Nolan by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Chapter Four
Nolan
Idon’t know why the hell I’ve been telling the woman across from me my entire life history. The criminal record isn’t something I normally bring up. Neither is being abandoned by my family when I needed them most. But for some reason, I just know that if I didn’t tell her now, get it off my chest, then later on, if we did keep seeing each other, then one day it could all come back and bite me in the ass.
I want to be honest with her, like I think she’s been honest with me. The woman is as serious as they come, raising her little brother and working two jobs. That kind of loyalty and dedication makes her even sexier.
We finish our meal mostly in silence, making me think I’ve lost her.
I told her too much too soon.
“I should really get home and get to sleep,” Rita says as she takes the final sip of her soda.
“Right, yeah. Sorry to keep you from your bed for nothing, Cherry Pie.” I pull out my wallet to take out enough cash to pay for breakfast.
“I wouldn’t say that it was for nothing. A free, hot meal with a handsome man who didn’t try and grope me? That’s better than most nights.”
I freeze with my wallet open to look up at her in surprise, certain she would be running for the hills by now to get away from me. Instead, it sounds like…maybe she had fun. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She even smiles at me, and with that I’m fucking done for.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” I ask her as I count out the cash and lay it on the table.
“I go to lunch at twelve.”
“Lunch would be great,” I agree. “Where?”
“My day job is Cartwright Accounting Services. If you want to meet me there first, then we can decide?”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell her. “I thought I may have lost you with too much honesty.”
“There’s never such a thing as too much honesty, no matter how hard it might be to hear,” Rita says, making me fall a little more in love with her. I can admit that, at the club, I fell for her long, beautiful legs and sexy curves first. I should’ve known that she was even more gorgeous on the inside.
“Let me walk you out,” I tell her since anywhere this late at night is dangerous. Not to mention I’ve already taken out two would-be-robbers on her behalf. Poor girl might just be a magnet for trouble.
“Okay, thanks,” she agrees as we both slide out of the booth. I rest my hand on her lower back to guide her toward the door, mostly using it as an excuse to touch her.
When we get to where she parked her car with my bike next to it, I tell her, “It sucks that this is goodbye for now, but I’m looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow.”
“Me too. Thanks for tonight,” she says. Then she leans up and kisses my cheek.
Granted, it’s not the deep, passionate one I was hoping to get while we were both naked, but it’s even better because it hints at this being more.
Abel and Hugo would never let me hear the end of it if I told them a kiss on the cheek made my fucking night.
Which is why I don’t intend to tell them.
* * *
Rita
Unlike most mornings,I didn’t struggle to haul my ass out of bed to get ready for my day job. Nope, I popped right up when my alarm went off, eager to get my shower, put on some makeup and put some curl in my stick straight hair in anticipation of meeting Nolan for lunch.
With most men, I wouldn’t trust that they would show, but I really do think that the biker will be there at noon.
Of course, the first part of the day goes by at a sloth’s pace, making me think that lunch would never get here.
Then, at around eleven-fifty, I hear the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle pull into our parking lot.
I can’t concentrate on the payroll numbers in front of me for those last ten minutes. Instead, I go freshen up in the bathroom, hoping he still finds me attractive in the light gray dress pants and white button down.
Finally, I yell to my boss, “I’m going to lunch!” and then slip out the door before he can catch me with a last-minute emergency.
As soon as I walk outside, I spot the tall, dark, and handsome man leaning against my car in his leather cut and jeans, one ankle crossed over the other, a pair of dark sunglasses hiding his eyes from the bright coastal sun. He looks good enough to eat even before a grin lifts his sensual lips like he’s genuinely happy to see me.
Either he’s serious about wanting more than a one-night stand or he’s being incredibly patient.
“Hi,” I say first.
“Hiya, Cherry Pie.”
I’m a little surprised when he pushes away from my car to come toward me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
The smell of leather and motor oil on him is nice and familiar.
When I pull away, he picks up a lock of hair from my shoulder and curls it around his finger. “I like the curls. And the professional woman look works for you, baby.”
“Ah, thanks,” I tell him. “I’m guessing you always wear the same thing.”
“I never go without my cut. Jeans are a must. So that just leaves the decision of what color tee to wear under the leather.”
“Must be nice to have a constant uniform,” I joke with him before a thought hits me. “You never mentioned what you do for work.”
“I work for the Savage Kings,” he answers smoothly.
“I thought it was just a motorcycle club.”
“It’s a club that’s willing to accept even society’s rejects like me and pay us to occasionally get our hands a little dirty.”
“Nothing bad, though, right?” I ask in concern.
“The Kings are good guys who sometimes have to work outside the law. That’s all. Nothing too dangerous.”
“I find that hard to believe,” I admit. “What were you doing last week?”
Nolan glances away, and even though I can’t see his eyes, I know he doesn’t really want to answer, but eventually he does. “Last week I was helping a chapter locate some firearms that were stolen. The Kings wouldn’t use them for nefarious purposes, but other people might.”
“So you don’t deal in drugs or anything bad?”
“No drugs. Ever. That shit doesn’t fly with the MC. And the only people we hurt are the ones who are dangerous or the ones stupid enough to hurt one of our crew.”
“Good,” I say in relief.
“Now all that’s out of the way, what are you in the mood for?”
Well, isn’t that an open-ended question.
“I don’t know. What do you want to eat?”
Nolan lifts a brow and smiles. “Besides the obvious answer? I think I could go for some steak.”
“Then, by all means, lead the way.”
“If we take my bike, we could make it there and back even faster,” he suggests with a nod of his chin toward the shiny, black Harley.
“Or we could end up dead on the side of the road,” I remark.
“There’s no place you’ll be safer than on the back of my bike,” Nolan replies. “I promise you that, Cherry Pie.”
Just looking at the motorcycle makes my heart race with nervousness.
“Come on. You could use a little freedom in your life.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask.
“You work two jobs, are raising your brother, and never get any time for yourself. Let go with me for a few minutes, baby.”
“Fine,” I huff.
Nolan smiles at me like I just made his day by agreeing to ride on the back of his dangerous vehicle.
He places a helmet on my head and fastens the chin strap. Then, once he’s in position on the bike, I climb up behind him sort of awkwardly, glad he can’t see me.
“Hold on to me but let go of everything else,” Nolan instructs.
And that’s exactly what I do.