Thief: Devil's Own MC (23 page)

I hated Roger. I was glad that he was behind bars. A small part of me was even glad that Blake had beaten him so badly.
He deserves it
, I thought. I blushed. It was probably one of the meanest thoughts I’d ever had in my whole life, but it was true.

It took a couple of hours for Blake to re-appear. He swaggered out in his jeans, carrying his MC vest in his arms. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”

We walked out to the bike in silence. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Blake said. “I’m fine. How are you?”

I yawned. Blake laughed. “About like that,” I admitted, rubbing my face. “I want a bath. And a nap. And a pizza.”

Blake climbed on his bike and I got on behind him. I’d miss this, this speeding around on a big black engine. It made me feel both powerful and protected, like Blake himself was responsible for the thrill of riding a motorcycle. I shivered; the day was turning into dusk and I wasn’t wearing a heavy jacket.

The ride to Blake’s apartment took a long time. In my head, I was thinking of what I would say to Julia. She’d bitch and grouse about it, but she’d let me stay, especially after I told her what happened. I closed my eyes and imagined the rest of my life alone, a spinster aunt to Hailey. Julia would probably get remarried. But after this, I knew I had to stay away from men for the rest of my life, especially men like Blake, men who were dangerous, because I could fall in love with them.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said in a strained voice. We were standing in the parking lot and I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. “I appreciate it. I’m gonna call my friend Julia now. I think she’ll let me crash with her.”

Blake frowned. “And just why are you leaving?”

I looked at him. His face was completely open and sincere. But telling him was going to be hard. “Because I fucked up,” I said, looking down. “I fucked up and I assumed things were over between us. I put you in danger. I put you at risk of going to prison again!” Tears were beginning to prick my eyes and I looked at the ground, rubbing my toe against the asphalt. “I’m sorry,” I added. “I know that’s not good enough, but if I could change everything, if I could go back, I would in a heartbeat!”

“Sarah,” Blake said in his trademark gruff voice. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Come on,” I said bitterly. “You wouldn’t want to be with me now. You don’t want a woman who puts herself and you in bad situations all the time. And after everything that happened with Roger?” I sniffed. “I know there’s no way it could work out between us.”

Blake sighed loudly. He put his helmet down on his bike and looked into my eyes. I felt a shiver of fear and arousal spike through my body when I realized I had no idea what he was thinking. “Sarah, that’s not true,” he said. “None of it is. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to be without you.”

My heart lurched in my chest. “What?” I looked up at him. “But what about when I left? What about when I ran away from you the other night?”

Blake laughed. “So don’t do it again,” he said in a lighter tone. “And besides, you apologized for that. When you called me earlier today, you said you were sorry. Apology accepted.”

I stared at him, feeling dumbfounded. “Are you sure?”

Blake reached out and wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me close. In a second, I felt my body slam against his. “I’m more than sure,” he said, nuzzling my hair. A spark of electricity jumped between us. “And if you ever try to leave again, I’ll tie you to my bed.”

I sagged against him. Relief and love were flooding my body. “I love you,” I said quietly into his chest. “I love you, Blake.”

Blake hugged me tighter. “I love you too,” he said. “Now come on. Let’s go inside. I have a feeling we have a lot of catching up to do.”

I f***ing hate him!

He's arrogant, he's cocky, he's the star of a college soccer team... and he's everything that a girl like me should despise.

He didn't even know my name before this year.

So why can't I keep him off my mind?

Maybe it's because his dad is about to marry my mom.

Maybe it's because I've had the worst crush on him through all of high school.

Maybe it's because he's at my house now taking a shower after soccer practice, and my mom just told me to go hang a fresh towel by his bed.

The water stopped and I know he's getting out, so why am I still at the foot of his bed with the towel in my hands...

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xoxo

Heather

More works from Heather West

***

I had only one way to survive – on my back.

Lucy
A girl's gotta get by,
and the only way to stay alive was by selling myself to the Hell's Disciples.
I told myself it was just a job,
that all the men were the same.
But when I was given to Mason for the night,
there was something different about him.
The tattoos covering his broad shoulders,
his intense eyes...
I was hooked.
There's only one problem:
If the Disciples find out their club girl has fallen for a rival,
neither of us will make it out alive.
Mason
I don't settle down. I f**k and move on.
When you're running drugs across the border,
the one thing you can't do is sit still.
That hooker I was given last week?
At first, she was nothing more than a peace offering.
But when my enemies say I can't have her,
there's only one thing I want to do:
own her completely.

Ashley
It isn't easy going home – not when HE'S there.
How couldn't I love him? His blond hair, tousled from his football helmet, the muscles rippling along his quarterback shoulders, the way he looks at me when we pass each other half-clothed in the hallway in the middle of the night...
His eyes, exposing me. Baring me. Stripping me down to nothing but skin and desire.
I've never wanted anything like I wanted him to cross the distance between us.
I can't act on this lust, can't say anything. It would destroy our family.
But I'm only human. And he's sleeping in the room next door...
Danny
I'm happy to see her, of course.
But it's hard to ignore the feeling she ignites in my chest.
Once upon a time, that used to be enough. But not anymore.
Now, when she looks at me and bites her lower lip, desire flashing through her eyes, I worry that I will lose control. I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself from doing what we both want – making her mine.
The problem is, she's mine already.
And she's sleeping in the room next door.

Chase
There’s only one thing on my mind: revenge.
The man who killed my sister needs to die for what he’s done.
Nothing can distract me…
…until I see Lacey.
One look – one taste – and I know she’s my new addiction.
She’s too innocent for this life.
She doesn’t know I’m a monster.
But when she stumbles down the wrong alley,
she throws herself into my world.
Lacey
I saw something I shouldn’t have.
Now, I need his protection.
But he’s a walking nightmare,
and he’s bringing the underworld right to my front door.
I’m scared. Terrified.
But when he makes me his, I end up screaming for all the right reasons.
How can I survive
When there’s a killer in my bed?

Sky

He seems to hate me but I have no idea why.
Or am I mistaking hate for something else?
If only I could remember him. Or anything, really.
Within that perfectly chiseled body, his insides are black—he’s rotten underneath. He’s dangerous, dark, and yet somewhere deep inside myself I know what it feels like to scream his name.
I catch him staring and he pulls away like I’m the poisonous one. He’s a killer. I know it. He lives to harm others. I’m sure those rugged, strong hands have squeezed the life out of many. And yet I still want them on my body.
And he wants it too.
But this is madness. My life is in shambles and adding him to the mix with his murder and mayhem will only make it worse.
So why am I living for the moment I’ll scream his name again?

Shadow

I don’t have room in my life for her bulls***.
But there she goes again, playing the little wounded bird, always needing me to swoop in and save her.
She says she can’t remember what made her shut me out—she can’t remember anything at all. But I see that familiar look in her eyes like she knows how good we made each other feel.
I’m the fool who falls for it again and again. For a wounded bird, she’s got her claws in me deep.
And that’s exactly how I want it. She might not be able to recall her sleek legs wrapped all around me, her perfect ass perched on the bars of my motorcycle in the moonlight, but I’ll never forget it.
This time I’ll keep my guard up. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than Sky taking flight once more. She can’t break my heart again if I don’t give it up.
As if I ever got it back from her the last time.