Caught Between Hawk and Gunner Read online

  “I just want a good pair of tennis shoes, or if they have some work shoes, I’ll get them. I’ll pad them with an innersole, and that should work fine.” She sipped at her water.

  “Where are you from? Generally speaking, of course,” Hawk asked her.

  “Tennessee. Traveled around some, but mostly in TN.”

  “They get drive-bys over there?” Gunner stirred his tea with his knife.

  “They do in Memphis. That’s where I ended up when my dad shot everyone. We lived in a little nothing town just outside the Memphis city limits.”

  “I’d heard Memphis was a little Chicago,” Hawk said.

  “Gangs are tough there. They rule the streets, and even the cops don’t like messing in their territories.”

  “Where are you headed to?”

  “Not sure yet. I want to drive up to Farmington, Missouri and see if an aunt I used to know still lives there or not. Haven’t seen her in about twenty years. My dad ran her off when she’d come visit so my mom told her not to come back so there wouldn’t be any trouble.”

  They talked about the weather, the bar and then their meal arrived and talk stopped. The meatloaf was excellent, and the mashed potatoes were like the ones her mom had made when she was a kid, complete with small lumps and a creamy texture surrounding them. She scarfed up the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days instead of hours. It would tide her through until she got a short break to eat at the bar later that night.

  “That was delicious. You were right about the meatloaf.” She drained her glass and waited on the waitress to bring their checks.

  “Dessert, guys?” the blonde asked.

  “Not today. What about you, Jackie?” Hawk moved his plate to one side and set his elbows on the table. “There’s plenty of time if you want some.”

  “No thanks. I’m stuffed.”

  “Just the ticket then, Gail.”

  She tore the paper off her pad and handed it to Hawk. Jackie held out her hand but was met with a frown from Gail.

  “It’s all together, doll. We’re paying for your meal.”

  “I pay for my own meals.” She had to grit her teeth to keep from raising her voice.

  “Not when you’re with us, you don’t.” Gunner winked at her. “You belong to us, so we pay.”

  “What did I tell you yesterday?”

  “Not here, babe. We’ll settle this back at the hotel after we’ve gotten your shoes.” Gunner got up and reached for her hand.

  She refused the hand and got up on her own. Then gingerly walked ahead of both men to the door. They could pay and catch up later. She was pissed off that they were carrying the entire ours issue too far.

  She knew she couldn’t walk anywhere with her feet as tender as they were, or she’d have headed out toward Main Street by herself. Instead, she stood with crossed arms next to Hawk’s bike and waited.

  The ride to Settler’s Point General Store took about as long as it had taken to get to the diner from the hotel. She figured they could ride the entire town in less than fifteen minutes if they obeyed the speed limits. The place spread out but wasn’t really all that large.

  She browsed through the shoes and found a pair that would fit with the innersoles to cushion her feet. She put both pair on and walked around for a few minutes before deciding that they’d do. She paid for them and had the cashier put her borrowed house shoes in the box to give back to Gunner. When they found her standing near the front of the store, a scowl converted their faces into less than happy expressions.

  “You’ve already bought the shoes.” Gunner seemed to be accusing her of something.

  “Well, yeah. That’s what I came for, and I found what I needed so I checked out. I didn’t know how long it would take for you guys to get whatever you were looking for.”

  Hawk slammed his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling as if looking for an answer of some kind there. Then he shook his head and stared at her.

  “We were going to get the shoes for you since you need them for work. Are you sure you got what you wanted? Hell, it normally takes a woman at least an hour of shopping to find what she wants.”

  “I’m not most women. I don’t like shopping. I just find what I need and leave. These are good shoes, so there’s no reason to mess around.” Jackie held up one shoe for their inspection. “See. They fit, and they don’t hurt my feet. I can feel the blisters, but they won’t get worse in these shoes.”

  “Fine. Let’s go.” Hawk didn’t argue anymore.

  She had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the end of their conversation when they got back to the motel. She still needed to make sure they understood that she wasn’t their woman and in no way belonged to them.

  Somehow she didn’t feel confident that it would go over very well.

  Chapter Ten

  Hawk wanted to growl at the woman. She defied all his knowledge of women in general. She didn’t like that he’d paid for her meal. She hadn’t spent hours shopping and had paid for her own shoes. Any woman he’d ever dated had expected him to foot the bill for everything including their apartments if they weren’t living with him. Fuck, most women would throw a fit if he complained that they were spending too much money on something.

  Jackie wasn’t like that. She was independent to a fault and stubborn as a five-year-old kid demanding ice-cream. It was part of her attraction and a good bit of his frustration over the entire situation.

  They’d been ordered by their president to keep her in their sights in case she was a spy for the One-Niners, but that had gotten complicated when he realized that he was a little more than physically attracted to her. Her strength of character and the way she’d fought to live at the end of her ordeal meant something to him. He admired her for it.

  Now she was fighting the need he had to take care of her. He and Gunner needed to have a hard talk. Hawk wanted to be sure Gunner was on the same foot when it came to taking care of Jackie. They had shared women in the past, but he wasn’t as keen on sharing Jackie. He saw her as more than just a sweet butt or bounce around the house type. He wanted her for more than a few weeks. He wanted her long term. How long term? He wasn’t sure yet.

  The second the door to the motel room closed behind them, she turned on them and started talking. It amused the hell out of him to see her pointing her finger at them.

  “I’m not yours to take care of or watch or what the fuck ever you’ve got in your heads. I’m not your woman, and you won’t boss me around. Got it?”

  Gunner walked over to her and looked down into her upturned face. “There’s where you’re wrong. You’re our woman. We’ve claimed you to the club so that no one else can bother you. That means they go through us to get to you. Got it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Hawk took Gunner’s lead and went with it. “If you’re not off the table here, then you’re fair game for anyone. We figured you’d be better off with us as your men than bouncing around trying to fight off the other guys. Not to mention any other biker group that stops by for a drink now and then.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? I either have to go along with you two or it’s fifty or so other guys I’ll have to deal with?” She drew in a deep breath.

  The motion jerked Hawk’s gaze to her heaving breasts. His mouth watered, but her next comment had him lifting his eyes back to hers.

  “Why you two? Why shouldn’t I pick out my own men?” she asked.

  “Because we’ve already claimed you, and if you try and go after anyone else, they’ll refuse to mess with you. We don’t like it when women try and cause fights between club members so once someone’s claimed a lady, she’s off the table, meaning they can’t go after her even if she approaches them until her claimers release her.”

  “That’s barbaric and not all that different from what I’ve already dealt with. I don’t like bullies.”

  Gunner backed Jackie up until her back hit the wall. Then he caged her in with both hands. Hawk just watched to be sure nothing go
t out of hand.

  “First of all, we aren’t anything like that bastard that hurt you. Second of all, there’s no difference than if you were dating someone on the outside world. You wouldn’t make plays for your guy’s best friend. Third of all.” Gunner leaned closer. “You’re stuck with us as long as you’re here and nothing is going to change that.

  With that, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing their woman to seal his words. Hawk slipped over to turn her face toward him when Gunner released her lips. He took her mouth with his and nipped at her bottom lip before releasing her chin.

  “Any questions, doll?” he asked.

  “Stop calling me doll. I’m not a freaking toy.”

  “You’re pretty as one of those china dolls my sister used to have when we were children.”

  “My name is Jackie. Jack if you like, but I’m not a doll or a babe.” She huffed out the last, directing her gaze toward Gunner.

  “Might as well get used to it, Jack. We like giving our woman a love handle.”

  “Are you kidding me? A love handle?”

  Hawk loved how sexy she got when she was riled up. Her eyes darkened from a light, doe brown to a deep, rich brown even as her cheeks heated to a soft pink. He wanted to taste all that fire, but she wasn’t ready for that. First, she had to get her feet healed up before they’d approach her for more. He was sure she’d fight her attraction to them, but it was there. The heat of that kiss had proved it to him. She couldn’t lie to them that she didn’t want them. Maybe to herself, but not to them.

  * * * *

  “Am I supposed to have some sort of love handle for you guys? Like maybe Tinker Bell or snookums. I bet that would go over real well with the guys down at the bar. What do you think?” She wasn’t going to let them get away with calling her what they probably called every woman they’d ever been with.

  What am I talking about? I’m not going to be with them. I’m making sure they know that. Right? That is what I’m doing.

  “Jackie, we’ll call you whatever we want to. You want to give us names, fine, but remember that once we get back to our place when the night’s over with? We’ll extract our revenge for anything you say or do.”

  “What?” She took a step to the side and walked around them to put some space between them.

  “We don’t hurt women, Jackie. What we do is make them feel real good. Sometimes that means we drag out their pleasure until they’re begging for release.” Hawk cocked his head to one side.

  “I’m not sleeping with you guys.”

  “Sleeping has nothing to do with it, babe.” Gunner winked at her.

  “Sex then. I’m not having sex.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that, doll. You were pretty okay with those kisses we gave you.” Hawk deliberately walked over to the foot of the bed and sat.

  Gunner took the only chair, leaving Jackie with nowhere to sit other than the bed to get off her feet. She refused to sit next to Hawk. He’d use it somehow to get her to agree to being their woman. It wasn’t happening.

  “Sit down, Jackie. Your feet have to be hurting even in those shoes. If you’re still planning on working tonight, you need to get off of them.” Hawk patted the bed next to him.

  She gave in but didn’t sit next to the man. Instead, she sat up by the head of the bed and faced Gunner. When he stood and walked over to where she sat, Jackie realized she’d made a mistake in giving in.

  “Swing your legs up on the bed and relax. Nothing’s going to happen. You need to rest, and we want to talk to you.” Gunner picked up her legs and swung them around on the bed. Then he sat next to her.

  Hawk walked around to the other side of the bed and sat on that side of her. She was essentially caged in despite trying to avoid it.

  “We don’t force women to have sex with us, Jackie. But, there’s nothing to say that we won’t seduce you. We’re both attracted to you and have you under our protection. You’re a sexy woman and paired with your strength and sassy attitude, it’s a fucking aphrodisiac to us.” Gunner rested against the headboard with one leg off the bed.

  “That attitude makes me want to take you over my knee then fuck you senseless, but not without your consent, doll.” Hawk reached up and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

  Jackie had to hold her breath to keep from moaning at that tiny gesture. They were already seducing her with how they sat close without really touching her. Hawk’s finger in her hair tickled along her skin. The slight pull had her neck tingling at the slight tug. She wanted them. She could admit that to herself now but wasn’t planning on acting on it. They were off-limits. They carried too much danger with them, and she carried too much baggage with her.

  “What are you thinking, babe? I can almost read the thoughts as they cross your face.” Hawk pulled on her hair to get her to look at him.

  “Nothing.”

  “Little liar,” he said.

  “I’m trying to figure out what your game is.”

  Gunner turned her chin with one finger so that she had to look at him next. “There’s no game. We’ve been completely up front with you, Jackie. You belong to us, and we’ll eventually seduce you into our bed.”

  “I can’t compete with there being two of you. I get dizzy just trying to talk to you guys. This isn’t fair. Two men are just too much.” She shook her head.

  “Babe, you don’t know what you’ve missed until you’ve let us fuck you. We’ll rock your world, and you’ll never want to leave.” Gunner leaned in and kissed the side of her neck. “You’ll melt in our arms like fine chocolate and purr like a pussycat.”

  Jackie had the urge to snuggle into Gunner’s warm body but resisted. She knew her body was ripe to betray her, so she made an effort to pull away instead. Giving in to them would be a serious error on her part. They had the ability to hurt her emotionally even more so than physically. She was almost positive they weren’t a threat to her life, but she was very sure they were one to her psyche.

  “I need a nap before I go in to work tonight. I can’t do that with you guys here. I have just enough time if you’ll leave now.”

  The two men exchanged looks then seemed to come to a decision. They climbed off the bed and walked over to the door.

  “One of us will pick you up at five forty-five to take you to the bar. Don’t leave without us,” Gunner said.

  “You don’t need to walk all the way to the bar on those feet.” Hawk opened the motel room door. “Understand?”

  “Okay. Just don’t be late or all bets are off. I’m not going to be late because of you guys.”

  As the last one through the door, Gunner winked at her before closing it so that the automatic lock clicked. Jackie sighed as the overwhelming thickness in the air while they’d been in the room slowly fell away. She could breathe without feeling her heartbeat in her throat again.

  If they really do try to seduce me, I’m toast. I can barely resist their lure when they’re just teasing. How will I ever be able to hold off once they put their mind to it?

  She knew that she’d have to change her panties before going to work. They were wet from just the little time they had been sitting on the bed next to her. Her skin had been hyperfocused on every move they made and had reacted with ice crystals up and down her spine.

  Did she want to resist them?

  Hell yes she did.

  Why?

  Because they could eat her up and spit her out, and she’d never see it coming. Jackie knew they were the type of men who could tease her into giving in, hook her on their nasty ways then drop her like an all used up cigarette and crush her beneath the heels of their boots. She didn’t want that. She didn’t need that. Her mind was already splintered and in need of healing without walking into another round of psych out.

  She got out of the bed and turned the air conditioner up to combat the midafternoon heat burning up the concrete outside and smothering anyone who didn’t have an air conditioner to fight against it. The one in the room worked great,
so she pulled off her clothes and sank beneath the covers after setting the alarm clock for five. She needed a quick shower before she went in to work. Then she’d need to redress her feet before dressing.

  Jackie fell asleep after only a few minutes of tossing. It was no wonder she dreamed of the two men. Gunner and Hawk chased her on their bikes while she ran around the town barefooted. Despite hot concrete and splintered glass and rocks, she managed to stay just a little ahead of them. When they cornered her between two buildings, she knew they had her and wasn’t afraid.

  “You can run pretty damn fast, doll. Why’d you stop?” Hawk asked her.

  “I was getting tired, and I knew I’d need my strength when you caught me.”

  “You were that sure we’d catch you?” Gunner asked.

  “I knew I didn’t have a chance with there being two of you. If there’d only been one, I wouldn’t have been caught.”

  “Get on my bike, babe. We need to ride. There’s a storm coming.” Gunner patted the seat behind him.

  “Are you afraid of the storm, Gunner?” she asked.

  “Only with you in our lives. You matter, and the storm will ruin you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Just get on the back of his bike, Jackie. There isn’t much time. Hurry, woman. Hurry.”

  She started walking toward Gunner and his bike but the wind picked up, and she had to lean forward and push hard to make any headway.

  “Hurry!”

  Jackie cried out, reaching with both arms for Gunner. Somehow she knew that if she didn’t make it to his bike, all would be lost.

  His hand reached out and clasped hers, but just when she thought the wind would win, Jackie woke to the sound of the alarm clock with a scream on her lips.

  Chapter Eleven