Chapter 2
Cat
“Who’s that?” Anna questioned in a low tone, as she peered over the rim of her fresh rum and coke. She’d just come in from the parking lot and had missed the entire dispute between several large men.
I couldn’t look at who my bestie was staring at because then he’d know we were talking about him. And even though we were talking about him, and I was thinking about licking whipped cream off of his ripped abs while he lay naked in my bed, I tried not to broadcast that fact out loud to the world.
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, terrified that he’d overhear us and my face would turn even more red than it already was.
“The one with the flame tattoo on his neck got into a fight with some loser who mistreated the bartender. I don’t want him to overhear us and think we’re gossiping about him now. ”
It was the weirdest thing, but for a moment there, I thought I’d seen the impossible.
I’d had several heavy pours of rum and coke tonight, so my eyes were apparently playing tricks on me.
It looked like the asshole who’d disrespected the bartender had been launched into the air by an invisible foe.
But again, I knew that was ridiculous. I needed to stop trying to keep up with Anna and drink water between rounds to help clear my liquor-addled brain before I started imagining tiny purple elephants dancing on the bar tops next.
Anna smiled impishly. “You like that guy. I mean, like-like him.”
Too embarrassed to admit the truth, I feigned ignorance. “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that shit!
You’re totally into the hot biker guy covered in tattoos and wearing all that sexy leather.
” She openly appraised him then. “I can’t blame you.
He’s fucking gorgeous. So is his big friend.
I wouldn’t mind letting him do a few dozen pushups above my sweaty body, if you get my meaning. ”
I giggled despite myself. “Anna, you’re terrible.”
“And you’re being ridiculous, Cat! Come on, let’s go over there and ask them what they ride. I hope the answer is me,” she teased with a wink and a pearly white grin. “What do you say? I’ll do all the talking.”
Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed my hand and tried to coax me forward.
I resisted, too cowardly to be as bold as my beautiful best friend.
I’m not sure what it was about the gorgeous biker, but he was making me even more nervous than usual.
Even the liquid encouragement flowing liberally through my veins wasn’t enough to allow me to even look in his direction, let alone talk to him.
I didn’t know what it was about this guy, but I was having the strongest physical reaction to his presence. The nearer he got, the hotter I got. He was a straight up bad-boy ten. I mean, he could have walked off the cover of one of my romance novels, he was so fine.
The mere sight of the tattooed giant had me pressing my thighs together to ease the ache steadily building there.
He had dark hair that was shaved on the sides, but longer on the top.
It had a bit of natural wave to it and lent the handsome man an unruly, dangerous aura.
The shadow of a beard on his cheeks and his natural, swarthy complexion with light toned eyes added to his over-all virile male beauty.
Annoyed, Anna continued to play tug-of-war with my wrist. “Why are you fighting me? Come on, girl. Live a little!”
She was right, of course, but I still resisted. My heart was beating too erratically, and my senses were stuck on overdrive. I just knew if I spoke to that gorgeous man, I’d make a total ass of myself. I could already feel my nerves closing up my throat at the thought of just saying hello.
Fate took the choice out of our hands then. The two burly bikers were striding in our direction. Nudging my chin toward them, I gave Anna the heads-up.
“They’re coming this way!” I managed to choke out.
Anna stopped yanking at me and looked up. Spotting the two behemoths cutting through the crowd, she quickly dropped my wrist.
My heartbeat only increased as the men drew nearer. I could feel the flutter in my chest so hard and fast, I feared I might actually pass out. Reminding myself to breathe so that I didn’t fade to black, my eyes trailed their impressive forms until they were standing right in front of us.
The man who’d been checking me out since he first spotted me in the bar, got so close my lungs constricted and my skin pricked with sweat.
A waft of his scent washed over me then, and it nearly buckled my knees.
He smelled so good. I’m talking, fucking amazing!
Like fresh spring air, clean laundry, sandalwood, and leather all wrapped up in some delightful, carnal package.
A combo that was obviously irresistible to my lady bits.
If I wasn’t dripping for him before, I certainly was now.
“Haven’t seen you two here before,” the biker standing next to Anna commented, as he snuggled up close to my friend. “What’s your name, beautiful?”
“Anna,” she merrily replied, not shy in the least.
“Helloooo, Anna,” purred the big guy. “I’m Domino. Do you like playing with dominoes?”
While Anna and Domino continued to flirt outrageously, the man standing next to me got closer, too. His nostrils flared like he could smell the arousal between my legs and my cheeks flamed over with shame. His pupils darkened as he inhaled, and I shivered in response.
Beyond his impressive build and height, there was something so powerfully magnetic about this handsome stranger that it actually struck me dumb.
Perhaps it was his feral nature. It sounded cliche, but I felt like he was a master hunter, and I was his helpless prey.
For better or worse, I was in his sights, and he was primed and ready for the kill.
So close now that he could whisper his words into the sensitive shell of my ear, the striking biker leaned down and said, “And you?” in the most delightfully gravelly voice I’d ever heard. “What’s your name, little one?”
I wasn’t sure what he’d actually asked until my brain unscrambled and slowly decoded the words.
“Catalia, but my friends call me Cat,” I finally squeaked out, and he unexpectedly chuckled.
I don’t know what he was laughing about, but his sudden humor made me irrationally angry.
“What’s so funny?” I demanded, my annoyance clearing my brain-fog some.
“Nothing, Babe. I just like the sound of your name, is all. It suits you.” As he sipped his beer, I noticed he was still grinning like he was in on some private joke that I’d been intentionally left out of.
Summoning an ounce of courage, I posed, “What’s your name?”
“Ace,” he cooly responded. “But my enemies call me the big bad wolf, little Pussy Cat.”
If I was cheeky enough, I’d mock his name like he’d done mine. But the truth was, the name fit him to a tee. In appearance at least, he truly was top-notch and first-rate, not only in my eyes, but apparently in the eyes of the others in this club.
My gaze dropped down to his chest where I noticed he wore a patch that boasted the title “Prez”. That fact snapped me back to reality fast.
This guy was a member of a notorious motorcycle gang. No, he wasn’t just a member, he was the freaking president! If I knew what was best for me, I needed to stay as far away as possible from his dangerous, sexy-as-hell ass.
Even I knew about the Night Stalkers MC, though I’d only moved into town about two months ago.
All the men in Mercy gossiped about the bikers, and all the women dropped their panties for them.
In fact, that’s why Anna had suggested we come here tonight.
She’d hoped that we’d run into some of the guys who were rumored to drink at Chubs from time to time and get to “know them better”.
In a rare moment of bravery, I’d agreed.
I’d wanted to be carefree and fun loving for once, so I decided to give it a go.
To be honest, I’m not the sort that goes out a lot.
Especially not to rough establishments like this.
I usually prefer to stay home with a good book and a glass of cheap wine.
But Anna had convinced me with her infinite powers of persuasion to come out tonight and I’d caved.
Now we were talking to the roughest men I’d ever met, and I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t feeling the most intense lust I’d ever known.
Trying to convince myself I wasn’t THAT into him.
My lady bits were yelling loudly that I definitely was.
“I’ve never seen you two here before,” the bigger biker noted, giving my bestie a scorching up-down glance that could have set the room on fire. “I would have remembered.”
“It’s the first time we’ve ever been here,” Anna explained, taking a delicate sip of her drink while giving the giant a sexy come-hither look from over the rim of her glass.
“Why’s that?” Ace inquired, the mesmerizing flame tattoos licking up the side of his neck catching my eye once more.
“Cat’s new in town and I wanted to show her where the hottest guys hang out,” Anna explained, not a shred of embarrassment evident in her face or tone.
Really, I was in awe of the woman’s balls. They were bigger than any man’s I’d ever known.
Domino tossed his head back and gave a hearty belly laugh. Even Ace smiled, though it lasted only seconds on his serious face.
“So, you’re new in town,” he replied with real interest. “I’m going to need to take you out on my bike. Show you the area.”
I guess my bestie wasn’t the only one with big balls here. “I’d like that,” I forced myself to say, not wanting to be a shrinking violet in a room full of oversized personalities.
Domino got a text then and quickly scanned it. “Mad Dog says he got hung up at Darwin’s shop, but he’ll be by in a few.”
Ace shrugged. “Not sure we’ll be here for much longer.” His gaze landed on me then as he studied my face, then my body, hard. “Cat needs a ride on my bike. You ever been on the back of a bike before, Babe?”
Shaking my head, I bit my bottom lip. His voice was gruff, and his eyes were smoldering just as intensely as my loins. “Never.”
Ace gave me a devastating smile that reached all the way to his grey-blue eyes, crinkling the edges. “Good. I’ll be your first then.”
I didn’t think we were talking about motorcycles anymore. I think we were talking mind blowing orgasms that would live in my memories long into my twilight years. Damn! This man was something else. I could actually feel a strange tingling sensation running through my body. What the hell?
A bell chimed in front of the bar, signaling it was time for everyone to leave. “Finish your drinks and don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out,” the bartender shouted from the front of the room, breaking our intense staring contest.
Groans and boos erupted around the bar. Kierston told them where they could lodge their complaints, which didn’t seem to appeal to any of them. The men began to pound their beers, and the ladies consider their options and exactly how brave they wanted to be tonight.
I found myself doing the exact same thing when Ace dropped his gaze to my lips and asked, “Why don’t you two come with us. There’s no need for the night to end so soon. We’ll have some drinks back at our Club. You can stay as long or as short as you like.”
His words were so harmless, yet so rife with erotic promise that I had to fight to control my quickened breathing.
He hadn’t said as much, but I knew what he was offering: the best night of my life.
And I wanted it with EVERY bone in my body, though I knew it was the very last thing I should agree to.
My mother had taught me better than to trust boys like this.
But what my mother didn’t know, couldn’t hurt her. Right?
“What do you say, Babe?” he pressed, running a tattooed knuckle down the side of my cheek. “You want to come with me?”
Um, yes. I definitely wanted to “come” with him. In more ways than one. But I wasn’t sure I could take what he was offering. In fact, I knew I couldn’t. I wasn’t some ballsy, adventurous chick like Anna. I lacked the proper DNA to enable me make fun-loving, spontaneous decisions like she did.
As was her habit, Anna spoke for the both of us before I could answer the man.
“I can be talked into at least one more drink.” She gave her biker, the one who looked like someone who played professional football in a position that could withstand or deliver brutal hits, a sassy look that I could never pull off.
Ace grinned the most panty-dropping grin I’d ever seen. “What about you, Pussy Cat?”
He was using the nickname to piss me off, I was sure of it. “It’s Cat,” I corrected, my dream of being spontaneous going up in flames, “and I think I’ve had enough drinks for the night. It’s late and I have to work tomorrow. We should probably get going.”
The look on Anna’s face was like someone who’d just watched their puppy get kicked, which made me feel kind of bad. But, like the true friend she was, she didn’t outwardly protest her disappointment.
“Alright, assholes. Everyone out! Anyone who doesn’t leave in the next ten seconds is getting the spray gun,” Kierston threatened, aiming it at one particularly crusty man sitting in the corner protecting his beer with his life.
Ace and his friend chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go outside and finish this conversation.
The bartender means what she says. As much as I’d enjoy watching you get hosed down,” his intriguing grey eyes openly stared at my breasts with so much hunger I could have spontaneously orgasmed on the spot, “I’d prefer we were in private when that happens. ”
A nuclear furnace ignited low in my belly. Not waiting for an answer, Ace’s enormous hand engulfed mine and pulled me out of the bar. Unable to resist, I let him lead me directly into the night and the temptation I knew I was going to regret come the morning.