~ 8 ~
I managed to park my bike right outside INKslingers, which was good because I wanted everyone to know exactly where I was if they wanted to bring trouble to my door. Plus, I got to see right inside to where Nancy was perched on the edge of a stool looking hot as hell.
I pulled the keys, dragged my helmet off, and hung it from the bars. Miles City was busy today, people walking their dogs and shopping like they were in some big metropolitan city. I looked up and down the street, noticing an unmarked black car with two people sitting inside. They sure as shit wasn’t shopping, so I was guessing that they were tailing me.
I strutted toward them, a huge shit-eating grin on my face, and gave them a friendly wave. The two agents inside looked like they were sweltering in this heat, sweat trickling down the sides of their faces, and somewhere behind their dark-tinted shades I bet they were scowling at me too.
“Hey there,” I drolled. “Nice day for a drive, right?”
The agent behind the wheel turned to look at me, my own reflection in his glasses staring back. “Back away from the vehicle, sir.”
“Sir?” I belted out a loud laugh. “Sir? Fuck me, I ain’t never been called ‘sir’ in all my life. But I like it.” I laughed again. “Thinking of taking a long ride out today, maybe head right into the hills, wind in my face—it’s cooling and shit when it’s so hot out, don’t you think?”
He grimaced, his jaw twitching as he clenched his back teeth.
“All right then, well, I’ll be seeing you.” I winked and turned back the way I’d come, heading back to the tattoo shop. I’d only meant to let them know I was onto them, but by the looks on their faces their A/C wasn’t working. Couldn’t help but taint the dumb fucks.
Should have got back on my bike and ridden back to the clubhouse to warn Vin that I was being tailed, but I couldn’t. Now that I was so close to Nancy, I had to go and see her, speak to her, fucking breathe every inch of her in. She was like an addiction, and I needed a hit because her proximity was killing me.
The bell jangled as I pushed open the door, and I ducked as I walked inside. I saw her right away, sitting at the tall counter, her legs crossed at the ankles as she sat there sketching in a pad. Interesting: she draws.
She looked up, a smile spread on her face, until her gaze caught mine. I held her captive as I strutted forward, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed and her lips parted as I got closer. She looked stunning. Not hot. Not attractive. But stunning.
Her hair was pinned back from her face with just a couple of loose curls hanging down, skimming her pale shoulders. She was wearing a loose strappy top that gave me full view of her collarbones, and I’d be damned if even her collarbones weren’t gorgeous.
“Hey there, darlin’,” I said with a smile, watching a thousand things pass over her face like she was reliving something right in front of me. I hesitated, and just as I was about to speak again, the storm behind her eyes cleared.
“Hey, how can I help you? Skull is busy with a customer right now, but if you’re after a tattoo I can get you in later this afternoon,” she replied, all cool, calm, and professional like she wasn’t squeezing her legs together right then.
She may have preferred women, but there was no denying the attraction between us. My cock twitched in agreement.
“I’m not here for a tattoo, Nancy,” I replied, leaning on the counter so I was close enough that her sweet scent reached me. Fucking hell, she smelled like heaven.
She hesitated. I’d gotten her attention and she had no idea what to do now that her guard was down. Shame, I liked it when she was feisty with me. Gotta love a woman with fire in her belly. Most brothers wanted an old lady that rolled over and did whatever they were told, but not me. I wanted that raw passion that came from when two people were opposing forces. I wanted the fighting and the fucking and the arguing. I wanted the bite marks and scratches, I wanted the tears and the making up. I wanted it all. I just hadn’t realized it until I’d met Nancy.
“Then what are you here for?” she asked, and I could have sworn I heard a tremor in her voice.
“I think you know.” I let my wolfish grin rise higher and I looked down at the drawing in her pad.
Damn, but the woman was fucking talented. Not as talented as me, of course, but she had serious skills. I never thought I’d let a woman ink me up until now, and certainly not with motherfucking flowers, but the sketch she was working on—a huge lotus flower with a skull at its center—would look awesome on my ribcage, the blood from the skull’s mouth trailing down between the petals and down each of my ribs. Couldn’t imagine anything more erotic than Nancy tattooing me with this.
“You do this?” I asked, even though I knew she did.
She nodded like it was nothing, but I could see the wariness behind her eyes. It was similar to the look I no doubt got when I was working on something I loved.
I picked up her pencil, wanting to add a couple of lines to make it even better. “It’s good. I mean, flowers ain’t my thing, but it’s good all the same.”
I saw the spark come back behind her eyes and I felt triumph flare in my chest.
“Too girly for you?” She rolled her eyes at me, and fuck me if I didn’t want to put her across my knee and spank her sweet ass for that look.
I ignored the eyeroll in favor of nodding toward the picture again. “You mind if I?”
She shrugged and I leaned over the picture, putting in a little extra shading around the curve of the skull so it stood out more. Didn’t really need it, if truth be known. But I enjoyed fucking with her and hoped it would irritate her. Instead I heard her suck in a breath and I decided I wanted to put the picture on her skin, my hands inking her flawless skin and branding her forever.
She folded her arms over her chest and I almost vaulted the counter and threw her across it when her tits practically exploded from her top. It was my turn to suck in a breath now, and I gritted my teeth and begged my raging hard-on to chill the fuck out. I didn’t want to scare her away.
“That’d look real pretty on you,” I said, my voice sounding throaty and raw as I struggled to control my urges. Urges that had me wanting to sink my cock inside of every hole of hers available.
I reached out and pulled her arm across the counter between us, feeling that electric current running from her to me with that one touch. She looked up and then back down sharply. Yeah, she felt it too. I licked my bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth.
I ran my thumb over her smooth-as-silk skin, tracing the inner forearm where I wanted to put it. Yeah, it’d look real good there, I decided. I felt her eyes on me—that prickling feeling along the back of your neck when you knew someone was watching you. I slowly moved my hand upwards, to where some intricate vines were wrapped around her bicep, and watched a shiver trail over her as my rough fingers rubbed along her skin.
Loved that.
Loved it more when I watched her shift uncomfortably in her chair.
“Yeah, stretch the leaves right up so that they connect and entwine here,” I said, surprising myself because I was not talking about the tattoo anymore, but my hand that wanted to be cupping her ass as I dragged her body to mine. I splayed my hand across her arm, all but ready to throw caution to the wind and say fuck it, drag her from that stool, and pull her soft body against mine, but the sound of Skull stomping down the stairs interrupted us and she pulled her arm back as he came through the door, a little blonde trailing in his wake.
He slapped the girl’s ass as she passed him.
“I’ll book you in for the same time next week,” he called, and she giggled and left. He looked over at me. “Sketch, brother.” He pulled me in for a half hug backslapping and Nancy chose that moment to scoot off her chair, her leather skirt riding a little high and flashing more thigh than she intended.
My chest rumbled in response and her cheeks flushed red.
“I’m going out for coffee,” she said.
“We have a Keurig in the back,” Skull yelled after her. “What? Even my coffee ain’t even good enough for you now. I’m telling you, Sketch, this girl is driving me crazy.”
“You and me both, brother,” I replied as she headed out the door.
Skull followed my gaze as Nancy passed the front window and barked out a laugh loud enough to draw her attention. She flipped us both the bird as she kept on walking, and even I had to join in.
“You know she bats for the other team, right? Ain’t interested in cock. I mean, at all.” He pulled out his cigarettes and lit one. “I mean, I’ve tried several times and she didn’t even blush for me. It’s a damn shame,” he laughed. “You seen her girl though, right? I’d fucking love to get both of them in my bed.” He shrugged.
“Can’t blame a man for trying,” I replied, feeling angry at the thought of Skull hitting on her with Nancy. I was glad she hadn’t blushed for him though. It only cemented the fact that there was something between us, because she’d been damn well turned on when I was touching her just then.
Skull laughed again. “Fuck no, I still try on a daily basis. Why’d you think I got the Keurig for her? Thought if I splashed out a little she’d repay me in kind.” He stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray and grabbed his cock over his jeans. “Bitch still prefers the coffee from the shop down the road though.”
My jaw clenched and I glared at him. Dumb fucker didn’t realize how angry he’d just made me by talking about Nancy like that. He started to walk away, and when I didn’t follow he turned back around and saw my glare, his smile falling.
Skull was a big bastard, thanks to all the time he liked to spend in his home gym when he wasn’t working or fucking. And true to his name, he had a skull covering the majority of his shaved head. He got it done when he was eighteen by some punk who didn’t have a clue what they were doing. Since it was damn near impossible to tattoo your own head, and he didn’t trust anyone, he’d grown his hair and pretended it didn’t exist, despite his nickname, which had stuck. Since being in Miles City, I’d fixed it up for him and now his head was shaved and his skull on show for all the world to see.
“You got it bad for her, huh?” he asked.
“No.”
“I don’t blame you. Bitch is hot. Should have seen her last week when she was bent over, her ass and pussy practically on show. Wanted to lift that skirt up, pull those panties to one side, and—”
“Skull.” I bit out his name in warning, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides. Skull wasn’t a member of the Highwaymen, but he was a close friend of the club. But close friend or not, if he talked about Nancy’s pussy one more time I was going to knock his fucking teeth out.
He smiled again. “Yeah, you got it bad for her,” he replied, busting my balls. He took a step toward me and cocked his head to one side. “But like I said, she don’t play that way, so unless you’re gonna cut your cock off and grow a nice pair of tits, you ain’t getting in on that action. You feel me? Plus, I think she hates men. Seriously, have you seen how she looks at me?” He whistled. “It’s like she wants to put my balls in a vise. And it ain’t just me either. If she wasn’t so talented I would have cut her loose once I realized she wasn’t going to put out.”
I almost laughed.
He had no idea.
Neither did she. Not yet.
Nancy may have preferred women to men right then, but there was no denying the attraction between us. Her desire for women was natural, but her hatred for men was not. There was a reason she didn’t want a man in her life, and I was determined to find out why and rectify that shit.
“Skate,” I said, changing the subject. “You seen him?”
Skull nodded, happy to move on from the subject of pussy that couldn’t be caught. I wondered whether he would lie to me and tell me he hadn’t seen him. How deep was his loyalty to the club, or was his loyalty to Skate deeper? They’d been friends a real long time, and despite me being a Highwayman nomad, I was still new to this city and new to this club. I was happy when he told me the truth.
“Brother came around here a couple of hours ago. Said someone was on him.”
“ATF,” I confirmed, but Skull shook his head and I frowned. “Then who?”
“No idea. I asked him that and he said it was better I didn’t know. Said his past was catching up to him or something. Never said who it was though. Told him he could crash upstairs for a little bit. When I took Zoe—the blonde from earlier—upstairs, thought we’d end up having some three-way action, but Skate was gone.” His cell rang and he pulled it out of his jeans and answered it, taking a couple of steps away before he spoke. “No you can’t take the rest of the day off.” Skull glanced back at me and smirked. “Fine, take an early lunch or whatever.”
I scowled, thinking about Skate and who he could be running from. That man wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. Not a lot to be afraid of when you’d had the kind of start in life that he had. Pretty much all the demons in the world couldn’t be worse than those he’d sent back to hell after deciding enough was enough.
So if not ATF, then who?
The club?
I couldn’t see a reason why he would.
And why wouldn’t he go and talk to Vin if there was a problem? Vin treated his brothers like family. He helped them out, no matter what the problem, no questions asked. What could be so bad that Skate wouldn’t go to his president?
And worse, where the fuck had he gone now?
Skull hung up and shoved his cell back into his pocket. “Got our girl spooked,” he laughed. “You got a magic cock I don’t know about?”
I laughed back and shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been told.” I grinned. “What did she say?”
“Asked if you’d gone yet and when I told her you hadn’t she asked for the rest of the day off.” He moved round the counter and started shuffling some papers around. “Maybe I was wrong about her after all.” He looked up through his dark lashes. “Maybe I should give her another shot.”
Anger surged through me and I reached out to grab him but he ducked and burst into loud laughter. “I’m fucking with you, Sketch,” he laughed, clutching his sides. “I’m telling you though, you still ain’t getting in those panties. No matter how magical you think your cock is.”
I grinned and dragged a hand down my beard. “We’ll see.”
“Bet you a hundred bucks you can’t.”
It was my turn to laugh now. “I don’t need your money or a bet to get into her pants.”
“Aaah, so you’re not as confident as you make out then. It’s cool, no worries, brother.”
I shook my head and started to walk toward the door. “Fuck you, Skull. Make it two hundred, and we’ll see who isn’t confident when I’m balls-deep inside of her.” I opened the door and the bell above jingled again. “Because where my cock is concerned, it always gets what it wants.”