2. Stella

2

STELLA

T he pervert hits the floor with one hand clasping his nuts. I give him another bash to the head just to make sure.

I was aware I'd have to keep alert at an event with hundreds of bikers, but I never dreamed one would attack me in my hotel room.

I mustn't have locked the door properly.

My heart's hammering in my chest, and I'm dripping water on the floor. But I need to make sure I've eliminated the threat, then get the hell out of here.

I turn the shower off and grab a towel.

The man groans, and I jump backwards in case he tries to grab me. I've learned out of necessity how to defend myself, and I'm grateful I was able to negate the threat before he tried to do whatever he came in here to do.

But he stays prostrate on the floor. I cautiously shuffle forward to get a better look at him .

The man's got short dark hair and is clean shaven. Not the type of guy you'd pick for a pervert, but then who can tell these days?

There's a trickle of blood on the side of his head where he hit the door. Unease creeps into my stomach. What if I've killed him?

I fight down the panic that threatens.

It was self-defense. He attacked me in the shower. But there were no witnesses, and the last thing I need is to go through the courts again.

I give him a nudge with my foot to check that he's alive. The man groans, and relief floods me.

But if he's alive, I need to get out of here and get some help.

His body is sprawled on the bathroom floor, and I wrap the towel tightly around me and step over him.

In his outstretched hand, he's clasping something that looks like a card of some sort. I crouch down to take a look.

It's a keycard. He's holding a keycard to a motel room, and written on it in black marker is ‘102'

"Shit."

I grab my keycard from the bed where I chucked it with my stuff and check my room number. It says ‘102' in red marker.

There's been a room mix up. He didn't come in here to attack me in the shower. He came in here because someone at reception told him this was his room and gave him a key.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. "

I crouch down and feel his pulse. It's still beating, so that's a good thing. I need to get him into the recovery position in case he's concussed.

He's a big guy and takes up most of the floor in the bathroom. Luckily I'm a big girl and used to moving bodies around from my job as an orderly in an old folks home. What I need is leverage.

I step back over him, aware that with only my towel on if he opened his eyes right now he'd get an eyeful. Although he got a good eyeful a minute ago when I was in the shower.

The thought of this stranger seeing me naked makes my cheeks flame.

I crouch behind him and slide my hands under his back. It's a firm back, hard with muscle. I can tell even through the leather jacket he's wearing.

With a heave, I roll him onto his side.

His bikers patch comes into view. The Wild Riders MC North Carolina. He's come a long way. Further than I have from the Sunset Coast of California.

I haven't heard of the Wild Riders, but there must be close to a hundred different clubs on this run.

Up close, I notice flecks of silver in the sides of his dark hair and small lines by the creases of his eyes. He's older than me by at least ten years and handsome now that I know he's not a pervert.

He has a pronounced jawline and mole on the side of his neck. I reach a finger out and press it to the mole. I'm not sure why, I just want to touch him. His skin is olive tanned and smooth. He smells like leather and soap and the dust of the road.

I inhale deeply. It's a nice scent.

The man stirs, and I scramble to my feet. Now I'm the creepy one, crouching over him half-naked and sniffing him.

I step over him quickly and go through to the main room. I call Cleo and ask her to get here quick, but don't tell Kray. If any of the Underground Crows found out a strange man had walked in on me in the shower, they'd deal with it in their own way, and I don't want to be a part of that. Especially since it seems like a mix up with the rooms, rather than a guy sneaking into motel rooms looking for women in the shower.

I hope so, since the guy's hot. And he's seen me naked. The thought makes my skin heat.

I quickly towel off and pull some clothes on, all the while keeping one eye on the man just in case I'm wrong.

A few minutes later, Cleo knocks on the door. She's got Charlie strapped to her chest, and she cradles his head as he sleeps.

I let her in, and her eyes go wide when she sees the man passed out on the floor.

"What the fuck?" Charlie stirs, and I press my finger to my lips.

"Shhhh." I don't want to wake him until I've explained what happened to Cleo.

"Is he dead?" she whispers.

"I don't think so. "

"Good. I'd do a lot for you, Stella, but disposing of a dead body is pushing my limits."

I fill Cleo in on what happened, and she shakes her head when I get to the part where I knocked him out.

"Jesus, Stella. Does trouble follow you around?"

I wince at her words because she's right. I've been trying really hard to stay out of trouble, but when it walks right into your bathroom, what's a girl to do?