Chasing Claire (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) (14 page)

“Baby, you know what that was.”

“No,
baby,
actually I don’t. But I’d like to know, I really would,” I huffed, because really when it came down to it, I had no idea where Reno and Cherry stood. Or where Reno and I stood.

Reno stopped smiling and he looked at me. “You would, huh?”

“No, just forget it, Reno,” I said with exasperation. “Let’s just keep on pretending at whatever this is.”

“Pretending at whatever this is?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Really? That’s how you see this?” Reno’s eyes met mine for what seemed to be forever. He threw a twenty down on the table and pulled me up from my seat.

“What are you doing, Reno?”

He picked up the books and shoved them hard in my bag.

“We are leaving, Claire.” Then he grabbed my hand and dragged me out the door. “I am not doing this here.”

I was barely on the back of the bike before he tore out of the parking lot.

Jesus. A few short weeks of a happy Reno and me gone.

After miles and miles of just trying to stay seated on the rumbling bike with minimum contact, we pulled up in front of the clubhouse. Today there would be no lunch, or errands, or rides through pretty, winding country roads. Today Reno brought me straight to the compound. I guessed, sadly, that he brought me here to pick up my Jeep.

Free ride time was over.

I sat for a minute after Reno killed the engine.

“Getting off any time soon, Claire?” The minute I did, he tore the helmet from my head and threw it on the ground. Then he grabbed me by the hand and led me into the building. He surprised me by dragging me down the hallway to his room.

The last time I had been in Reno’s room was the
last time I had been in Reno’s room
. Wincing at the memory, I pulled back just slightly. He pulled me forward with such force that if he wasn’t there to catch me, I would have fallen flat.

Then without another word, he slammed the door shut with his foot.

“Reno, I . . .” I started to stutter and began to sweat. Now that I started this, I wasn’t sure I wanted to finish it. I just didn’t know why we always had to be so complicated. I knew Reno was feeling that too. Because in spite of everything that was still left unsettled between us, Reno had been helpful and supportive in a way that I knew was far out of his comfort zone. I knew what kind of women usually drew a brother’s eye. Not many of the boys strayed too far from club offerings and I think it was pretty safe to assume that when a woman in the club bent her head, it was not toward a book.

So yeah, I would have to be a fool not to see how hard Reno was trying. But despite some pretty strong effort on both our parts, here we were again. One step forward, three steps back.

I just didn’t know if we would ever get past this place. The fact that Cherry was still hanging around the club didn’t help matters.

Earlier that morning I had gone with Glory to help her return some stuff to the kitchen house. While I was making my way back to the car, I had run straight into Cherry. I knew her not only from
that night,
of course, but also from reputation. Cherry was a stripper, exotic dancer, club favorite, whatever you wanted to call her. But I also knew, that unlike some of the other club band-aids, she was pretty well liked by most of the old ladies. She didn’t get in anyone’s way and she seemed to know her place in the messed-up ladder of Saints’ women. I had heard a while ago that she had a couple of kids and that one of them had special needs. I had also heard that the money Cherry made from her dancing mostly went to the private residential school that her son was in.

So really, Cherry was just another overwhelmed, overworked woman who was doing what she had to do to ensure her future and the well-being of those that she loved. And in the meantime, she was looking for love in all the wrong places.

She was really not so very different from me except that, despite the fact that Cherry handed it out for free, she was also drop-dead gorgeous in a way I would never be. She was also sexy, funny, and pretty easygoing. In the land of old-school reruns, she was Ginger to my Mary Ann.

Yeah, Cherry still being at the club did not help matters at all.

I watched Reno as he prowled around the room. He stopped, scrubbed his hand over his face, and looked at me. He tore off his cut and pulled his T-shirt over his head. He sat on his bed and began to kick off his black leather biker boots.

“Reno, we need to . . .”

“We need to what?” Reno had both of his boots off now and he was sitting on a freshly made bed with what looked like new bed coverings.

I took a look around the rest of the room then, and I noticed that it was spotless. Reno’s room was one of the nicer ones in the compound. It was large and it had its own bathroom. I had been here a lot, but I had never seen it look anywhere near as tidy.

Who had cleaned Reno’s room? My eyes narrowed and the green-eyed snake curled again deep in my belly and waited to strike.

Sometimes, this man just brought out the worst in me.

“Why is your room clean, Reno?” I glared at him.

In bare feet, Reno walked over to the windows and adjusted the blinds down before he turned to look at me.

“Claire, are you seriously getting pissed off because this place is clean? I got new sheets and one of those comforter things too, is that going to send you into a rage, Babe?”

Now I was totally confused. Reno had shoved me out of the coffee shop, onto his bike, and into the compound. Once we cleared the gate, he had practically dragged me to his room. Now he stood in front of me half naked, in a clean room, adjusting the shades.

Wow.

I started to get what this was.

Maybe.

Then he took something out of his back pocket and gave it to me.

“What’s this?” I looked at the folded piece of paper in my hand.

“The reason I was late today, Claire.” Reno nodded to the paper.

I had no idea what it could be, and I was really not in the mood for another surprise today.

Every ounce of self-preservation screamed at me to give that paper back unfolded and unread.

“Read it, Claire.”

With unsteady hands, I unfolded the white sheet. It was some sort of spreadsheet with Reno’s name at the top of it. There were a whole bunch of lines with names of things that I didn’t recognize, medical terms maybe. At the end of the words were negative signs. The heading read “Main Street Lab and Clinic.”

This was a medical report.

I sat for a minute and tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

Reno had gotten tested.

For me.

Reno had cleaned his place.

For me.

Reno had bought clean sheets and a “comforter thing.”

For me.

Oh, boy.

In an effort to slow down what I thought this might be, I made one more attempt to hold on to the bitch train that I had been riding. Not that I didn’t get hot at the possibility of another steamy bout with Reno, but, really, I wasn’t sure where this all would lead.

If we were going to be taking that trip together again, I thought it was important to get it all out there.

“I saw Cherry today. Here. On Saints property. Last time I saw her, she was with you, Reno,” I blurted out. Then I waited.

“Yeah, Babe, and since then she’s been with half a dozen other guys. I can’t go grab a beer without running into a brother that she’s given it to. I already told you what that was. I am not going to explain again.” He folded his arms across his massive chest.

“Come here, baby.” Reno’s tone suddenly softened and his eyes were warm. “It’s over with Cherry. That’s done. And it was never even close to what we had . . . have. Not even on the same planet and you know that.”

I did know that.

“I just don’t think we should be doing this,” I said softly.

“Why not?”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Baby, it’s a fucking great idea.”

“I’m afraid that it is just gonna confuse everything even more than it already is,” I answered honestly.

“I’m not confused,” Reno said.

I shook my head. “I’m not sure . . .”

Reno looked at me. “Door’s right behind you. You can walk out anytime you want. I’m not gonna force you, Babe. But I really hope you stay.”

“Why? Reno, why do you want me to stay,” I whispered.

Then he moved in closer. “Baby, you know why I want you to stay.”

“Reno . . .”

He was on me now, his whole body pushed up against mine. He was whispering soft and low in my ear.

“Baby, just say you’ll stay.”

“Okay,” I breathed. “I’ll . . .”

“Fucking finally, Claire.” He smiled against my ear.

CHAPTER 24

R
eno took my hand in his and led me to the bed. He sat down on the edge of it and pulled me down on his lap. For a minute, he just dropped his head in the crook of my neck and breathed.

Reno was inhaling me.

His long hair brushed my collarbone and I could feel his sigh against the sensitive spot right underneath my earlobe.

As he pulled me slowly toward him, his hands moved gently up and down my back. Then he reached up and buried his hands into my hair. He grasped big soft clouds of it and pulled it gently away from my face. When he pressed his mouth to mine, he took my breath away. I grew hot and cold all over.

His lips felt soft and full. His hands, callused and rough, drew through my hair. He smelled like tobacco, coffee, clean air, and fresh winds.

Reno smelled incredible.

But he tasted even better.

He kissed me until my lips were swollen and the taste of him poured like molten lava straight to my heart.

I twisted in Reno’s lap until I straddled him. My sundress edged itself up high around my thighs. The thin straps fell off my shoulders. I took my time, and did some kissing of my own, raining soft, wet touches along his jawline. My lips found that sensitive spot right under his ear. The soft, velvety skin of that beautiful lobe was
a gift after the hard stubble of his chin. I sucked softly on it, bit it gently and pulled at it with my teeth.

I moved my hands to Reno’s arms. From his shoulder to his wrists, I felt each hard muscle, each pulsing vein, every raised scar. Intricate woven lines of rich, dark ink marked my man as a warrior, Hells Saints soldier, and beautiful bad man.

I slipped my tongue along the Celtic knot on his bicep and traced it, leaving a trail of myself, wet and lingering on his skin. I took my time. I heard something catch in Reno’s throat and he let out a feral growl. Then he put both of his hands on my ass, picked me up, dropped me gently to the floor, and stood in front of me. His eyes touched me like fire, everywhere.

“Pretty dress, Babe.”

I smiled at him.

“Now take it off.”

My eyes widened as his darkened.

“Take off the dress, Claire,” Reno repeated.

I hesitated and was suddenly shy.

“No more hiding, Claire. Not from me.”

My hands shook as I slipped the sundress off my shoulders. I felt my body heat, and the slight cool of the room harden my nipples as the fabric fell smoothly past my hips and to the floor.

When I tagged my thumbs under my panties, my man growled.

“No, baby, not yet. I like those. Those little silky white panties with those pink little flowers on the sides. Damn sexy.”

“They are called rosettes,” I managed to breathe out.

Reno just looked at me and smiled.

I stood still. Resisting the urge to cover myself.

Reno moved to me. “Open up for me, baby,” he whispered.

I parted my legs slightly and felt the warm palm of his hand cup and gently tease the soft silk of my panties.

Reno rested his forehead against mine and groaned. I moved against the soft rhythmic rubbing of his fingers.

When he pulled away, a small sigh of need escaped me. I flushed as I felt my panties slip off and float softly to my feet. Reno lifted me and put me on the bed. As he moved away, I watched him quickly unzip his jeans and pull them off in one fluid move.

Everything about Reno screamed primal. His long hair fell around his face, tousled and wild. A muscle jumped in his hard jawline. He watched me with dark, hungry eyes. When he leaned onto the bed, I moved against the wall. Spanning the width between us, he crawled toward me. A panther homing in on his prey. The muscles of his powerful arms pulled him forward. His actions beautiful, sleek, and deliberate.

Reno kept coming at me.

Slowly.

A shiver passed through my body and paralyzed me. I felt my heart rate slow and my muscles freeze, like prey before a predator I stilled and waited.

My every instinct cried out for flight; I made a small movement. I must have. Maybe my eyes shifted or my breath caught in my throat. I just knew that I barely moved, and Reno was on me.

“Fuck, baby, with your back up against the wall like that, and you looking all scared like I’m something that’s going to eat you, it makes me want to tie you down.” Then he wound his hand in my hair and pulled me toward him. Slowly, slowly his mouth opened mine until his tongue found me.

“I’d never hurt you, baby,” he murmured. Then Reno kissed me again.