Chapter Three
SPINNING BOTTLES
Groaning, I grab my head in hopes it won’t split in half.
How much did I fucking drink last night?
Judging by the taste in my mouth, I’d say a hell of a lot of Whiskey.
I try to roll over to escape the sunshine filtering through the open curtains, but it’s no use.
Squinting at the clock on the nightstand, I sigh in relief that I haven’t overslept.
I fucked up last night when I started drinking, but it was unavoidable.
Fuck, okay, that’s a copout, and I know it.
I was struggling, though. Sierra’s smartass mouth was turning me on.
My cock was hard as fucking granite, and I was on the verge of tossing her on the bed and fucking her.
Considering she’s not a bunny, I seriously doubt she’d be down for a roll in the sheets with the likes of me.
She doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d be up for a casual fuck, so I did what I had to and got the fuck out of here.
Not the smartest move considering there was a bar right across the road.
What I do know is that she’s fucking gorgeous, and don’t get me started on that sweet voice of hers. It gets me hard when I think about her screaming my name.
I know I shouldn’t have let her get to me, but fuck, she’s not the junkie I remember from a year ago.
She’s changed so much. The one and only time I saw her before picking her up in New York yesterday was when I tossed her into the holding cell.
Back then, she was a fucking wildcat clawing and kicking at everyone as she tried to escape.
That’s not the woman I picked up yesterday. This new version of Sierra has the same smart mouth, but she’s also sweet and soft-spoken. It’s really fucking with my head.
Once I get her back to Miami, I’ll be able to get some perspective.
When I look over my shoulder and find her gone, I freeze.
I tell myself that there’s no need to panic, but when I flip back over, the bathroom door is standing wide open.
Son of a bitch! Where the hell did she go?
The moment that thought fully filters through my fuzzy brain, I know I’m fucked.
I jump out of bed and frantically dig in my jean pocket for the keys.
“Goddamn it,” I yell when I come up empty-handed.
I stumble inside the bathroom, hoping I left them on the counter last night but once again find nothing.
No! No, no, no! That fucking bitch! Here I was, thinking she’d changed, but she is still nothing more than a goddamn thief.
My chest heaves as my anger increases. I’m going to strangle that bitch when I get my hands on her. As I’m looking around the room, trying to think of how I am going to explain all of this to Viper, I realize Bones is gone too.
“That bitch stole my fucking dog,” I growl. Fuck that! Darting out the door barefoot, I jog toward the parking lot and slightly stumble when I see my truck is in the spot I’d parked it in last night. Thank fuck.
Wait, if she didn’t take my truck. Where the fuck did she and Bones go? My heart starts beating faster for a whole different reason now. What if someone took her, and I was too drunk to hear anything? Oh, Fuck.
I punch in the code on the driver’s side door and yank it open.
I quickly climb inside and fumble to get the door closed.
Just as I’m about to grab the spare key under the mat, the hairs on my neck stand at attention.
Shit! I’m not alone. Very slowly, I reach for the gun I stashed under my seat.
I dart my eyes to the rearview mirror as my hand wraps around the grip.
“Jesus,” I mumble, feeling like ten years have been shaved off my life.
There in the backseat are Sierra and Bones, sound asleep.
I’m not sure why she’s sleeping in the truck, but I sure as fuck am glad that she’s safe.
I hope I’m not the reason she’s out here because if Viper finds out that I got drunk last night and his sister-in-law slept in the truck because of something I did to her, I can kiss my patch goodbye.
I quietly climb out and gently close the door, praying she doesn’t wake.
Moving to the back door, I pull it open and whisper for Bones to get out.
Once he’s no longer blocking my view, I take a moment to really look at Sierra.
Even sound asleep, there’s no getting around how naturally beautiful she is.
I can tell she’s much younger than me as I get a look at her with no makeup.
Shifting my eyes lower, it’s hard not to stare at her perfect body.
As I’m admiring her tits, I see a blemish on her chest that looks a lot like a stab wound.
The closer I look, the more thin scars I see etched along the top of her breasts.
As the Vice President of a 1% motorcycle club, I’ve taken part in my fair share of torture sessions in the shed.
I know the marks a scalpel leaves behind, and that’s exactly what someone has used to hurt this poor girl.
I’m trying to imagine the kind of person that would want to hurt her with a scalpel.
It doesn’t make any sense. The more I examine the scars that are visible, the more I wonder if anyone else has seen them.
I don’t know a thing about Sierra other than what little I’ve heard others say about her past, but nobody’s said a word about someone cutting her up.
That much I would have remembered, no matter how drunk I’ve been over the last year.
Taking a deep breath, I grip her bare foot and softly squeeze.
It takes a minute, but she finally starts to rouse.
When she lifts up onto her elbows, I bite my tongue to suppress the groan threatening to escape.
Fuck me; she’s the sexiest little thing I’ve ever seen.
Her white tank is pulled tightly across her flat torso and perfectly round tits.
Damn, she’s a sight to behold. My cock perks up in agreement, and it pisses me off that of all the women I could possibly be attracted to, it’s this one.
I know Viper wants me to look out for her, but I seriously doubt he’d be on board with the things I’m thinking about.
“What’s wrong?” Sierra rasps, blinking owlishly as she jerks her legs up protectively. It’s at this precise moment, as she’s looking over my shoulder like she’s expecting a monster to jump out, that I see everything clearly.
Right now, half asleep with her guard down, I see her.
I see the fragile woman whose fear is on display.
It’s clear that whatever it is she’s afraid of, it’s something big.
When she catches me staring, the shutters slam down to hide her vulnerability, but it’s too late.
I’ve seen it now. There is more to Sierra than anyone is aware of, and I, for one, plan to find out exactly what it is.
Watching her push the hair out of her face causes something inside me to shift.
The scars, her fear, and the fact she doesn’t trust anyone have me rethinking everything where she’s concerned.
I’ve felt drawn to her since I set eyes on her.
I feel possessive like she belongs to me.
All my instincts are screaming that she’s important, that I need to keep her close.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s okay, babe. You’re safe.
Do you want to climb out of there? Maybe we can get cleaned up and find some breakfast before we hit the road?
” I ask gently as I sit down next to her.
A myriad of emotions filter across Birdie’s face in slow motion before her eyes widen in panic.
With lightning-fast speed, she straddles my lap and pulls the door closed.
When she leans back, she rubs against my morning wood and stills when she feels my erection.
“Shit!” she rasps as she looks from my eyes to my lips and back again.
“Not that I’m complaining, but why are we hiding in here, babe?”
“When I brought your dog out earlier to do his business, there was a skunk out there.” I look out the window and don’t see anything.
“Didn’t see a skunk when I came looking for you. I think the coast is clear,” I chuckle.
Nodding her head, she stares at my mouth for a heartbeat before finally pushing off my chest. Swallowing thickly, I fist my hands to keep from pulling her back into my lap. Avoiding my stare, Sierra ducks her head and tucks her long, dark hair behind her ear.
“You’re going to have to back up so I can scoot out,” she teases.
“Shit! Sorry.” I quickly open the door and climb out as she shimmies to the edge of the seat.
When she grabs her shoes and unceremoniously stuffs her feet inside them, it reminds me of my sister and makes me chuckle.
I’m not sure how I didn’t notice it yesterday, but everything she does is so damn cute.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing.”
“You’re laughing at me. So, it has to be something,” she says, blushing with embarrassment.
“Your shoes.” I point at her bright red converse. “The way you put them on. I just thought it was cute, that’s all. It reminded me of my little sister.”
“Oh.”
Her smile is contagious, and I find myself smiling too. It feels foreign, to be quite honest. I can’t remember the last time I felt this good. When her stomach growls, I know it’s time to get this show on the road.
“Come on. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. We need to get cleaned up and check out so we can get on the road.” Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I lead her back to our room.
It’s about an hour later when we’re finally walking out the door. We’ve both showered, and Sierra took entirely too much time drying her hair. I forgot what it was like to wait around on a woman to get ready. I’ll never admit it, but I don’t mind waiting for her.
Ever since she stepped out of the bathroom looking good enough to eat, I’ve felt like a goddamn stalker. I’m pretty sure she’s also wondering if I am, too.