Considering that they were the only two people in the diner, the service was shit. Probably because the waitress, whatever she’d said her name was, was too busy gawking at Luke to remember that she had a job to do. Luke loved women falling over themselves over him most of the time. Most of the time. But when he was trying to get between the thighs of a girl like Shyla? It cheapened the situation.
And Luke badly wanted to get Shayla alone. Everything about her, from her smile to her eyes to the way her lips curved around the straw in her glass, god, it got him so hot. And she was smart, too. Normally that wasn’t a requirement of Luke’s, but he was liking that she had a little something different. The chase hadn’t lasted as long as he thought it might, but hell, he wasn’t going to turn down a slice of her pie.
They talked over dinner, but not about anything personal. Luke got the feeling that she wasn’t willing to share, which was fine because neither was he. His life was messy. Complicated. And he wasn’t sure yet just how much he wanted to throw Shayla into the deep end of it. He assumed she had similar hang ups. Either that, or she was afraid he’d somehow use her personal details against her. That wasn’t something he did, but he’d seen it done before.
When the check finally came, complete with the waitress’ phone number and a little heart, Luke swatted away Shayla’s outstretched hand.
“I thought you wanted me to pay,” she said sourly.
He grinned and swiped the paper off of the table. “I wanted you to think I wanted you to pay.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
He rose, grabbing his jacket from the cushion beside him. “Because then you’d feel obligated to come.”
She gave him a blank look.
“What? You’re telling me that if I had offered to take you out for dinner, you would have accepted?”
Her blue eyes darted over him again. “Good point.”
He paid at the front and made a show of throwing the balled up receipt into the trash. Shayla smiled, then wiped her expression clean when she caught him looking at her.
“Where to now?” Luke asked, sliding into his jacket. The leather crinkled warmly. He loved that sound.
“What bar do you usually drink at?”
“You would never go there, little one.”
She wheeled on him, doing her best tough face. “How can you be so sure?”
He stalked toward her, reaching for her arms and turning her gently on the spot. His hands were nearly able to wrap around her arms. He wanted to hold her in place and kiss her, hard, but he was being patient. Instead he simply directed her attention to the bar across the street.
As expected, she froze.
The Bark was one of those places that a person went when they wanted to forget. It didn’t matter what specifically needed to be wiped away—worries, woes, entire lives. The shadowy corners ate up the offerings of the forlorn patrons, and spewed up a false sense of happiness and a razor-tip camaraderie. The kind that can only be found in shitty dive bars with broken neon signs and beer taps that almost never got cleaned.
For Luke, it was home.
“Point one for Luke, I think,” Shayla conceded.
“There’s a first time for everything.” He nudged her toward the street, but Shaya pushed back against him.
“I’m not really looking to get stabbed tonight.”
Luke pressed his lips to her ear from behind her. “And here I was thinking that’s exactly what you were looking for.”
He felt the shiver that coursed through her, and it was as sweet as candy to him. Shayla turned her head ever so slightly, just enough for Luke to feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek.
And then he swept around the side of her and began to cross the street. “Come on,” he called over his shoulder. “Be brave.”
For whatever reason, that worked like a charm. Hurried footsteps announced her arrival next to him.
“If something happens to me, I will be avenged.”
Luke’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Of course. Don’t worry, little one. I’ll protect you.”
The bar was filled with the same kind of people that were there every night. They were nearly as permanent as the smoke stains on the walls and the broken ceiling fan over the bar. Luke nodded at a couple of the guys he knew, and they gave him a curt nod back. Shayla watched these exchanges with wide eyes, as if her whole world had been turned on its end.
Was she really that sheltered? If she wanted to be a hard hitting journalist, she was going to have to get out more often.
They took up a table at the back of the room, one of the only unoccupied ones that didn’t wobble. The server, Danika, was on them as soon as they sat down.
“Luke, hey.” She dropped a couple coasters onto the table, fixing both of them with a wide grin. “What can I get you?”
“A Bud for me, Dani.” Luke turned to Shayla. “You?”
“I’ll have the same, please.”
Shayla’s eyes tracked over Danika, probably wondering if she and Luke had ever banged. They had, of course. Just the once though, to bite through their sexual tension. He and Danika weren’t compatible in the least, but they got along well as friends. Should he tell Shayla that Danica was happily married? She’d met the guy not long after she and Luke hooked up. He always joked that it was his dick that helped her find her soulmate.
No, it was way too fun watching her fill with jealousy.
Danika headed off to grab their beers, and Luke turned his smile to Shayla. “What kind of places do you normally go for a drink?”
She glanced around. “Places that health inspectors visit on a frequent basis.”
He laughed. “Boring. I like each night out to be a game of Russian Roulette.”
Shayla tugged off her blazer, and Luke watched the motion with interest. Something about the way she took off her clothes was so sexy to him. He couldn’t wait to see her take off the rest of them.
Danika came back with their drinks. “Thanks,” Luke said, grabbing his beer and tilting his head back to take a gulp.
When he looked back at Shayla, she had nearly finished hers. He eyed the half empty bottle. “A little nervous, are we?”
“Thirsty.”
Her eyes were two pristine sapphires in the dimly lit hellhole, shining and drawing him in. Her face was so expressive; it was a treat just to watch her think.
“How many drinks do you think you’ll need to quench that pesky thirst?”
She took another gulp. “I don’t know.” She licked her lips, and Luke nearly groaned from how much he wanted to taste them.
“I bet you I’ve got something a little more satisfying at my apartment,” he said, watching the blush rise up her cheeks.
She took another swig, finishing the bottle. He watched her face: curiosity, trepidation, eagerness, worry. She was as conflicted inside as he’d ever seen a girl. But beyond anything else, there was an underlying lust that he knew would see the night ending with her underneath him, screaming his name.
“Let’s have another drink here and go see what you’ve got to offer,” she said, a seductive smile on those plump lips.
It nearly had Luke undone.
“That sounds like a great plan.” He put up his hand in a gesture for Danika to bring them two more beers, his eyes never leaving Shayla’s.
“I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” she said. She stood from the chair and looked around.
Luke pointed toward the back. “Head that way. Don’t take the first door, because that just goes back outside. I think the women’s is the second door on the right.”
She nodded and headed off, and the view of her ass was too much. He stood and followed her, though she was too intent on finding her destination to notice the footsteps behind her in the hallway. He reached out and grabbed her hand, jolting her to a stop.
Shayla turned around and looked like she was about to scream, then when she saw who it was her lips parted, but no words came out. But Luke wasn’t here for words.
He slammed her against the wall and ground the bulge in his jeans against her hips, covering her mouth with his and mashing their lips together. Shayla let out a low moan, wrapping her arms around his neck and angling her body up to get more of him. They were alone in the hallway, but even if Hector himself had come strolling down that hallway, Luke wouldn’t have been able to control the fierce desire that overcame him. The rabid hunger for everything and everything Shayla. She tasted like beer and sweetness, and he plunged his tongue into her mouth to taste more of her.
He felt her tits mashed against his chest, and imagined the way her nipples would be hard and throbbing beneath her shirt and bra. He thought about the slickness between her legs, and the way he yearned to have her beg him to fuck her. He nearly pulled his cock out right then and there, but Luke was willing to wait.
He doubted Shayla would be the kind of girl that would be okay with a quick and furious rut against the wall in the back hallway of a shitty bar.
He nibbled at her lip and pulled back, hovering just above her face. Her lashes brushed against his cheek as she opened her eyes, staring up at him. Watching him. Seeing what he was going to do next.
He released his hands from her hips and took a step back. “I just wanted a taste.”
She looked like a deer in the headlights, but managed a slow nod. If her pussy was aching anywhere near as much as his cock, then he knew it would be hard for her to walk away from him. He was still fighting the urge to ravage her mouth again, then the rest of her.
But there was a time and a place, and this wasn’t it. Soon, though.
“I’m going to…” She pointed to the door with the sign that read “Ladies” on it.
Luke nodded. “I’ll be at the table.”
He turned and walked away, briefly readjusting his cock in his pants before anybody saw that he had a massive erection. God she made him so horny. Her mouth was so hot, and she had been unexpectedly skilled at using it. He couldn’t wait to see what her mouth could do other places.
There were two fresh beers waiting on the table for him when he got back, and he sent a smile in Danika’s direction. She nodded back at him, and he gulped down another couple mouthfuls of beer in one go.
Often at The Bark there was usually at least one guy who he knew wanted to fight him, but it seemed like a neutral crowd tonight. Not that he ever would engage in a fight while there, or even outside. The Bark was neutral territory—a safe zone. The patrons liked things a certain way, and some of those ways were illegal. If they started attracting too much trouble to the place, they’d have to give up some of the creature comforts that they then wouldn’t be able to get at any other bar.
So people kept it quiet.
Which was what made it so amusing on the nights he did see a rival or just an asshole who had beef. Luke wasn’t a guy to be fucked with, but he also wasn’t the type to sit and seethe over his beer about someone who’d pissed him off. He could laugh and chat, even if that guy was sitting two tables down from him. Other people seemed not to have the same ability. He’d been in many nights with his club and seen people trying to look intimidating from across the room.
What the fuck was the point?
Anyway, for all the hard looks he got on occasion, not one of those guys was ever able to beat him in a tussle. It made it even more hilarious to beat them after they’d been giving him the evil eye all night. It seemed to serve them right.
After he’d finished his second beer, Luke peered over toward the bathroom. When would Shayla be coming back? Was she okay? He glanced across at her empty chair, but her blazer was still there. Surely she wouldn’t have left without her blazer?
Luke had never been ditched before. If that’s what was happening. He still didn’t know why, after a kiss like that, she would have left. So he gave it a few more minutes. When she still didn’t show, Luke gestured for Danika to come over.
“Another beer?”
“Uh, no.” Luke lowered his voice, embarrassed for the first time in a very long time. “I’m not sure if something happened to the girl I’m with, or if she’s fucking ditched me.”
Danika laughed. “It would serve you right, you Casanova fuck.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at her, and she stifled her giggling. Even Dani, who Luke would never hurt, knew better than to mess around with his patience.
“Want me to go check in the bathroom for her?”
“Yes please.”
“Right away, darlin’.” Danika went to the back hallway, disappearing down it with a waggle of her eyebrows. She must have figured she was safe because she was out of range. Luke had to admit though, he did find it charming that she felt so comfortable with him.
Danika came back moments later, but shook her head from a distance rather than approach. Then she went back to serving.
“Fuck.”
Luke glared at Shayla’s beer and jacket. What the fuck could have been so urgent that she’d leave without her shit? Surely she couldn’t have been that scared of him. It wasn’t like he would have tossed her over his shoulder and dragged her home with him if she’d decided she wanted to go home alone.
He was fuming. Outraged. Confused. And definitely frustrated. His cock throbbed in his jeans, reminding him of the fuck that he wasn't going to get tonight. He rose angrily and swiped the blazer from Shayla’s abandoned chair, slamming a twenty on the table and turning to stalk out the front door.
He hoped that she might be at his bike. Maybe it had been a joke. But nope, there was no hot blonde draped over his seat. No goddamn sign of her. This was a first he would have been pleased never to experience.
Yet, as Luke got back on his bike, one more thought flitted through his mind: the chase is back on.