Page 2 of Crash and Burn
1
Marley
October 2020
Rascal isthe one Savage Menace I can’t fucking stand. Blaze warned me about him before they came into Higher Zen. From the first time I met him, he’s done nothing but try to get into my pants. I expected to turn him down, and that would be it. Oh, how wrong I was. Before they left the shop, Rascal made it a point to come talk to me.
The tallest of the four Savage Menaces walks back inside, coming straight for the front desk. He’s a beast of a man, tall and bulky. Tattoos cover his neck and shoulders. His dark hair is faded on the sides and longer on top, and he’s sporting a short cut beard.
“Hey, Beautiful. I gotta ask, did it hurt?”
A pick-up line? Really? I flash him a small grin. “Did what hurt?”
“When you fell from Heaven,” he asks.
How predictable. I laugh. “Silly, Romeo. I dug my way up from Hell,” I deadpan.
For a split second, surprise crosses his face. “Beautiful and witty. Where have you been all my life?”
“Same place I’ll be for the rest of your life— in your dreams.”
His eyes light up as if he’s saying ‘challenge accepted.’ A smile plays on his lips, but before he responds, Blaze and Buster walk in. His eyes never leave mine.
“Rascal, let’s roll,” Buster says to him.
Rascal flashes me a grin. “See you soon, Princess.” It’s a promise, not a statement.
I could sense he’s not one to accept loss easily, and I could tell me shooting him down wounded his ego. I’ve lived and learned a lot these past few years. Including meeting my fair share of guys like him. He’s a player wanting to add another notch in his belt. I won’t be that for him, no matter how hard he tries. Which is something he hasn’t stopped doing. It’s like he’s made it his life mission to either fuck me or annoy me to death.
A few months ago, something came up, and I had to get out of Colorado, so Blaze came up with the bright idea of me taking shelter with the Savage Menaces MC in Texas. To make things worse, Bull - the Savage Menaces MC President, made sure to make Rascal my personal bodyguard. If I leave the club, which I don’t, he has to come with me. I have to continually remind myself it’s for my own protection.
It was so much easier to ignore him when he was almost a thousand miles away and only came to the shop once a month. Now, I’m living under the same roof as him. I keep to myself, hardly ever leaving my room. Tink and Lolita have hooked me up with a mini-fridge for my room, and Chains, one of the prospects, brings me snacks at least once a week.
I’ve ventured out of my room more in the past couple of months. Rascal has been gone a lot more, picking up more work at Savage Repairs to help out while Buster is home with his wife and baby. Rascal has put Chains in charge of me while he’s gone, with strict instructions not to let me leave the clubhouse. It’s not like I would have anywhere to go if I did leave. Everyone I know in Texas is linked to the Savage Menaces.
I’m not the best at making friends. I’m quiet and come off as a bitch. Tink and Lolita are the only ones I really talk to because they took me under their wings when I first got here. I’ve talked with Minx a little, but not enough to really become friends. She’s been nice, but she also doesn’t come around much when the guys aren’t all here.
Rascal is currently at Savage Repairs. He’s been going every other Saturday for most of the day. I take the opportunity to hang out in the main room. Some days Chains and I play pool and smoke. Other days, I take the time to read. I love reading cheesy, romcoms. They’re my favorite. Today is a reading day, and today’s book isLet’s Get Textualby Teagan Hunter. Between smoking and getting so into this book, I lose track of time.
“Holy shit! The Princess has graced us with her presence.” Rascal chuckles.
I close my book, rolling my eyes.
“I was beginning to think you’d never leave your room. What’s the special occasion,” he asks.
I stand from the couch. “You not being here.”
He smirks at me. He’s about to respond, but Minx cuts him off. “Hey, Marley!”
“Hey.” I smile at her.
“We’re having a girls’ night up at my house. We would all love it if you came too,” she tells me.
I can sense Rascal’s eyes on me and fight the urge to look at him. “I’d like that. It’ll be good to get out of here for a few hours.”
“Great! We wanted to invite you sooner but wanted to let you get settled in first. Then shit hit the fan, and I haven’t seen you around much,” she explains.
I shrug. “I should really work on changing that.”
