Twisted Scars (Comanche Sons Motorcycle Club Book 1) (7 page)

Chapter Seven

Riley had no clue as to what the hell happened. One minute, they were talking nicely, discussing her work and then next moment, he walked out of the door, citing some silly excuse that she wouldn’t have believed even if she was fresh out of school.

What the hell went wrong?

It was good actually. Now, she could have her normal life back. She hadn’t wanted a relationship with him. Wasn’t she planning to breakup with him? Yes, she was. This was exactly what she wanted. He was adding unnecessary tension in her life. She shouldn’t have gone out with him in the first place.

The next day, she was back at work, excited and pumped up. The brief period of insanity was over, and she could now concentrate on her job. There was no need for her to go crazy over a man. He didn’t mean anything to her. “So how was your date?” asked Malinda.

She shrugged, not wishing to disclose that actually she was the one who was dumped. “It was ok.”

Malinda wrinkled her brow. “That bad, huh?”

“It wasn’t bad.” She set the tables quickly, knowing that customers would start to pour in at any time. They began to get people around noon in for a leisurely lunch. “We had a good time, you know. Watched a movie, grabbed a meal, and then came back to my apartment.”

“Ohhhh!” Malinda sidled closer. “What happened?”

She didn’t want to talk about it. Riley wasn’t one of those people who liked to discuss her boyfriend issues. It wasn’t built in her to talk about such things. She’d never had a girlfriend with whom she talked about such problems, and she didn’t need one. Riley was a self-contained unit. She could do everything on her own. Still, she just felt the need to talk to someone right now. Nothing like that ever happened to her before, and Malinda had far more experience when it came to men.

“We were talking, chatting, and then he suddenly finished his wine and walked out. Said he had work.”

“Work?”

She put a hand on her hips. “At twelve o’clock at night.”

“He does supply things to bars…” Malinda trailed off.

“Oh, please. It was an excuse. Why would he say something so ridiculous? The funny thing is that I felt he was ready, you know, to…move into the bedroom. Last time, we did it on the couch, and I felt as if he was setting the scene…slow and easy…and then bam, he was gone.”

Malinda licked her bottom lip, as invested in solving this mystery as she was. That was the good thing about Malinda; she didn’t gloat over the problems that other women had. She’d a kind heart, and she was loyal as a friend. Not that Riley needed a shoulder to cry on, but if she ever did, Malinda’s name was on top of her list. “What were you guys talking about before he walked out?”        

“Just causal talk…discussing our hobbies. I like to sketch.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen some of your discarded sketches lying in the kitchen dustbin. You’re damn good.”

“Thanks.” She snapped her fingers. “So back to the problem. What triggered him to move away?”

“He has had sex with you before, so he knew it would be good, right?”

Riley couldn’t stop the gleam that came into her eyes. “Good? It was dynamite. No man could have faked that.”

“Men don’t fake, honey. They are incapable of deception when it comes to sex. In any case, I’m sure that you guys were good together.”

“Not that I want to discuss that any further,” she said quickly before the conversation got out of hand.

Malinda pulled a face. “Too bad, honey. As I said, I’m running through a dry spell. He must’ve come into your apartment, knowing that you guys were going to do it. Then, he walked away.” She tapped her fingers on her lips. “You need to ask him what happened.”

Riley turned back to the table. She adjusted a fork and then ventured to the next table. “No way. I’m not interested.”

Malinda followed behind her, looking incensed. “You’re just going to let a guy walk away without demanding an explanation.”

“Hey, it’s happened before. Men come and go. I don’t care.”

“That’s because you know from the start that it’s a one night thing…but this…he pursued you, wooed you…” When Riley turned back to look at her, Malinda had the grace to blush. “Ryan talks, alright. We were all rooting for you, knowing that you don’t want a man for keeps. But Chance is just so perfect, and then you guys got together, so—of course—last night, we had another discussion about it.”

She couldn’t be angry. These were her friends. Oh all right, so she didn’t want them as friends because she didn’t anyone to be close to her, but these guys had somehow stuck to her heart. “You lot!”

“Hey, don’t blame us. It’s the most interesting thing happening in this joint right now. So, I suggest you go to his apartment and demand that he gives an explanation, and you should be dressed in some killer dress. That silver, slinky thing of yours that you wore for Ryan’s birthday party is just perfect. When he sees you, he will regret walking out,” said Malinda, as she shadowed Riley through the bar.

“Hey, hey!” Riley stood and raised her hands. “I’m not doing anything like that. It’s over and that’s good. I didn’t want a complication anyhow.”

“Love isn’t complicated.”

Panic skidded trough her nerves. “Who talked about love? And whoever said that ludicrous statement must be mad. There isn’t anything more complicated than love. I’m better off. This is all good.”

Malinda opened her mouth and then seeing Riley’s furious expression, she became quiet. “Ok, fine. Do it your way.” She flounced away. Riley opened her mouth and then closed it. No. She’d done the right thing. No way was she taking advice from Malinda. It was nice to talk, but she wasn’t going to act on her suggestions. By doing so, she would be the one chasing Chance, and she definitely didn’t want that. Riley was happy that it ended so soon. She’d never expected that it would go up to two dates.

Now, it was over, done with. And she was happy about it.

Her resolve lasted for four days. She never saw Chance in the bar again. Damn the man! He’d kindled some weird feelings in her heart that were just refusing to die down. It was just curiosity, she told herself. All she needed to know was why he walked out of her apartment without giving her a reason. Why had he come upstairs with her in the first place? Maybe if she knew, she would be able to put him behind her.

On the fifth night, she rang the bell on his fourth floor apartment. This was crazy, insane. What the hell was she doing here? She shouldn’t have come. As she turned to leave, the door opened and he gaped at her. Riley knew that she was looking too damned hot. Although she never talked to Malinda about it again, she’d taken the woman’s advice and worn the silver dress that clung to each inch of her body as if it were sewn on.

“You? I…what?” he said.

She’d come this far. Might as well get it over with. “May I come in?”

“Oh, sure, yes. Please.” He stepped outside. The man had the tenacity to look good in faded old jeans and a ripped t-shirt. She wanted to bury her hands in his hair and plant her lips on his. He’d burrowed deep inside her skin and was now like a thorn that she couldn’t take out. Maybe this meeting would give her the closure that she wanted. “You look good.”

“I try,” she said in a casual voice, knowing that his gaze must be trained on her full hips that swung under the dress. His apartment was a little bigger than hers, and he’d actually made the effort to make it look nice. Some nice watercolor paintings hung on the walls. Patterned cushions adorned the plain, white couch. She sat on it. “How have you been?”

It seemed that seeing her had caused all thoughts to drain out of his head because he was staring at her with a blank expression on his face. Seeing her gaze fixed on him, he rubbed a hand on his stubble and shook his head. “I’m good, thanks. Great, actually.”

She didn’t want to waste her time. “Ok, so here is why I am here. You pursued me, Chance. You bloody chased me, and then you just walked away. I need to know why. Mind you, I don’t want to…rekindle our relationship. You have made your feelings about it very clear and that’s fine. I…I actually think it’s a good idea. Never wanted to get too embroiled in the first place…but I am curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes, I am. So if you can just tell me what promoted you to dump me, I’ll walk away and that will be the end of it.”

“The end of it,” he repeated her words again, as if he was incapable of holding a thought in his head.

She snapped her fingers, not sure if he was actually following her words. Was he on drugs or something? No, his eyes were clear but a little glazed over. “It shouldn’t take that long,” she added in a helpful manner.

“It’s…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Ok. Alright. That was rude of me; I get that. Believe me, I didn’t plan it…but there you were, so intriguing, so beautiful, and I thought we would have a good time.”

“Which we did.”

“We did. Oh yes, we did.” He rolled his eyes, glanced at her, and then began to pace. “But I didn’t want anything…too intense.”

“That’s good because neither do I.”

He whirled to face her, as if she’d said the worst thing possible. “And that’s why I walked away because you see…you can never be anything
not intense
. You’re made for intense. I’ve begun harboring feelings for you that I never had for another woman, and that scared the shit out of me.”

Riley stood so fast that she almost got a head rush. “Ok. I get it. I…should go.”

He grabbed her hand as she marched past. “Oh no, love. You’re not going anywhere now. I’d put this behind me, or at least that’s what I was trying to do. But then you came here and you’ve disrupted the whole thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s not good enough.” He didn’t let go of her hand and instead marched towards her. She skidded back, but he kept coming until he’d her trapped against the wall. She saw the pulse beat at the base of his throat. A muscle ticked in his cheek. He wasn’t angry, but he was focused. What mess had she gotten herself into?

She should’ve left things alone, but no, she had to go and muck things up even more.

The wall was cold and hard against her back. She wanted to run away, but he loomed ahead of her, and she couldn’t move. He was so close that she felt his breath on her lips. Her gaze lingered on his mouth and then moved up to his eyes. Wrong move! Now, she was hooked.

Riley saw his head bend, and then his lips descended on hers. She couldn’t do anything to stop it. Every nerve in her body shrieked with desire. Passion was a hot, liquid fire in her belly. Her veins tingled with anticipation, as she lifted her chin to meet his mouth.

His tongue was hot, as it roamed over her lips and then thrust inside to explore her mouth. He tasted every nook and cranny, and she met him stroke for stroke, her tongue dancing with his in exotic moves that were as old as time. His hands settled on her shoulders and kneaded her flesh through the dress. Her skin hummed at the slow, sensuous touch. She wanted to rip off his clothes and press her body against his hard abs. She wanted to touch his skin, run her hands over his muscles, and watch him quiver under her.

No. That wasn’t why she’d come.

To hell with it! This was what she wanted.

With a sharp movement, she yanked his shirt hard, and he let go of her long enough to allow her to take it off. Her eyes glazed as she observed the play of muscles on his chest. He was hot; he was sexy; and he was all hers. She brushed her hands over his shoulders and enjoyed the way they bunched under the gentle touch. Then, his lips were on her again, and she couldn’t think anymore.

Riley was a mass of demanding muscles that only wanted one thing—relief, as fast as possible. He kissed her with a passion that matched hers and soon nibbled his way down her throat. She shuddered. Her fingernails raked over his shoulders, but he didn’t seem to mind. His hands skimmed over the back of her dress, and he undid the clasp. She allowed him to slip it off her shoulders, and it pooled at her feet. He lifted his head and ran his gaze over her body that was covered at just the right places, leaving not much to the imagination.