Cutter's Hope (6 page)

Cutter’s hands were suddenly both in my hair, gently pushing it back from my face. He smiled like a teenage boy who’d just talked the head cheerleader into the backseat of his car. He smoothed his thumbs along my jaw, his fingertips slipping out of my hairline to rest on either side of my throat, my pulse jumping beneath them. He looked over my face as if committing this moment, my expression, to the deepest recesses of his memory, cementing it there for the rest of his life. He shuddered as if waking from a dream and his smile softened to something more serious.

“Not every man out here is out to dick you over, Sweetheart.
I’m
not out to dick you over… sometimes you just gotta have a little faith,” his smile slipped when I recoiled in horror.

Shit. He knew something! He knew something about Tonya Anon, the last person to see my sister Faith! And here I was, forgetting that he knew something and wouldn’t tell me! So what the fuck was I doing playing tonsil hockey with the son of a bitch on his boat?

I snarled in disgust, more at myself than at him and leapt for the dock. I landed lightly on my feet, as I’d been trained to do, and strode away, and I kept walking until I hit beach, and I kept walking after that. Striding across the sand and away from Anders Cutter Martin. A man who was too easily making me forget myself and what was at stake.

Faith. That was the big fucking problem and why I was here. I didn’t have Faith anymore. My sister was gone and I didn’t know where, or how, or what’d happened and I wasn’t giving up until I knew all of those things and then some and had taken it out on every last motherfucker who’d had a hand in her disappearance.

God
damn it
, I had been stupid back there. I picked up my pace, the sand soft beneath my feet… Fuck! I’d forgotten my favorite heels, just fucking perfect.

Chapter 6

Cutter

“What did I say?” I called to Hope’s retreating back but she was striding away like a fire had been lit under her shapely ass. I blinked and shook my head, marveling. That was
not
the reaction I typically got from women when I turned on the charm. I replayed what I’d said in my head over and over again.

“Not every man out here is out to dick you over, Sweetheart. I’m not out to dick you over… sometimes you just gotta have a little faith…”

I didn’t get it. Something about it had her reeling back like I’d backhanded her straight in the mouth.

I couldn’t help but smile, her mouth had been red, lips swollen from my kiss, from my teeth sinking gently into that lush bottom lip of hers. She’d tasted like candy and damn did I want more of that. I reached into my shorts and stroked my erection. What? It wasn’t like there was anyone out here to watch me and if they were, fuck, that made them the pervert not me. I wrapped my hand around the neck of the wine bottle and drank straight from it.

I really wanted to know what had set her off but there wasn’t any way to find out tonight. I went to head below decks and tripped. Hope’s fancy strappy sandal heels. I smiled. Well at least I had an excuse to see her again. I wondered vaguely if she was going to come back for them. I brought them down below with me, just in case it decided to rain, and dropped them in front of the couch.

With a heavy sigh I finished off the wine and tossed the empty bottle in the recycling under the galley’s small sink. With a stretch I trudged to the bow and dropped my shorts. I hung my cut on the hook inside the door and crawled up into bed. I lay on my back, hands under my head, haunted by calculating deep brown eyes and Hope’s lovely smile, when she gave it. The feel of her lips on mine, tongues touching; her fingertips on my face… Aw fuck.

I took my cock in hand and started jerking it. There wasn’t any way sleep was gonna happen until I did something about it. The girl was phenomenal, there was no denying that. She had looks but didn’t rely on them and I liked that about her. She had brains under that beauty and it’d been a long damned time since fireworks had gone off with a kiss but man,
she could kiss.

I was a steel rod in my fist and I couldn’t help it. I closed my eyes and fantasized about her. About those long toned legs around my hips. I wanted to fuck little Miss Hope against the nearest wall. Drive into her until she came around my cock and spilled all of her secrets and told me her story. Just the thought of her head tipped back, the long line of her lovely throat bared to me as feral sounds poured from it… Jesus. I came in record time. Fuck I wanted to know what she had going on.

I lay panting, staring at the ceiling of my bunk, listening to the water lap against the hull, listening to my breathing slow, and the blood rush in my ears and didn’t feel a damned bit better for the orgasm I’d just had.

“Fuck,” I muttered into the dark. How did I let this bitch under my skin? Better question was, how was I going to play this? Keep my club safe
and
get the girl. I wasn’t looking to fall in love or nothing. Last time I’d pulled that shit had ended in disaster for me. I turned my head and looked at the photo of Li’l Bit. Her green eyes vacant and distant, deep lines of sorrow etched into her face as she stared off into space. Fucking tragic and beautiful at the same time. The kind of image that reaches into your chest and squeezes your heart. I felt a pang of wistful regret and with a sigh got up to clean myself up before my come had a chance to drip onto the sheets.

I’d waited, been there for her and during the height of her grief she’d come to me for comfort and like the selfish asshole I am, I took full advantage of the situation. I know for a fact Reave didn’t hold it against me. I mean fuck, he was gone
six months
or more. I knew that L’il Bit felt a whole lot of guilt for it though, and that part is what made
me
feel guilty. Not that I’d done it, but that she bore the burden of it. I switched on a cold shower and stepped under the spray, rinsing off, lathering up and rinsing off again.

I didn’t think I would ever let myself get over it. I still wasn’t over it, over her… but I had to admit, Hope was providing a nice distraction for the moment. Only thing she was missing was the damsel in distress routine. I
loved
being the big damn hero but at the same time, it was refreshing that Hope was solid and didn’t need saving. In fact she didn’t have a single damned vulnerability that I could see. I shut off the tap and dried off on the way back to bed.

Didn’t have a clue what was going to happen or where shit was gonna lead, the only thing I knew for sure is I needed to protect my club. But I was the kind of guy that liked his beer and drank it too, so I would see what I could do about having the best of both worlds. I stared at the ceiling for a long time, wide awake, my mind turning over the possibilities and roving down every avenue. Last thing I thought of before I finally crashed was, whether I should wait on Hope to come to me like some kind of feral cat, or if I should go to her. Maybe I should leave it up to fate? The town was small enough, I’d be bound to see her again at some point.

Yeah. I’d give it a day or two and see what turned up. That’s what I’d do.

Chapter 7

Hope

I lay in the hammock on the beach between two palm trees, soaking up the sun. It’d been two days since the disaster on Cutter’s boat and I’d had zero luck with the rest of the town on locating any information on Tonya. I’d canvased the entire damn place. Even went so far as to go door to door. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. No one had either seen her, or would admit to seeing her. All roads to Tonya Anon led straight to The Kraken MC’s door.

I needed a time out. To relax, sure, but mostly to think. How the fuck was I going to get those happy bastards to cooperate? So here I was, taking my time out, lazing in the sun and working on my tan. They had about six of these Hammocks all in a row between palm trees just sitting on the beach for anyone to use and so I took advantage. The warmth of the sun soaking into my skin made me drowsy, and I didn’t pay much mind to the first touch on the instep of my right foot. Another came, just above it on my ankle, then another on my shin. I opened my eyes and tensed, staring wide eyed from behind my big, bug eyed, sunglass lenses.

Cutter knelt beside my hammock and placed another gentle butterfly kiss up higher on my shin from the last. I watched him curiously for a minute. He smiled, no,
grinned
and it was one of those secret little boy smiles that immediately made me wet. Fuck. So not fair, the kind of effect he had on me. He pressed a kiss to my knee, all the while his gaze locked with mine and even though I ached to have him keep going, I mean shit, it felt really damn good, I had to open my mouth and break the spell.

“What are you doing?” I demanded and arched one brow, putting on my resting bitch face.

“Seducing you, is it working?” he asked.

I laughed, then stated dryly, “Not really,” when what I really meant to say was,
incredibly well, please continue.
Guess Cutter had some ESP going for him, because he pressed another kiss to my knee, then above my knee and I think I stopped breathing because the playfulness was bleeding out of his eyes and the heat index in them was rising, turning them molten.

“What ‘cha thinking, Sweetheart?” he asked and his voice was low and as sultry as the air around us.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by a nearby shout, “Cutter! You comin’ man!?”

I tipped my face in the direction of the shout slightly but something flashed in Cutter’s gaze and I couldn’t tear mine away from his if I wanted to. My heart rate had picked up some time ago and thrummed in my chest and the side of my neck. I was turned on, I was riding that fine edge of adrenaline and it felt pretty good, I’m not even going to lie.

“Come with us,” Cutter said and the grin was back.

“Where?” I asked, realizing quickly that the only way to what I sought was through the MC and the best way to them was through the man kneeling in the soft sand by my hip.

“Bowling,” he said with that dazzling smile of his.

“
Bowling?”
I asked incredulous. Somehow I did not picture a bunch of badass bikers bowling. I thought about it and nope, never not once ever crossed my mind.

“Bowling,” he stood in one fluid movement and it clicked, why I thought he was so fucking hot. Cutter moved with purpose in everything that he did. He was a trained Marine. Cutter was
dangerous
but his affable personality let you forget that. I gave him a calculating look.

“Have to change unless bikini bowling is in these days, in which case, I don’t care I’m still changing.”

“Seriously, dude? What’s the hold up?” A woman trudged across the sand towards us, shorts and a silver bikini top, she was spectacularly tattooed across her chest and down one arm. The other arm appearing to be a work in progress, her leg also a work in progress, the flowers and butterflies climbing to her knee.

“Hossler, meet Hope. We’re waiting on her to grab a change of clothes and she’s coming with us,” Cutter said.

“Really?” Hoss said dryly and looked me over as if she were assessing a new threat to her territory that she hadn’t realized existed until just right then.

“Really,” I said standing up and gathering my towel and beach tote.

Hossler rolled her pretty blue eyes, “Whatever, just hurry the fuck up already!” she said and turned to walk back towards the boulevard and the line of bikes there.

“Peace offering, Sweetheart,” Cutter said, drawing my attention from the curious woman.

“What?” I asked and he held up my heels.

“Not sure what it was I said to offend, but I apologize.” The charm was back and I smirked.

“Dial it down a notch, Casanova. It wasn’t you, it was me,” I said and took the proffered heels.

Cutter put both hands over his heart and looked pained before saying, “Damn, not even on the second date and I’m getting the ‘it’s me’ speech? That’s got to be some kind of record!” I laughed softly and smiled. I bit my lower lip and nodded slowly.

“Place I’m staying at is two blocks up, where you want to meet me?” I asked.

“Meet you right out front, Darlin’,” he winked at me and I rolled my eyes and shook my head and moved in that direction. Quick rinse, change of clothes and let my hair down and I would be ready to go inside ten minutes. I began walking in that direction.

“Mm mm mm,” I heard from beside me and I glanced over, “Mighty fine ass you got there, Baby.”

I raised an eyebrow at the older biker and I gave him a slight once over, “Nothing to see here, so I’m moving on,” I stated dryly and I knew it came out unfriendly. I meant it to. He was the same guy that’d reluctantly let me into The Plank my second day here, the day I’d met Cutter. He spit on the ground.

“You’d never have it so good,” he said and grabbed his crotch.

“Tiny! That’s enough man, Hope here is our guest and we don’t treat our guests like that. You picking up what I’m putting down?” Cutter called from up the sidewalk.

“Yes, Captain!” Tiny grated. I gave Tiny my most winning smile.

“Nice to meet you too, Tiny,” I said and made my way up to my B&B, an odd mixture of pleased and put out that Cutter had come to my defense. I mean shit, I could take care of myself! I didn’t need anyone looking out for me, but I had to admit, it was nice all the same. Maybe I was just getting tired. My mood was decidedly dejected at having reached yet another dead end in Faith’s case, but I had to admit to a certain amount of lift going on here. Cutter wasn’t pissed, he was providing me an in and I was going to take it. If I had to sleep with him to get him to tell me, then I’d do it. If I did and he still wouldn’t well,
then
I would beat his ass… or try to.

I cleaned up and slipped on a white summer dress with black accents along the top. Really, the straps were black along with the top along where my breasts would be if I had more of them. A thin black bow made of satin ribbon as thin as the spaghetti straps holding the dress up completed the look. I shrugged my feet into my white flip flops and hung my white concealed weapons purse off my shoulder. I whipped through a refresher on my makeup, threw on some clear lip gloss, smiled at myself in the mirror and let down my hair. Whipping a quick brush through it, it fell around my face and shoulders in beach waves. Fitting.