Damon:A Bad Boy MC Romance Novel(59)

"Well … I'm just … .I'm worried … I need my keys and … ."

"He comes in, I'll let you know you're looking for him, how's that?"

"I just … " I felt myself creeping towards the edge, tears threatening to  tumble down my cheeks as I grew more and more claustrophobic in the bar.  I wanted to leave already, I wanted to get back on the road. Jeremy  could be right on my tail by then …

"Darling, you'll be safe enough here, you know," the woman suddenly  said, leaning forward. The girl beside her seemed to fade into the  background as the bartender focused all her attention on me.

"And Rein is a good man. He'll take care of you. I know you don't have  any reason to trust me, or him, but we're your best chance right now at  getting away in one piece. I don't know your story, and I don't wanna  know your story, but I seen enough of girls like you to know someone's  looking for you. But he won't find you here, I promise you that. We'll  make sure of it. Now, Reign's probably got some scheme for helpin' you, I  don't know what, but you oughta know you ain't gonna find yourself in  better hands."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to feel safe and sound and easy and  clean and free. I wanted to, but there was so much in me that was scared  to trust anyone. The woman cocked her head and looked me up and down,  as though sizing me up for a final judgement.

"Name's Honey," she finally said, sticking out her hand. Automatically,  without really even thinking about it, I took her hand. Her grip was  firm, her eyes never left mine. This time, though, I didn't feel like  some sort of prey in the eyes of a predator. Her look was far from  welcoming, but at least it wasn't so … irritated.

"Gabriella," I said, my mouth moving instinctually. We dropped our  handshake and I couldn't think of a single other thing to say, or do.

"Well, if you want to wait, you can go on and have yourself a drink. On  the house. Tell ‘em Honey said so," she said, now turning away from me  and back to the waifish girl who'd been waiting like a spectator  watching a tennis match. But before I could turn around, she turned  back, though this time she was looking just over my shoulder, a smile  spreading over her face.

"Did you think I forgot about you?" A voice suddenly said from behind. A  tired-sounding voice that was nonetheless immediately recognizable,  even to my addled mind.

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day where you got up after … what?  Three hours of sleep?" Honey said, leaning back in her seat, the girl  beside her once more relegated to the sidelines.

"Some things are more important than sleep, Honey," Reign said. Even  before I turned, I could feel his presence like hands on my body, his  voice sending delicious tingles up my spine. I'm screwed if this happens  every time I see him, I thought. I really never will leave this place …

He looked as handsome on no sleep as he had the night before, his long  black hair messy and shagging over his eyes. I'd forgotten how tall he  was, though, and as my eyes ran along his lean figure I felt another  thrill, something exciting and amorous waking up inside me.         

     



 

No, no, focus now, Gabriella, you're getting in over your head because  of everything else that's happening, you have to stay focused, I  thought.

"I'm glad to see you," I stuttered, immediately blushing and cursing  myself for not coming up with something better to say to him. He didn't  seem to share my thoughts on the matter, though, and smiled broadly at  me. Holding his hand before my face, I was relieved to see my car keys  dangling from one finger.

"I moved your car to … " he started to say, but I interrupted him,  grabbing the dangling keys from his hand as though they were the  antidote to a poison coursing through my veins. Just holding them made  me feel a million times better; I was in control again. No one could  keep me from leaving. No one but myself, of course.

"I saw, thanks," I said, pocketing the keys and keeping my eyes well  away from his. Every time I looked at him I felt the same urge to reach  out and touch him, felt my heart pounding in my throat, wanted to  believe every word that dripped from his perfect lips. But I couldn't  let my guard down like that. No matter how helpful he seemed, both in  practical terms and in less-than-practical terms, it would do me no good  to stick around longer than I needed to.

"Still planning on going to Mexico all by your lonesome?" He asked, and I  detected a hint of disappointment in his voice. I'd thought that all  our talk in the bedroom had been just that  –  silly bedroom talk  –  and  that he'd be through with me. But now it certainly seemed like he wanted  to make good on his promises  –  or at least stall me from leaving.

"I am," I said simply, my tone terse.

"Tonight?"

"Well … " I said, my eyes darting around the bar. Honey had turned back to  her flirty friend; no one seemed to be watching Reign and I talk. I  hadn't really decided whether or not to leave that night. For one thing,  if I drove all through the night, my sleep schedule would wind up off  track and I'd have to find someplace to spend the day. Then again, it  might be safer to travel at night. But then again, with less people on  the roads at night I'd stick out like a sore thumb. But then again …

"I get that you're anxious to leave," Reign said, picking up on my  hesitation. "But if you stick around, I'm pretty sure I can get you into  a new car tomorrow. Well, not a new car, but a different car. Clean  plates, registration, all that, no problem."

I bit my lip, still avoiding Reign's gaze. I knew damn well that I  wanted to stay for another night. If only to feel those feelings one  more time … assuming he still wanted me, of course. And a car would be an  immense help, would take a huge load off my shoulders.

"Come here, sit down for a bit," Reign said, finally, after a few  moments had passed. He reached out and placed his hand gently on my  lower back, steering me towards an empty table in the corner of the bar.

His hand on me made my brain blink out of commission. I looked back as  Reign guided me; Honey was watching once more, her eyebrows raised in  interest. I wondered what she was thinking, why she was so interested in  what was going on between Reign and I. I hoped I wasn't stepping on her  territory in some way; but she seemed to be perfectly happy with the  girl beside her.

"You know, Honey is kind of like a mother around here," Reign said, once  more picking up on my thoughts. "I mean, not really, she's more like  a … like a wife, or something, to everyone. Keeps an eye on us, out for  us. Takes care of her boys. She's got this sixth sense for trouble, you  know? So she takes some warming up to, that's all."

"Oh," I said, taking a seat, somewhat relieved to be free of Reign's  gently pressing hand, which had all but eradicated my ability to think  or function.

"She's a good woman, Honey," he continued. "A lot like you, actually."

"How's that?" I asked, no longer able to keep my eyes away from Reign as  he took his seat across from me. God damn, I still couldn't believe a  fat girl like me had spent the night with an Adonis like him … not just  spent the night, but the whole damn morning, too.

"Just similar," he said, clamming up on the subject. I got the feeling  he didn't quite want to go further out of a sense of propriety; I  supposed that gossip wasn't something he was comfortable with.

"I don't think she likes me much," I said. Reign chuckled.

"She doesn't like many strangers much. We certainly don't call her Honey ‘cause she's so sweet," he said.

"What's her real name?" I asked, suddenly curious about how everyone  around here got their nicknames. I'd heard enough strange names being  thrown around, and I didn't know the first thing about MC culture.         

     



 

"I don't know, don't care. She's Honey to us, and that's all that matters," Reign said.

And what's your real name, Reign? How'd you get such a regal nickname?  Where did you even come from … I found myself getting lost in my thoughts.  Being around him … I just wanted to know more. Everything. I wanted to  read his autobiography.

"So … the car … " I said, feeling a bit more stable now that my mind and  body had gotten used to being around him again. That initial shock is a  killer, I thought, marveling at how dumbstruck he'd made me. And how,  even now that I'd calmed down, there was really nothing that I wanted  more than to be closer to him.

"Yeah, so, we got a dealer here in town, actually just a ways out of  town. He's a good guy, he'll do an easy trade-in for you, on the spot.  He's legit, but he knows how to keep his mouth shut under pressure,"  Reign said, leaning back, one arm draped over the side of the chair and  the other laying across the table.