Snowbound with the Biker (Holiday Encounters Book 2) (4 page)

His brows pulled together, his gaze still intense. His mouth stayed in a firm, almost grim line, making the smile fall from my face.

“What are you doing here? Are you in trouble?” Hunter asked.

“Trouble?” I shook my head. I had lost all sense of reality when I made the split second decision to come looking for him, but I don’t think that constituted trouble. “No. No trouble.”

“Logan?”

I wrinkled my forehead. “Logan’s fine. My mom just spoke to him over New Year’s.”

He straightened up from the bar. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. My eyes might have lingered there for a moment, but really I couldn’t be held responsible. The black, long sleeve t-shirt he wore stretched tightly over his pectoral muscles. I don’t think he’d filled out his shirts quite so well a few years ago. I would definitely have remembered that.

“Katelyn.” His voice came sharp and exasperated.

I lifted my eyes to meet his. Oops, busted.

“Are you lost?”

Quite possibly
. Not physically, but mentally…let’s just say I wasn’t going to place any bets on my current psychological state being one hundred percent rational. Why the heck else would I have come to see him on a whim?

But I was here now. And the man of my dreams stood in front of me. I took a train almost an hour from the city just to see him. You’d have thought I’d have spent some of that time coming up with a plan for once I got here. Heck, it hadn’t even occurred to me that he might not be here when I arrived.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my own stupidity. But then I thought of what drove me here in the first place.

“I came here to see you. I’ve missed you and…I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about you lately and when I left work this afternoon, I hopped on a train and came to see you.” How could I explain why I missed him and felt compelled to come here? Blurting out my undying love seemed like a big step for my first foray into going after what I wanted. So I settled for a shrug and a lame finish to my explanation. “And so I’m here. To see you.”

I peered up at him, at once afraid and hopeful of his reaction. If I wasn’t mistaken, the expression that flickered on his face was extreme surprise. But in a blink he shut it down, his expression blank, and I had no hope of figuring out what went on behind his dark eyes. All I could do was wait for him to say something, anything, before I melted into a puddle of mortification on the floor at his feet.

But before Hunter got a word out, a snort came from a few seats down the bar. I whipped my head around to find an older man sitting a few feet away, chuckling into the mug of beer he tipped up to his mouth. A quick glance told me there was no one else close enough for him to be aiming his derisive snort at, so it must be me and my feeble attempt at an explanation.

When he caught me looking at him, the old guy grinned.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Did you say something?”

“Who me?” He shook his head, now chuckling. “Nope. Just listening.”

“You’re listening to my conversation?”

“Yup.” He took a deep sip of his beer and then turned and grinned at me again. “Don’t get too much drama in here outside of the occasional fistfight over a football game. Figure you being here means I’m in for some real entertainment.”

My jaw dropped. I wanted to tell him to mind his own business. But let’s face it. Only a couple of hours into my not-so-nice girl way of doing things, I probably wasn’t going to tell off some strange guy in a biker bar. “Um, well, maybe you wouldn’t mind finding your entertainment elsewhere? I intended this to be a private conversation.”

“Want a private conversation, you ask a man to go someplace private. You start yammering to a man where anyone sitting at the bar can hear, all bets are off, lady.”

I moved my gaze toward Hunter, but found no help there. He just stared at me, a look I couldn’t decipher in his eyes. I rolled my eyes heavenward. Seriously? Was I being tested?

I inhaled sharply and blew out the breath before I turned my attention back to Hunter. His total lack of response to my declaration probably wasn’t a good sign.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip the minute the words passed my lips.
Damn it
. There I go being nice again, worried that it wasn’t a good time for him despite the fact I’d just hauled my cookies all the way up from the city to see him.

Hunter’s dark eyes narrowed. “I want the real reason you’re here, Katelyn. I think the few sentences you said to me since you walked in the bar are more words than you’ve spoken to me in all the years we lived next door to each other. So excuse me if I’m not buying this whole missing me shit.”

I opened my mouth, ready to spew my outrage at his accusation, but snapped it closed again. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly for an instant, completely embarrassed at being called out. He was right.

I liked to blame it on my parents’ disapproval, but the truth was my parents gave me a good excuse not to talk to him. I didn’t have to put myself out there and get my teenage heart crushed by rejection. Not to mention I’d always gotten painfully tongue-tied anytime he got within ten yards of me.

“You ask me, she came here to do some slumming,” the guy at the bar offered.

“Excuse me.” I plunked my hands on my hips and turned toward the man. I didn’t care if he was some big, burly old biker dude. “Nobody did ask you. And now I’m telling you, mind your business.”

“Lady, like I said, you do this in public—”

“I heard you. And let’s just agree to disagree. And you can see your way out of this conversation.” My voice might have jumped several octaves by the time I finished. And I knew if looks could kill, the man in front of me would be as crispy as a piece of burnt bacon by now. But I’d be damned if he’d talk about Hunter like that. Any woman would be lucky to be with him. “Slumming, my ass.”

That last came out of me on a mumble not really intended for anyone’s ears, but I guess it made it to Hunter. His stance didn’t really change, but something about him relaxed. I couldn’t precisely put my finger on what it was, but his gaze didn’t seem to bore into me. And his mouth wasn’t stretched in such a grim line. Though he still wasn’t exactly welcoming me with open arms.

“Are you sure this doesn’t have anything to do with Logan?” Hunter asked, his voice slightly gruff.

I gave him a gentle smile and shook my head. I had a feeling Hunter worried about my brother while he was deployed every bit as much as I did. “No, I heard from him myself over Christmas, and it sounds like he’s hanging in there.”

He nodded. “Good. So you just happened to be in the neighborhood…?”

“Uh, no. I just happened to be at my office when I started thinking about you. So then I happened to hop on a train and then get in a cab to just happen to run into you here. Where I knew you worked.”

Wow
. Had I just blurted all that out to him? I blinked. Well, that was why I came, wasn’t it? To finally show him how I felt. To stop following everyone else’s rules and start following my own dang heart?

Hunter relaxed and leaned over the bar toward me. “Look, babe…”

At his endearment, something inside me turned all soft and melty. Then he had to go and ruin it by continuing to speak.

“…if you’re not going to tell me what this is really about, I’ll give you a ride back to the train station.”

The soft and melty part of me immediately turned to a hot leaden ball that sank to the bottom of my stomach. “But, I already—”

“Hey, man.” A tall man, all wild blond hair and beard reminiscent of Grizzly Adams, stepped up to the bar. “I’m heading out.”

He passed a set of keys across the bar, and Hunter took them and slipped them in his pocket. The men shook hands and Hunter clapped a hand down hard on the man’s shoulder. “Have a good trip. I’ll head up there now.”

“Appreciate it.” Without another word the man walked out of the bar.

Hunter turned his attention back to me, eyeing me up and down in a way that made me squirm. “Right. I’ve got my bike today, and I need to get up and back to my friend’s cabin before the weather turns. I’ll drop you at the train station on the way. Let me get my gear.”

Before I could utter a word, Hunter headed through a door behind the bar. A smile played over my lips at his words. Since he’d bought his first motorcycle at the age of sixteen, Hunter was on the back of it every chance he got. It figured he’d take advantage of the unseasonably warm winter day to take his bike out.

Wait
. “Did he just say he was taking me for a ride on his bike?”

“I think he said he was dropping your ass off at the train station first chance he got,” the man on the bar stool said. “Guess if he has his bike today, that’s how he’ll get you there.”

I fisted a hand on my hip, but before I could get back into it with the rude old biker dude, my phone pinged.

I dug through my oversized bag until I found it. The ping I heard was a text from Paige.
Where are you? I’m off tonight and want to try that Brazilian BBQ place around the block.

I smiled. Should I tell her where I was? Biting my lip, I finally replied.
I’m not in the city
.

A full minute went by before my phone pinged again.
Is this about the bet?

I wanted to giggle. Until this afternoon, I hadn’t thought much about the bet. Call it denial. But even I had to admit, getting a ride on the back of Hunter Lawson’s motorcycle was a good start. In my book, that qualified as the adventure of a lifetime. Even better than a one-night stand with a billionaire media mogul. Or drinks with a rock star.

Maybe
. I texted back.
Let’s just say you probably shouldn’t wait up for me
.

I couldn’t hold back my chuckle that time. I knew the vague response would set Paige off. And I didn’t have to wait long to be proven right.

Wait. What?
I can’t believe you’re not sharing details. NOT. NICE!!!

I grinned. How often did I get the chance to one up Paige? I gleefully texted her back one last time.
I’ve heard somewhere that nice is overrated
.

I giggled to myself as I shut off my phone and shoved it back in my bag.

“You’re going to need these.”

Hunter’s voice came from beside me and I jumped. My eyes shot up to see what he held out—a helmet and a black leather jacket that looked like it could swallow me whole. He’d put on his own thick, brown fleece-lined jacket.

I let my gaze travel up to meet his. And swallowed. Hard. I hadn’t been this close to him in years. He was less than a foot away, and I could feel the heat coming from his body. And the scent of leather and sunshine that always seemed to cling to him teased my nostrils. How could I have forgotten that smell?

“Katelyn.” Hunter shook the hand holding the jacket and helmet. “Come on, babe. Put these on. I have to hit the road.”

“Hunter, it’s warm outside. I’m already too warm in my coat. I don’t think I’ll need an extra layer.”

“Babe, as soon as you get on the back of my bike and feel that wind whipping at you, you’ll be happy you have the jacket.” He shook it at me again.

My mind stuttered to a stop on the words “as soon as you get on the back of my bike.” I snatched the jacket from his hand. Hell, I didn’t care if I felt like I was about to catch fire in all these clothes. If it meant I’d get a chance to ride behind Hunter, I’d put on six more layers.

I slid my arms into the worn leather, zipping it up over my winter coat. I was right. I had room to spare.

“Is this yours?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s my extra. You got gloves?”

I lifted the edge of his jacket to dig my black gloves out of my coat pocket.

He waited until I had them on and then held the helmet out to me.

“Sal, you’ve got the bar,” he called out.

The waitress watching the game turned and lifted a hand in acknowledgement.

He turned his attention to me. “Come on.”

I didn’t think twice about following him out the door. Truth is I’d probably follow him to the ends of the earth if he so much as crooked his little finger at me.

We stopped next to a Harley that was all black and chrome. Definitely not the beater of a bike he’d ridden all through high school. I stood there watching while he pulled on a helmet and swung a leg over the bike. And then it hit me.

I was about to get a ride on Hunter’s bike. The fourteen-year-old girl inside me started jumping up and down and squeeing like a fan girl seeing her favorite boy band for the first time. It took every ounce of energy I had to keep from doing it on the outside, too.

“Hop on, Kate. I have to get moving. I need to get back before the temperature drops.”

I didn’t waste another second. I slammed the helmet in place and swung my leg over the bike as if I’d done it every day for the last ten years. And the moment I dreamed about for years arrived. I wrapped my arms tightly around Hunter’s waist, reveling in the feeling of his strong back against my front and imagining I could feel his hard abs through his layers of t-shirt and jacket.

Before I knew it, he’d started the bike and we rolled out of the parking lot onto the road.

Chapter Four

The ride gave a whole new meaning to the term “seven minutes in heaven.” I pressed myself against Hunter’s back and tucked my helmeted head against his shoulder to avoid the frigid chill. He was right. Once we got moving, the sharp whip of the wind stung my skin even through all my layers.

I didn’t care. It gave me an excuse to tuck myself close to him and inhale his scent mixed with the cold winter air as we shot down the street. The road unfurled below us, and the bike ate it up at an exhilarating speed. This was every fantasy I’d ever had about Hunter come true. Well, maybe not
every
fantasy. But still…

Pure. Bliss
.

I clutched his middle and reveled in every single second, a quiet prayer in the back of my mind that the ride would never end.

But that wish went unfulfilled. All too soon we rolled into the parking lot of the train station. Hunter stopped the Harley at the curb. He lifted the shield that protected his face from the punishing gusts and looked over his shoulder at me. “Here’s your stop, princess.”