Chapter Seventeen
Tiffany shivered. Cold, so cold. Her stomach rumbled. No surprise. With the exception of a couple of bites of a burger, she hadn’t eaten since that morning.
Eyes parting, she rolled onto her back and found herself staring at the ceiling. Not her ceiling. Thomas’s. The ceiling in his room at the compound.
Made sense. She had the best sex of her life, the best orgasms of her life, and he, the man she’d loved since she was a girl, had given that to her.
Dream come true.
The smell of his cologne lingered, all around her, filling her heart, body, soul. She closed her eyes. The look on his face came to mind. Eyes so blue, sapphire blue, hungry and deadlocked on hers, darkened the moment he sunk himself inside. He’d held, warmed, treasured her, lips licking, kissing, savoring. When it ended, he’d stayed connected, kissed her deep, hard, and desperate.
Desperate, that’s what it’d been. Not just him, her too. Years she waited; they’d waited. But that was over now, no more waiting. No more pretending she didn’t feel what she felt, no more hiding how she felt.
Worth the wait.
Heart pounding against her ribs, she took a shaky breath, sat up in bed, and looked around. Her clothes lay discarded near the bed. His shirt and cut lay just beside it, but no Thomas.
Clutching the sheet around herself, she closed her eyes forcing herself to remember.
A biker doesn’t put a woman on the back of his bike unless he’s claiming her.
Thomas had claimed her.
’Cause I wanted the best for you, and the best for you ain’t me. ’Cause I know you deserve better.
She hated he thought that. Nothing, no one was better than him. She should’ve told him, should’ve had the courage to admit it.
But I don’t give a fuck anymore ’cause now you know, and, Tiff, I promise you, you’re gonna be mine for a long time.
A vow. Thomas, a man of his word, vowed it. She would be his for a long time. That meant he’d be hers.
Never wanted anything more than I want you.
Another shiver snaked through her body. She needed to get dressed. She had no idea where Thomas went, and she was cold and starved. Smiling, she grabbed her thong and jeans and pulled them on. She then grabbed her shirt and sat on the edge of the bed.
The door to the room parted. Holding her shirt against her chest, she twisted and met Thomas’s stare. His chest bare wearing only a pair of jeans hanging low on his hips, her gaze dropped to his chest, abs, and settled on his groin.
“Baby girl?” The door slammed behind him.
Her eyes shot to his, face flamed.
He smirked. “Why you getting dressed?”
Choosing to ignore he caught her, sweet. “I’m freezing and hungry.”
His gaze trailed down her body. “Can fix that real quick. Warm you up and feed you at the same time.”
He strode to her, each step purposeful. His hand grasped hers, hauling her off the bed. Shirt clutched against her falling at her feet, her bare chest hit his. Then he leaned down and invaded her mouth, kissing her deep and thoroughly. Desperate.
When he drew away, her eyes parted half-mast. That warmed her up all right, but she was still starved.
“Love that look on you.”
She smiled. “Sated and hungry?”
He chuckled, the sound vibrated deep inside his chest. She felt it rumble against hers.
“Like seeing you hungry. For me.”
The heat on her cheeks trailed down her neck.
“Love that.”
She quirked a brow.
“That flush on your cheeks. Love it.”
That, really? She hated it.
His hand on her upper back glided deliberately slow down the length of her spine then rested on her rear.
God, even just that felt amazing. Her eyes went half-mast, hands at his back, fingers dug into his skin as a shudder ran through her.
He grinned. “Don’t look at me like that, baby girl. You look at me like that, I’ll be eating you instead of that pizza I ordered.”
Pizza? Her mouth watered. No contest. Nothing was as mouthwatering as Thomas. But she was so starved, she didn’t know if she had the strength for another amazing, long, round of desperate, hot sex with Thomas.
“Baby girl, you don’t quit looking at me like that, you’ll force me to take you up on that offer, and our food’ll get cold. Unless you started liking cold pizza, I suggest you put on one of my tees, take off your pants ‘fore I get tired of watching you stand there with that heated look in your eyes.” He leaned into her. “You know I keep my word.”
She tried to hide a smile and failed. Unbuttoning her jeans, she slid them down her legs. She did this while staring straight at his face. His gaze deadlocked on her, she felt the heat of his eyes as they dropped down her chest, stomach, and legs.
In one swift movement, he closed the distance between them, snaked his arm around her waist, and dragged her to him. Skin heating hers, his shaft lengthened against her. She tilted her head to meet his eyes and smiled wide.
Shaking his head, he smirked. “You’re being a bad girl, Tiff.”
His other hand glided down her lower back until firm on her ass. He slapped her hard enough she jolted against him, hard enough she grew wet, a little moan escaping her lips.
His hooded eyes darkened. “My girl likes that.”
Yes. Very, very much.
A knock sounded on the door.
Cursing, he released her then grabbed a shirt from one of his drawers and handed it to her. “Bed.”
She hefted it over her head, tugged it on, walked to the bed, and slid under the covers. Thomas opened the door. Beef stood at the other side, handing Thomas a pizza and drinks. Thomas set everything on the bed. She didn’t let the neat freak in her put much thought into that. Eating in bed with Thomas half-naked after a long session of hot, desperate, lovemaking stumped everything neat freak in her.
Thomas slumped on the bed in front of her then grabbed a napkin and handed her a slice. Her stomach rumbling, she took a big bite and chewed. Her gaze then shot to his.
He smirked. “That hungry?”
She nodded.
He chuckled then took a large slice of pizza for himself and swallowed it in four bites. Despite being starved and how big of a bite she’d taken, she took longer to finish hers. By the time she’d eaten her slice, he’d topped off his second. Taking another slice, he handed it to her then picked one out for himself. Finishing her second slice, she grabbed a water bottle and took a large sip.
He chuckled. “Got some sauce on your cheek.”
She rubbed it away with her finger. Out of clean napkins, she licked it.
He dropped the half-eaten slice on the box. The next instant, his body covered hers, pressing down. One hand cupping the back of her head and the other roaming her, he delved his tongue into her mouth. “So beautiful,” he mumbled against her lips. “Every goddamned thing you do gets me hard.”
He had the same effect on her. Everything he did made her want him, and she wanted him in every way.
She widened her legs, wrapped them around him, and lifted her pelvis to graze over his shaft.
He made a grumbling noise in the back of his throat and buried his face in her neck. The pressure of his body over hers lessened only for a split second. She vaguely heard the sound of his jeans unbuckling. Then he shoved her panties aside and filled her. That fast. That quick.
Skin to skin. Letting out a gasp, instinctually her arms tightened around the back of his head, and it felt amazing, so amazing her whole body shuddered, her heels digging into his back.
His breaths heating her, he lightly bit and sucked her neck. He slid out of her and into her again so slow and deep. His mouth released her then that sapphire gaze met hers as he drew out of her and into her again.
God, the intense look on his face while he slid inside her nearly undid her.
Reaching under the tee she wore, he grasped her breast and squeezed her nipple. He quickened the pace, the corded muscles on his neck bulging with each thrust.
In seconds, she was there, so close to the edge of another beautiful, mind-blowing release.
His fingers at her hip digging into her skin, he went faster, deeper then harder.
And she was gone.
Slamming her lips against his, she kissed him, wanting the taste of him in her mouth as the full force of her orgasm flooded her.
He was there with her a moment later, groaning into her mouth, pulsing inside her.
Then he stilled, drew away from her lips, and caught her gaze. “Didn’t think it could get better. I was wrong.”
Her heart swelled. She didn’t think it could either.
I love you. She almost said it but thought better of it. Instead, she kissed him deep.
****
The deadbolt on her front door unlocked. Heart pounding, Tiffany, in her kitchen, grabbed a knife she discarded in her sink and turned toward her door.
It swung open, and Thomas barged through wearing a pair of jeans and his cut. Taking a deep breath, her gaze darted to the decorative bowl on her counter and spotted the spare key. He knew where it was and had used it before, but since it was in its usual place, how did Thomas get a key?
“You…have a key?”
“Don’t like this new greeting, baby girl.” He shut the door with his booted foot. “Prefer when you kiss me.”
Yeah, so did she, except he’d scared her.
He neared, dropping his wallet and keys on the dining room table, then finished closing the distance between them. Wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her until he plastered her against his chest, he kissed the top of her head. “Missed you.” Cupping her cheeks, he angled her head to plant a kiss on her lips.
She sighed heavily, loving the natural heat of his body, the scent of him, the feel of his lips. Everything. “Missed you, too.”
They’d been official for five days. Those five days, she spent in a haze waiting to wake from the dream she was living.
Monday morning, she woke in his arms at the compound. He drove her home then to work. At five, he picked her up and drove them to her place. She made dinner. They ate in the living room, watching TV then headed for bed. Hours later, they drifted to sleep, cuddled close.
Tuesday morning, she drove herself to work, but he surprised her around noon, bringing her takeout from Anthony’s, her favorite Italian restaurant. After work, she drove home and made dinner. Half an hour later, he showed, wearing a grease-stained shirt and jeans. Duffle bag in tow, he gave her a kiss then headed to shower. They had dinner in front of the TV then went to bed but didn’t get to sleep until a couple of hours later.
Wednesday during lunch, she got a visit from Mia and Lynn who heard through the grapevine she and Thomas were an item. She’d been brief with them, just as brief as she’d been with Allie and Tina when they called. Allie was still recovering from her abduction, so she hadn’t been at work. She’d also spoken to both Marianne and Donna, her college friends, and updated them. Again, she’d been brief. Donna had been thrilled, Marianne, not so much. Tiffany hadn’t shared details with anyone because she didn’t want to jinx it.
That night, he insisted on eating dinner at the table. She obliged thinking he wanted to talk. He hadn’t said a word though, not until they both finished their meals. He then explained a couple of things about the club, things she hadn’t known.
He told her the club hadn’t always been clean. Before he became a prospect, the club dealt drugs and guns, and that brought gangs, crime, and violence into Wadden. Chained MC used to work with them in those dealings. When Hell Ryders voted to leave the drugs and guns behind, the clubs parted ways and not on good terms. Since their former involvement in criminal activity brought violence into Wadden, the club made it their responsibility to clean up the streets, ridding it of drugs, gangs, prostitution, and crime. They still did this. Thomas explained it’s what he did when he was on a run. The rest of what the club did she already knew, but he elaborated, explaining the club made most of their money on jobs like what her father paid the club to do, which they called guards.
This didn’t come as a surprise. She knew what her father paid the club and knew it wasn’t legal, but still, it reaffirmed she had reason to worry about him.
Now, staring into his too blue eyes, she remembered tonight he had a run. A run, now fully knowing what it meant, came with a sense of dread.
He inhaled then smirked. “Smells amazing. What’s my girl making tonight?”
“Baked ziti with meat sauce.”
He grinned big.
She smiled. “Now that you know what’s for dinner, are you going to answer my question?”
“Baby girl, I’ve had a key for a long time.”
Interesting. She quirked a brow. “I never gave you a key.”
“Made a copy.”
Her jaw dropped. He made a copy? Without her permission? When? Why?
He smiled. “Saves you the trouble of making me one now that we’re official.”
“When did you make it?”
No hesitation. “First night you fell asleep on the couch, and I carried you to bed.”
A while back, months, and she had no idea. Sure, they often watched movies, and she fell asleep. The next day, she woke in her room on her bed, and Thomas was gone but so was the spare key. She never thought he made a copy. Why hadn’t he waited until she decided to give him a key? Tiffany would have eventually, especially now they were together. She didn’t mind he had a key, but he hadn’t even bothered to ask before he made a copy. She knew him well and loved him for all he was, but he was the type of man who’d rule your life if you let him. She couldn’t let him regardless of how much she loved him and how long she’d loved him.
She tore herself away and glared. “What if I don’t want you to have a key?”
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he had the gall to chuckle. “You want me to have a key.”
Yeah, she did, but not the point. “Why didn’t you ask me?”
Wiping the smile off his face, his brows shot up. “’Cause it doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it matters. It’s my decision who has a key to my apartment, and you took that decision away from me.”
His gaze hardened, jaw twitched. Some of his anger leaked into his voice. “No, it doesn’t ’cause you let me take the spare anyway, a spare I’ve used a hundred fuckin’ times. It doesn’t matter ’cause you want me to have a key. And you can play this bullshit now saying and acting like it’s a big deal, but deep down, you…” He leaned into her. “…love that I have a key. ’Cause I have a key, I can come back tonight after my run and sleep beside you.”
Uncrossing his arms, he snaked one around her waist and hauled her against him. “And baby girl, you know you love sleeping next to me. I know that ’cause while you’re sleeping, you pull me closer, burrow in like you wanna sear yourself into me, and you used to do that when we were just friends, too.”
It didn’t come as a surprise. She loved sleeping next to him. His body kept her warm all night. She hardly ever woke when Thomas slept beside her.
Again, he made several valid points. Not a single thing she could deny. “So, is that how this is going to be? You’re going to do things which concern me without asking?”
Narrowing his gaze, with not so much as a thought, he nodded. “Yeah.”
She turned or tried to. She couldn’t accomplish it since his arm held her in place. He released her waist. She took her chance and spun. Her gaze flew to the dirty pots she’d used to cook the pasta and meat sauce in the sink.
He grabbed her wrists and held them at her sides then leaned into her so his lips were by her ear. “You know me better than anyone. You know I do shit without consulting anyone. You know I insist and insist until I get my way. You also know I only do this shit when it’s important. You are important, very important, keeping you safe is what I been doing for a long time ’cause you’re my girl, and I’m gonna continue doing it. I’m not gonna run everything by you. You know all this, and you said you didn’t mind me getting my way.” He released her wrists.
Another series of valid points. She didn’t mind his borderline controlling behavior. It made her feel taken care of and safe. And it was him, Thomas, the man who’d saved her one too many times, but still, it didn’t change the fact he should’ve told her he made a copy.
She faced him. “You’re right. I want you to have a key. I love sleeping next to you. I know you, and I don’t mind the way you are, but you should’ve told me you made a copy because not telling me is lying by omission and because you scared the crap out of me using it now. I would’ve been terrified half to death if you’d jumped into bed with me in the middle of the night.”
He broke out in a huge grin, a victorious kind of grin like he’d just won a gold medal. He tugged her into an embrace. “Baby, you’ve never woken when I carry you to bed. I climbed into bed with you twice, and you didn’t notice till morning, and when you did, I didn’t scare you half to death.”
This was true. It was also true she often woke in the middle of the night. Still, he was right. She was starting to hate when he was right. He noticed and kissed her long and deep. Maybe to keep her from talking. Maybe he just wanted a kiss. Who cared? She sure didn’t. That kiss led to touching and panting and sweating. Luckily, dinner didn’t burn.
After they ate, Thomas left for his run. She distracted herself by cleaning house and doing laundry. Since he’d been leaving clothes at her apartment, she ran two loads instead of one, his and hers. After a nice long bath and reading an “I miss you” text from Thomas, she went to bed, alone.
****
Tiffany woke in the middle of the night after feeling the bed depress. “Thomas?”
He circled an arm around her waist, pulled her close, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, “I’m home, baby girl. Go back to sleep.”
I’m home, he said like his home was hers.
She smiled. Then for some reason, in the haze of sleep, she remembered what he’d once told her, that maybe one day he’d tell her why he called her, “baby girl.”
“Why do you call me that?” She angled her face to his. Even in the darkness of the room, his eyes seemed to shine. “Is it because you still see me as that helpless girl you saved?”
He hesitated. The arm around her waist glided up her back then forward, his hand coming to a rest on her cheek. He slid his fingers over the side of her face. “You’re right ‘bout one thing. I still see you as a girl, and that’s okay ’cause every time I look at you, I’m not a man. I’m sixteen looking at the most beautiful girl in school. You aren’t a girl anymore, and I’m not a boy, but you gotta understand, to me, no matter how many years go by, no matter how much more beautiful you get, you’ll always be that girl, my girl.”
She couldn’t help herself then. Wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his, she kissed him deep.
An hour later, they fell asleep sated, chest to chest, her head resting on his arm, his other arm around her waist, holding her close.