Page 49 of Ride Hard
Chaser
Ifeltuneasy in thedawn.
Lifting the curtain back from the window with the tip of my finger, I peered out into the parking lot of the motel. Nothing stirred in the immediate vicinity, but further out, I could see the red and white lights of traffic on thehighway.
Overhead, the sky was turning. Another day was here, and we were still in the middle of nothing and nowhere. Sitting on the ass crack of America with devils on ourtail.
“Chaser?”
Sloane’s sleepy voice echoed behind me, and I glanced over myshoulder.
“Nice ass,” she said. “You giving the neighbors a freeshow?”
I grunted and leaned my head against the window frame.I just couldn’t helpmyself…
The sound of rustling blankets signaled she’d climbed out of bed, and then she was behind me, moving as silently as a panther in the darkness. Looking at her, she was still naked, the swell of her breasts drawing my gaze. Her hands were warm to the touch as she rubbed her palms over my barechest.
I didn’t have the heart to push her away. It was too late for that now we’d fucked. Far toolate.
“Why can’t you leave Fortitude?” sheasked.
Of all the questions she could’ve asked at that moment, it was the last I wanted to hear. Usually, women wanted a label to stick on the morning after—were we dating, just fucking, in a committed relationship, a one-nighter, etcetera—but not Sloane. She always had some bigger fish tofry.
“I can’t,” I replied, glancing back out the window. The stars weredisappearing.
“Explain it tome.”
“I’m indebted to Fortitude,” I said. “That’s why I can’tleave.”
“Why?”
“They did something for me. Somethingbig.”
“And in return, they branded you into slavery,” she whispered, caressing the tattoo on mythumb.
“Sounds fucked up when you put it that way.” I snorted and narrowed myeyes.
What was it about this woman? She had my tongue all fucking loose and shit. With one taste of her pussy, I was teetering on the edge of screwing everything up. If she asked again…shit. If she knew how messed up my head was right now and took advantage, I wasn’t sure I would be able to say no. I wouldn’t put it past her, which made any kind of entanglement a danger to myhealth.
“What a mess.” She sighed, leaning against me. “How did we gethere?”
“Fucked if Iknow.”
Thankful she hadn’t pressed the ‘where to’ question, I slid my hand over her little waist and cupped herass.
She wasn’t the kind of woman I would usually go for, but something about her just drew me in. I’d met the daughters and whores of the other Fortitude guys, and they had nothing on Sloane. She didn’t expect a gravy train from daddy’s drug money or the high of being with a dangerous guy who flirted around the edges of violence. She was cool, calculating, stubborn, intelligent… Hated to say it, but she reminded me of herfather.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, biting her bottomlip.
“I was just thinking about yourdad.”
“Way to set the mood.” Her eyes rolled. “I don’t need his permission to fuck, youknow.”
Igrunted.
“I’m my ownwoman.”
“How could I forget? You keep fuckin’ remindingme.”
