What Doesn't Destroy Us (The Devil's Dust #1)(5)

My mother grabs my arm as she catches up and to my dismay, starts in their direction. My mind is still slowly processing the information she shelled out on the plane. I remember we’re seeking protection from a motorcycle club and let her pull me along.

The older guy rises from his bike as we approach and the younger one turns toward my mother. “Lady, I presume?” the delicious biker says to her. As we get closer I can see the patch on the front of his vest reads ‘SHADOW’. He is even more seductive up close. But behind all that beauty I sense a beast. He has the look of someone who’s been damaged, but has a natural allure to hide it. I feel my thighs squeezing to dull the ache between my legs. Fuck! What’s wrong with me? He isn’t possibly turning me on, is he?

“Hell yeah, that’s Lady,” the older biker exclaims, his voice raspy with age and cigarettes. “How the hell have ya been?” Up close I notice he has wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, age has not been kind to him.

“My name is Sadie,” my mother retorts; her tone cold and unfriendly. This guy obviously knows my mother. The way he’s so excited to see her, I feel they must have been friendly at some point. The look on my mother’s face, however, is anything but excited to see an old friend.

I feel Shadow’s presence and look at him. The depth of his blue eyes stirs something in me and my cheeks flush. I have to look away. I know from past experience that guys like him are usually just womanizers. I haven’t been used but I’ve heard guys talking at college; guys that are gorgeous like that. None of them had ever affected me like this, though. Those guys were mere boys compared to Shadow. Shadow is all man. I hear my mother’s words play in my head, “…They are outlaws, Dani. They will try to drag you into their perverse way of life.” I close my eyes tightly, trying to shake off the drowning effect this Shadow has me under.

I open my eyes and try to concentrate on my mom and the older biker. I look to find his name patch: 'LOCKS'. Under that was another patch that read ‘VICE PRESIDENT’ and he has a ‘1%’ patch. ‘Locks’ is an odd name; maybe he’s good at breaking locks or something.

I look back over at Shadow’s vest, curious now. ‘Sargent-At-Arms’ is embroidered on the patch under his name and I notice it has ‘1%’ on it, too. These guys are anything but safe, but I somehow feel they will protect us from the shit my mother has gotten us into. If anything, Stevin will run like a girl when he sees these criminals.

Locks brushes his hand against my mother’s cheek and I see her body tense at the touch. “I will kill the f*cker that did this to you, Lady. That’s a promise!” he says with such fierceness in his tone I know he’s not lying.

I look back at Shadow and he’s looking at what Locks is referring to; my mother’s battered face.

“This is Danielle,” my mother says, pointing at me. “Danielle, this is Locks. We go way back.” My mother points back at Locks, her introduction takes the spot light off of her.

“Hi. It’s so nice to meet you. You can call me Dani,” they both stare at me; Shadow’s gaze making me uncomfortable. ”You… uh… have lovely bikes,” I say, nervously. I am trying to be polite, but I just come out as idiotic. Everyone chuckles. Great, I’m sure they’re thinking I’m some naive bimbo. I blow air into my cheeks as I sigh in defeat.

“Bull wants us to meet him at the clubhouse to go over everything. He couldn’t be here. He had to tie up some loose ends; Club business,” Locks explains as he turns back to my mother. “We had the prospects bring the “grocery getter” to lug you and your shit to the club.” Locks grabs our bags and heads toward the black SUV.

Wow, it’s an Escalade. I’m not sure how an Escalade becomes known as a “grocery getter”.

I start climbing into the back seat and am startled by a deep, smooth voice. I jump and turn with a yelp, just missing bumping my head on the door frame.

“Yeah, Locks doesn’t know shit about vehicles, unless it’s a bike. This Escalade could probably buy his whole f*cking house.” Shadow smirks, ignoring my startled state. He leans on the side of the SUV, his eyes devouring me; making me feel naked.

Holy shit, he’s gorgeous. Up close I notice his ocean blue pupils have a rim of stormy grey around them, painting a picture of an angry ocean fighting a stormy sky. His lips are soft and sensual, his bottom lip plumper than the upper, making me bite my own lip to repress the temptation. I let out a strangled breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The affect he has on my breathing makes him a danger to my health. His smirk turns into a cocky grin as he tucks a loose lock of hair behind my ear. He knows the effect he has on me. By the looks of him I’m sure he has panties dropping for him all the time. I get angry as I think about it. What a player. I already want to shove my foot in his ass.

He holds his hand out to help me into the car and I grab it without a second thought. My betraying body instantly heats at his touch like I’m on fire. His grip tightens and he pulls me closer; our bodies only inches apart. I can smell the soapy scent of his body wash blending with low notes of sweat and exhaust fumes; the smell causes wetness to fill my panties. My body leans even closer; I’m almost panting for his attention now.

“Ahem,” my mother clears her throat, already in the back seat. “Do we have a problem?” she asks, suggestively, snapping me from the daze Shadow has me in. I clearly didn’t have any common sense around him; that alone should make me want to stay away. Who is this guy, and why am I so attracted to him?