CHAPTER FOUR
Reagan
I had never been on a motorcycle. The thought both thrilled and terrified me. I wasn’t actually scared to be on the back of a bike. I was scared of being on the back of his bike; my body tucked tightly against his, arms wrapped around his waist. But the horrified look that came over his face after he mentioned it, told me he was less than thrilled about it.
I shrugged, trying not to think about it too much, and went back to wiping down the tables. They weren’t all that dirty. I was just trying to keep busy. That and put some distance between myself and Nate. Still, I could feel his eyes on me as I worked. And I had no idea why it made me feel so uneasy.
The bar was dead and I had no idea why he even wanted me there. Hours passed, boring and long. I didn’t even have him to talk to, seeing as not long after I walked away from him, he locked himself in his office. I toyed with the idea of knocking but thought better of it. A shut door usually meant ‘don’t bother me’ and I definitely wasn’t about to poke the bear. With nothing else to do, I played some games on the new phone I had gotten yesterday to pass the time.
Finally, a little after nine, I heard the familiar rumbling of motorcycles. A lot of them, too. I hopped off my stool a little too eagerly. My right leg had gone to sleep and I felt myself going down. Just as my knees were about to buckle, strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind me. I yelped at the surprise contact and stumbled back into a hard chest. Those arms tightened around me and my body closed the two-inch gap between us. I cocked my head to the side and saw Nate smirking down at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, embarrassed. Shaking my leg out, I tested my weight on it. Pins and needles, but I could stand.
“You good?” he asked, sliding his hands back to grab my hips. Heat flooded through me and I felt it all the way through to my core.
“Yep,” I said, trying not to hobble as I walked away. Pretty sure I failed at that. Before it could get any more awkward, the front door pulled open and about ten or so bikers piled inside.
I made my way behind the bar and noticed Bocca flashing me a giant smile and a nod as he walked in. I felt my lips turn upward in return. The guys all scattered. Some went to the pool table, a few piled around a table in the middle of the room, and a couple took a seat at the bar. Two of them headed over to Nate and started a conversation. As I doled out the beer bottles, I kept an eye on Nate. He didn’t look happy at whatever they were telling him. I had a feeling it may have had to do with my car. His eyes cut over to me without warning. I’d been caught staring. I jerked my head in the other direction, searching for something to make me look busy.
“Hey, beautiful,” Bocca greeted me, his elbows propped on the bar. I couldn’t help but notice how his arms bulged, his biceps threatening to tear through the seams on his sleeves. I smiled and set a bottle in front of him.
“Hey yourself,” I returned and he laughed. He looked around then pulled out a stool and took a seat. I was glad to have someone friendly to talk to. Okay, really, I was just glad to have anyone to talk to.
“So, how ya likin’ it?” He took a long pull of his beer, still eyeing me.
“I can’t complain. A little on the boring side, but now you’re here, so it’s not too bad.” I was flirting. I knew it, but I just couldn’t help it. Seemed Bocca didn’t mind either.
“Awww, doll,” he said dramatically placing his hand over his heart and flashing a wide, full teeth smile. A smile that I was sure made all the ladies’ panties melt. Mine may have been threatening to. I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him, trying my best to hide my reaction. I scanned the bar to make sure everyone was satisfied and didn’t need anything at the moment. Yep, no one was even close to having an empty beer. I leaned forward resting my forearms on the bar, so that I could talk to Bocca without feeling like I had to yell. Bocca mirrored my movements. Our heads were inches apart. A few errant strands of hair hung in his face and I had a small urge to reach out to tuck it behind his ear. His eyes held mine. But I got the feeling he was trying really hard not to look down my shirt. Which I realized was loose and hanging open, giving the entire bar a straight shot to my bra and boobs.
“I’m tryin’ real hard here, doll,” he said after a few seconds of us being in an eye deadlock. I laughed. His honesty was endearing. I half-expected him to unapologetically gawk. The fact that he didn’t was a little refreshing.
“You are holding out longer than I thought you would,” I said pushing my chest forward a little. He gave me a warning look with his eyes. “Go ahead, take five seconds. Won’t hurt anyone.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. VP says you’re off limits. No matter how beautiful you are, gotta follow that.” He took a sip of his beer. I rolled my eyes again trying to keep my blush at bay. He did call me beautiful and it hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“I’m a grown ass woman, ya know? No one can say I’m off limits unless it’s me,” I practically seethed. It wasn’t that I was trying to start something with Bocca in any way. But I’d be damned if I should have that option taken away from me. Bocca chuckled into his bottle before he took another sip. “I just don’t get why he would say that. Unless it’s because I’m Ethel’s granddaughter. But, I’m sure you know her, she’s an advocate for a healthy sex life. So it makes no sense.” I resisted the urge to throw my hands up in frustration.
“Oh, you’re a spitfire. This is going to be fun.” He smirked, like there was something I was missing, and set down his bottle. Then there it was, his eyes flicked down to my chest. Victory. I laughed as his eyes shot back up to mine. This time the look in them was a little dark and hooded, but he quickly brushed it away and gave me a lopsided smile.
“So, how come they call you Bocca?” I asked, figuring I had pushed the limits enough for the moment.
“Apparently I never shut up. Bocca is mouth in Italian, and I guess some say I like to run it.” He shrugged.
“Huh,” I said. “That’s kinda funny, and a little mean.”
“Never said we were nice people, babe.” With that, he gave me a wink, slid off the stool and walked away, leaving his words to swirl warnings through my head.
I glanced around. Some of the guys were tilting their bottles back as they finished the last swallows. I grabbed a few fresh bottles and popped the tops off, Bocca’s words bouncing around my head the whole time.
“I don’t pay you to stand around and flirt,” Nate’s voice came from behind me, deep and harsh. I jumped, nearly dropping one of the bottles. “Boys need more over at the pool table.” I turned around slowly and held up the bottles I now had a death grip on in my hands. I gave him a snide smirk before I turned back around.
“And yes you do,” I turned back around to face him. I just couldn’t let it go. “You pay me to serve and make you money. Part of serving is making people feel comfortable. I’ve learned that a little flirting can go a long way with the green. Guys tend to empty their drinks faster and tend to drink more. So, that leads to me selling more, which is more money in that pocket of yours. And it also gets me more tips, which I need now, seeing as these are the only people that have been in here all night.”
Halfway through my rant, I noticed him grinding his jaw. He knew I was right and there was nothing for him to say back to me. Or so I thought.
“Brothers don’t pay to drink here, so you flirting right now is worthless.” My face fell. How the hell was I supposed to know that? Also, how the hell did the bar make any money?
“Good to know.” I turned around and walked off. I needed to get away before I let my temper get the best of me and I uncontrollably spewed words I would later regret. He was my boss, after all. And he was nice enough to give me a job. I had to keep reminding myself of that as I stomped over to the pool table, handed the beers out, and took the empties away.
I made my rounds, reading their cuts trying to remember faces and names. I had a feeling I would be seeing a lot of these guys. Some greeted me with a chin lift as they looked me up and down. A few of them didn’t even acknowledge that there was a human handing them their beer. While others actually chatted with me a bit. I got asked the typical questions like where was I from, who was I, what was I doing there, and so on. I was as vague as I could be and scooted on to the next person.
I recognized the two guys that were at the bar yesterday with Bocca. The one with the lip ring looked down at me, face impassive, as I handed him his beer. There was something unreadable in his eyes. But for some reason, my body understood its meaning, and I flushed hard. With a hard swallow I looked and saw his name was Diesel. Seemed fitting. I turned my attention to to the other guy. His shaggy, brown hair tamed by a back ball cap. Prospect. No name.
“Thanks, Reagan,” he said, taking his bottle. Seemed he remembered me from the day before.
“You know my name, shouldn’t I know yours?” I said, cocking my hip playfully. He let out a huffed laugh as he ducked his head for a moment. Like he wasn’t sure he should be laughing or even talking to me.
“Brandon,” he said, looking up at me again with a boyish twinkle in his eyes. I smiled.
“Cool.” I turned my attention away from him, not wanting to get him in any kind of trouble. If that what was even the problem. I didn’t know their rules, but I had a feeling I should not push to break them.
My gaze landed on a tall, bulky guy. My eyes widened as I took him in. He was casually leaning against the wall. Something about him screamed deadly. He was off to the side, almost like he wasn’t part of everyone else. I got the feeling he liked to be in the shadows. I took in a deep breath as I approached him, fresh beer in hand. The closer I got, the more intense his gaze became on me. But he wasn’t checking me out. No, he was sizing me up. Figuring me out. He didn’t freak me out in a bad way, but something about the way he studied me made me twitchy.
“Seven,” I huffed out in a nervous laugh as I read the name on his cut. “How does one go about getting a name like that?” I asked before I had a chance to think better of it.
My mind ran in many different directions. Had he killed seven people? All at once? That almost seemed like too easy of an answer. I just hoped it wasn’t anything that scary. But then again, these were bikers.
His eyes narrowed at me for a long moment. I started to squirm. I was about to open my mouth and tell him to forget it when his face relaxed.
“I ate seven snakes at once. Tails and all. Alive,” he said in a straight tone. Then he flashed me a wide smile. One that made me wonder if he was telling the truth or not.
I blinked at him waiting for him to tell me he was joking or start laughing. But it never came. I had no choice but to walk away wondering how crazy he was.
Around midnight, most of the guys had headed out. Bocca, though, sat at the bar like he was waiting for something. Nate was clearing off the tables, while I was cleaning up the bar top for the night.
“They need to get a part for your car. It’ll be ready tomorrow,” Nate said, coming up behind me and making me stiffen. How did he do that? I never heard him approach. I was starting to think I needed to keep one eye on him at all times.
Did that mean he was giving me a ride home? A thrill shot through me and I held back the urge to jump up and down while clapping like a teenage girl.
“I can take her home,” Bocca said, standing as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He tossed a crisp twenty on the bar and winked at me. The guys may not have paid for drinks, but they did tip well. For that, I was super grateful.
“No,” Nate said firmly. I was standing between them. My eyes moved from one to the other and back again trying to figure out what was going on.
“I know how you don’t like to put anyone on the back of your bike,” Bocca said, smirking. “I have no problem with her being there.” I was at a total loss as to that what the hell was going on. Nate’s jaw ticked for a few seconds and his nostrils flared the tiniest of bit.
“No sense in you riding in the wrong direction when she lives right next door to me.” Nate’s tone left no room for discussion. It seemed logical to me. There was so much tension hanging thick in the air and I had no clue why.
“No, it’s cool, Nate. I don’t want to ruin your reputation or whatever. He can take me. Seems like he actually wants to, so…” I said. My tone may have been on the bitchy side. But I was ready to get off of my feet and go home. Seeing as I had a sit-down job for a while before this, I wasn’t used to standing for so many hours at a time. While the boots I’d worn were comfy, they weren't enough to stop the throbbing.
I grabbed my phone and started for the front door. Before I even rounded the bar, a rough hand wrapped around my arm. My body whirled around so fast I felt dizzy. I crashed into Nate’s hard chest, my hands pressed up against it trying to brace myself. My head tilted back to look at him but his eyes were locked like laser beams on Bocca.
“Lock up,” He said to Bocca, as he pulled me down the hall and out the back door. I had no choice to go along, my feet stumbling along at his pace.
Before I knew what was going on, he plopped a helmet down on my head and fastened the straps. I stood there stunned as I watched him climb onto his bike and start it up. What a sight it was. He looked at home sitting there. His toned arms stretched out to the handlebars. A whole sexy scene within my reach.
“You gettin’ on? I’m not waitin’ all night.” His voice, deep and dark, ruined my happy trance.
I rolled my eyes and swung my leg over. There was a good half a foot between us. I didn’t trust myself to be any closer than that. I took in a deep breath, giving myself a moment to prepare for the ride. He reached back and wrapped both his big hands on the outside of my upper thighs. He was close enough to touching my ass that it made my breath hitch. His hands clamped onto my bare skin hard and then with a quick jerk, he pulled me flush to his back. My legs were quivering. Hell, my whole body was trembling. As I wrapped my arms around his waist, he tugged them tight. Heat flooded my entire body as I breathed in his scent. Without another word, we were off.
The warm air whipped around my body as we rode. I felt safe with him. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt like that. I pressed my face tighter into his back, his leather vest was surprisingly soft against my cheek. I was sad that it didn’t take long to get home. He pulled up into his driveway and I sighed. I sat there for a moment not wanting to get off. After a minute I felt his tense body relax, the tiniest bit, into me. I smiled against his back.
“It’s late. You should get some sleep,” his voice low and raspy. He patted my hand as he said it. I took the sign that he wanted me to release him, even though I wasn’t ready to yet.
“Yeah,” I said in a hoarse whisper. He reached his hand around the front of his body and held it out for me. Deciding not to be stubborn for once, I let him help me off. I took off my helmet and handed it to him. “Thank you. Good night, Nate.” I turned away before he could say anything back and took off for Nan’s house.
I didn’t find sleep that night. I wished I could’ve said it was because I couldn’t stop thinking about Nate. But it was because I kept replaying that horrible scene from my birthday, over and over again. The bruises were fading, but I could still feel his hands on me like it was happening at that moment.