Chapter Seventeen
Steel sat onthe edge of his bed the following morning. His head was still reeling from the previous day’s church. The membership had voted to take out the Skull Crushers. The rival MC had been a pain in the Night Rebels’ side since the Crushers had loosely started their club a few years before. They weren’t a proper club in the true biker sense; rather, they were a bunch of punks who hung out to do illegal activities. They knew nothing about respect, the brotherhood, and the outlaw world.
Steel had known the showdown would someday come between the two. The beat-down that his club and the Insurgents had given the Skull Crushers a couple of summers ago had quieted the rival club down for a while, but they seemed to have forgotten that the Night Rebels meant business.
At church, they’d decided to wait until they found out which MC was supplying heroin to their county. Paco had pointed out that if the Skull Crushers existed no more, the supplying MC would probably go underground for a while. Steel mentioned that he wanted to talk to Banger and Hawk from the Insurgents to get their take on the situation.
Steel grabbed a bottle of water he had placed on his nightstand before he crashed the night before. He guzzled it all down, crushed the bottle, and threw it in the trash can across the room, then blew out a steady breath.
He wanted to see Breanna again. He didn’t buy the indifferent attitude she’d given him after they left the back room. He’d caught her sneaking glances at him, and she didn’t seem all that happy when women came up to him.Fuck. I don’t want to care for this woman.But he did. He couldn’t explain it, but she did something to him. There was something wonderfully irresistible about her and the unexpected attraction they shared.
He picked up his phone and tapped in her number. She answered on the fourth ring.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I’m picking you up for dinner at seven. Be ready.” A gasp from her made him smile.
“You have a lot of gall,” she said.
“We’ve already established that a long time ago. So seven. I gotta go.”
“Wait! I can’t go. I have to work tonight.”
“No worries. I’m the boss, remember?”
“I need the money,” she said softly.
“You can take your comp day.”
“I have comp days for part-time employment?”
“You do now, and it includes tips. Seven o’clock. See you.” He hung up, a weight that had been heavy on his chest lifting. He jumped to his feet and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
He was actually going out on his second date with Breanna. That blew him away since he hadn’t taken a woman out on a second date since high school. What surprised him even more was that he was looking forward to it. Deciding not to analyze what had come over him, he made up his mind to just go with it, unwrapping a bar of soap and stepping into the shower.
***
At seven o’clockhe knocked on her door, a small tinge of anger curling in his stomach when she didn’t answer. He lifted his leg and set his foot on the planter on her porch. It had never occurred to him that she’d stand him up.
Did I misread her? What the fuck’s wrong with me?He’d always been spot-on when it came to gauging women and their wants. After Mika had cheated on him and he’d left her, he made a point of reading women’s body language, their facial expressions, the hidden meaning between their words. Even though they sparred a lot, there was an electric spark that sizzled between them, and he’d been positive Breanna had felt it.
He pressed his lips together and stood upright.If she doesn’t want it, then fuck her. I don’t have time for this shit anyway.He jumped down the stairs and was walking to his Harley when he heard her yell, “Steel!” He paused for a few seconds, then turned around slowly.
At that time of day, the sun had dipped lower to the west. Breanna stood on the porch, her white eyelet sundress bathed in honeyed tones from the sun’s lessening rays. He sucked in his breath as he took her in: cascading golden hair, rose-colored lips, mesmerizing bright eyes. She clung to the stone pillar on her porch, her gaze locked on his. A warm, infectious smile spread over her face.
“You coming or what?” he said in a gruff voice, but his senses were alert and his jeans were tight as hell.
“Hang on a minute, will you? I got home late from work and I’ve been scrambling. Let me grab my sweater.” She bounced back into the house, and all Steel could think about was peeling her sundress off her later that night. Coming back in sight, she slammed her door shut and then headed down the sidewalk.
All he wanted to do was run up to her, gather her into his arms, and kiss her deeply, but he stood still. When she got to him, he turned around and swung his leg over the bike. “Get on.”
She snuggled in behind him. “I should’ve worn pants. I forgot how disastrous it is to wear a dress on a bike.” She laughed, and the melodic sound of her voice squeezed his hardening dick.
He started his bike and screeched away from the curb, extremely aware of her body behind him. The way she circled her arms around him, her tits pressing against him, and her feminine aroma of vanilla and apricots ribboning around him just about sent him over the edge. He’d never tire of the feel and scent of her.
They rode past the businesses on Main Street, the neatly manicured lawns on Linda Vista Road, and the worn-down and crumbling homes in the seedier part of town. On either side of the road lay red-tinted sand, sagebrush, and the jagged peaks of the mountains in the distance. They turned down a small road, following it for a few more minutes until Steel stopped in front of a brightly colored pink house. The shutters on each side of the windows were a neon lime green, and the awning over the large porch was turquoise. Pots of cacti and wildflowers dotted the yard around the home, and copper symbols and animals covered in a green patina dangled from the eaves around the house. Two large German shepherds barked and ran toward the motorcycle.
Steel killed the ignition and got off the bike, then held his hand out and helped Breanna off. When the dogs came closer, she grabbed his arm and pressed closer to him. He chuckled. “No need to be afraid. These two are major softies.” He bent down and petted each of them. “They’re cool.” Breanna reached out and did the same. “Come on.” He rose to his feet, holding her hand as they walked to the front door.
