“Age doesn’t matter to her family. It still fuckin’ sucks.” Goldie’s hand slipped under Hailey’s hair and he swept his fingers over the base of her neck. Goose bumps freckled her skin as she shivered from desire.
“True.” Shelly looked back down the hall. “I have to go. Are you going to stick around for a while?” She smiled widely at him.
She’s got the hots for him. Hell,I’vegot the hots for him. I can’t believe how sexy he turned out to be. But he’s a womanizer. Remember, Ryan told you that. You’re so out of his league.
“I’ll be here for a bit.”
“Sweet.” Shelly scampered down the hall as the administrator of the facility tried to move the residents away from Mrs. Heller’s room.
The exchange with Shelly must have brought him back to reality, because he stepped back from Hailey and cool air replaced his warmth as he went back over to his grandmother. Hailey pivoted around and watched him wipe Helen’s nose. That single act made her heart melt. She wanted to tell him that she’d always had a huge crush on him, that the kiss they’d shared the night before was the best one she’d ever had. That he did something to her—always had—and that she wanted to get to know Garth the man. But she just stood mutely in the doorway, watching him share a tender moment with his grandmother.
He threw the tissue in the trash, then went into the connecting bathroom and turned on the water. When he came back out, drying his hands with a paper towel, he gave her a half smile. All of a sudden, she felt like an intruder. She smiled back and went over to the chair to pick up her purse.
“I better get back to the shop,” she said.
“Okay.” There was a spark of some indefinable emotion in his eyes.
She spun around and walked out of the room. Outside, the hot, dry air bore down on her as she cut across the parking lot. It was an inferno inside her car, and she turned up the air conditioning to high and rolled down the windows to let the heat escape. Her mind was still spinning over the discovery that the man she’d been lusting after since he’d given her a tattoo was Garth. What were the chances of that? She didn’t think he’d contact her again. Since he was a player, he probably figured he could fuck her a couple times and then move on. Discovering who she was must have put a major kink in his plans of seduction.
Her phone vibrated and she hoped it was him. With slumping shoulders, she read Rory’s text.
Rory:What’s going on? Brent said u haven’t returned his call.
With a heavy sigh, she frowned while she shook her head slowly.Not in the mood for this, Rory.
Hailey:Been 2 busy 2 think. Slammed @ the shop.
Rory:I feel 4 u, but u have 2 get out. What about Sat?
Hailey:Not sure. Brent doesn’t do anything 4 me.
In anticipation of Rory’s response, she pressed her lips together and looked out the window. In front of her, a silver metallic motorcycle shone under the glaring sun. The artwork on the bike drew her in—a zombie apocalypse. She’d never seen anything like it, and her gut told her it was Goldie’s bike.
Rory:Y not? Please don’t tell me u’re into the tattoo guy.
Hailey:K, I won’t.
Rory:R u serious? Brent’s handsome, smart, witty, and a NICE GUY.
Hailey:Then u go out with him. Gotta run. Later.
She chuckled as she started the engine. What could she say? Brent just didn’t do it for her. She was serious about Rory going out with him. He was a million times better than that pessimist Troy. Anyway, she was seriously attracted to Goldie. The funny thing was that she saw the sexy tattoo artist as Goldie, not Garth. Garth was still a teenager locked in her memory. Plus, thinking of him as Goldie made her not mind so much that he was Ryan’s best friend.
The tires squealed as she turned too sharply onto the main road. Maybe she’d come back the following day and see if she happened to run into Goldie. Maybe she’d turn into a stalker or something. One thing she knew for sure: she would see him again, even if it meant her seeking him out.
She wanted to get to know him all over again. Ryan wouldn’t be happy about it, but he was halfway across the world. Goldie was just across town. Besides, people were always running into each other in small towns. It was inevitable.
She’d make sure to make the unavoidable happen.
Chapter Seven
When Goldie enteredthe clubhouse, he saw Steel sitting at a table with Paco and Sangre. He walked over to the table and Patches placed a bottle of Coors on it, then went back to the bar.
“Hey,” he said to his brothers as he sat down.
“How’s the poker run coming along?” Steel asked.
“Good. I’ve got all the travel routes set up, and I’m planning the club’s basic itinerary. A lot of the brothers signed up for it, and I got a bunch of other bikers who are down. It should pull in some bucks.” Being the club’s road captain, he was responsible for organizing all the runs and tours, leading the formation on rides, and enforcing rules and procedures for group rides. Goldie also had to supervise the maintenance of all club vehicles, but he usually designated that to Shotgun, who ran the club’s bike and auto repair shop.
