such a shame, all that went on up there…”

“Do you know what happened?” Courtney’s ears pricked up and she sat forward.

Even though she knew Jamie relatively well, they had never had a conversation about why it had changed names and been completely made over in the past six months.

“Not really,” Jamie said. “All I know is one of the boys from the bike gang, Tanner, died… They didn’t have much to do with the club before that, as far as I know, anyway… then all of a sudden they’d taken it over and started changing things…”

Courtney’s pulse started to quicken.

“And the owner?”

“Yeah,” Jamie scratched the side of her neck. “Marv… he used to come in here sometimes and a few of the waitresses had worked for him before. He was an ass apparently. I didn’t ever have much to do with him but I know he wasn’t very popular.”

“Hmm, yeah I’ve heard that too…” Courtney nodded in agreement.

“Still, gone too young by the sounds of things… both of ‘em…” Jamie sighed and shrugged.

She turned to serve another customer and Courtney followed her with her eyes for a moment before she looked back down at the counter and picked up her coffee again.

She found it so hard to believe that in such a small town, things had been kept to closely under wraps. If people knew what had really gone down, they certainly weren’t letting on…

Maybe people here aren’t as dumb as they look
, Courtney thought.
Maybe they’re just scared of getting caught up in something…

Jamie slid a plate of scrambled eggs and toast down in front of Courtney.

“There you go,” she smiled as she picked up the jug of coffee and started to pour her a fresh cup.

“Thank you!” Courtney grinned. She really was starving and just the sight of the plate in front of her was making her mouth water. She picked up her cutlery instantly and started shoveling the food into her mouth.

“You working tonight?” Jamie asked.

“I sure am,” Courtney said between a mouthful of eggs.

“Well me and some of the other girls may come in,” Jamie smiled. “Saturday night and all, not often I get a weekend night off.”

“Sure, come on down,” Courtney said not wanting to appear rude… but she had the distinct feeling that Tanner’s wouldn’t be the safest place in the world at the moment… And she knew for sure that she would be crazy busy and wouldn’t have much time for small talk.

“Awesome,” Jamie smiled. “I’ve always had a bit of curiosity about the place and I’ve heard some of the girls that come in here on weekends talking about it… they say it’s much better these days.”

Courtney nodded. She didn’t know the old club… Red X… but she could only imagine what a dive it had been.

“It’s a different kind of night I guess,” Courtney smiled, unsure of what else she could say. She certainly knew her idea of a good night out wouldn’t be hanging around in a strip club… But it was Slate Springs and the pickings were slim.

She sat and ate the rest of her breakfast and tried to keep herself to herself. The diner filled up with more people as the hour went by and by the time Courtney had finished her coffee she felt wide awake and ready to seize the day.

She opened her purse, pulled out ten dollars and left it on the counter. She waved to Jamie and jumped down from the stool.

“May see you later,” Jamie called as she swiped the money from the counter and opened the register.

“Yeah, see you later,” Courtney smiled.

As she stepped out of the diner and into the blazing hot midday sun she suddenly had a spring in her step. She didn’t know why but she was buzzing with positivity and she felt ready for anything.

She wandered back down the side of the desert road and made her way back to the motel. The sky was completely clear of clouds and a wonderful azure blue. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun and watched the birds dancing overhead. She had a good feeling about the day. She didn’t know why… she could just tell that something exciting was about to happen.

As she turned into the parking lot of the motel she spotted the black truck immediately. The bike was still up in the back on the flat bed and Courtney instinctively looked towards room number twelve, where she had heard Elspeth tell the guy who owned it that he was staying. The door was open and she could see movement inside. Her heart started to skip and she decided to walk more slowly.

She rooted around in her purse for her wallet, pulled it out and started digging for change. She stopped by the vending machine and placed her bag down on the bench next to it whilst she took her time looking over what was inside. She only wanted a soda, and she was really stalling for time to see if she could get a glimpse of the guy with the truck again… Maybe she had been wrong when she thought that he looked like King… maybe that had been wishful thinking…

As her mind was churning over and she continued to stall, she suddenly became aware of a shadow behind her and she stiffened up. It was as if she could sense him coming… like she had zoned in on his aura and could smell him walking towards her…

It was
him
.

Courtney cleared her throat and dug around in her purse again before she slid a fist full of quarters into the machine. She pressed for a diet coke and as she waited for the ancient machine to spring to life a big, rough looking hand slammed down onto the wall beside her.

“Hell, this must be an antique by now,” he said, his voice deep, husky and so incredibly sexy it made Courtney go weak at the knees.

She turned to look at him and their eyes met. The intense dark brown pulled her in again and she felt herself go rigid. He was standing so close to her she could feel his heat. His warm breath was sharp on her neck and she couldn’t find the words to speak…

He laughed and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. He was dewy with sweat and speckled with dirt. He looked like he had been working hard all morning, streaks of oil ran down his biceps and he smelled of gasoline. He bit his bottom lip.

“I…” Courtney stammered, “Well…”

“This machine’s older than I am,” he continued.

She smiled and tried to pull herself together.

“Do you pass through often?” she asked, the only thing she could think of saying without sounding as if she had already been speculating as to who he was.

“No,” he said, still looking at her deep in the eyes. “But I used to live here… so I guess you could say I know it pretty well.”

“Oh,” Courtney smiled. “What brings you back? Is it the burgers they serve up in the diner down the street?” she joked.

He laughed and tipped his head to the side.

“No, but I wish it was,” he said with a wry smile which he used to disguise a sigh.

He was looking at her so deeply she didn’t want to break his gaze, but her heart was pounding and the silence and tension between them was mounting.

“I’m Courtney,” she smiled as she held out her hand, completely lost for what else to say. “Nice to meet you.”

“Gunner,” he smiled as he took her hand and clasped it tightly between his. She felt the hairs on her neck stand on end.

So I am right
… she thought.

“And it’s very nice to meet you, Courtney,” he said as he lifted her hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on it.

She didn’t dare breathe, her whole body was frozen. As he held her stare all she could focus on was how handsome he was and how he was pretty much undressing her with his eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that… and it was turning her on. Big time.

The machine juddered to life and dropped a can of diet coke at the bottom with a loud thump. Gunner reached down and picked it up for her and slid it into her hand.

“Hope to see you around,” he said as she took it from him and smiled.

“Me too,” Courtney said as she turned on her heel and began to walk away from him to the door of her room.

It had been the most intense and sexy meeting of her entire life. And now she had looked into his eyes, she knew that he had to be related to King. Gunner was going to be someone important to her, and to Slate Springs and the Forsaken Riders. She could feel it in her bones… and now, she couldn’t wait to see him again.

6.

Courtney spent the rest of her day lying on her bed in the motel room and looking up at the ceiling. She was tingling with anticipation and she couldn’t stop thinking about Gunner. His eyes were so dark and intense they made her bones shake… and his voice… it was incredible…

Even if he hadn’t born a similar resemblance to King, the man she had secretly lusted after since she had arrived in town, she still would have found him unbelievably attractive. It wasn’t just his looks… it was the way he carried himself, the way he had so much confidence and was at ease with himself and who he was in the world. She could tell instantly that he was an alpha male, one who wouldn’t be afraid to go out there and get exactly what he wanted in life. And the way he spoke, his gruff voice and the way he seemed to ooze sex appeal was just pulling her in even more.

The one thing that she couldn’t get out of her head was why he had chosen to part ways with the Forsaken Riders in the first place. Courtney didn’t know much about bike gang land, but she knew that leaving a charter wouldn’t have been easy. She had seen how fiercely loyal and committed the members of the Forsaken were, and she could never imagine one of them leaving for anything but a life or death situation.

She rubbed her temples and exhaled. Her day off had been spent in turmoil, churning the events of the day over and over. All she wanted to do was ask King who Gunner was and why he was back in town… but she knew she couldn’t.

As she got up and began to get ready for her shift that evening, she opened her closet and looked inside. She had such a large selection of cut off shorts and t-shirts that she almost wore them as a uniform… but since her encounter with Gunner, she was feeling on top of the world and as if her inner sex kitten needed to be released.

She pulled out a tight black dress and some heels and slipped them over her slinky frame. She often looked at the girls who danced night in and night out, and she considered dressing more girly to match the vibe of the venue, but her stubbornness and the fact that she didn’t want any of the customers chatting her up prevented her from doing it.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair just skimmed the tops of her shoulders and as she winged out her eyeliner and smoothed some bright red lipstick across her lips she recognized the girl she used to be. Before she had come to Slate Springs, Courtney had been someone else entirely. She had been more confident and she had embraced her sexuality and womanhood… since she had left her hometown and travelled across the country, she had lost a sense of who she was… and now she was determined to get it back.

“It’s time to show the men of Slate Springs who Courtney really is,” she smirked. “No more of the shy, timid, tomboy who’s heaved heavy crates around the club for the past four months. And, no more of the girl who turns up there on a Friday night in sneakers. I’m one of the managers at Tanner’s bar… and I’m going to command that room when I walk in.”

She smiled at her reflection and felt empowered. And in that moment she realized that she could have anything in life, as long as she wanted it enough. And she knew what she wanted.

She wanted Gunner.

She picked up her purse, opened the door to her motel room and swept out into the night. It was Saturday and she knew that the club would be busy and bouncing, and for the first time in a long time, she couldn’t wait to get to work.

***

As she approached the club she could see and hear that it was already jam packed. The rumble of music and the roar of motorcycles filled the air for miles around. She walked slowly, perfecting her entrance in her head, just in case Gunner was already inside when she got there. She had noticed his truck was still at the motel, but the bike he had had strapped to the back was gone.

As she pushed the door open and entered the fray, she looked straight up to the stage to see Chrystal shaking her stuff. Courtney trotted quickly over to the bar and slipped behind it, pushing her purse down deep below the counter to the back of one of the shelves.

Another girl was working with her and had been doing the day shift. Courtney smiled at her and asked her how the night had been so far…

“Rammed,” Jill said. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

She could tell that Jill was looking at her, giving her the once over and wondering about her new look. Courtney pretended as if nothing was different and got straight to work, she slipped one side of her hair behind her ear, smiled as wide as she could and leaned over the bar to ask one of the customers what he wanted.

The night was busy and she didn’t even have chance to take a look around to see if she could spy Gunner. But she was glad. She didn’t want to be the one to spot him first. She wanted to see if he would come to her, or even if he would recognize her at all after her change of style.

***

It wasn’t long before even more men filtered through the doors and it became almost impossible to see through the crowds. The dancers on the stage were all nude apart from their teeny, tiny thongs and they wrapped their hands around the poles as they licked their fingers and made eyes at their customers whilst thrusting their hips.

Courtney had even found that she was getting quite a bit of attention. With her change of dress and the heels she was wearing, she noticed how many of the men that approached the bar stared at her intently and watched the way she moved. Usually she would have been mostly covered up and have her hair out of her face, but with her bob swishing across her shoulders and her slinky dress, she could tell that she was hitting the spot for a lot of the men in Tanner’s.

“Can I take a break?” Jill asked with a sigh as she leaned over to Courtney. It was only 9pm, but she was aware that Jill had been on her feet for most of the day.

“Sure,” she smiled. “But do me a favor and take it out back. We’re so busy I don’t want any people gathering in the doorways.”

Jill nodded and picked up her purse. Courtney leaned back against the bar and watched as she pushed her way politely through the crowd and made her way to the back of the room, next to the stage, and went out of the double swing doors that led down to the dressing rooms.

Whilst she was staring off into space, she didn’t notice the main doors open, and the small hustle that came from behind her. The first time she was aware that something was wrong, was when a couple of guys at the bar started nudging each other and nodding towards the main door. She could hear the hissing of whispers and she turned to follow their gaze to see who they were looking at…

At the doorway to Tanner’s, walking in with his head held high and a mean look on his face, was Gunner.

Courtney felt her breath catch in her throat and for a moment she was transfixed. Unable to look anywhere but at the sexy man before her. The crowd was rapidly becoming quieter and the noise in the place went to almost silent, apart from the blare of the music, now sounding completely out of place in the quiet room.

Courtney looked around nervously, waiting for someone to speak… it seemed to take an eternity, but finally, out of the crowd, King stepped forward.

He and Gunner stood opposite each other, staring deep into each other’s eyes. The expressions on both of their faces were mean and angry, and Courtney felt her heartrate spike as she feared a huge fight.

“Oh God,” she whispered to herself. “What’s about to happen…”

She held her hand up to her mouth to shield her shock and the tension around them was escalating. Everyone in the club seemed to know who Gunner was, and they were all waiting with baited breath…

“So here you are brother,” King said sternly.

Courtney almost closed her eyes, sure that one of them was about to swing a punch… but then, in a complete change of direction, suddenly a smile spread wide across King’s face and Gunner followed suit.

The two men lunged at each other with open arms and pulled each other into a welcoming embrace. The room cheered and as King patted Gunner heartily on the back, Courtney finally allowed herself to breathe. Everything was going to be okay…

“Everyone!” King shouted above the crowd noise and the music was quickly shut off.

The whole room turned their attention to King and Gunner, and what they were about to say.

“As most of you know,” King began. “This man here… is my brother.”

Courtney smiled to herself, pleased with her intuition.

“He has been away from Slate Springs and the Forsaken Riders for almost five years. But now he’s back, and he’s here to help us.”

The rest of the bike gang had crowded close to the front where King and Gunner stood and they all launched into a loud roaring cheer before they went up to Gunner one by one and started to greet him.

“For one night only,” King continued. “The drinks are on the house!”

Everyone in the whole club cheered and Courtney suddenly felt the surge of bodies pushing their way towards her at the bar.

She moved back instinctively, almost frightened that they were going to trample her, even with the protective barrier of the bar counter in between them.

“Okay,” she said holding out her hands palm up. “Okay, one at a time!”

As she started to work through the crowd of people barking drinks orders at her, she managed to steal a glance up in Gunner’s direction and her heart almost hit the floor when she realized he was staring directly at her too.

As their eyes met and her heartbeat flooded through her ears, they could have been the only two people in Tanner’s. His eyes were so intense and searching, she felt as if she knew him inside out already. They softened, wrinkles forming at their corners, as he face cracked into a warm but wicked grin.

Even though she was trying her best to stay cool, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to suppress her own smile. There was something palpable between them, and it was intensifying with each time they lay eyes on each other. She didn’t know how long she would be able to stop herself before she would have let her guard down and let him consume her completely.