Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition by Elizabeth Knox (top 5 ebook reader txt) 📕

and loneliness from it all. I want to wrap my arms around him, but I can’t. I won’t allow myself to open up. “Sientese y come. Sit and eat, then you leave.” He pulls out a wad of cash and places it in my hand.

“No, I can’t, thank you, Fuego. I can’t take your money—”

He halts my rant with a quick raise of his hand, his palm facing me. Slowly, Fuego confirms, “You, little girl, need to bury that pride from however you learned it. I don’t give you anything because I pity you. I give because I can help. Tu eres mi familia. Now, cálmate y come.”

“In other words,” Snake taunts at my left, “sit your little bratty ass down and eat, because family takes care of their own. You call when you need us. No questions asked.” Next to Snake is a beautiful black dog with a pink spiked collar. She looks fierce with her block head, but her tail wags and her tongue hangs out the corner of her mouth. She is stunning.

“Lucky, come here, girl, and meet Angie. Shake.” To my astonishment, the dog steps forward and raises a paw to me. I freeze on the spot and hesitate. What do I do? “Shake her hand, Angie. Don’t be rude to Lucky, now.”

Snake snickers, “You have petted a dog, haven’t you, Angie?”

“Fuck off, asshole.” I glare for good measure before I hold my hand out to grasp her paw in mine. She uses my grip as leverage and, before I know it, Lucky is standing, using my body to hold herself up, licking my chin. I pet her soft fur as I sweet talk her. “You are just a sweet baby girl, aren’t you, Lucky.” I have never really been around animals in my life. The city life is different, I never had a yard to play in, let alone parents who would have allowed me to have a pet. Lucky is sweet and affectionate. Rapidly, she calms some of the anxiety swirling inside of me. I’m happily distracted with her sweetness.

“Get down.” Cowboy’s voice drops to a low growl and Lucky drops to sit on her back end. That low timbre triggers a flashback, and my body overheats instantly as the memory plays like a quick stream flowing through my mind.

“You want another beer, Ange?” Cowboy slams the door to his pitch-black truck. The beast of a machine fits him and it’s sexy watching him drive it. Who would have thought? A country song blares in the background of the star-filled night. For the last hour, we’ve acted like careless kids, drinking and hitting mud puddles in the mountains. With the windows down and the music blasting, it was the best date I ever had. We tossed our empty beer bottles out of the windows, hitting any marks we could find as we drove. Cowboy could time his just right and hit even the smallest targets, like small boulders. He full-on laughed at my pathetic attempts and I didn’t mind at all. I’d never seen the rocky and sandy terrain of the Northern Nevada desert. Sagebrush is a new smell to me, and one that I will always associate with this day.

My arms hold my middle tightly as I turn around to greet Cowboy. “No. I’ve had more than enough.” He makes it fun and easy. The whole night, I could be someone else entirely. Not the closed-off Angela from the city, but Angie, his woman.

Cowboy tosses a blanket around me and lassos me in tight to his broad, chiseled chest. My fingers roam over the firm muscles there. “What’s your real name?” My eyes look up into his. It seems there is a twinkle there, but that could be the stars, alcohol, or lust.

His deep timbre reverberates under my palms. “Colton. My momma named me after my grandfather.”

“Mmm. Will you kiss me, Colton?” Just the sound of his name on my lips feels perfect for this man.

His cocky smile lifts and his hands roam over my back, wrapping me into him impossibly tighter before his lips take mine.

“You lost up on the mountain, darlin’?” Cowboy jokes and it pulls me out of the reverie I was stuck in. My eyes blink and he comes into focus, laughing. “There she is. No way I could forget either. Some moments, I swear I can still hear your whisperings in the wind.” His gaze trails over my entire body, a shiver of lust traveling along with him.

“Really?” Snake snickers and tsks his tongue at me. “Sounds like a story I want to hear all about—”

“No,” I abruptly cut him off. Snake’s eyebrows hit his hairline, amused with my outburst. “Cowboy, I’ll wait for you outside when you’re ready to leave.” My throat is tight with emotion. Just what in the hell is wrong with me? Once I’m outside, I focus on the fresh air and calming my nerves. “I got this. I can go see Jazz and sort my life out. I just need time to figure out what I’m going to do next.” As much as I want to coax the strength into my spine, for once, it’s a struggle. My life has been slowly crumbling and it sucks. I hate feeling weak or soft, it just makes me more resentful, and I all but demand my walls go back up. No one affects me, sure as hell not a one-night stand.

4

Cowboy

On the way to my rig, I watch her ass sway, then I help her up into the cab right after Lucky. “Are you ready to hit the road?” I ask, and she gives me a ‘what do you think’ look.

“Yes. Please, let’s get this moving, thank you.” Giving her a tight nod, I get in on the driver’s side. “Hey, Cowboy, do you think Spider will be okay with me staying with him?”

Buckling my belt, I inwardly groan. “Yep, I think it would be best,” I clip and start the semi. She better