Chapter 15
Emerson
The explosion between me and Ace had occurred several days ago, and I hadn't seen him since. He hadn't come into After Hours. In fact, none of the Sentinels had been in. I knew that something big was going on, something dangerous, but I hadn't heard anything news-wise. This was the first time that I knew of since I'd started work at the bar that the girls had been sent away. I wondered how they were dealing.
I polished the bar down, trying not to let it bother me that Ace thought that I meant nothing, but the truth was he'd hurt me deeply. I'd kept myself busy with work and with Doyle. We'd gone out a couple more times, but I knew deep down that he wasn't what I wanted. He was too nice, too put-together for my liking. We got along great, I enjoyed his company, but the few times that I'd let him kiss me there'd been no spark.
Sparks were important.
I needed the spark.
I would need to be honest with Doyle, and soon. I didn't want to lead him to believe that we were going somewhere, and I prayed that he'd be okay with just being friends. The door opened and my eyebrows shot up with surprise. "Speak of the devil!" I laughed. "I was just thinking about you."
Doyle's long strides brought him to where I was in short time. "I hope they were good thoughts," he grinned, his boyish good looks and expression so out of place in the biker's bar that catered to the rougher male population. Even dressed casually, he was neat and pressed, his blonde hair combed in place but for the rebellious lock hanging against his forehead. His sharp blue eyes were dancing with mischief.
"So what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" I tossed the polishing cloth aside and half-leaned in his direction over the bar top. "You've never come here before. Is something up?"
He shook his head. "Just in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in for a minute."
Before I knew what he was going to do he leaned forward and kissed me. It was soft and gentle, and probably half the reason there was no real spark between us. Doyle was a fun guy; he kept things light and was never aggressive. But I wanted a man who moved me, in all ways, a man who could turn me on with a single, searing look. It saddened me that Doyle wasn't that man, because I sensed that he would be a good catch for the right woman.
I wanted something stronger.
I decided right then and there that I needed to tell Doyle what I was feeling, or not feeling, with regard to where our relationship was going. As his mouth worked over mine, I tried to feel more than the calm, chaste kiss between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ground my mouth against his, reaching for something that remained inaccessible. I wanted to give him a chance, to see if I turned more zealous that it would fuel his own passion. Maybe he was holding himself back because he thought it was what I wanted.
But no, my little experiment failed, and my heart fell that I was probably going to hurt him.
I heard the door open, and then the sound of voices. Heavily booted footsteps against the hardwood floor indicated that a group had walked in, and then it grew quiet. The bar hadn't opened yet, so I could only assume that some of the Sentinels had arrived. I ended the kiss, unwound my arms from around Doyle's neck, and slid back behind the bar with a sad little sigh. What caught me by surprise was that his reaction mirrored mine.
Out of the corner of my eye I spied that Tanner, Ace, Gabe, Heath, Mike, and William had taken up their usual spots at two of the tables up front, close to the stripper poles. I tried not to look at Ace, but his intense stare drew me to him like a magnet. I was still pissed at him, but I couldn't help worrying over the tired and drawn look on his face. His eyes were dull. In spite of his condition, I still found him sexy.
A quick scan of the others revealed that they were just as tired and scruffy looking as Ace. Hair uncombed, whiskers longer, clothes dusty. What had they been doing? My eyes moved back to Ace. His scowl had grown considerably, and while his brothers were conversing quietly, he appeared to be focused on me and Doyle. His mouth was a tight line, and even from where I was I could see the muscle leaping in his strong jaw. What was he so angry about?
I pulled my gaze away from his and glanced at the clock. I still had ten minutes before the bar opened. I returned my attention to Doyle. "I still have a few minutes before the bar opens, come with me. We need to talk." I met him on his side of the bar and took his hand. "Let's go someplace private."
"This sounds serious," Doyle grinned. "Am I in trouble?"
Sensing Ace's eyes following us, I totally ignored him. I pulled Doyle toward the front door. There was a bench that sat right outside the door and up against the building that mostly female smokers used. "You? Not hardly." As I’d expected, the bench was empty, and we headed there and sat down.
I released a heavy sigh, meeting the question in Doyle's eyes. I was reluctant to hurt him. We stared at each other for a minute before his unexpected comment set me at ease.
"It's okay, Emerson, go ahead and say it. One of us has to."
What? I blinked with confusion as it slowly dawned on me that Doyle might have been thinking and feeling the same way that I had been. Was it possible? I thought back to our kiss. It had been lacking in passion, and I had been the one to wrap my arms around him in an attempt to light a spark between us. Had he been hoping for something more between us and had finally come to the same understanding that I had that it wasn't going to happen?
I was so relieved that I giggled. I couldn't help it. "And here I was afraid of hurting you."
Doyle's laughter followed. "We’ll make great friends," he said, relief evident in his voice. He took my hand. "I was afraid of hurting you, too," he admitted. "I really like you, Emerson, and I was hoping that things would work out between us." He shrugged. "I just wasn't feeling it."
"Neither was I, and I don’t know why." That was an outright lie. The reason why was sitting inside. Looking all big and bad and unapproachable.
"I think we both know why, honey. I think we both have other people in our lives that we're not finished with yet."
I was stunned. "You have an ex you're still stuck on?"
Doyle nodded. "You're the first woman I've gotten involved with since Sonnie and I broke up." He looked almost guilty. "I thought I was over her. But every time I tried to get close to you, my heart just wasn't in it."
"You love her." He nodded, looking anything but happy. "I don't have an ex, Doyle."
His look was skeptical, one brow raised high on his forehead. "No, but there is someone you're interested in, and I'm pretty sure it's that huge biker who showed up at your place that first night I saw you home." He hesitated. "The same one who glared at us as we walked by inside." I opened my mouth to deny it. He shook his head. "Don't even try. His eyes were following you like a hawk."
Apparently Doyle saw more than what I saw. I laughed softly. "We're a mess. We can still be friends, right?"
"I'm counting on it," Doyle said without hesitation. "We're still going to hang out tomorrow night, aren't we?"
"Of course." I was so relieved that it seemed to be working out between us, while at the same time I was a little sad that it hadn't. I knew that it didn't make sense, but chalked it up to how badly I wanted to find someone that I could be happy and make a life with.
At about that time six motorcycles roared into the parking lot, their riders backing into spaces next to the Sentinels' bikes. I wondered who they were until one turned enough for me to make out the Sentinels’ logo on the back of his cut. I'd heard mention there were other chapters outside of Daytona, and these men must be from one of them.
Their appearance reminded me that I'd better get inside to work. I put my hand on Doyle's arm. "I've got to head in." We rose to our feet. "See you at JJ’s tomorrow around seven?"
"Want me to pick you up?"
"No more of that. We're officially in the friend zone. I'll meet you there."
I reached the door at the same time the bikers did. Every single one of them looked me over as if I were on the menu, causing a warm blush to flood my cheeks. I let their low mumblings go right over my head, suspecting that they were harmless flirts. They looked every bit as rugged and dangerous as the Sentinels that I already knew, and as one reached for the door to open it for me, another swept his arm out in a gallant gesture for me to walk in ahead of them.
"Thank you, gentlemen," I laughed, stepping into the bar. A hard slap to my rear caused me to squeal and jump forward. I rubbed the abused cheek and turned to see which one would own up to delivering it.
I received a wink from a blue-eyed blonde with a mischievous, dimpled grin. "Couldn't resist that, darlin'."
I couldn't resist his dimples. "I owe you one."
"Now that gives a tired man hope."
Whew! He was dangerous to women. I spun back around, took a few steps, and came to a sudden halt, my gaze landing on Ace. Or, I should say, the woman that was sitting on his lap. Candy, one of the strippers, and nearly naked but for her gold thong and matching pasties, was sitting sideways on him and getting personal. She was wiggling against him like an eel out of water, her hands all over him. Her movements screamed desperation, because it was obvious that he was practically ignoring her presence. His eyes lifted, meeting mine.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Intense.
Jealousy overwhelmed me in an instant, so much that I began to shake. I'd cut Ace off, so I'd known that there may come a time that I'd see him with someone else. I just hadn't expected it to be so soon. I'd at least wanted some time to get over him first. The fact that he seemed so uncaring reminded me that he didn't know how I felt about him. Maybe if he knew that he was killing me inside he would act differently.
I was aware that the visiting Sentinels had moved around me and were heading toward their table. I forced my feet to move until I was back behind the bar.
"Where'd you disappear to, honey? Bonnie inquired.
"I was out talking to Doyle."
"Giving him the ‘let's be friends instead of lovers’ speech?" she teased.
I chuckled. "How did you know?"
She was loading a tray with drinks. "With age comes infinite wisdom."
"I would believe that, except we're the same age." She laughed. "Turns out that Doyle and I were on the same page."
She nodded, suddenly looking a little green. "Do you mind taking this to the Sentinels’ table? I need to run to the restroom."
"Sure."
It was one of our biggest trays, and it was heavily loaded with beer, tequila, and whiskey. Once I reached the table I excused myself and wedged my way in between two of the men, setting the tray down.
"Got something wet for you boys." I cringed as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Wet? What the hell was I thinking? Their snickers were followed by laughter and murmured comments that I couldn't make out.
"That sounds real good, darlin'." I made eye contact with the blue-eyed blonde who'd molested my bottom minutes before. I couldn't help but smile in the face of his teasing, because it was obvious that he was a harmless flirt.
A deep growl drew my gaze to Ace. There was a warning in his smoldering eyes. I wondered if it was meant for me or for the biker. I shot him a forced smile, deciding not to let his nasty mood get to me. "I don't think I have anything here for you, though, Candy." I set the drinks on the table and let everyone reach for their own.
"That's okay, honey," she said in a breathy tone. "And don't worry about Ace either, I'll make sure that he gets something wet," she cooed in a sexy tone, doing a little wiggle on his lap.
Was he hard for her?
"Oh," I gave a little laugh, pretending not to give a damn. "I'm sure you will, Candy. Just be warned, you might be a little disappointed." My eyes met Ace's. I ignored the glare of warning in them. "Ace doesn't share much of himself."
Candy's laugh was high-pitched and confident. "It's clear you haven't had Ace's cock if you think I'll be disappointed," she bragged.
Had it been recent? For months I'd watched Ace take a different woman out back before he’d finally noticed me one night. I felt a stab of pain right through the heart, and at that moment I couldn't have hated Ace more. Candy I could excuse. She was pretty on the outside, but uneducated and dim-witted. She thought the only thing she had going for her was her looks, which she flaunted. She'd started out as a prostitute in Nevada and thought that stripping was actually a step up in her career. Landing one of the Sentinels, which some of the dancers admitted they secretly coveted, was high on her list.
"Hey, gorgeous, you taken?"
I stood straight after emptying my tray, meeting the smiling blue eyes flashing my way. For a fraction of a second my eyes flickered to Ace before returning to the younger biker. "No. There's no one important."
"Well, then come over here and keep my lap warm," he grinned, scooting back his chair. "It's not fair that Ace is the only one with a beautiful woman on his lap."
"She's working," Ace grumbled before I could.
I didn't like his attitude, or the fact that he was talking for me. I saw some of his brothers raise their eyebrows before I smiled brightly at the good-looking biker. I walked around the table to him and ran my fingers through his short, wind-blown hair. It was blonde, with natural streaks of red in it. The scruff covering his lower jaw also showed some red.
"That's a tempting offer," I teased. "If you're still around during my break I'll come over, okay? My name is Emerson."
He had beautiful, perfect teeth, smiling up at me as if he'd just won the lottery. "Dawson," he returned. "I'm with the Sentinels' chapter in Tennessee."
I couldn't take the sight of Candy grinding on Ace's lap any longer. I was surprised that she didn't move her thong aside, lower his zipper, and mount him right there in his chair. Candy was shamelessly obvious in what she wanted. "Why don't you just take her out back?" I suggested, surprised at my nerve. One wasn’t supposed to disrespect a Sentinel, especially in a bar owned by one. A quick glance at Tanner revealed his quiet amusement over my snarky comment toward someone as dangerous and unpredictable as his enforcer.
Ace knew that I was talking to him because our eyes were locked.
"That's a fucking good idea," he snarled, practically knocking Candy off his lap when he stood up. "I need to take the edge off."
"Thought you liked to work it off at the gym, brother," William remarked with a smirk.
Ace's eyes never left mine. "This time I need a good, hard fuck." He took Candy by the hand.
A knife twisted in my heart, but I managed to keep the smile on my face. I excused myself and returned to the bar, Ace and a giggling Candy right behind me as they continued out the back door. I grasped the edge of the bar for support when I got there. What an asshole! I fought back tears, determined not to give Ace that kind of power over me.
Bonnie’s brown eyes grew round with worry when she saw me gripping the bar. "Are you okay?
"Yep, just fine." The lie came easily.
She shook her head, a look of understanding in her eyes. "I saw Ace take Candy out back."
I shrugged. "It is what it is," I said in a voice that trembled. "I told him that what we were doing was over."
Bonnie's eyes lit up. "Good for you, honey. If he's too blind to see that you could be the best thing to happen to him, then it's his loss."
Yeah, his loss, I thought to myself.
Mine, too.