Chapter Four
Tatum landed on her back onto the asphalt and she was waiting for her head to hit the hard ground, but it never came. Instead the back of her head was cushioned by the man’s hands. Though she could have been killed by the heavy branch that fell from the tree, that was not her immediate thought. All she could concentrate on was the man who was splayed on top of her. His hard in all the right places body gave her tingles in places she didn’t even know existed. She never felt like this before. Of course, she was no virgin, but this was something more than just mere lust. A deeper desire coursed through her veins and she had a feeling he would be the only one who could sate it.
When the fog finally cleared from her passion dazed brain, she realized she was still angry at the guy. He had nerve screaming at her in the middle of the street for everyone to see when what happened wasn’t her fault but his. She slid out from underneath him as his hand grabbed her elbow to help her up. She yanked her arm away from him. “I don’t need any help. I can stand on my own two feet thank you very much.”
He straightened, pulling his jacket back into place. “If that’s your way of thanking me after I saved your life, you need to try again.”
“I don’t need to do anything but get away from you. It was your fault I was standing there to begin with.”
Before he said anything else Tatum turned to get on her motorcycle and leave, but when her eyes focused through the falling raindrops, she froze right where she stood. Her bike, her precious baby had been struck by the fallen limb and crushed it. When the initial shock had passed, she ran and kneeled next to it to inspect the damage. In her heart she wanted to believe she could fix it, but her head and expertise on all things automotive said the bike had been damaged beyond repair. She’d never wanted to cry so much in her life. She worked so hard to get the motorcycle in running condition and now, all her hard work was for naught. Rage began to creep up her chest and flush her cheeks as she faced the man who was the cause of her heartache. To some, It was just a motorcycle, a piece of machinery of no importance, but to her it was everything. It represented a tremendous goal she was able to complete all on her own. No one had helped her fix one thing on it. She felt so much satisfaction every time she rode it and got to rub her achievement in her co-worker’s faces. She pointed to the man in front of her. “You did this!”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who almost killed someone and I sure as Hell wasn’t the one who summoned lightning to strike that tree, causing that limb to fall on your bike.”
“If you didn’t jump out in front of me I wouldn’t have stopped where I did and my motorcycle would be in tact now.”
“I have never seen anyone be so ungrateful in my life.”
“What should I be grateful for?”
“Uh, maybe because I saved your life.”
“Well, if you think I’m going to thank you for something you caused in the first place, you are sadly mistaken.”
Before he could say anything further, Tatum turned on her heels and walked away, making her way to the resort. By now, there was a crowd of onlookers in front. They all observed her as she strode passed them. Some asked if she was okay and some just stood frozen in awe at the gigantic limb in the middle of the asphalt that was now on top of her bike.
Tatum stomped up to the front desk, still fuming over the situation that took place only seconds ago. She was so angry she almost shed a tear. It took every ounce of restraint not to cry in front of that guy, but she refused to show any sign of weakness while in his presence.
The young man at the desk greeted her with a worried expression. “What happened out there? What was that loud bang?”
“A tree limb fell. Lightning struck it and it broke off the tree.”
“Oh my God, was anyone hurt?”
“Just my motorcycle.”
“Thank goodness.” He corrected himself when Tatum furrowed her brows. “I mean Thank goodness no people were hurt.” He cleared his throat and smiled. “How can I help you?”
“Can you direct me to Adonis’ office please?”
She was supposed to meet Eira at her house after checking in the hotel, but now that her bike was crushed beyond repair, she had to figure out what she was going to do. Luckily, Eira’s husband Adonis worked at the resort and could maybe lend her a hand.
“No one is allowed back there unless they’re cleared. Let me buzz him and ask if it’s okay. What’s your name?”
“Tatum. I’m Eira’s friend.”
He sat for a few seconds with the phone on his ear, then turned towards the elevator. “Oh, here he is now.”
When she turned, Adonis rushed right past her, heading for the front entrance. He disappeared outside for a minute or two, then returned, looking a bit more relaxed than when he stepped off the elevator. He stopped at the desk and told the concierge to contact the fire department and electrical company to clear the area where the fallen tree had landed before facing her.
“Tatum, right?” Adonis said, stretching his hand out to her.
“Yeah, we met one last year. I’m looking for Eira. Is she around?”
“No, she’s back at the house. She’s supposed to be resting, but I doubt she’d doing that. Maybe you can convince her to relax because no one around here can.”
Tatum laughed. “Yeah, I can’t see her just sitting around doing nothing. I doubt she’ll listen to me.”
Adonis shook his head. “In other words…”
“You’re on your own buddy.”
“It was worth a shot. Why don’t you go up to the house while your room is being prepared.”
She sighed. “I would but my motorcycle is crushed.”
“That was your bike out there? Oh my God, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. I was pushed out of the way by some dickhead, who I almost ran over, which was completely his fault in the first place. If it weren’t for him, I would be riding down the road to your house right now.”
“At least you weren’t hurt. Let me get someone to drop you off at the house for now and then we can figure out what to do about your motorcycle.”
While Adonis pulled out his cell phone to find her a ride, she glanced toward the front entrance. Looking through the glass doors, she could see the man wearing all black approaching. Adonis stuck his cell back in his pocket and she pointed to her number one arch enemy. “That’s him!”
Adonis turned, lowering his head with a smirk. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No! Do you know him?”
“He’s my best friend.” As the man strode toward them and stopped at the desk, Adonis chuckled. “So, you’re the dickhead?”
“What?” He said, giving Adonis a confused stare.”
“You’re the dickhead who caused all that chaos out there.”
“And destroyed my bike.” Tatum yelled, interrupting them.”
The tall, dark, and obnoxiously handsome man snapped his head in her direction. “Are you flinging that bullshit story around town already?”
“It is not bullshit!”
“Yes, it is!”
“No, it isn’t! If it weren’t for me, you would be under that tree limb, dead.”
Tatum squinted her eyes and poked him the chest. “You just keep that, Mr. Hero, maybe if you repeat it enough times you’ll convince yourself it’s the truth.”
He glared down at her. “That is the truth.”
She glared right back at him. “Yeah, in your wildest dreams.”
Adonis stepped between them, pushing them apart, which was a good thing because Tatum wanted to punch him in the face so badly. “Jett, take Tatum up to the house for me please. Eira is expecting her and I don’t want my mate worrying about her friend.”
Before Jett could open his mouth to say anything, Tatum jumped right in. “I am not going anywhere with him! I would rather walk.” And with that she pushed past Jett, bumping him with her shoulder and headed out the front entrance of the resort.