Midnight Jasmine (Devil's Hornets MC Book 1) (2 page)

When she got to her house, she walked up the five stairs and then turned around hoping with all hope that he was going to get off and follow her in, but he just sat on his bike and let it idle. She took out her keys slowly, and he varoomed the engine of his bike a little bit. That made her smile, because it seemed like he was trying to communicate with her with his bike, and she couldn’t help being amused. She put the key in the lock, and he varoomed twice swiftly. The door opened easily; she walked in and watched him from the doorway. He threw up his hand in a quick wave and pulled away from the curb. It was ridiculous how much she wanted him to come in, but it was crystal clear he really didn’t want to come in or have anything to do with her. It was dumb to feel like she missed him when she had known him for less than an hour, and there hadn’t been any real meaningful conversation unless you count the most provocative kiss she’d ever had in her life… controlling, possessive and yummy. At least that was how it felt to her, but she got the feeling that it didn’t mean the same thing to the kissing bandit.

She walked up the stairs to her apartment and opened her door. Thankful to be home, she thought about the day she had and hoped that the excitement could continue — not the mugging part — but the hot, sexy man part and the huge cash register filling orders. That was something she wanted to repeat, but this time she wanted to look good, and she wanted the man to actually be interested in her.

CHAPTER THREE

Jack Storm was tired… of a lot of things, but right at this moment he was physically tired. He had planned on having a full night because he had to collect money and check out product distribution to all the small timers in the area, but he didn’t figure in stopping to save the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in real life from being beat down in front of his eyes. It wasn’t a great neighborhood, and there were a lot of his customers hanging around the streets, but the fact that Fat Billy had done this made him spitting mad. The man had been lucky he didn’t want to scare the woman any more than she was already spooked, because the man deserved a body bag. No one harassed women when he was around, or they had to deal with him. He wouldn’t bet getting any of his pharmacological needs met from him or any of his boys on the street. The word had been put out, and although he knew that would probably get the man riled up, there wasn’t anything he could do.

Lack of sleep or not, his cock still got hard when he thought about the lust in the bright blue eyes of the innocent looking woman. No way he was going to start something with a woman like that… soft, fragrant, and probably unaware of what being with a man like him entailed, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy seeing the interest and desire for him in her eyes. The heat in her eyes last night had made his cock throb and made him want to take up a piece of prime property in her mouth using his tongue, painting it with his cock, and sliding the cream that was escaping the tip around her full lips. The woman was scorching hot, but she wasn’t for him. If he continued to say it, maybe his body and mind would agree, but for now it was causing a riot of his senses and disappointment that he’d not found out anything more than her name was Natalie and that she works in a shitty part of town.

With all the turmoil and issues he’d dealt with last night, he’d been late to pick up his mother from her friend’s house. She’d never complain, but he could see the look of discontent on her face. Being in his mother’s good graces was a top priority, and when she was upset he felt like a small child. It was probably because he knew how sick she was, and he didn’t want to give her any stress that would make any of her symptoms flare up. He’d heard about a floral shop that did good work. His friend Jimmy couldn’t stop talking about the arrangements the shop had made for the mother of his 8
th
baby, and since the man didn’t really talk flowers, he’d stored the name of the shop in the back of his mind for when he needed it, and today was the day. He wanted something spectacular for his mother, and if this place had it, then this is the place he’d go. Harper’s Fantastic Florals. It was a cute name he guessed. and as he parked his bike and walked toward the door, he again thought about the woman from last night, Natalie. He knew she wanted his name, but he knew for sure if he’d given it to her he may not be able to let her go. She’d had a faint smell of earth and flowers on her skin, and the aroma was almost as enticing as she was.

There was no one who knew that he’d always been a sucker for the librarian type, and this woman had that and the core of a seductress. She’d wanted him, and he knew if he’d given her any type of encouragement, he’d still be sliding between her thighs with his cock stirring up her juices and damn the work he had planned for the night. His job was a busy and time consuming one, and although he couldn’t say that he loved it, he could say that he loved the lifestyle it afforded himself and his mother. It was hard for him not to give a woman what she wanted, and that’s why he’d kissed her, but that kiss, like the woman, was irresistible and delicious. One taste of her wasn’t enough, but that’s all he was going to do until she looked like he’d taken her candy, her bike, and her best friend away with the abrupt end to her kiss. It was enough that he was going to leave her without the possibility of seeing her again, but he could give her a kiss so that they would know what they were both missing. He knew she wanted him to stay and damned if he didn’t want it too, but he had work to do, and that came first.

When he walked in the shop and heard the ring of the bell above his head, he was impressed that it wasn’t a fussy looking shop with doilies and such. As he walked around, he found it was pretty clean and contemporary, with arrangements of plants on the tables and pictures of flowers hung on the wall. There were ready made arrangements in the clear glass refrigerated section near the register and then books filled with the pictures of past floral arrangements that had been made, were on the table.

“Welcome to Harper’s Floral. Can I help you with anything?”

He’d heard that voice before, but he couldn’t place it. She was behind him as he looked at the books, and he thought he’d find a picture of something he wanted before he turned to her, but he couldn’t help joking with the woman. “What happened to fantastic?”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a question in her voice.

“I thought this was Harper’s Fantastic Floral. You left out the best word.” He flipped through the last few pages making sure he kept his fingers in the spots where he’d found the closest to what he had in mind for this mother.

“Well you were looking around, so I knew you saw the fantastic part. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” Her throaty voice was sexy and seemed to hit on all the hot spots in his overly aroused body. The jerk off session he’d had before bed and in the shower that morning hadn’t been enough to get the sexy woman from last night out of his mind. It probably didn’t help that he dreamed of the little minx last night when he finally got to bed.

He could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. He turned to show her what he wanted, and her shriek made him drop the book; he was half way to pulling out his gun put of the concealed place he had it tucked. He looked at her face, and then he knew why he’d recognized her voice. It was the same one he’d heard whispering in his ear all night. It was Natalie.

“How did you find me?” She said with such a look of happiness on her face that he was reluctant to tell her that this was just a huge kick in the ass by the universe.

“Actually, I was just coming in to get flowers for my mother,” he said watching her smile dwindle to nothing, and he was sorry that he’d been honest. That dazzling smile had been like a jolt of caffeine, but now it was gone and he missed it.

“Oh.” She bent down to retrieve and open the book he’d just dropped in the confusion. “Did you find something?”

He was almost as taken back as she was to see her here, or he would have found a better way to say that he wasn’t here for her. She had gone from professional to friendly then back to professional. Her eyes that were lit up when she recognized him had dulled back down. She took the book and set it on the counter before opening up the book to determine what he’d wanted out of a flower arrangement.

She flipped through the first couple pages, and he knew that she wasn’t really doing anything but trying to get herself together. Jack respected that she didn’t seem like she was going to make a big deal about yesterday, but he was good at reading people, and she was upset. He was behind her when he reached around her to flip a few pages trying to help her find the pages they’d lost, and her aroma wafted into his nose making him feel like sticking his nose in her hair or lifting her neck to sample the soft, velvety skin she had there. Damn she smelled good…like fresh flowers and clean woman. Natalie was standing still as a statue in front him, and he wondered what she was thinking. Did she think he looked too big and rough in the light of day or was she reviewing the events of last night in her mind like he had been?

“Here they are,” he said pointing to the picture with the bright flowers and large bow.

“Great.” She said and moved around him to the register. “You can have it just like the picture or if you have specific kinds of flowers you wanted instead, it’s up to you.”

He liked that she was cool and efficient, but he didn’t like it directed at him. Scribbling on her note pad, she asked for his name, phone number, and a neighbor’s number, but he didn’t have the last one. Jack didn’t know any of his neighbors, but for the sake of his mother he probably should. They lived in nice house with neighbors that kept to themselves, and he liked it like that. In the business he was in, he couldn’t afford to be buddies with too many people outside his motorcycle club friends.

“Do you want this delivered, or will you be taking this with you?” She continued to scribble a lot on that little pad of paper, and he wondered if she was just doing that so she didn’t have to look at him or if she really needed to have all her focus on what she was writing.

“I’d like it delivered,” he told her, “and I’ll pay for it in cash.”

“I didn’t doubt that,” she said almost under her breath, but he’d heard it.

“What?”

“That you’d pay in cash.” This time, her words were louder, but she still didn’t look at him.

He was a proud man, so he knew what it looked like to have that pride trampled on. That he’d done that to her by withholding his name made him want to give something back to her whether she wanted it or not. “Jack Storm.”

She looked up from her ordering pad with questions in her eyes then returned to the book. “I don’t think we have an arrangement by that name.”

“No. My name… it’s Jack Storm.”

“Oh, well it’s nice to put a name to the hero. I told you yesterday my name is Natalie, but today I’ll add the last name. Harper.” She gave him the smile she granted him when she first recognized him, and he wanted nothing more than to taste that sexy happiness on her lips. He liked that she didn’t fuss about him not giving her his name, but just took what he offered and moved on.

He gave her the details he wanted in the bouquet and the address to get the flowers to his mother. She handed him the receipt, and he was at war at what to do with himself because he wasn’t sure he wanted this to be over. Did he want this sweet and wild woman under him? Yes, but this blooming flower looked like she wanted bit more than a roll in the garden, and with all he had going on he didn’t know if he should do that to her. The longer he stood there, the brighter her cheeks got, and the more interested his cock was. He hadn’t had this much fun with his clothes on since… last night.

“So this is where you were walking from last night?” Since he was going to be in it to win it, he wanted to know more about her and thought a little small talk would open her up a little.

“Yes. It was pretty silly to leave so late, but I just wanted to get home to my bed, even though I had to come in early this morning. I’ve definitely learned my lesson, and I’m very grateful you were there to help out.” She was at least looking at him when she spoke, so he considered that an improvement from where they were a few minutes ago.

“So last night you asked me out for dinner, and I didn’t think it was a good idea, but today I want to ask you out.” He informed her and waited to see what she thought of his question.

The look on her face was spectacular, and he wanted to skip all the preliminaries and get down to business. Would she have the same look of wonder on her face when he sucked on her tits or playfully slapped her ass? The pink flush of her skin made him think of what her coloring would be like when the shy, quiet woman got an eye full of his hard cock. What was it about this woman? She made his cock so hard it hurt, almost instantly. He was amazed that he wanted her so much. When he’d left her last night, he’d felt deep regret, but he’d kept his bike moving, and he’d done all the things he was supposed to do for the night, but when he settled into his bed and swore he could still smell that elusive fragrance that clung to her skin as he kissed her.

“Are you going to answer me?” He asked patiently, because he knew it was surprise, not rejection, that was making her mouth open and breathing hitch.

“Ss…sure,” she stammered, “but what changed between last night and today?”

“Kismet.” He didn’t know why he said that word, but it was on a commercial that morning, and it had him thinking about the whole everything working together of life. Jack wasn’t usually this thoughtful about everything, but just the way he’d not planned to go see his dealers on this side of town first last night but ended up making a wrong turn and deciding to come only to save this woman made him wonder. There was no one on the street but this woman and her attacker, so who knew what could have happened if he didn’t show up? That made him mad as hell, but he should just be happy that he was able to save her from anything worse happening to her.

“That’s fate or destiny, right?” She cocked her head to the left, and she looked so cute he had to mentally shake himself. He didn’t do women he thought were cute. Even if he thought they were cute, hot, sexy, and gorgeous, they knew the score. They knew who he was and what he did. With her, it would be like living in some sort of covert operation. The club girls were easier, but looking into her questioning eyes made him not so interested in the easy and more focused on Natalie.