Cole (The Ride Series) (6 page)

“I don’t give a fuck who’s doing the
chasing. Stay away from him!” she cried, agitated that I wasn’t taking her
seriously.

“Don’t raise your voice when you walk
into my place of work,” I replied, finally aggravated with her. “If you think
with all the other shit I’ve got going on that you remotely concern me, you
have another thing coming. But I will tell you one thing, you continue to stand
there and threaten me you’ll be the one who has something to be concerned
about. Now get the fuck out of my bar,” I said, staring her down with fire in
my eyes.

She glared at me clearly trying to
gauge how serious I was. Whatever she saw in my expression, it sent her
flouncing back in the direction she’d come from with an audible huff.

“Holy shit, I had no idea you were
such a bad ass!” Connie squealed, laughing hysterically. “That was the best
thing I’ve seen in my entire life!” she hooted.

I shrugged, suddenly feeling tired.

Her expression immediately softened
when she saw how exhausted I was. “Hey, things are slow. Why don’t you take
off?” she offered. “I don’t know the extent of what’s going on, but you look
like you could use an extra hour of sleep,” she offered kindly.

“You know what? I absolutely could,” I
agreed. “I owe you one, thank you,” I replied sincerely.

“Don’t mention it. And you don’t owe
me anything, that little encounter was all the pay back I need,” she said.

I laughed lightly and reached behind
the bar to grab my purse.

I drove home with the welcome thought
of my soft bed, hoping that tomorrow would feel more like a normal day. What I
certainly didn’t need was any more biker drama.

It took me a minute to remember the
alarm code when I got home, but I managed to turn it off and reset it before
the National Guard was called. Kat wasn’t home, not a surprise since she was
always off doing something. I got ready for bed, donned my typical camisole and
shorts, and sighed blissfully when my head hit the pillow. I had to admit, the
new alarm and locks were reassuring and I didn’t have any trouble drifting off.

My phone rang and woke me up after what
felt like just seconds of sleep. I squinted and saw “Cole calling” flashing on
the screen. Of course he programmed himself into my phone. I hit ignore and
drifted back to sleep. My phone rang again, not a moment later, and I picked it
up knowing he wouldn’t stop until I did.

“Yeah?” I asked, my voice raspy with
sleep.

“What the fuck, babe?” his deep voice
demanded through the phone.

“Hello to you too,” I answered dryly.

“I thought you had to work till one,
Wes was supposed to make sure you got home okay, but you weren’t there.”

“Is it a crime for a girl to get off
early? Jesus calm down,” I grumbled irritably.

He sighed, clearly trying to get a
handle on his temper. “I was just concerned, that’s all.”

Now was an excellent time to say what
I’d intended to earlier, even if I was half asleep.

“Cole, I appreciate everything you’ve
done but this isn’t your concern. I don’t expect, nor do I want, any type of
protection. Whatever obligation you feel toward me, it’s not necessary.”

“You think its obligation that I
feel?” he growled.

“I don’t know what it is that you feel,
and frankly, the visit I got at work tonight just confirmed that I don’t want
to know,” I replied harshly. Okay, maybe this was the point where I realized
that having this conversation half asleep was a bad idea. My snarky side seemed
to be wide awake, though.

“I heard about that. It’s been dealt
with,” he replied without hesitation.

I laughed. “Something tells me there’s
more than one of those girls waiting in the wings. Were you planning on
chartering a blimp to broadcast some type of message?” I asked sarcastically.
“She was classy by the way, good to know what your type is.”

He chuckled unaffected by the bite of
my words. “If you didn’t care what it is that I feel, then you wouldn’t give a
shit. From the sound of your voice it seems that she got you all riled up. And
from what Connie said, it was a sight to see, too. So from where I sit, you’re
just denying the inevitable with your suit of armor
darlin
’,”
he drawled.

I scowled that he had me pegged.

“I’m surprisingly patient, so you can
keep up this act a while longer if you’d like, though I really don’t see the
point.”

“God, you are infuriating,” I seethed.

He chuckled, his deep voice sending a
wave of tingles straight to my groin in a way I wished I could deny. “Yeah but
you like it, all of it,” he replied arrogantly.

God, I
so
did. Dammit.

“Are you going to keep goading me or
are you going to let me sleep?” I demanded.

“You set the alarm? Lock the doors?”
he asked, his tone softer now.

“Yes,” I sighed.

“Okay then. I’ll pick you up at six
tomorrow night.”

“Wait, what?” I demanded.

“Already checked with Connie, I know
you don’t have to work. You and I are going out. I would tell you what to wear,
but I’m sure anything you chose will be sexy as hell. Night
darlin
’,”
he murmured before he hung up.

“
Gah
!” He
clearly wasn’t accepting my brush off and I wasn’t entirely certain what to do
about that. The man drove me absolutely crazy, in every way.

Chapter Four

I considered standing Cole up, I
really did. But then I thought about everything he’d already done for me, and I
couldn’t go through with it. And if I was being honest with myself, I was
thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with him. It was
official,
I was a glutton for punishment.

After some guesswork and lots of input
from Kat the next evening, I settled on tight, dark blue jeans and my green
fitted blouse that hugged my curves and made my eyes pop. I finished it off
with my high heeled sandals. It was an outfit that would work in almost any
setting, which was pretty much what I had to go for. I left my long hair down
and a bit wild. To complete the look, I applied black eyeliner and my blush
colored lipstick for a bit of color.

“You look smoking,” Kat assured me
with a grin when I twirled for her.

“For someone who makes you so irritated
you sure do seem excited to see him,” she teased.

“Shut it,” I warned.

“Why are you still trying to push the
poor guy away?” she asked innocently. “Ever since you discovered that you guys
have a shared history, I thought you might be a bit more open to the idea,” she
added.

The truth was that I’d considered this
fact as well. It was true that having a shared history and having talked to his
father did make me trust him more. But that didn’t mean he still wasn’t a
seasoned womanizer. I was now more intent on protecting my heart than worrying
about my safety. And I told Kat as much.

She smiled sympathetically. “Honey,
sometimes we
gotta
just put ourselves out there,” she
encouraged.

“Yeah, well that hasn’t always worked
out so well for me,” I grumbled.

“First time for everything,” she grinned
as we heard his bike rumble to a stop in front of our place.

A knock at the door came moments later,
and I opened it to find Cole looking beautiful as always on the other side. He
wore his typical uniform—a leather jacket, jeans, and motorcycle boots.
He looked good enough to eat. His eyes drifted leisurely over my figure before
he cocked a brow and held out a woman’s leather jacket.

“You’re
gonna
need one of these,” he said as he grinned. “I guessed the size, hopefully it
fits.”

It took me a moment before I reached
out to grab it. “Thank you,” I replied, shocked at the gesture, and put it on
over my blouse. It was a tight fit over my ample chest, and I gave him a wry
smile. “I’m guessing that wasn’t an accident.”

“Nope,” he chuckled, his eyes lighting
up as he took me in. “It suits you.”

“We’ll see,” I muttered, waving good-bye
to Kat and following him outside.

“Where are we going anyway?” I asked
as I put on the helmet he’d handed me.

“Dinner,” he answered simply with a
wry smile, turning the bike on as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I was surprised when we pulled into
Gunny’s, a very well regarded steak joint just outside of town. It was on the
pricey side, so I’d never eaten there, but I’d certainly heard about it.
“Am I dressed okay for this place?” I asked a bit worriedly, running a hand
nervously over my blouse.

“You look beautiful,” he assured me,
taking my hand and leading me inside with a confidence I found incredibly
attractive.

The host showed us to a quiet booth
along the window and I suddenly felt nervous as we sat across from each other.
I hadn’t been on an actual date in years and I started to feel unsure of
myself.

“You look nervous,” Cole observed while
grinning at me, completely at ease and in his element, which seemed to be the
case no matter where we were.

“I guess I am a little,” I admitted.

“Why?”

I shrugged. “It’s been awhile since I
was on a date,” I admitted.

“How long’s awhile?” he wanted to know,
eyeing me intently.

“Years,” I murmured.

His brows rose to his hairline. “Years?
How is that possible?” he demanded.

There were a lot of ways to answer
that question. “I’m picky,” I said, settling for the easiest. It was true.

He chuckled. “Well I’m glad to hear
it.”

I was tempted to quip that I wished
he’d been picky as well, but I bit my tongue. Damn that snarky side. He seemed
to bring it out in me.

The waiter came and we ordered our
drinks. I ordered a cocktail and Cole stuck with beer.

“We’re having a barbeque at the club
tomorrow, you should come,” he said as I sipped the drink that had just been
placed in front of me.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I
replied resolutely.

“Why not? You know I’d never let
anything happen to you right?” he asked, staring at me intently.

And oddly enough I did know that, I
just didn’t understand it. Nor was that my main concern about the barbeque. I
took a deep breath before plunging in. “Listen Cole,” I began, choosing my
words carefully, “I grew up in a club just like you. I know how things work, and
I know how the men in the club are,” I told him, ignoring the narrowing of his
eyes. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” I finished with a shake of my head.

“So you’re just going to throw me in
with that lot?” he demanded, clearly frustrated.

I pegged him with a knowing stare.
“And you’re going to tell me that you haven’t had countless women in your bed?”
I demanded. “That you have more one- night stands than not? That’s just not for
me,” I shook my head.

“That’s a hell of an assumption,” he
growled.

“Am I wrong?” I countered with raised
brows.

He sighed and I knew I’d hit my mark.
He was silent for a moment as he regarded me intently. “It’s different with
you,” he said finally. I had to admit that his expression was utterly sincere.

“Why?” I demanded skeptically as he
rudely waved away the waiter who’d come to take our order. “Why are you so protective
over some girl you just met?” I demanded, watching the waiter back away.

“What do you think?” he asked with a
tilt of his head.

When I didn’t reply he sighed. “I’m
probably this way with you for the same reason that you’re going on a date with
me when you haven’t gone on one for years. There are exceptions to every rule.
How about we leave it at that for now?” he suggested, his gaze still intent on
my face.

I bit my lip and thought about that.
He’d made a fair point-- he was different for me. I supposed there was a teensy
possibility I was for him as well. “Fair enough,” I allowed.

He sighed, seeming relieved that we
could move on and sat casually back in his seat. “So how about the barbeque?”
he asked again, bringing the subject back when I thought I’d successfully
derailed him.

“You’re asking me to put myself on the
grid,” I practically whispered.

I saw several emotions pass over his
face, but the one I saw the strongest was possession. I knew he wanted fiercely
to protect me. I didn’t doubt that.

He reached out and took my hand over
the table, squeezing lightly. “Baby, you don’t think you already are?” he asked
gently.

My eyes widened as I considered what
I’d been denying for the last few days. “For now I’m going to play the part of
an optimist,” I said as I tried to smile. “It’s new for me, we’ll see how it
goes.”

He smiled at my attempt of light
heartedness.

“Can we let the poor man take our
order?” I quipped when I saw our waiter making his way back over to us,
desperate to change the topic. I took my hand back and placed it in my lap.

“I suppose,” Cole smiled, forcing his
tone to lighten.

We talked easily for the rest of the
meal about relatively frivolous topics-- music and movies we liked, our close
friends, favorite spots to eat. I was surprised to learn that he was quite a
reader, and we spent a fair amount of time on books.

“Want to go shoot some pool for a
little bit?” he asked when he’d settled the bill. I nodded, not wanting the
evening to end just yet.

“Thanks for dinner, it was delicious.”
I smiled sincerely, hoping it hadn’t cost too much.

“You’re welcome,” he grinned, throwing
an arm around me as we walked to his bike.

We rode to a bar I’d never been to
before close to downtown. It was a total dive but that suited me just fine. He
ordered us a couple of beers and we started playing a game of pool. I hadn’t
played in years, but we’d had a table at my dad’s club and I wasn’t a slouch.

“You’re pretty good for a girl,” Cole
said as he smirked at me over the table, looking impossibly gorgeous in his
tight black T-shirt. His eyes shined in the dim light as he leaned against his
cue.

“You did not just say that.” I
narrowed my eyes at him.

“I may have,” he allowed playfully.

“You won’t be so cocky when I kick
your ass,” I retorted, my competitive streak coming out with a vengeance.

Snarky and competitive, wow I was
really laying on the charm with him.

“Oh really?” He cocked a brow. “How
about we make this interesting and make a bet?”

“Fine.” I never could turn down a
dare.

“I win, you come to the BBQ. You win,
I might let you kiss me at the end of the night,” he said, clearly enjoying
himself.

“No deal,” I scoffed with a laugh.

He sighed in mock exasperation. “Fine.
I
win,
you let me spend the night. No expectations,”
he added when my eyes got wide. “You win…”

“You wash my car and take out our
trash this week,” I butted in.

He laughed. “Fine, deal.”

We got down to it and I was off to a
great start. I definitely used my cleavage to my advantage when I bent over, as
well as any good angle I could leverage when he was behind me. I heard him suck
in his breath a few times and I grinned to myself. But then he hit a roll, and
before I knew it he was sinking the 8 ball victoriously.

“Dammit,” I muttered.

“Don’t worry
darlin
’
I’ll stick to my side of the bed,” he said with a wink.

“No one said anything about us sharing
a bed.” I smiled sweetly. “You should be more specific with your bets,” I
pointed out.

He merely grinned and headed off to
use the bathroom.

I found a table and sat down, sipping
my second beer and realizing that this was the best date I’d ever been on.
Aside from the slightly strained start of dinner, the rest of the evening had
been light and fun. It felt very natural to be with him. The frequent stomach
flutters weren’t so bad either.

“Buy you another?” a deep voice asked
as I looked up at a scruffy looking biker.

“No thanks,” I shook my head.

“How about a game then?” he asked,
gesturing to the pool tables.

“I’m here with someone,” I replied
firmly.

“I don’t see anyone.” He shrugged,
making an arrogant show of looking around.

“Then you should look behind you
asshole,” Cole’s voice rumbled from behind him.

“Shit, Jackson sorry man. I didn’t
realize,” the guy apologized when he got a look at the very angry man behind
him. He obviously knew Cole and clearly knew he had seriously fucked up.

“Get lost, now,” Cole glowered
angrily.

The guy threw up his hands in a
gesture of apology and walked away. I shot a hesitant smile up at Cole, trying
to assess his mood.

“Can’t leave you for a second,” he
mumbled while sitting down next to me.

“I’ve fended for myself pretty well
for twenty six years,” I reminded him. “Plus that guy was harmless,” I waved my
hand in a casual gesture while taking a sip of my beer.

“I still don’t like it,” he grumbled.

“Do you want to go?” I asked when it
seemed clear his mood wasn’t going to improve.

He simply nodded and we stood to put
on our jackets.

“Hey,” I said softly, putting my hands
on his chest and looking up at him. “Don’t let two minutes ruin what was
otherwise a great date,” I said, meeting his fierce gaze.

His expression softened considerably
as he put his hands gently on either side of my face. He was capable of a
tenderness I’d never experienced before, and I shuddered a bit as he put his
lips softly to mine.

“Deal,” he murmured as he pressed his
forehead to mine.

I smiled, taking the hand he offered
and followed him out of the bar and to his bike.

My stomach tightened with anxiety when
we turned onto my street, wondering what the night would bring with him staying
over. It was, technically speaking, our first date, but I doubted I’d have much
restraint if I was sharing a bed with him. My head and my body seemed to have a
difference of opinion when it came to Cole.

When he pulled the bike to the curb I
turned in surprise when he showed no signs of getting off.