Chapter One #4
He was the type of man that made women lose their heads and do really stupid stuff, like the inability to think rationally or talk in complete sentences.
The girl on the ground gave a little whimpering sound, and it broke Shiloh’s enraptured moment of gawking at her handsome savior. The abused girl stared at her still-out-cold bastard of a boyfriend.
“Listen,” she said, even knowing this was going to fall on deaf ears.
“I know what you’re going to do. You’ll go home with him and say you’re sorry over and over again for something you didn’t do.
And he’s gonna beat you and punish you because a girl stood up to him.
And he won’t stop until he either puts you in the hospital or puts you in the grave.
So, you got one chance to walk away, right here, right now.
Don’t be that woman who always goes back because you think no one is ever gonna love you or understand you like he does. ”
She held out her hand, and just when she thought she’d gotten through, the girl halted from reaching Shiloh’s lifeline, and her eyes darted to the still motionless body.
“Ah, hell,” Shiloh muttered and turned her back on the situation.
What did she expect? The woman to have an ah-ha moment?
Shiloh walked away, down the alley, leaving the whole scene behind.
Why did she even bother? She might have gotten hit herself for trying to help some idiot who would probably end up being a punching bag again.
Right then, she couldn’t go back into the bar and act like nothing had happened.
She needed a moment to shake off the effects of the adrenaline rush.
A second later, Sexy Biker fell in step with her. “Why’d you do that?”
“Do what? Almost get punched?”
“Yes. Why, for fuck’s sake, would you get involved? You knew she wouldn’t leave him.”
Shiloh stopped and turned to face him. A nearby streetlight shone down on him, masking his face with shadows. His eyes were bathed in shadows, but she sure felt their burn.
“Yeah,” she finally answered. “But everyone deserves the offer to be saved at least once, don’t they?”
A funny look came over his face, one she couldn’t interpret.
As her adrenaline rush began to crash and burn, her hands shook so she clasped them together in an effort to calm them.
Then he reached out and covered her hands with his, and suddenly she forgot all about the reason why she was in a smelly alley.
The biggest surprise was that she didn’t pull away.
His touch didn’t trigger a panic attack.
Once again, the world faded away, as corny as that sounded.
It was just him and her with no thoughts of the past, present, or future.
Electricity danced over her skin, and heat surged through her.
She hoped like hell he couldn’t see the blush dusting over her cheeks.
“Let me go,” she finally managed to rasp out even though her mouth was bone dry.
“What’s your name?” he asked
She hesitated for a moment. “Why do you want to know?”
“Isn’t asking the polite thing to do?”
“We’ll probably never see each other again.”
“That would be a damn shame.”
She didn’t know what came over her, but she answered his question. “My name is Shiloh.”
“Interesting name. Suits you.”
“It means peace, and I can assure you, I’m anything but peaceful.”
He grinned, showing surprisingly white teeth. Bikers had dental insurance? “You’re very grumpy, do you know that?”
He reached up with his other hand to push a wisp of hair behind her ear, and she flinched. Fear spiked in her chest whenever a hand came close to her head. Fuck, she even felt a little lightheaded as a hit of fear coursed through her.
His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “My name is Jade.”
She glanced at the patch on his cut. Sons of Sin MC was in bright white stitching. Under that was his name stitched into the leather with a one percent sign next to it.
“Well, Jade, thanks for your help,” she said.
He gave her that strange look again, as if she was some rare creature he’d just discovered. Just as he went to respond, the other biker from the bar joined them. Immediately, her biker dropped her hand and took a half step back, and she felt the disconnection like a kick in her gut.
“Anything wrong?” his friend asked in a low, gruff voice.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Jade replied, although his gaze didn’t leave her. “Do me a favor and try not to beat up every asshole around. Otherwise, you’ll be trying to kick my ass.”
One of her eyebrows arched up. “Are you that bad?”
His mouth twisted into a devilish grin, and the pale overhead lighting helped make him look like a fallen angel. Suddenly a demon stood before her. “I’m worse.”
Then he strolled past, heading toward the alley entrance with his biker buddy next to him.
Shiloh couldn’t help but turn to watch him go, mainly to admire the way his jeans showed his ass to perfection.
She wondered if she’d ever see him again and then had to give a derisive laugh at the thought.
They were from two different worlds. Chances were, probably not.