"Perks of the job," she said, her words making him laugh.
But what he really wanted to hear was why she was here. What the crew was trying to do with her. And what exactly his part in it was.
"So talk." The words said all that mattered. He was ready to listen.
"Mind if I change first? This is kind of dirty." She held her t-shirt out by the end.
She was right. It was gross. Jake nodded and she walked towards the bathroom door, failing to close it behind her. The mirror afforded a nice view and Jake figured he would enjoy it before he had to tell Logan where she was. Like she"d said. Perks of the job.
She saw him watching. She knew he would. Men may be different in many ways, but when it came to their d.i.c.k and women, they were all the same. It came in handy when she was working. Like now. That"s what she told herself as she made sure to go slowly, sensually, as she stripped her clothes and put on new ones. This was just work.
When she walked out, she sat down beside him on the bed.
"You"re not who you think you are," she started. The words came pouring out and she told him everything she knew-at least, everything she felt comfortable about letting him know.
CHAPTER THREE.
"You think I"m gonna believe all that?" Jake laughed, but Allison watched his eyes.
They were full of doubt. He may not believe her, but he didn"t specifically not believe her either. He wasn"t sure.
"A beautiful woman comes in and gives me a crock of s.h.i.t about my life and I"m supposed to believe it"s not because she"s up to no good? Do I look stupid?"
"Why would I have just spent well over an hour lying to you?" Allison was annoyed. She was taking a big risk, bigger by the minute if his buddies came looking for him, and he wasn"t cooperating.
"It"s what you do. You already said that." He was right.
She had told him about her job. She"s the ultimate treasure hunter. She looks for truth. Digs through people"s lives. Uncovers things they"ve stolen, lied about or are hiding. They pay her and she"s golden and on to the next person.
Of course it required lying. She couldn"t very well tell the truth. But this time she was. Yes, she hoped to capitalize on it, but it was still the d.a.m.n truth.
"Your friends are trying to kill me. I brought you to where I"m staying. Isn"t that a bit of a risk just to lie? I lie for the money. I run from the idea of death." Allison stood up and walked across the room to a mini-fridge that looked like it didn"t even work. Inside she had a variety of soda. She grabbed one and popped it open. This was going to be more difficult than she"d thought.
He decided she was crazy. She was going to bring him into this roach infested room, get naked to entice him and then sit and tell him that his entire life was a lie? And she had the nerve to think he"d believe a word that came out of that s.e.xy little mouth?
Jake was not dumb. Just because he spent his time on a Harley, traveling around with his crew and making his living in less than honorable ways did not mean he was a fool. She was a con artist. Self-admitted, at that. And she was trying to con him. But for what?
So he"d turn on his brothers. No doubt about it. The question was, what did they have on her that she was going to this extreme to take them down? Or what did she have on them that they were so interested in doing the same to her?
Jake knew the best way to get the truth out of a woman. Any woman. Just rock her world. Women would reveal anything in the throes of pa.s.sion. They were all predictable like that. So maybe that"s what he"d do. It was business right? A means to an end. It didn"t mean anything.
"Can I have a soda?" He"d wanted to ask for one but hadn"t. This was his way to open up a little towards her. Sit down. Have a chance to talk again. Get closer. By the end of tonight, he"d know what he needed to know. "So, how did you find out this stuff you claim is true?" Jake sat back against the wall and waited to hear what she came up with for this one.
Something was up. Allison knew better. He went from absolute denial to sudden interest. His facial expression went from anger to interest and kindness. He wasn"t being up front. But it was okay. She knew how to appeal to him. The same way you appeal to any man. Make him want what he can"t have. He will do anything to get it. That she knew from experience.
"I was working. They mistook me for someone else and made some comments. I asked the right questions and got the answers. I was going to tell the guy I was working for, but your friends found me first." Allison handed him the can and sat down beside him, making sure to be close enough for their legs to touch.
"You work for people?" His eyes glanced down briefly and she knew that he noticed.
"Of course. Look, it"s like this." Allison hated trying to explain. "Someone hires me. They want to find something. A secret that someone is keeping. An item that the person took from them. Money that has been swiped. Who knows? So they pay me to go in and find it. I get paid well, and I move on."
"Someone paid you for this information? Who?" Jake leaned towards her. The plan was working.
She put her hand on his knee, casually, to create a little more spark for him.
"My clients are confidential. But they didn"t pay me for this. I was supposed to find something else. But when they thought I was somebody I wasn"t, they gave it to me willingly. I figured it"d be enough to get a good check out of my client and so I was going to do just that. But next thing I knew I was running through tunnels and hiding in this place." Allison waved her hand around. "But I can"t complain. The bed"s comfy." She smiled at Jake in a way that she knew was a tease. Her mom always told her if she really wanted to know what someone was thinking, look into their eyes.
His were telling stories of desire. Which would be a very s.e.xy look for him. If she wanted him to be s.e.xy. If she weren"t just doing a job.
CHAPTER FOUR.
She was buying this s.h.i.t. Hook, line, and sinker. She slid close to him. She touched him. A few of the right moves and she"d be putty in his hands. As he placed them on her body. Starting with those nice little t.i.ts. He could imagine his hands cupped around them. Teasing them. Touching them. Jake shook his head. He had to keep his focus. This was business, not pleasure. Just so happened his business would be pleasing.
He leaned over towards her. "So why are the guys chasing you?" He was face to face with her.
She had blue eyes. Not just any blue. They were so light they were almost clear. He looked into them. "Why are you in danger?" He ran his thumb along her jawline and then across her lips. He could be wrong, but he was pretty sure a shudder had just gone through her. This may be easier than he"d thought.
Allison knew the plan. But the shaking in her knees and swirling in her stomach made her fear that she wouldn"t stick to it. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. He was asking her questions. What she wanted was to kiss him, not answer him. But she had to stay strong. She couldn"t cave because this wannabe bad boy made her weak.
"Because they don"t want you to find out. Or my client." It should have been an obvious answer.
Yet Jake was moving closer. His dark eyes were staring into hers. She felt like he could see deep into her soul. It worried her. But she couldn"t look away. He leaned in just a little more.
She was biting her lip and that was probably the s.e.xiest thing he"d ever seen. He wanted to bend his head down and take over. He could tell she wanted him. It was easy to imagine the sensations flooding her body. Mostly because he was having them too. Which was a bad thing. A very bad thing.
Have your fun and go, he reminded himself. Don"t get hung up on this broad. She was dangerous. But it didn"t stop the throb he could feel in his midsection. It didn"t stop the longing to kiss her. The fact that when she spoke and he saw worry and fear in her eyes, he wanted to protect her. That was her goal, right? She was a con artist.
"Now I know. Are you safe?" Jake was only inches from her lips. Beautiful lips. Thick lips. Lips he"d like to see on him. Kissing him. Tasting him. He had to get it together. He couldn"t let a moment of physical urges cost him this.
"I"m not sure I ever will be again." She looked down and it made him sad. He wanted to help. To protect her. But first, he wanted to kiss her.
She didn"t expect it. Not the kiss. She"d known that was coming. She ignored the fact that she"d hoped that was coming. It wasn"t the kiss. It was the reaction to it. Her body was going crazy.
As his lips pressed into hers, his tongue dancing with her own, her insides were on fire. The heat between her thighs threatened to burn her. The longing filling her from top to bottom was almost unbearable.
The way her body arched into his. The way her nipples tightened underneath her shirt and ached to be touched. Everything went against the entire plan. Against her own judgments. Against her safety.
Allison knew she had to stop it. She had to go back to the original idea. She allowed herself a moment more of the best d.a.m.n kiss she"d ever had and she pulled away.
"Sorry, bikers aren"t my thing." She was only half lying. They never had been. Until that moment. "I"m just trying to stop all this and save us both." She stood up and walked across the room, arms folded over each other against her chance.
That had been hard. Harder than anything she"d ever done. This fact worried her a bit, given the fact that her life was in danger.
What the h.e.l.l was that? Jake knew better. She was into it. She was into him. She had all but begged for him to kiss her. When he did, she sank into it. He was pretty d.a.m.n sure she had even sighed in pleasure.
Every inch of her body wanted him. Not into bikers? He would call bulls.h.i.t on that one. Which left only one conclusion. She was playing a game. She was trying to con him. And he may be sitting here with an ache and throb that he didn"t want, but he was not a man that would be conned.
Especially not by some beautiful b.i.t.c.h who thought she could use her body to win. He ought to just grab her and rock her world in a way she had never known. But then she"d win. Her body would win. f.u.c.k that. He was done with the games. It was time to tell the guys.
"I think I"m gonna go back to the crew." He stood up and adjusted himself hoping that his erection wasn"t showing. It was bad enough for him to feel it.
"You"re gonna tell them?" Allison looked terrified. If she"d had a plan, it didn"t work. Whatever it was. And she knew she had f.u.c.ked up.
"It"ll take me a good half hour to get there and another fifteen or so minutes to tell "em everything. If you mean no harm, disappear." He wasn"t cruel. He was giving her a chance to run.
"And spend my life looking over my shoulder? Because of you? I"m trying to help. Make some money, yes, but help. And you would toss me to the wolves because I won"t let you f.u.c.k me? Men are all the same."
"You know the options." Jake ignored her insult and turned and walked out of the room. He was angry. Frustrated. Disappointed.
It only took a few minutes for Allison to throw her things into a bag and take off. She wasn"t sure what she was going to do, but staying here wasn"t an option. She had to lay low. She couldn"t leave town. But she obviously couldn"t count on the mysterious and so-called good guy Jake Brighton to help her. She was on her own. Which wasn"t unusual. The problem was that she was on her own with an ache in her groin that couldn"t be satisfied.
"Why"d ya wait so long to tell us, Jake?" Logan was angry. His eyes showed rage. They also showed suspicion.
Jake had just told him that he"d found the girl. He didn"t call her by name. They"d never told him her name. He told them where she was and everything. Why was Logan yelling?
"I was trying to find out some things." Jake wasn"t going to cower to his friend, his brother, about some b.i.t.c.h who"d tried to swindle him.
"Let"s go." Logan ordered and the crew stood up. "Jake, you just wait here."
That part surprised him. Why wouldn"t he be included?
"What? I did the work. I want to be a part of this." He stood his ground.
"This isn"t your issue. It"s ours. From before you were with us. Besides." Logan smirked. "I"d say you had enough chance to finish on your own. Now it"s our turn. Wait here." The guys left.
Jake, angry and still frustrated, ordered a beer that he"d never drink. Because before he would down it, he"d realize that maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe they didn"t want him there in case she spoke. Maybe they didn"t trust him the way they should after all these years. And he decided he was going to be there, with or without the permission of Logan Dixon.
She wasn"t this careless. She wasn"t this confused. Ever. She wasn"t accustomed to being off her game. In her line of work she had to stay on top. And here she was, crouched in an alley in the dark, with no clue where to go or what to do. The girl that was never scared was terrified.
Even more so when she felt an arm around her waist, pinning her arms down, and a hand across her mouth. She tried to yell out, but it wasn"t happening. The person behind her lifted her up and carried her off. This was it. She was about to die.
To be so beautiful, she was a pain in the a.s.s. Squirming and kicking him as he walked. He wouldn"t admit it turned him on. Instead, he was getting angry. Good Lord, couldn"t she let him save her? If she was heard, they"d find both of them. And at this point, if the Dixon Crew walked up, Jake was just as dead as the woman he was carrying off.
CHAPTER FIVE.
"What the f.u.c.k are you doing?" she screamed when he released her onto the bed. Where had he brought her? The whole time she was being carried she was positive she was being taken to her own demise. She still wasn"t sure. But as she looked at Jake, she had no choice but to sit there and hope she wasn"t.
"Trying to save your annoying a.s.s. They are looking for you. And if they find me with you, I"m dead too. So now that we are both in this, can you shut the f.u.c.k up and let me figure out what to do?"
Allison looked at him and realized that for whatever reason, he"d come to his senses. He"d decided to help. But he"d told on her first. Why couldn"t men make the smart decisions from the start?
"Where are we?" The room was dark. Concrete. Dingy. There was a bed. A dresser. A toilet, and sink in the corner surrounded by cheap part.i.tions. It wasn"t very homey.
"It was part of the underground railroad. Lots of these places around here." He shrugged and sat on the bed.
Allison tried to think. She couldn"t go to her car. It was back at the plantation. She had her things, but they had no food. She tried not to notice the pain evident in his eyes. He had realized it was true. He had understood that they lied to him.
He had come to know that his entire life was a lie and he was hurt. Everything he"d known had just been taken from him. He was out of place and unsure. She knew that feeling. She"d been there.
She sat down beside him and put an arm around him. "Don"t worry, we"ll figure it out. We"re pretty d.a.m.n smart between us."
He smiled at her and she tried to ignore the feelings stirring inside her.
He didn"t need this now. The electricity that sparked when her arm touched him. The way he wanted to forget all this and just kiss her again. He had to think. He couldn"t go to his bike. He had his phone and no one to call. They were stuck. At least for the minute. In a dark bunker that was meant to hide slaves freeing their captors. The irony wasn"t lost on him.
"Would your client help us?" He looked at her and saw the worry on her face. He wanted to make it better. To see her smile. He bet she looked nice when she smiled. He"d never seen it.