“Ease up,” she attempted to growl.
Chuckling, I didn’t respond.
The girl struggled against my hold and my head lowered, hissing into her ear. “Stop fighting me, sweet stuff. I’m enjoying it far too much and I don’t need the distraction right now.”
Her body stiffened as she obeyed. The finest hint of spicy cinnamon released into the air as the wind captured and teased a few loose tendrils of her hair. My reaction was fierce and full-bodied as I sucked in a breath, inhaling more of her delicious scent. All the blood in my head rushed south and I was painfully hard, straining against the rough material of my jeans. It was the first time I had reacted to any woman this strongly in six months. I wanted to explore my reaction to this sexy creature but not while her life was in danger. This woman had no idea how dangerous the Scorpions were and how viciously they would harm her if she was caught.
She didn’t protest as I grabbed her upper arm and made my way around the building toward the front of the bar, and the entrance that still twinkled in merry holiday colors with a false display of cheer. Peeking around the corner, I found the parking lot deserted. No cars remained. The Scorpions had parked their bikes close to my own and were the only means of transportation left. A stupid and costly mistake. Lifting a finger, I placed a single digit over the bandana and close to my lips to ensure the female’s silence. She nodded, flattening against the wall as I moved stealthily forward.
I inhaled a deep breath and briefly closed my eyes as I sought out the presence of my Reaper.
Beneath my skin, buried in the depths of my soul, the demon who owned and commanded my allegiance took control once more. I felt the change come over me as my upper lip curled into a snarl. My vision sharpened as I listened for the Scorpions and slowly approached the five motorcycles lined up in a row. My first instinct was to destroy the bikes, but I needed to protect the female who was in danger and hovering just out of view.
As it turned out, my Reaper was denied his right to a kill.
I was jumped by the other bikers and had to resort to using my gun. Never a preferable way to end an enemy. It was so quick and final. No fun at all. Plus, the bodies were gonna be a problem. Right now, there were other issu
es.
Sighing, I ran back toward the bikes and found one of the Scorpions already riding away, slipping and sliding down the road in haste. I’d have to tell Grim about him and deal with it later. When I returned to where I’d left the female, there was no sign of her. Only a slight hint of cinnamon that lingered in the air.
She was gone.
Shit. She’d freeze to death if I didn’t find her soon. It wasn’t safe to remain here at the Blacktop. More Scorpions would show up and be ready for a fight.
I bumped into her when I walked back inside the bar, hiding in the stockroom. She didn’t seem very bright but hell, she was probably panicked. I wrapped my hand around her upper arm and led her back to my bike, ignoring the way she fought me the entire time.
“That storm is only going to get worse. We need shelter and a warm place to wait out the worst of it.”
She didn’t reply, probably pissed that I forced her to join me.
I had her plopped down on my bike, helmet over her head, and the miles already behind us before I even considered that this was probably kidnapping.
We rode for a half hour before I could find a place for us to stop. The guy behind the counter of the cheap hotel barely glanced my way as I slapped cash down on the counter and picked up the room key. I led the girl inside the room as she shivered, and I dropped my bags on a nearby table. At least it was warm.
We’d be comfortable enough until we needed to leave.
I was shrugging off my soaked leather when I noticed her removing her own soggy clothes. Light danced across the attractive curves of her body and glistened on her slightly damp skin. Every layer she peeled off revealed more of her creamy skin and luscious, voluptuous frame. When her eyes met mine, all the breath rushed out of my lungs.
The woman was a fucking stunner.
I stumbled backward, ass dropping on the edge of the queen-sized bed, jaw clenched hard in sudden surprise and disbelief.
The jet-black silkiness of her long, thick hair gleamed in the pale lighting of the cheap hotel. Her throat had a graceful column that drew my eye straight down to the luscious swell of her ample breasts. Those tits would be my undoing. I couldn’t help dragging my gaze over the generous curve of her hips or the long, long legs clad in skin-tight denim. When I managed to lift my eyes back up to her face, I caught the glare of bright green, cat-shaped eyes that narrowed with suspicion.
That wasn’t the shocking part.
No, it was something else entirely. A nice little trip back into my fucked up past that I thought I had dealt with until this moment. My chest grew tight and my temper flared. I stood up, rushing forward as I slammed her back into the wall.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not like this.
The months had sped by with my thirst for vengeance and the agony of what I had lost still hadn’t diminished. Never would, I reckoned. Not until I took what that motherfucker Acid had taken from me. He would pay for his choices. I’d see to that. Revenge had been my only mistress, my only need besides the hate that festered deep inside. I didn’t need to be fucked in the one way that hurt the most.
The woman staring me in the face was the exact image of my ol’ lady Suraya.
And there was just one problem with that.
Suraya was dead.