Reinventing Mel: A Hellion MC Novel Read online

  I blinked and saw his eyes soften. "Thanks for getting rid of them, Mel."

  "Sorry, I left you alone. I thought in a place like this you'd be okay for a couple of minutes, Lulu." He used a hand to push my hair back over one of my shoulders.

  I couldn't believe it! Here I'd attracted a couple of sick yahoos and yet Mel was apologizing to me? Who was this guy?

  Clenching my hands, I realized I'd never wanted to kiss someone so much in my life. To press my mouth to his in both gratitude and to try and relieve some of the arousal he'd caused while he'd handled the situation in such a manly way but without attracting any attention.

  He must've misread my tension though, because he put one of his large hands over my fists and said, "It's over now, precious. Everything's all right now."

  I was afraid he was going to call the end to our evening together, but he didn't.

  "What made you choose Montana?" He asked finally, leaning his elbows on the table and turning back to me.

  "I saw pictures of it online when I was in Alb…uhm, L.A. looking for someplace new to live and thought it was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen." I hoped he didn't catch my little fumble which as a lifelong 'fudger' shouldn't have shown. "What about you?"

  "I met Trey and his men when I came up to...for a visit. They convinced me it was the right place for me and my family. Got us set up and, well, here we are."

  "The Hellions sure seem to take a personal interest in their employees, don't they?" I couldn't help my giggle. That 'interest' was just short of 'interference' in my opinion.

  "Yeah. Yeah, they do," Mel agreed as he waved the waitress over. "You want another Lulu?"

  "No, thanks but a water wouldn't go amiss."

  And so the rest of the night went. Finding us on the dance floor where I was allowed to stand close and to touch him to my heart's content. And then back at our table where we'd talk, laugh and I could get lost in his eyes.

  He seemed to enjoy himself as well although I was a little disappointed he didn't do much more than put his arm around my shoulders and dance closer than was acceptable. Maybe he really is shy, I caught myself thinking. Although the little altercation could've put him off his game.

  I saw him glance at his phone before he announced, "We should probably call it a night since we both have work tomorrow."

  I stilled my mouth at the pout it wanted to make at his suggestion to end to our time together after only a couple hours but he did have a point about it being a work night. I gathered up my clutch and sweater before I stood trying to smile.

  After guiding me back to his car and getting me settled, Mel aimed our ride back to my place. About halfway there, he pulled one of my hands to hold it against his thick, muscled thigh which I found deliciously sweet. I liked a man who enjoyed touching and he seemed to of that type even if it was of the innocent variety.

  After parking in front of my building and turning off the ignition, Mel hesitated.

  "I had a really good time with you tonight, in spite of the dickwad twins."

  "Me, too," I breathed wondering why he hadn't saved the recap until we were at my door.

  "And, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to kiss you here in private instead in view of your neighbor's spy-holes." Yes! Now we were getting to it!

  I smiled before turning my head and saw a soft expression on his face as he looked at me. "I'd like that, too, Mel."

  Shifting in my seat I scooted closer and twisted a bit before I saw him do the same. As first kisses went, it was good. Right amount of lip action without too much pressure. But way too short and still in the innocuous range. So short and so hesitant in fact, I went in for another one and allowed my lips to part midway through. Mel took the bait and I felt his tongue enter to meet with mine. Soft at first and then gaining speed and force as arousal took over.

  I was in heaven and made a mental note to use whatever trick was at my disposal to get him out of the chaste and into the sexy scheme of things!

  When he pulled away which could've been minutes or hours from when we'd started, I found myself pressed into the passenger door with Mel partially covering me. We'd obviously gotten pretty carried away if the clutch I had around his neck and his hands roaming my waist and back were giving the true story. Yes, yes, yes!

  "You sure can kiss," I panted, sitting up and straightening my dress. I'd somehow lost a heel in our front seat make-out session. Mel found it on the driver's side floor and handed it to me before straightening the legs of his jeans. "Would you, uhm, like to come upstairs, Mel?"

  He'd moved back to his side of the car and looped a forearm over the steering wheel as he stared out the front window before bringing his heated eyes to mine. "I better not."

  "Oh," was all I could reply, disappointed down to my toes and wondering if I'd offended him. He seemed a little old-fashioned and sometimes came across as bashful so maybe I had been a bit too forward, although he hadn't protested my encouraging moves. I know by a lot of people's standards we were moving pretty fast but there had been all those lunches we'd shared so it wasn't like this was our first time in each other's company.

  "Would you like to go out again on Saturday?"

  Instantly, my world brightened. "Yes, that would be great."

  He saw me out of the car and walked me to my door only dropping a small kiss on my lips accompanied by a waist squeeze before I let myself in.

  "Goodnight, Lulu. See you tomorrow."

  "Goodnight, Mel. Thanks again for a lovely evening," I said before closing the door.

  I pressed my back against and closed my eyes. It wasn't the most exciting first date I'd ever had but it had definitely had its moments. And that I'd gotten to both touch and kiss all that gorgeousness moved it into the top five of my most memorable dates!

  I pushed off the door to go to my room before stepping on a piece of folded paper.

  'There was some man trying to get information on you tonight. He knocked on everybody's door but yours. Just thought you'd like to know.' It was signed, Mrs. P., who I knew was Mrs. Pasternak, my next door neighbor. A nice enough senior who'd dropped by to introduce herself when I'd moved in with a loaf of homemade banana bread.

  I read the note three times feeling my heartbeat increase with each re-reading. I'd thought I'd covered my tracks pretty well but if there was someone looking for me after only being gone for three weeks, then I'd screwed up somehow.

  In a big way.

  My happiness of just moments before was gone and had been replaced by incoherent swirling thoughts with heavy feelings of dread. I raced around the apartment making sure all the windows were locked and blinds closed. I caught myself wishing I'd made curtains just to ensure no one could even see my lights from the street.

  This was bad as in very bad.

  I glanced at the note, now crumbled in my grip. Maybe I was overreacting. I didn't know who the man had been but was sure I could persuade Mrs. P. to provide a description. There wasn't any reason to panic until I got the full story, I told myself again and again.

  But the swing of emotions that went from panic to simply nervous kept on the whole time I got ready for bed. By the time I slipped beneath the sheets, my body was only shaking lightly instead of the full trembles it had experienced before when I'd been rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off.

  I forced my mind to go back to my time with Mel and soon found I was much more relaxed. As I had since the day we met, I let his smiling face fill my mind as I settled against my pillows.

  For whatever reason, I found his visage comforting, almost protective as I allowed it to follow me down into sleep.

  Chapter Six

  "On Saturday, we'll meet up and I'll help you pick out a ride, give you your cut and get the fuckin' prelims out of the way before the club meeting on Sunday. If we have time, we'll start your riding lessons." Dare had pulled Mel away from inventory, using the warehouse's main intercom to summon the younger man to his office.

  "What time on Saturday
?" Mel asked.

  Dare looked at him with eyebrows raised. "Why? You got something doing?

  "Ah. Yeah, but not until evening."

  The big biker's face broke out into an ear-to-ear grin. "Lemme guess. The lovely Lucille again?"

  Mel could feel heat hit his cheeks as he nodded.

  "Oh, hey, Mel."

  "Silo, Bishop. How are you?" Mel stood and offered his hand to the other men who were also smiling widely. Silo took the visitor's chair next to his as Bishop propped himself against the side wall.

  "Seems our boy has hooked another date with our little cherry," Dare updated the other two men. Mel saw both of them frown while Dare continued to beam his shit-eating grin around the room.

  "Don't cha think that's a little fuckin' fast, meat? Princess fuckin' strikes me as the sort of woman who enjoys things slow and easy." Silo seemed insistent on giving the younger man dating advice. In fact all three of the bikers did and Mel wondered why. "Goddamn classiest thing on Hellion property, you know?"

  "Yeah, the kind of pussy you have to wine and dine a bit before you fuckin' start thinkin' about makin' a move on. Maybe even a girl that likes to take the lead," Bishop added. "Not like some of the Honeys who'll let you ride 'em just because they like your smile or some shit."

  "How far'd you get last night?" Mel twisted his head back to Dare to see if the biker was serious. "Some tongue action? Maybe grabbed one of her tits or fuckin' tried to go underneath those sweet skirts for a quick feel?"

  All three waited on the younger man's answer. It was more than a few seconds before they got one.

  "I'm not telling y'all what happened!" Mel hadn't intended for his voice to come out so loud but then he hadn't expected to have to give a blow-by-blow of his time with Lulu to the managers either. "It was good. We both had fun and she agreed to go out with me again on Saturday. End of story."

  "Fuckin' closed mouth little punk, ain't he?" Silo boomed, his eyes flipping to his fellow biker brothers.

  "We all goddamn know you're gonna tell us sooner or later. Why not just fuckin' get to it now?" Dare cajoled. Mel didn't know why they were all so interested. It was almost like they had a vested interest in the outcome or something.

  Not only as a redirect of the conversation but also because he was curious, Mel brought up the two bikers that had been trying to hit on Lulu at Boots. As he gave them a recap, he saw the three glancing amongst themselves and Bishop straightened from his position against the wall.

  "This the first fuckin' time you've had contact with the Ghosts?" Silo asked.

  "Ghosts?"

  "Yeah, they're the other fuckin' club in town," Dare explained with a derisive sneer leaving no doubt in Mel's mind that the Ghosts were not in the Hellion league when it came to clubs. After having seen and smelled them, Mel could agree with that opinion.

  "A goddamn group who got fuckin' too big for their boxers and needed a Hellion smack down," Bishop continued. "Though, it was so easy I'd should've said it was a fuckin' bitch slap."

  "Yeah, it was my first time talking with them," Mel said and watched another round of shared glances go through the group although they didn't comment further.

  "If there's nothing else, I should get back to it. I'm supposed to have the inventory done by Friday," Mel mumbled as he stood.

  "Just goddamn remember, when it comes to Lucille, you need to keep it in your pants for a while longer, dig?" Bishop said on a warning.

  "Slow and fuckin' steady wins the race," Silo intoned.

  "Aw, fuckin' forget them, slick. Just go with what your dick tells you to do." Mel wondered if Dare's face hurt at the end of the day from smiling so much. "Listen to your hard-on and it'll never steer you wrong."

  The younger man performed another round of handshakes with fist bumps before exiting the office but the sound of their ringing laughter followed him all the way back to the tall shelving of electrical equipment.

  It had been one of the strangest conversations he'd ever had in his life.

  And stuck in his mind as he worked.

  Had he missed something?

  Were they trying to warn him off seeing Lulu?

  He knew the Hellion Honeys couldn't get with any man that wasn't a part of HMC but was the same expected of the recruits?

  At the sound of boots Mel turned to see Dare coming quickly towards him.

  "Fuckin' forgot to ask about your brother, man," the other man explained coming to stand next to him. "Dee said the little shit fuckin' pulled a runner last night when it came to keepin' an eye on your sis."

  "And stayed out all fuckin' night, too. He wasn't around when I got home at eleven and his bed hadn't been slept in when I left this morning," Mel recounted through clenched teeth. He wasn't worried for Der's safety since the kid was wily and could, by and large, take care of himself. It was the sheer defiance of the brat which made Mel's blood boil.

  "I'm thinkin' we need to get Trey involved since things are gettin' worse," Dare said, stroking his chin as he thought. "This kind of shit can go south in the fuckin' blink of an eye. The sooner the hell we get him in, the sooner we can straighten his shit out."

  "You sure? I mean, he's not like in trouble with drugs or the law." Maybe Mel was being optimistic but he was sure Der, the kid brother he knew and loved, would come around just as soon as he settled into his new surroundings. And he knew wasn't just a case of the teen's raging hormones. Although why it was taking him so much longer to get with the program than Julie was a mystery.

  "Yet. You should've added a fuckin' 'yet' to that statement, Mel. C'mon let's go see Trey and get his fuckin' take on this shit."

  The two large men walked the long length of the warehouse. "Do you have any family?"

  "Lost my parents in almost fuckin' the same exact way as yours, meat. Had a brother but we got split up when CPS in Oregon got fuckin' involved. Last I heard Jim was a goddamn jar-head stationed way the hell overseas somewhere."

  "Sorry about your folks and about your brother." That was Mel's biggest fear. That the remaining bit of family he had left would be scattered to the four winds although the club had helped him gain legal custody of Der and Jules.

  "Thanks. Got over it a long fuckin' while ago. The club is my family now," Dare said, his voice quieter than normal and without his signature grin.

  Maybe the president of both HC and HMC was busy but Mel saw the man clear the papers off his desk as he made time to talk with them. After Mel explained, Trey pulled out a blank pad and a pencil and began to take notes.

  "What was his last fucking report card like?" The big man behind the desk asked. Between his huge physique, long hair and wicked goatee, Trey was the embodiment of the biker image.

  "I, ah, I don't think he's got one yet."

  "But your sister did?" Now that Mel thought about it, Julie's grades had come in the mail last week. "Christ! I can see the fucking answer on your face. So, let's assume the little shit pulled his out of the mailbox and got rid of it. You're gonna knock off work early today, with pay, to go to the goddamn school and see what's doing. Report back to me and we'll take it from there. Maybe he's not as bad as we fucking think and thing's will all be chilly. But if it's not, the Hellion's will figure out how to get him in line and do it in short order."

  The leader looked up from his notes, his gaze fully on the new recruit. "In the meantime, I want you to go with Dare and fuckin' talk to Rinse. He's our latest and can give you 4-1-1 on how the program works. It'll help settle your mind and help you damn-well decide if your brother, what was his name? Derek? If Derek could use our help."

  "Yes, sir. Thank you."

  Mel's words caused Trey to glare. "We don't fuckin' use the 's' word around here, meat."

  At the younger man's confusion, the president went on. "Fucking hate that 'sir' shit. It's almost as bad as Lucille's fucking overuse of the word 'mister'. Now getcha asses out of my office. Got shit to do." But the last was said with a smile so big it exposed deep dimples.

  Mel
followed Dare out wondering for the eight hundred and fifty-third time how he'd captured the attention of the Missoula branch of the motorcycle club. However it had happened, he was counting himself lucky.

  *.*.*.*.*

  My day was going really fast.

  I wasn't sure if Wednesdays were the day things really got going in the industry but we seemed to get twice as many calls on that day than any of the others. Not that I couldn't handle it. Or rather, I could've if I hadn't had the constant interruptions from the managers. Specifically three of them…Bishop, Dare and Silo.