Taming Crow (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) by Paula Marinaro Read Free Book Online Page B

stopped him.
    Maybe it was the whitewash on the clapboards.
    Or the flowers in the window sill.
    Or because she had planted a goddamn herb garden. A little patch of rich soil thick with mint, and oregano whose fragrance wafted through the air with every slight breeze. When he breathed it in, it calmed him.
    What was it that Patrick had called that? A woman’s touch.
    Yeah. That was it.
    Crow had gotten himself a good laugh more than once mulling that one over. Because keeping a neat yard and a clean house sure as hell was not what a woman’s touch meant in outlaw nation.
    But he was good with it.
    Because after all was said and fucking done, Crow appreciated all the hard work Melissa had put into the place.
    Certainly no one else had given a fuck.
    Not Jaci who had had a piece of prime real-estate handed to her on a silver platter. And not Patrick Murphy, who even though he talked a good game, should never have let the place have gone to shit without putting in a damn phone call to him.
    Only Melissa with her sick kid and dead husband had given two shits.

Chapter 7
    She blew Jett a kiss and waved until the yellow school bus rode out of sight. Then Melissa sighed heavily and headed down the graveled driveway. She wished with all her heart that she could just keep on going home, but instead she forced herself to turn into the walkway. The man who had unleashed his fury on the house next door frightened her and not just a little. He was loud and seemed angry all the time even from a distance. But she had put this off longer than she should have. The note that sat like a heavy stone in her pocket gave evidence to that.
    Now Melissa stood in front of the large oak doors. She took a firm hold of her courage, rang the doorbell and waited. Then she had to ring again and wait some more.
    Damn. That. Man.
    Suddenly the heavy door was thrown open and Melissa was hit with a narrowed glare. She was momentarily taken aback by the piercing color of Crow’s eyes. She had not seen him up close since that first meeting and never without his sunglasses on, but Melissa thought his eyes would be dark and menacing.
    Just like the rest of him.
    She had not expected to be pinned by two glittering gems of the purest green that she had ever seen.
    As white teeth snarled at her from full red lips, Melissa fought to steady herself. The rough dark scruff on Crow’s jaw line coupled with his heavily inked and muscled arms gave Melissa a sense of the raw power and brute strength that emanated from this man.
    Where the hell did he come from? She thought men like him existed only in legends and fairy tales. That they dwelled only in the deepest darkest woodland where they could do no harm. This creature’s whole being screamed dark, dangerous, compelling and something that would never be more than half tame. The sheer force of his magnetism and raw masculinity hit Melissa with the blasting heat of the Santa Ana winds.
    Pushing reason aside.
    She realized she had lost about a minute just staring at his naked chest.
    “Yeah?” Crow growled.
    Melissa looked up to meet sleepy eyes.
    “Good morning, Mr. Mathison,” she said.
    He gave no sign that he had heard her.
    This was going well . Melissa felt the heat flush through her body and knew her ears had just turned bright red.
    “Yeah, I guess it is one.” His voice sounded low and gravelly, still heavy from sleep.
    “I need you to do something for me,” she said quickly before she lost her nerve.
    He leaned against the door jamb then and let an amused, slow, hungry look skim over her body.
    “Well, then this just might be your lucky day. It just so happens that I got a few things I wouldn't mind you doing for me this morning either.” His gaze fastened on her mouth.
    At those words and the look in Crow's eyes, Melissa felt something deep inside of her clench and flutter. But then she forced herself to let out a deep breath and focus on what she came for.
    “This is serious,” she frowned.
    "What