For Her Honor (6 page)

Chapter Six

“What the……?”

Karen was half out on the bed, the remote still in her hand
, while Dog and Beth chased down some lowlife on the lam on television. It had to have been the rain starting to come down she’d heard and not……

“Yo, sweetheart!
Lemme in!”

You have
got
to be kidding me? It wasn’t……it couldn’t……it…..shit, it was pouring and a bolt of lightning had just flashed through the curtains. She undid the lock, slid off the chain and opened the door.

Taz stood there, his leather over a black t-shirt, one inked arm leaning on the door jamb
. Eyes the color of the threatening sky met hers while his lip curled in a grin. “Ain’t gonna lemme stand out here and saturate, are you?”

“How the hell did you…….?”

Another flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder split the space between them. Before Karen could finish her sentence, a gloved hand was on her waist, easing her back inside. Taz then kicked the door shut with the heel of his boot. “I answer questions better if I ain’t fried to a crisp.”

She backed up, the edge of the bed hitting the back
of her knees. She went to sit, then thought against it. The bed was like a big elephant in the room alone with her and this biker, this Mountain Skull. Everything about him screamed dark and dangerous.

“Wh
y are you here? I mean, how did you find me? Are you following me or something?’

“Whoa, slow down, sweetheart.
Even I don’t talk that fast. One at a time.”

She inched back towards the dresser
that held the television. “Pick one.”

He smiled, clearly amused
by her uneasiness. She found nothing amusing about it. Except her parents, she had told no one where she was staying – not even Eva. But this guy had found her. He’d ridden all the way down from Tippitt on a stormy night and sought her out. At first she thought she was being presumptuous, but discounted the fact he was just ‘in the neighborhood’ and stopped in to say hi. Now he was in her motel room, blocking the only exit, with a summer storm raging outside. Why the hell had she opened the door?

“Well?”

“Okay, fine. I decided to check you out.”

She moved back farther.
“Check me
out
?”

“Look you up.
Find you. It all means the same thing.”

She found herself near the closet.
“Not in this instance, it doesn’t.”

He waved her forward.
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t bite. Well, not that hard. You back up any farther you’ll be in the bathtub.”

Feeling stupid, she took a deep breath.
Okay, he’d freaked her out showing up like this, but he wasn’t some wandering stranger. She’d already met him - twice. She’d toss him a bone, just until the rain passed and he could ride. “Sorry,” she said, sitting on the far edge of the bed. “You caught me off guard. “How’d you find me?”

“Process of elimination.
Didn’t think you had a place yet, so I figured you were in a motel. This is the only place off the exit which ain’t a skank hole.”

Okay, that question was answered
. “So, why?”

“Why, what?”

“Check me out?”

He leaned back against a round desk table in front of the window, folding both arms ac
ross his chest. She swore those eyes of his took in every inch of her with nary a blink. “You piqued my interest.”

“I’m anything but interesting.
You’re wasting your time.”

“Let me be the judge of that.
So,
Karen
?”

Karen saw
a window of opportunity to catch
him
off guard. “Yes,
Gabriel
?”

He barely missed a beat
, keeping a straight face before giving her a look of concession. “Eva tell you that?”

She shook her head.
“Closer source. Your mother.”

Now he was interested and pushed away from the table.
“Care to expound upon that?”

She told him
the story and how Janice had put two and two together. “That’s what you get for telling your mother your whereabouts.” The sassy response made those dimples deepen and brought a twinkle to those black eyes. Karen wasn’t disrespectful, but she wasn’t going to leave the playing field uneven after he’d pretty much tracked her down. “She slipped and said your real name. She’s a nice lady. Looked pretty pleased to know I met you. I wonder why.”

“I don’t.”

“That’s sweet,” Karen said. “Your mom’s trying to play matchmaker.”

“She’s been tryin’ for
fifteen
years, sweetheart. Ain’t succeeded yet.

Fifteen?
“How old
are
you?”

One of those
brows rose as that lip curled with mirth. “Don’t you know that’s rude to ask?”

Karen was getting a little more comfortable.
The banter was fun, and his cooperation in it made her at ease. “Sorry.”

“You first.”

She wasn’t at an age to have to be vain about it. “Thirty…..and a half.”

“Thirty
-six. So, yeah, ma’s been tryin’ to hook me up since I could drink. Well,” he snickered, “legally. What else did she tell you?”

Oh, now he seemed nervous
that his mother may have spilled some embarrassing childhood secret or something. “Just how you got your nickname.”

He looked proud.
“Yeah, I was quite a handful.” Those eyes hooded and gave her a look which made that strange warmth return. “Still am.”

Karen swallowed as the rain pounded
against the window outside. His eyes followed hers and turned his head. “Looks like I ain’t leavin’ anytime soon.”

“You…..you can’t stay here.”

“Gonna send me out in that? Really?”

“I don’t know you.”

“Why do you think we’re talkin’? Fine, I’ll tell you my favorite color, food, movie. Wanna know what my zodiac sign is? If you really want to get personal, I can get into positions.”

She felt herself flush, but kept her cool.
“You’re quite a talker.”

He flashed that
smile again. “See. You’re getting to know me already. So, Karen,” he walked over to where she was sitting on the edge of the bed before crouching down. His legs were spread and his arms dangled between, hands clasped. “How about tellin’ me
all
about you? Because, I gotta say, as much as I appreciate the addition of your lovely face in these parts, I ain’t buyin’ your ‘
change of scenery’
story.”

That chipper
manner completely vanished. Kneeling before her was the man he looked like, the dark, devilish biker he was. She’d never known any personally – hell, even from afar. But there’d been either something in the news about gangs and bikers or on television which documented their lifestyle. Having him invading her personal space with a direct request wasn’t going to bully her into revealing something she just wasn’t ready for. As bad as he very well could be, he was a friend to her new employer’s husband and, in a way, a closet mama’s boy. That was all she had to convince herself he wouldn’t hurt her, alone in this motel room. “My reasons are personal. Please respect that.”

He rocked forward and she felt the leather of his gloved finger brush against her calf.
Scooting back on the bed would be too obvious a move and would only fuel the fact that he made her uneasy. Instead, she sat perfectly still, meeting his stare. He took in a deep breath, held it for a pause then let it out hard through his nostrils. “So, if I decide to dig, what am I gonna find, Karen?”

If her brother-in-law and attorney
had done their jobs, Karen’s name wouldn’t be anywhere in the news regarding Preston’s embezzlement. She shook her head. “Nothing. Like I told you, I’m pretty uninteresting.”

“So,
you ain’t runnin’ from the law?”

The sensation from his touch sent a tingle up her arm.
“No.”

“A crazy ex?”

“No.”

He gave her a sly look.
“Got a crazy ex?”

“No.
Well, not crazy.”
Shut up, Karen
.

His lopsid
ed grin punctuated a dimple. “Well then.” He brought her hand up to kiss her fingertip. The tickle of his beard and the cool metal of his lip ring turned that tingle into a full blown tremor. “Guess I’m gonna have to bide my time until I find out what you’re hidin’.”

Karen had never kno
wn men like this, only those who traveled in her family circles. Her sister’s husband no doubt had his share of sentencing men like Taz. Bad boys. Ones you should turn and run from, but as Karen sat here with her hand in his, she became acutely aware of their appeal. “Guess so.” That outward cool was beginning to melt as her eyes felt the fatigue of the night coupled with the lulling effect of the storm.

His parted his mouth
, allowing her to gaze at those soft lips nestled in his beard. It was then she noticed something other than the ring in his lip. Did he have his…..? “Is your tongue pierced?”

His e
yes lit up before offering her a better view. It wasn’t on the tip, but close to it so that it wouldn’t give him a lisp when he spoke. “You like?”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Like a sum’bitch when I got it. Not anymore.”

“What’s the purpose if no one can see it?”

He gave her what could only be described as a look that would make a woman slide off her chair. “Ain’t about
seein’
, sweetheart,” he lifted her hand again, flicking the tip of the stud over her finger. “It’s about
feelin’
. I’m up for a demonstration if you are.”

The remains of Karen’s cool finally
collapsed as she broke free and scooted back. Too much. Way too much. “Little over the line, Taz.” He straightened up, staring at her in the middle of the bed, looking like a big black cat ready to pounce. Instead, he went around the other side and pulled the covers down. “What’re you doing?”

“You look tired, Karen.
Go to sleep.”

“What?”

He crossed his arms. “Sorry. I didn’t think I needed to give step-by-step instructions. Get under the covers, put your head on the pillow, close your eyes and breathe.”

She glared at him.
“I can do without the sarcasm.”

He ignored her then
looked towards the window where the rain was still pelting. He grabbed the remote, then plopped in the easy chair next to the bed. “I’ll just watch a bit of television until the rain stops then sneak out when it does. I’ll try not to wake you.”

Cautiously, Karen began to slide her body under the c
overs on the side of the bed farthest away from him. “O…..kay.”

He looked where she was and snorted.
“Any farther and you’ll fall off the edge, sweetheart. Come a little closer.”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“Really? Cuz if you leave this side wide open, I may feel the urge to lie down.”

He was kidding.
He was pushing her buttons to unnerve her. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Atta girl
.” He propped his booted feet up on the edge of the wooden table. “Nighty, night.”

Turning on her l
eft side, Karen faced the far wall, clutching the covers tight up to her neck. This was the change of scenery she’d wanted. What was that saying about being careful what you ask for?

~~~***~~~

Taz didn’t know if it was the pain in his neck or the noisy A/C kicking in which woke him up. The motel digital read two-thirty a.m., and it was still raining outside, though not as hard. His head was so far back that the base of his neck rested on the wooden edge of the chair and the remote had since slipped from his hand. Looking towards the bed, Karen appeared to not have moved an inch, still faced away from him on the farthest end. At least the girl was a quiet sleeper.

He
’d had no idea what to expect when he showed up here last night. Yeah, he’d probably creeped her out with his tracking skills, but she seemed to take it in stride. That alone was enough to intrigue him. He never discerned one chick from the next, as he was mostly surrounded by club fare, which rotated on a decent basis. It was easier that way – a quick romp or head to satisfy his base urges (and then some) and he was good to go.

She was a story
of which he hadn’t even gotten past the first couple of chapters. His natural, curious nature needed to find out the end and see why a big city girl had found her way to his obscure little town. And a girl with money; Eva had made some comment during lunch about the ‘thousand dollar Louboutins’ Karen was wearing on her feet. Number one, how did chicks know that? Two, who’d pay more than fifty bucks for shoes, and three….what the fuck did
Louboutin
mean? Something had happened to Miss Karen Hanson to go from being able to afford obscenely expensive footwear to driving a piece of smoking crap and living in a Super 8.