Page 22 of Eden's Joker

That’s why I don’t notice him reach down and pull me to my feet. And I get absolutely no warning before he’s holding me in his arms, one hand tangled in my hair at the back of my neck and the other on my lower back. Then his lips are on mine, his tongue in my mouth, his prickly beard the perfect antithesis of the sweetness of his kiss, the timelessness, the perfectness.

It’s like all that heat of the sun in his eyes has moved to this kiss and when I say I’d topple if he wasn’t holding me up, I’m not lying. I see stars and hear birds singing. None of which are actually there. But most of all, I love the roughness of the way he’s taken my kiss… and given me exactly what I craved.

Then just as suddenly as he kissed me, he breaks away, an unfocused, almost confused look in his eyes as he looks at my lips.

“I want more,” I whisper.

“Me too,” he says, also whispering, and lets me go.

“But it’s not time yet,” he adds and heads for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that he steps back into the darkness thatbrought him here. And disappears in it so completely, I’m not even completely sure he was really here. But the chiming of the bells over the door is still echoing and my lips are still tingling from his fiery kiss. He was definitely here.

But why is he gone?

14

Joker

I can’t believe I was able to tear myself away from that kiss. Just as much as I can’t believe I gave in and kissed her in the first place. She’s so damn sweet she even tastes sweet. But there’s a hardness in her that I didn’t see until tonight. She doesn’t have just a soft center for me to bend and twist like I want to, but something hard. Or something hard to break, more like. A challenge. And I like those. That’s why I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her. I just got impatient.

But the hike through the woods back to my bike cleared the last of the hard on she gave me and chased those impatient thoughts out of my head. She’ll be all the sweeter if I wait for it. She likes dark romances, she says. But she ain’t seen nothing yet. Only there won’t be much romance in what I have planned for her. Shewon’t be able to touch another one of those romance books once I’m done with her. And that’s just one of the levels of my revenge plot. One of the nastier levels. But then again, they’re all nasty.

Just like Fire & Heart Inn is. The smoke in here is making my eyes water, and everything smells like puke and shit. It’s not blending well with the overabundance of perfume the ladies are wearing. Luckily Karma, who is sitting next to me doesn’t go for perfumes and such. But it would be better if the three Devil’s Nightmare MC brothers—Fossil, Archer, and Bane—who are also seated at my table, would consider something along those lines.

I don’t think they’ve showered yet this month, and they possibly haven’t changed either. I thought Cross ran a tighter ship, but clearly, he’s letting things slip. Or he’s finally cut their no-good asses loose.

These three jewels have been my informants since pretty much the start of the war against the Devils. But they’re not aware of it. I have them convinced I’m just interested in being the first to pick up anything valuable after a battle the Devils win in their typical fashion—killing all the men and scattering the rest. They’re not interested in much more than winning and killing, so all the stashes of drugs and businesses get left behind to rot after the Devils are done killing the previous owners.

Me and the Sons have made a fortune that way since the war started. And Fossil, Bane and Archerhave been invaluable in letting me know when and where the Devils will hit next. It has not yet occurred to them that I might be passing the info on to their enemies. Though I can’t just blame their stupidity for that. I am cunning and my MC is officially based in Chicago. I have them convinced I want no part in the actual war. Plus, I give them a generous kickback for the info.

Occasionally I do spill the locations to their enemies, since sometimes I prefer to let them get slaughtered. I will be the one winning the war against the Devils, even if those other assholes didn’t think to include me in starting it.

“What will it be, Joker?” Karma asks me pointedly.

She’s dealing and wants me to make a bet. I’m holding a Jack and a Queen and it’s only the first round of bidding. I push the whole pile of money into the center of the table anyway. “I’m all in.”

The Jack and Queen in my hand are a good omen. They’re like Eden and me. But win or lose, this will be my last hand tonight. I need to be rested and on my game tomorrow. For my first official date with Eden.

Despite me storming out like I did, she just confirmed. Guess she wants another kiss. I do too.

15

Eden

I’m standing in the shade of a single redwood tree at the edge of a no-name mall’s parking lot two towns over from Pleasantville. The midday heat has nothing to do with how sweaty my palms are as I clutch the edge of my helmet. It’s black with two silver roses worked into the sides, the thorny branches entwined in the back. A gift from my dad a long time ago, but I hardly ever get to wear it. Because hardly anyone ever asks me if I’d like to go for a ride.

Most guys from the MC steer clear of me and my sister, knowing my dad won’t let anyone date either of us, and my friends just assume I’m not that into riding. They’re wrong. And I’m hoping Tyler will take me for a nice long ride today. Before and after the lunch he promised me.

He’s not exactly late yet, but I did hope he’d be here to meet me early. Like I was. He wanted to pick me up at the bookshop, but I still don’t think a strange biker would go over well with my dad and his brothers right now. Though he did just fine getting there last night…

I spent way too much time fantasizing about how I wanted last night to end if he hadn’t run out. I convinced myself that he only did that because he wants me so much and is afraid of it, like most guys are when faced with real feelings. He proved my point when he texted me just ten minutes after leaving the bookshop to arrange this date.

I hardly got any sleep because I was thinking about all that and fantasizing about how I want today’s date to end.

But I should cool it now, since I’m about to see him again and I don’t want to blurt out the wrong thing, like I often do when I’m embarrassed. I also don’t want to come off too needy. Which I think I did last night.

I can hear the rumble of his Harley approaching before I actually see him turn onto the narrow road that leads past the mall. There are plenty of cars in the parking lot, and plenty of people walking to and from them. I step out of the shade, so he can see me. But there was no need to. The visor of his helmet is covering his face and it’s matte black, but I still feel his eyes zero in on me with laser-focused intensity as I stepinto the sun. I can’t even see his eyes and yet I’ve never felt this seen in my whole life.

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