“Oh, umm. No fire. I’d just gone to Menace’s office to...” Images of Menace naked in the shower came flashing through my mind, making it difficult to form a complete sentence. “I was going to... apolo... apologize for spilling those drinks on him.”
“Ah, no need to apologize for that.” Country snickered. “Wasn’t the first time a woman threw drinks at him. Won’t be the last.”
“Wait, I didn’t throw the drinks on him. He bumped into me, and they spilled on him.”
“Mm-hmm. If you say so.” His eyes skirted over me, and a wicked grin crossed his face. “You got plans later tonight?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Country seemed like a good enough guy, but I had absolutely no interest in that charming smile of his. There was only one man I was attracted to, and he was having himself a merry old time in the shower. Doing my best to let him down easy, I told him, “I have a hot date with my bed, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Sounds like fun. Maybe too much fun.” Not ready to give up, he pushed a little harder. “You might need a chaperone. It’s not usually my thing, but since you’re new in town, I’d be willing to make an exception.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m gonna have to pass. I wouldn’t want my bed to get jealous.”
“You never know.” Country stepped closer. “We might just hit it off.”
Before I could respond, I heard Menace’s voice roar, “Country! That front door isn’t gonna watch itself.”
“Yeah, I’m on it.”
Without another word, Country walked right past me and down the hall, disappearing into the main bar. When I turned to look at Menace, he was standing in the doorway in a pair of jeans and a half-buttoned shirt, looking just as unbelievable as he did in that damn shower. I felt like someone’s hands were wrapped around my throat as I muttered, “I’m sorry about spilling the drinks on you.”
“Mm-hmm. Not a problem.”
“I’m also really sorry for… uh... walking in while you were showering.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m very sorry.” I could feel the heat of my blush creep over my face. “It was completely inappropriate, and I’m truly sorry I did that to you.”
“I don’t think you are.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Menace stepped out of the doorway and stalked over to me, only stopping when he was towering over me. He took another step forward, forcing me back as he pinned me against the wall. I could feel the warmth of his breath caress my shoulder as he growled, “I think you liked what you saw.”
“No!” I gasped. “I mean... yes, but no. I—”
“Which is it?” He lowered his mouth to my ear; his voice was low and sultry. “Did you or did you not like what you saw?”
Oh, dear Lord, this man had me so tangled up I didn’t know what to think. My entire body was tingling with desire as I muttered, “I don’t know.”
“Oh, I think you do know. And you know what else?”
“Hmmm?”
I tilted my head, giving him full access to my neck and shoulder as he whispered, “I liked that you saw me.” He brushed his lips ever so softly against my flesh as he admitted, “I liked seeing that look in your eyes as you stood there watching me.”
“Oh?”
“It’s the same look you have right now.”
“I don’t have a look.”
“Oh, yeah. You definitely do.” A rush of heat swept over me when he added, “You’re turned on now just like you were earlier.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You sure about that?” I felt the warmth of his touch on my thigh, and instead of pushing him away, I shifted my step, giving him access to glide his hand even higher. He eased my panties to the side, letting the tips of his fingers rake against my wet center. “Just as I thought. So fucking wet.”
Unable to say anything more, I muttered, “Menace.”
He quickly withdrew his hand, and when he took a step back, his eyes were filled with hunger, leaving no doubt that he didn’t want to stop. In all honesty, I didn’t want him to either. I wanted this escape. I needed it, even if it was just for a moment, but sadly, that time had come and gone. He muttered something under his breath, then turned and headed back to his office. I was tempted to stop him, but I had no idea what I should say. Doing the only thing I could, I simply stood there and watched as he walked into his office and closed the door.
Damn. I’d screwed up once again. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’d never been good with men. I tried, but I was terrible at flirting and got tongue-tied any time I tried to carry on a conversation with a man I was interested in. Over the past couple of years, things had only gotten worse. It wasn’t like I could help it. I’d lost my family, and if that wasn’t enough, my life was in jeopardy. I was doing everything I could to just stay alive. I didn’t have the time, nor the desire, to get involved with anyone, and I didn’t see that changing any time soon—even if I wanted it to. But I couldn’t deny there was something about Menace that gave me pause—and not just because he was so unbelievably hot.
I couldn’t explain it, but for the first time since my family was murdered, I didn’t feel threatened or afraid. I knew it was crazy. I knew Menace and his brothers were bikers. I knew people feared them, and rightly so. They were big, muscled up, and tattooed, and they wore leather vests with Ruthless Sinners embroidered on the back. Any rational person would be a little intimidated by them, but for some insane reason, I wasn’t—at least not anymore.
While I hadn’t spent a great amount of time with them, I’d seen how they interacted with one another. There was a strange camaraderie among them and their significant others. They treated the women at the club with kindness and respect—something I wouldn’t expect to find at a strip club. I was still standing there pondering my life choices when I heard Marlowe ask, “Hey, Aubrey. You okay?”
“Yeah.” I quickly turned to face her and smiled. “I’m fine. I was just about to head back out.”
“Okay, I was just checking.”
“Thanks, Marlowe. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
She smiled as she replied, “That’s what we do.”
I followed her back out to the main bar and rushed to catch up on my orders. It was a busy night, but busy was good. That meant I made even more tips than I had the two nights before. It also meant I didn’t have time to think about my encounter with Menace.
As soon as I arrived at the apartment, I took a quick shower and went straight to bed. I was exhausted, and my feet ached like they never had before. I just wanted to fall asleep and put the crazy day behind me, but as soon as I closed my eyes, the nightmares started creeping in. I never knew which one would surface first, but they always came to torment me. They’d start off pleasant, a nice memory of a time I treasured, but they always turned into something awful.
Tonight was no different.
I was adjusting to my life in Colorado. I had my routine, a home, and I’d just started to make a few friends. I’d grown to like working at the diner with Sally and her husband, Peter. On this particular day, Peter had me in the kitchen, and he was smiling as he showed me how to make his favorite beef stew. “It’s important to always use fresh vegetables. None of that canned stuff.”