Chapter Two
Rose
I’m looking for trouble…looks like I found it. His name is Lucky. -Rose
My heart is pounding as I approach the gate to the Silver Snakes compound. It took me almost a week to talk myself into following up on my primal instinct to find the man that made my body light up like a tree on Christmas. I did reconnaissance work almost as soon as I left church last Sunday.
“Who’s that guy that was on the bike? You know, outside the church?” I asked Megan Frost, at the big Sunday lunch Daddy hosted every other Sunday. Megan is the biggest gossip in town. If anyone would know, it would be her.
She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and her blue eyes twinkled with excitement.
“Hot, isn’t he?” She lowered her voice as others looked over at us.
“Lucky Chapman is his name. Part of the Silver Snakes.” She went on to tell me in whispers about Lucky’s reputation.
“Sleeps with everybody, but he’s a damn good lay.
Haven’t had him myself but that’s only cause of Roy.
He would kill him.” She was talking about her boyfriend.
I’m quite sure it would be Lucky doing the killing, but whatever.
By the end of that Sunday lunch, I’d gotten my information and I knew I would be making my move.
It only took six days to gather up the courage.
So now, here I stand, in front of the gate in my best yellow sundress, trying to figure out how to get in so I can talk to the promiscuous man who might just be the one I need.
“What ya doin’ here, girl? You’re kinda far from town,” a gruff voice behind me has me jumping out of my skin.
I swing around and see a man in a leather jacket and jeans. I gulp. He’s got broad shoulders and a grumpy disposition. And a long, curvy scar on the side of his face. His eyes narrow as I attempt to give him a small smile. Hell’s bells.
I swallow hard, twisting my hands together out of pure nervousness.
“I’m here to see Lucky. Lucky Chapman. I heard he lives out here.” My voice comes out shaky and I hate it. I want to appear like a confident adult, not a spineless jellyfish of a woman.
He cocks his head to the side and sighs. “He expectin’ you?”
“Um…” Hell no, he isn’t expecting me. He only saw me once, but there was something about that moment…something that made me risk my fool neck by coming up here. “Not exactly. But I’m sure he’ll be fine with seeing me.”
The scarred man chuckles. “I’m sure he will.”
He finally pulls out his phone and then holds it to his ear.
He turns his back to me, but I can hear the murmurs coming from his end.
“One of your girls. Hell, Lucky I don’t know which one.
Red hair?” He turns a little to give me a short scan.
“Yeah, brown eyes. Whatever. I ain’t got time for this shit, Lucky. ”
He finally turns back to me and shoves his phone into his pocket. “He’ll be here in a minute.”
I nod and try not to stare at him. There’s something about this man. He seems like a good man despite the gruff language and surly appearance. “Sorry to bother you.”
He sends me a smile and it brightens up his whole face. “No worries. Name’s Scar. What’s yours?”
I exhale long and hard. Polite conversation I can take. After all, I was raised on mindless chatter between strangers.
“Rose Alderman. Nice to meet you, Scar.”
For a second his smile falters. “Alderman, as in the mayor, Bob Alderman?”
Ah, crap.
I nod slowly. “Yep, that’s my father.”
I hear him mutter something that sounds suspicious like fuck under his breath, but he doesn’t say anything else about it. I’m prepared for any of it. People always want to talk about my father, some good stuff and a hell of a lot of it bad. It comes with the territory of being the mayor’s daughter.
I hear the squeak of the gate right before a deep, smooth voice that sends a skitter of electricity down my spine.
“Well, well, this is a nice surprise. Here to sell me Girl Scout cookies, sunshine?”
I turn and there’s Lucky. I realize when I see him again that I wasn’t nearly prepared enough for this. My body instantly reacts to his presence. It feels like my whole being is a live wire or a magnet attracted only to this person. It’s overwhelming.
“N…no,” I stammer out. “N…not cookies.”
Nope, not cookies. I’m here to offer him something else. Something a whole lot more personal.