Page 4 of Mac
Mac eased his bike down the residential street, noticing as he passed that her car wasn't in the driveway, then pulling into his own, and into the garage, without stopping.He couldn't help but be relieved she wasn't home.He was saved the temptation of knowing she was there.That all he had to do to see her again, was to go knock on her door.Then again, maybe if he did, if she were home, her boyfriend would be there, and Mac could know she was taken and put her out of his mind.
He shook his head and pushed her out of his mind again as he let himself in through the laundry room, setting his helmet on the washer on his way through.In the bedroom he tugged his t-shirt off over his head and tossed it in the laundry basket, then unbuckled his belt.As he pulled the belt free, he caught the holster that had been resting inside his jeans and set it, with the Browning .45 ACP inside, on top of the dresser as he finished undressing.
Mac didn't normally come in from work and head straight to the shower, but he'd been sprayed with gasoline today and could still smell it on his skin and in his hair.It wasn't his favorite cologne, but he'd smelled a lot worse.Still, a hot shower would get rid of the gas along with the spots of grease he tended to pick up through the day, and hopefully ease his sore, aching muscles.Maybe tonight he'd get to kick back and relax without having to flee to the clubhouse for a distraction.
An image of Elyse, for that's how he'd begun to think of her, flashed through his mind.
Maybe the clubhouse wasn't such a bad idea after all.
CHAPTER4
Elyse sat in her small office and dropped her head into her hands.Three people had called in sick today, now they didn't have enough staff to keep the store open.She would have to work the shift, meaning a twelve-hour day, instead of eight.On top of having already spent the morning covering for someone else.Paperwork in here was piling up, but she didn't have much choice.The counters had to be manned and customers dealt with or none of them would have jobs.Shaking her head, she jotted a note to go through the applications people had filed lately and make a few calls.They needed more people so she could get her job done, not everyone else's.
She took a deep breath and stood.Sitting here wishing things were different wouldn't change anything.She might as well get up and get busy.At least the rest of the day would pass faster that way.
She couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped as she all but collapsed into her recliner and put the feet up.Eight hours on her feet was bad enough, but twelve?She hated those days.But thankfully, they didn't come often.She hadn't had time to go through applications.By the time they'd locked the doors she'd barely had the energy to close out registers and deal with the cash.Tomorrow would be a pain because of that.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her between covering the two shifts, she hadn't had time to eat lunch.She briefly considered cooking, but that would be standing to do it and that was so not going to happen.Delivery it was.There were a few places that delivered here, but the only one that sounded good tonight was pizza.A quick call to the number saved into her phone and she could lean back and wait.
She considered turning on the TV, but when she looked around, she realized she'd left the remote across the room and she just didn't have the energy to go get it right now.Maybe by the time the pizza arrived she'd have enough energy to get up and answer the door.
The doorbell startled her awake, making her gasp.A glance at the window brought it all back.Her long day, her aching feet, the pizza.
"Coming" she called, as she flipped the footrest down and pushed herself to her feet."Sorry about that."Elyse opened the door and found the delivery driver there waiting.She tipped him and took the pizza then watched him head back to his car before glancing around.The street was quiet, which was part of why she'd bought here.She loved the look of the ranch houses sprawled on the oversized lots, even if they were a little closer together than she would have liked.And the yard had already had desert landscaping done, so she didn't have to do much to maintain it or invest in having it done.
A glance over at her neighbor’s yard made her wish for a moment she had grass, like his neatly mown yard.Who would have imagined the rough biker would keep such a beautiful yard?The pale light on in his front window, and the flickering of the TV told her he was likely home.What would he say if she knocked on his door and invited her to join her?
Elyse shook her head and went back inside.What interest would the hot biker with the sexy, mysterious accent have in a bookstore manager?She lived the most boring life she knew.Even her family thought her job was boring.She took the pizza to the kitchen, put a couple slices on a plate and carried them back into the living room as she thought about her family and things they'd said about her job.She did remember to grab the remote and turned on the TV in order to block out the voices in her head.Who wanted to hear that she could do better, why was she stuck there and so much more?
Flipping through the channels she pushed the criticisms from her mind and wondered what Mac might be watching?Probably something exciting, or fun, like a football game or some kind of race, she decided as she settled on a documentary about the Vietnam war and the aftereffects it had on the country.It didn't take long for her to become absorbed and forget about the other things.
Ahand smoothed down her cheek.A few words whispered into her ear told her the hand belonged to Mac, her sexy neighbor.She leaned into him and hoped he'd kiss her.He leaned close.Elyse waited, hoping it would happen soon.He hung in the air just above her for what seemed like an eternity.
The scream of her alarm pulled her back to reality.Elyse slapped at the clock to make it shut up and wished she could lay back down and pull the dream back, but she knew from experience there was no getting it back.With a sigh, she pushed herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.If she couldn't get the dream back, she might as well get up and get dressed.
She shuffled into the kitchen to start the coffee pot and found she'd forgotten to set it up the night before.Frustrated with herself, she made coffee and waited for it to finish perking.As she poured her first cup, the sound of a motorcycle accelerating up the street made her look up, then wonder where Mac was headed this early.He normally didn't pull out for another hour, at least.
At last, the last of the coffee dripped into the pot and she could pour her first cup.She sipped it still standing in the kitchen in front of the pot, then closed her eyes and sighed as she waited for the slight jolt of caffeine hitting her brain and getting the gears she imagined in there moving.It wasn't how things worked, she knew that, but it was a nice visual.As her brain started working, she took another sip then, carried her cup into the bedroom so she could get ready for another day's work.She could only hope today was easier than yesterday.That wouldn't take much.Yesterday had been one of the worst she'd had in years.
By the time she was ready for work, there was only a single cup left in the pot.She filled her travel mug and carried it out to the car with her.She was a few minutes early but who would care?besides, maybe she'd get a chance to pull those applications before something else happened to pull her away from them.
As she backed out of her driveway, she saw the lights on at Mac's.Maybe it hadn't been him who'd left earlier.But who else would it be?Elyse shook her head and pushed him from her mind.Now wasn't the time to be mooning over him, though her face heated as the memory of her dream flashed through her head.No.She turned her thoughts to work again.That's what needed her attention not random dreams of things she didn't have a hope at.
CHAPTER5
Mac turned away from the door he'd just closed, seeing Tuck off.The last thing he'd expected was to be woken by Tuck a little after four this morning, but the president had wanted to get his opinion of something, something he couldn't lock the rest of the officers out of at the clubhouse.Especially since Mac wasn't an officer.
Despite the early hour, Mac had made coffee and they'd discussed a shipment of weapons Tuck was working on the deal to do the transport of, until the president was satisfied.Mac wasn't sure what his friend had decided, but he was okay with that.It was part of why he wasn't an officer.He didn't want the stress of having to make those decisions.
Now, Mac went to get dressed.He had a few things he wanted to take care of at the shop before the rest of his staff got there.And he needed to deal with the parts order that had been screwed up and make sure they got the right part this time.As he made his way to the bedroom, thoughts of his sexy neighbor popped into his head.He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing right now.Was she awake?With a tilt of his head, he realized he had no clue what she did for a living.
He sighed and pushed her from his mind and pulled clean clothes from the closet.As he got dressed, he thought about what vehicles he had in the shop and what needed to be done on each one.Before long, he was almost ready to leave, but stood in front of the counter, drinking one last cup of coffee.When it was gone, he set the mug in the sink and went out to the bike.No matter how bad he slept, no matter how shitty his day might have been, getting on his bike and on the road always lifted his spirits.
By the end of the day, Mac was ready to unwind.He locked up and turned for his bike, going to go home on auto pilot when he stopped, staring at his bike for several long moments.There was nothing waiting for him at home.There was no reason he had to rush back there.There was nothing to draw him to the clubhouse, not tonight.Might as well go for a ride.Damn, that sounded good.It only took him a moment to make the decision.Ten minutes later he was on the road, headed north on highway 77.
The road sped along, until he was way past the edge of town and the weight of the day seemed to fall away.For a while he thought of nothing but the wind in his face and the rumble of the bike beneath him.Slowly, other things crept into his mind.Things he needed to get done at the shop, chores waiting for his attention at home, then she popped into his head.The long legs stretching out beneath her t-shirt.Her hair tousled as if she'd just gotten out of bed.He shifted in his seat as his jeans grew tight.This was not the time for this.He pushed thoughts of her from his head and turned his mind back to the road as he turned on to the 79.
By the time he made it home, nearly two hours had passed, and he felt like a different person.As he passed, he couldn't help but notice Elyse's car in her driveway, but the lack of lights in her windows made him reluctant to stop, so he pulled into the garage and closed the door behind him.Tomorrow was Saturday, and the shop was only open half a day, not opening until late giving him a chance to sleep in if he wanted.
