Royal S.O.B. (A Bad Boy Romance) (29 page)

"There's no need to get smart!
That's all you need to know, baby
,"
he growled.

"You're-- you're hurting me," I
stammered, my mind reeling from what I'd allowed myself to get mixed up in. I
cast my eyes to look Blaze dead in the face, making eye contact with him for
the very first time.

As I stared into the deep blue abyss of his
soul-piercing eyes, I could tell there was something more to Blaze's
frightening exterior,
something genuine
.
It actually felt pretty thrilling to be at the mercy of his darkness.

Blaze hung onto me for what felt like forever,
but in reality was just a few moments. He held on long enough for me to get his
message, that I can assure you. I watched as he finished his whiskey in one
swig.

"Better make the next one a double,"
he said, slinging his near-empty glass my way.

"And I don't give a shit if you're
closed."

I nodded and began filling his drink just like
he'd asked.

"So... I haven't seen you in here
before," I said as I slid the fresh whiskey back over to Blaze.

"Just passing through," he muttered,
downing a big gulp.

"How do you like, uh, Pleasant
Hollow?" I asked as I picked up where I'd left off with my wiping.

"It's pleasant," responded Blaze
with a small smile.

I couldn't help but smile, too.
I would've never guessed it at first glance,
but under all those tough layers was a guy with real wit!

The more Blaze and I talked, the more I grew
to like the guy. He was rough around the edges at first, sure, but once we got
past the wall he put up for the world, we were able to engage in surprisingly
deep conversation. I found myself opening up to him more than I'd ever been
able to with anyone before;
I'd never
felt so comfortable sharing my hopes, dreams, and fears, not even with Colby.

Just then, I heard a whisper to my left.

"Harley, what are you
doing
??"
asked Lana.

She'd just finished closing up and had come to
see if I was ready to roll.

"Just... having a conversation," I
whispered back.

"You shouldn't be talking to that man. He
looks dangerous," said Lana, who was checking Blaze out in an uneasy
manner.

"You got a problem?" he said,
downing the rest of his double. He threw his glass back down on the counter and
shot Lana a rather menacing stare.

"No, Blaze, she's cool," I told him.

"Lana here's just a little concerned,
'cuz I don't normally talk to guys like..."

I cut myself off upon realizing what a
completely fucking stupid thing it was for me to say.

"Guys like ME??" he boomed, his
eyebrows raised and tensions clearly running high.

Again he scared me by grabbing onto me, this
time above the elbow, pulling me across the bar and over to him.

"Blaze, I'm-- I'm sorry!" I gasped.

"I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"Little girl, don't you fuck with me. You
don't know the
first thing
about 'guys like me'."

"I'm... gonna go," whispered Lana,
who obviously couldn't wait to GTFO. She scrambled to collect her things and
headed out the bar.

"Call me," she mouthed before
closing the door behind her.

Turning my attention back to Blaze, I said,
"You're right, I don't know anything about guys like you. But I'd love to
get the chance... if you'll have me."

He wasn't anything like Colby, that's for damn
sure. Blaze was rawer, rougher and tougher -- and obviously had a different
breed of life experience under his belt. I couldn't help but wonder what else
he kept "below the belt" --
if
he was rougher all the way through...

Blaze loosened his grip and studied my face
skeptically, considering my proposition.

"Tomorrow. I'll come and get you after
your shift, take you someplace real nice. Just me and that sexy body of yours
-- don't need your friend coming along."

"I... uh..."

I couldn't quite find the words. I was
speechless. I wanted to get to know him, certainly, but didn't know how smart
it'd be to go riding off into the night.

"Are you gonna be ready for me,
baby?" asked Blaze firmly.

Ah, what the hell
. Blaze was the polar
opposite of the safety and security I'd clutched onto my entire life, yet I was
finding it impossible to say no. Something inside of me was screaming
"live a little".

"Su--sure," I said bravely, almost
in disbelief of what I'd just signed up for.

"You got a husband?" asked Blaze,
starting to get up.

"N--no, not a husband. Just a fiancé.
Well... sorta," I explained.

"Don't matter. See you tomorrow, sugar
tits," said Blaze, pulling on his leather jacket and popping the collar.

Suddenly, without warning, he leaned in and
pulled me close, his strong, gloved hands cradling the sides of my face as he
drew me in for a kiss.
A long, hot,
passionate kiss
. At first I was in shock, but after a few tender strokes of
his tongue against mine, I couldn't help but kiss him right back.

I wanted to be caught in that moment forever,
but like all good things, it, too, came to an end. Blaze unlocked his lips from
mine, gave me a quick wink, then grabbed his helmet and sauntered out the door.

I was shaking. Literally shaking. I poured
myself a shot and downed it in one gulp, hoping to calm my nerves and gather my
head.

What had just happened was brand new to me --
it was wholly outside my comfort zone. To have someone like Blaze give me the
time of day... not a boy like Colby, but a
real
man... well, it was scary as fuck. I was beside myself with emotion; I didn't
know quite how to feel.

Back at home, I had a hard time sleeping,
thinking about Blaze. My mind kept racing with thoughts and images of our
encounter...
especially
our kiss. The few minutes of shuteye I did
manage were dominated by lust. I found myself dreaming about all the bad things
Blaze could do to me...
and I barely knew
the guy!

***************

The following night at the start of our shift,
Lana pulled me aside and said, "I can't believe the way you behaved last
night."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling
confused.

"Oh, don't play dumb, Harley. It doesn't
suit you. You're about to be engaged to the sweetest guy on the planet, and
what do you do? Swoon at the first guy who hits on you... a guy in a biker
gang, no less."

"I was just making polite
conversation," I said defensively.

"What makes you think he's part of a
biker gang, anyway?"

"
Berettas
MC
," said Lana, as if it should have been obvious.

"That ain't the name of a non-profit,
honey."

"I love you, but you need to get a
grip," I told her as I picked up a tray of drinks.

"You're completely overreacting."

Lana and I didn't get an opportunity to talk
further about it for the rest of work. When we finally got the chance to sit
down at the end of our shift, we were both pretty wiped by how busy it'd been.

"I think this was my best night in tips
yet," remarked Lana as she happily rifled through her stack of bills.

"You don't suppose it had anything to do
with that new thong of yours?" I teased.

"Nope," replied Lana.

"I'm just a damn good waitress!"

We both laughed, then each took a sip from our
drinks. Lana could see the door from her side of the booth, but I couldn't.

"Well well," she called out,
glancing over my head.

"Here comes trouble."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Blaze, so
big and domineering in the doorway, he almost didn't fit. This time he was
wearing a black form-fitting tank under his leather jacket and a silver cross
chain necklace.

He looked even sexier than I'd remembered.

Lana and I both studied his every move as he
strolled over and let himself into our booth.

"Hi babe," he grunted, throwing an
arm around me.

Lana's eyes were practically bugging out of
her head. It was clear she didn't approve.

"Hi Blaze," I said cheerfully.

"How was your day today?"

"Same ol', same ol'... Nothin' worth
gettin' into," he grunted.

Blaze was looking directly and only at me. It
was as if Lana weren't even there.

"You ready to hit it?" he asked, his
greedy eyes scanning my body from top to bottom.

"What?!" exclaimed Lana, very much
in shock.

"You're not going to
leave
with this guy, are you, Harley??"

"Bitch, it don't concern you,"
snarled Blaze, yanking me close, as if I were his property.

I'd had my doubts up until that point, sure,
but I wasn't going to give Lana the satisfaction of thinking she knew best.
Who did she think she was, some kind of guru
when it came to sorting out the good guys from the bad?
She was probably
just jealous that someone burnin' hot like Blaze was giving me attention and
not her.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of
myself," I insisted as I moved to get up.

"Ready," I said to Blaze, locking my
arm into his.

Lana stared at us, mouth agape, the entire way
to the door.

"See ya, Lana. If Colby calls you, tell
him I got caught up in somethin', okay?"

"Yeah, somethin' stupid," she
replied, muttering under her breath.

But Blaze and I were already out the door.

"Which car is yours?" I asked once
we'd gotten out in the lot.

Blaze emitted a quick "heh" and
shook his head, as if I were born yesterday.

"Baby, I ain't got no car."

He directed me to the back of the lot, the
place reserved for motorcycles. He walked towards the one on the end -- a big,
black, monster of a thing. He stuck a key in the ignition and started the bike
up, the loud rumble of its motor echoing through the night.

"Here, let me show you," said Blaze
as he twirled me around and scooped me into his arms.

Slowly, carefully, he lowered me onto the back
of his bike.

"Ever have somethin' this powerful
between your legs, honey?" he asked, reaching to give me his helmet.

"No, I... I can't say I have," I
replied, my entire lower half paralyzed with pleasure from the vibrations of
his hog.

It wasn't the
only
thing I wanted between my legs...

Throwing a leg over the side of the bike,
Blaze got in front of me and turned a hand to rev the engine.

"Hang on, baby," he told me, taking
my hands and wrapping them around his strong, wide chest.

Blaze bucked the bike back, then turned on a
dime and took off. The tires could be heard squealing in the parking lot as we
left the bar fast and far behind.

"Where are we headed?!" I shouted,
needing to raise my voice over the wind whipping through my hair.

"Someplace that don't take just
nobody," he yelled over his shoulder, the speed of the bike picking up
even more.