***Jodi***

 

Lost. Not only what I’ve built up, what I owned, my whole life savings, but me…I’m completely lost. I want to turn around and run the heck away from here, but where would I go? What can I do? There’s nothing…

Another sob rips from my throat and that’s the last thing I want; to crumble into a ball and turn into a puddle of tears.

I hear curses and through my blurry vision I see the guy everyone calls Bark coming right at me. I should run or maybe get close to him to see if he has another knife and plunge it in like he did with that other guy. Wait…why did he…every little detail I’ve heard up till now falls into place.

Apparently they take on jobs and one of those was to blow up my salon? Bark was there to check it out while that Gust guy thought that job was already approved…This is so screwed up. At least I think Bark is on my side with him being angry at Gust. That’s something, right? And what kind of name is Bark?

I don’t even have enough energy inside me to care. His arms and chest are giving me strength and warmth. Considering the day I’m having…I’m taking this moment to not care and lean on this guy for now, seeing he’s just as angry at things as I am. Okay, maybe not so much leaning since he’s carrying me down the hall and into a room and closes the door behind him.

He sits down on a bed and keeps me in his arms with me on his lap. Soft strokes are sliding down my head making me realize I have one huge headache and with the braided pig tails it’s too tight on my head. Raising up, I find the energy to pull out the hair ties and shake them lose. Things like this are like taking off your bra after a hard day of work.

“Man…how I want to be home in my own bedroom, taking off my bra and taking a long hot shower. Snuggle into bed to watch some TV and not care about another thing,” I mumble to myself.

A rumble of laughter vibrates out of the chest I’m leaning against. “Aw, adorable little fox. My room is yours and I bet your sweet curvy ass my shower will be the best one in this town. Go on and have a long shower. I’ll ask my Prez’s Old Lady if she has an extra set of clothes for you, okay?”

My body freezes up because I have no clue what to do. And why does he keeps adding things to my last name? He makes Fox tumble over his lips as if it’s an endearment.

“Relax, Jodi.” His voice is as gentle as a feather stroking my skin, igniting a spark of electricity heightening my skin. “It’s just a shower. You’re safe, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll be right here if you need anything. Please allow yourself to trust me that much.”

I turn to look into his eyes. “I trust you.” The words slide over my lips without a second thought, because I do. No doubt since, “I could have died if you didn’t stop me from running into my salon.”

His arms wrap tight around me as he pulls me flush against him. “I saw Gust right before the blast coming out of the alley next to the salon. He gave me a signal and then he took off. And when that guy does something like that...you head in the same direction ‘cause he’s our TNT guy. Since your salon was a target...someone asked us to blow it up...” I feel him swallow as if his throat is clogged with emotion. “Even now my chest fucking aches with the mere thought of losing you.”

I’m afraid to even take my next breath, unsure of what to do or say. How can this magnificent, rough, massive and tattooed biker express himself to someone he just met? To me? I’m a plain Jane.

“I owe my life to you,” I whisper, my own throat clogging up.

Bark stands up, taking me along with him. “Enough already. Let’s get you that shower now, huh?” He guides me toward the bathroom.

When we step inside, I need to take a moment to glance around and admire every single inch of it. Everything is covered with natural tiles, rough stones like you’ve stepped inside a mountain. There’s only a few knobs on the wall across from us and Bark turns them on as water comes down from the ceiling. He’s got a rain shower built in, it’s as if it’s raining in the bathroom. That big and that magnificent.

“Wow,” I breathe.

“Yeah. Might be a little exorbitant for a room in a clubhouse, but I fucking love it. My money, my body underneath that luxury that earned it. Now go enjoy this and I’ll make sure you’ll have some nice clean clothes when you’re done. Just holler through the door if you need something,” he says and spins around.

“No,” I squeak, surprising even myself.

He looks over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow in question.

My eyes find the floor when I murmur, “Please don’t leave. I need…”

Shit…what do I need? I don’t even know.

I feel his fingers underneath my chin as he raises my head to connect his gaze with mine. “What do you need, precious fox?”

“Not to be alone?” Yes. That’s what I need.

Or maybe even to forget for a moment in time? By the looks of it, he might be up for it. Although I’m not one with expertise, I’m not a complete virgin. Getting lost in a man, even for one night, would drain me enough to get a good night of sleep so I can fight my demons tomorrow.

His face softens. He’s about to say something but I cut him off when I say, “Make me forget. Make me feel good. Make me…”

Bark’s face hardens. “I’m not going to make you do anything. I will however treat you right and take your mind off of the shit I’m going to handle for you.”

He leans over and brushes his lips over mine, leaving a tingling sensation in their place. I try to move closer, get his lips back on mine, but he just chuckles and starts to pull on my clothes.

“Shower, darlin’. Warmth and comfort. Then, only if you behave, we’ll kiss some more.” His voice is so gentle and yet I would like to scream at him ‘what are you talking about; kiss some more’? Because it was over way too quick to even have a fragment of a kiss.

Ugh. Again with the chuckle. I try to mask the grumpiness that’s ratting me out. I have never been one to hide my feelings well. Before I know it, I’m naked and underneath the shower. He doesn’t even give me time to make me aware of my own body. All because of his lips touching mine. Yes, I’m still not calling that a kiss.

It’s now I realize that there’s soft music playing. The warmth of the water has me closing my eyes and just giving over to this moment in time where there’s no worry. Just the feel of soft strokes that are sliding over my body. The delicious fragrance that I’ve smelled on Bark fills the air. He must be using his soap. The lingering touches aren’t sexual and yet my whole body seems to be hotwired due to the attention he’s giving me.

Not that I’ve ever been uncomfortable with my body. I mean I have curves and I’ll never be skinny or have the perfect model figure. Hence the reason I’ve even named my salon Big Chick Beauty. It’s more of a surrender to the part where I’ve given up on diets and killing myself with hours of workouts. Now I just enjoy the gym to blow off steam and try not to stuff too many sweet things into my mouth. It makes life slightly less hellacious and not filled with disappointments seeing your weight bounce along with the curves.

I’ve never had a regular boyfriend so that wasn’t on my mind before I came to accept my body and yet…this man with me in the shower makes me aware of every little cell my body is made of.

“Relax.” His voice is a growl. “Stop thinking, because you weren’t uptight a moment ago, so I can only imagine what’s going on in your head when you’re not voicing shit.”

Right. As if I would say, hang on, I’ll just suck in my stomach some more if you don’t look at my ass and just imagine…screw it. “I’ve never been self-aware and quite comfortable with myself and yet you make me want to have a tight ass with the model picture perfect,”

“Shut up.” His fierce voice is right next to my ear when he pushes me against the tiled wall, my boobs flattening while I’m aware of every single hard piece of his body pressing against by back.

His hand slides over my thigh and up over my hip to my ass, giving it a rough squeeze before he trails in between the wall and my belly where he pulls me against his body. Tweaking my nipple between his fingers, I feel the roughness of his beard. “There hasn’t been one single woman on this fucking earth that’s caught my attention the way you do. I had a damn lightning strike of lust to love moment with your ass without even seeing the rest of you.”

That last statement makes me snort. “Without even knowing what belonged with that ass? What if I was a dude?”

I feel him tighten behind me. “That would be…huh.”

I can’t keep the laughter in, except it dies when he’s got my boob in his rough hand and is rolling my nipple while simultaneously nipping the skin right beneath my ear.

“You’re devilish,” he growls.