SLAM HER(23)

I closed the hood.

I walked around and started the car. It fired right up, no issues at all.

I left the door open and stood in the way to make damn sure Belle wasn’t going to skate away from me.

As she approached, the sun was setting. The colors spread across the sky. It was just me and her standing there. I had sent Ari back to the clubhouse.

Belle stopped with just inches between us.

“You’re all set,” I said.

“Thanks,” she whispered. “I have some money…”

“No. No money, babe. Just remember who did this for you.”

“And that’s it?” she asked.

“That’s about it,” I said.

I stepped to the side and gave her a path. She stepped forward and I shot my right hand out, touching her waist. I leaned in close to her, so close I could smell the sweetness of her skin and the fruitiness of her shampoo.

I planted a kiss to her cheek and ran the tip of my nose to her ear and went up.

“See you around, babe,” I whispered.

I walked away without looking back. I didn’t need to, I knew her face was red and her jaw dropped. Shit, I could have ripped her apart right there on the hood of the car.

But I guess I was just planting seeds, yet again.

I got on my ride and took off, letting the wind rip at my face. But nothing was going to calm down what I had going on between my legs. I was hard as a rock.

All because of sweet and pretty Belle.





sixteen



(slam)



NOW



I put my foot up on the picnic table, almost dumbfounded.

What the f*ck was that about?

Belle looked ready to jump down to the rocks. That was a pretty stupid thing to even consider, joking or not. Unless she actually wanted to hurt herself.

Goddamn, were things that bad for her?

Her old man must have overprotected her like crazy…

Her cell phone vibrated on the table again.

Or was it something more?

I leaned over and looked at the screen.

The message was from someone named Kyle.

I made fists and gritted my f*cking teeth. I felt a surge go through me like goddamn poison. I knew what kind of poison it was - jealousy. Some other guy trying to get up on Belle bothered me. Eventually someone was going to grab that cherry and pluck it. Someone was going to get inside her. Shit, for all I knew, someone had already been staking their claim. Not that I gave a shit. I wasn’t as much of a settler as a Viking. I came, took what I want, f*cked what looked good, and left.

Belle would be no different.

I tried really hard to mind my own business, but I knew the perils of that too. I lost a brother once by not snooping enough. I had let my mind settle and just f*cking assumed the world was going to be okay when it wasn’t.

I wasn’t going to let that happen with Belle.

I reached across the table and grabbed her phone. One swipe and I was reading text messages from this Kyle guy that made my blood boil.

The last message he sent?

I just drove by your apartment. You’re not home. I need to see you. Right now.

Who the hell would send a message like that to a woman? My mind raced faster as I kept reading these messages that were all borderline psychotic. Was that why Belle had come to the garage and left with me on my ride? Was she trying to get away from this Kyle guy? Shit, why not tell her old man? Chief Richards would probably castrate someone for touching his precious daughter.

Well, I got that answer a few text messages back.

Your father gave his blessing, Belle. We are destined to be together. There’s nobody else but me.

“Christ,” I said and spun the phone back around.

I shook my head.

So her father approved of this psycho?

Of course he would.

So Belle was being tossed into this life of hers.

Shit, and I was there to f*ck it up even more.

Before I could get one thought to myself she appeared from the back of Auntie Ang’s, with Auntie Ang behind her with two plates with pizza.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

“Here you go, Spencer,” Auntie Ang said. “I’d offer you a drink but there’s no way someone as beautiful as Belle is getting on the back of a motorcycle with you after a drink.”

“Agreed,” I said and eyed Belle.

She blushed.

“Thank you,” Belle said to Auntie Ang.

I grabbed a slice of pizza and downed it in three big bites. I was agitated and ready to explode.

Belle took a few bites and the awkward silence between us couldn’t last for long.

“Say something,” I said. “Because in about two minutes I’m going to ruin the rest of the day.”

“What…”

“Just do it, babe.”

“This place then,” Belle said. “That lady.”

“How do they connect to me?”

“Yeah.”

“Auntie Ang is not my aunt. I used to hide out here to avoid my father. My house was hell, always hell. So I would come here. When I’d have no money, Auntie Ang would put me to work. Her husband, Big Tony, was still alive then. He used to talk to me all the time. I’m pretty sure he was in the mafia so that’s where my love for the outlaw began. He died when I was eleven. It was devastating to me. Worse than when my father died. The last thing he ever told me… ‘anyone ever gets in your f*cking way, kid, you f*cking hit them as hard as you can… and if they hit you back, then you didn’t get them hard enough. And if anyone ever hits you first, kid, you get back up… and you keep getting back up until they f*cking kill you. A real man dies with honor, not f*cking memory.’ That always stuck with me. I started helping Auntie Ang here more and more. Then I started running outlaw. One night I got into something bad and came here to clean myself up. Auntie Ang was waiting for me. She let me hide out and lied to the cops for me. She took care of me. She was even there when I got patched into the Reap. Like a proud mother watching her kid graduate high school or some shit.”