Page 10

CHAPTER 10

Camila

I took a few extra minutes in the bathroom. I had to in order to get my heart to calm down. That first shot I’d taken had thrown me right back to that night. When I’d watched my father be murdered. But for some reason, the more I shot, the more it was as though I was taking my power back. Taking the fear and anxiety away from the people who’d killed him and putting it back in my hands. I’d eventually shaken off the memories, determined to put them behind me.

After that, I actually had fun. And it was like I was powerful for once. It was exhilarating and full of torture as Kilo wrapped his muscular arms around me to show me how to move and to fix my stance. Every time he brushed against me, ran his strong fingers over my skin, it stoked the heat building up in me. It bolstered my confidence. He made me feel as though nothing could touch me. Except him, of course. I didn’t mind him touching me.

Boys had never been my focus. When I was younger, I studied hard so that I could get into a good college. After I’d graduated I’d taken a job to help our family financially. Dad struggled to provide for us, but refused to let Mama work. I’d managed to convince him that I needed to build up my resume anyway and he was reluctant, but finally agreed to let me get a job. College had gone right out the window in place of real life struggles. Then Dad was murdered two years later and here we were.

Shaking my head, I stepped away from the mirror and blew out a breath. I opened the bathroom door and stuttered to a stop when both men stared over at me. I didn't miss the heat in Kilo’s eyes. At least I wasn’t in this alone. He seemed to be just as attracted to me. My heart jumped again. We’d moved around too much for me to form any close friendships or have a relationship. I should have gone off to college, made friends, had a boyfriend, and had the time of my life. Instead, we struggled to keep one step ahead of our own deaths.

Guilt overtook me. I shouldn’t be doing this. Dating anyone meant dragging them into this mess right alongside me. It wasn’t fair, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I knew Mama was right, that we needed to start trusting again, but that was a luxury at this point. We were all hoping that Phoenix would be our last stop. That we’d finally be free of this nightmare. But if they found us, we’d have to leave again.

Kilo held out his hand and I stepped forward to take it, internally cursing myself. If this went beyond one dinner, I was going to have to tell him. I couldn’t risk putting his life on the line. Not for something he had nothing to do with.

“You hungry?” he asked.

I loved his voice. It was deep and gruff, but I had yet to see him lose his temper. The other day when he’d been working on the window he’d let out a few curses, but they were low and barely audible inside the house. That was a novelty to me. My father had been a screamer. He thought the solution to everything was to roar at the top of his lungs. I hated it. I only realized later, once I was older, it was because he didn’t have the ability to control himself. Though, he never hit us. Just screamed. I was grateful that was as far as it ever went, despite how much I hated the yelling.

Kilo led me outside and kept looking over at me as we walked around the building. He must have sensed the shift in my mood. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I replied, giving him a smile. It died on my face when the motorcycle came into view. It was a beautiful machine, all black and chrome.

“You ever ridden one?” he asked.

I shook my head, clasping my hands together when he let go so he could grab the helmet that was hanging off the handlebars. My mother would kill me if she found out I rode on his motorcycle, but I was all but shaking with excitement. I’ve always wanted to ride one. Everything I read about motorcycle clubs was that they were very selective about who they let ride on the back of their bikes, though. I’d been doing a lot of research since I met Kilo. I doubted I’d even scratched the surface.

He came over and our eyes locked as he lowered the helmet down over my head. His fingers brushed my throat as he secured the buckle and tightened it. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe as he touched me. I’d never had this reaction to a man before. Maybe because the few guys I’d hung out with before were boys. Not men.

My reaction to Kilo was visceral. My nipples ached to be touched. My pussy was wet. And all he’d done was put a damn helmet on me. I needed to pull myself together. I shoved the visor up as he swung a leg over his bike. “Where's yours?” I asked.

“You're wearing it,” he replied with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. There’s no helmet laws in Arizona. I don't need it.”

“That won’t stop your brains from splattering all over the pavement if we get hit,” I pointed out. I lifted my hands to the buckle and started to undo it. “I can’t take your helmet, Kilo.”

He was off the bike in a flash, his fingers wrapped around my wrists. “The only way you’re getting on this bike is with that helmet.”

My eyes widened at the determination in his voice. I blinked, my fingers falling away from the strap. His eyes were narrowed and he had a stern expression on his face, but he wasn’t angry. He was just telling me the rules. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he added, readjusting the strap under my chin again. “I’ll get a second helmet.”

Uh oh.

He was not only letting me ride on his bike, when we could just as easily take my car, but he was planning on getting another helmet? I sighed as anxiety twisted inside my stomach. This was a great sign for my heart—which was already invested—and my pussy, which was hopeful. It was a bad sign for keeping my secret. I just knew if I told it to him and he ran from me, it was going to break my heart. Not that I would blame him. It was a shitty situation that no one would want to be in.

He got back on his motorcycle and held out a hand for me. As soon as his fingers wrapped around mine, he held me in place when I would have tried to get on. “Put your feet on the pegs back there,” he said. “And lean when I do. Not too much. Just look in the direction I do and let your body do it naturally.”

“Okay.”

“Hold on tight.”

I nodded as he reached out with his free hand and closed my visor. As soon as he motioned for me to, I threw my leg over, tucked the ends of my dress under me, and settled onto the back of his bike. Sucking in a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on. He maneuvered us through the parking lot, and out onto the street and my eyes widened behind my helmet as he gained speed.

This must be what flying feels like.

I never wanted it to stop. As soon as we got onto I-10, I let out a laugh of amazement. The wind was whipping past us as he accelerated. The vibrations were added torture, as if I wasn’t wet enough. I wanted to hold my arms out and see if maybe I really could take off into the sky, but there was no way I was letting go of him. I curled my fingers into his t-shirt, beneath his cut. He reached back with one hand and rested it on my thigh. It was a comforting gesture. He probably thought I was nervous. And maybe I was, a little, but mostly I was elated. For some unknown reason this felt like freedom. Like no one could touch me. Like they couldn’t catch me. And for a woman who has been hunted for the last four years, that was a heady feeling.

The ride ended too fast. Before I knew it we were pulling into the parking lot of a little restaurant. I scrambled off the back so that he could get off, and smiled as he removed my helmet again. This time he tucked it under his arm and brought it inside with us.

“A friend owns this place,” he told me as the hostess showed us to a table.

It was a cute little Italian restaurant and it wasn’t too busy since it was so early. I looked around and smiled as I saw older couples enjoying their time together in the quiet atmosphere. It wasn’t a stuffy place, but it was romantic. “It’s great,” I told him.

The waiter came by and grabbed our drink order. I waited for the man to leave, then met Kilo’s gaze. “I have something I should tell you-”

“Kilo!”

We both looked over as an older guy, with a huge belly, walked up, his arms extended out. Kilo stood up and he and the man embraced.

“It’s been too long, my friend.” The man’s eyes dropped to me and he grinned. “Who’s your pretty lady?”

Kilo chuckled. “Camila, this is Roger. Roger, Camila.”

Before I had a chance to stand, Roger took my hand and kissed the back of it. My cheeks flushed and I smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you. This is your restaurant?”

“It is,” he boomed with a hearty chuckle. “My wife Prissy and I bought it fifteen years ago. We enjoy running it.”

“It’s wonderful,” I told him.

“She’s too good for you,” he told Kilo with a wink as he released my hand.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kilo replied.

“Enjoy your meal. My staff will take excellent care of you. Tell Ruck to give me a call when he has a chance.” Roger gave me a nod as he left.

“Prissy?” I asked as Kilo sat back down.

“His wife, Priscilla.”

“He seems so nice.”

“They both are, but she’s going to chew him out for leaving the kitchen during the beginning of service,” he replied with a chuckle. “She runs this business with an iron fist. She won’t like that the head chef abandoned everyone back there, even if he is her husband.”

I laughed along with him. The waiter came back to take our order and I fidgeted, wondering how to bring all this up to him. I was going to just blurt it out before, but I was losing my nerve. It was a lot to dump on someone when you were first getting to know them. I wanted to just enjoy the night with him.

“What did you want to tell me?” he asked.

Searching his gorgeous brown eyes, I made a split-second decision. One I hoped I wouldn’t come to regret. “I loved riding on your motorcycle. It was...incredible.”

He chuckled. “And now you see why I love it.”

He knew that wasn't what I was going to tell him. I could see it in his eyes, but he let me get away with not confessing. If tonight went well and we went out again, I’d tell him then. What was the point if we didn’t even pursue things from here?

Dinner was delicious and we talked the whole time, though we kept it lighthearted. He told me a little about his MC and how he and Overdrive had bought the gun range. Neither of us were quite willing to dig too deep into the details of each other’s lives. That was best left for future dates. I was relieved because it gave me a chance to keep my secret a bit longer.

The ride back to my car was even better than the first one without the sun beating down on us. I had a feeling I was going to become addicted to motorcycles. He took the helmet off my head and walked me over to my car. It was hard to contain my nerves and excitement. I’d already kissed him. But I wanted more. When I turned to tell him goodnight, he caged me against the car. It didn’t frighten me. Nothing he did scared me. I hardly knew him, but I did know that he was safe. He wouldn’t hurt me.

“Thank you for dinner,” I told him. My voice sounded a bit breathless even to me.

“Thank you for going with me,” he countered. “When do you want to shoot again?”

“Whenever you have time.”

“I’ll call you,” he told me. “I need to check that Ruck, my MC president, isn’t going to need me for anything over the next week.”

“Okay.”

His eyes dropped down to my lips and I held my breath. His fingers threaded through my hair as he lowered his mouth to mine. He tilted my head, fixing the angle, and we both sank into the kiss.

I opened my mouth and our tongues brushed together. A moan escaped my chest as he moved closer, pressing our bodies together even more. I ran my hands up his arms, feeling the muscles in his biceps. It was a heady feeling to have this strong man kissing me like his life depended on it.

A few catcalls and whistles pulled us apart and I ducked my head against his chest. Kilo turned, shielding me from the sight of the two young boys riding by on their bikes. He brushed his fingers over my cheek, smiling down at me. “I’ll call you,” he repeated.

Nodding, I stepped away and he opened the car door for me. I needed to get my body under control because it was almost like it was vibrating. No wonder why people did stupid things for lust and love if this was what it felt like. I drove home, trying to pull myself together as I went.

This was the first time in a long time that I’d let myself relax and just have fun. I didn’t feel as though I needed to have my guard up around Kilo. And I knew that no one could get to me while I was with him. It was freeing. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe they wouldn’t find us and we could stay.