For a long time, Elsie just clung to Hatchet as they rode. No thoughts, no worries, no fears. Only the feel of the cool evening wind on her face, the thrum of the engine between her legs, and the heat of Hatchet’s body in her arms. There was nothing else. It was as if for one, perfect moment the rest of the world and all of its crap had just fallen away and all that was left was Hatchet, her, and the road that stretched endlessly in front of them.
It took a while longer for her to realize that she didn’t recognize where they were, or the direction in which they were going. She pulled herself closer to Hatchet, so he could hear her over the wind.
“Where are we going?” Elsie shouted, thinking about all the other times she’d asked him that very same question and he’d responded by either not answering or just evading her. She wondered which it would be this time. But, to her surprise, he actually slowed his bike, pulled over to the shoulder as it widened next to a small cliff, and stopped the bike, balancing it with his two feet on the ground without killing the engine.
He turned around enough so that their faces were just a few inches apart and she could see his serious expression even in the rapidly approaching darkness.
“We’re going somewhere safe,” he finally said, looking around them suspiciously as if expecting someone to come chasing after them at any moment. “We can’t go back to my place, or your daddy’s ranch. Mad Dog will come looking for you there.”
“But, why? I don’t understand. Won’t he just give it up now that I’m gone?”
“No. That’s not how Mad Dog works,” he said bitterly. “Once he’s got a way to make more profit, he won’t let it just get up and walk away. I’d bet my life that he’s already searching for you.”
“And… and we’ll be safe there? At this new place?” Elsie asked.
But Hatchet didn’t quite meet her questioning gaze. In the end though, he just sighed and a shrugged. “Look, I can’t make any promises. A few of the Roadburners know about the place. But as long as they keep their mouths shut, we’ll be fine.”
“And if they don’t?”
Hatchet didn’t answer this time. Instead, he pulled the bike back onto the road and picked up speed again.
All Elsie could do was hold on, biting her tongue down on all the questions that tumbled through her head. Questions that would have to go unasked for the moment as they began racing down the highway towards their destination.
There’s no point in worrying, she tried to tell herself. There’s nothing you can do about it right now. Elsie took that thought and held on to it as they rode. Once more, she felt the peace of the ride flow through her. All around her were miles and miles of fields that turned orange and gold as the sun finally made its last bow.
She tightened her arms around him, feeling the warmth from his body leech into her. But it still couldn’t reach the very center of her that was still frozen with fear. She turned her head to rest it against his shoulder, her eyes tracing the last, vibrant streaks of color the sun painted across the sky before night fully set in. In the back of her head she thought to herself that, if it weren’t for the biker gang and being chased by a maniac who wanted to sell her, she could get really used to this.
She lost track of time after that, but it seem too much longer until she felt the bike starting to slow. She looked up just in time to see Hatchet pull off the main highway onto a smaller road that was more dirt than pavement and lined with tall oak and mesquite that stood like sentinels in the evening air. The branches arched and tangled together to form a canopy of green overhead, and it felt like they were riding into another world entirely as the bike rumbled down the winding path.
A few minutes later, they came to a rolling stop in front of a house that came straight out of a home and garden magazine, complete with whitewashed fences and climbing vines. It wasn’t exactly the place that she had pictured when he’d said they were going somewhere safe. It looked more like a country cottage than a biker’s personal hideout.
“Is this… is this it?” Elsie finally asked, looking around and wondering if they were in the right place. But there were no other buildings except a small shed off to the side of the overgrown yard, and nothing beyond that but miles of trees and open fields.
“Not what you expected?” Hatchet asked with a secretive smile as he threw one leg over the bike and turned to grab her by the waist and help her down. “That’s kind of the point.”
“It’s just that it’s… Well, it’s so cute.” She was still looking around in surprise but was interrupted by Hatchet’s chuckle and his hand grabbing hers.
“I know. Come on. Wait until you see the inside.” He sounded almost excited as he pulled her towards the front door after hiding his bike behind the shed.
The inside wasn’t at all what she expected. Going by the outside, she’d been waiting for chintzy floral print and old doilies covering every surface. Instead it was clean, modern almost, but with a coziness that made her instantly feel more relaxed.
“Wow!” Elsie breathed out as she looked around, “This is…”
“Nice, right?” Hatchet filled in the word when her sentence trailed off.
She smiled. “Not what I was expecting.”
There was a masculine feel to everything, no doubt about that. From the granite countertops to the stylish grey stained wood floors, and the simple but expensive-looking leather furniture. There wasn’t anything fussy about it, with nothing out of place and everything equal parts form and function. It suits him, Elsie thought.
“You hungry?” Hatchet’s words were muffled, and Elsie turned to see him bent over, head in the refrigerator, as he pulled out some items.
“Did you know we were going to come here?” she asked as she leaned against the kitchen island. “How come you have food here already?”
“I have a housekeeper, Tanya. She keeps it stocked just in case I need to make it here without any warning.”
“Like tonight.”
“Yeah.” He sighed and brought his armful of food to the counter. “Like tonight.”
They both fell silent for a long moment as Hatchet focused on chopping the vegetables he laid out in front of him. Elsie took the moment to watch him. There was something so comforting about the whole thing. Being there in the cozy house with him while he prepared dinner.
It seemed so… normal.
She took a deep breath, trying to make sense of it all. But the truth was, it didn’t. None of this made sense. What had happened to her? What was happening to them? It was almost more than she could bear to think about, and she suddenly felt the after-effects of the adrenaline coursing through her system.
It was like her emotions were going haywire and she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. But there was one thought that kept repeating itself over and over in her head. For the first time in her life, she knew what she wanted and there wasn’t anything that could stop her from taking it. Not her controlling father. Not her own fears and worries. No, this time, nothing was standing in her way.
Moving on instinct, excitement, and with the remnants of fear still driving her body forward, Elsie walked slowly around the counter. Each step was deliberate, every movement aimed only at one thing. Seduction.
Hatchet was still busy dicing up the onion, so he didn’t notice that she’d moved until she was right behind him. When he finally did, he turned, his mouth open in surprise. But no sound came out as she reached down, grabbed the hem of her shirt—the shirt he’d given her this morning—and drew it over her head.
Some sort of crazed bravado filled Elsie as she stood there, completely bare except for the pair of shorts—Hatchet’s shorts—cinched around her waist.
His jaw dropped open even more as his gaze burned over her. “Elsie, what are you…”
“Hush.” She stepped closer towards him and rested her finger over his lips to cut him off. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked unsure. But for the first time in as long as she could remember, Elsie knew exactly what she was doing.
With a quick tug, she took the edges of his jacket, feeling the soft leather between her fingers, before shoving him back against the kitchen counter and planting her mouth on his. She kissed him hard and fast, exactly what she needed to still the trembling inside her. But, instead of making it go away, the shaking only spread throughout the rest of her body and she pressed as much of her against as much of him as she could.
He let her kiss him, standing there, his hands at his side, the food long forgotten. And then it was like a switch had been flipped. With a feral growl rising from the depth of his throat, Hatchet grabbed her and turned, lifting her until she was half sitting and half leaning on the kitchen counter.
Like animals, they tore at each other’s clothes. Elsie’s shorts, Hatchet’s jacket, shirt, and jeans—all were thrown carelessly to land wherever they happened to. It didn’t matter. All they could focus on was each other, and the fierce need humming through both their bodies, until they were finally skin to skin.
Elsie’s hands moved with a mind of their own as Hatchet parted her thighs with his powerful fingers. They both groaned as his already thick erection nudged—throbbing with need—at her wet entrance. She needed him. She couldn’t wait any longer. The need rose like a fire raging across the prairie, burning through her body and decimating everything along the way until all that was left in its wake was hot smoldering lust.
“Damn it, baby, hold on.” Hatchet muttered, and Elsie nearly cried out when he pulled away for a moment, rummaging through the pile of their clothes until he came away with the condom. She hadn’t even thought of that. Elsie moved restlessly as her eyes devoured him.
“Hurry. Please, hurry,” she begged, low and breathless, unable to keep her hips still as he moved between her thighs once more. Instinctively, Elsie wrapped her legs around him, pulling him as close she could.
They both cried out in agonized pleasure when he thrust deep inside her, burying himself to the hilt.
They both froze there, just like that, as close as two people can be, and Elsie’s eyes fluttered shut at the ecstasy rolling through her. But soon, the familiar restlessness was back, the need for more, the need to move, the need to feel. Hips met hips in an ageless rhythm that swept them both up, carrying them higher and higher until Elsie swore she could see stars.
She felt his rough murmur, heavy and hot, in her ear, wordless at first, but then becoming clearer. He was whispering her name with each thrust, over and over, until it grew to a gentle roar that pounded in time with her heart. Each time, it sent a shiver through her. Tremors were building inside her until all she could do was let them overtake her and carry her higher and higher to a place she never wanted to come down from.
“Elsie. Elsie!” Hatchet cried hoarsely as he pounded into her, giving her so much pleasure that she thought she might explode.
And then it happened.
For a second—an eternity as far as she was concerned—she was soaring, and that cold terrifying space that she had buried deep inside her burst open, flooding warmth through every part of her. She threw her head back as the whole world turned white and all she could feel was Hatchet’s body tense in response to hers as his orgasm hit.
She clasped her arms around him, digging her nails into his hard muscles and holding on as everything ceased to exist except the two of them. Pleasure rippled through her body, twisting her into something else, something new. With one final cry, she collapsed on top of him, her arms still locked around his shoulders, and the thought struck her then that she never wanted to let go.