2. Bones
CHAPTER TWO
BONES
I’m in fucking trouble. Something I’ve never felt before in my goddamn life flows through me as I stare down at the gorgeous brunette pressed up against my chest, looking up at me like she wants to bite my head off.
Fuck me, I want to find a dark corner to explore whatever the hell is happening between us.
There’s nothing soft or scared about her, even though I can see she’s shaken.
She’s got her chin tilted up, stubborn as hell, lips parted like she’s drawing breath to curse me out.
Hard to focus with those lips, dark red and pissed off and begging for my attention.
She’s all curves, packed into a black dress that looks like it’s one deep breath away from surrendering.
The fabric hugs her tits, showing off everything, and damn if the sight doesn’t make my cock ache.
Sweet fuck, she’s made for being bent over my bike and screaming my name.
Her hair’s down, wild, dark, and begging for my hands.
Shoulders straight, attitude even straighter.
Her hazel eyes flash between green and gold, sharp as a goddamn razor and twice as dangerous.
Fuck me. Electricity bolts right through my body. Her perfume is clean and sharp, citrus with something sweet underneath. I cage her in before she can bounce off. One hand snags her waist, the other braces against the wall. That’s all it takes to feel the raw panic vibrating through her.
Her head tilts up. Hazel eyes blaze, sizing me up with pure fight-or-flight. Goddamn, she’s beautiful even pissed off and scared. I could eat her alive.
“You okay, sweetheart?” My voice comes out lower than planned.
I’m obsessed already. For a second, we’re eye to eye. Hers are shot through with gold and green, and full of rage and embarrassment.
She tips her chin up, like she’s daring me to disagree. “Do I look okay?”
I can see she’s upset, and I want to protect her from whatever’s bothering her. I stare down into her stormy eyes with my heart squeezing a little at the bruised determination all over her face, and mutter, “What happened?”
Because something sure as hell did.
She exhales, a sharp and bitter sound. “Some bitch stole my purse with my phone and everything. In the bathroom. If you’re security, maybe try doing your fucking job instead of grilling me.”
There’s enough fight in her voice to make me grin. I haven’t been talked to like that in a long time. If ever.
I nod once. “Come with me.” I take the opportunity to take her soft hand in mine. Goddamn. I feel that shit all the way to my soul. My cock turns to stone in my jeans, and I ignore the fucker as I lead her down the main corridor toward the private elevator.
“Where are we going?” She tries to pull her hand back, but I hold on to it.
“We’re going to security. A gnat can’t fart in this goddamn place without someone catching it on video,” I mutter as I punch in my access code on the elevator panel.
When the black metal doors slide open, she whirls, planting both feet. “I’m not getting in that elevator with you. I don’t even know your name.”
“My name is Bones,” I say. “And you’ll be perfectly safe with me.”
The look she gives me would drop a lesser man. “That’s the first thing every serial killer on earth says.”
I can’t help it; I smile. “I’m not a serial killer.”
“And that’s the second thing they say.” She plants her gorgeous ass right there.
“You’re going to have to trust me.” I lean over and stare directly into her eyes. “I’d cut off my own goddamn arm before I hurt you.”
She must believe me, because she hesitates, then huffs out a curse and stomps ahead.
I follow her into the elevator, watching the way her hips sway under the ridiculous dress.
There’s power in her stride, even if she looks like she’s marching to her own execution.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” I remind her as the elevator doors close us in.
“I sure didn’t.” She stares at me with a raised eyebrow.
“This is going to be so much fun,” I mutter under my breath as we step off the elevator.
For some reason, her defiance really wakes my fucking cock up.
Goddamn it. I lead her down the hall, and we come to the main security door.
I punch the staff code and shove the door open.
The security office takes up a good portion of the fucking fifth floor, and it’s filled with screens.
I wasn’t lying when I said nothing gets by our security.
Ty, one of the night guys, looks up and grins when he sees me.
“Trouble?” Ty asks.
I jerk my head toward the gorgeous brunette, who’s already scanning the screens like she can out-detect us all. “This woman had her purse lifted by a guest. Little brunette in a sequin dress, moving with a crew of two. They fled the main corridor bathroom a few minutes ago.”
Ty’s fingers fly over the keyboard. He brings up three feeds, rewinds to the timestamp I spit at him, and hits play. The image quality is crystal clear.
“There.” My girl leans over Ty’s shoulder, finger almost touching the screen. “That’s her, and she’s holding my black purse.”
She’s shaking, but she’s steady, voice not even quivering. On the monitor, the thief does a sloppy handoff of the purse to one of her friends, then the whole flock heads toward the fire exit.
I tap the radio on Ty’s desk. “Three females, one with a black purse. Heading out the north fire door now. Stop them.”
Ty repeats it into his headset, adding that they have a stolen black purse. Within a minute, two of the security guys have the girls boxed in by the dumpsters. One tries to run, but she’s too slow and too drunk. As we watch, one of the security guys grabs my girl’s purse and holds it up.
Ty tells the guard to bring it up to the office, and a few minutes later, he strides into the office with the purse clutched in his meaty paw. “Here you go.” He grins, handing over the purse.
I take the purse from him and hand it to my girl. Damn. The look on her face nearly knocks the wind out of me. She breathes, “Thank you,” and reaches for the purse. I watch as she digs through it.
“Anything missing?” Christ, I want to drag her onto my lap and make her relax, but I settle for folding my arms and staring her down. She’s so goddamn pretty when she’s pissed.
She checks the wallet, the phone, all her shit, then finally looks up at me, blinking. “No. It’s all here.”
I lean closer. “Now that I’ve saved your ass, think you can tell me your name?”
She squares her shoulders, narrowing her eyes, defiant as hell. “Eden.”
Fuck me. Even her name is perfect.
I glance at Eden. She’s staring at me with an expression I can’t quite read—part gratitude, part challenge, part something raw and electric that sends sparks shooting down my spine.
I lean in, low enough that only she can hear me over the sound system. “You want a ride home?”
She looks at me like I just offered to sell her a bridge in the desert. “I should say no, but right now, I just want to get home and forget all about his night. If you plan to kill me, please make it quick and painless.”
I laugh, and she glares at me like I just offered to cut off her arm instead of giving her a ride. “You’re safe with me, Eden,” I tell her, voice dropping. “I said I’d protect you, and I meant it.”
She tosses her hair and mutters, “Great. That’s exactly what a serial killer would say. Do you promise not to murder me and dump my body in a construction site?”
It takes everything in me not to scoop her up against me. “Cross my heart.” I make the motion and all. I fucking love the way she fights. I want to see her fight me under the covers, those sharp nails digging into my back. Jesus, I need to get my shit together.
“I don’t think my dress will survive riding on a bike,” she throws out, biting her bottom lip.
“It’s a good thing I drove my truck tonight.”
“Damn,” she mumbles under her breath. “There goes my last chance of escaping.” She glances up and stares me down. “Just so you know, all I’m agreeing to is a ride. If you’re expecting me to hop in bed with you, you have another thing coming. I’m not some club bunny looking to score with a biker. ”
Her words surprise the fuck out of me. Fuck. This entire situation is shocking. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I tell her. “I’ll take care of you.”
Ty laughs as I take Eden’s hand and lead her out the security door.
I guide her out through the side entrance, the one I use when I don’t want anyone knowing my business. The night air hits us, humid and gritty, and her shoulders finally drop a little like she’s letting out a breath she’s been holding all night.
My truck is a monster. F-250, crew cab, gleaming black with custom rims and a steel headache rack. Some people say it’s overcompensation. I say it’s necessary.
I open her door and help her up. She hesitates only a second, then hauls herself into the passenger seat with a muttered thank you.
I fire up the engine, and it settles into a low, comforting rumble.
“What’s your address, sweetheart?” I ask.
She rattles it off. It’s halfway across the city, in a part of town that’s all cracked pavement and flickering streetlights. I hit the main drag and keep my eyes on the road, but I can feel her watching me. Testing. Prodding.
“So, what’s your deal, Bones?” she says, voice tight with curiosity. “You work at the casino?”
“Nope. I just hang out there.” It’s mostly the truth. My MC club owns Elysium, and we all hang out there, but I do my own shit. “I own The Boneyard Garage.”
“Appropriate.” She glances over at me and smiles.
We drive in silence for a few blocks. The city’s ugly at this hour—empty parking lots, boarded up payday lenders, strip malls with only one letter working on the sign.
“Where do you work?” I ask, wanting to know everything about her.
She stiffens. “ADC Consulting. I’m a PA for one of the junior VPs.”
I recognize the company name. Fuck. My little lamb works for one of the biggest organized crime fronts in the city. I wonder how much she knows about their activities.
Fuck. I need to know what I’m working with here. “How did you end up in Elysium tonight?”
“My boss, Nelson Henderson, is a member,” she mutters, staring out the window.
“He told me he needed me for a meeting tonight, but the asshole left me at the bar and disappeared.” Henderson isn’t a full member, and I seriously doubt the idiot ever will be.
No telling what he’s up to, but I can see Eden isn’t involved. Relief cuts through me.
I grunt, “Henderson’s an asshole.”
Her head jerks toward me. “You know him?”
“Yeah,” I say. “He’s a probationary member of the casino. That’s all I know.”
She makes a small sound. Not quite a laugh. “Believe me when I say, you don’t want to know any more than that.”
We hit a red light, and I glance over at her. In the dash glow, she looks almost fragile. Almost. Her lips are drawn tight, but she doesn’t break eye contact.
We pull up to her apartment complex, and it’s worse than I expected. Chain-link fence, two cars on blocks, a cat picking through trash by the dumpster. The lights on the walkway are half-dead and flicker like an old film reel. I kill the engine and look over at her.
She’s already unbuckled, hand on the door. “Thanks for the lift. You don’t have to walk me to my door.”
I shake my head. There’s no fucking way I’m letting her walk around this part of town after dark. “I’ll walk you in.” I open my door and get out, then come around to her side before she can argue anymore. She mutters under her breath but doesn’t fight me.
The walk to her unit is silent. She has her keys in her hands and stops outside a faded green door with a tarnished “2C” on it.
“This is me, and I don’t invite strangers in.” She puts her hands on her curvy hips and stares me down.
“That’s a great policy, sweetheart.” I lean on the doorframe, close but not crowding her. “I’d like to see you again, Eden.”
She blinks, slow. “Why?”
I have no idea how to answer that, so I just say, “Honestly, I have no fucking idea. But I do know you knocked me on my ass the first time you opened your gorgeous mouth and smarted off.”
She looks at her feet then up at me and smirks. “You need to get out more.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.” I take her keys from her hands and unlock her door. “I want to take you out.”
She stares up at me for a few moments. “Look. I’m too busy to date anyone right now.
” Fucking hell. Her refusal hurts more than it should.
“But thank you for rescuing me and driving me home.” She shuts the door in my face before I’m able to argue.
As I walk back to my truck, I’m making plans to change her mind.
Because there’s no way I’m going to walk away from her without putting up a fight.