Worcester Nights - The Boxed Set (5 page)

“We’re closing up, boys,” he said to the rest of the room.

I’d completely forgotten the others were even there. They seemed frozen in states of shock, sitting in their seats or standing by the pool table. One by one they creaked into life, putting down their items and heading to the door. They skirted the broken table as if it were contagious with the plague.

I went toward the broom, but Jimmy shook his head. “Trai Hok and his wife will come by and take care of all of that. You’re going home. Call Ethan back. Make sure he watches you until you get into the house. You understand me?”

I nodded and pushed the button. Ethan picked up on the first ring. “Thought so,” he said without preamble. “Be there for you in a jiff.”

Sean started to get up out of his seat, but Jimmy put a hand on his arm. “I’d like you to stay. Seamus wants to meet you. Give thanks for your help here.”

Sean eased back into his seat. “Sure, if you want.”

He looked across the bar at me, his eyes creased with concern. “You all right?”

I nodded, forcing a smile to my lips. “I’m fine,” I assured him. I drained down the last of my whiskey and put the glass back on the bar.

He reached his fingers to rest on top of mine for a moment. They were tender, warm, and I thought how only minutes ago those same fingers were curled with tight precision, were keeping me safe from a world of hurt. My body blazed with heat, and for a wild moment I wanted him to come home with me. I wanted him to be the one to escort me to my door, to my bedroom, to …

His gaze swirled with passion, and I could see the ripple in his shoulders, feel the press of his fingers against mine.

His voice was hoarse. “You stay safe.”

There was a honk by the door, and I forced myself to draw my fingers away. I pulled on my hoodie and went around the bar. As I passed Sean, I couldn’t help myself. I ran my hand along the back of his brown leather jacket, drinking in the texture of it, that smell of leather that is equaled nowhere else in nature. His head turned to meet mine, and I could see the strength there, the power.

Then I turned, and the whirling dervish of Kelley Square ran on before me as if nothing had happened. On the opposite side of Kelley Square I could see Seamus’s black Escalade entering the intersection.

I stepped into the cab and settled back into the stale-cigarette-smelling interior.

Ethan rattled away the whole ride home, about the Cubans and who knew what else, but I barely heard it. I could only see Sean in motion, a panther, a control of muscle and power that I had never experienced before. Ethan drew to a stop before my house, and I was in a daydream as I unlocked the door, closed it behind me, and stepped into my room.

I slumped into my bed, fully dressed, my head delving deep into the pillow. All I could see was Sean, heart-stopping Sean, and I wanted him with every ounce of my body.

Chapter 5

T
he hem of my purple-swirled shirt barely skimmed the top of my jeans; the cool November wind sent an edge of chill against the exposed skin as I crossed from the taxi to the bar’s door. I stepped inside, swept my gaze around – and I stopped in confusion.

He wasn’t there. Not only that, but half the chairs were gone, too. The two pool players were silent in their game. The other four patrons had huddled together around a single table near the corner pocket, as if their solidarity would protect them.

I automatically hung my hoodie on its hook and began mechanically chopping limes, but my brain was racing like a freight train.

He had left.

He had gotten into a fight, his parole officer had found out, and he’d been moved. He could be who knows where.

I might never see him again.

My heart thundered in panic. Sean was the one man I’d ever wanted, the one man I’d connected with. And he was gone.

Jimmy poked his head around the edge of the hallway and nodded when he saw me. “Good. You’re here. Seamus and I are having a meeting back in my office. Bring us the Redbreast and the Bushmills.”

Of course!

My shoulders relaxed in overwhelming relief. A smile spread broadly across my face. I’d been foolish. That explained all the missing chairs. Surely Sean was part of the gathering. After all, he’d saved the day.

I grabbed the two bottles. My feet were light as I went down the hall to the office. I could hear muttered voices and scraping chairs as I approached.

The room was jammed with probably a dozen men, all serious and in low discussion. Seamus, his body lean and hard even though he must’ve been nearly fifty, was at the desk with Jimmy. I pushed through to deposit the two bottles on its gleaming wood surface. I grabbed up the two empties that were waiting for me. Then I turned and swept the men, looking –

He wasn’t there.

I blinked in disbelief, looking again. There were a collection of ages, from twenty to sixty. The builds ranged from slim to chunky. Some even looked in fairly good shape. But none of them were the one man I wanted, I craved with all my being.

My shoulders sagged as I slowly took the path back to the main room. I swung down the two bottles – and sighed. The recycle bin was overflowing.

I wanted to find the rewind button on this day. I desperately needed to restart and try again.

Somehow I carefully balanced the two new bottles on top of the others. Then I gingerly lifted the whole tub in my arms. I turned to glance at Joey.

“Joey, I’m going out back for a sec.”

He absently waved a hand at me, intent on the basketball game.

I hefted the container more snugly in my arms before setting into motion. The office door was closed as I passed it. It took some juggling before I was able to draw open the outside door and move out into the back lot.

The nearby street lamp shone a cold glow into the small area of blacktop. The dumpster was large, black, and the lid kept in most of the stench. A smaller receptacle next to it was half-filled with bottles and lids. I upended my own container into it, making a loud clatter in the night air.

There was an echoing clatter from within the shed.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I turned slowly, staring at it. The shed was corrugated aluminum, perhaps ten by fifteen, and held snow shovels and other sundry equipment. I hadn’t noticed before, but the door was half-way open.

Had a raccoon gotten in there, or was it something worse?

I carefully put down the empty container and reached for the tire iron leaning behind the dumpster. My brothers had drilled into me the idea of keeping a weapon in locations you might be vulnerable, and this dumpster certainly applied. I wrapped my fingers along its grip, keeping it low along my leg, then crept carefully toward the opening.

There was no light coming from the shed, and when I got to the door I carefully peered around the edge of it. All I could see within were shadowy shapes. I stepped into the opening –

A man moved before me, large, muscular.

I reacted on instinct, fire pounding in my veins. I swung the tire iron in an arc, up, around, aiming to drive the end of it solidly into his head.

His hand flew up with lightning speed. He caught the top part of the iron inches from his skull.

He stepped forward into the light.

It was Sean.

My breath came out in an explosive gasp. “Jesus Christ, Sean, I could have killed you!”

He gave a wry smile, taking the tire iron out of my hand and putting it down against the shed wall.

I shook my head, my breath still coming in heaves. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

He pushed the door open fully, letting in the light. “With everything that happened yesterday, Jimmy said I could keep her in here. Just in case the Cubans get ideas of retaliation.”

I stepped forward into the shed. “Keep what?”

And then I saw it.

The room had been swept, cleaned, and organized. Years of chaotic debris and flotsam now sat stacked and neat along the edges of the wall. In the center of the room sat a black Triumph motorcycle, its silver handlebars gleaming in the streetlight. It could have been a mirror image of the one James Dean had ridden.

My eyes rounded as I approached it, running a hand along its black leather seat. “It’s
gorgeous
,” I sighed. “What year is it?”

“1955. All original,” he stated with a hint of pride. “I had it in storage while I was in prison. Just got it back out again.”

“No wonder you want to keep this safe,” I breathed. The large front headlight was like a beacon, calling me. The words were out before I thought. “I want to ride it.”

He came over to stand before me, looking down at me. In the darkness his face was in shadows, his leather jacket blending into the night.

His voice was hoarse when he spoke. “God, Kay, you are amazing.”

I leant back against the wall, looking up at him, my heart thundering in my chest. Kay had been my father’s endearment for me. When Sean said it, it sounded soft, sultry, and just right.

I reached out for his hand. My fingers slid along the back of his, and he groaned.

His throat tightened, and he gave his head a short shake. His voice rasped. “You should stay away from me, Kay. Far away. I will be trouble for you.”

I found myself sinking into those moss-green eyes, losing myself in their depths, and everything else fell away.

“I can handle the trouble.”

His shoulder muscles rippled as he held in place and looked down at me with smoky eyes. Then in a heartbeat he was pressed up against me, his broad chest pushing hard into my breasts, his lips finding mine, claiming them. I gasped as his tongue slid into my mouth. Liquid gold coursed through me, sending my nipples tingling, and heat lower down. I opened my mouth fully to him, losing myself into the sensations of his kiss, utterly lost. Nothing in my life had ever prepared me for the feelings that shook me.

His hands came to my hips, pulling me in harder, then they slid up along the bare skin of my back. Shivers raced down me as he deftly undid the snaps of my bra. My breasts burned with heat as they were freed, as the delicate nipples raked against the moving fabric. He slid his hands around to my breasts, taking one in each hand, sliding his fingers up so they straddled each of my nipples. He squeezed, and the sensation that flooded through me staggered me.

He trailed kisses down my neck, down my chest, and with a slide of his hands he’d pushed my top and bra up over my breasts to expose them to the night air. The nipples hardened further in the cold, and I groaned in pleasure. He squeezed again, and the sensations layered into something indescribable. Then he brought his mouth down to my right breast, and I reeled at the feeling. He slid his hands down to cup my rear, supporting me, and I arched into him, craving more, craving that swirling tongue on my other breast.

“Please,” I groaned.

He chuckled, moving his head to the other side, and I wrapped my hands in his thick hair, holding his head in place. I wanted that mouth on every part of me. I wanted his body against mine, I wanted us naked, I wanted –

Jimmy’s voice called, loud, sharp, from the entry to the bar. “Katie, you out here?”

I squeaked in shock, grabbing to pull my shirt down over my breasts. I hastily reconnected my bra and brushed back at my hair.

Sean’s eyes were still dark with passion, but he gave me a wry smile as he stepped back.

I moved out of the shed and looked over at Jimmy. “Just admiring Sean’s bike,” I stated, hoping the darkness covered my burning cheeks.

Jimmy nodded, already turning. “Get him in here, too. We’re about to get started.”

Sean came up behind me, closing the door and snapping the lock shut. His hand slid along my hip, and the heat of desire flooded through me again, swelling my breasts, moistening my sex.

His voice sounded low against my ear. “We’ll finish that up later.”

He picked up the empty container for me and guided me through the door before closing it behind us. He gave me one last look, fragrant with promise, before moving into Jimmy’s office and closing the door behind him.

The hours ticked past with maddening slowness. If normally the night moved by at a glacial pace, tonight it was as if I were watching sand dunes creep slowly, lethargically, under the steady efforts of the wind. My body was aflame, and every move or twist of my body sent it into new surges of desire.

Finally there was the sound of feet and a stream of men emerged, heading across the bar to the door. Jimmy came with them. “Seamus will be staying around with me for a while. You can head on home. Sean’s out back – he said he’d take you.”

I grabbed my hoodie and had my arms through it before I got halfway down the hall. I stepped out through the back door.

The motorcycle was out on the pavement, pointed at the street. Sean was astride it, a full head helmet on, the visor up. A second, matching black helmet hung in his hand.

He handed me the helmet, and I put it on without a word. I climbed on back. The vibration of the bike beneath me, and his firm, leather-clad body before me, nearly sent me over the edge. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling myself as close as possible.