Road to Desire (10 page)

“You could have found me,” a deep voice said.

I started a bit and turned to find Hawk lurking near me while I dried my hands. Lily had skipped off somewhere else, obviously perfectly comfortable in her own skin.

“She found me,” I said, and smiled. “I didn’t mind.”

He crossed his arms. “She likes you. She doesn’t typically like women. Used to men, ’suppose.”

“You’re raising a really sweet little girl.”

“What’s your story, Dani?” he asked. “How’d you meet Booker.”

“I got lost and broke down outside the wrecking place. Aust—ah, Booker, came to my rescue.”

“What do you do? You know, for a livin’.”

“I teach kindergarten,” I said.

Hawk dropped his head back and laughed. “You’re shittin’ me.”

“Babe,” Austin said from the threshold. “Ready to go?”

I nodded, dropped the paper towels I’d used to dry my hands in the garbage can next to the island, and skirted around Hawk to get to Austin. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

“You too, babe,” Hawk replied just as Austin grabbed me and kissed me a little too intimately before sweeping me out of the kitchen and back up to his room.

“Fuckin’ asshole,” he snapped, and slammed the door shut.

“Who?”

“Fuckin’ Hawk.”

“Okay, you need to tell me what’s up with him. He was really nice to me, honey, and Lily’s adorable.”

“He wants you.”

“What?” I squeaked.

Austin scowled. “He’s got his fuckin’ sights on you, which means I have to deal with his form of bullshit.”

I don’t know why, maybe it was the wine, but his little jealousy-induced hissy sent me into a giggling fit.

I quickly found myself lifted and dropped onto his bed, his hands at my waist. “You find this funny, huh?”

I tried to scooch away from him, nodding as I continued to laugh uncontrollably.

“Fuck, baby, you’re gorgeous,” he rasped as his hands left my waist and moved under my cami to cup a breast.

I arched into his hand as he pushed up my clothing, bra and all, and drew one nipple into his mouth, and then the other. How he did it, I have no frickin’ clue, but he removed the top half of my clothing faster than I was ready for. He tugged off his cut and shirt and then he was back to laving attention on my breasts again.

The feeling of his smooth chest against mine was delicious. I’d messed around with a couple of high school boyfriends a few times, but no one this muscular, and then there was Steven who was more fuzzy teddy bear than hot biker sex machine. God, Austin was irresistible.

He moved his mouth from my breasts to my lips as he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. His hand slid inside, under the band of my panties, and between my legs. I squirmed at his touch, his thumb sliding to my clit.

“Greedy,” he whispered against my lips.

I nodded, my breath coming in short bursts.

He grinned and slipped two fingers inside of me. “Beautiful.”

I stroked his cheek as he intensified the pressure. “Back atya.”

I was just about to come when a banging at his door had him yanking his hand away from me and sitting up while I whimpered in frustration.

“What?” Austin demanded.

“Booker, Prez needs you,” Mack called.

“Can it wait?” he bellowed.

“No.”

“Fuck,” he grumbled. “Gimme a minute,” he called, climbing off the mattress and heading to his bathroom.

I covered my face with my hands while he washed up. The touch of his lips on my stomach had me cupping his face.

“I’m sorry, baby. Shit’s happening right now.”

“Can you call me a cab?” I asked, sitting up and searching for my clothes.

“Stay.”

“I think I should go,” I insisted. “We can’t do this right now, honey. Not yet, anyway, and if I stay, it’ll be too hard to stop.”

He frowned. “I’ll have Mack drive you home.”

“Will he mind?”

He shook his head. “Give me a minute.”

I nodded and he stepped out of his room as he pulled on his shirt. He peeked inside, made sure I was dressed, and pushed open the door. “Mack’ll drive you.”

I bit lip. “Okay, thanks.”

He cupped my face and kissed me quickly. “Text me when you get home.”

“Okay, honey.”

He ushered me out of the room and into Mack’s capable hands, and then went to do the Prez’s bidding. Mack dropped me home, walked me to the door and checked my apartment for who knows what.

Once he was gone, I locked up, texted Austin, and poured myself a glass of wine. I was too wired (and horny) to sleep.

“
D
ANI?” EMILY REACHED
over and squeezed my arm.

“Sorry, what?” I focused on her sitting next to me at the dinner table. I’d been distracted all evening, my date with Austin the night before swimming around my mind.

“What is going
on
with you?” she asked, grinning like she knew something I didn’t.

My sister was not only highly intelligent, but also gorgeous, glamorous¸ and very, very taken. She was tall and blonde, with emerald green eyes, and a body to die for. She’d married Mitch Parsons right out of law school and it was coincidentally their fifteenth wedding anniversary, which we were celebrating tonight. Mitch was also gorgeous, but in a rugged way. He’d been a cop before he changed careers and turned to bounty hunting. He loved my sister with an intensity that was sometimes scary, but she’d admitted it was also a huge turn on.

They had two gorgeous and glamorous children, Brandon, who was twelve-years-old, and Amelia, who was ten. They sat across from them, their blond hair perfectly coiffed, their behavior impeccable, and their senses of humor on overdrive. They were great kids and I adored them.

“Nothing,” I said, quickly. “Just didn’t sleep much last night.”

Because Emily was so incredibly smart, she could see through me… truth be told, she could see through most people… with ease. She was often underestimated because she was so pretty, which she used to her advantage any time she could.

My sister raised an eyebrow. “Liar,” she whispered. “Spill.”

“
Em
,” I hissed.

She leaned closer. “You’ve met a guy!”

I shook my head.

“What are you two conspiring about,” our mother asked.

“I’m trying to get Dani to go out with a friend of mine,” Emily improvised.

“And it’s not going to happen,” I said.

“Go easy on the baby, Em,” Elliot piped in. “Her date the other night was a total bust.”

“Was it?” my father asked. “That’s a shame.”

I choked on my wine as everyone laughed. “Say that a little more believably, Dad.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t forced her to wear a chastity belt,” Emily said.

“I have always allowed you girls to make your own choices,” he said.

“Ohmigod, Dad,” I droned. “You are such a liar.”

“Is that allowed in law enforcement?” Emily mused. “Lying to your children?”

“I think Ell should arrest him for being really bad at it,” I said.

“Leave your father alone,” my mom said. “He’s very, very pretty… he can’t be good at lying too.”

That sent us all into fits again, including my niece and nephew.

“How about Dani and I do the dishes and get dessert ready?” Emily suggested. “Mom, you go relax for a bit.”

Mom grinned. “I won’t say no to that.”

“Who wants to play pool?” My dad asked.

“Me!” Brandon said. “Can I, Mom?”

“You and your sister clear,” Emily said. “And then you’re free.”

Mitch chuckled. “I’ll help, then I’m gonna beat my kids’ butts at pool.”

“Not even gonna happen, Dad,” Amelia droned.

“We’ll see, honey.”

She giggled and started to clear the table.

Once Emily and I were blissfully alone in the kitchen, she scraped plates while I rinsed and loaded the dishwasher.

“Okay, girlie, spill,” Emily demanded.

I sighed. “The guy that fixed my car is gorgeous and confusing and scary. And he’s decided we’re ‘gonna get to know each other.’”

“Wow, all of that, huh?”

I nodded.

“Who is he?”

I bit my lip and dropped forks into the basket.

“Dani?”

“He’s a biker, Em.”

She cocked her head. “Like tour de France?” she joked.

“Like Hells Angels.”

Emily nearly dropped a plate into the garbage can. “He’s in the Hells Angels?”

“No…Dogs of Fire.” I faced her and grimaced. “Right? I can’t do this.”

“Why can’t you do this?”

“Because all I keep coming back to is that all I know about motorcycle clubs is what I’ve seen on television, and that’s pretty limited. I have no idea if he’s a criminal or if he kills people. He says the club’s clean, but I’m just not sure.” I shook my head. “Even saying that out loud makes me sound like an idiot.”

“It doesn’t, honey,” Emily assured me.

“He’s gorgeous, Em, but he’s also really bossy and I think he’s used to having people do exactly what he tells them to do, because he gets all weird when I defy him. Like it’s alien to him.”

Emily laughed. “Welcome to the club, babe.”

“Really?”

“Hells yes. Mitch is the same way. Well, he was.”

“He was? But he’s so sweet with you and the kids.”

She smiled. “Yes, he is, but he’s also bossy and protective, and if another man looks sideways at me, or disrespects me, he’s pissy about it because he can’t beat the shit out of him. Or at least, he doesn’t do that anymore.”

“He beat people up?”

“Oh, honey, yes. When we were first together, it was a huge problem because I couldn’t just vent to him about the assholes I had to deal with. He’d actually go and have a “conversation” with them before I could work it out. He was constantly getting in my business and making things a lot harder for me. We had a come to Jesus meeting and when he still continued to do it, I dumped his ass.”

I gasped. “You didn’t.”

“I totally did.” She set a plate on the counter. “I needed him to understand that I was a grown ass woman and for the most part, could fight my own battles. I’m an officer of the law so to speak, I couldn’t have my man breaking it in order to make my life easier. I still have to be careful sometimes with how much I tell him, which is hard, because he’s my best friend, but he’s also much better about letting me work stuff out myself.”

“What if you can’t work it out?”

Emily bit her lip. “Then I have asked him not to use his fists.”

“Ohmigod, Em. Seriously?”

She nodded with a grin. “Sometimes it’s nice to have a badass husband willing to defend your honor.”

“I guess so.”

Emily leaned against the counter. “Give me this guy’s info and I’ll run him through the system.”

I sighed. “Kimmie said I should do that. Of course, she said I should make Elliot do it.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “I wonder if there will ever be a woman able to resist him.”

I shrugged. “Doubtful.”

Emily giggled. “We don’t need to get the men involved. You and I can handle it on this end, I think.”

I grinned. “You’re the best sister ever.”

“Back atya.”

Family dinner wrapped up and after hugs all around, I headed home.

I arrived to find Austin waiting for me in the parking lot. He was standing next to one of the prettiest Harley Davidson’s I’d ever seen (limited exposure, of course, but it really was pretty) and he was dropping his phone into his jeans pocket as I stepped out of my car.

“Hi,” I said.

He lifted his chin. “Hey, babe.”

He closed the distance between us and leaned down to kiss me.

I smiled. “I thought you were busy tonight.”

“Had a break. Wanted to see my girl.”

This sent a thrill down my spine. “And who might that be?”

He chuckled. “How was dinner?”

“It was good,” I said, and started up the stairs. “How long’s your ‘break’?”

“I’ve probably got about an hour.”

“Want to come in for a drink or something?” I asked.

“Or somethin’.”

I giggled and unlocked my door, leading him inside. I shrugged out of my coat and hung it up, while Austin dropped his onto a chair and planted himself on the sofa. I grabbed him a beer, poured myself a glass of wine, and sat beside him on the couch. In the light, I could see the stress on his face and frowned.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Shit day.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. “I can’t, babe.”

I sighed. “You look tired.”

“I am.” He took a sip of his beer.

“What time did you get to bed last night?”

“I didn’t.”

“Seriously? Mack dropped me off at eleven. You didn’t go home after the meeting?”

“Had a thing.” He smiled tiredly. “Got about two hours of sleep this morning.”

I set my wine on the coffee table. “Have you eaten?”

He checked his watch. “Not since this morning.”

“Austin,” I admonished, and rose to my feet. “I’m going to fix you something to eat at least.”

His phone buzzed and he nodded. “Appreciate it, baby.”

He answered his call and I headed back to the kitchen. I pulled out bread and cheese, figuring grilled cheese was quick and easy to prepare, and it would tide him over for a little while.

I was setting the food on the table when he walked back into my apartment, his face grim… well, grimmer than it had been twenty minutes ago.

“You okay?”

He nodded and sat at the table, devouring the food in record time. “Thanks, babe,” he said, and dropped his plate into the sink.

“Got time to sleep for a bit?” I asked.

Austin shook his head, sliding his hand to my neck.

“What can I do?”

“You’re doin’ it, babe. You make everything better,” he said, and pulled me close.