CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) by Nicole James Page A

eyes.
    They sat quietly for a while, Crash enjoying his smoke and her enjoying
the view.

 
    Several bottles of beer later, Shannon looked out at the horizon,
watching the glittering lights coming on as the fading light brought on the
darkness of night. A moon reflected off the distant bay, creating a single
shimmering trail of light across the dark water. Suspended across the bay, she
could see the gloomy hulking shadow of the bridge outlined with tiny lights.
    Unobtrusively, she tried to study the man next to her out of the corner
of her eye. He wasn’t like any man in her life. Sure, she’d known her share of
attractive men, confident men, even powerful men. But not in the same way that
this man was. There was just something about him that was hard to define, hard for
her to put her finger on. He had a commanding presence, sure, but then, she’d
been around men like that before. He seemed uncompromising, but then so did her
father.
    She bit her lip, considering. Sure, men like her father could be
intimidating and forceful in the right setting, such as a business meeting or
office setting. But a man like Crash would be intimidating and dominant in any
setting. She was sure he just had to walk in a room, and he would command
attention. It was that alpha dog mentality she supposed. At the same time, she
sensed a quiet calm about him as if nothing would rile him or shake him from
his confidence. She got the feeling there wouldn’t be too many circumstances
that he couldn’t calmly handle.
    It gave her a sense of peace and security knowing a man like that was at
her side and would be until this whole thing was over, protecting her, looking
out for her.
    Shannon took a deep breath and lay her head back, letting the worry flow
out of her and feeling herself relax for the first time in a long time. It
wasn’t long before the tenseness of her body unwound.
    She
stifled a yawn.
    “Tired,
Princess?”
    She
exhaled a breath. “Stop calling me that.”
    “Nope.
You’re stuck with it.”
    “I
have a name.”
    “Yeah.
What you don’t have is a choice. So, Princess ,
you tired?”
    She
rolled her head toward him, and a smile tugged at her mouth. “Yeah, a little,”
she admitted.
    “Ready
for bed?” he asked. Grabbing up the pail and all their empties, he stood.
    Swinging
her legs to the ground, she grabbed up her shoes, and his hand was immediately
extended in front of her. Glancing up at him, she put her hand in his, and he
pulled her up. “Such a gentleman,” she admired.
    “Yes,
ma’am.”
    She
frowned wondering if she’d caught the barest hint of a southern accent. “Where
are you from, Crash?”
    “Alabama.
Birmingham to be exact.”
    “Ah,
a southern boy, huh?”
    He
huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. A lifetime ago. Still got a sister and a grandmother
back home.”
    “How
long have you been out here?”
    He
shrugged. “I don’t know. Ten years, maybe.”
    “Why?”
    “Why
what?”
    “Why
are you out here? Why California?”
    “Why
not?”
    That
wasn’t really an answer, and they both knew it. He turned and headed towards
the door, apparently done with the topic. He held the door for her. Once
inside, he moved to the kitchen to throw away their empties.
    Shannon
scanned the room. “What happened to my bag, by the way?”
    He
glanced at her over his shoulder as he dumped the ice into the sink. “Cole will
bring it by tomorrow. Him or one of the guys. Why? What do you need?”
    “My
things, obviously. Something to sleep in for starters,” she replied.
    Crash
leaned his palms on the island. “Sorry, darlin’. Guess that leaves you with
three choices. One of my tees, your bra and panties, or naked.” He grinned. “I
vote for door number three.”
    Her
eyebrows shot up. “You don’t get a vote. Besides, you’ll be on the couch, so
you’ll never get to find out.”
    “Hmm,
maybe I’ll come sneak a peek while you’re asleep.”
    The
smirk faded from her face.
    “I’m
kidding, Princess.” He