Chapter Three: All About Chemistry
Harper
I stood rigid, holding my clipboard and walkie-talkie tight against my chest, and watched as Bones walked toward me across the casino floor. It felt surreal, seeing him here at my work after spotting him at the restaurant only last night.
Now I was getting more than a quick, startled glance at the man. He walked toward me, as captivating as I remembered him being when we first met. Bones was the type of man that drew attention without even trying. When he walked into a room, people took notice.
I’d forgotten how tall he was. He towered over me by inches and I stood at almost six feet tall when I wore these three-inch heels. I found myself tipping my head back to look up into his face as he stopped in front of me. “Uh … hi,” I said, the words coming out breathy. I felt sure my attraction was obvious as my cheeks felt heated.
Great, now I’m blushing.
I knew I was easy to read, which had been one of the reasons I had talked myself out of visiting the biker bar where I’d met Bones several times over the last week. I didn’t want to embarrass myself by swooning over the man.
Like I was right now.
“You remember me?” he asked as more of a statement than a question.
“Of course, you’re my knight in shining armor.” I grinned as I looked up at him through my lashes, feeling slightly victorious at my successful flirting attempt. I wasn’t always smooth in these situations. Abby had told me on more than one occasion that I was hopeless.
But here I was, proving her wrong.
“Sure, if by ‘shining armor’ you mean black leather.”
“And I guess your steed is really a motorcycle?”
“A Harley. You ride?”
“Oh god, no,” I blurted, then cringed when I realized how it sounded. “I mean … it’s intimidating, right? I think I’d be too scared to ride one.”
I couldn’t imagine not having the safety of airbags and the security of being surrounded by steel on all sides. I liked my bones unbroken and my skin on my body.
“Even as a passenger? Because I’d be happy to introduce you to the experience. There’s nothing like it.”
I hesitated. Sure, the idea of getting one of those machines made me anxious, but when I imagined my body pressed up close to Bones, a fire ignited in my blood.
It occurred to me this feeling, the chemistry between us, was exactly what had been missing from my date last night. It came so easily with Bones and I tried to remind myself about how I had decided he wasn’t my type. I had to keep doing it for some reason and it made me feel like my mind was at war with my body. “I might consider getting on the back of a bike,” I told him, feeling bold. I wasn’t sure if I really would follow through though. “If you think I would have fun.”
Bones’ tongue darted out to lick his lips.
Oh wow, the sight of it made my skin feel tight.
We were standing in the middle of the casino floor with people all around us. Even while talking to Bones, I was keeping an eye on our surroundings with my peripheral vision. While I had plenty of behind-the-scenes responsibilities, one of the most important aspects of my job was knowing what was happening here at all times. Everything occurring on the casino floor was a part of the customer experience.
“I think I could show you a great time,” Bones was saying suggestively.
Then I noticed something happening behind him.
I wasn’t sure what it was about the two men sitting at the slot machines that caught my attention, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up, so I focused my eyes on them. One man handed something to another. I couldn’t see what it was, because the object seemed small enough to fit into the palm of the hand. I had a bad feeling.
One of the men looked familiar and since I’d spent so much time here and it probably meant he was a regular customer. We had plenty of those. The other man was unfamiliar and he was the one who really held my attention. He had a shifty look about him, his eyes scanning the room in an unnatural way. It wasn’t as if he was looking for someone; it looked more like he was worried about something, maybe being seen while he was up to no good. I glanced back at Bones when the man’s eyes swept over us.
Bones frowned at me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure … Hang on, just a second.” Lifting my radio to my mouth, I called for security to come to the casino. The hotel only had two security officers on staff at any given moment, and I had told my boss it wasn’t enough as I needed someone to be available on this floor at all times, but he didn’t listen to me. I hoped he’d change his mind someday without something drastic happening first.
The shifty man must have sensed something was wrong, because he looked directly at me as I made the call, his eyes widening when they connected with mine. Bones turned to look just as the shifty man bolted from his chair, rushing across the room. Unfortunately for him, Bones and I were between him and the only exit. He tried to go wide around us, but Bones was faster. Running to intercept the man, Bones tackled him like a professional football player and I let out a gasp as they went tumbling to the floor.
“What the hell, man?” the shifty guy yelled. “Get off of me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
I felt like I should step in and do something, but the man was still struggling and I was afraid to get too close. Besides, Bones seemed to have it under control as he flipped the guy over onto his stomach like he weighed nothing at all. He was searching the guy’s jacket pockets as the security guard showed up.
“Hey, leave my stuff alone!” the man cried out as Bones pulled something out. I wasn’t surprised when he held up several bags of white powder.
“It’s cocaine,” Bones said.
Shit.