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  “My grandmother bought it for me, a couple of years ago, for Christmas. She said that I needed to have something classier to wear when I went out on dates,” he said and then chuckled.

  “Well, she has very good taste.”

  “She does.” His smiled turned grim. “She’s also one of the few people that I know in my family, who actually gives a shit.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s okay. I wasn’t asking for sympathy. I guess that I was thinking out loud, again. I do that a lot.”

  “No problem. I do that, too.”

  He pushed his hair behind his ears. “So, where do you live, Darlin’?”

  I bit my lower lip, thinking about how loud his Harley was. It would, more than likely, wake up every one of the blue-hairs in the neighborhood, and there were plenty. My mom would never let me hear the end of it. Plus, she didn’t like bikers. They scared her. Going home suddenly didn’t seem like such a great idea.

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t know if I should go home, right now,” I said. “It’s late and my mom will wake up. I don’t want to have to explain…”

  He looked surprised. “You live with your mom?”

  I raised my chin. “Yeah. I’m in college. It’s easier and more affordable.”

  He chuckled. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Kitten. I’m not judging you. College is expensive.”

  I relaxed. “You can say that again. So, um, maybe you could drive me back to Krystal’s?”

  “That’s probably not going to work. I just spoke to Tank. Krystal’s at his house.”

  I sighed. “Really?”

  “Yep. She got a lift back to his place from some girl named Tiffany. Tank said that Krystal had been under the impression that you were getting a ride home. I’m pretty sure that she’s passed out now, with all of the shit she had to drink.”

  “It was supposed to have been me that was going to give her a ride home. But,” I frowned. “I got sick and Jason was supposed to take me home.

  Trevor’s eyes hardened. “Obviously, that wasn’t the fucker’s only intent.”

  “Apparently not. I guess I can’t go back Krystal’s house, then.”

  “No sweat. You can stay at my place,” he said. “In the guest room, of course,” he said, when I gave him a doubtful look.

  “Are you sure?” I answered, not knowing if that was a good idea. But, he did say “guest” room.

  “Of course I’m sure,” he said. He got on his bike and kicked up the kickstand. “Let’s go.”

  I walked over and stood next to him, feeling nervous.

  “Hop on,” he said, nodding toward the seat behind him.

  “To be honest, I’ve never been on one of these before.”

  “Don’t worry, you’re going to love it.”

  I smiled weakly. “Okay.”

  “Just get on behind me. Wait a second,” he said, pointing to my purse. “Put this around your neck and shoulder. Then zip up the jacket.”

  I did what he said and then slid my leg over the seat, straddling the bike.

  “Put your feet there,” he said, pointing down to the footrests.

  “Okay. How’s your foot, by the way?”

  “It’s a little tender, but nothing to worry about.”

  “Good.”

  “I almost forgot, put this on,” he said, handing me a black helmet. “Just in case.”

  I slipped it on and buckled it.

  He grabbed one of my hands and put it around his waist. “Hold onto me, tightly, now. With both hands. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want you to lose me, either,” I replied dryly, putting both hands around him.

  “If it’s more comfortable, you can slide your hands under my jacket. You might get a better grip.”

  “Okay,” I replied, not seeing why it would make that much of a difference.

  When my hands touched his bare skin, he stiffened up. “Damn, you’ve got cold hands, Kitten.”

  “Sorry,” I said, enjoying how warm his skin was, not to mention how sexy his abs felt under my palms. I scooted forward until we were as close as could be and then lay my cheek against the back of his leather jacket.

  He patted my knee. “Let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Nine

  Raptor

  When Adriana’s hands touched my waist, it started a fire in my lower belly and made my zipper unbearably tight. I kept my cool, however. The last thing I needed was for her to realize that I wanted to bang the fuck out of her myself, after she’d almost been raped.

  “Damn, you’ve got cold hands, Kitten,” I said, gritting my teeth as her fingers slid over my skin.

  “Sorry,” she said, snuggling up against me.

  Releasing my breath, I patted her leg, in reassurance. I wanted her to know that she was safe with me. I wasn’t like that fuck-head, Jason. The one who was going to get his ass handed to him, when I found the prick. “Let’s get you home.”

  “Okay,” she said, gripping my waist even more tightly as we began to roll.

  I pulled out of the parking lot, relishing the fact that the roads were empty and I had a beautiful woman on the back of my bike. The only thing that could make it better would be the feel of her hand sliding further south. I brushed the lewd thoughts away and tilted my face up toward the wind, hoping it would cool me the fuck down. Here, I’d just gotten my dick sucked an hour ago and my mind was still in the gutter. But, there was something so fresh and sexy about Adriana. Something that intrigued me so much that I was out rescuing her ass at two-thirty in the morning. This was surprising, even for me. Especially after my experience with Brandy.

  “You okay?” I hollered over the rumble of the engine as we turned onto the highway and began to pick up speed.

  Laughing, she raised her thumb.

  I smiled.

  The roads were clear on the trip back to my house, but I stayed the speed limit, even taking a longer route, just so the trip would last longer. Having her on the back of my bike and holding onto me, like she was, felt pretty fucking good.

  “I want one,” said Adriana, when I pulled up to my garage, fifteen minutes later.

  I smiled at her over my shoulder. “A motorcycle?”

  “Yes. Oh my God, that was so amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been on one of these before.”

  I turned off the engine. “It’s even more amazing during the day. Especially when you’re touring across the countryside, with the sun in your face, your back against the wind, and the stereo cranked. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

  “It sounds like a lot of fun. Do you take many road-trips?”

  I ran my hands through my hair, wishing I would have worn it back, in a ponytail. “Not enough.”

  “Huh.” She looked around my garage. “Wow, is that your Chevelle?”

  “Yeah. You into muscle cars?”

  “I always thought they were cool. What year is it?”

  “It’s a ’67 S.S.”

  “It’s sexy,” she said, walking over to it.

  “I just had it repainted,” I said, following her.

  “What color was it before?”

  “It was the same color. Black.”

  She leaned down and looked into the window. “It’s beautiful. Do you take it out much?”

  “Sometimes. It’s fall now, though, so I probably won’t take it out any more this year,” I replied.

  “I don’t blame you,” she said turning around. When she noticed how close we were, she slid sideways and moved around me. “Thanks for letting me stay at your place. The fresh air felt great, but I’m so tired. I can’t wait to sleep.”

  “I bet. Do you have to work later?” I asked, not even sure if she had a job. All I knew was that she was in college.

  She nodded. “Yeah. At six-thirty. In the evening, thank God.”

  “Where do you work?”

  “I work part-time at Dazzle.”

  “Th
e jewelry store?”

  Adriana nodded. “My mom owns it. Normally I don’t work Saturday nights, but I promised I’d help her with inventory, after the shop closes”

  “Huh. I’ve been there, before. Nice stuff. A little pricey, but nice.”

  “You pay for quality,” she replied. “My mother prides herself on buying only the best diamonds and gems. She travels all over for them.”

  “Interesting. Does she make her own jewelry, too?”

  “Yes. She’s been teaching me, now, too.”

  “Really? That must be interesting.”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t have the same passion that she does. Or creativity. Anyway, what about you? Where do you work?”

  “You mean when I’m not working for Slammer?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I do a little carpentry on the side.”

  She looked surprised. “Like, as in fixing up houses and stuff?”

  “Yeah,” I said, as we stepped outside of the garage and began heading toward the house. “Or whatever else needs fixing.”

  She stopped abruptly. “Um, it looks like you have company and… they might need some fixing of their own.”

  I looked to see what she was staring at and my blood began to boil. Brandy was standing on my porch, holding a tissue and glaring at us.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked sharply.

  Her face fell and she began to cry.

  “Fuck,” I mumbled when I noticed the bruise on her cheek.

  “Danny hit me,” she said, raising her chin. “If you didn’t notice.”

  I stepped onto the porch. “Yeah, well, what the fuck do you want me to do about it?”

  Adriana, who was behind me, gasped at my indifference.

  Brandy looked at her. “Who the hell is this?”

  “Never mind,” I snapped. “It’s none of your business. Now, get in your car and go home.”

  “Trevor, I can’t go home,” she cried, looking at me like I was an idiot. “He kicked me out. I need a fucking place to stay.”

  Grinding my teeth, I unlocked the front door and turned to Adriana. “I have some shit to take care of,” I said, trying to soften my voice. “Go inside and make yourself at home.”

  “Uh, I can call a cab,” she said, looking a little uncomfortable.

  I gave her a reassuring smile. “No cab. Everything is cool, okay? I’ll be in shortly. ”

  She nodded.

  “Oh, and hey… if you’d like to take a shower, there are towels in the linen closet. Feel free to use whatever you want.”

  Brandy wrinkled her nose and smirked. “She should. She smells like puke.”

  I turned to her. “Brandy,” I warned, glaring at her. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “I’ll be inside,” said Adriana, walking past me. From the look on her face, she was as embarrassed as all hell.

  “Who the fuck is she really, Trevor?” said Brandy, after Adriana shut the door.

  “Like I said, it’s none of your goddamn business,” I said and pointed toward the street where her car was parked. “Now, take your problems somewhere else. They don’t belong here.”

  Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. “Why are you such an asshole? Don’t you care about me at all?”

  I stared at her in disbelief. “I stopped caring the moment that I found out you were fucking around on me with your boss, who I assume is now your EX boss. You’re lucky that I didn’t beat the fuck out of you when I found out, because you’d have had more than a bruise on your cheek.”

  She tilted her head and smiled. “Right. That’s not you.”

  “Maybe it should be,” I threatened, never wanting to hit a woman as much as I did at that moment.

  She saw through it. “You’re a good man, Trevor. You’d never hit a woman. We both know that.”

  I smiled cruelly. “Is that right? Just like I thought I knew you?”

  Brandy’s face fell. She tried reaching for me. “Trevor, Baby, I’m so sorry-”

  I pushed her away. “Don’t you give me that ‘I’m sorry’ shit and don’t you dare fucking test me,” I spat. “Now, if you don’t get off of my property, I’ll call the police and let them do it.”

  Her eyes widened. “You call the police. That’s hilarious.”

  “Does it look like I’m doing stand-up, now?” I whispered angrily, noticing that one of my neighbor’s porches was now lit up.

  Brandy let out a ragged sigh. “Okay, fine. But, do you even care why he hit me?”

  “Nope.”

  She ignored me. “I told him that I wanted to get back with you.”

  Grunting, I opened the door. “That’s priceless.”

  She lurched forward, grabbing onto my leather jacket. “Please, Trevor, forgive me,” she begged, staring up into my eyes. “I made a mistake, Baby. I realize that. It was the biggest mistake of my life, but I know that somehow… we can both get past it.”

  I removed her hands from my collar and shoved her away. “It’s too late, Brandy, don’t you get it?”

  “But, I made a mistake,” she sobbed. “I should have never cheated on you. I know that. Can’t you just forgive me?”

  I hated seeing a woman cry, especially one that I’d once cared so much about. But, my pride was still wounded and there was no way I’d be able to ever trust Brandy, again. Not after the shit that she’d pulled. “Seems to me that you didn’t learn your lesson after balling your boss.”

  She looked confused. “What do you mean?”

  “You cheated on me and then you cheated on Danny, with me. Well, guess what? Now, neither of us want anything to do with your lying ass,” I said, slamming the door in her face.

  Chapter Ten

  Adriana

  I wasn’t exactly sure who the blond was, standing on Trevor’s porch, but she certainly didn’t look thrilled to see me. And the comment about me smelling like puke- well, it was probably true, but she didn’t have to point it out. Beaten or not, she was still a bitch.

  Sighing, I turned on the light, removed my boots, and caught my first impression of Trevor’s place. From what I could tell, it was a cozy, split-level house that couldn’t have been more than ten-years-old. It smelled kind of nice, too. Like fresh cedar and lemon. It was a nice surprise, considering I’d expected it to smell more like cigarettes or stale beer, since he was a biker and obviously, liked to party.

  To the left of the front door, I noticed a pair of Nike tennis shoes, a brown pair of cowboy boots, and a set of steel-toed mountain boots, sitting next to a wooden bench. I placed my own boots next to his.

  Damn, he has big feet.

  Smiling, I walked up the stairs, to the main level, which was obviously a bachelor’s pad. There was an oversized brown leather sectional, which faced a large television an impressive stereo and sound system. There was also a large fish tank that took up most of the other wall. Other than that, there wasn’t much thought put into the decor, save for a few candles and a painting of an older model Harley Davidson, which hung over a small fireplace.

  Intrigued by the aquarium, I walked over and stared at the colorful fish, which were obviously the salt-water kind. I leaned down and watched a group of Clown-fish swim through some rocks, amazed at the sheer size of the tank. I didn’t know a lot about fish, but I knew that a large tank like this wasn’t cheap and needed a lot of maintenance. As I began examining some of the other fish, the front door opened and then seconds later, slammed shut, startling me. I straightened up and met Trevor by the stairs. He looked like he wanted to hurt someone.

  “So, is she going to be alright?” I asked, nodding toward the doorway.

  He grunted and shook his head. “She was a total cunt to you and yet you still care about her welfare?”

  I winced at the word, “cunt”. I hated it, but for some reason, it seemed kind of fitting for her. “I don’t know. She just looked so desperate. Like she really needed help.”

  “Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. She
can go to her sister’s or her mom’s for help,” he said, climbing the steps.

  “Who is she?” I asked, having a pretty good idea.

  “She’s… nobody.”

  “Nobody, who visits you in the middle of the night?” I replied.

  He sighed and removed his leather jacket. “She used to be my Old Lady. Before she decided she needed to be more than that.”

  I stared at his bare chest and muscular arms, wondering why in the hell she’d given all that up. “Her loss, though, right?”

  Trevor smiled. “That’s what I keep telling myself,” he said, walking closer to me.

  I grinned.

  “How are you feeling? Still sick to your stomach?”

  I shrugged. “A little. I think that I just need to sleep.”

  He nodded.

  “So, you said I could use your shower?” I asked, feeling nervous now that we were alone in his house and he was already half-naked.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, turning toward the hallway. “There’s a shower that you can use. Right through here. I’ll show you.”

  “Okay.”

  I followed him to the bathroom and he turned on the light.

  “Everything that you need should be in there – shampoo, conditioner, soap…”

  “Thanks,” I said, as he reached inside of the linen closet and handed me a thick, blue towel.

  He looked down at my clothes. “Oh, yeah. You’ll probably need something clean to wear. I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving me in the bathroom. He returned, shortly, with a pair of red boxers and a long black Harley Davidson T-shirt. “I don’t know if these will fit,” he said, nodding toward the boxers, “but the T-shirt should be comfortable enough.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, taking them from him. I smiled shyly. “You’ve been so nice. I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that I could help.”

  “Me, too,” I said, trying not to stare at his biceps. But it was hard. Not only were they nice but his tattoos were intriguing. “What is that on your upper arm? The face with the empty eyes?”

  He looked down at it. “I got that when I was sixteen. It’s supposed to represent a soulless asshole.”