Chapter 4
Luna
It turned out that I had the makings for a dump cake, so that’s what I made. It was my favorite dessert and so easy to make, but it would have been difficult to eat the entire thing by myself. All it took was a layer of canned pineapple and its juice, a layer of cherry pie filling, topped off with a box of dry yellow cake mix, butter, and walnuts, and then bake. I hadn't met anyone yet that didn't love it.
I could see Casey's trailer from mine. The three bikes that were parked outside her door revealed that Jim and his brothers had returned. I walked past Jason's tiny place, not surprised that it was closed up tight, curtains drawn shut and the door closed as usual. After what Casey had said earlier, I wondered what his story was. Why would a young man, he couldn’t have been more than twenty, be living alone in an old fish camp? It would have been easy to scare myself by letting my imagination run.
Next up was Elba and Roy Jones’ camper, a retired couple who spent their summers at the camp and their winters in Florida. Roy spent his days fishing while Elba busied herself crocheting blankets for homeless shelters. They were nice people, but other than "hellos" and "how you doing" we kept our greetings brief.
The place next to the tavern belonged to the two girls who worked there, Karla and Barbara. The tavern owners, Bob and Judy, lived above the tavern in a small apartment. There were other trailers throughout the camp grounds, but I'd only met the few people who lived close to me.
As I neared Casey's door I could hear the murmur of voices coming from inside, and I began to get nervous. Would he be there? My gaze scanned over the huge bikes, as if I would be able to identify his if it were there. The smell of dinner wafted out to me as I approached the door, and it was Samson who alerted everyone of my presence. I'd just reached the bottom step when he met me at the screened door with a friendly bark and a vigorous tail wag.
"Hi, handsome!" I laughed, only vaguely aware of the others inside the house beyond the dog. I thought everything was under control until Samson jumped up on the door and it swung open. I immediately held the cake pan in my hands above my head in the hopes of saving dessert. I cried out when Samson jumped up, making eye contact with the three occupants inside the trailer, all too aware that they were too far away to do anything to help.
Everything happened so fast.
"Samson, down!" Several voices shouted from inside, but the damage had been done.
Before I knew it, I was stumbling helplessly backwards and down the metal steps toward the ground. Nothing but a miracle was going to save me, and just as that thought crossed my mind, I hit a brick wall. A brick wall that grunted before powerful arms wrapped around my middle, pulling me firmly against an unyielding body. Somehow I managed not to drop the cake pan, even after I realized that the brick wall was really a solid wall of hard, unyielding muscle.
"Got ya, little girl."
Little girl? Oh, I did not like that, or any other disparaging comments that brought attention to my size. Maybe I was hyper-sensitive because being petite didn't always mean being cute and tiny. In my case I was short, only five feet tall, which meant that even one extra pound was noticeable on me. It was bad enough that I was short, but I had also been blessed with an abundance of curves that no amount of exercising could trim down. I knew, because I'd tried, until I’d finally accepted that my body was the way it was.
I instantly recognized the deep rasp in my ear, the feel of warm breath against my skin that caused me to shiver. I gasped and looked over my shoulder at the man who'd saved me. My heart skipped a beat as I met intense blue eyes and a sexy half-grin that caused a flutter deep in my core. I was thoroughly imprisoned in his strong arms, my backside flush against the front of him. My senses were suddenly on full alert and reacting to his sexiness.
I finally found my voice. "Little girl?" I huffed. The heat of embarrassment that crawled up my neck had nothing to do with his remark and everything to do with what he was making my lady bits feel, all tingly and stuff. Since I was staring up at him over my shoulder it put his lips close to my mouth, and I couldn't help but imagine what they would feel like on mine.
I had a feeling that kissing him would be nothing short of spectacular.
His grin deepened as I met the amusement in his sharp eyes. He wasn't backing down. "A little girl with the sexiest fucking curves I've had my hands on in a long while," he said outrageously.
I sucked in my breath, not used to being spoken to so explicitly. Seth had always saved intimate comments like that for the bedroom. I couldn't deny that his words sparked something significant inside me, deep inside, where arousal blossomed from a tiny spark into a full-blown five alarm fire. As he continued to hold me against him, that full-blown fire began to spread throughout my body. The unexpected intensity alarmed me, because I realized that it was arousal born from hot, unadulterated, lust.
"Jace, stop molesting my friend and let her go," Casey ordered from her spot at the top of her stairs. Samson was gone, and I could only assume that one of the bikers standing behind her had taken care of him. "Dinner is ready. Have you decided to stay?"
I waited for Jace to release me, smiling up at Casey, feeling my arms begin to tremble from having to hold the cake pan up for so long. His arms didn't loosen as I'd expected they would. Instead they glided slowly around my waist in a sensual slide that caused awareness to explode like rockets throughout my body. I caught my breath, feeling wetness dampen my panties. The man was dangerous, and if I were smart, I would avoid him at all costs.
"I have shit to take care of," he replied in response to Casey’s question. The next thing I knew, he was removing the cake pan from my hands. "I'll get this for ya, darlin'."
"Thank you." I lowered my arms and walked up the metal steps into Casey's home, aware that Jace was right behind me. Once inside, I scooted aside to allow him to step through the narrow doorway.
"Whatever's in this pan smells fucking good, darlin'," Jace murmured into my ear on his way by.
"It's a dump cake," I explained, watching as he set the pan on the counter next to the stove. "Would you like me to save you a piece?"
Our eyes met and held, and the way his gaze shifted down my body made me wonder if it was me that he wanted a piece of and not the cake. His expression was hard to read, only his eyes seemed alive in his face, and they were dark with hunger.
Casey's trailer was much bigger than mine. Beyond the kitchen was a small living room, and I guessed that the two doors past the living room led to the bathroom and bedroom. Jimmy and a man that I hadn't yet met had returned to the living room and had plopped down into old recliners.
"Hey, sweetness," the biker sitting opposite Jimmy grinned, drawing my attention. "Don't believe I've seen you around. Name's Fury."
I returned his friendly smile, determined to ignore Jace and my body's reaction to him. "I'm Luna. I just moved in a month ago."
He winked. "Well, now, I'm glad we met."
He was handsome, and big like the other bikers that I’d seen. His brown hair looked as if he were constantly running his hands through it. Eyes the color of chocolate gleamed with friendly warmth, and a hint of something else. I felt myself blush and glanced down at the floor, not wanting to encourage the flare of interest I saw reflected in his gaze. If he had friendship in mind, I was all for it, but from what little Casey had told me, any unattached woman was fair game to these bikers. They were coarse, unpredictable, and intense, and she confessed that that was what had attracted her to Jimmy.
I was grateful that they mainly stuck to their end of the lake, and my brief interactions with them amounted to little more than a wave as they rode by on their big, loud motorcycles. Some gave me lingering looks, others just passing glances. I made sure that my actions didn't invite anything further.
"Not just passing through?" I met the curiosity in Jace's eyes. "What are you running from?"
Talk about getting right to the point. His bluntness unnerved me, and I could see in his eyes that it wasn't a casual question. He seemed slightly on guard, and his teasing, playful attitude of a few minutes ago had completely disappeared.
I wondered what made a man like him so suspicious. "What makes you think I'm running from someone?"
He smirked. "Never said you were running from someone."
That was true, he hadn't. He'd asked "what" I was running from. It was clear that I was going to have to watch myself around this man.
"Is that what you're running from, darlin'? Is it a man?"
I didn't like the predatory gleam in his knowing eyes. It felt as if he could see right through me, see all of my secrets, see into my very soul. I decided to ignore his inquiry. It was none of his business. I turned away from him. Casey was removing a pan of garlic bread from the oven.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked.
"Nothing, honey. The table isn't big enough for all of us, so just fill a plate and find a spot to sit." She tossed me a smile. "We're gonna do it buffet style. There's beer in the fridge if you want one."
A beer suddenly sounded good. I needed something to calm my nerves. I turned toward the fridge, coming to a stop. Jace was standing there, a beer in his hand. He held it out to me. "Thanks." I took it, careful not to brush my fingers against his much larger ones. His light chuckle revealed that he knew what I was afraid of. Since he'd already popped the top off for me I took a drink, turning back to face Casey. "Smells good."
She nodded, scooping out a large chunk of lasagna onto a plate. "It's about the only dish I'm decent at making." She grabbed a piece of bread and brought the plate to Jimmy.
I glanced back at Jace, who was in the process of taking a drink of his own beer. He was watching me like a hawk over the rim of his bottle.
"I hope you don't expect me to service you," I smiled, picking up a plate. I dished out a much smaller chunk of lasagna for myself before meeting his gaze again. His frozen expression sent warning bells through me, and it was then that I realized what I'd said.
Damn! I felt embarrassment wash over me, and I knew without a doubt that I was turning red as an apple. I opened my mouth to retract what I'd said, but the words were locked in my throat. I watched a slow, panty-melting grin turn Jace’s sexy mouth upward at the corners, and I just knew that he was going to say something smug in response. He looked too cocky not to.
"That came out wrong," I rushed out before he could say anything.
His deep laugh had the same effect on me as if someone had run their rough, callused hands over my naked body, leaving me flushed with arousal. Only it wasn't just anyone. I was strongly attracted to Jace. The knowledge frightened me a little. It was way too soon to be thinking about being with another man. The wounds were still raw from what Seth had put me through. Besides, I had a feeling that he wasn't being serious with me. He struck me as a big flirt.
"That's too bad," he finally said, picking up a piece of garlic bread and taking a big bite.
"Get some dinner and come join us, Luna."
I shot Casey a grateful smile, picking up a plate. I was scooping some lasagna onto it when my gaze fell onto the plate that I’d already prepared. Jesus, I seemed to be a blithering idiot around Jace. I was conscious of him standing there, watching me. I refused to let him see that he unnerved me. I wouldn't give him that kind of power. I ignored the second plate of food and turned, heading toward the living room. I made my way to the chair Jimmy had vacated to sit with Casey on the sofa. I made eye contact with a smiling Fury. "You're not eating?"
"Oh, I'm eating, honey." He got to his feet with a child-like enthusiasm. "I never turn down Casey's lasagna."
"What do you mean you never turn down my lasagna?" she scoffed good-naturedly. "You never turn down any food, anywhere." Laughter followed her statement. She looked my way. "I swear he's still growing."
Possibly, I thought to myself. He was a tall man, muscular, too, but not nearly as filled out as some of the other bikers I'd seen around. It made me wonder being big and muscular and sexy as hell were prerequisites for belonging to an MC. Jace was all of those things and more. I wasn't usually attracted to older men, but my libido was making the decision for me.
"Damn, woman, this looks good!" Fury said from where he was piling the lasagna onto his plate. "And what's this dessert? I can't wait to dig into that." He shot me a wink.
"Dump cake. Better than sex," I said with a grin before I could catch myself. For some reason my gaze shot to Jace, and I caught the smirk on his face. "Well, it is," I insisted. Seth was the only man that I'd ever been with. In the beginning of our relationship the sex had been great, but by the end, it had become a chore that I hadn't looked forward to.
"If you really believe that, then you haven't been properly fucked," Jace said outrageously. I felt my face heat up because I could see from the look in his eyes that he would clearly like a shot at making me eat my words. The sudden image of us naked and fucking caused my panties to soak with arousal. Damn him! I didn’t like the feeling that I was losing control around him.
"That's just sad!" Casey laughed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You're not a virgin, are you?" she teased.
I laughed with a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness. Suddenly all eyes were on me as they waited for my answer. I cleared my throat. "Of course not. I've been with someone." Damn my runaway tongue again! But Jace made me so nervous, standing there in that quiet, scrutinizing way of his. Seeing too much. It was as if he could see inside my head. I stuffed a forkful of food into my stupid mouth.
"Someone? You mean one man?" Casey chuckled. "Poor you, you don’t know what you're missing!" She and Jimmy exchanged a kiss.
"Practically a virgin," Fury quipped jokingly, sitting back down.
"You just haven't met the right man," Casey continued. "But that won't happen if you don't get some experience under your belt to make comparisons."
I couldn’t believe that we were talking about my lack of experience. God, why didn't the floor just open up and swallow me? Or Jace, for that matter? Why didn't he just leave? His silent presence increased my discomfort. I forced a laugh, hoping that my next comment would end the insane conversation. "Oh, I plan to." Jace's eyebrow rose and he crossed his muscular arms over his massive chest as if I’d just issued him a challenge. I glanced away. Had I?
"If you need any volunteers, I'm available," Fury laughed, his eyebrows dancing above his eyes.
"I might take you up on that," I countered, because I knew that he was joking. I couldn't help but laugh at his comment, as did Casey and Jim. There was a low snarl from the other side of the room, and my eyes moved over to Jace. Had he actually just growled? He didn’t look too happy. In fact, the man looked positively furious. Had my comment to Fury made him angry?
For some reason I wanted to believe that it had.
In the next instant, chaos erupted.