I drive up to the Keep. The front of the place is jammed, and there are no spots left along the railing for my hog. I look around the corner of the place and decide to leave my hog there. In Paradise Falls, no one would dare touch a Death Dealers' bike.
I idle around to the side, and as I push my kick stand down, I hear shuffling and a moan. I frown and take a couple steps into the darkness. My eyes adjust, and I can see Taz, his arms spread tentacle-like around a petite woman, who appears to be struggling to get out of his grasp. That little prick.
I stride over, about to pull him off, when I see her hand fiddling with something at his waistband. My eyes widen as she pulls his gun out of his waistband and then brings it down onto his skull with a dull thud.
"Motherfucker!" Taz yelps, jumping back and holding his head. "Oh, what the shit is this?" he spits out furiously as the lady points his own pistol at him.
"You should really keep your weapon secured," the woman says, wiping her mouth with her other hand.
"You're dead, you hear me? Dead!" Taz screeches. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Looks to me like you're the one who oughta be worried about that," I comment. "Seeing as how she's got a gun aimed at your head."
Taz spins toward me. "What are you doing, spying on me?"
"Just parking my bike, and watching a woman get the drop on you," I say with a smile. "Looks to me like she was acting in self-defense."
"The fuck does that matter?" Taz retorts. I look back at the woman. Even in this semi-darkness, I can see that she's gorgeous, and doesn't look as flustered by the situation as I'd expect.
"Matters to me," I reply simply. "Look, I can't let you take his gun, you understand," I tell her. "But I can promise you he won't do you any more harm."
"And you are?" she asks, arching one eyebrow.
"Lieutenant Matt Ford, former Navy SEAL and current brother in the Death Dealers MC. I give you my word that he's not going to hurt you. Are you, Taz?" I ask, turning to him.
His neck muscles pulse with anger. "No," he finally spits out. I turn back to the woman. She stares at me for a moment, then drops the gun into the dirt and kicks it over to him.
He snatches it up and stuffs it back into his jeans. "This isn't over," he whispers as he stalks past me and toward the front of the Keep. I make sure he's gone, then turn back to the woman.
"You must be new in town."
"How'd you know?" she asks, drawing a hand across her head to smooth her mussed-up hair.
"Most people here know better than to make an enemy of a Death Dealer," I tell her. She looks at me for a moment, then walks toward me. Now that she's in the light cast from the front of the Keep, I can get a good look at her, and to say that I like what I see would be an understatement. She's fucking gorgeous. Auburn hair cut just below her shoulders, full lips, and tight curves. I didn't think I had a type…but she might be it.
"It's my first night," she explains, nodding to the Keep.
"You're bleeding," I tell her, taking her hand. A bolt of electricity runs through me as our fingers touch.
"Must've scraped my knuckles on the brick," she says, nodding toward the wall behind us.
I bend down to examine her hand. "You've got callouses," I note.
"Do I?"
"You know you do," I tell her, catching her eyes. They glow emerald green in the low light, momentarily catching me off-guard. "These are from fighting."
"Well, a girl needs to know how to protect herself, clearly," she replies.
"Clearly." I know that I'm still holding her hand, but I don't have any intention of dropping it. "And you know how to handle a gun."
For the first time, she looks away. "My stepfather owned guns."
"Is he who you needed to protect yourself from?" Her eyes fly back to mine, and she looks alarmed.
"Yes," she whispers. She pulls her hand away. "I should get back inside."
"It's alright. Take a breath." She wavers. "Don't worry, if there's any problem I'll explain it to Ricky myself."
She nods. "Your knuckles are a mess, too," she notes. I run my thumb over my scabbed-up knuckles. They're still healing from the beating I gave the Spider prospect.
"Just part of my line of work."
"And your line of work is… being a Death Dealer?" she asks.
"That's right."
"And you used to be a SEAL," she says and leans forward, looking at my vest. "Ford."
"That's right. And you are?"
"Beth. Beth Harlow."
"Beth," I repeat, cocking my head. "It doesn't quite suit you."
"Oh, no?" she asks with a throaty laugh. "My mother thought it did."
"So where are you from, Beth?"
"Washington, outside Seattle," she replies. Her tongue slides across her lower lip and I feel desire surge inside me. Fuck, I can't remember the last time a woman had this effect on me. I guess I like a lady who knows how to take care of herself.
"And what brought you to Paradise Falls?"
"I was looking for a fresh start." I wait for her to continue. "I guess I haven't always had the best taste in men," she says. "I moved to Arizona for a guy, then had to make a hasty exit from that relationship. I was driving down the highway, saw a sign for Paradise Falls, and liked the name. I stopped into the Keep to see if they were hiring, and here I am."
"Well, if that guy turns up, you just let me know."
"We just met," she points out. "Why would you go out on a limb for me?" she asks, turning her face up toward me challengingly. I step toward her, and see her chest rise with a sudden intake of breath. I know I'm having an effect on her. I raise my right hand, and gently run my fingers over her bare shoulder. She shivers.
"How long does it usually take you to read a person?" I ask. "If you're like me, and I think you are, it's inside of one minute. Sure, you can find out little things later on, things that will finesse your idea of the person, but the core of the person? Your gut will tell you that in less than a minute. That sound about right?" Slowly, haltingly, she nods. "So I think I already know you, and you already know me." I bring my hand up to her face and cup her cheek. My hand's nearly the size of her head.
"Maybe you're wrong about me," she murmurs, but I see her lips parting, and her body moving toward me.
"Maybe. But I don't think so," I reply. I bend down and slowly place my lips over hers. They feel as soft as they look, and I press them apart and slip my tongue inside her mouth. My hands slide around her high, tight ass and I pull her body against mine. She moans as her breasts pillow against my chest, and I feel her wrap her arms around my neck. Even after my action earlier tonight, my cock is already hard and pulsing with lust for this woman. I need to take her, now.
There's a burst of noise from the front of the bar. I glance over for a moment, and Beth jumps away.
"I should get back to work," she gasps.
"I don't think that's what you really want to do," I say with a smirk. Her cheeks are flushed, her breasts heaving – she wants this just as much as me.
"I have to."
"We can go back to my place," I offer. "It's not far."
"No, no. It's my first night. Don't want to get in trouble, you understand," she murmurs hurriedly, already moving toward the front of the bar.
"But—" is all I have time to get out before she's disappeared around the corner.
I stare after her. What the hell? She clearly wanted me, too. Fuck. I can't remember the last time I was rejected by a woman. I don't even remember the last time I had to even put in any effort.
I pull at the waistband of my jeans, trying to adjust them around the massive case of blue balls she's just given me. Part of me wants to follow her inside the bar and take another shot, but a much larger part of me, my pride, is telling me to head out. I walk back over to my bike.
I'm sure there will be plenty of sweet butts still at the compound who will be eager to help me release this tension, though after having met Beth, I'm not sure how any of them are going to measure up.