Page 18 of Claymore
My eyes widened and I pressed my lips together, trying not to panic.
“You’re a biker. You’re part of a club and that means you probably deal with this all the time. What do you usually do in this situation?”
“Get my bike checked on time so this shit doesn’t happen.”
“Claymore!”
“It’s okay. It’s fine, really. I’ll just call Tank or Ripper. Wrench usually handles these things but he’s still nursing his wounds from those Freeway Fucks.”
I rubbed my arms, warming myself up because it was only getting chillier out. Claymore dialed, listening to it ring before it cut out. I watched his eyes widen, the disbelief flashing across his face as he stared down at his phone screen illuminating in the dark.
“Fuck.”
“What happened?”
“There goes my service. Look, let’s get walking. If I get some bars, we’ll be able to call for someone to help, okay?”
I sighed deeply, nodding.
“Okay.”
I could feel the sand kicking up under my sneakers, the chill setting in every time a gust of wind rushed through my curly hair. Claymore carried my things the whole way, glancing over at me an hour into our walk to see just how cold I was. He slipped out of his leather jacket, resting it on my shoulders, but I shook my head.
“You’re going to freeze.”
“I’ll be fine. Who knew Sedona got so cold in the evenings, huh?”
“Claymore…”
“Take it, Ella. Trust me, I can handle a little cold air,” he said, and I nodded.
I smelt his musky, warm scent. I relished in it, the cologne on his jacket, how instantly comforted I felt when it was around me. It made the walk that much more bearable. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to join in on the hunt for a few bars of service, noticing we’d been walking for at least two straight hours at this point. My legs were starting to give out, my eyelids heavy, and the exhaustion finally hit me.
I turned my phone around, shining it on what looked like a campground with a fire that was freshly put out. I headed straight for it, hearing Claymore’s footsteps close behind me.
“Think they’re still here?” I asked.
“Nah, they’re long gone. They took all their stuff. Want to rest for a while?”
“Yes, please.”
Claymore’s eyes turned to something in the distance and I followed his gaze. I could hear the sound of water gushing and I furrowed my brows, wondering what it could be.We’re out in the middle of the desert.That’s when I saw the sign that readMineral Hot Springs.
“Now that seems like a great idea. It’s freezing out,” I said, pointing to it.
“Ladies first.”
I turned around for a second, realizing I didn’t bring any swimwear with me. I started stripping out of my sweatpants and sweater, glancing over at Claymore to see he’d fully turned around giving me my privacy. I stuck a toe in first, eventually submerging my whole body in the water and the warmth that enveloped me made the hair raise on my arms.
“Your turn,” I said.
He smirked at me, tearing his T-shirt off, slipping out of his jeans to reveal his boxers. I immediately found myself blushing, taking in the way his body glistened in the moonlight, and when I realized what I was doing, I quickly turned away.
“What? Like what you see?” he asked with a wink.
“No, of course not.”
“Uh-huh.”
