SHADES: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series Book 3) (3 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Shades watched Skylar walk toward him, another brother’s arm around her, and his gut twisted. His mind drifted back to the first time he’d laid eyes on her. She’d been young then, eighteen, if he remembered correctly. At the time, he was just a prospect and had been ordered to guard the back gate for an all day party the club was having.

Ten years ago—

Shades stood at the back gate and Boot, a full patched member, was standing next to him when an old Mustang drove up and parked in the adjacent grassy lot. It stopped in a cloud of dust, and Shades watched as two hot young babes emerged and strutted toward them.

“Who’re they?” he asked.

Boot lit a smoke, looking over at the two girls. “That’s Letty, Crash’s little sister. The other one’s her friend. And don’t even think about it, Prospect. They’re off limits.”

The girls had smiled brightly at Boot as they’d breezed through the gate. Shades’ eyes skated over the first one, a pretty girl with dark blonde hair that hung to her waist, and moved on to land on the second girl. She was a knockout. Her silky dark hair also hung to her curvy bare waist, exposed between her low-cut jeans and skimpy top. His eyes slid down over her body and a pair of very long legs encased in those tight jeans. She smiled at the two men as they entered, and Shades caught his breath when he got a close up of her face. She had the most amazing vibrant blue eyes that stood out all the more in contrast to her dark hair.

Hot damn. She sure was a looker.

Almost unaware he was doing it, he murmured, “Christ, that girl’s got it goin’ on.” His eyes followed her swaying ass as she walked away, and what a fine ass it was. Thoughts of how it’d feel to grab her by the hips and pull her back against his straining cock filled his head. The fantasy didn’t last long before it was broken by a hard fist pound to his chest. He yanked his gaze around to see a stern expression on Boot’s face.

“What’d I just say, Prospect?”

“Hands-off. I heard you.”

“Don’t fuckin’ forget it or Crash and Cole will both tear you up,” Boot warned.

“Cole? What does he care?”

“Cole looks after that one like she was his own little sister, and since he’s your fucking sponsor, you had best just fucking steer clear.”

“All right, old man. All right.”

All through the party, he kept track of her, though. She was definitely not at all like the type that usually caught his eye, bleach-bottle-blondes who dressed in trashy clothes with piercings, tattoos and a hard edge. This girl couldn’t be further from that. She was dark haired, long and lean. Her skin was perfection with not a mark on it as far as he could see. Everything about her said clean, fresh and soft. And damned if it didn’t call to him.

And then finally she turned and met his gaze. He watched a shy smile form on her face that told him she knew he’d been tracking her movements. In return, he let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, and he lifted his chin to her.

Once they’d made that initial connection, he kept catching her glances, and each time he’d smile at her, she’d return a shy smile back. Eventually, she walked toward him, and he couldn’t stop the need that filled his gut as he watched her approach.

“Hey.” She gave him another one of those cute as hell shy little smiles.

“Hey, darlin’. How’s it goin?” he answered, figuring a little small talk wouldn’t get his ass in trouble, but still he glanced around the crowd, looking to see who was paying them any attention.

“Good party.” Her eyes moved over the crowd as well.

“Yeah. Dead throw a good party.” Taking a hit off his cigarette, he studied her. “You havin’ a good time?”

She shrugged. “Parties aren’t really my thing. I kind of got dragged here by my friend.”

He flicked his cigarette, sending it sailing into the alley.

She looked him up and down. “Don’t you like parties either? You’re standing over here all alone.”

Her voice did things to him. It was low and sexy and kind of shy. He couldn’t keep his eyes from dropping to her breasts, and as he watched, her nipples pebbled in response. Wrenching his gaze back to her face, he stood in the entrance, fighting the overwhelming need to reach out and touch her, or if he was being honest, haul her into his arms. He shoved his hands in his pockets before he did something stupid in front of a yard full of club members. And touching her would definitely be a stupid move, especially when he’d been warned.

“Gate duty. Gotta make sure the uninvited stay out.” He grinned and gave her a wink.

“Do you have to do this for the whole party?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Been here since about 8am this morning and I’ll probably be here till 2 or 3am tonight.”

“Wow. That’s a long time.”

“Life of a prospect, darlin’. Eighteen hours on your feet, standing at a gate wishing for something to eat or just some fucking water. One or two hours of sleep a night. Surviving on Red Bulls, cigarettes, Starbucks and ephedrine.”

“Ephedrine? Like in diet pills?”

“Yeah, I know, but amphetamines give me headaches so,” he shrugged, “I stick with the cheap substitutes.”

“That sounds rough. Don’t they let you have a break?”

“Nope.”

“Can I get you a beer or something?”

“Darlin’, if I drank a beer right now, I’d fall asleep standing up. But I’d kill for a bottle of water.”

She smiled. “Coming right up.”

When she returned, he grinned. “Thanks, sweetheart. You’re a lifesaver. I’m in your debt.” He guzzled it down and watched as she pulled two more from her shoulder bag and set them on the ground by the wooden privacy fence.

“For later.”

“What’s your name, my beautiful angel of mercy?”

“Skylar. And you are?”

“Shades.”

“Hi.”

“Gotta tell you, Skylar, I’ve been warned off you.”

“Why?” she asked with a frown, her eyes glancing around the back lot.

“Not just you. You and your friend. She’s a brother’s little sister, so…respect, you know?”

She nodded. “I see.” Chuckling, she glanced over to where her outgoing friend, Letty was hitting on one of the brothers. “Not sure that’s going to stop Letty, though.”

A grin pulled at the corner of Shades’ mouth. “Maybe not. But he’s a full patched member. I’m just a prospect. They’d take my crossing that line a little more seriously I think.”

“Am I going to get you in trouble by standing here talking to you?” Just then, Letty called to her and waved her over. Skylar turned to look, and then looked back at Shades as she began backing away. “Gotta go. It was nice spending time with you, Shades.”

The soft way she said the last bit had his cock responding. He cleared his throat. What the hell was wrong with him? He held his own with some of the baddest of the bad every fucking day, and this little girl had him on the ropes. Fuck.

“Take care, Skylar. Thanks for the water.”

He couldn’t stop himself from watching the mesmerizing sway of her ass as she moved back toward her friend. And damned if she didn’t turn and wink at him before she disappeared into the crowd.

Late that night, as the party was dying down, Shades was finally told he could knock off and go home. He made his way inside to say some goodbyes, and if he was being honest, to look for that little babe, Skylar, telling himself he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

About twenty minutes later, unable to find her, he fired his bike up, headed out the gate and down the street. He didn’t get half a block when he spotted her. She was walking down the street. Alone. At 3am. What the fuck? He let off on the throttle and coasted up beside her.

“Skylar. What the hell are you doing out here?” She turned, almost jumping out of her skin. And then he could see her relax when she realized who it was.

“Oh, Shades. Hey.”

“Babe, this is not a nice side of town. Why’d you leave the clubhouse?”

She shrugged. “Letty was my ride, and she hooked up with someone. And I couldn’t find Cole or Crash.”

“Climb on,” he ordered, hoping she’d be quick so they could get out of there before someone from the club came along and spotted him with her. She didn’t hesitate. He liked that. And he really liked the way her arms came around him, holding tight. He took off down the street, riding a couple of blocks away from the clubhouse before pulling over and asking her, “Where to, darlin’? Where do you live?”

“I was supposed to be spending the night at Letty’s house.”

“I guess that’s out. I can take you to your house,” he offered as he pulled his helmet off and handed it to her.

She took it and quickly strapped it on. “I can’t show up now. It’s 3am. My foster dad will kill me.”

“Foster dad?” he asked, frowning.

“I live in a foster home,” she admitted softly.

“Really?” He twisted on the seat to get a better look at her, kind of shocked by her response. He’d never have guessed that. Not in a million years.

“Yeah.” Her eyes looked away, and her chin came up, and he realized it was a touchy subject for her. He wondered why she’d admitted something so personal to him. They barely knew each other. A fact he’d love to remedy.

“Ok, home’s out. Guess that just leaves my place. You can stay tonight and hook up with Letty in the morning. That work for you?” At the nervous look on her face, he added, “No strings, sweetheart. Just a place to crash. I promise. Besides, I owe you for the water.” He grinned.

She nodded, and he hit the throttle.

He took Interstate 65 over the mountain and south of town, exiting on Route 31 he continued south. It was late, and the streets were deserted. When they neared Shelby hospital, he turned off into a parking lot next to what looked like an auto repair shop. It was a cement block building that sat close to the road. It was painted gray with two bay doors. The parking area to the side and behind the building was gravel and surrounded by a privacy fence and gate. There were about four parking spots out front. He unlocked the gate and they rolled into the lot.

As they dismounted, a dog trotted over to them. “Hey, boy. How you doing?” Shades squatted down, taking the dog’s head in both his hands to scratch the dog’s ears. Skylar, who seemed a little uneasy around the large white pit bull, froze. Sensing her fear, Shades turned to her. “Hey, don’t be afraid. He looks tough, but he’s just a softy. Aren’t you, Toby?”

She hesitantly held her hand out for the dog to sniff, and then she looked up at the building, asking, “Where are we? What is this place?”

Straightening, Shades replied, “This is my shop. I have a small apartment upstairs. Come on.”

“Shop?”

“Auto-body shop,” he explained. “I also do a little mechanic work. Bikes mostly.”

He led the way inside, unlocking the glass shop door. The ceiling above them in the garage area was open. There was an office area ahead and a metal staircase that led to the second floor apartment that was situated over the office area.

She followed him up the stairs, Toby trotting beside them. When they got to the second level, he watched her reaction as she looked around, taking in the space. It was indeed as he’d said, small. There was a bed over by the windows that overlooked the main drag through town. A low dresser sat across from it. On the other side of the room was a small table with two chairs. A tiny kitchenette with a sink, mini fridge and microwave. A door led to a small bathroom with a shower stall. The apartment was open to the level below in a loft style.

True to his word, he didn’t touch her that night. They’d both crashed on the lone bed out of necessity, but they’d just lain and talked mostly.

“So, Skylar, how old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

His head swiveled on his pillow, and he looked at her, his brows raised. “
Damn
, babe. Didn’t think you were
that
young.”

“How old did you think I was?”

“Twenty-one, at least.”

She grinned, turning her head on the pillow. “Really? I look twenty-one?”

Instead of answering her, he stared at the ceiling and mumbled, “Fuck, this is wrong. Big time wrong. You’re just a kid.”

“I am not. Relax.” She laughed at the worried look on his face.

“Jesus Christ, if the club finds out about this, I’m done for.”

She reached up and made an X over her heart. “I won’t tell anyone. Cross my heart.”

“You do, and I’m a dead man, Skylar.”

“And how old are you, Shades?”

“Twenty-three.”

“So, you got an ol’ lady, Shades?”

“Nope. And I ain’t lookin’ for one either.”

“I see.”

He went up on an elbow, turning to face her, his head resting on his hand. “Tell me about the foster thing.” Her eyes went to him, and then looked away. The curtains were open, letting in the moonlight, and he studied her face.