Wild Nights (Hell's Highway MC) (8 page)

“Go on,” I said, curious.

“I finally gave him a chance and realized he was really sweet,” she said with a sincere smile. She clasped her hand over her heart. “And he’s been the most amazing father and husband I could’ve ever dreamed of.”

“That’s really sweet,” I said. “Wow.”

“Just imagine where I’d be now had I not given him a shot,” she said with raised eyebrows. “Who knows what asshole I’d be with now? Heck, I might even be on husband number three for all I know.”

I laughed as I snipped away and clumps of red hair fell to the ground. Many of my clients told me I was like their own personal therapist, but sometimes they were like my own personal therapist too.

“I’m telling you, Jim was a creeper at first,” she laughed. “He did some creepy things. But he was just a boy in love.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Raquel taking back her next client, so I quickly tried to change the subject.

“Anyway,” I said. “Maybe I’ll have an update for you next time. How are the kids? Isn’t your oldest graduating from high school this year?”

“Oh! Yeah,” she said as her face lit up. “I have to show you Hannah’s senior pictures. You’re going to die.”

I was relieved to change the subject, but for the rest of the day, her words really resonated with me. She was living proof that sometimes people do crazy things all in the name of love.

The rest of the afternoon was a hazy blur of clients and hair, and I found myself aching to get home. I couldn’t believe it, but I was dying to see Blaze. I wanted to see his face. I wanted him to greet me at the door with a hug and a sweet kiss. I wanted to see his face light up the moment I walked into the room. Those were the things I’d missed the most since being single. Those are the things everyone takes for granted.

Fuck worrying about not having a wedding date. Fuck worrying about when you’re going to get married and have kids. Loneliness was a bitter pill to swallow, and sometimes companionship was all that really mattered.

I finished up my last client a little early and got the hell out of the shop. As I walked out, I could hear Tess asking Raquel where the hell I was scurrying off to. They knew it was out of character for me to ever leave work early. I was always the first one to volunteer to stay late or talk last minute walk-ins.

I drove home mostly in a daze, fantasizing about the moment I’d see Blaze. I felt silly for feeling the way I did. My head told me it was wrong, wrong, wrong. But loneliness had gotten the better of me, and I was throwing caution to the wind.

“Hey, hey,” I said with a smile as I walked in.

He was still sitting on the sofa, right where he was when I left that morning, only he seemed to be freshly showered and wearing clean clothes. He was in a different pair of jeans and a clean, blue t-shirt with some bar logo on it. His hair was still a little damp and was slicked back with some sort of product.

Just as I’d hoped, his face lit up when he saw me. It felt so good to light up someone’s face just by walking in the room. It made me feel like a million bucks right then and there.

He stood up and walked over to me, cupping my face in his strong hands. He leaned in and kissed me, softly. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. He smelled delicious, and his kisses were minty fresh.

“Ready for dinner?” he asked. “You pick the place. My treat.”

“Sure, just let me change,” I said as I threw my purse down and went upstairs.

I tried to get ready as fast as I could, but I still wanted to look decent for him. I stared at the smiling face in the mirror trying to make sense of how I could switch gears so quickly in the last twenty-four hours. A day ago, I was terrified of him. I wanted to show him I was strong. I wanted him to leave me alone and go about his merry way. Now I just wanted him to think I was pretty and to kiss me and keep me company. I was confused to say the least.

I slipped on some jeans and a cream blouse, pulled my hair back into a low chignon, and touched up my makeup. I finished with a spritz of gardenia perfume and trotted down the stairs.

“You look beautiful,” he said as he flashed a smile.

He grabbed his keys to his truck and we headed outside. I locked up and followed him, climbing in on the passenger side. It really was like a real date, and that was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

I suggested a quaint little Italian place on the south side of town, and he plugged it into his GPS and away we went. Halfway through the ride, he reached over and held my hand. It was a sweet gesture, and although I knew I was sending him mixed signals, I returned it. It felt good to have that connection with someone again.

“Where’s your motorcycle?” I asked.

“Back home in Tulsa,” he replied.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take it here?” I replied. “I thought bikers and their bikers were inseparable.”

“It just wasn’t practical for this trip,” he said. I could tell he didn’t want to elaborate. “So what’s good at this little restaurant you picked?”

“Everything,” I gushed. “It’s amazing. You’ll love it.”

We pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant a few short minutes later and walked in hand-in-hand. Things were moving quickly, but I wasn’t surprised given how quickly things had moved with him the weekend before. At least I could feel good about our interactions now. They weren’t seedy or questionable. He was taking me out on a sweet little date, and that was admirable.

We were seated at a half-moon booth. The candle in the middle of the table flickered, giving off a romantic glow. He looked almost devilishly handsome in that light, and it made my insides flutter.

We split a bottle of red wine and ordered a couple of amazingly sinful pasta dishes. He was quiet and reserved and well-mannered. He dropped his biker, bad-boy act for the night, which I appreciated. For a second, I’d forgotten about all the craziness that had led up to this. It seemed like it was lifetimes ago instead of mere days. That’s what happens when you think with your heart and not your head. My mom would be livid if she knew how I was behaving right now.

“So,” Blaze said as he wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin and placed it back in his lap. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked with one eyebrow raised. “And that is?”

“Come back to Tulsa with me,” he said. “Be my Old Lady. You’ll never have to work a day in your life. I’ll take care of you. You’ll go everywhere with me. We’ll be inseparable.”

“Oh,” I said. I didn’t know what to think.

“I know it seems absolutely insane,” he said in a hushed voice. “And maybe it is. But I have to be with you, Molly. I’m crazy about you. I want to take care of you. I want to be with you forever.”

In that moment, the glow of the boyfriend fantasy I’d been living out in my mind during the last day came to a screeching halt. He did sound crazy. It wasn’t realistic.

“I can’t,” I said with a hesitancy. I scrunched my face and tried not to fall for the pained look on his face. He knew all the right words to say. He hit all my soft spots. But it just wasn’t realistic. “My house is here. My job. My life.”

“Start a new one,” he pleaded. “With me. You’ll never have to worry about a damn thing in your entire life as long as you live.”

“It’s really tempting,” I said. “Believe me. It all sounds great. It’s not just realistic.”

“Will you just think about it at least?” he asked. “I’m leaving tomorrow. You can either go with me or stay put and live the same old life you’ve always lived. The choice is yours. I can’t make you do anything.”

I took a sip of my red wine and sat back in the booth. His offer was tempting for sure, but it was completely insane. I felt myself falling back down to reality. This would never work. I could never leave St. Louis, my job, my friends, or my family.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he tried to read my face. “I can tell you’re thinking about something.”

“It’s just too bad that it can’t work,” I said with a regretful smile. “I’m sorry, Blaze.”

He looked crushed, but within minutes his entire demeanor changed. He got up and went back to his side of the table.

“Are you mad at me or something?” I asked.

“No, no, not at all,” he insisted. Though he suddenly looked distracted, maybe even a little distraught.

“Okay, what are you thinking about now?” I asked him. “I can tell something’s on your mind.”

He laughed. “Just disappointed.”

“Well, let’s not let it spoil the evening,” I said with a smile. “We can still have fun and make the best of it. This dinner was amazing by the way. Thanks for taking me out.”

The server stopped by and dropped off our ticket and he slapped a crisp $100 bill in there before standing up and putting his jacket back on. I grabbed my purse and scooted out of the booth, following him out to the car. He didn’t hold my hand. He didn’t hold the door open for me. I could tell he was pissed that I wouldn’t agree to be his “Old Lady”.

I could never in a million years see myself running around with a motorcycle gang. I wasn’t into that lifestyle. I wasn’t that kind of person. Hooking up with him was a one-time thing for me. Okay, two time thing. It wasn’t my intention to turn it into anything else. I knew I had to explain it to him, but it was a matter of finding the right time.

I hopped into his truck and watched him from the corner of my eye. His shoulders were hunched a bit as he leaned onto the driver’s side door and drove with one hand. The whole drive back to my townhouse was in complete silence.

The quietness was awkward and killed me at the same time. I wasn’t used to him being such a closed book. Apparently he really believed I would run off with him, and all his dreams and hopes must’ve come crashing down the moment I told him it wasn’t realistic.

Maybe he just really liked me a lot? I wondered. I probably bruised his ego a bit.

Seeing him go from hot, hot, hot to freezing cold almost made me want him a little more. It almost made me want to try to make it work, maybe in a long-distance form. It was nice having him pine after me like I was some ridiculously gorgeous and highly sought after bombshell. He made me feel sexy. Not even Jeremy made me feel that way and we were together several years.

He pulled into my townhouse driveway and slammed the truck in park. I climbed out, keeping an eye on him, as he hopped down and shut his door hard. He followed me inside, and I was admittedly a little nervous as to what he was going to say or do next.

He kicked off his boots and tossed his black, leather jacket onto the back of an arm chair before plopping down on the couch and flipping on the T.V. He was right back to making himself at home, which was a good sign. Maybe he just needed a little time to cool off?

I slipped in next to him, purposely sitting a little closer than usual, and attempted to curl up inside his arm.

“I hope you’re not upset with me,” I said as I placed my hand on his thigh and glanced up at him with puppy dog eyes.

“I’m not mad at you, Molly,” he sighed. “Just frustrated with the situation. I wish you were more willing to make it work.”

His statement caught me a little off guard, as if he were blaming me for his crazy idea being, well, crazy.

“Look at what you’re asking,” I said. “I can’t uproot my life right now. And honestly, I’m not really big into motorcycle gangs.”

I heard him start to breathe loudly through his nostrils, like a raging bull, and I knew I wasn’t making the situation any better for either of us.

In that moment, something came over me. I didn’t know if it was the wine or if it was my instincts telling me to switch gears and try to calm him down, but I slipped my hand down around his waistband and climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

“What’s this?” he asked. His entire demeanor had changed in an instant, which only told me I was doing the right thing.

“What does it look like?” I asked playfully as I pulled his t-shirt up over his head.

I ran my hands down his smooth pecks and traced the outline of his neck tattoo with my finger. He flashed a cocky half smile as he watched and waited for my next move. I could tell he was enjoying this.

I lifted my blouse up over my head and he reached back and unhooked my bra. I leaned forward, rubbing my breasts against his smooth chest and nibbling on his ear.

“Mmm,” he moaned as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

“You like that?” I whispered into his ear.

He nodded, and his hands reached down and cupped my ass cheeks. Suddenly he was gripping me hard, and we were standing up. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he carried me up the stairs and presumably towards my room.

We got to the top of the stairs and he pinned me against the wall, kissing my neck for a few minutes, before continuing towards my room. He flung my bedroom door open with one swift kick and tossed me back on the bed.

He looked at me with hunger in his eyes as his unbreakable gaze met mine. He ferociously unhinged his belt buckle, zipped his pants down, and kicked off the rest of his clothes.

Blaze pounced on the bed, his body over mine, and I was pinned beneath him in a cage of sorts. I looked up at him, waiting for his next move, and soon found his hands working on getting my jeans off.

I couldn’t get them off fast enough. I wanted this animal of a man to be inside me, fucking the living daylights out of me. I assumed it was going to be our last little rendezvous for a long time, maybe even forever, and I wanted to have one more go at it.

He pulled my jeans down, followed by my pale pink lacy panties, and stuck his fingers down between my legs.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he moaned. “I know you want this, don’t you?”

“Mm-hm,” I said with a nod as I bit my lip.

His fingers traced my slit before slipping deep inside me, and his mouth worked on my neck. He was biting me, using teeth, and it felt fucking amazing.

As he repositioned himself, I could feel his hard cock brushing against my inner thigh. It would only be a few more moments until he was plunged deep inside me, and the anticipation was killing me.