Wanted by the Devil (3 page)

             
"Yes, and when?"

             
Her mother grinned and locked the door behind her.

             
"That's between him and I. Now off to bed. You have a long day tomorrow."

             
"I do?"

             
Her mother just smiled and kissed her goodnight.

3

             
Her mother shook her awake at 8 am. Every fiber of her being longed to stay in bed. She hadn't slept late in so long...

             
"What is it? Is everything okay?"

             
"Yes sweetheart. Devlin is picking you up soon."

             
That got her attention. She sat up.

             
"He is? What for?
How
soon?"

             
Her mother shrugged and said "About ten minutes. I'll let him tell you about it. But he said to wear something comfortable and bring a sweater. You'll be out all day."

             
Kaylie was on her feet in seconds, already in panic mode. Her mother turned back from the hallway before looking over her shoulder coyly.

             
"Don’t forget your bikini."

             
"WHAT?"

             
She ran after her laughing mother, swatting her bottom. Why did her mother know more about what her - she didn't know what to call Devlin, not yet anyway - but why did her mother get to know more than
she
did? She grinned suddenly, realizing he must have arranged all of this yesterday or even earlier. Asking her mother for permission was sweet… and unexpectedly old fashioned for a biker.

             
She felt warm inside at the thought. And if her mother approved… all the better.

             
It had been just the two of them for so long, ever since her father had passed away. Having someone else besides Mom looking out for her was nice. She was afraid to think about anything past that. Who knew what his intentions were really? But he was making her wonder if he was after more than just a summer fling. He did seem to be extremely prepared… and determined.

             
She ran into the bathroom and took the world's fastest shower, giddy with excitement. She slipped into her one bikini and pulled on a pair of cut off jean shorts and a white top with pink flowers covering it. She debated about what to do with her hair and decided to leave it down but to bring a clip so she could pull it back later. It would just get flattened by the helmet anyway. She stuffed a sweater, sunblock and lip gloss into a bag and was chugging a glass of orange juice when she heard the rumble of a bike outside.

             
He was here.

              Devlin rode through the warm June morning toward Kaylie's house. He was pleased, despite everything that had gone down last night. The club was considering taking on new members and had hazed a few promising new prospects from the group that had applied. Things had gotten a little out of hand with one of the young guys and now they had a prospect in the hospital with third degree burns. Dave Fahey had been drinking heavily and dared the foolish kid to shoot flaming liquor out of his mouth. The kid would be alright- he'd even earned the club's respect by not screaming like a woman. But he’d have a pretty big scar and would be forever be known as whisky beard.

             
Dev hated stuff like that though. It wasn't what the club was about. It was supposed to be a brotherhood of guys with their own code. They had a set of rules and morals that worked, outside and set apart from the rest of society. The average rule following American was a sheep, but the Spawn were the wolves.

Sure
, getting hammered was a right of passage for the guys and a way to blow off steam. But not every night. And hurting each other was wasteful- they had enough enemies in the state who were willing to do it for them- on both sides of the law.

             
He pushed aside the thought of the local law enforcement- Sheriff Dooley in particular had a hard on for Devlin. His second in command Officer Grant was just as bad. He now got facetious parking tickets on a weekly basis. He often found himself with a tail when he was out on his bike. It had forced him to slow down his breakneck pace considerably. But nothing was going to ruin today. He was going to help Kaylie celebrate her graduation and introduce her to the club and their old ladies. Sure it was fast, but he'd been laying the groundwork for years. He'd made his decision. And it was obvious to him that Kaylie was on board with it.

             
He grinned, imagining her wearing his jacket- and nothing else. Her hot little body had felt so good pressed against him last night- all warmth and sweet innocence. Well, for now anyway. He didn’t bother pretending he’d let her stay innocent for long. He wasn't a man used to denying himself. Definitely not when it came to women.

             
This wasn't going to be easy.

             
Then again, nothing worth doing ever was.

             
He pulled up to her house and parked his bike. Before he could even climb out she was coming out the door looking like sunshine and promises. He felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach as she came toward him in a pair of cut off jean shorts and a pretty floral blouse. When she got closer he saw the strap of a bikini top peeking out from around her neck. It was yellow and white gingham.

             
Damn but she looked fine!

             
He had the sudden feeling that he might be the one who was out of his depth, not the innocent 18 year old virgin walking toward him. She moved so gracefully, her sweet little body swaying in an unconsciously seductive way. He swallowed, his mouth feeling dry.

             
She stared up at him trustingly with her big brown eyes while he fitted her helmet over her soft golden brown waves. He couldn't help but brush his hand over the softness of her cheek before helping her onto the bike and climbing on in front of her. He lifted his hand, waving to the woman watching them from the stoop. She waved back with a stoic expression on her face.

             
It was a good thing he'd been working on Mrs. Thomas for a few years now. He'd made sure the woman hadn't lifted a bag of groceries from the first day he'd noticed Kaylie. She was a smart woman. She knew it wasn't a bad thing to be connected to the club in this town. She'd never have to deal with a flat tire, or a bothersome neighbor. They'd take care of everything for her.

             
He grinned to himself as he pulled away from the curb. Kaylie arms snaked around toward his stomach sending a jolt of arousal straight through him. It wasn't a bad exchange at all.

4

             
He hadn't told her where they were going and she hadn't asked. It only occurred to her how odd that was after they'd been riding for a half an hour. She'd been too absorbed by the sensation of the bike, the scenery, and him. Most of all him.

It
didn't really matter anyway. If he wanted to surprise her, she'd let him. Even if she wanted to ask him, it would have to wait until he pulled over. There was no way he would hear her over the rumble of the bike.

             
It was the sort of thing that should make her hate traveling this way. Clinging to him, with zero control over where they were going, how far or how fast. But she didn't hate it at all.

             
She loved it.

             
It surprised her how much she loved it. The speed, the smell, the incredible riskiness of it all. But most of all, she loved that she wasn't riding alone. They were together. Fused into one. She trusted him implicitly. Maybe it was foolish, but it was true.

             
They'd left town far behind already and were heading through endless fields of corn and other crops. She felt her curiosity rise again. There was nothing out this way, unless he planned on taking her over the state line. What was he up to?

             
It was another ten minutes or so before she realized where they were going. The lake. The County Fair. Child like excitement flowed through her. If she could have jumped up and down, she would have.

It
had been years since she'd been to the County Fair. It was easily an hour away and her mother didn't have the time or money to travel for frivolous reasons. Kaylie had always loved the little day trips they'd taken as a family, when her father was still alive. It had been a yearly event for them. After he passed though, the trips had stopped. A lot of things had stopped.

             
She didn't blame her mom though. Raising a child alone was difficult, and she didn't have an extended family to help out. They'd had family time in other ways. Mostly the sort that involves hard work and chores. Every Sunday after church they spent a few hours cutting coupons. It was fun. Well, kind of.

Kaylie
’s mother wasn't the sort to kick up her heels or laugh at something just for the fun of it. That had been Kaylie's dad. The joker, the prankster, the life of the party. She missed him each and every day. Her mom did too. It was obvious what she was thinking about when Kaylie caught her gazing out the window or just staring into space. She did that a lot.

Dad had been the one who came up with the fun things to do. He always had a plan or a game to play. But he could be serious too, like about making sure Kaylie knew that she had self worth. He'd instilled that in her early.

             
'Don't be a pushover Kaylie. Stand up for yourself.'

             
She'd listened to him when he said that. She'd heard.

             
She was still thinking about her father when they pulled up to the camp grounds next to the fair. Devlin parked the bike near a row of Harley Davidsons. A bunch of people waved at him but he just nodded and helped her with her helmet.

             
"Are you hungry?"

             
She shook her head.

             
"Thirsty?"

             
She shook her head again.

             
"Do you need to use the facilities?"

             
"No, thank you."

             
He grinned as if that were the cutest thing he had ever heard. For some reason, it annoyed her that this big tough man was treating her like a puppy. A desirable puppy, but a pet all the same. She frowned at him.

             
"What’s so funny?"

             
"So polite. It's adorable."

             
Her cheeks got warm as he leaned down to kiss her. It was only their second kiss and this time it was in broad daylight. She sighed as his lips pressed into hers. His arms slid around her waist to her lower back. His hands were warm and-

             
"Dev! I hope you're hungry! We're grilling already man!"

             
Devlin lifted his head with an exaggerated sigh. Kaylie giggled at the look on his face. He threw his arm over her shoulder and walked toward the group of bikers. One of them, a biker with flaming red hair, let out a low whistle at the sight of Kaylie.

             
"Is she new? Man, put me on the list for some of that."

             
One of the other bikers, the other one with spiky black hair who often trailed her, elbowed him in the side. Hard. It looked like it hurt. Devlin walked past them, ignoring them completely.

             
"Ow man, what the fuck? I was just saying I'd be down for sloppy seconds."

             
"Not this one. Just shut up."

             
Kaylie wasn't sure what she'd just overheard. Devlin didn't seem too concerned as they walked down a short slope to a flat barbecue area near the lake with about twenty picnic tables. It was meant for families most likely but the entire area was completely over run with bikers. Then again, Kaylie saw a few kids running around here and there. Bikers had families too.

             
She grinned a little bit at the incongruous sight of a huge tattooed man in leather lifting a little girl in a ballerina costume onto his shoulders. As soon as the man saw Devlin and her, he walked over. In fact, it seemed like everyone started to come over. They were swarmed in minutes as people approached to give Devlin their respects.

             
"This must be Kaylie. I'm Bob and this is Sally. Congrats on graduating, honey."

             
The big man held out a beefy hand. Kaylie shook it shyly before reaching up and shaking the adorable little girls hand, making her giggle.

             
He'd told them about her. When?