“Of course,” I answer over my shoulder.“Do you know how mad the Old Ladies of the club would be if their men came home stinking of sweat and motor oil?Besides, when you get an imperial ass-load of men together ...showers are amust.They fuckin’ stink.”I lead the gorgeous hitchhiker to the shop’s communal kitchen and pull open the fridge, holding onto the gleaming stainless-steel door as I drop at the waist to look at what’s on offer.“Okay,” I announce.“So, there’s Coke, beer, chocolate milk, or Fanta.What do you want?”
When an answer isn’t forthcoming, I lift my gaze to the reflection in the freezer above me.Sunny is standing as still as a statue, her eyes firmly glued to my leather-clad ass.A small smirk stretches my lips and I straighten, standing tall to lean against the fridge.“Like what you see, sunshine?”I quip, cracking a smile.
Sunny’s cheeks flare as pink as cotton candy and her stance becomes defensive, as if she’d hide inside herself if she could.“Sorry,” she says, her eyes on the floor as she fiddles with the front of my cuts.“I was just ...lost in thought.”
Biting my lip to suppress a full-blown grin, I reach into the fridge and grab two drinks.“It’s easy to get lost in,” I say, revealing my smirk before I crack open her can and offer it to her.
My lovely passenger smiles, her gaze darting, and her cheeks still blossom-hued.“Thank you,” she says, accepting the frosty soda gratefully and taking a dainty sip.
I cock an unimpressed eyebrow and give her my best ‘are you fucking serious?’look.“It’s hot and you’re thirsty, so, drink the fuck up, sunshine,” I say, cracking open my beer.The crisp, familiar sound is like music to my ears, and I take a deep, well-earned slug.“Ah,” I breathe, letting out a satisfied sigh.“That’s the shit.”
Sunny smiles, the damn thing lighting up the room as well as my world.“Thanks, Bones,” she says.“For everything, I mean.I’d still be trekking down the Interstate if it wasn’t for you.Hell, I might have even turned around.I don’t want to think it, but it’s a long way between St.Augustine and here.If you hadn’t come along...”She swallows hard, fiddling with her can before she takes a long drink and sighs, closing her eyes.
“There’snoway you would have turned back, Daisy Girl,” I assure her.Putting my drink down on the nearest table, I take hers too.Standing over her short frame, she reminds me a of buxom Disney pixie.With her stunning long blonde hair and her gorgeous curves, she’s temptation in the flesh.I gently remove her sunglasses and slip them into the breast pocket of my leather jacket, revealing her brilliant sapphire blue eyes and the offending bruise.
She looks so lost, hurt, and vulnerable ...but expectant at the same time, like there’s a glimmer of hope inside her that refuses to be snuffed regardless of how hard the wind blows.She stares up at me like I might be able to fix all her problems, and it breaks me.Fuck.“I see the strength in you, Sunny, and I’m telling you right now that you’re stronger than you know.”I capture her face in my hands and press my lips to hers.Instinctually, I draw nearer, closing the space between us until we’re body-to-body.Without a single fuck given, I deepen the kiss, my hands leaving her face to push my cuts from her shoulders as her mouth opens to me—sweetly, uncertainly, but not reluctantly.
“Maria,” Sunny breathes against my lips like a reverent prayer, breaking the kiss to gaze up into my eyes.Breathless and teetering on the tips of her toes, she whispers.“Please.”
I know that look.I’d know it anywhere.It’s the prettiest, most doe-eyed ‘come fuck me’ look I’ve ever seen ...and I wasn’t born yesterday.I snatch up my cuts, relieve Sunny of her satchel, and take her by the hand.“Follow me,” I say.
Chapter Five
Sunny
“Where are we going?”I ask, breathless, as Bones drags me from the communal kitchen and through several short corridors until we reach an office labelledKillface.
Bones knocks on the door and when no one answers she bustles inside, pulling me after her.“We won’t be disturbed here,” she says, clicking the lock closed behind us.
“Who’s Killface?”I ask, searching the room for clues.
“My brother,” she answers with a smirk over her shoulder before pulling me into a small bathroom.It’s nothing fancy—hell, it’s inside a chop shop—but it has a glass-enclosed shower cubicle, a sink, and a toilet—everything you could need.Bones locks the door behind us, dropping her cuts and my satchel on the floor.Then she pulls off her gloves, revealing the most impressive and epic hand ink I’ve ever seen.The tops of her hands bear the likeness of anatomically correct bones, starting at the wrist and ending at her fingertips.
“Bones,” I say, before I can stop myself.“Your ink ...it’s beautiful.”
Bones offers me a half smile then reaches into the cubicle.Turning the shower on, she wastes no time adjusting the water.The beautiful Latina has the taps manipulated in an instant, her work done.