Page 12 of Desert King

2

Amber

I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I won’t be able to recover my car or hope that any of my things are still inside. I called several towing companies, but no one want to waste three hours one way for a tow in the middle of nowhere. The charge just to retrieve it is more than the car and everything inside it is worth.

But still. My things: my memories of life are worth something aren’t they? But I just can’t justify spending eight hundred cash.

Sighing, I grab some toilet paper using it to touch every surface while leaving the hotel.

“Morning, mouse.”

He’s so big he blocks out the early sun.

“What the…?”

“You didn’t think you could just leave, did you?”

Shifting my weight, I refuse to be cowed. “Yeah I did. It still is a free country.”

“You owe me.”

“You came to collect?”

He rips off his shades and pulls down the handkerchief covering his face. “I need a nurse. Are those tiny hands good for anything?”

His left eye is swollen shut. Dark, bruises cover his cheek. I think his nose is busted again. “You lost?”

“It was a draw,” he shrugs seeming unfazed.

“I don’t have time for this. I need to be somewhere.”

He turns, swaggering toward a blue Ford truck. The paint’s faded but the chrome finishes shine. “All your shit’s in the back.”

Stunned, I slowly walk forward. In the back of the truck, tied down by rope cords are my suitcases, plastic bags full of old, loved books, CD’s, and knick-knacks from my old life.

“I-I can’t… I have no way to repay you for this.”

“And I already told you, I don’t collect money.”

I swallow hard. The past twenty-four hours were surreal. It was like I stepped into the middle of a movie and walked off the set. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know yet.”

He presses a key into my palm and raps his knuckles on the hood. “She’s solid, with some years on her, but still runs strong.”

“This is yours?”

He shrugs noncommittally. “You could say so.”

“I’m not taking a stolen truck, Edge.”

“Title’s on the seat. The least you could do is utter a thank you, mouse. But maybe it’s not words from you I want.”

My brow furrows as he invades my space. His meaty hands grasp either side of my hips as he pushes me back against the driver's door. His swollen lips close in on mine. My hands rest on his forearms. I’m not sure if I’m attracted to him per se, but I’m curious to find out if I’ll feel anything at all or if yesterday was just a fluke. He smells of fresh soap and coffee. One hand cups the back of my head as he opens my mouth with his and his tongue searches for mine. Searching for my acceptance. His other hand moves up, slowly rubbing over my tiny breasts. I hiss into his mouth as my nipples harden at his touch. He moves over them lazily in broad daylight. His hand circling, his fingers pinch me lightly. A wave rolls through me. My hips buck forward. His kisses and touches are long; lazy. He’s in no rush to take more but won’t let up either. I kiss him back because I can. Because I’m alive and free and never made out with anyone in a hotel parking lot just for the hell of it.

He grunts, angling his hips closer. I free myself from his mouth, my hand cups his bruised cheek. “Who knew only a little mouse could satisfy the beast? Especially when he had a full course of tits and ass at the buffet but still left hungry?” With that, I push forward making him move back and open the door to the truck, quickly inserting the key into the ignition. Our eyes lock through the glass. His are wide. I wink, blow him a kiss then reverse, leaving him stunned and horny in my wake. In the mirror I glimpse my flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, and mussed up hair. Damn, if I don’t look just a little bit hot.

He stares after my taillights with his hands fisted by his sides. I know I haven’t seen the last of him, but I needed to get the hell out of there before I let some Bloody Scorpion biker make me want for things I know he can never give. I’m not delusional into thinking I could be a woman to make a man like that change. Edge is bad with just a hint of good. I came here to start a new life. Getting involved with an MC man was never on my horizon. Besides, Edge has a different woman by the hour for all I know. He thinks nothing of pleasuring one woman than another, if last night is anything to go by.

---