The Biker and the Loner (Oil and Water #3)- S. Ann Cole Page 0,25
licking and nipping and biting. Then, when the sky starts to tinge with an orange-yellow hue, he smacks my ass and sends me to bed with a pulsing ache between my legs.
By the time I've washed my makeup off, showered to kill my unquenched ache, and I’m climbing into bed to get some rest before my shift at Tipsy Scoop in a few hours, my phone pings and vibrates, twice.
Scratch: HOME.
Scratch: THANKS FOR RIDING WITH ME.
I don't reply. Better if he thinks I'm already asleep. I must continue to remind myself: Low expectations, no emotions. Enjoy now, expect the worse.
If only my stupid heart would get on board with the plan.
Chapter 6
Ley
I’m changing out of my Tipsy Scoop uniform in the locker room when my cellphone judders and dances across the wooden bench.
With my jeans only halfway up over my hips, I pluck up the dancing phone and check the screen, smiling when I see his name.
Scratch: WHAT TIME DOES YOUR SHIFT END?
Me: I’m getting ready to leave now. Why?
Scratch: NEED YOUR HELP.
Me: With?
Scratch: COME SEE.
He pings me his location. Zooming in on the map, it shows me he’s in Cherry Creek, around twenty minutes from my home.
What could he possibly need my help with? Isn’t that what the prospects at the compound are for? To do whatever grunt work or menial tasks the brothers don’t want to do themselves?
After leaving Tipsy Scoop, I cross the street to Cookie's Treat to pick up some Danish and macaroons. Thirty-seven minutes later, I’m parked outside Lot #8 in the plush neighborhood of Opal Meadows. Scratch's Harley is in the driveway, but I also recognize Cookie's G-Wagon in the driveway right next door.
Wait, weren’t Toni and Cookie neighbors before Toni bought a new house in Greenwood Village? This must be Toni's old house…
I honk my horn to let Scratch know I'm here. A few seconds later, a woman walks out on the upper balcony next door, a blunt between her fingers. Cookie. She knows my car, but my windows are up and tinted so she can't see me.
Scratch opens the front door and walks out on the porch, wearing faded jeans, a navy-blue t-shirt with his leather cut and steel-toe boots. He motions for me to get out.
Conscious of Cookie's eyes on me, I switch off the engine then grab the pastry box with the Danishes and climb out.
We've never spoken to each other—I find her a bit intimidating. Not to mention she's Judge’s sister and the Heathens all seem to have a sort of fearful respect for her. As a result, I’ve always kept my distance. I offer a feeble smile as she puffs her blunt and watches me walk up the driveway that is not hers, relieved when I get to the porch where she can no longer see me.
"Hey—"
My greeting is cut off when Scratch yanks me to him and slams his mouth to mine. Kissing me so hard and fierce it’s as if the world is about to end.
When he breaks, I'm breathless. "What was that all about?"
A raised brow. "A man can't kiss his woman anymore?"
"I'm not your woman," I remind him.
"Your mouth says one thing, but your body says another." He jerks his chin at the pastry box in my hand. "What's in the box?"
"Oh, I picked up Danishes from Cookie's Treat for you."
He bites one corner of his bottom lip as he takes the box from me and peeks inside. "And she says she's not my woman," he muses, then takes out one of the Danishes and dents it with a big bite. "Come on," he says around a mouthful, turning into the house.
I follow him inside, closing the door behind me. Compared to the traditional exterior, the interior is quite modern, with high-glossed hardwood floors, open-plan layout, and stainless-steel appliances.
Save for the kitchen and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in the living room, the place is empty.
"This is Grunt and Toni's old place," Scratch tells me as he continues to demolish the Danishes. "They're letting me stay here until I sort my shit out."
What kind of shit does he have to sort out?
"But as you can see, not much is left. There’s a king-sized bedroom set in the master bedroom, though. So that’s a plus." He turns to face me, licking strawberry liqueur from his finger. "Need you to look around and make a list of things you'll need."