And with that, Kyle strode out of the restaurant, never looking back and never saying goodbye. "Arrogant p.r.i.c.k," Haley muttered, even as she smiled at his back.

Turning the card over, she read the lettering. "Killigan"s Restaurant and Garage." Frowning, she re-read the card. "Well, that"s a weird compilation."

Stuffing the card into a zippered pocket, Haley looked at their empty drinks and around the desolate restaurant. The tables had been wiped, chairs overturned, and the vacuum had already come around to pick up bits of debris embedded in the carpet.

Smiling with a shake of her head, Haley hopped off the chair and strode out of the restaurant and past the lobby to her room. "Stupid know-it-all."

"Thanks," Haley mumbled, as she pa.s.sed the fare to the taxi driver.

He turned in his seat and gave her a dubious look. "You sure this is where you want to go, lady?"

Haley wasn"t sure of anything, but she smiled and nodded all the same. "Yup, and you can keep the change."

She reached for the handle and climbed out of the taxi. Immediately, a chorus of engines greeted her ears and made her wince. Taking a deep breath and stuffing her hands in the back of her black jeans, Haley strode around the bright lights of Killigan"s to the back of the building.

The revving of engines got louder; but, just beneath the noise, Haley could hear the chatter of voices. Calming her wildly beating heart, Haley said the same thing she"d been saying for the past hour, "It"s fine. The president invited you. It"s okay if you"re a little late."

Little was an understatement. She was almost an hour late, since she spent way too much time deciding on an outfit. She hadn"t wanted to come off as s.l.u.tty, but she also hadn"t wanted to come off as prudish. In the end, her bed was covered in clothes, her bathroom counter overflowed with hair products and cosmetics, and she"d slipped on a plain pair of waist hugging black jeans, a dark gray tank top, a black pullover, and black eyeliner done in a cat-eye.

Coming around the building, Haley"s eyes widened at the fifty or more bikers meandering behind the restaurant and garage. What had her eyes widen even further was that many of the members were young, some in their teens, others their mid-thirties, but none of them were the seventy-year olds Haley saw cruising down the highways in Burlington. It almost seemed to her like a tribe. Each member had some sort of emblem or symbol to show that they were part of the Red Hawks Motorcycle Club.

Slowing her walk, she eyed the bikes scattered around. Some looked new, other refurbished, but the thing that struck her as odd was that almost all of them sported some sort of red or black coloring. A fiery red and black hawk graced the side of one bike. A black skull dripping red blood graced another. Every bike looked well-maintained, similar to their riders, who didn"t really look like the stereotypical crazed, drug dealing, fighters presented on the Sons of Anarchy show.

A deep, very hard to miss chuckle rang in her ears. Haley looked up to see Kyle standing by a sleek, new-looking, jet black Harley-Davidson. Unlike the first time when she"d saw him in a bulky ski suit, the man had on a tight-fitting, black t-shirt with a leather jacket overtop and worn blue jeans. If she"d been wearing a skirt, she was pretty sure her panties would have hit the floor, but she was just surprised they didn"t go up in flames.

Here was Kyle in his element, king of the jungle, master of his cave. There was nothing, nothing hotter than a man who had his s.h.i.t together and knew exactly who he was. His head turned up, and Haley watched the thick braid of his hair flip over his shoulder and land on his chest.

"It should be criminal for a man to have that kind of thick, long hair," she muttered. She suddenly became very aware of her own auburn locks. She"d cut her hair short almost six months ago. Now, it fell just past her chin, but didn"t quite touch her shoulders.

"Haley." Kyle waved her closer. It seemed that every single head turned her way.

c.r.a.p! Haley wished that a hole would suddenly open and swallow her up. She was way out of her element, knowing as much about biker culture and norms, as she did about imaginary numbers in her eleventh grade math cla.s.s that being a big, fat nothing.

Her feet felt like lead, as she walked over to Kyle and his bike. For the first time, she noticed he was surrounded by people. They were all men, three on his left and the same number on his right. While five of them looked like bikers with their leather jackets, black clothes, and cool demeanor, one of them was very obviously a priest, dressed in a black b.u.t.ton-down shirt with black slack and a white priest"s collar.

In the painstakingly slow amount of time it took her to walk over to Kyle and his group, Haley took inventory of the bikers surrounding him. The laughter and conversation flowing easily between the five men denoted that they were a lot closer than the other members of the club.

One of the guys was smoking a cigarette, but blowing the puffs away from the group. He had obnoxiously blonde hair that was so bright it stood out against the night. The guy standing next to the smoker looked like a tree, with thick everything, and the sort of height Frankenstein"s monster would have envied. He had dark brown or black hair that was cut close in a sort of Mohawk-style. The dude standing next to him was the least remarkable of the bunch, slouched over with his hands in his pockets and of average height. Despite his normal appearance, there was something in his stance, an almost protective edge. It made Haley think the guy wanted people to underestimate him; so, when the time came, he could really f.u.c.k them up.

Across from the trio, there were two guys who looked a little like twins because their faces were the same. They both had killer smiles, light brown hair, and bright green eyes that were easily visible in the dimly lit area. The only noticeable difference between the two was that one of the guy"s hair was long and pulled back in a ponytail, while the other"s was cut short with curly waves.

All-in-all, the guys weren"t a bad looking bunch. Maybe, if Kyle hadn"t been there, she would have flirted with each of them respectively; but, there was something about the club"s president. Something in his dark brown eyes stripped her down and made her achingly aware that she"d been celibate for two and a half years.

"Hi," Haley raised her voice slightly over the dim of conversation, giving the group a small wave.

Kyle"s lips quirked. "Guys, this is Haley."

They all said a collective h.e.l.lo, before Kyle went around and introduced the group, starting with Mr. Smoker and moving in the same direction as her previous thoughts. "Haley, this Roderick, Conrad, Nathaniel, Theo, and Jules."

She nodded politely, though she knew she would forget all their names in a matter of seconds. "Um, sorry I"m late. There was, um, traffic." The minute the words came out her mouth, she regretted them. They were in the mountains during the off-season with the only likely hold up being a deer or duck crossing. Traffic was not an acceptable excuse.

But luckily, she recovered quickly. "Did I miss everything?"

Kyle adjusted on his bike, making her very aware of the way his abs were outlined through his tight shirt. How the man could be so comfortable wearing so little was a mystery to her. While the weather wasn"t the kind of cold that usually came with winter in the mountains, it wasn"t warm either.

"We were actually just about to get started." Kyle gestured for Haley to come next to him. She decided that standing like an idiot in front of people she didn"t know was probably worse than just standing by his side. She headed towards him, but the minute she got close, he yanked her down onto his bike and lap. Something hot and hard that was definitely not part of his bike poked her thigh.

Haley fought down a blush, and Kyle just smiled. "Father Vernors, you wanna start?"

A bike blessing, as Kyle had called it, was exactly like it sounded. The priest, Father Vernors, said an opening prayer, went around and blessed all the bikes for safe travels, and then said a closing prayer. It wasn"t super-religious. In fact, Kyle didn"t bow his head or repeat the prayers, like some of the other members. Haley decided it was sort of like Christmas, a Christian holiday, but one that non-Christians celebrated, too.

The entire process took around an hour or so, and right after that everyone went into Killigan"s for food and drink. Haley felt a little awkward at first, but surprisingly she didn"t feel that way for long. Kyle took her around and introduced her to some of his club members, while others came up to them and struck up conversations. In no time, she was talking and laughing with the members, feeling right at home in the mom and pop restaurant.

"So," Haley began, as she waved goodbye to a member and they continued their tour around the crowded room, "why did you name it Killigan"s?"

"It"s my last name, and it just fit."

"I didn"t know that was your last name."

Kyle gave her a funny look, one she couldn"t comprehend. "Kyle Killigan."

She nodded and turned away to smile and shake hands with more new people who came up to them. Another half an hour pa.s.sed, and Haley was thanking her stars she"d worn ballet flats instead of the black pumps she"d considered wearing.

"Haley?"

She turned to Kyle and c.o.c.ked a brow at him. "Yeah?"

He smiled at her and held up his watch. She read the time and gasped. "Holy s.h.i.t! It"s two! I have to be up in an hour!"

Kyle chuckled, as he waved off yet another new person and steered them towards the door. "Come on, I"ll take you home."

"Don"t you have to stay and do, I don"t know, president stuff?"

"It can wait. Taking you home is more important than doing president stuff." Haley could hear the humor in his words, but a part of her got all warm and fuzzy at the "more important" part.

A few minutes later and they"d left the crowded restaurant and were headed up the winding mountain road back to the resort. Haley"s arms were wrapped tightly around Kyle"s middle, as he maneuvered his bike up the incline. The purr of the engine beneath her made Haley wet, and the constant friction of his back against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s made her nipples hard.

A few more tortuous minutes and they finally arrived in front of the resort. Haley swung a shaky leg over and climbed off his bike, surprised that she didn"t crumple to the ground right then and beg him to have his naughty way with her.

"Thanks for the ride."

Kyle tugged off his helmet, put down the kickstand, and leaned back on the bike. "Any time."

"Well, I guess I should be going," Haley dithered, not sure if he was expecting something from her or not.

Kyle just smiled, nodded, and said, "Probably a good idea."

Haley kicked at the paved driveway of the resort. "Guess I"ll go then."

"Uh-huh."

A little miffed, though Haley couldn"t exactly give a reason why considering Kyle had been a total gentleman, she turned around, prepared to storm off.

"Haley, you forgot something."

Immediately, she turned, checking her front and back pockets. "I don"t think-"

Hard lips captured hers in a searing kiss. Haley gasped, shocked that he was kissing her. A silky, skillful tongue invaded her mouth and took away her hesitancy. In less than a minute, she was kissing him back, licking his lips and devouring him, just as he was devouring her. She felt his hands in her hair, nails running lightly against her scalp.

Haley was so h.o.r.n.y that she didn"t care that they were in public-even if there was no one there. She just wanted him to bend her over his bike and f.u.c.k her like he was trying to crawl into her, like he would die if he didn"t claim her. Heat blistered against her skin, and she wondered if her inner cavewoman was reacting to his dominant caveman.

But just as quickly as he started the kiss, he drew back. He pressed one more fierce kiss to her lips, before settling back on his bike. He winked at her, tugged on his helmet, and was gone before she could even get a word out.

Another second pa.s.sed before a sardonic smile curved her lips and she chuckled. Walking on shaky legs into the resort, she whispered, "Arrogant p.r.i.c.k."

She"d never really understood the expression "days pa.s.sed on winged feet" until two weeks were suddenly up. Two weeks of fun and excitement with Kyle had come to an end. Two weeks of explosive s.e.x would come to a grinding halt.

Haley sighed as she leaned her head against Kyle"s back and tightened her arms around his waist. The forest blurred around her, as she thought back to the two weeks she"d spent with him. It had been fun, hanging out with his mish-mash group of friends. They"d baked in his restaurant, and he showed her how to fix a carburetor. They"d made love until dawn and watched scary movies in the dead of night. She"d still had practice with Reser, but she"d stopped going to the gym. Kyle had provided her with more than enough exercise.

The bike purring underneath her no longer felt foreign, but felt comforting. She knew the bike, knew its rider. In the last couple of weeks, Haley had become closer to Kyle than any other man in her life, her father included. Yeah, he was a little demanding and a bit of a control freak, but there was also another part of him, a soft and funny side that affected her, too.

The trip up the mountain sped by too quickly, and in no time they were coming to a stop in front of her building. The moonlight bathed the resort complex in a comforting glow. Haley swung her leg over and climbed off Kyle"s bike. In less than twelve hours, she"d be on a plane, heading back home.

"Thanks for the ride," Haley muttered, as she kicked at the cemented floor with her ballet flats. For the first time in a long time she felt insecure and worried. They"d been having s.e.x-no, making love - for the better part of a week; but, if he came up to her hotel room this time it would mean the end.

He cut the engine, tugged off his helmet, and leaned forward on his handlebars. A smile played across his lips. "You know you could have just stayed over."

Laughing nervously, Haley shook her head. If she had stayed over, she knew there would have been no way she"d get on that plane the next day. Dark brown eyes that saw way too much met hers eyes; but, Haley couldn"t keep his gaze, as her eyes roamed his features greedily. A slightly darker five o"clock shadow was making itself known on his face. Not a surprise, considering it was nearing midnight.

"I, uh, have to be up early tomorrow. Got to pack."

Kyle nodded and ran a hand through his thick, wavy black hair. He"d let it down, something he"d been doing a lot more because Haley had mentioned she liked it that way. Over his shoulder, she could see his tattoo peeking up from the collar of his shirt. Haley"s hands began to itch, as she remembered tracing the intricate bear paws and finding the animals in the smoke design. She could practically feel the heat of his skin against her palms and smell the woodsy scent of his skin, as it heated further.

"Do you want me to come up, Haley?" His voice was serious and his eyes seemed to stare into the darkest part of her. A shiver raked over her body-it happened every time he looked at her like that, like he really saw her.

"I shouldn"t."

"I didn"t ask want you should or shouldn"t do. I asked what you wanted to do."

Her head snapped up at his tone, a touch of anger behind the deep notes. His brows were furrowed, and a tick was in his jaw.

Haley felt her nails dig into her palm. She was about to be an idiot, about to travel on a road that could screw up everything she"d worked for. The last few days she"d barely thought about the Olympics, barely thought of the goal she"d had for four years. It seemed that she wasn"t going to remember anytime soon either. "I want you."

"That"s all I need to hear."

Kyle yanked out the keys, grabbed her hand, and then practically dragged her through the lobby of the resort and up to her hotel room.

As soon as she opened the door, he pushed her in, turned sharply, and had her pinned up against a wall before the door even shut. Haley moaned, as she felt Kyle"s hand stroke up her body, bucking, fingers hooked in her belt loops.

Demanding lips claimed hers, as he unzipped her pants and forced them down her hips and thighs. Cool air rushed over her naked skin, as she kicked them away. Then, she leaned up and wrapped her legs around Kyle"s hips. Strong arms moved from her hips to her a.s.s, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises. Haley didn"t care, she wanted to remember this night for as long as she could.

Kyle wrenched his mouth away from hers and leaned his forehead against hers. "Bed."

One word was all it took to get her so wet that she was pretty sure she had soaked through her panties. Moaning, she nodded, and he set her down. Quickly, with hard jerky movements, both of them tugged their clothes off and made their ways to the bed.

Haley had her bra half off her arm, but Kyle pushed her back on the bed and crawled between her legs. She bit back a scream, as she felt his tongue stroke her. Instinctively, she tried to close her legs, but his hands were locked tight around her thighs, opening her as wide as she could go.

Fingers curled in the sheets, she tossed her head and cried out loudly. Before she could reach o.r.g.a.s.m, he lifted his head, removed his tongue, and crawled up her body. Haley opened her arms wide and closed them around him, nails gripping his shoulders. She wasn"t sure when he"d done it, but somehow Kyle had slipped on a condom.

"Are you read-"

"Just f.u.c.k me, Kyle!"

No more encouragement was needed, as he reached down and opened her ca.n.a.l wide with his fingers, then penetrated her one inch at a time. That was his special brand of love making. No matter the rush, he always took his time when he first entered her. It was intoxicating, the special blend of protectiveness and dominance. It drove her crazy and made her crave the quick, deep penetration even more. There was something about this moment, something unlike the other times.

"Can you... take more?" Kyle asked, voice hoa.r.s.e, arms shaking from strain next to her head. She knew he was holding himself back, waiting for her.

Something throbbed in her, so heavy that it was almost impossible to breath. Her heart sped up, thumping against her ribcage ecstatically. It was the same feeling she got racing down the mountain side. Adrenaline moved through her body, faster and more poignant than ever before. She didn"t just want more, she wanted it all.

"More." Haley lifted her hips up, pulled him deeper into her slick, heated depths. "Everything."

Kyle groaned above her. The sound drawn out and tortured, as he leaned down, pushed further into her, and forced her body up the bed. Toes curled, back arched, she grabbed handfuls on white cotton and rode with him. His sigh became her breath, his sweat her cooling water.

"Haley. f.u.c.k. You"re so tight." He nipped at her collarbone and thrust hard into her.

Shaking her hand from side to side, she begged him to just give her everything. She didn"t care, she just needed him, fast and hard. In that moment, she gave herself completely to Kyle, allowing him to do everything and anything he wanted with her body.

Not even with the last bad boy she"d met had she done that. She"d never given a man a part of herself, never showed any man as much as she"d shown Kyle. It was wonderful and terrifying, a sort of free-falling feeling.

Strong arms reached under her and lifted her up. Haley felt his muscles bulge. She felt the thick, male heat of him slip deeper into her body, farther than any man had ever been. "You"re mine, Haley. You know that right?" He lifted her body up, repositioned her legs before pulling her hips down and thrusting up into her, hard. "I don"t give a f.u.c.k where you go. You will always be mine."

A wail escaped her lips. She raked her nails down his back, feeling slick sweat coat her fingertips. Haley pressed her nose into his skin, as Kyle took her body the way he wanted. His unique woodsy fragrance was stronger there, as if dirt and trees and flowers lived right beneath his flesh. The scent surrounded her, clung to her skin, made her dizzy.

No more words were spoken, there was too much in the room anyway. His desires pierced the air, clashing with her insecurities and a.s.sumed duties. But there was nothing next to their skin, no secrets between their bodies. Between the sheets, each knew exactly what they were doing.

Kyle, with every thrust of his hips, every dig of his nails into her hips, and every graze of his teeth against her shoulder and neck was trying to carve a place into her body. He wanted her to always remember him, never forget the man between her legs, and hopefully find a way to brand himself into her heart and soul.

Haley wanted to lose herself, forget for a few minutes and hours her heavy obligations. For a brief moment in time, she wanted to pretend that Kyle was the man of her dreams, that this was only the beginning of something more wonderful, something that shined with promise and hope just beyond her vision. It was in the heated kisses she forced on his lips, the way she completely gave her body to him without any reservations.

The hotel room closed around them, the cream colored walls blurring with the blue-brown carpet. Everything shrunk, twisted, and moved closer to them. The white cotton sheets fell away, and only the sounds of their love making, the heat of their bodies, and the thud of their heart existed.

A split second before it happened, clarity suddenly hit her. There was no way she was getting on that plane. It was strange; but, even with her path to fame and stardom right in front of her, she refused it. She rejected it for something she wasn"t even sure of, but somehow it also felt right.

And then it came- they came. It wasn"t an explosion that rocked the world and shattered their minds. It was beyond that. It was so complex Haley could barely find the words to describe it. It felt like a sort of ending, a closing of one chapter, so that another could open.