Hot Ride(2)

"So, Hayley, why don't you go up to the guy and start a conversation?"  Marianne asked, a challenge in her eyes. "Maybe he'll whisk you away and  have his way with you."







Rip watched the women at the table. The pretty blonde who'd gone to the  ladies' room with Raven-Hair was poised and had a pretty smile. When she  looked at Raven, there was a warmth that was missing from the other  women's attitudes toward her. He could see it in their body language.  The way the one on her left leaned away from her, and the woman on her  right had actually turned her back to her to talk to her companion on  the other side.

He popped another peanut in his mouth, toying with the idea of  approaching her. He sipped his beer, knowing he wouldn't do it. Pursuing  a woman wasn't his style.

He had to admit, though, if he was ever going to chase a woman, this would be the one.

One of the women said something to her and Raven's eyes widened, then  she sent a surreptitious glance his way. She frowned, but then picked up  her purse and stood up. She started walking toward the bar.

"Hey, tough guy."

Rip turned his head to see a tall, barrel-chested behemoth stalking  toward him. Damn, he'd been distracted by a woman-something he never  allowed himself to be-and had lost sight of his surroundings.

"We don't need your type of trouble-maker around here."

Rip held up his hands. "Look, friend. I'm just having a drink. No trouble."

The man stopped in front of him, hands on hips, glaring. "I ain't your  friend." He poked Rip in the chest. "And I think it's time you leave."

Rip raised an eyebrow. The man had clearly had quite a few drinks. If he  tried to start a fight, Rip could easily dodge out of the way.

"I don't think so. I like it here." Then Rip popped another peanut in his mouth.

But the guy grabbed Rip's vest and dragged him from the stool. "I told you to leave."

Rip grabbed the guy's wrists and pushed his hands from his vest, then stood tall and challenging.

"How about instead, you walk away right now," Rip said in a low, authoritative tone, "and I sit down and finish my beer?"

The guy stared at him, eyes narrowed, considering. Then suddenly he  lurched forward. Rip stepped to the side, and the guy connected with a  bystander, sending him careening off balance. He fell into a woman, whom  Rip suddenly realized was Raven, knocking her to the ground.

Shit!







Hayley sucked in a breath as she fell to the ground in a heap.

She had been heading to the ladies' room. The previous trip, she and  Tina had been able to walk along one side of the tavern, but this time  she'd had to edge around a clump of people blocking her way, which had  put her very near the sexy biker hunk. As she'd stepped past the people  and into a clear area near the stool, someone had suddenly jerked  backwards, slamming into her and knocking her off her feet.

The guy who'd fallen into her was on his butt beside her, looking just  as startled as she felt, and he scurried to his feet. She grabbed her  clutch purse, which had landed beside her, and tried to get her  high-heeled feet back under her to stand up, while keeping her short  skirt covering the essentials.

"Let me help you," a masculine voice said.

She glanced up to see the sexy biker crouching down to grab her elbows  and help her stand up. He was big and masculine and the feel of his  strong hands gripping her arms sent electrifying sensations surging  through her.         

     



 

"Oh, thank you," she said as he helped her up.

She tried to stand, but her right foot twisted when she put weight on it  and he steadied her. She glanced down and realized the heel had broken  off her brand new shoe.

"I told you to get out."

She glanced up to see an obnoxious, hulking man lurch forward and take a  swing at her hunky biker. Too fast for her to fully comprehend, her  leather-clad knight dodged and grabbed the guy, pinning his arms behind  him, then forced him in her direction.

"You knocked over this lovely lady. I think you should apologize."

The pinned man glared at her in defiance, sparks flaring in his eyes, but then he winced as his captor tightened his hold.

"Sorry, ma'am," he mumbled.

The biker let him go and he grumbled as he strode away.

"Hi. My name is Rip." He offered his hand and she shook it, growing weak  in the knees at the feel of his big fingers enveloping hers.

"I'm Hayley."

His hair was dark and wavy, his eyes deep midnight blue. Dense, coarse  whiskers shadowed his face, except where a two inch scar slashed across  his cheek. He smiled, softening his dangerous good looks.

"Hello, Hayley. May I buy you a drink?"

Oh my God! She couldn't believe this hunky bad-boy god wanted to spend  time with her. She glanced toward the table, hoping her friends would  see her talking to the sexy stranger, but the view was blocked by the  clump of people still chatting.

"Well, uh..."

A large man with a name tag that said "Kurt" approached, a scowl on his face.

"I'm sorry, sir, I need to ask you to leave. We don't want any trouble here."

Hayley gazed at Rip, who picked up his beer and threw it back.

"Wait, he didn't start the fight," Hayley said. "That other man did. Shouldn't you be throwing him out?"

"Please stay out of this, ma'am."

"But it's not fair." She noticed that Rip was watching her, grinning.

"Ma'am, I'd like you to leave, too."

"What?" She was stunned. She'd never been thrown out of a bar before. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Rip took her arm and steered her toward the door, but as soon as she  took a step forward, she wavered off balance as her foot dropped without  the support of her heel.

Rip tightened his hold on her arm, steadying her. "Did you hurt your ankle?"

"No, my heel broke off."

She glanced around the floor, looking for it, while the manager scowled.  Clearly, he wanted them out of there as fast as possible. The sparkle  of rhinestones grabbed her attention as she caught sight of the bow  adorning the spike heel lying on its side under a chair.

"There it is." She pointed at it.

The manager leaned over and grabbed it, then thrust it into her hand.

"Now please go."

Rip offered his arm and she used it for support as she walked with as  much dignity as she could with a bum shoe. Not exactly the sexy gait  she'd been hoping for when she'd put on these high heels this evening.

He pushed open the door for her and they stepped into the evening air.  It was a bit cool, for June anyway, but the sky was clear and the moon  shone brightly. She stumbled a bit as they approached the three big  steps leading to the street.

"Maybe you should take those off." He smiled. "Or I could carry you down the stairs."

As much as she was tempted to be swept into his strong arms, she handed  him her broken heel, then bent her knee and leaned down to pull off the  broken shoe. Then she lowered her foot to the cold concrete and pulled  off the other shoe. Her pantyhose would be toast by the time she got  back to the hotel, but there wasn't much she could do about that.

They walked down the stairs, then he turned to face her.

"I'd still like to buy you that drink," he said.

"Oh, I don't think that will work. Don't most places say no shirt, no shoes, no service?"

His gaze fell to her sweetheart neckline and she was sure he was  thinking about her with no shirt. Her cheeks heated and she couldn't  help picturing him shirtless, too. He wore a dark T-shirt under his  leather vest, but she could see the hint of washboard abs through the  thin fabric. And there would probably be tattoos. Ones she could trace  with the tip of her finger, gliding over his taut, smooth flesh.         

     



 

He grinned. "I can think of a lot of places I could take you where you  being shirtless would guarantee we got in, but I doubt you'd like them.  I'm sure we can find somewhere that will overlook your disreputable lack  of shoes."

Say yes.

This was her chance to do something wild and crazy. Have a drink with a  hot, sexy biker. Maybe invite him back to her room. Then he'd come  inside and they'd …

She suddenly found it hard to breathe. She never did this kind of thing. She didn't know how to do this kind of thing.

"What about a coffee?" he suggested. "There's a diner near where I'm parked."

"Okay, sure."

They walked about a block, her paying careful attention to where she  stepped in her stocking feet, then turned into a little diner on the  corner. She set her shoes beside her on the bench. The waitress came by  right away and Hayley ordered a decaf coffee and a muffin and he just  ordered coffee.

"So what do you do?" he asked as he put a spoonful of sugar in his cup and stirred.

"I'm an accountant." She added cream to her coffee. "I know. Really boring."

"I imagine it's not if you like working with numbers."

True. She liked lining everything up into columns, tracking numbers,  ensuring everything balanced. It gave her a sense of order in the world.