Steel 3: Blackthorne MC (2 page)

I reached over to pick up my beer and noticed Jackson slipping into the seat beside me.

He didn’t say anything at first, which made me nervous. I’d noticed he did that a lot. I think he did it on purpose to put people on the back foot.

“Any idea where Nick is?” I didn’t really want to show my desperation, especially to Jackson of all people, but screw it, after tomorrow I’d never see him again.

Jackson gave me a knowing smile. “I’ve heard from a source that he could be back this evening.”
 

My heart flipped flopped in my chest.
There was a chance I would see Nick before I left.
 

“Has Victor been keeping him away from me?”

Jackson didn’t answer directly with a yes or a no. Instead, he said, “That would be a good thing, don’t you think?”

I scowled. “Why do you care?”

“Good question.”
 

His stillness unnerved me. He really was like a freaking statue.

“Are you looking forward to getting back home, Ella?” he asked, moving the conversation onto safer ground.

I nodded. “It will be good to get back to normal.”

“And what’s normal?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but then shut it abruptly. I didn’t want to reveal anything about my background. I didn’t want to give them any chance to trace me, although I supposed if they really wanted to find me, they could track me down in New York easily enough.

Before I answered Jackson’s question, Victor entered the bar, walking past us, and Tabitha paused in her show.

He winked at her, and she held the python aloft and started gyrating her hips to cheers from the audience.
 

I shivered.

Victor stopped beside our table and nodded at Jackson before heading off to a seating area reserved for him by the stage.

“That’s my cue,” Jackson said and smiled.

He left me sitting alone at the table.

It was strange. The bar was heaving, yet I had a table all to myself. No one had approached me all night apart from Jackson. There were no wasted old bikers trying to hit on me, and no one had asked to share the table, despite the fact the bar was packed. I was pretty sure that Victor had warned everyone to stay away from me.
 

I picked up my beer and took a sip. I’d had the same bottle for so long it had gotten warm. I didn’t care if everyone was keeping their distance.
 

I would be gone tomorrow and that was all that mattered.

***

Nick

I knew exactly why Victor Blackthorne had given me the job. He wanted to keep me away from Ella.

I suspected Victor’s brother, Damien, had played a role in building Victor’s mistrust. I wouldn't have been surprised to learn he had spoken against me, warning Victor that I was getting too attached to Ella.

He was right.

Victor had sent me to collect protection money from his west side properties. The job usually took two crew members four days. I'd gone alone and ridden hard through the night, sleeping only a couple of hours at a time, so I would be back before she left.
 

Victor couldn't protest. I'd done the job he’d assigned to me.

My body ached, and I was covered in dust from the road as I walked into the bar. Despite the fact, the place was full of people, I located Ella quickly. She was sitting close to the stage and looked fresh and beautiful amongst the leather and jaded old bikers.

I took a moment to watch her as she tilted her head, watching the strip show.

I glanced over to where Victor normally sat if he was in the bar, and sure enough, he was there. Sitting on Victor’s right was Jackson.
 

Of course, Jackson had noticed I'd returned. He noticed
everything
.
 

Screw him
.

Usually, I'd report back to Victor first thing, but tonight, I had something more important to do. I made my way through the crowds until I was behind her. I stood beside her chair for a moment, hesitating, and then I trailed a finger on the soft skin along her neck and collarbone.

She turned around slowly, and damn, my chest grew tight as she looked up at me and smiled.

The smile lit up her eyes. She was genuinely glad to see me. After everything that had happened and everything she had seen, she was still pleased to see me. I didn't deserve it, but a deep need rushed over me, and I pushed those thoughts to the side.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized this was what it was like to actually fall in love.

It was a first for me. I hadn't expected to feel it so physically. The lump in my throat, and the tightness in my chest all came just from being close to her.

She stood up, and her eyes shone as she looked up at me. I felt an overwhelming need to ask her not to leave me, to tell her that I would go with her and leave all this so we could be together. I would change.
 

I wanted to take care of her.

But I swallowed those pointless words, and instead leaned down to kiss her sweet lips, slowly at first, then harder, more demanding, trying to communicate everything I felt in that one kiss.

Ella

Nick took my hand and led me back through the bar. I could feel Jackson's eyes burning into us as we walked, and I didn't dare to turn around and check if Victor was watching us too.

I was so glad he'd come back. I couldn't hide my excitement. I tried hard not to grin like a crazy person. What was wrong with me? Why did I have to have a crush on the most unsuitable guy I’d ever met? It didn't make any sense. I was beyond messed up.
 

I followed Nick along the hallway, watching his tight ass beneath his fitted jeans. Damn, he was hot. He had on a dusty, black T-shirt that clung to his body like a second skin, displaying his broad shoulders and toned muscles and the tattoo on his right arm. Was it really so bad of me to want to feel his body pressed against mine one more time before I left?

He pulled me inside the bedroom and shut the door behind us. He looked down at me, but I couldn't read the expression on his face. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my mouth grew dry.

"I missed you," he said simply as his dark eyes looked down into mine.

It felt like my heart missed a beat as I gazed up at him. I was pleased that he'd missed me… but that didn't mean I should read too much into things.

I glanced away and looked down at the floor, forcing myself to break eye contact.

He reached for the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it up, stripping it from his body and revealing his rippled abs and his perfectly toned chest. My eyes flickered downwards of their own accord. I would never get tired of looking at his body.
 

Holy crap, he was beautiful.

The dressing on his shoulder was new, so I guessed he'd managed to fix himself up on the road.

"How is your shoulder? Has it been giving you any trouble?"

He shrugged. “No. It's almost back to normal."

He licked his lips and grinned at me. “Before I do anything else, I need to have a shower. It was a hot and sweaty ride.”

I grinned at him. "I was wondering what that smell was," I teased.

I considered whether I should offer to shower with him. The idea of seeing his beautiful body naked and kissing his rock-hard abs as the water poured over us was an appealing thought.
 

I swallowed hard.
 

I was getting far too carried away. I needed to give him some space, and I needed a chance to get my breath back. Just being in the same room as Nick Steel had sent me into lust mode.

After I heard him turn on the faucet in the bathroom, I laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I debated whether to join him in the shower, but in the end, I just stayed where I was. I didn't want to look too desperate, and Nick deserved some privacy.

After a few minutes, I heard the shower turn off, and I sat up on the bed, suddenly feeling shy and unsure of myself.

The best thing to do would be to leave now and go back to the bar, allowing him to get dressed in private. That would be the
sensible
thing to do.
 

If we got any closer, I was in serious danger of intensifying these feelings I had for Nick and getting my heart broken. But I didn't want to do the sensible thing… I was sick of doing what was sensible. All my life, I'd done the
sensible
thing and taken
sensible
choices.
 

I wanted to have hot, raunchy sex with my tattooed, bad boy biker one more time before I left. Surely no one could blame me for that?

Nick opened the door to the bathroom, and when I saw his body, I licked my lips. The towel rode low on his hips and droplets of water glistened on his tanned torso. The muscles in his shoulders and arms flexed as he reached up a hand to run his fingers through his wet hair.

When he caught me looking at him, with what must have been clear lust plastered all over my face, his eyes took on a predatory look.
 

My heart was hammering, and my mind was going wild, remembering exactly how it felt to have Nick Steel pushing himself into me. My body reacted strongly to the sight of him, forcing me to squeeze my legs together to relieve some of the pressure down there.

I cleared my throat and stood up. "Let me get a look at your shoulder," I said, somehow managing to get the words out past the lump in my throat.

He smiled and sat beside me on the bed, and I couldn't help noticing the sexy smile on his face that told me he was completely aware of the effect his body had on me.

I moved so I was in front of him, and he spread his knees, so I could get closer to his body and get a good look at his shoulder.
 

From his seated position, his eyes were level with my breasts, and I felt my nipples pucker beneath my shirt as his warm breath caressed them.

I could feel the heat of his body from where I stood, and I yearned to wrap my arms around him and pull his hard body against mine.
 

Instead, I tried to focus on how his shoulder was healing. It looked pretty good considering, but there were still a couple of sutures that would need to come out soon. The doctor hadn't exactly used the latest equipment to treat him.

"Does it still hurt?" I asked. My voice was so husky I barely recognized it.

"It's not too bad,” he said, giving me a sexy half-smile. “Although, I could do with something to take my mind off it."

I licked my lips as I interpreted his innuendo. I could think of a lot of ways to distract him, all extremely pleasurable.

Beneath the thin towel he'd wrapped around his waist, I could clearly see his erection tenting the material. I felt moisture pool between my thighs as my nipples peaked even tighter against the lace of my bra. I didn't move from between his legs as I breathed in deeply, looking down at his soft kissable lips and the rough stubble that now lined his strong jaw.

He raised a hand to skim my arm, and my skin tingled in response. He leaned forward, wrapping both arms around me, putting his hands on the back of my thighs and then sliding them up until they were resting just below my ass.
 

"Would you like to do something to distract me, Ella?"

Oh, hell yes.

I couldn't stop myself from touching him. My hands moved to either side of his jaw, feeling the rough stubble beneath my fingers. I leaned down and pressed my lips against his, allowing my tongue to trace them.

He groaned as he opened his mouth to me, and the taste and sensation of his kiss had my clit tingling in anticipation.

I reached up to grasp his hair between my fingers, and then I pulled back and gave him my most flirtatious smile. "I'd love to distract you, Nick. Where would you like me to start?"

I could see the surprise light his eyes before he matched my smile. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe we could start like this…"

His hands cupped my ass and pulled me against him. My nipples were so tight, screaming for his attention as his breath whispered against them. I reached out and undid each button on my shirt slowly, in turn. His eyes scorched my flesh as he followed the progress of my fingers.

When I opened my shirt, he leaned down, kissing and tasting the sensitive skin at the swell of my breasts. I was glad he was holding me tight, because if he hadn’t been, I think my legs would have buckled beneath me as my whole body was trembling.

"I want you to touch me," I gasped. "I've missed you."

With a growl, he pulled my hips towards him, slipping his leg between mine and pressing it firmly between my thighs. I groaned at the delicious pressure and ground myself against him.

"You have a fantastic ass," Nick said as he clutched it tighter. I moaned again as I rubbed myself shamelessly against him.
 

His tongue caressed the sensitive flesh of my neck, and I leaned to one side to give him easier access. His hands slid over my waist, moving upwards until they cupped my breasts. He used his fingers to circle my lace-covered nipples before moving one hand behind me to release the clasp of my bra. I pushed down harder against him, desperate for more of the sensation.