Page 19 of Elling & Jackie

Chapter 8

The door clicked shut. Without turning her back on Elling, Jackie reached for the handle. Surprisingly, he made no move to stop her from leaving.

She lunged out of the room and looked back at him from the safety of the hallway. Her heart pounded. What weird attraction made her drawn to him?

He was a biker. Just like every other man in her life.

Stubborn to a fault, macho to the extreme, short on words and long on patience. If she wanted to be with a biker, she could go back home and have her pick of any of them.

"What? What do you want from me?" she said, unable to take the way he was looking at her or understanding how he could think pulling her into the room would make her stay.

He expected her to do something. Stay. Leave. She had no idea because, unlike the bikers in her life, he had a mysterious quality about him, and his blue eyes were throwing all kinds of emotions at her, that she couldn't read.

He walked across the room, leaving the door open and said, "Keep me company while I lock up the window."

She bulged her eyes at his back. Every ounce of Rollo's blood ran through her veins, screaming at her to get the hell away from him. He was an enemy of Brikken Motorcycle Club which meant he was a danger to her.

"In Norway, people don't stay inside all the time." He picked up the screen. "Fresh air is good for you."

She looked down the hallway, making sure they hadn't drawn anyone's attention. The security camera on the far wall was broadcasted to the front desk, where the night clerk could watch all the floors in the building. Only the rooms were private, except there was a security alarm on each window to keep guests safe. They would never want a child pushing against a screen and falling several stories to the busy road below. The hotel would suffer a lawsuit, and the world would lose a precious child.

Not wanting Terri to watch her consorting with a guest, she stepped into Elling's room again, out of view of the camera. "You're from Norway?"

"Ja." He popped the screen into place. "I came to the U.S. when I was nineteen years old."

Having lived her whole life in Tacoma on the land her grandfather developed for Brikken Motorcycle Club until recently, she couldn't imagine moving to a different country. She studied the back of Elling. Maybe that's what made him stand out from the other bikers in her life.

He'd experienced a different culture, a different climate, a different way of life.

"Do you miss Norway?"

He took out his knife and used the tip to tighten the screws. "I miss my childhood."

His answer confused her. She grew up wanting to be an adult for as long as she could remember. Everything good was supposed to happen when she turned eighteen years old.

Once she'd reached adulthood, she had no desire to go back to being a child. She rubbed her lips together. Except when it came to bills and supporting herself. That was stressful.

Elling pushed on the window. "Locked up tight."

Feeling satisfaction over convincing a man, let alone a biker, to do what she asked, she raised her brows and stayed within reach of stepping out of his room. Because Chief was her father, she knew Elling's change of attitude toward her came with a price.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

"I think that's what I asked you the last time you showed up around me."

"I...damn you. I was shopping and on a public street. I don't get how you could think I was stalking you or whatever." She shook her head, frustrated at having him around. Losing all form of professionalism, she snapped, "Just...enjoy your stay."

She stepped back, ready to escape to her room. Her foot barely hit the hallway and Elling grabbed her hand, pulling her toward him again. She crashed into his hard chest.

He stared down into her eyes. She jerked away, but he still held on to her and yanked her back. Planting her free hand on his chest, she prepared to push off him when his chest expanded against the palms of her hands, and she stopped.

Locked onto the patch on his vest, she gasped. She should fight. She should run. She should call home.

"Fuck," muttered Elling before he grabbed her jaw, tilted her face, and captured her lips.

Shocked, she thought to pull away, but his full lips were soft against hers despite the rough handling. His hand firmly cupped her jaw, holding her in place. The slight smoky scent hanging on the edges of her senses gave her a false sense of security.

Chief smoked. It was a familiar scent that reminded her of home.

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