Chapter 8
Cat
The two hours left in my shift flashed by in a blur. Throughout the entirety of it, I kept thinking about everything that had happened on my break.
In the forefront of my thoughts was that complete psychopath, Kane. He’d assaulted me at work and then pushed me down a dangerous hill for no other reason than to get back at Ace. When I think of all the ways I could have been injured, my stomach dropped, and I began to shake.
I knew Ace said he’d handle everything when it came to the dangerous biker, but I’d already decided to call the cops. Without a paper trail, guys like this never backed off. Sometimes the cops weren’t even enough to deter them.
When I wasn’t thinking about Kane, I was remembering that kiss Ace and I had shared.
When that gorgeous man held me close, everything in the world seemed to disappear.
It was an unreal, world altering, panty-dropping kind of kiss that left me weak in the knees.
If that’s what kissing him felt like, I could only imagine what having sex with him would do to me.
Shit, I might never recover from something that good.
The movie ended just after eleven and the waitresses and I began to attend to our closing side work. Sheryl, a waitress in her late fifties who filled out her uniform better than most twenty-year olds, bumped shoulders with me then.
“Who’s the guy who can’t take his eyes off of you, Cat?” She asked with a youthful enthusiasm that made her appear a good ten years younger.
Not sure what to say, I decided to keep my response light and noncommittal. “He’s a friend.”
Sheryl snorted a laugh. “Oh, honey, I know you’re not that young and naive to think a man who looks like that, hangs around a place like this all night because you’re just “friends”. Spill, it’s been months since I’ve been on any good dates and I’m starting to feel starved for some drama.”
I laughed and gave up the pretense of friendship then. “I met him the other night out at the bar with my friend Anna. He’s kind of, well, intense,” I said, after a moment’s hesitation.
Sheryl sighed. “The best ones always are,” she lamented. “How’s the sex?”
I almost choked at her straightforward question, but decided to be honest and confess, “I don’t know yet. All we’ve done so far is kiss. But that was pretty fantastic.”
Sheryl snagged the ketchup container I’d been wiping down straight out of my hands. “I’ll finish up here. You go with that beautiful man and have a wild night filled with incredible passion and unforgettable orgasms. All I ask is that you fill me in about it on our next shift.”
Blushing, I laughed and accepted the kind offer. “I’m not sure I’m ready for all that, but I wouldn’t mind seeing where this goes.”
“Oh, it’s going straight to your bedroom,” Sheryl confidently predicted. “So carpe diem and enjoy your night, girl. You’ve earned it.”
“Thanks,” I told her, before untying my apron. “Can you let Harry know I’m heading out?”
Sheryl gave me a salute as she skated the tray of ketchups over to the cooler. “Will do!”
Hanging up my apron, I walked outside. Ace was leaning against his bike, looking like a sex god, his grey gaze devouring my every move.
“You ready to go home, Babe?”
I was, but I was also nervous as hell. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
He looked around the parking lot at the few remaining cars. “Which one’s yours?”
“I took an Uber here because my car’s having some work done,” I explained, suddenly so nervous I didn’t know what to do with my hands.
Ace grinned. “Good. That means we can take my bike over to your place. You ready for that ride I promised you at Chubs?”
Again, I don’t know if I was ready, but I sure was willing. “I am, but I don’t have a helmet.”
Striding over with the one he was holding, Ace leaned down and touched his lips to mine. “I’ve got you covered, Babe. I brought this one specifically for you.”
Not sure if I was making the the best choice or the biggest mistake of my life, I let him fit me with his spare. His fingers were feather light as he expertly adjusted the chin strap. His touch, like a live wire, made my body eagerly stand up at attention, waiting, begging for more.
Taking my hand, Ace led me over to his bike. His legs were so long, they swung easily up and over the motorcycle as if he’d been born doing it. Donning his helmet, which was slung around the handlebars, he adjusted his weight and leaned forward.
“Climb on,” he encouraged, like he was offering me the first forbidden bite of apple and not a simple ride back to my apartment.
Too tempting to deny, I bit. Crossing my purse along my chest, I awkwardly straddled his big metal beast and leaned against his leather clad back for security. His scent, so fresh and clean, and far too alluring for my good, wafted into my nostrils and caused my stomach to tighten with pure need.
“Hold on tight,” he cautioned me, before kick-starting the bike to life and shooting off into the night.
The warm air gushed over us as we sped down the dark road, the moon and the stars lighting our way. Though I was afraid at first, I soon grew to love the feel of riding. The amazingly beautiful man I was holding onto might have had something to do with that.
But it wasn’t only Ace I was enjoying. It was the ease with which we moved through the night. The rush of fresh air. The freedom that came with the experience, like we’d suddenly sprung wings and taken flight. It was, in a word, magical. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
All too soon, Ace pulled into my apartment complex. It was then that I realized I’d never even told him where I lived.
As we both dismounted the bike I asked, “How did you know where my place was?”
Ace unstrapped my helmet, then his. Leaning down, he whispered into my ear, “I’ll tell you all about it once you invite me inside.”
My heart began to pound. This was my moment to accept his advances or deny them.
If I was honest with myself, I’d admit I was never going to turn Ace away. I was always going to invite him inside. Inside my apartment, and inside me. To pretend otherwise would only mean lying to myself, and what good did that ever do?
“Come on in,” I invited.
This time I took his hand and led the way.