Chapter Three

Leah

Wow. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been kissed to where my toes tingle, I’d have exactly one dollar. William Atwood Carver III may look like a preppy nerd, but his kiss said there was more to him than meets the eye. My curiosity about the man spiked a bit more.

I saw Dad go into the locker room and not come out for a while, so I figured he was having a talk with him. I expected Will, like so many others before him, to come out of the locker room, head down, and hightail it out of here without looking my way again. Imagine my surprise when he didn’t.

I watched as he left dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. His eyes met mine, and his cockiness came through full-force. Cockiness is a weakness of mine. Dammit. I was attracted to the nerdy preppy Mustang driving guy. What the hell was wrong with me? Seriously, I’ve never dated a guy like him before; I’ve dated the jocks, the gamers, the loners and the stoners, but never before have I gone into the preppy or nerd categories. They never seemed to attract me or have the balls to last in my world. This guy was refreshingly different and confusing.

He left, and my concentration came back. Funny how that works. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I sighed, seeing Ox walking toward me with a determined look on his face. Fuck, I hope to hell he doesn’t think he’s going to plant one on me and get away with it. If he came close to me with his lips, I’d knee him in the balls so hard his great grandchildren would feel it. Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!

When he got closer and his stride was still just as determined, I said, “Don’t even think about it.” It didn’t stop him. I sighed in resignation. This was about to get ugly. “Ox, if you lay a lip on me, it will be when my fist connects with your mouth.”

“You’re going to let a little pansy ass shit from the other side of the tracks fuck you, but not me?”

“If I fuck him, that’s between me and him. I’ve told you I don’t date club. When is it going to sink in that I mean what I say?”

“He will never understand our world or accept it.”

“Then that’s my problem to deal with, but either way, it has nothing to do with you. Now, go find you a Sweetbutt to ease your bruised ego.”

“If you aren’t into dudes, just say so. I can just watch.”

Oh my God, did this asshole really just say that? “Look, asshole. I’m done with this conversation. Take your overbearing, incompetent ass out of my office before I have you removed from it. I’ve put up with your shit long enough. You belong to my Dad’s club, not to me. Get that straight in your mind.”

“You are an ice bitch.”

“No, Ox, I’m not. I just won’t date you.” I pushed him out of my office and slammed the door in his face. Like hell I was ice. Will had me hot and bothered with one fucking kiss.

Ox left pissed as hell, but I really don’t give a damn. Just because my dad is the President of Riders in the Wind MC , does not mean that my life is in the club. There are only two roles women in the club perform, Ol’ Lady or Sweetbutt, and I have no intention of being either.

From the safety of my office, I watched as he left the gym, some of his buddies with him. There were a few other people working out, and Dad was sparring with someone else now. He loved to fight. Mama hated that he used to get in the ring for real matches where the whole goal was to beat the hell out of your opponent. Now that he was just sparring and teaching other guys to fight, she didn’t mind so much.

The gym was in our blood. I played here even as a kid. I knew how to fight and protect myself as good as any of these guys. If some motherfucker messed with me, he would go down hurting. I may be ‘Pebbles’ but I’m still a Slate and I’m still the by-product of Rubble and Rock. My dad and granddad are the two toughest sons of bitches I know.

I may be a woman, and I may be smaller, but appearances are deceiving. I’ll strike first and take you down before you have a chance to get a hand on me. Your underestimation of my abilities is your greatest mistake and my greatest advantage. I’d kill a motherfucker on my own, then call my dad to help me get rid of the body. I don’t need a man to save me; never have, and never will.

Dad’s just over protective. He knows I can handle myself, but he will still try to guard me all the time. I love and hate that trait. Sometimes, especially when it comes to men, he pushes too far. Like the time I was in high school, a boy brought me home from school. Dad had an arsenal out, along with a shovel, and Duck tape. Not to mention the tarp he had on the ground and the rubber gloves lying by the ax.

Garrett didn’t stand a chance. He didn’t stay to study like we had planned, and I never got past a kiss my whole high school career. I ended up losing my virginity to a one night stand I picked up in a bar. Eventually, I found a guy in the club I was interested it, but it only lasted long enough to teach me a valuable lesson.

I don’t know what happened in that locker room, but I was doubly impressed by Will Carver’s attitude coming out. He didn’t seem scared or angry, instead he smirked in my direction. Preppy. Nerdy. Cocky. Confident. Who the hell was this guy, and why am I so curious about him?

It was my night to lock up and, as always, the stream of members had dwindled to nothing by nine o’clock. This is my favorite time, with the gym to myself. I blast boy band music that would make the guys cringe, and pound away at the speed bag. Unlike my dad, I stay on top of the laundry, which helps me to have this time to just clear my head.

The steady thud of the bag as it swings with each of my strikes is a rhythm that I know well. I close my eyes and focus on that rhythm. It’s soothing and steady, like the beat of a heart.

“It would be a shame if you missed and bloodied your face all up.”

I opened my eyes at the sound of the voice, stepping back and putting my hands down. The swing of the bag between us. He was dressed in dark denim jeans, and his white chambray shirt was untucked, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was still everywhere, and his chocolate-colored eyes were hidden behind his glasses.

“Guess it’s a good thing I don’t miss.” I took off my gloves as I studied him. “You aren’t dressed for the gym. What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. I wanted to apologize if I created problems for you with that kiss this morning.”

He knocks my socks off with a kiss and then apologizes for it?

“Nope, no problems, none that I can’t handle anyway.” I set my gloves on a bench and went to the radio, turning off one of my favorite nineties boy bands and hiding the CD under the stereo. Aptly, the words as I shut it off were ‘Bye. Bye. Bye.’

“So, that’s all you needed, to ask me if I had any issues from your kiss?” I turned my back to the radio, crossed my arms and looked back at him. The sounds of Foreigner filled the gym. I guess I couldn’t have chosen better than Hot Blooded, especially when the man that made my blood run hot was in front of me. It fit my mood, so I went with it.

“Our kiss, you did kiss me back as I recall, but I also wanted to get your name.” He had a point there – I did kiss him back, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did.

“I’m Leah.” I held out my hand, but damn, the guy had his tongue down my throat a couple hours ago, did I really need to shake his hand?

Luckily, he took my hand and didn’t make it weird. His palm was huge around mine, and his grip was firm without being overly tight. Instead of the smooth palms I expected, he had a weightlifter’s grip – rough and callused across the palms.

“Leah. I like it. It suits you.” I pulled away from his hand and the electric currents that felt like they were running through my body.

“Yeah, and Will suits you. By the way, if I were you, I would keep your full name off the radar. With a name like that, you’ll end up getting shoved into a locker or worse.” I was only half joking. The guys around here didn’t need much of an excuse to beat the hell out of someone, and Will was already on their shit list because of Ox.

“It is a mouthful, isn’t it? Typically, I only go by William in the office. Everybody else just calls me Will.”

“William isn’t that bad; it’s the Atwood, Carver, and the number that will get you in trouble.”

“Nice to know you are checking up on me.” He had dimples and, damn him, they were appealing.

“Not checking up on you. I had to file your membership paperwork, so I saw your ID.”

“You wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart like he was hurting, but his grin said otherwise. “Couldn’t you just lie to me and tell me that you were interested enough to find out who I was?”

“Oh, I could, but then your head might get bigger and your glasses wouldn’t fit anymore. So, you see, I’m just looking out for you.” I winked at him and headed back to my desk. I felt his eyes on me as he followed me back to my office. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t put a little more sashay in my hips.

“So, Will, you have apologized for your part in our kiss and you’ve found out my name; is there anything else you’re after, or was that it?”

“That’s it for now, but I’ll be back for more. Have a goodnight, Leah. Ride safe.” Sexy, nerdy, with a dash of cocky confidence, and prep… I knew then that I was in big trouble.