“I’m finding this conversation really boring. I live in a lovely house. Believe me, it’s not cursed and there sure as hell is no ghost.”
She went to move on but he caught her arm.
“Forgive me. No, I didn’t say ghosts and like I said, perspective. Personally, I think the houses are a gift.”
“And why do you think that?” If he wasn’t going to let her go then she may as well find out what was so important about the houses.
“They help the owners find love.”
Now she did burst out laughing.
“You can laugh all you want, Anna-Beth, but it doesn’t change the fact that every single couple who live in those houses, yeah, you guessed it, they have all ended up together. Look at the last couple. They were moving because they married and got a house together. Same with the couple, actually no, the three people that time.”
“So the curse was broken?” This was crazy.
“Nope, they very much became a relationship. The couple before that, and that, and before then. Look into the previous owners, or better yet, the gossip. Whoever you are living next to, he is going to be yours, and you’re going to live happily ever after. I should have known. I’ll tell my wife. She’ll be more interested in who you’re living next to.”
“I have to go. Can I go now? Or are you going to start talking about spirits and ghosts?”
“Go ahead, mock me. I will be the one at your wedding, throwing the rice.” He winked at her and walked away.
There was no way. Not true.
She shook her head and tried to push it out of her mind. There was no way she and Rix could become a couple. The sex was crazy good, better than good, but to fall in love and to actually be together? No, there was just no freaking way. She packed her cart with all the necessary groceries for the week, trying not to think about what she’d learned in the last half an hour.
Would it be so wrong to check out the previous couple? She had no idea how she was going to do that. They’d moved out of town, at least, she thought they had.
What the hell are you doing? Houses bringing couples together does not happen.
She wasn’t going to hold stock in some old fancy tale. With a newfound sense of reality, she paid for her groceries and carried them all the way home. She nodded at kids and some of her neighbors who were out still tending their lawns in the last rays of sunshine. As she got to the edge of the street, Rix was fixing his bike, which he stopped to come and help her with the groceries.
“You know it’ll be easier to drive your car.”
“Not happening. I like to walk.” She didn’t enjoy driving her car. She passed her test and everything but she always feared being in a crash. Besides, walking with her two feet firmly on the ground meant something to her.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked, sliding her key into her house.
“Sure.”
She looked at Rix. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, displaying his heavily inked chest and what looked like some scars from old bullet holes. They didn’t talk about his life before moving here, and she knew he didn’t intend to stay here either.
“You know what, never mind. It’s not important.”
“You sure? You can ask me anything.”
“Nah, it’s just, you know, crazy talk. Don’t worry about it.”
He didn’t defend his friend’s assessment of her being boring, and there was no way she was going to tell him what she’d learned. It wasn’t important enough simply because it was never going to happen.
Chapter Five
One week later
The brunette who’d hit on him was the rat. Rix should have known there was something off about her, but at least she wasn’t with the club too long. She’d been hoping to get under his skin, for him to trust her. As if he’d ever trust her piece of ass. Club whores were tricky.
It was rare for a brother to take one as a wife, and in most cases, they did stop sleeping around. If they ended up pregnant, that was a whole different problem.
Fixing up Night’s bike, he knew it was already in perfect condition, but his men didn’t like just anyone repairing their machines. Each bike spoke a different tale of the men who sat astride their machines and seeing as he was once a mechanic, he had no problem getting grease on his hands and working until they purred to life exactly how they should.
Thinking of another woman who purred, not quite in the same way, he got the feeling Anna-Beth was avoiding him. She hadn’t come to his place, and when he’d knocked at her door, she hadn’t answered. He’d caught her this morning before work and she’d told him she didn’t hear anyone at her door. How tired she was and needed some sleep. She wasn’t a good liar. Clearly, he’d pissed her off, and he didn’t know how he’d done that.
He’d been wracking his brain trying to figure the woman out.
Night didn’t like him getting close to Anna-Beth as he saw her as a liability to the club. She wasn’t fit to become part of the MC, but that was one of the reasons he wanted her. Unlike some of the women who threw themselves at him at the club, Anna-Beth hadn’t spread her legs for every single man there. He didn’t have to listen to his boys talk about what a prize pussy he got because they would never know. She would belong completely to him and there was no way he’d share.
He’d never considered himself a greedy man but Anna-Beth brought something out of him, and he didn’t want to allow anyone to touch her but him. His feelings were so strong, he’d even considered telling the boys she was his old lady and to back the fuck off.
Of course, having an old lady in his club would be a cause for celebration. Few of the boys actually had one, and those who did rarely let them visit the club.
Crazy.
There was no way he was going to let Anna-Beth go to the club. This was just some fun and at the moment, she didn’t even want to have that, so he really was blank as to what to do to fix it.
Just as he leaned down to look at the tire’s tread, something wet and slippery licked across his face. He looked up into the face of one of the cutest dogs he’d ever seen.
“Come back here, boy,” an older woman said. She had several more dogs around him. “I’m so sorry. My latest dog walker decided she didn’t want the money for walking or picking up dog shit.”
Rix smirked as he wiped his hands on the cloth before stroking the dog’s soft amber fur.
“It’s fine. She’s a real beaut,” he said.
“It’s a boy and be careful he likes to…” Too late. “Cock his leg and pee.” She winced. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine. Believe me. I’ve had worse.” Piss was all down his leg as he stood up, holding the small dog in his arms.
He didn’t want to even think about what he looked like with a small dog in his arms, especially with all of his ink. He’d gone without a shirt as he wanted to surprise Anna-Beth today and to try to lure her back into his house so he could fuck her silly.
“The name’s Rix,” he said.
“Elizabeth.” They shook hands and the woman had a firm grip. “I live just up the road. The previous owner used to walk my dogs for me.”
“She did?”