Page 15 of Phantom Riders MC: Hawk

Chapter 8

Audra

Speechless, I watched Hawk walk away. I couldn’t move, wondering what I’d done to provoke that kind of seething anger, sensing that it was more than just asking him to kiss me. My heart was racing, my blood was boiling, I was so turned-on that I could feel my clit throbbing, and I knew Hawk was turned-on too. So how could he just walk away like that, as if he were too good to kiss me, too good to satisfy my needs? What kind of man did that?

A narcissistic prick, that’s who.

Realizing that I was still leaning against the wall, broken and teary-eyed, I yanked my clothes back into place. Screw Hawk! I didn’t know what his demons were but it would be a cold day in hell before I let him get close to me like that again. I wasn’t a glutton for punishment, I didn’t like being hurt, and I prided myself on being a fast learner. Leaving Dane the very day that I had seen what kind of man he was, was proof of that.

Wasn’t it?

From here on out I needed to stay clear of Hawk, ignore him and the way he made me feel. I shouldn’t have been feeling anything anyway, he was a stranger. There might be women out there who could handle his particular brand of sex, but I wasn’t one of them. It was sad that he didn’t want the kind of touching and kissing that usually went along with sexual intimacy between partners, that he couldn’t seem to tolerate receiving it or giving it, but I needed it. I needed the closeness, and I’d be damned if I was going to let a man use me for his own selfish means.

As I walked outside my gaze landed on the bikers. Hawk had joined his friends and his back was to me, but I could see enough to know that he was eating something. His friends watched my approach, and I wondered if they saw the truth on my face, that I wanted to hurt their asshole leader. Yeah, they saw, because they both began to smile knowingly, so it surprised me when one of them, Clay, seemed to detach himself from their conversation and turn his sole attention on me.

“Want something to eat, baby?” Clay asked.

Was that a trick question? I stared at him, about to blast him, when he reached inside the saddlebag hanging off the side of his bike and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. He handed it to me.

“You better take this, it’ll be a while before we stop again.”

“Thank you.” I moved to another tree and sank down against it, ignoring Hawk when he glanced my way. He certainly hadn’t cared if I got something to eat, the bastard. Before I knew it, Clay made his way over to me with a bottle of water. I gave him a smile, which he must have interpreted wrong, because the next thing I knew he was joining me.

“Where are we going?” It occurred to me that I didn’t know. The sandwich was a thick ham and cheese on sourdough bread, and tastier than I’d anticipated.

“Well, we’re headin’ home,” he responded, grinning. “Not sure what Hawk has in mind for you.”

“I think he’s regretting helping me.” I took another bite.

“Nah, we never regret helping a pretty woman,” Clay chuckled, reaching into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and taking one out. “The fuckin’ trouble we ran into this morning was minor shit.” He lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply. “The kind that keeps us on our fuckin’ toes.”

Not for me. “Are those men, ah—,” I couldn’t say the word.

He had no such problem. “Dead?”

I nodded.

“Nah, but they’ll be out of commission for a while.” He winked.

I wondered if I should tell him that there would be others. Hawk had to realize that. “They want me, your boss should just drop me off somewhere and be done with me.” I was surprised that I’d almost eaten the whole sandwich, and I decided to wrap up the remainder and save it for later.

“Let’s go.”

I glanced at Hawk to see that he was moving toward his bike. Clay got to his feet and reached his hand down to help me to mine. I stuffed the piece of sandwich into the front pocket of my hoodie and let him yank me to my feet. “You didn’t say where home is.”

“Solon, Maine.”

I’d never heard of it, but then why would I? I’d never been to Maine. I’d lived my whole life in Nevada. Sure, Dane and I had traveled, but only to touristy places like Hawaii and Florida, and a few places in Europe. He liked staying close to home where his business was located in Las Vegas so we never went for very long. The last minute trip to Last Hope had come as a surprise. I hadn’t known that Dane knew anyone in New Hampshire, much less anyone in a small town that was barely on the map.

He’d insisted on my going with him, as usual, though I’d never got any further than our host’s expensive country estate.

“It’s a small town.”

I nodded, acknowledging him, and found myself facing Hawk. He’d mounted his bike and was still taller than me. Why did he make my heart rate pick up speed? I didn’t even know the man, wasn’t sure I wanted to know him. He didn’t compare to any man I’d ever known. He was hard and cold, scary as shit, and yet there was something I couldn’t explain that drew me to him, and I hated it. He was clearly a broken man, a man without a soul. Somehow he’d flipped off his emotions as if he had a built-in light switch.

“I think I’ve come up with a solution to this… to our… my situation.” I’d only just thought of it, and I didn’t care if it made me look desperate to get away from him. He just raised a brow, crossed his arms over his massive chest, and waited. “I know I owe you and I pay my debts. At the next town I can get in touch with a friend who can wire me the money you need and we can go our separate ways.”

It sounded like a good plan to me.

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