Breaking Away [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

“Uhh…” she bleated, as if not sure what to say. It flashed through his mind how he must look to her. At six feet six, he towered over nearly everyone, and from this position, he must look like a giant. On top of that, he’d dressed for riding, not impressing. His jeans were faded and ripped at the knees. His heavy black boots were scuffed, and heavy chains circled both ankles, to protect the joints. It was a warm day, so he’d opted for a button-up shirt with the sleeves ripped out, unintentionally showing off his bulging biceps. His dark-auburn hair was held out of his face with a do-rag complete with sculls. Damn, he must look like the Second Coming of the Hell’s Angels. At least she couldn’t see the Glock 9mm he kept tucked in an ankle holster at all times. It wasn’t his officially issued ordinance, but his concealed weapon permit allowed him to carry it. He’d made too many enemies over the years not to, and he never went out without it.

Putting his hands out in a calming gesture, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind. “Gabe sent me.”

A smile broke over her beautiful face. “You must be Jake.”

He nodded, feeling suddenly tongue-tied. Maybe he’d been undercover too long. He didn’t have a clue what to say to a decent woman. His manners kicked in though, and he extended his hand to help her to her feet. His mama would have his hide for acting anything less than a gentleman.

She shucked her dirty gardening gloves and accepted his hand. Electricity sizzled through them at the contact. Her eyes flared, and he definitely saw something other than fear this time.
Well, hot damn! Down, boy! This kind of classy lady isn’t going to dirty her hands with the likes of you.
Still, there was no way to miss the interest she didn’t seem to know how to hide. He was pleased to note, though, that she actually came up to his shoulder, making her at least five feet ten. Some women made him feel like a Neanderthal. He’d actually gone out with one lady that had come just above his belly button. Raunchy jokes aside, he’d felt like a dirty old man taking out a little girl. He wanted a real woman that fit in his arms, not someone he felt the urge to buy candy for.

“Um, Gabe said you needed help.”
Way to go, Lawson, impress her with your quick wit, telling her what you’ve already established.

Smiling, she nodded, not seeming to notice his tongue-tied state. “Yes. I’m Willa Montgomery, and I am so glad to see you. The list of things that need fixing keeps growing, but I have to say, you don’t seem to be getting the best end of this deal. I mean, I’m going to be fixing meals regardless, and I’ve got the empty room. Are you sure I can’t pay you a little something?”

Jake shook his head. He knew she couldn’t afford to pay anything, and it wasn’t like he needed it. He’d put his cousin Bo in charge of his money while he was undercover, and the little shit had had the audacity to make him a fortune. Who’d have thought one year’s crappy salary could be made into several million in such a slack economy. “No, ma’am. You’re doing me a favor. I need a place to crash for a while, and fixing a few things seems like a pretty small price to pay. You throw in meals, and I think I’m getting the better end of the deal, especially if you’re as good of a cook as my friends keep bragging.”

A blush spread across her cheeks. “Well, I don’t know that it’s all that, but it will fill your belly.” Apparently eager to get the subject off of herself, she turned toward the house. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where your room is.”

Jake felt his cock twitch with interest at the seductive sway of her cute little ass. Down, boy! he told himself again. He was pretty sure she wasn’t even aware she was doing it. Turning his attention to the rear of the house, Jake noted several other fixes he needed to see to. The old barbeque pit looked to have a few stones coming loose. He flexed his shoulders, eager to get started and feel useful again.

He followed her into the house. Stopping in the mudroom, she pointed to an ancient toolbox sitting on one of the shelves. “That’s all the tools I have, so hopefully you’ll find everything you need there. If not, let me know and we can make a trip into town and pick up whatever you need. We’ll probably need some things anyway. My truck’s in the barn, and the keys are hanging on a hook just inside the kitchen. Take it whenever you need. You can park your bike there, too, keep it out of the weather.”

“Thanks. I’ll take a look around and see what I need. I’m sure I can borrow a lot of what I need from friends.” If he couldn’t, he’d slip off and buy it. He didn’t want to put her out any more than he had to.

She nodded, accepting this. Leading him on, they entered the kitchen. This room, at least, was state of the art. “I had the kitchen completely redone right after I moved in. I probably spent far more than I should have, but I figured a bed-and-breakfast survives on its reputation for good food. Unfortunately, it took most of my savings.”

“I guess I can see that as a good investment though.” Jake nodded, not sure what else to say. He liked how her face had seemed to light up when she entered this room though. He knew right away cooking was her passion. He wondered if she would be as passionate in bed. God, he hoped so. He wasn’t sure when he’d made up his mind she was going to end up in his bed, but he knew it was a forgone conclusion. He wanted those long, gorgeous legs wrapped around his waist, or those plump, pink lips wrapped around his dick, or both. He wanted that sweet pink blush on her cheeks to be a flush of desire, his name ringing out in her soft breathless voice. He’d bet she was a screamer. The quiet ones were. He liked that image, so prim and proper to the outside world, but a wildcat behind closed doors. She would be his little wildcat. He wasn’t as kinky as some of his friends, but his size and personality made him naturally dominant. Their bed play wouldn’t be boring, that was for sure.

“Um….” She cleared her throat, pulling him out of his lecherous ponderings. He realized he’d followed her up two flights of stairs. She was staring at him with a confused look on her face.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, and it was his turn to blush. He was pretty sure every deviant thought was written all over his face, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to realize it despite the fact that he’d just been staring at her ass. He wondered briefly just how innocent she was. Gabe had said she was a widow, but damned if she didn’t blush as much as any virgin he’d ever met. Not that he had a lot of experience with those. They tended to run in the opposite direction from him. No surprise there. He was big and scary all over.

“Anyway, um, as I was saying, the third floor is the residents’ and staff quarters. My room is at the end of the hall.” She pointed before turning to the doorway next to where they stood. “Here’s your room.” She opened the door then paused. “Oh man, I’m sorry, I’m not sure if this will work.” She stepped back, and he saw what she was talking about. The bed was a narrow twin that didn’t look nearly big enough to fit his large frame.

Laughing, he shrugged. “I’ve fit in smaller.” A crappy hospital bed came to mind. “I’ll be fine, really.”

“If you’re sure.” She shrugged, unconvinced. The room was big enough to hold a larger bed if he changed his mind. She crossed the room to open a door on the far wall. “This is the bathroom, but there’s no telling how long it’s been since it was used. You might want to make that one of your first projects. In the meantime, you can use mine. Just give a knock, or if I’m not there, go on in.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he replied, though if he had his way, he’d be moving his things into her room soon. He’d always been fairly choosy when it came to his bed partners, but when he knew, he knew. And with Willa, he knew.

* * * *

Willa tried to force a deep breath into her lungs as she stirred the heavy sweet cream into the mushroom soup she was preparing. Tonight’s menu consisted of cream of mushroom soup with sautéed pine nuts, broiled fresh rainbow trout, and green beans almandine, with jasmine rice. Thankfully, she had been blessedly alone for the last two hours so she could concentrate on the meal or they’d be eating a frozen pizza. How could one man put her world so completely off-center? And she was fairly certain he had no clue he was doing it. Her mind had been working overtime. The fantasies had been rolling through her like a twenty-four-hour-a-day subscription to some porn channel.

From the moment she’d looked up at him from her ungraceful sprawl in the flower bed, it was as if the dark dangerous lover from her dreams had been brought to life. She had actually had to go to her room and change her panties after leaving him to bring his things into his room. She’d been so wet it had even coated her thighs. How pathetic was that? As if a man like that would be interested in a little wallflower like her. At least she didn’t feel like she towered over him. That was a nice change. She’d been able to look her late husband in the eye even in her sock feet, and on more than one occasion, she’d actually had to look down at her date. With Jake, she could wear the indecently high heels hidden in the back of her closet and not have to worry about feeling like an Amazon.

That didn’t mean being so close to him was going to be any easier, just the opposite. The fact that they would match up physically so well would just make her burn all the hotter. A man like that was probably used to sexy, confident women. She wouldn’t know what to do with him if she could manage to attract him. Well, okay, thanks to the books she’d been reading lately, she knew, but she had no practical experience. Oh, but how much fun would it be to practice with him?

The sound of movement in the mudroom caught her attention. She looked up to see the object of her new obsession came strolling in. She turned bright pink as if he could read her mind. She silently prayed for the floor to open up and swallow her. Her naughty thoughts must be written all over her face. Looking back down, she gave the soup far more attention than it needed.

He’d clanked around in the old bathroom for a few minutes after she’d left him earlier, before coming downstairs. He told her he was heading to the hardware store. She’d tried to give him her credit card, but he’d told her he’d just save his receipts.

“Yumm! Something smells good.”

He groaned as he inhaled deeply. Turning toward him, it was her turn to groan. Or at least she wanted to. He’d pulled off his long black leather duster and hung it on a hook, just inside the mudroom.

She’d heard when he pulled up. The deep rumble of his motorcycle was unmistakable. He’d pulled it into the barn, parking it alongside her truck. It just felt right having him here, and it took all her restraint to not greet him with a kiss. She’d never greeted her husband with a kiss, so why would she greet this man, a virtual stranger with a kiss? Because she knew he would insist on it. He was the type of man that would demand affection.

Forcing a smile to her face, she turned to greet him. “You’re just in time. Supper will be ready in a few minutes. We only have three guests tonight, so it will be intimate. I hope you like fish.”

“Fish is good. Heck, whatever you’re making smells wonderful. I’ll take it.”

“Don’t forget to give me your receipt from the hardware store,” she added, trying to remain professional.

Shrugging, he held up a little bag. “Don’t worry about it. It was just a few washers.”

He left to go upstairs and get cleaned up, and she was proud of herself for not blathering like an idiot.

* * * *

Willa set the steaming bowls of soup in front of her first guest, wondering where Jake was. She’d expected him to come right back down.

“Did I hear a motorcycle earlier?” the professor asked in his normal nasally tone. She’d learned long ago that he wasn’t being snobby. It was just the way he talked. She’d had several bikers stay with her over the last few months, and he’d surprised her by how open he’d been. He and Gabe had spent hours debating the legal system, Gabe being a lawyer.

Willa chuckled at his eagerness. “You sure did. That would be my new maintenance man. He should be down any minute now.”

The other pair of guests was a young newlywed couple. They barely noticed anyone other than themselves, so she discreetly set their soups down at their table before heading back into the kitchen. The professor wouldn’t get any conversation from them. In the kitchen, she stopped, surprised to see Jake seated at the counter enjoying a bowl of soup.

“I hope it was okay for me to help myself. It smelled so good I couldn’t resist.” He gave her a sheepish grin, and she felt her knees grow weak.

“Well, yes, that’s fine, but why didn’t you sit in the dining room with everyone else?” She was proud of herself for how calm she sounded.

“I didn’t figure your guests would take too kindly to someone who looks like me.” He glanced down with a grimace on his face. He had changed into a plain black T-shirt and jeans without holes, but that was the extent of his formal dinner attire.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” But she knew if it was some of the other guests she’d had, he might have been right. Some people were idiots. She could just imagine how her family would react to him.

“Don’t be naive.” He shrugged. “I’m used to it. My own family doesn’t like to be seen with me.” And with that, she had the urge to find his family and give them a hard smack.

“Well, as long as you’re here, no one better disrespect you.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend him. It wasn’t like he needed anyone to defend him. She was certain he was more than capable of defending himself.

“Easy, tiger.” His expression actually seemed amused. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I know how I look, the tattoos and all. Looking like this kept me alive the last few years. I’m okay with it.”