Burned Rebel (Comanche Sons Motorcycle Club Book 3) (3 page)

From now on, they were together—and as long as he was with her, she could battle any demons that came her way. Riley wasn’t afraid of love anymore, and that knowledge gave her the strength needed to do what was to be done. It was time to stop being the prey. She was now the huntress, and her brother better watch out because she wasn’t alone.

Chapter Four

Two days after the whole fiasco with Mathew and his gang, Chance felt a little more secure about his future. He’d already talked to some other people, and there was hope that he would get some work soon. He was also thinking about some other plans. Earlier, he had not been sure if he was ready for any big moves, but now he felt comfortable. Riley’s love made him strong. He could do anything, be anything, as long as she was with him.

“What are you thinking?”

He gazed down at their joined fingers, as they strolled down the harbor. It was a lovely, beautiful day. The sun shone high on the sky and a lovely breeze flitted through the trees. He could feel the soft brush of the air over his face. It lifted his spirits and made him feel as if he was the king of the world.

“I had an idea.”

She wrinkled her brow. No woman had ever looked lovelier. Whenever he gazed at the perfect beauty of her face, Chance was left breathless with need. She was his personal drug, and he was damn near addicted to her. There wasn’t much he wanted to do about this; as far as Chance was concerned, it was his privilege that she was in his life.  

Her gaze narrowed in suspicion. “What kind of an idea?”

He laughed at the way she said those words. “Have I ever given you reason to think that I am not trustworthy?”

“Hmmm…not really, I suppose, but some of your ideas…let me just say they are not conservative.”

He ran a finger down her cheek and enjoyed the way she shivered. “You and me, love, there is nothing conservative about either of us.”

“I suppose you are right, so tell me then, what’s your big idea?”

“I was thinking about starting my own business.”

“What kind of a business?”

He squeezed her hand. It was important that she like this. He wanted her to be involved in his decision. There was a time Chance didn’t care much about others, but with her, it was different. He wanted her approval. “Well, I’ve a mind to open my own pub.”

She glanced at him as if he’d said the most ridiculous thing ever. “A pub?”

“I know the business. After years spent supplying them all with different kinds of things, I know what works and what doesn’t. I’ve spent enough time in pubs to know what matters to customers and what doesn’t. And then there is you…you can help me with the rest.”

“Sure, I can,” she agreed readily enough, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Chance was aware that he still not quite over the fear of losing her. She appeared determined to stay and make a life with him, but just how committed was she to this endeavor?

He wanted to be sure.

He needed to be sure.

“Great, then.”

“But I can only help you with the waitressing part. That’s all I have done, so I can hire them, train them, and help you out initially. In any case, I am looking for a job and working for my boyfriend would be great because…hell, I could pull some rank over others.”

Chance took a deep breath as he got ready to spill the beans. “Actually, I was thinking maybe you could be more like a part owner.”

She kept walking as if she hadn’t heard him, or perhaps she didn’t understand. He tugged her hand. She halted. Slowly, she turned around and faced him. “Part owner?”

His heart hammered so hard he was quite sure she might be able to hear it. “We could do it together, like partners, or something.”

“Or something?”

Chance lost his patience. He’d expected a better reaction, well certainly he had assumed her reaction would be better than this. She appeared flustered, confused. He drew her in his arms. “I want us to be together in every sense of the word. I want us to share a life. Sure, it will take time, and this is all new, and you can take it as slow as you want…but eventually, I think we need to build a life with each other.”

“And the pub is a part of that?”

“Yes, it is. It’s a commitment we make to each other and to our future. We will work on it and build it up.”

She blinked her eyes. “But…the money…”

“I have some, enough for a deposit…more than that actually, and we can get a loan for you, and then we share the profit and you pay off the loan from it.”

“You have it all planned out.”

Had he overestimated her zeal to stay with him? Or perhaps she just wasn’t ready for a commitment like this? He wasn’t sure what she was thinking. He hated to feel on the edge. He was so unsure, so uncertain. “It was just an idea. If you don’t like it, it’s ok.”

“I love it.”

He dared not believe he heard her right. “What?”

Throwing her arms around his neck, she planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love the idea. We make something together. It will be ours, and we are going to be best bar in town. People will flock over from miles to have a beer at our tables.”

Her excitement rubbed off on him. He caught her around the waist and whirled her about. She laughed. Chance saw a few people look over and smile. They made a stunning couple. And now, they were business partners. Nothing could spoil this moment, nothing at all. “You want this to happen?” he asked.

“Oh yes, I do.” He set her down and gazed into her eyes. “I do, really. And I do have the money to make a deposit with you so we can be fifty percent partners. It’s the perfect place, the perfect opportunity, and you are the perfect man to do this with.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you for thinking about me like this. It makes me very happy.”

“I do miss that Riley who fought me every inch of the way,” he complained.

She tucked her hand under his arm. “And you are going to get her back very soon. I’ll have some definite ideas on the location of our bar, and the décor, and the food, and the ambiance.”

He rolled his eyes, excited by her exuberance. He had imagined he would have to browbeat her into agreeing to this, but she seemed eager, willing. “Oh dear God, what have I gotten myself into?”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Wow! This is exciting. I can totally imagine doing this. We’re going to have a great time finalizing all the things.”

They would. Yes, he could see them fighting over everything and then finally coming up with the perfect compromise. Chance looked forward to it. As he gazed far to the right, his attention was caught by the man who pulled a cap down and walked away. Had that guy been looking at them from a distance? No. It couldn’t be her brother. He wouldn’t dare lurk in this town when he knew that the police were after him. Wesley was in trouble, and surely he was miles away.

He watched the man walk away and resisted the urge to follow him. “We’re going to make a success of it.”

“Sure, we will.”

They strolled down, hand in hand, and Riley discussed her plans. Chance also had some good ideas, and as they bickered and quarreled and discussed, he enjoyed looking at her face that was glowing with excitement. “Where should we have lunch?” she asked.

“Are you sure you want to have my opinion on this?”

She patted his shoulder. “Oh yes, love. I do want your opinion on some things—if not all.”

He laughed at her cheekiness. It was good to have her back, and this Riley was so much better than the scared one who was ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. “Hey, I have some good news. Well, actually, I am not sure how you are going to take it, so let me just state flat out that you might have some objection to it.”

“Spit it out.”

“Ok, here I go. Remember the sketch I took from you to put on Simon’s bar. It was with me that night when I went to visit Simon. The police took it as evidence…well, I don’t know why they did that.”

She ran a hand through her hair. “It doesn’t matter. I have got dozens of them.”

“No, it’s not that.” He clasped a hand on her shoulder. “The officer called me today and said I could take it back. Apparently it’s no longer evidence.”

“So?”

“He said that he showed it to a friend of his who owns an art gallery—because apparently this officer is a collector of arts.”

She stood as still as a rock. “And?”

“The owner of the art gallery wanted to know the artist. He loved that piece, and he wants to see more of them.”

He wasn’t quite sure if she was happy or frightened of the idea. Her expression didn’t change, and she looked at him for the longest time. He dared not move because he didn’t want to disturb her thought process. “He wants to see more?”

“He loved it.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know…I guess I never wanted anyone to see my work because if I became famous, it would be so much easier for my brother to find me. I did it for me but now…he has managed to find me every time so perhaps it is time for me to stop running away.”

He just didn’t like the way conversation turned around. Chance didn’t think they were talking about the same thing anymore. She had something else on her mind, and he was quite sure he wouldn’t like it. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged, and he’d a nasty feeling she was trying to hide something. There were some thoughts in her head that she wasn’t ready to share. What could it be? Before he could guess, she grabbed his hand and tugged him along. “I mean that you should definitely call this guy over, and I will show him my sketches. Most of them are over at my place, so we should invite him there. It will be great. Just imagine…what if he really likes them and plans to do an exhibition…I can’t even imagine something like that.”

“I think your sketches are extremely good, and you will go a long way with them.”

“I sure hope so. Never in my life did I ever imagine that I would be able to do anything with my art. It was just something I did for myself, and it has given me a lot of pleasure. But now the prospect that I might achieve some kind of a success with it, even if it is miniscule, is such a big achievement, and I want that.”

He was a little overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, and a little derailed by it. He never expected these kinds of reactions. He was thinking that he would have to talk to her for days, maybe weeks, before she got used to the idea of owning a bar with him. And he had fully expected her to baulk at the thought of showing her sketches to a stranger, but she was acting in a manner that wasn’t consistent with her personality.

Chance had the nasty feeling that she was planning something that he wouldn’t like.

Or perhaps he was just being paranoid. Maybe this was the new Riley, the one who appreciated the good things in life because she’d gotten so close to death. Perhaps she had desired these achievements all along and never thought about receiving them because she didn’t have any support. He was ready to be her anchor. He would do anything to keep that smile on her face. As he gazed at her while she talked animatedly about her plans for the bar and for her drawings, his skin hummed with satisfaction because he could see that she was really happy. With all his might, he wished that she would remain like this. He would make it his life’s mission to see that she got all the happiness in the world because she deserved it.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey! Are you lost?”

“Sorry. I am right here.”

“I have found the restaurant where we’re going to have lunch.” She pointed at a Thai restaurant that was tucked between a book shop and a pizzeria. “And it’s going to be my treat. We’re going to celebrate our grand plans.”

“Sure.”

As he walked into the place with her, Chance felt happy, satisfied. He’d done that which he thought wasn’t possible. Now, Riley would stay by his side, and nothing bad would ever happen to her again.