"Hailey," he said against her mouth, the sound of her name on his lips unfurling a desire deep inside her. She savored every letter as he rasped her name over and over, her heart fluttering and the ache between her legs throbbing.
It was magical the way his lips connected with hers. Even though they'd kissed before, she hadn't known who he really was then. At that moment, the world fell away. The way he held and kissed her was comforting in a way words never would be. Amid the hunger, the lust, and the desire, there was softness and understanding, and it was that naughty and nice combination that drove her insane with want for him.
The phone ringing pierced through their desire, and Hailey cursed its interruption. By the frown on Goldie's face, she suspected some choice words were running through his head. Glancing at the screen, she sucked in her breath: it was Ryan. Not wanting to break the connection she and Goldie were sharing, she decided not to tell him who it was.
"Hello?"
"Hailey. How're you doing?"
"Fine. You?"
"Okay. Did I interrupt something?"
"No, not really." Just an awesome kiss. She glanced at Goldie, who stared at the fire.
"Have you seen Garth? I asked him to keep an eye on you. I worry about you. When I heard that ex-creep may be in Alina, I called Garth right away."
"Things are fine. They really are."
"Have you seen Garth?"
"Yeah. I've been so busy running the floral shop. Most of the time I'm either there or at home." She wanted to get him off the subject of her and Goldie.
"How's Aunt Patty doing?"
"Good."
"Watch out for Garth. Even though he's my best buddy and he's doing me a favor, I wouldn't put it past him to make a play for you. He's a womanizer at heart. Make sure you keep him at a distance. Speaking of guys, have you met anyone worth talking about?"
"No. Like I said, I'm super busy. When am I going to see you?"
"Working on it. I'll let you know. I gotta go. Take care of yourself."
"I will."
When silence replaced Ryan's voice, an emptiness filled her. She missed him and wished he'd be sent stateside so they could see each other and talk more often.
"That was Ryan on the phone." It was a statement, not a question. She nodded, her heart sinking when he sighed and stood up. "I should go. You gonna be okay?"
"Of course. You secured everything."
"I'll be back in the morning with my brothers. If you need or want anything, call me. I could stretch out on the couch and crash if you want me to."
"It's pouring out there."
"I have my rain jacket in my saddlebags. I've ridden in worse. If you're worried about me, don't be. If you want me to stay, I can do that."
She wanted him to stay so she could be back in his arms, kissing his warm, smooth lips. "You don't have to. I'll be fine."
Nodding, he walked over to the door and unlocked it. Without another word, he slipped out into the darkness and headed to his bike. She closed the door and heard the rumble of his Harley.
And just like that, he was gone.
Chapter Seventeen
"Fuck!" he screamed as he hit the steering wheel over and over. His fury matched the howling wind and sheets of rain as he drove away from Hailey's house. The damn biker had to screw everything up. He'd planned the execution so carefully. He'd broken into her house a half hour after he'd seen her leave that morning. He wanted to get the feel of the layout and know which room was hers so when he came back later that night, he'd know right where to go. He'd unlocked the side window and spent the rest of the day anticipating what was to come.
By the time the day had ended, his whole body was tense with sexual current. Not daring to go home, he went to the diner for some dinner, but his heightened state dulled his appetite. Instead, he sat staring at the clock as it painfully edged toward seven: the time the flower shop closed.
Parked a few cars away, he waited patiently for her to close the shop and come out. Part of the fun in his game was to watch his prey before he pounced. He'd spotted her car by the park, and when it appeared that she was finally finishing up, he'd quickly headed that way and positioned himself behind the bushes. Then he'd waited until he heard the solitary echo of her shoes on the pavement. When she'd come into sight, he'd almost jumped her and dragged her into the safety of the bushes to have his way with her; he'd been that wound up. When her headlights turned out and he saw her terrified face, he almost lost it in his pants. The only thing stopping him was the anticipation of taking his time and torturing her for the rest of the night.
When he'd arrived at her house, he'd been surprised to see her still in her car. A short time later, he appeared, ruining everything. Hoping the biker had just come by for a visit, his craving for Hailey turned to pure rage when he'd seen the leather-clad man locking the window.
Weeks of stalking, fantasizing, and planning had disappeared. His body shook with anger and his hard-on throbbed painfully. Some would say he could just grab a random woman to work out his anger and sexual frustration on, but if he did that, it would only be worse. What made him tick before he attacked was the planning and stalking of his victim, and he'd invested quite a bit of time in Hailey Shilley.
I'm not letting all that go to waste. I know you're going to be delicious. His lips turned up in a snarl as he turned onto his street. He was positive the biker would secure the house; he had that look of concern and determination on his face as he went from room to room. I'll have to find another way to get to you. And I will get to you and enjoy every ounce of fear that'll course through your body.
The garage door closed as he entered the kitchen. The house was dark and quiet. He opened the refrigerator and took out a small bottle of orange juice, downing it in one large gulp before throwing the empty container in the recycle bin. He ambled up the stairs and headed to the bedroom.
Pulling back the comforter, he slid between the cool sheets. He breathed in and out a few times, trying to relax so he could get some sleep. All his senses were still on high alert, and the frustration of a plan thwarted so completely chocked his nerves.
"You're home early," Trisha, his wife, said as she turned over on her side, her hand sliding down his bare arm.
"Change in shifts." He scooted closer to the edge of the bed.
"The thunder's been awful. It took me almost an hour to calm Kyle. You know how he is about rainstorms." She moved closer to him, then pressed her lips against his shoulder. "Kyle's fast asleep now, and Jade's been in bed for over an hour. Let's take advantage of it."
"I'm not really feeling it." His jaw tightened.
"You could've fooled me." She laughed as she placed her hand on his semi-hard shaft.
That was for Hailey. "It doesn't mean anything."
"I'll let you use the handcuffs and spank me the way you like to. We just can't be too loud on account of the kids." She kissed him firmly on the lips.
He knew she'd keep bugging him about it. The truth was he couldn't really get off with his wife. Even when she let him spank her and occasionally flog her ass, he knew she wasn't scared of him even though she tried to fake it real well. He needed the rush of real fear: terror at its best for him and at its worst for the victims.
Turning toward her, he decided to play along. He watched as she pulled open the nightstand and took out the handcuffs. "Fuck me from behind. I like that." She handed him the cuffs and went down on all fours. He restrained her arms behind her back, shoved her head and torso down on the mattress, and smiled when she pushed up on her knees, making her butt rise higher.
Staring at her, he no longer saw his wife's blonde hair and lithe body. Instead he saw Hailey's long, chestnut hair and rounded hips. In his mind, he pictured his knife skimming across her shivering flesh, fear etched in her face. Her striking blue eyes filled with terror.
"Not so hard!" Trisha gritted as he pummeled into her.
Before he could answer, he'd come hard. Panting heavily, he took off the cuffs, tossed them on the floor, then flopped on his back.
"What the hell was that all about?" Trisha sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her wrists.
"You wanted to get fucked so I fucked you." The coldness in his voice even surprised him.
"You bastard." She got up and went into the bathroom.
He rolled over and fell asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Goldie's chair leaned against the back wall as he listened to his brothers rant and rave about the Satan's Pistons. It seemed the surviving members hadn't taken too kindly to the Night Rebels' tactics in showing them who's boss in the southwestern territory of Colorado. Normally, Goldie would've jumped into the discussion, but his mind was on Hailey. She'd taken such a hold of him, and he didn't know how the hell it'd happened.
He'd always been careful not to get too emotionally involved with any of the women he knew because he never had any plans to settle down. It wasn't that he was afraid of commitment like a lot of women had told him over the years. If he had to be honest, it was that he just loved women too much. The thought of settling down with just one woman for the rest of his life didn't make sense to him. There were so many women to experience, and his style was to indulge, give them a damn good time, and move on to the next. He never looked back, let alone thought about them. "Out of pussy, out of mind" was the way it worked for him, yet he couldn't get Hailey off his mind. And he hadn't even had a taste of her.