Mace, p.9
Mace, page 9
“Don’t be mad at me, Imogen,” she laughed.
“Bye-bye,” I droned.
Dorothy went off into a fit of laughter, and even I couldn’t keep a straight face.
“Go, go,” Dorothy coughed. “I can’t handle your ass today. Only you would have a hot man wanting you, and you would say bye-bye to him multiple times.” She waved me off and grabbed her bottle of water. “Leave your door open, so I can hear you cursing while you try to figure out what to pack.”
I flipped her off and headed out the door. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” I jogged up the stairs and left the door open even though I just wanted to slam and lock it.
There was a lot going on with just the whole mess with Mace being accused of killing Kent. I didn’t need the possibility of Mace being interested in me on top of it.
Even though the thought of Mace being interested in me was very appealing.
“No,” I whispered.
I needed to focus on finding the report my grandma had hopefully hidden away and not on kissing Mace or being pressed against his body for eight hours tomorrow.
“Stop,” I yelled.
“Imogen?” Dorothy called. “Are you okay?”
I screamed and scrubbed my hands down my face. “I’m just great,” I hollered back.
Dorothy’s laughter drifted up the stairs. “Just breath, girlfriend.”
Breath.
Yeah, I could do that.
Just as long as no one mentioned Mace liking me, and I found the papers needed to get Mace off the hook.
If all of that happened, I would be breathing easy.
Sure.
Chapter Thirteen
Mace
“Where do you want to eat?”
Imogen grabbed the helmet from me and plopped it on her head. “We have bar food, Chinese, and a diner. What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m not picky at all, babe. I can find something to eat at any of those places.”
She snapped the strap under her chin. “And there is also a bowling alley that has food. Bar food, but you can bowl while you scarf down the greasy deliciousness.”
“You bowl, babe?”
Imogen looked good tonight, and watching her prance down the alley in her tight jeans, and maroon shirt stretched across her chest seemed like a good way to spend the evening.
She climbed on behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’ve been known to knock some pins down from time to time. Though normally it’s with Dorothy, and she wipes the floor with me every time.”
“Are you hinting that you want your friend to come with us?” I asked. I wanted Imogen to be comfortable, and if having Dorothy with us would do that for her, I was fine with it. I would have the next three or four days with her.
“No,” Imogen laughed. “I was just trying to tell you that I suck at bowling but am good at eating the food. They even each other out in the end.”
I chuckled and cranked up the bike. “Well, point me toward the bowling alley, babe.”
She pointed to the right. “That way, and then a left at the stop light. We’ll run right into the place.”
I pointed the bike in the direction she pointed and rocketed out of the parking lot. Her arms wrapped tight around me, and I could feel her breath on my ear.
I hadn’t had many women ride on the back of my bike.
It was a special place to be, and I didn’t let just any woman take that space.
Imogen wasn’t any woman.
She was the girl who had stolen my heart on the playground over twenty years ago, and even though we had been through some horrible shit, she still had my heart.
All these years of not talking or knowing where the other was, I still belonged to her. She had been my family before I found the RBMC. Now I had the RBMC, and she fit in like she had known the club her whole life.
We pulled into the bowling alley parking lot, and there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot.
“Not very busy,” I called.
Imogen took off the helmet and handed it to me. “It’s a small town, and it’s a Tuesday, Mace. This isn’t Sacramento.”
I hung the helmet on the handlebars and reached for Imogen’s hand. “You ready to show me what kind of bowler you are?”
She hesitantly threaded her fingers with mine, and I pulled her toward the front door.
“A bad one,” she laughed. “I was not joking when I said I was better at eating than bowling.”
“Then I guess we’re both going to be bad because I cannot tell you the last time I was bowling.” We stepped inside, and everyone’s eyes turned on us.
“Welcome to Jackson,” Imogen whispered. “Everyone wants to know who you are and why you’re hanging out with me.” She tipped her head back to look at me and smiled softly.
“I’m Mace, and I’m hanging out with you because you’re beautiful, funny, and have the purest soul.” She licked her lips, and my dick jumped in my pants. “Think that’ll be a good enough explanation?”
“I think that will do,” she sighed.
“Imogen!” someone called.
“You good?” I asked.
“Uh, well, I just walked into my local bowling alley with a hot biker holding my hand, and I think there might be something wrong with the ventilation in here because I suddenly can’t breathe.”
“I guess kissing you right now wouldn’t be the best idea.” I had wanted to kiss her since the second I saw her five days ago, and it was hard to fight off the urge.
“It might add to the confusion,” she whispered.
I was done fighting it. “Fuck it.” I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. My hand cupped her cheek, and her body pressed against mine.
A soft sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes fluttered shut.
This is what I had been missing my whole life.
Imogen’s kiss.
“Oh, gosh,” she whispered when I pulled back.
“Okay?” I asked. Probably something I should have asked before I kissed her, but I had to take my shot when I had it.
“Better.” She shook her head. “Never better, I mean.”
“Still want to bowl?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”
“Show me the way, babe.”
She pulled me through the maze of tables over to the bar.
“Hello, Imogen.”
“Hi, Brad,” she chirped.
“No Dorothy tonight?” he asked. He glanced at me and nodded.
“Uh, no. She’s... busy. I decided Mace needed a taste of your atomic wings and some bowling tonight.” She leaned into me, giving me the reassurance I needed to know she wanted that kiss just as much as I did.
“What’s up, man?” I drawled.
Brad nodded. “How ya doing? Bowling or just eating tonight?”
“Both,” I replied. Imogen had already said we were there to bowl and eat, but maybe he hadn’t heard her.
“I’ll get lane one ready for you, and Anne will be over in a minute to get your order. Shoe sizes?” He turned to the register.
“Nine for me,” Imogen replied.
“Fourteen,” I grunted.
“Whoa,” Imogen whispered. “That’s big.”
Brad chuckled. “You can head out, and I’ll bring your shoes. The fourteens are buried since they barely see the lanes.”
Imogen tugged me to the end of the bar and through a doorway to the lanes.
“Looks like we have the place to ourselves.” There were six lanes, and not one was being played on.
“It’s Tuesday, Mace. I’m surprised anyone was eating at the bar.” She stopped at lane one and dropped her purse on the table. “And Brad is going into the depths of the shoe bin to find your shoes.”
I shrugged and sat down. “I can’t help it if my feet are big, babe.”
Her eyes connected with mine but then darted away.
“What are you thinking, Imogen?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not thinking.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Come again?”
“I just mean I’m trying not to overthink anything. You kissed me, we’re on lane one, you have big feet, and we’re waiting for menus so we can order. Nothing for me to think about right now.”
“Babe,” I laughed. “Are you okay?”
“Honestly?” she asked.
I nodded, and she sat down next to me.
“You fried my brain with that kiss, Mace. It took everything I had in me not to melt into a puddle. My last brain cell went poof, so I’m just waiting for my brain to reboot or something.”
She wasn’t lying when she said she was going to be honest. “Uh, well, maybe we need to kiss more so your brain can get used to it.”
“Mace,” she hissed. “You are not funny. All it took was one little kiss from you, and I couldn’t function. We are not doing that again.”
“I’ve waited my whole life to kiss you, Imogen, and now that I got a taste of you, it’s going to happen again.” I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Soon.”
She reared back and shook her head. “No, no, no. You do that, and I won’t be able to order my food.”
“I’ll order for you,” I offered. I got to kiss her, and I ordered her food. Seemed like a good deal to me.
“You don’t know what I want,” she pointed out. “You don’t even know what they have here.”
“It’s bar food, babe. Cheeseburger with everything on it, loaded fries, and a beer. Done.” Isn’t that what everyone ordered when they were at a bar?
She raised her eyebrow and quirked her lip. “I’m not a beer girl.”
I filed that information away. “Malibu and pineapple, then.” The drink didn’t really matter as long as it was wet to wash the burger down.
“Fine,” she grumbled.
“Fine, that is what you want, or fine, I can kiss you again?”
Her eyes scanned the area, and she bit her bottom lip. “Both.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but I heard it.
She wanted me as much as I wanted her, and we had opened a damn that neither of us was going to be able to hold back.
“Hiya! What can I get you two to eat?”
Fucking hell. I hadn’t even noticed the waitress approach us.
Imogen shifted uncomfortably in her seat and crossed her legs. “I think Mace is going to order for us,” she sang.
I rattled off what we both wanted and added a beer for me. Anne headed off toward the kitchen, and this time I was aware when Brad strolled up to our lane.
“Found the shoes,” Brad called. “I’m pretty sure they are still brand new. I don’t think a person in Jackson has feet this big.” He handed Imogen her shoes, and he dropped mine at my feet.
He wasn’t overly nice to me, which might have to do with the fact that I was an outsider.
I remembered growing up in Sutter Creek; we were always weary of new people in town or just passing through.
After fifteen years, that still happened in small towns.
“Thanks, man,” I replied. “I’ll work on breaking them in for you.”
“Anything else I can get for you?” he asked.
We both shook our heads.
He leaned against one of the ball racks and crossed his arms over his chest. “You new to town or just passing through?” he asked me.
I glanced at Imogen, and she shrugged. I’m sure Brad was taking it upon himself to get information on me and then would distribute that into the town gossip line.
“I guess new to town since I’m here for Imogen. I grew up with her in Sutter Creek and managed to track her down in Jackson,” I explained.
“We grew apart the past few years, but Mace decided it was finally time to find me.” Imogen winked and kicked my foot. “He needs my help with something, so I thought I would show him some of the town before we head to San Diego tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah?” Brad asked. “I have some family in Sutter Creek. I don’t see them much, but they’re still family, ya know? Actually, I have a family reunion there this coming weekend. I probably won’t even know half the people there, but it’s family.”
Small world that Brad had family in Sutter Creek. I’m sure it was someone Imogen and I both knew. The population didn’t fluctuate much, and if it did, it was down, not up.
I pointed to the patch on my chest. “That’s why I decided to pick my family. And we keep it small.”
“Sixteen and counting is small?” Imogen laughed. “I’d say two or three is more my style.”
Brad studied the patch on my chest. “Yeah, I bet that is a good way to go. I’ll have to ask my family if they know you guys.” He knocked on the ball rack. “Well, I better get back to the bar. Just enter your names on the screen, and you guys are good to go.” Brad returned to the bar, and we both put on our shoes.
“He seems a little weird,” I commented.
Imogen shrugged. “He was probably just feeling you out. Jackson doesn’t get many hot bikers passing through.”
“You think I’m just passing through?”
Imogen smiled. “I don’t really know, Mace. I hope you’re not.”
I wasn’t. Sure, I appeared out of nowhere, but that didn’t mean I was going to disappear just as fast. “I’m here, babe.”
“As long as we can find those papers.” She sighed and threw her hands up in the air. “But I’m not going to think about that tonight. I’m shutting my brain off and just going to enjoy my greasy bar food and trying to bowl.”
I could respect that.
There was a chance that I could be going to prison for a long time, so I did need to take advantage of the time I had with Imogen. We might never have times like this again.
Imogen rolled her pants up to pull up her sock, and I was surprised by the bright ink on her skin. “Damn, babe. I did not expect for you to be inked.” I couldn’t make out what any of the tattoos were, but she definitely had some ink.
Imogen blushed and pulled her pant leg down.
“Wait, wait,” I called. “I’m going to need you to pull your pant leg up so I can see what you have going on there.”
“I’d have to take my pants off for you to see everything,” she laughed. She moved over to the racks of balls and put her hands on her hips. “What color ball do I want?”
I didn’t care what color ball she got; I was still stuck on her being so tatted up that she would have to take her pants off for me to see everything.
Imogen was full of surprises. “How many tattoos do you have?” I finished tying my shoes and stood. My feet would be killing me by the time we were done bowling. I would do better in my motorcycle boots than these stiff things.
“I lost count a couple of years ago,” she muttered. Her hands landed on a neon orange ball, and she put her fingers in the holes. “This one fits my fingertips and it literally weighs two ounces.”
“That’s because it’s a kid's ball meant for bumper bowling,” I laughed.
“Oh,” Imogen shrugged and put the ball back. “Maybe we need to have the bumpers up if either of us is going to hit any pins.”
“What are some of your tattoos?” I asked.
Imogen glanced at me over her shoulder. “You’re pretty interested in my tattoos, huh?”
I shrugged and reached for a black-striped ball. “Can you really blame me? You’ve pretty much been covered from head to toe every time I’ve seen you, babe.” The ball weighed enough, and I could fit my fingers in it. “Come to think of it, you and Dorothy both dress like you’re at a funeral all of the time.”
“Mace,” Imogen drawled. “Did you forget where we work?”
“No, Imogen, but I didn’t think you had to dress for a funeral every day.”
“We have to dress like that because Mr. Brooks is not a fan of the same art that Dorothy and I are.”
“She’s tatted up, too?”
Imogen grabbed a dark green ball with yellow spots on it and weighed it in her hands. “I’m legs, and she is arms.” She held the ball out to me. “I think this one is going to work for me.”
We set our balls in return, and she moved to the screen to enter our names.
“Both of your legs are inked?” I asked.
“I’m going to end this conversation, so I don’t give away the only air of mystery I have.”
“Now that is just a challenge, babe.”
“Stop,” Imogen laughed. “you’re acting like you could have my pants off in the middle of this bowling alley.”
I looked her up and down. “Thirty seconds.”
She rolled her eyes and turned her back to me. “I can’t hear you because I am busy entering our names into the machine so we can start bowling. Maybe you should do some stretches or something and stop worrying about what is under my pants.”
I moved behind her and nuzzled her neck. “I know some stretches you and I can do together.”
“Mace,” she whispered. “You’re not behaving.”
“I’ve never been good at behaving, babe. You, of all people, should know that.” I pressed a kiss behind her ear, and a tremor rocked her body. “You’ve known me the longest of anyone in my life.”
“We haven’t seen each other for fifteen years, Mace,” she reminded me.
“We’re both the same we were back then; we just grew up. I still can’t stay away from you, and all I want is to make sure you are safe.”
“What do you think would have happened if we hadn’t missed the past fifteen years?” she asked. She turned in my arms and tipped her head back. “What if the whole Kent thing would have never happened, and we both stayed in Sutter Creek?”
“We can’t know that, babe.”
“But what did you want to happen? Did you actually see yourself with me?” she questioned. “I never would have thought that you liked me. It seemed more like you were my big brother protecting me.”
“You thought of me as your big brother?” I did not see Imogen as my sister. Ever. I was only eleven when I first helped her, but it didn’t take long after that to see her in a new way. Never as a sister.
