Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (64 page)

She looked down and shrugged. “I didn’t really like them anyway to be honest.” The dog nudged her hand.

Morgan said, “I think he likes you.”

“I like him, too.” She put her hand on his velvety nose and asked, “What’re you going to call him?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Do you always just do things on the spur of the moment?”

“Some things. Not everything.”

She sighed and dropped her hand. “I wish I could do that.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Because…” She stopped. How could she tell him the truth? How could she say she was bound by her name, by the fact of her birth, by years of grooming and expectations? He would either think she was just another poor little rich girl or a perfect idiot. “I guess there are too many reasons not to.”

“Do you want a dog?”

She said, “I’d love a dog but my apartment building doesn’t allow anything over twenty pounds. I think, even as badly as he’s been left to go hungry, he’s way over that. But…but I’d be happy to help you with the vet care for him. He really needs some.”

“I have a vet, a damn good one, and he’s used to me pulling stunts like this. He’s also got a huge acreage outside the city where he, shall we say, fosters, some of my finds.”

He surprised her continually. “So this isn’t a one-time dog stealing stunt?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

They both burst into laughter. Katie cleared her throat and suggested shyly. “Maybe you should give me your number. That way if I spot a dog in need of rescuing I could call you.” Her pulse sped up as soon as the words left her mouth. Daring was not a word anyone normally associated with her, and with good reason. She’d been raised not to take chances. Her whole life had been an exercise in restraint and doing exactly what was expected.

She had never asked a man for his number. She always had to worry whether a man she met was interested in her, or the money associated with her name. Morgan had no idea who she was, and if she was lucky, he wouldn’t find out until after…

After what?

After he had a chance to get to know her as a person?

Her heart sank. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her. He was a wild creature and she was a caged one. They couldn’t ever understand each other.

Morgan grinned. “I should. But not just so you could call me about a dog needing rescue. I mean, so you can call me.”

Her throat went tight. What was she supposed to say to such a direct statement? “Um, do you want to put my number in your phone too?”

“I do.” He leaned closer.

His body was so close, so close she could feel the heat coming off him. The charisma coming off him was so strong she felt like she might drown in it. She wanted to drown in it. She wanted to touch him, to reach out and test the strength of his shoulders and arms, to feel his lips on hers.

Her body swayed toward his. Her breath caught. Her mouth was a bare inch from his, her face upturned to his. Her eyes peered into his, and his bore right back into hers. Her heartbeat sounded out once, twice, and then the dog let out a low whimper.

They both stepped back and looked down.

Morgan said, “I think he’s in need of some medical care and a warm bed. Plus, he wasn’t alone when I found him, and the other dogs are already at the vet. He’s probably getting anxious.”

Katie took out her phone. “You never gave me your number.”

The kiss that could have been hung in the air between them. Her heart cried out that it wasn’t fair. It had been so close, so very close—he had been so very close. Close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss.

Dammit! Why hadn’t she kissed him?

Morgan took her phone and put his number into it. “If you call me I’ll have your number too.” She paused only a millisecond and then she hit the screen. The phone in his jacket pocket lit up and rang.

He grinned at her. “I’ll see you later Katie.”

“Yes,” she said in a hoarse voice. “I’ll see you later.”

He reached out. Her mouth dropped open as his hand moved along the loose fall of her braid. “You have grass all over you.”

She looked down and chuckled ruefully. She brushed her hands down the front of her pants then the back. His hand stayed on her hair. He let it go finally and she stepped back. Her tongue came out and touched the top of her upper lip.

He murmured, “Good night Katie.” Then he lightly touched the dog on its head. It looked up at him with adoring eyes and padded along beside him on the short rope until they reached their cars.

She got into hers, he got into his. Katie fought back the urge to follow him; telling herself it was against the law to stalk someone didn’t really help either. If ever there was a man worth breaking a few laws for, it was Morgan.

Damn! Morgan couldn’t believe his luck. He’d run right into the woman who had captured his imagination, and what was more, she was even more interesting than that encounter at the bar had led him to believe.

He’d seen the car she drove. Modest and slightly dented on one corner. He’d expected her to freak when the dog jumped on her and then knocked her down, but she’d been a good sport about it, and ready to fight him when she had first seen the poor mutt. She was second-glance worthy. Interesting no doubt.

Speaking of poor mutts. He looked over at the dog sitting in the front seat. “You have no loyalty buddy! Not that I blame you in this instance. If I had my choice between me and her, I’d have gone after her too.”

The dog lolled out his tongue and closed its eyes. It was obviously in pain, and the shock of its being taken from the place where it had been abused for so long was starting to set in. Morgan put a gentle hand on its shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry buddy. We’re going to get you cleaned up and healed. Then we’re going to get you back to where you started. I know someone out there misses you very much.”

The dog whimpered. Morgan nodded. He drove a little faster but not crazy. It wouldn’t do to kill the two of them before he got the dog some help.

His mind flickered back and forth between Katie and the mess at the house of the other club.

Who had decided to kill the whole crew? Why?

Would Katie call? If not, should he call her? Who was she really? 

That was a good question too. Getting involved with a woman he knew nothing about was risky. He had done it before. Once. Only once.

He didn’t even want to think about it.

Mona had been like lightning in a bottle, all flash and beauty, and utterly destructive. She had nearly destroyed not just his heart, but the entire club. He had learned then and there to never allow that to happen again.

Women came and went. Brothers were forever. What had one of the older guys joked about?
Bros before hoes
? Yup, that was it.

It was loyalty that counted and when it came down to it, most women could not be counted on to be loyal. Those who were, were fiercely loyal, but most of the ones who had drifted in and out over the years were as fickle as the wind. They wanted the excitement and the danger, until they didn’t anymore. They wanted their men to ride, until they wanted them to do something else instead.

Mona
.

He hadn’t thought of her in years. The only reason she was in his head now was because he had the same reaction to Katie he had back with Mona. Instant attraction, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Back with Mona, he had not looked too deeply into what was happening around him, or to her. She’d been the daughter of a cop, but he hadn’t known. He hadn’t realized she had a lot of baggage, like the short stint in a mental ward, and a crazy-ass ex who thought Morgan had been the reason she’d suddenly decided to leave. He had dismissed her love to party as her being a wild, free spirit. He hadn’t realized she was an addict until her addiction and vindictiveness got the clubhouse shot up and raided, all in the same week.

That memory soured his mood. He was piqued by Katie, but he would not let anything stand between him and his club, not even a woman as attractive as Katie was.

Never again.

Ever.

**

Katie nodded at George, the doorman, as he held the door for her and uttered a respectful, “Welcome home, Miss Wilkes.”

She was usually chatty with him, but tonight her mind was far away, lodged on Morgan. She went to the elevator and used her key to allow herself access to the higher floors. The car zoomed upward. The penthouse was a stunning thing, all tall windows looking out over the skyline and modern furniture whose clean stark lines never failed to depress her. She would have redecorated it, but it belonged, like everything else, to the Wilkes corporation and she had been given the key when she returned from college and started working.

She kept meaning to move out, to get a place that was solely her own but she never did. She wondered, for the millionth time, if it was apathy or just fear. Either way, it amounted to the same thing. She continued to live in the penthouse she didn’t feel comfortable or at home in.

She set her bag down and went to the refrigerator. She wanted the sandwich. It had been a long day and she had skipped lunch in favor of that horrifying drink, and then later she had the sandwich, but the dog had needed it more.

As she pulled the makings of a salad out she found her lips curving into a smile. A man who probably rode a big, fast bike, rescued neglected dogs, sat in bars in the middle of the day, and had a body made for sin distracted her thoughts.

No wonder she was so fascinated by him.

She sighed and chopped a small pre-cooked chicken breast, added olives and shredded cheese to the salad mix, found a tomato in the back of a drawer and cut it into her bowl as well. She made two slices of toast and added a generous dollop of dressing to her bowl before she sat down at the gleaming granite countertops. Bronzite, she remembered as her eyes wandered across the counter.

Expensive and shiny. Just like her life.

Why not walk away? That was the question Morgan had been posing to her all day. Why not walk away and do what she wanted to do? Why not just say this was her life and she had the right to live it in a way that made her happy?

What would her father say if he knew she’d given her number to a biker? The grin on her mouth felt priceless. He would likely have one of his infamous talks with her and tell her she was being foolish with her safety. He would point out all the times she had dated men she thought were interested in her and had found out later they only wanted the advantages she could bring to them. He would point out that Derek Mills, the son of a man her father knew well and who had vast holdings of his own, was a good catch and interested in her.

He would say that they made a good match. The best match. And that dating anyone else was foolish—a waste of time.

She set her empty bowl aside, took a deep breath, and called Morgan.

**

Morgan had just finished dropping the dog off with Clive when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he saw Katie’s number on the screen. “Hello, gorgeous!”

Her throaty voice came over the line, “Hi, I know I probably should’ve waited to call you. I think there’s a rule that you wait a day or two even.”

“I was never very good at following the rules.” He laughed, pleased she had called.

She chuckled. “Yeah, I kinda guessed.”

Silence followed.

Running his teeth over his lower lip, he asked, “Did you manage to save the pants?”

“Pants? Oh yeah! I mean, no. But it’s okay. How’s the dog doing?”

“He’s been better. He’s going to need some care. I think the place I got him from most likely stole him from a very caring owner. He’s been trained, and he’s gentle. Not at all in keeping with the people I took him from, so after he heals I’m going to try to find his owners.”

“Good.”

More silence.

Morgan took a shrewd guess that she wasn’t used to calling men. Especially men like him. “Hey, would you like to take a ride?”

“A ride?”

“On my bike.”

Her breath caught. He heard it. “Yes. Um, wait, when?”

“How about now? I could pick you up, it’s not that late.”

“No. Wait! I meant, no it isn’t late.” Her laugh came out nervous and fast.

“Where?”

“Um, you mean where should you pick me up?”

He was torn between amusement and confusion. Katie seemed so self-assured, or from what he had seen of her, but right then she sounded totally lost. “Yeah.”

“Oh, uh… I’m housesitting right now. Sort of. For my boss. I could meet you out front. Wait! Even better, there’s a coffee shop on the corner of Wilson and Broward. How about there?”

“That’s perfect.” He knew the corner. The neighborhood was a mix of trendy condominiums and restaurants. The corner she’d mentioned would be easy to pull up to. “I’ll see you in, say, an hour?”

“Perfect.” She hung up.

Morgan took the phone away from his ear, stared at it and then shook his head. Going for a ride tonight was stupid. He was tired, and he had a lot to sort out. It was possible he had been seen riding toward the bloody clubhouse. Still, the idea of her on the back of his bike with that magnificent body of hers pressed against him was too tempting to resist.

He grabbed his leather jacket and headed outside to his bike. Swinging a leg over it, he cranked it up. The thunderous roar pulsed through the night and through his body. It made him feel more alive than anything else. He headed back toward the place he’d said he’d meet her, all his thoughts of caution forgotten.