The Outlaw Stakes His Claim Read Free Page B

her. Hope let her gaze linger over his leather vest. It looked worn
in, but cared for. His shoulders were impossibly wide and even through his dark
long-sleeved t-shirt she could see that he was packed with hard, bulging
muscles. That strange sensation intensified inside of her, and she realized
that it was lust. Never had she looked at a man and instantly felt so drawn to
him. When she had seen him standing on the side of the road there hadn’t been
any arousal, but she had certainly sensed this growing awareness in her body.
And now, as he stared at her with his bloodshot eyes, his messy hair, and this
animal aura that surrounded him Hope realized that this stranger was not only
dangerous to everyone around him, but to her as well.

Chapter Three
     
    The sound of the front door crashing against the
wall had her drawing her focus away from the biker and to the man that stepped
through the entryway. He was big, with a nasty flannel shirt on with stains
under the arms, a pair of torn and stained jeans, and an oil stained baseball
cap. A groan had Hope glancing at the bar and watching as her waitress rolled
her eyes and started murmuring something to the old man who was making drinks.
    “Get me a drink.” The flannel wearing man yelled out
and started walking toward the bar, but he found an empty table, just a few
feet from where Hope sat, and took a seat. He hadn’t looked at her but there
was no mistaking that he was checking out the scantily clad women over by the
pool table. Compared to them Hope was dressed like she was about to brave a
snowstorm, what with her long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans.
    The waitress brought him over a pitcher of beer and
a glass, but before she walked away he reached out and slapped her on the ass.
Mara rolled her eyes, and when she went to walk by Hope’s table she stopped
her.
    “You okay?”
    Mara rolled her eyes again and glanced over her
shoulder at the guy. “I’m good. That is Frank. He’s been in here a few times
over the last six months. He’s a trucker, thinks he owns the world and all the
women on it.” The waitress leaned in close. “He’s a damn pig, and if he never
came in here again it wouldn’t be too soon.” Before Hope could say anything the
waitress was going back to the bar and talking softly with the bartender.
    Hope would just eat and get out of here. When that
man had eyed her like she was some kind of piece of meat outside, she should
have just gone to her room and called it a night. This place was clearly a bit
too rough for her. She started eating, but couldn’t ignore the loud and
obnoxious way the flannel guy kept taunting the women across the bar, and
saying all kinds of degrading and nasty things. But fortunately Mara went to
his table and set some fries and wings in front of him, and that seemed to shut
him up before a fight started.
    Ten minutes passed without incident, and the sound
of classic rock blasted through the jukebox. Hope was nearly done with her
meal, but of course she couldn’t have finished and gone unnoticed.
    “Hey, sweet thang . You ain’t like the other whores in this place.”
    She glanced up—despite knowing she shouldn’t
have—and made eye contact with the asshole. He grinned, showing a gap between
his yellow front teeth. His eyes were black and beady, but there was no denying
that he had all his attention right on Hope, and that she needed to just leave.
She might be book smart, but she wasn’t street smart, and this guy looked like
he didn’t like hearing the word no. She didn’t respond and reached for her
purse to grab some money to pull out.
    “Hey, I was talking to you.”
    She hurried her actions, grabbed a ten dollar bill
and tossed it on the table.
    “Oh, I see. You’re one of those bitches that think
you’re too good for anyone, huh?”
    Hope stood and grabbed her jacket.
    “Frank, just leave her alone,” the old man behind
the bar yelled out.
    “Stay the hell out of it, Bobby.” Frank stood and
grabbed