Page 14 of May 11

Ignoring him, she cleaned the other tables and slid the chairs in, moving about the chores that needed to be done before she locked up for the night.

At four o'clock, she removed all the baskets, saucers, and dirty dishes stacked in the back and loaded the dishwasher. The task only took a couple of minutes.

She started the washer and went back out front. Wire still sat at the table.

Going to the front door, she flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED. She walked over to the register.

"I'm ready to take care of your tab." She smiled. "It's time for me to lock the door."

That wasn't exactly a kick in the ass for him to leave, but she was clear on what he needed to do.

She shifted her weight back and forth on her feet, ready to leave. It'd been a long time since she'd had a break, and she wanted nothing else but to go back to the van, take off her clothes, and relax.

Wire carried his cup to the register and dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. She counted out his change.

"Keep it." He leaned against the counter. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Sleeping."

"Before you sleep." He dragged his gaze from her breasts to her face. "What are you doing?"

"That..." She closed the register and rounded the counter. "Is none of your business."

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her up against him. "Come over to the clubhouse later."

Her breasts rose and fell against the front of him. She tried to hold her breath to stop them, but around him, she lacked air and found herself gasping. "No."

"Why not?" He trailed his finger along her necklace, picking up the silver dragonfly pendant and holding it between his fingers. "What do you have against me?"

"I don't have anything against you." Her breath shuddered.

"Hm." He inhaled. "You sure?"

"You're always hanging around here." She lifted her chin higher to meet his gaze. "I don't know what you want from me."

"You do." He lifted his brow.

She copied his expression, at a loss for words, because she knew exactly what he wanted.

He kissed her forehead before pushing out the door. "I'll walk you over to the clubhouse. Be ready at ten o'clock."

She stuck her head out the door. "I'm not going."

"You're going."

"No, I'm not."

He raised his hand in farewell without turning around or missing a step. She muffled her scream of frustration and closed the door, taking satisfaction in turning the lock.

Wire was playing with her. He wasn't interested in her.

And she wasn't interested in going to some biker party. She wasn't that naive. Drinking, drugs— women were free and loose.

She was neither.

She shut down all the machinery, leaving the dishwasher going. Then, she turned out all the lights. Reopening the front door, she locked it behind her.

With her last bit of energy, she walked around the building to where she parked her van. Looking around, she pushed the button to unlock and open the door. A blast of heat rolled over her.

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