Satin and Steel (9 page)

“You’re drunk.” Dax held out his hand to help Rhee up, raising his eyebrows as she slapped it away.

Rhee clambered to her feet and the yard seemed to spin. She was determined not to let him touch her. God, if he touched her, she wasn’t sure what she would do. Dax was so, well so freaking
hot.
Other than that awful first relationship, and the traumatic incident at
Tu Madre
, Rhee had next to no experience with boys, let alone a full-on man like this one.
Stepfathers don’t count!
Ugh. She pushed that thought right back into her gut, which was starting to roil. Rhee’s usual reaction to the guys who hit on her was revulsion. But Dax, no Dax made her senses reel.

Rhee gulped imagining being in the tall biker’s arms and feeling his hot mouth pressed against hers.
Oh God, I have to get away from him!
Her breath was coming in short pants as she stomped towards the door with drunken determination. It seemed so far away. A wave of nausea washed over her, silencing her passionate thoughts. Suddenly, Rhee wasn’t feeling so well.

“Rhiannon.”

She paused as a blurry, but still so freaking hot, version of Dax filled her vision.

“Are you okay?”

Rhee managed a pasty smile. He was so sweet, taking care of her these last few weeks, almost like the big brother she never had. Dax made sure she ate, slept, and was clothed. He was even helping to look for Mickey. Tears came to her eyes as her sister came to mind.

“Um, I-I…” Rhee didn’t get any farther before her stomach clenched violently and she fell to her knees. She was vaguely aware that Dax was holding her hair as the contents of her stomach splashed onto the ground. She heaved for a few more moments and then leaned against the wall, staring at Dax’s black leather boot.

“I’m sorry,” she said weakly. She couldn’t look at him. Dax responded by lifted her into his arms. For once, Rhee didn’t protest. His scent somehow soothed her nerves and her unsettled tummy.

“Looks like I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you, little girl,” he remarked softly as he carried her back inside. Her body sang at his touch, and her heart jumped at his words. But Rhee, even though she was intoxicated, recognized that his comment didn’t mean anything, not really. Dax had a sexy, doctor girlfriend. Rhee couldn’t compete with that.

Some hours later, Rhee groaned.
Not smart, soldier.
The faint smell of vomit reached her nostrils and she made her way into the bathroom. The warm spray of the shower cleansed away the smell but not her sense of wrongdoing.
I am such an idiot!

Rhee realized that her borrowed clothing was due for a wash. She hesitated a few moments before rummaging around in Dax’s closet. It was felt too intimate to be wearing a guy’s clothing, especially this guy’s clothing, but she really had no choice. She dug out one of his tee shirts and a pair of sweats, which were ridiculously huge on her. They smelled like Dax, though, and that made Rhee’s pulse race. Finally, she collapsed on his bed. Where was he? Where was Mickey? How long could she keep up the façade that threatened to crack every night when the sun went down, when it was time to sleep, perchance to dream?

Wince hung his head as they sat around the table after the latest meeting. He could tell that Dax was pissed. The kid assumed it was because he had allowed Rhee to get so smashed. But, there had been no instructions about that. Dax had said she could do as she pleased as long as Wince kept an eye on her. Wince wanted to explain that the drinking game had been Rhee’s idea. He would leave out how much fun it had been getting to know the girl under that careful mask she usually had up. After the meeting, Wince sought out his vice president at the clubhouse bar.

“Hey. Dax? Can I speak with you?”

Dax grumbled a reply, swirling his whiskey around in his glass.

“Is-is Rhee okay?”

Dax fixed an intense glare on the kid. “She was pretty sick, man. What the fuck were you thinking?”

Wince’s face fell. Haltingly, he explained that Rhee had instigated their drinking game. Dax wanted to know if anything else had occurred. At first, Wince wasn’t sure what Dax was getting at. Once he figured it out, Wince denied that anything had happened between himself and Rhee vehemently because truly, nothing
had
happened. Nothing had come anywhere close. Not that Wince would have minded. Rhee was smart, funny, and super hot. Dax demanded that Wince recount everything about his conversation with the stowaway. Finally, Dax wanted to know if Wince was attracted to the girl. Wince raised an eyebrow at this. Dax had an old lady. It was a little strange that he was so interested in the stowaway.

“Dax, she’s hot, of course, but it’s just not like that. Rhee’s funny, and sweet. She needed a friend. She needed to have some fun. I haven’t seen that girl smile once until this afternoon.”

Dax stiffened at this comment. Wince looked nervous, but Dax could see that the kid really meant no harm. Wince and Rhee were close in age. If it weren’t for the current predicament, the girl would be off at college, getting drunk with frat guys or whatever it was single girls did there. Maybe she did just see the kid as a friend, someone she could act stupid and silly with. Finally, Dax felt some of the tension seep out of his body. He clapped Wince on the back.

“It’s cool, man. I just don’t need that girl relapsing. She was pretty messed up when I brought her in.” Wince nodded gratefully and went to go roll a joint.
Phew!

As his anger ebbed, Dax realized that it wasn’t really anger at all. It was jealousy, pure and simple. Dax was confused by his feelings. Why would he be jealous that Rhee had decided to let her guard down with the kid?
She can do whatever she wants, she’s not mine,
a voice of reason piped up from somewhere in his head
.
Dax signaled to Rollie for another whiskey. Maybe another drink would help him figure out why he wanted to be the one who made that girl smile and laugh.

When he finally stumbled back to his bunk, Dax realized that more than four whiskeys were never a good idea.
No way in hell I’m driving us back to my pad.
He sighed as he fumbled with the door. Impaired though he was, the muffled shriek that came from inside the room put his senses on high alert. He barged into the room to find Rhee in the throes of another nightmare. She flailed, fighting an imaginary attacker, whom he assumed was Juan. He switched on the bedside lamp and called her name.

“No, Marco! No!”

Marco?
Who the hell is Marco?
In the dim light, he could see that the Rhee was outfitted in one of his white undershirts. Although she was clearly distressed, part of Dax’s brain registered how incredibly endearing and sexy she looked. His shirt was miles to big for the girl, and he could see the outline of her tits pressing against the thin, white material. He felt his groin tighten with desire, and Dax swallowed hard.

“No!” Rhee’s fist came up and Dax reflexively caught her hands, recalling the last time he had tried to intervene during one of her night terrors. He pulled her into a bear hug and she struggled at first. Then, she seemed to wake up and took a shuddering breath.

“Dax?” Her voice was small, pitiful really.

“Another bad dream, sweetie. It’s all right.” He found himself pulling her closer, stroking her hair.
Just soothing a scared kid
, he told himself.

Rhee was pressed into Dax’s hard chest, her cheek against his heart. She was still half-asleep.
This has turned into a wonderful dream!
She could hear a gentle lub-dub as he cradled her to him. She held herself stiffly at first, but as his hands worked through her hair, Rhee found that she was relaxing, no, more like melting, into his body. She let out a long, deep sigh, going limp in Dax’s arms.

His smell was intoxicating. His hands in her hair hypnotized her into a puddle of sleepy contentment. The magical fingers drifted to the nape of her neck and paused briefly before traveling down to caress her spine and the small of her back. Down and up, down and up, he rubbed firmly over her taut muscles. Rhee sighed again, her arms finding their way around his waist.

“Mmm,” she murmured. Rhee was vaguely aware that her voice sounded not unlike a cat’s contented purr as Dax held her, touched her, buried his face in her hair. Then, he was leaning back, reclining into the pillows, taking her with him.

“Dax?” Now her tone was insecure, anxious.

“It’s okay, baby. I won’t hurt you. You know that. Just lie here and rest. No bad dreams while I’m around, right?” Carefully, he settled her petite frame in the crook of his arm, her head resting over his heart.

Rhee felt a deep sense of fulfillment that she couldn’t remember ever feeling as she lay there in Dax’s arms, hearing his heart beating, breathing in his raw, male smell. Sleepily, she nestled against the tall muscled biker.
He’s so warm.
Why does this feel so right?
Then, she slept. This time, there were no bad dreams. In fact, there were no dreams at all.

Chapter Eight

Dax woke up with a raging hard on. Rhee was draped across his body like a comfortable blanket. But Dax was anything but comfortable as he registered the feel of her ripe body pressing into him.
I should get up.
The best thing to do would be to get up. But for some reason, Dax couldn’t make his body obey his righteous thoughts. He resigned himself to remaining just where he was, scarcely moving lest he wake the girl. Rhee chose that moment to move slightly, her hand coming down to rest low on his belly. Dax let out a tortured groan at the soft scrape of her nails against his navel. He felt like a kid, about to spill his load on his first date.

Rhee came up through layers of pleasant, floating clouds. She felt warm, safe, and protected as she cuddled closer to the source of the tantalizing heat that enveloped her. She yawned, trying to recall the last time she felt this rested. Then, her eyes shot open as she discovered that she was in Dax’s bed. And so was he.

Rhee froze, taking in her predicament. Her leg was slung over Dax’s hip, and her hand stretched across the man’s taut abdomen. An embarrassing rush of wet heat began to pool between her legs and she could practically see herself blush from head to toe. Gingerly, she disentangled her leg and arm, pulling herself into a tight little ball. Her heart was very nearly in her throat.
Oh God, what if he wakes up!

Dax watched her reaction from a slightly raised lid. It was all he could do to avoid chuckling. Rhee moved so carefully, as though he was a bomb that might explode at any moment. Dax glanced down ruefully at the large bulge in his boxers.
Well, that part might be true!
Rhee feigned sleep as she curled onto her side, facing away from him.
Definitely not the response I usually get from chicks!

Rhee heard Dax yawn and stretch before he got up and padding to the bathroom. He didn’t seem surprised at all to wake up with her in his bed.
Well, I suppose it happens all the time, what with the Phantom groupies hanging all over him and his girlfriend a hundred miles away!
The shower went on and Rhee wrestled with the idea of feigning sleep until he left the room. That preferable option went out the window when Dax stuck his wet, tousled blond head into the room. She regarded him with her eyes open only a slit.
It should be a crime to be that hot!

“Wake up, stowaway. I’m taking you to breakfast.”

Dressed in yet another tight, borrowed outfit, Rhee found herself on the back of Dax’s bike wearing a small, black helmet that matched his own. The brisk air blasted any residual sleepiness from her eyes as they gunned it through some traffic and then the rest of the town flew by. Dax turned down a small road and the traffic lessened noticeably. Then, he pulled up to a small establishment that had no sign, but the bikes parked in front marked it as a popular place. Finding that she was reluctant to remove her hands from his waist, Rhee was sorry the ride was over.

“Honey love!” A grandmotherly African American woman bustled out from behind the counter to grab Dax’s chin and plant a kiss on his cheek.

“May,” Dax greeted, kissing the woman’s hand.

“Now, who is this little birdie?” May turned a kindly eye on Rhee. She looked the her up and down and then turned her sharp gaze back to the tall biker.

“She ain’t more than skin and bones, honey love. Don’t you feed your friends? Come here little bird,” May reached for Rhee’s hand and she took it, slightly embarrassed.

“Ya’ll come sit back here in my best booth. I’ll get some meat on your bones!”

Rhee followed the woman shyly and sank into the comfortable red seat. Dax folded his long legs into the booth opposite her. When two coffees arrived, Rhee reached for the sugar just as he did, and their hands brushed. Rhee jerked her hand away.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, praying her cheeks didn’t turn red yet again.

When she looked up next, Dax was watching her speculatively. “Do I make you nervous?”

“What? No!”

“Okay, then.” Dax seemed pleased with himself as he began to stir his coffee in maddeningly slow swirls. Rhee felt irritation settle in at his Johnny Cool attitude.

“Look, I appreciate breakfast and-and all of your help so far. But I really need to get back to looking for Mickey. I can’t just sit here and wait! The semester starts in a few days and I’m no closer to finding my sister than I was a month ago!”

Dax took a long swig of coffee. He raised two fingers at May, who yelled back that whatever he had ordered was coming right up. Rhee huffed impatiently. Finally, he spoke.

“That’s why we’re here, little girl. I have some intel on your sister. But you’re not going to like it. And you’re not gonna go running off like a vigilante schoolgirl on your own.”

Rhee turned red, but not because she was embarrassed or annoyed. Nope, this time she was downright angry.

“I’m starting to dislike how you think you can just order me around, Dax! Tell me what you know, or I’m outta here!” Rhee started to stand, looking to the exit.