AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jupiter tucked the short hair behind her ears. “No, it doesn’t, but it’s nice of you to say.”
“Why’d you dye it?” That question burned in his mind since he’d seen Jupiter switch from honey blonde to mousy brown. He also wasn’t sure about the drastic lopping that had happened either. He liked a little something to hang onto when he was with a woman.Fucking, stop.He tamped down the lust running through his veins.
“Needed a change, I guess.” Her green eyes darted to his mouth, and he fought the urge to pull her against him.
“Who’re you hiding from?”
He’d asked her before, but she’d skirted answering. If she would only tell him, he could help. Rubble watched her closely and she gave her tell. Rubbing her thumb against each finger repetitively.
“I can’t tell you.”
He shifted to face her. It was more than he expected. “Why not?”
“Because I’m handling it. Queenie knows and that’s enough.” She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist. Immediately, she shrank back, fear scribbled on her beautiful face.
“Shit, Jupiter, I’m not gonna hurt you.” He released her and stood. Cursing himself for not seeing the signs before, he held up his hands. “I swear to God. I’d never hurt any woman, let alone you.”
Doubt filled her eyes. “What do you mean ‘let alone me’?”
Aw, shit.He couldn’t very well tell her how attracted he was to her or that he’d overheard her and Yasmina. She was already scared enough. “I meant someone under Macha protection.” She seemed to buy that, and he swore silently.
“All this is new to me.” She tightened the apron strings.
“Being protected?”
“Trusting that a man won’t hurt me.”
The urge to wrap his arms around her shoulders and comfort her overwhelmed him, but he wouldn’t do it. Not when the last man abused that precious opportunity.
“You won’t believe me, but that’s okay. I can show you that Macha doesn’t treat women like property.”
A small smile crossed her kissable lips. “I’ve noticed that here and there at the clubhouse. Mostly with Queenie, Nikita, and Isa. Their men really seem to love and respect them.” She met his gaze then moved toward the door. “I should go back to work.”
“Jupiter?”
She turned. “Yeah?”
“Don’t let one bad guy ruin love for you. We’re not all like him.”
“No, you’re not.” A soft smile played on her lips and wrecked him in a way he couldn’t believe. He wanted more than her body. He wanted every inch of her soul.
* * *
He needed to punch something.Hard. Rubble snatched the athletic tape from the dusty chair and hastily wrapped his wrists. The more he focused on the tape, the less visions of Jupiter played across his eyes. It worked, but only for a few minutes.
Growling at his wandering mind, he climbed the stairs and entered the gym. Without a sparring partner, he had to walk past the boxing ring, the thick ropes tempting him with memories of past fights. His muscles itched to pound into flesh and incur ruthless damage.
Rubble found his favorite punching bag on the far left side of the gym. It was where he and his fellow Macha bikers went to let off steam, and it worked like a charm.Most days.Planting his feet, he tossed the first jab. The heavy punch thudded loudly in the vaulted space.
Somebody actually hit her.Laid hands on that sweet face.He swung with his left, adrenaline pumping through his blood. He’d observed Jupiter and Yasmina all day. The cute way Jupiter fixed her ponytail, still not used to the shorter length, was just the start. Already, he felt the walls shaking around his heart.
Rubble bounced on the balls of his feet. Club business was all he’d planned on doing today. Watch the bakery, make sure nobody tried to jack the register, and check up on the garage. That was it.
He clenched his teeth, face jerking at the memory of Jupiter curling back because she was expecting to be backhanded. After that, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. The desire to protect her every second of every day for the rest of her life haunted him.
Rubble kicked the bag and then rapidly punched it, spending the fury on it instead of the motherfucker who hurt Jupiter. He’d searched the Internet the rest of the day for Jupiter Quinn and discovered she went by her maiden name.It’s smart.He wiped a stream of sweat from his brow.She’s damn smart.He managed to backtrack her movements to Texas where he found the mother lode. That was the funny thing about engagement announcements. They tended to give more information than people thought.
He threw a left then two right punches before hopping backwards, his mind wandering further. Lyle Jones was an upstanding citizen who took over the family ranch ten years ago. From the outside, the guy looked squeaky clean. Not even a speeding ticket on his record, and Rubble checked. He pulled in every favor he could with the local police and was waiting to hear back from Kevlar’s old lady and her FBI contacts for an in-depth search. Nothing seemed indiscreet about Mr. Bigshot which was why Rubble’s stomach pitched.Nobody’sthatgood.
