Sal (The Ride Series) (3 page)

I caught my reflection in the mirror as I stood in my bra and panties applying my makeup. My hips shimmied to Kongos as I got ready. I’d always been comfortable in my own skin. My body was toned and lean while still soft and feminine. I’d taken up kickboxing in recent months. It was a great way to work my shit out, and the subtle definition which resulted wasn’t half-bad either.

I was tall for a girl thanks to my long legs. My waist curved nicely into my lean hips and my butt was firm and round. My breasts were on the small side, but at least they were perky. At twenty-eight, I hoped they would stay perky for a good while longer. My eyes were wide and blue, framed by dark lashes, which I swept with mascara.

I couldn’t afford anything designer, but I liked to think I had an eye for fashion. I was always able to find pieces that looked expensive, even if I’d found them on the sale rack at Marshalls. I chose my favorite little black dress that boasted a deep V in the front and was short enough to barely be on the right side of decent. I paired it with my favorite black pumps. A quick spritz of perfume and I was ready to roll.

I met my gaze in the mirror and was briefly surprised at the resolution on my face. Not giddiness or excitement about my date, but a quiet determination to take this first step.

“Wow,” Gavin sputtered when I opened the door. “Scarlet didn’t do you justice when she said you were drop-dead gorgeous,” he complimented, his eyes traveling the length of me.

“Thanks,” I smiled. “You’re pretty handsome yourself.”

And he was. In another life, he might have been my type, that is, before a certain bad boy had entered the picture. Gavin was what many would call classically handsome with his brown hair and blue eyes. He was tall and obviously built. So many women would count themselves lucky to be going out with him. But I missed my tattooed, motorcycle boot-wearing man too much to be one of them.

Over dinner, we talked amicably about his practice, my job at the bar, and briefly touched on our childhoods. I was never one to share much in that department. Having drug addicts for parents, who I’d gotten away from as soon as I turned eighteen, wasn’t something I wanted to scream from the rooftops, especially to a freaking
doctor
who, though nice enough, had probably been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth.

The food was delicious and the restaurant was beautiful, if not a bit pretentious. I was more of a pub food kind of gal. I didn’t feel like I belonged in a place like this, but I’d never really cared about that kind of stuff. I was comfortable with who I was. Gavin, on the other hand,
did
belong in a place like this, and I wondered what he saw in me aside from a pretty face. A doctor and a bartender didn’t scream compatibility. Surely he’d prefer to date someone who ran in his circles.

“So you and Scarlet are close?” he verified, taking a spoonful of the chocolate cake we were sharing.

I smiled, thinking “close” didn’t begin to cover it.

I’d been just finding my way when Scarlet started coming to the coffee shop I worked at. I recognized some of myself in her. She had the same wariness of people. And something inside of me wanted to help her overcome it and in doing so, heal myself a little, too.

We’d been best friends ever since. She was the only family I’d ever known.

“Yeah, we’re close,” I replied, simply not wanting to get into the details.

My phone rang in my bag as we were finishing up. I ignored it because I didn’t want to be rude, but when it rang again seconds later I looked at it briefly.

Speak of the devil.

“I’m sorry, it’s Scarlet. I want to make sure everything’s okay,” I apologized.

I was on high baby alert.

He gestured that he understood as I held the phone to my ear. “Hi, you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured me.

I instantly breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Where are you?” she wanted to know.

“Out with Gavin,” I answered. “Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t want to interrupt. We can talk later,” she said quickly.

“What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously. She sounded strange.

“Nothing, I’ll call you tomorrow,” she answered hastily.

“That was weird,” I muttered to myself as I ended the call.

“Everything okay?” he asked, seeming genuinely concerned. He was such a nice guy. Why couldn’t I muster some butterflies? Hell, I’d settle for just one flapping around.

“Fine,” I said with a smile.

“Are you up for getting a drink or do you need to head home?” he asked as he paid the bill.

I thought for a moment about how to respond. I didn’t want to be rude, he was clearly a nice guy. But leading him on wasn’t doing him any favors.

“I should probably head home, but thank you so much for a wonderful dinner.” I cringed inwardly at how expensive it had to have been.

He drove me home in his beautiful BMW and parked at the curb. Being the gentleman he clearly was, he moved to my side of the car, opened my door, and helped me out. My heart started to thud in my chest as he walked me to the front of my building.

Oh, god, please don’t let him try to kiss me.

“Can I see you again?” he asked as his fingers trailed my jaw. His eyes shone down into mine and I swallowed nervously. His other hand moved to the small of my back drawing me closer, and I took a deep breath ready to give him the brush off.

“That’s my woman you’ve got your hands on,” a painfully familiar voice growled from behind me.

My heart felt as though it spontaneously combusted in my chest at the same time my stomach rolled and my knees nearly gave out.

Sal.

“Who are you?” Gavin asked clearly confused, his brows knitted as he peered behind me.

“What the hell!” I demanded, spinning to face the source of all my heartache for the past six months.

And there he stood, looking more beautiful than anyone had a right to. His black hair was longer than when I’d last seen him. It was unruly and as wild as ever, curling slightly at the base of his neck. His dark eyes shone brilliantly on me and I hated myself for wanting to run into his arms. Instead, I latched onto the feral anger I felt toward him and narrowed my eyes. His tattooed, muscular arms were crossed over his chest, and I viciously fought the urge to feast my eyes on the beautiful form I knew I’d find.

Sal clearly didn’t feel the need to fight his own urge, and his eyes swept up and down my frame with a savage expression.

“Who the hell are you?” Gavin demanded again.

“He’s no one,” I bit out angrily, nearly choking on the power of my emotions.

What the hell was he doing here? Suddenly, Scarlet’s call made perfect sense. She knew Sal was back in town. I could have strangled her for not warning me when she had the chance.

“No one? That’s not the impression I got last time I had you screaming out my name, baby,” Sal responded arrogantly.

Oh no, he did
not
just say that. He wasn’t going to stake a claim when I’d finally made a significant step to at least try to move on.

Was he?

“You have some fucking nerve,” I seethed. I felt like I’d just run a marathon, my heart was pounding so hard. But I took a deep, fortifying breath and turned to my date. “Thank you for a great date. I’m sorry about this,” I apologized, waving toward Sal.

“Are you safe, maybe I should see you inside?” Gavin asked, his brow wrinkled with confusion and concern.

“You’ll see her inside over my dead body,” Sal growled. “Or yours.”

Seriously? I tried hard to keep calm and turned to face my date.

“I’m fine. You should go,” I assured Gavin.

Gavin looked between us for a few moments, clearly trying to get a handle on the situation. “Okay, I’ll call you,” he said before glancing again at Sal. He folded himself into his BMW and, with one last look, took off down the street.

I didn’t even glance in Sal’s direction. I pulled out my keys and put them in the door hoping he didn’t notice my hands shaking.

“Baby,” he began, his tone softer now.

“Don’t,” I practically whispered. “Just, don’t.” I shook my head. Then I spun to face him with a question burning on the tip of my tongue. “Are you back because I finally took a step to move on? Is that it? Did Wes call you?” I demanded.

His brow wrinkled in clear confusion. “I haven’t talked to Wes. I’m back because this is where I need to be,” he answered firmly. “I missed you,” he added quietly.

“Go fuck yourself, Sal,” I said bitingly as I opened the door and slammed it behind me.

Chapter 4

“T
here just wasn’t a spark,” I explained to Jodie, my fellow bartender as I slung drinks the next night. I hadn’t told her a word about Sal.

She’d asked about my date with Gavin and I’d had to fight to recollect how I even felt about it. My mind was full of Sal. The lack of spark with Gavin was the least of my concerns. I hadn’t slept a wink the night before. I felt like the walking dead.

“Well, I’m glad you went out with him,” she nodded, deciding not to pry further. “It’s good practice if nothing else,” she said as she shrugged. I knew she was being deliberately casual, letting me off the hook.

I headed to the opposite side of the bar to refresh drinks where needed and to change the music to something more upbeat as the night picked up.

Hours later, I was more than ready for my shift to end. It had been a busy night and I was ready to crash. “I’ll have another one, baby!” one of the college dipshits who I’d been putting up with for the last hour hollered entirely too loudly.

“Sorry, bud, I already called last call,” I told him while sneaking an eye roll at Jodie. There were five of them sitting at the bar, the only customers left, and I had to admit this was one of those nights where I was glad one of the Knights would be in to make sure I got home okay.

“Oh, come on, gorgeous, just one more.” He gave me a lopsided grin. I put my hand out to clear away their drinks and he grabbed onto it.

“Let go,” I commanded, trying to pull my hand out of his grasp.

“Hands off!” a familiar voice barked from the doorway.

My entire body froze as the guy hastily dropped my hand. My heart felt like it stopped and then started beating so swiftly, I worried it would fly out of my chest as I turned to watch Sal stride toward the bar.

His timing as of late had been…ironic? Irritating? I couldn’t quite decide.

I felt like a deer in headlights and completely devoid of thought for a few seconds. My body’s reaction was completely uncontrollable as he came nearer still. My heart pounded; my knees went weak, and I could swear my panties were wet at the sight of him.

“Hey,” his deep voice greeted as his eyes swept over me possessively. I saw his eyes heat as they took me in. Sal had always made it abundantly clear he loved every inch of my body. His expression proved that hadn’t changed. His eyes swept back over to the college guys as they packed up and began to make their exit.

Who the hell did he think he was storming in here and trying to be my own personal savior? Well, screw that.

My eyes narrowed, self-preservation taking over. “What do you want, Sal?” Being angry felt a hell of a lot more empowering than bursting into tears, or worse yet, hurling myself into his arms. “Actually, you know what? Forget it, I don’t care what you want,” I added harshly as the last of the college guys filtered out. I turned to Jodie who was pretending not to watch our exchange. “You covered if I head out now?” I asked her, trying to keep the desperation from my voice.

“Yeah, sweetie, go ahead,” she answered easily. I hadn’t told her much, but we’d worked alongside each other on many a night, and I was sure she’d pieced together Sal was someone important.

“Thanks,” I answered. Without a second glance at Sal, I grabbed my purse from under the bar and hightailed it outside. My hands shook as I pulled my keys out and heard the bar door open and shut behind me.

Dammit, I felt completely out of my depth with this. My emotions were all over the place, a chaotic jumble pounding violently in my chest.

“Kat, wait,” he commanded from behind me.

I kept walking, unable to face him. When I unlocked my car door, he stood so close behind me that I could feel his body heat.

He braced one arm against my open door and one against the roof of my car, effectively caging me in.

“You’re gonna have to talk to me sometime,” his gravelly voice stated as his lips grazed over my ear.

My betraying knees went weak at his proximity and the rasp of his voice, but somehow I managed to hang on to my restraint. “No, I really don’t,” I said as I shook my head, proud I managed not to turn around. “Back up,” I added quietly.

He sighed as he always used to when he was feigning patience with me. “Okay, baby, for tonight. I’ll back up,” he allowed.

I dove into my car the moment he moved away.

Tonight, the headlight shining in my rearview making sure I arrived home okay wasn’t so reassuring.

I didn’t even bother turning the lights on inside my apartment. Instead, I sat numbly on the couch for a while, just as I had the night before, feeling completely confused and lost. My phone had been ringing off the hook, but I didn’t even look at it.

My buzzer starting ringing an hour later and I sat up abruptly. It was after two AM. What now?

“Yeah?” I answered my intercom impatiently.

“Kat, it’s Hank. Scarlet’s water broke. Get your ass down here,” he barked.

Shit, I was going to win the worst best friend of the year award. I’d been ignoring my phone for hours!

“Coming, two seconds!” I yelled.

I flew around my apartment in an absolute tizzy grabbing what I needed and then hauled my ass downstairs.

“Christ, Kat. I thought you were on baby watch,” Hank chastised me when I dove into his truck at Mach speed. “Cole is gonna be pissed.”

“I don’t need any shit. I already feel bad enough,” I sighed, gazing out the window as the town went speeding by.

“Sorry, babe, just razzin’ you,” he replied, sounding surprised at my sensitivity.

“Yeah, well don’t,” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.