Page 6 of Bandit's Bounty

“Everything okay?” I ask once he makes his way back to me, his strides steady and sure.

“Yeah, sweetheart, everything’s good,” he says, drawing me into his arms.

As I look up at his handsome face, I feel the unmistakable flutters deep in my belly when I see the expression in his eyes. He cups my face in his hands and leans down to touch his lips to mine… and I’m lost in a whirlwind of sensations I haveneverexperienced before. There are no thoughts of the boys I kissed in high school, or of the last man I spent time with at all. With one simple kiss that is anything but, he has obliterated those memories from my mind, to be replaced with the sensation of his lips on mine, his body heat and scent surrounding me, and his sheer strength which I can feel emanating from him. When he deepens the kiss, I curl closer to his body, drawn to him as if by a magnetic force.

Long, blissful moments pass until we finally separate, and I know my expression is one of awe with a little bit of ‘oh my’ thrown in for good measure.

“Better than I anticipated, babe,” he rasps out, his deep voice even huskier, which has my nipples pebbling and my lady bits throbbing. I watch his eyes widen slightly and I blush, because somehow, he knows how aroused I am right now. “I’m gonna get out of here before I can’t,” he murmurs, kissing me lightly. “Be sure to lock up behind me, Sloane.”

“I will, Bandit, I promise,” I reply.

I come back to the present when he clears his throat, a smirk on his face, which causes my own to flush in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you,” I stammer.

“Didn’t say anything, sweetheart, but I’m wondering what has you so distracted,” he says.

“Um… nothing?” I squeak out. I can feel the heat on my face and know I’m blushing.

He chuckles then winks at me, before holding up a bag. “Remembered you said you were trying out some new recipes or something, so I thought I’d bring you a breakfast sandwich, because I know you forget to eat when you’re working.”

I’m not the type of woman who acts like she’s not hungry so she doesn’t eat in front of a man; to me, that’s just plain silly. It’s like those stupid ninnies who won’t use the bathroom around their guy either. I mean, hello, we all gotta go, right? That doesn’t mean I’m one of those who won’t insist on keeping some of the mystery alive in a relationship, but it won’t be over normal bodily functions.

“Well, you’re right about that one because I was so excited to try this one that I pretty much got ready and headed in so I could work on it,” I admit, causing him to laugh long and loud.

“Then let me hit the lock so we can go back to your work area, you can eat, then dazzle me,” he says, walking over to the door, turning the open sign to closed and locking the door. “You really should consider either hiring someone to work the front when you’re creating, or maybe keeping the door locked, Sloane. Something could happen to you, and no one would know.”

“I have the cameras in the workroom, Bandit.”

He shakes his head as he reaches my side. Instead of answering, he leans down and thoroughly kisses me until I’m not one hundred percent sure I remember my name, then says, “And if someone comes through that opened door and you’re pulling stock down from the storage room, you’re a sitting duck, sweetheart.”

“You’re right,” I reply. “Maybe I should reconsider my open hours again. Or come in earlier and keep everything locked so I can work in the back,” I muse. “I did get my packages ready for shipping since the internet sales are going somewhat crazy right now.”

“Well, babe, from what Harmony has said, some of the things you make are helpful from a healing standpoint,” he says.

“She and Karsyn are quickly becoming some of my best customers,” I state, walking ahead of him into the back room. Off to the side is a little break area, complete with a table, sink, refrigerator, and microwave, so I head there and wash my hands before sitting down.

He chuckles as he sets the bag down and washes his own hands, then joins me at the table. “Not surprising at all. They’re good people for sure, even if Karsyndoesbelong to the Spiked Raiders MC’s president.”

I sense a story there but decide not to say anything. I watch him open the bag and quickly sort out the food he’s bought, including two bottles of orange juice. “I wasn’t sure if you preferred coffee or not,” he says once the bag is empty, “so I got juice.”

“I don’t usually drink it, but I do have a Keurig if you’d like some,” I reply, standing to go to the counter where my stuff is set up.

“Naw, I drank enough this morning already. Juice is fine, sweetheart.”

I can’t deny that hearing him use that endearment sends a thrill through me. While I never thought I’d get involved with another biker, I’m beginning to see that Bandit and Dane are as different as night is to day. I sit back down and find myself enjoying sharing such a simple meal with Bandit. He shares funny anecdotes about what some of his MC brothers get up to, which have me laughing as I picture the people I’ve met in each scenario. Once we’re finished eating and have cleaned up the minimal mess we made, I wash my hands once again and head to my worktable.

“Peppermint, huh?” he asks as I open up a bottle of essential oils.

“Yes, it has a lot of curative benefits, especially for those with digestive issues. Pregnant women and those who are undergoing treatments that cause nausea also find it helps settle their stomachs,” I reply. “You’ve got a really good nose, it’s quite subtle.” Plus, he’s not exactly sitting right next to me, since I have various potions ready to add the essential oil set up around me.

“Yeah, about that,” he starts, then seems to catch himself as though he’s at a loss as to what to say.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me, Bandit.”

I had noticed some things when Dane was around that didn’t always make sense, like how he knew when one of his brothers was around, even if they hadn’t spoken a word. He’d call them by name no less, and my fanciful imagination, such as it is, thought that maybe he was a real-life shifter or something. I mean, isn’t there always a bit of truth in everything, even fiction?

“The thing is, I’m not exactly sure where to start,” he admits, his hand gripping the back of his neck. He takes a deep breath then what he says next nearly drops me to my knees. “I’m a shifter, Sloane. Yeah, I see the disbelief in your eyes, but I promise you, I’m definitely speaking the truth.”

“Th-th-that’s not possible,” I whisper, now gripping my worktable so hard my knuckles are turning white. “I mean, I read a lot, and have enjoyed my fair share of paranormal stories, but they’refiction, Bandit!”

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