“I bet he’d be proud seeing what you did with the thing.” He restored it to new.
“You want one?” He pulls out his pack of smokes and his lighter. I nod and he lights two, handing me one. I take a drag and blow the smoke out the open window, sensing that I hit a nerve with my comment. I’d ask if he was close with the man, but this is just supposed to be about sex. I doubt he wants to unpack his life story and drudge up any emotions that might come with it.
“So, how do you know about cars?” He finally breaks the silence.
“My dad used to take me to old car shows.” Back when he wanted to spend time with me. Now, I’m the black sheep of the family and he’d rather not be seen with me. “He has a collection of classics. They’re his babies.”
I take another drag, blowing out the pain of that truth and letting the nicotine settle in its place. My dad treats those cars better than he treats his own kids.
A silence settles between us as he drives us to nowhere. He doesn’t even know where we’re going. I’m the one who’s supposed to be giving him directions.
“Turn right up there.” I point to the road up ahead. “Then once you’re on that road, it’s a straight shot to the place. ‘Bout fifteen minutes out of town.”
He follows my directions, and we start driving away from all the lights and people. The farther we get from town, the darker it gets. The weatherman was wrong about the rain, but the clouds are still hiding all the stars in the sky, making it hard to see.
“You said you had to be at work early. What do you do?”
“I’m a stripper,” I answer, wanting to mess with him. When I see the look on his face, I burst into a fit of giggles. He doesn’t know what to think of that. “Nah. I’m just fooling. Strip clubs aren’t my style either,” I repeat his comment from earlier. I was awfully shocked to learn that they weren’t celebrating the bachelor party at the strip club tonight. Boobs, booze, and sex are what most men want before they get hitched. Even the married ones, apparently. But Cage practically stuck his nose up at the idea when I mentioned it earlier.
“You got the body for it.” Those wolf eyes run down my frame again, landing right on my bare thighs. I suddenly need to shift in the seat, feeling the heat coursing to the place between my legs. I don’t want to make a damp spot on his seat and ruin the leather. “And the moves.” He looks back to the road, shaking his head.
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not much of a bad girl.” In fact, this may be the naughtiest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“How bad are you?” His lips lift into a wolfish grin, sending a shiver over me.
“I’m only one percent bad,” I tease, and he cracks right up in that rumbly laughter. The sultry sound is sexy as hell. Everything about him is sexy as hell.
“So, you’re a one percenter, huh?” He winks. “I was kind of hoping you were ninety-nine percent bad.”
Another shiver rocks my body. With him, I’m willing to be as bad as he wants me to be.
“I could be influenced,” I drawl, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip and giving him a wink.
“Shit. I’m about to break out of this cage, baby doll.” He reaches between his legs, adjusting that massive thing he’s got bulging out. It looks like he gives it a few strokes before his hand comes back up to the steering wheel. I bet watching him get himself off would be a pulse-racing show. “So, what do you do then, doll?”
“I wrangle big animals,” I answer, trying to clear my throat. Again, his head whips in my direction, looking like he doesn’t know what to make of me. “I take care of the horse stables for one of the local ranchers.”
“That’s quite the job. Have you always liked horses?”
No. I used to like cheerleading and beauty pageants and boys. It wasn’t until Dakota started riding that I fell in love with horses. I saw how freeing it was and how happy it made her, so I gave it a shot. Hoping it would make me happy too. And it did. Being with those animals, riding out in the pasture, the wind whipping through my hair, made me feel alive. Up until that moment, I’d been a caged animal, living under my father’s expectations. But horseback riding was just for me.
“I started riding in high school, but then I had to give it up for a bit.” Callum didn’t want me wasting my time. “One day, I hope to own my own ranch and have hundreds of wild horses running free.”
“And so you will.”
Maybe. But first I have to get my life sorted out. I can’t do anything until I’m broken free of the chains I’m locked in. But that’s really not something I want to think about right now. There’s no point in killing this mood. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve felt good.
“What about you, Outlaw? Do you have a day job, or is being a badass biker your thing?”
His grin is like alcohol. I feel a buzz run through my veins every time he smiles at me.
“I’m a badass mechanic.” He hits me with a wink. “I like working with my hands.”
I look to those huge hands and nearly wet myself when I think about what those thick fingers could do. Each one could fill me up. Pump in deep.
“I bet you’re good with those big hands.” I shift in my seat, feeling the heat rise up my neck.
He’s suddenly turning the steering wheel and pulling over, coming to a stop on the side of the road. The engine shuts off and then he’s crossing the bench, slamming his lips to mine, stealing my breath, my soul, and a taste all in one gasp. My entire body sizzles to life as soon as his tongue slips into my mouth. Heat charges through my veins, melting me right into the puddle of my desperation. I’ve never needed anyone or anything this much.
