Page 8 of Blue-Eyed Jacks (Destroyers MC: Skilletsville PA #1)

K ate walked in twenty minutes after nine. She looked like hell. At least she’d put on some weight since I last saw her. She wore a simple flowered top and jeans. The top was wrinkled, and her hair was wildly frizzy. The circles under her eyes did nothing to ease my worry.

She looked around and spotted the dressing rooms. She randomly grabbed a negligee off the rack as she cut a beeline through the store. The gauzy outfit was deep pink, a horrible color for her. The green one I’d bought would bring out the color of her eyes.

I nonchalantly moved to the back. The woman at the register didn’t even look up.

I could be a predator, trapping Kate in a dressing room, and that bitch wouldn’t know.

My worry turned to anger. At least her ride had lingered long enough that she was inside the shop before the big Black man driving pulled away.

As far as protectors go, she’d picked a good one.

Kate entered the dressing room but stood there, debating whether to pull the curtain. I made my presence known and held out the shopping bag of clothes I’d bought in the twenty minutes I’d been waiting.

“Thirty-two C. I remembered.”

She pulled out the green bra first. The glance she sent me was mischievous and accusatory. “I’m supposed to wear this?”

“All of it. Leave your clothes behind in case someone got a tracker on you.”

Her smiling eyes fell. “What about George?”

“The big guy in the gray sedan?”

She nodded.

“He looks competent. I booked the president’s suite for him. He’ll be okay.”

“I’ll thank you when we’re gone from here.”

“That’s my girl.”

I couldn’t help it. She’d become mine almost the minute I locked eyes with her when she was cowering at Shock’s feet.

But now? That feeling was a tidal pull I couldn’t ignore.

And she was the moon. No other woman could compare.

And I’d tried. But it was her in my dreams, in the taste of strawberries, any time of the day; I’d get a whiff of fresh air and I’d think of her.

It was especially hard to ride. I’d given up escorting women on the back of my bike.

I was tired of the grabby hands feeling my hard dick as I thought of her.

Sunrise? Kate. Moonlit night? Kate. Balls deep and holding a nut? Kate.

She pulled the curtain shut and rummaged through the bag.

The shop-keeper finally noticed. “She’s putting the shit on. Ya mind?”

I’d spent over a grand. She better not.

She smiled and went back to her phone.

“There’s a dildo in here.” Kate’s voice was barely muffled through the curtain.

“That’s for later.”

She stuck her head out of the gap, taking care not to let me peek at what she did or did not have on yet. “ And a vibrator?”

“I figured it’s been a while.”

Her face flushed bright red. “You…”

“Knave?” I wiggled my eyebrows at her and winked.

“That.” Her eyes widened theatrically. Then she disappeared behind the curtain.

I angled to the side to line up with the meager one-inch gap.

Her bare shoulder was covered in freckles.

They were light orangish tan. Barely there, but so damn tempting against the backdrop of her peachy skin.

Her hair was much longer now. All more one length rather than the layers she had before.

I liked it. It made her look older. More womanly.

Speaking of… she turned to pick something up. I caught the flash of green. The cup gapped just a little, and I saw perfect, unmarred flesh. No nipple was visible, only that subtle slope and full-bottomed roundness that made me hard in my dreams. I stepped back.

There was shit to get done. Bad guys to watch out for. And a hell of a lot of driving to do. There was no time to deal with a hard-on.

The loud rip of a zipper told me she’d found the boots. That meant she had the silky leggings on. I pictured her ass in them and smiled, savoring the image.

“I’m almost done. How do I put on the wig?”

“There’s a comb near the front, I think.”

“Oh, here it is. Huh.”

“What?” I tried to peek in the gap again, but she was on the other side of the dressing room.

“My hair is sticking out. Damn it.”

More rustling. And cussing. She’d improved so much in two years.

“This is the best it’ll get.” She swept the curtain open.

From the tips of her ultra spike platform boots, up her long legs that were covered in shiny black satin, to her sweet thighs, a bangled chain belt that dipped in shiny silver arches, to the leather bustier where there was a peekaboo cutout for the emerald green of the bralette and silky lace cami, to her matching black spiked jacket, she was a knockout.

The mounds of her breasts squashed upward, creating curves a stripper would be proud of.

But the icing on the cake was the fall of the silky white-blonde wig. That alone set me back four Benjamins. I brushed a stray clump from her face. I could see the reddish strands she was complaining about, but from a distance, no one would ever notice. They’d be looking too hard at her ass.

“You are fucking gorgeous.”

She swallowed. “I need makeup.”

“Hey!” I caught the clerk’s attention. “My girl wants makeup.”

The dollar signs lit up her eyes as she led Kate to various pots, creams, and tubes. She transformed from rose-golden waif to runway-worthy queen. If the runway was a strip club, that is.

I didn’t mind. Kate was what every bad little biker aspired to have hanging on his dick, riding queen at his back, on her knees… damn fantasies . That’s what she was. “Ready?”

“Your clothes.” The clerk had helpfully collected them from the dressing room.

“Keep ‘em, burn ‘em. Don’t give a shit. I’m taking this home.” I laughed along with her, and led Kate to a luxurious sedan I’d parked off to the side of the lot.

While inside, I’d kept an eye on it. This early, not much traffic bothered the naughty end of the mall.

But the rest of the lot was gearing up for a day of normalcy.

I opened Kate’s door, scanning for threats.

“How can you afford all this?”

“We’ll talk on the road, babe.” I circled the car and monitored traffic around us as I hit the freeway north.

She squirmed in her seat. “Take the shit off if you want.”

That earned me a side glare.

“There’s clothes in the duffel bag in the back seat. I picked up some yesterday.”

“Then why make me dress like this?” She swiped at the outfit I stuck her with.

“Because, one, you look fucking kick ass in it. And two, if anyone followed me, they’d see me leave with a hooker, not you. Me with someone like you would raise flags.”

“Someone like me?”

“Sweet, pretty without makeup, and off-limits.”

Her mouth fell open. “I don’t know what to address first.”

“Don’t then.”

“I’m not sweet.”

“No?”

“I’m not pretty without makeup.”

“You’re fucking wrong there. I know pretty, and you’re fucking gorgeous.”

The skin on her neck flushed pink. It took all my willpower to turn my attention back to the road.

“And, I’m not off-limits.” She almost whispered it. “I filed for divorce.”

Which was how that asshole found her. I was certain of it. “How soon after you did that were you followed?”

“The next day.”

“Yeah. Off-limits.” Poaching another brother’s wife was a huge nope.

Her head dipped. The white-blond strands of her wig fell over her face. She brushed it back and then ripped it off. Her hair went in several directions. “I’m not off-limits.”

Good to know . I kept my opinions on that to myself.

“I’m not.” With that, she unbuckled and reached over the back seat.

Her ass stuck in the air, and I couldn’t help but look.

That earned me a loud honk from the guy two lanes over who I almost side-swiped.

“Watch the road, not my ass.” Kate climbed over the seat and got settled in the seat behind me.

I glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“It’s a nice ass.”

“Knave.”

I smiled. “You’re doing so well, Kate. I’m proud of you.”

She paused her rummaging to stare at me through the mirror. “They took a friend of mine. She and I were roommates at the shelter.”

“They?”

Her breath stuttered as she inhaled. “Shock.”

“You know that for sure?” He was out of territory. That carried repercussions. If those problems circled back, Skilletsville would be on the frontline of the bullshit wave.

Her nod was almost too quick to catch. “Whoever it was left a drawing of the Destroyers’ emblem surrounded by lightning.”

That would be Shock. Or one of his minions. “Didn’t know any of ‘em had artistic talent.”

She scoffed. “They don’t.”

I laughed. Which was likely inappropriate, considering her friend was likely dead. “If she survives, it might not be…” for the best. I couldn’t say it.

Her face was sad, pale despite the makeup. “I know. I’m kind of hoping she tells them everything and gets it over with fast.” A frown, and then she returned to rummaging.

My sweatshirt went on first. From under it, she took off the bra, the bustier, and everything on top. Then she shimmied.

“Are your pants off?”

“Keep your eyes on the road.”

Bossy. Just the way I liked ‘em. “Yes, ma’am.” I didn’t mean it, but she couldn’t hold me to that promise, could she?

I mean, naked women had always intrigued me.

Kate naked? Sweet Jesus Christ, that would be a marvel.

“But you were the one who said you weren’t off limits, FYI.

” I glanced in the mirror again. She paused her struggles to glare at me.

“I want to get to wherever we’re going in one piece first.”

Damn . If I were a less-controlled man, I’d put the hammer down and speed all the way there. But the main goal was to get Kate to a safe place without attracting attention.

Hours later, we stopped at a quaint little B&B along the Connecticut River.

I’d taken a scenic route north to avoid all the congestion, traffic, and anything within a hundred miles of New York City.

It was dark, so the red barn they’d converted to lodging looked almost black. The light outside went on as I parked.

“My ass is killing me.” Kate rubbed her back and the aforementioned body part. Mine hurt too, but ogling hers magically diminished the ache in favor of the more forward-facing one.

“Can you carry the duffle? I got the other bags.” I had a few things in the trunk that I didn’t want her prints on.

The owner, a little gray-haired man in his late fifties wearing tie-dyed overalls, met us just inside and worked through the check-in process. I pulled out cash and handed it over.

He looked at it with confusion. “Not often we get cash anymore.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t bother to check to see if you took cards, so I came prepared. Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he smiled. “It’ll save me the fees for processing. Thanks.” He pocketed the cash and showed us to the room in the second-floor loft.

“We have live bands in the main room on Fridays and open jam sessions on Wednesdays. It’s mostly a bunch of my friends and such, but you’re welcome to join in if you play.”

Kate looked at me, so I had to answer her obvious question. “I don’t have a musical bone in my body. Sorry, man.”

She smiled. “I used to play flute.” She shook her head. “That was so long ago I…”

“My wife plays flute, if you want to join along tomorrow, we’d welcome you.”

Her eyes met mine. There was panic in them.

I grimaced. We were supposed to be flying under the radar. I made up a lie that would sound convincing. “We’re supposed to be at the resort tomorrow. Sorry, babe.”

Kate’s back was to the owner, and she mouthed a little “thank you” to me before turning and putting on her best smile and schmooze. It was brilliant. I couldn’t have charmed him better myself.

“Breakfast is between six-thirty and eight. We put out a little variety.” He accepted our gratitude with a smile and exited. We were alone.

Kate stared at the queen-sized bed. “How are we doing this?”

Her arms were clenched tightly around her chest.

It wasn’t cold.

I tore the pillows from their nest at the head of the bed and flipped the covers down to expose the fitted sheet.

Then I lined most of them up in a neat row down the middle of the bed.

“I want you to take the wall side. I’ll be by the door in case someone is an asshole.

This,” I plumped the biggest pillow in the middle, “is your fortress wall. Got it?”

Her nod wasn’t convincing.

“I’m here to protect you, even if it is from me, understand?”

Kate’s eyes flicked to mine. The seriousness and pain there hurt. Then she brightened and wiped all that anguish from my soul. She was getting better. This was helping.

And by God, she was beautiful, not just in face, but in spirit. I’d meant every word I said in the car. It wasn’t blowing smoke up her ass when I said she was gorgeous. To me, she was…

Well, putting it mildly, trouble. And I loved trouble.