Page 8 of Rattlin' Bones
“Hey, handsome. What can I get for you?” The redhead bartender beamed a wide smile and leaned over the bar, pushingher tits closer as she regarded me. “Never saw you around here before. I’d remember.”
“Just got in town,” I revealed. “Need a beer, Darlin’.”
“You got it.” She winked. “I’m Maris. Need anything besides alcohol, I’m your girl.”
“What about them?” I ticked my head toward the dancers.
“That’s just fourplay.”
Damn. She was layin’ it on thick. “Just the beer,” I answered, uninterested in Maris and her enticing offer.
A different woman took up all the available space in my head and kept me up at night. A feisty, curvy goddess that had stolen my heart the night we met. In a graveyard, no less.
And that was when I saw my sweet girl, my sexy as fuck blonde with hair down to her juicy ass and smooth, tanned skin spent from plenty of hours in the hot Nevada sunshine. Long bare legs snared my attention, and I slowly dragged my gaze upward, pausing to appreciate her generous tits before landing on her face.You’ll be coming home with me.
Concerned about the reason she was serving drinks in this fucking strip club, I chugged my beer. The bottle hit the bar as I pushed away, stalking my way toward my prize. I’d know her sultry smile, luscious ass, and pretty blue eyes anywhere. She looked different with all the makeup and skimpy clothes. A wilder version of my sexy vixen. She was goddamn beautiful. Almost took my breath away, the same as she did the night we met.
I’m back, baby. This time, I’m making sure you’re mine.
I didn’t get more than a few steps when one of the customers got handsy. He reached for her ass and slapped it. Before I could react, Lacey pushed him away, trying to escape as he slid off a stool and grabbed her around the waist.
No one touched Lacey. NO. ONE.
I shoved the guy out of the way as I reached him, swinging at the same time. My fist connected with his jaw and sent his drunk ass sprawling across the floor. I glared down at him, daring this asshole to fight me.
“Get the fuck away from her. Now.”
Chapter 3 Lacey
Three years earlier—
“The bathroom is this way,” Skel informed me, reaching for my hand to lead me in the right direction, although it wasn’t hard to figure out with an open floor plan.
We walked through a spacious kitchen, cutting through the dining room to reach a hallway and the first door on the right. Skel entered and flipped on the light before he released my hand. He gestured to the sink, and I hopped up, facing him as he opened the cabinet and began digging around for supplies.
I waited while he wet a washcloth he snatched from a nearby shelf, pumping a dollop of soap onto the material before he held out his hand.
“It might sting while I wash your cuts.”
I could have done it myself, but I allowed him to clean the wounds, growing more intrigued by him the longer I spent in his presence. “Thanks,” I replied when he finished.
Bandages were placed over the raw skin on my wrists before he tidied up his mess. Impressed with his attention to detail, I smiled.
“You’re good at this.”
“I live alone.” He shrugged. “If I don’t do it, no one is here to help.”
True. But I knew plenty of people who procrastinated. He didn’t seem like the type.
“You thirsty?”
“Yes. I need to use the facilities first,” I admitted, noting my urgent bladder.
“Uh, right.” He walked to the door, glancing my way before he shut it.
Yes, I locked it behind him. I couldn’t help it. My bladder was full, and I didn’t want to defend myself while seated on a toilet.
After I washed my hands, I opened the door, following the noises he was making back to the kitchen. I didn’t think he would try anything after how nice he’d been, but I read that some serial killers lulled their victims into a false sense of security before they attacked.