Chapter 8
Ginger
Present
God, was that the smell of bacon? I turned over onto my back and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the delicious aroma. It was bacon! When was the last time that I’d smelled bacon in my apartment? I jumped from my bed and rushed out to the kitchen, stopping abruptly when my blurry gaze landed on Rebel, who was standing at the stove. He turned my way, giving me a sexy grin that went straight to my core.
"You didn't have anything edible for breakfast, so I went out and bought a few things." His gaze dropped down my body, reminding me that I was wearing little. I liked to sleep in boy shorts and crop tops. Rebel was only wearing jeans.
"There's yogurt in the fridge." I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes.
He snorted. "Is that how you keep those smoking hot curves?"
I slowly lowered my hands from my face to meet his eyes. I'd always been sensitive about my weight, knowing that my short stature didn't allow for any extra pounds. I had them, however. "Is that your way of saying I'm fat?" God, I hated that word.
His brows shot up over his startled eyes. "Hell, no, angel. I like the curves you have. Nice, suckable tits, a round ass I can sink my hands into, hips I can hold on to when I'm pounding into you." With each syllable he uttered my eyes grew wide, and I ran out of breath, my jaw dropping with disbelief. He winked at me with amusement. "I especially like your mouth, baby."
I snapped my jaw closed, wishing that I could think of a response that would put Rebel in his place, or at least knock him down a notch, because I sensed that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Heat infused me from the inside out, caused by the intimacy of his explicit words. A pleasant tingle in my pussy revealed that my body wasn't immune to his filthy talk. I was frozen in place, staring at the godly stud that was casually flipping bacon over. Even my stomach was on board, because damn, we hadn't had bacon in a long time.
My belly growled, which caused Rebel to laugh. I was on the verge of going in for the bacon when my eyes caught the clock on the wall above the sink, and I stopped. "Shit! I forgot to check on Della!" I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before, and it was now eleven o'clock in the morning. Without another word I bolted for the door, and then remembered that I needed my keys. When I swung back around to retrieve them, Rebel was standing there, a cocky grin on his sexy mouth, and my keys dangling from his fingers.
"I had to borrow them when I left for the store," he grinned.
This meant that he'd gone through my purse. I'd bitch at him for that later, but right now I had to take care of Della. I snatched the keys from his hand and ran.
Her apartment was just as quiet as it had been the night before and the kitchen light was still on, telling me that she probably hadn't left her bed. I went directly to her bedroom, hearing the faint sound of voices as I approached, and once inside I found that the TV was on. Della was still in bed, and sometime after I'd left her she’d pulled the folded blankets back over her. Shaking my head, I went to her and put my hand on her forehead. She was still warm, but not feverish.
I looked down at the trash can that I'd left her and tried not to gag, taking it to the bathroom and flushing the contents down the toilet. Then I put the can into the tub and filled it with water, adding some cleaner to it before returning to the bedroom for her glass. I refilled it, got a couple more aspirin, and headed back to Della. I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Honey?" I pulled the covers off her head.
"I'm here," she said. "What time is it?"
"Eleven. Do you feel any better?"
She opened her eyes. "A little. I think I know where I got it from."
"Here, take these," I smiled.
She scooted up into a sitting position. "A couple of days ago I waited on a table where one of the customers complained of being under the weather." She took the pills and water, handing me back the glass. "Later another customer complained that someone had been sick in the men's room and left a mess."
"I remember that." I got up and arranged the pillows behind her back. "Which means that I'll probably get hit with this later." I could only hope that the vitamin C that I took regularly would help fight it off.
Della chuckled low. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."
"You better," I joked, sitting back down on the bed. "Do you think you can eat something?"
She made a face. "No way. I don't even want coffee."
"Well, you're not going to work today." I decided not to say anything about the trouble that had happened the night before after she’d left. "Vinny will just have to understand."
"I need the money‒"
I gave her a stern look. "You're not going in," I said firmly. "And you can't tell me that with all of the hours we've put in this week that you haven't made a killing in tips."
"Yes, but you don't have the huge dental debt that I have, and I wanted to pay it off."
"Honey, you can't go in today. You're too weak, and probably still contagious. Just stay home today."
"But with Bike Week over I'm already off tomorrow and the next two days," she whined.
I laughed. "Even better, three days to recoup."
"You're just mean."
"And you love me." I stood up. "Can I get you anything before I leave?"
She shook her head.
"Are you still throwing up?"
"No, thank God."
I laughed at that. "Okay then, I'll be back before I go in to work."
My stomach growled again as I neared my apartment and the smell of bacon filtered through the door. I opened the door to see that Rebel was just walking to my small table with two plates in his hands. My gaze met his before going back to the plates, which were piled with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. Ohmygod! I'd never had a man cook for me before, and there was something so hot and sexy about a man like Rebel standing with his jeans undone, dish towel draped over his wide shoulders, and a plate of steaming food in his hands.
"Hungry?"
Was that a trick question? I pulled my gaze away from his abs, trying to feign nonchalance, but the knowing gleam in his all-seeing eyes revealed that I'd been caught ogling his fine body. "Starved!" I admitted, walking toward him. "I never have bacon."
"Why not?" We both sat down on my mismatched chairs, the mismatching of my plates bringing it all together. I picked up the cup of coffee that Rebel had placed in front of my plate. "It's expensive." I picked up a piece and took a bite, closing my eyes and moaning low. "So good. Why did you decide to fix breakfast?"
Rebel shrugged, digging into his eggs. "I was hungry for some home cooked food. I’ve been on the road a while."
"Hunting me down?"
There was a brief pause in which he glanced up at me from his plate, his gaze reflective. "Among other things.” He paused a beat, leaning in for emphasis. “Don't get used to the cooking, angel. You're the one who owes me."
Inside I cringed. He’d just had to ruin the peace that had settled between us by bringing up the money. "You don't have to remind me," I was quick to respond. "And I always planned on paying you back. Why do you think I stored away the money I gave you?"
"So you expected to see me again?" He shoveled a mouthful of eggs into his mouth.
I shrugged. "I wasn't sure of anything. The way things ended…" I thought back to that steamy last kiss he'd given me, how it had been filled with passion and desperation. He'd helped me escape Wildman's clubhouse, putting himself in danger. I knew that if any of the Red Devils had found out what he'd done, they wouldn't have hesitated to kill him. The fact that they had shown up at his apartment just two days after I'd gotten there had given me reason to suspect that Rebel may have tipped them off to my whereabouts in order to avoid being killed by them.
Now, staring into the quiet eyes that were watching me carefully, I knew that Rebel wouldn't have turned me in. There was something about him separate from his outlaw persona, that told me he that wasn't anything like the Red Devils that I'd known briefly.
Rebel had stopped chewing and was looking at me expectantly, and I realized that he was waiting for me to continue. I grew warm beneath his gaze, remembering how easily he'd mastered my body with his hands and mouth, and lowered my eyes to my plate.
"I wasn't sure if you were still alive."
"And there was always the possibility that I wouldn't find you."
I reluctantly raised my gaze to his. "I didn't run away because I wanted to," I reminded him. "And I didn't know how to get a message to you. The men who showed up at your place broke the door in as I was going out the back window."
"How did you know they were Red Devils?" He picked up his coffee cup.
"I saw them through the peep hole. How did they know I was there?"
He shrugged, setting his cup down after taking a sip. "Not sure they were there for you. They ransacked the place."
I gave him a meaningful glare. "Like they were looking for money?"
He grinned, the sexy smirk looking too damned good on his rugged face. He'd showered the night before, but he hadn't shaved. I liked the scruffy look on his strong jaw. The minutes ticked by as I waited for him to respond. With a sigh of resignation, I went back to eating. The man was infuriating!
We finished our breakfast in silence, and when I was done I got up to take my plate to the sink. I washed it off and put it in the drain rack before reaching for the dirty pan on the stove. All the while, I could not stop thinking about the sum of money that Rebel said I owed him, and wondering how exactly I was going to pay it back. It would take me years. Fuck, it had taken me years just to save up what I had. I thought that maybe I should take Della up on the suggestion she’d had that we rent an apartment together. I could save more money each month that way.
"What are you thinking?"
I started when Rebel came up behind me, turning slightly to see that he was too close. Instant heat surged through my body, the hair at the back of my neck rising from the heat of his breath. I took the plate that he was holding out to me and started to wash it.
"I’m wondering how I'm going to pay you back." I tried to calm my racing heart by breathing in slowly and ignoring the man behind me. That turned out to be impossible, because every time he exhaled it sent a shiver down my body.
"I'm sure I can think of a way."
Was his nose in my hair? I held my breath, swallowing hard. The warmth of his body created an inferno inside me. I didn't want to remember the way he’d been able to make me feel things deep inside with just a touch, but it was difficult not to. It had been so long since I'd given in to my sexual urges. There'd been plenty of men who'd tried to get me there, but none of them had been him.
I rinsed his plate and set it in the drainer. I knew that he was still there, and yet I turned around anyway. Suddenly his arms were on either side of me, fencing me in against the sink. I caught my breath and raised my gaze to his, seeing the smoldering flame in his eyes. The stamp of raw desire on his face caught me unaware. Just a moment ago we'd been conversing like two normal people.
Like friends, almost.
"I'm not going to use my body to pay you back," I said weakly. I wasn't a whore.
He laughed softly. "Baby, your cunt would have to be gold to be worth that kind of money."
The prick! I reached up to slap him, but he was ready for me, catching my wrist in mid air. The next thing I knew he'd pinned both of my arms behind my back and we were flush. I gasped, feeling his enormous erection against my lower belly, remembering just how satisfying his long, thick cock had felt inside of me. My pussy clenched with need. No! I refused to give in to my baser needs before I was ready. Four years ago I hadn't had a say, but I did now, and I wasn't about to let myself be used.
"Let me‒"
My words were cut off by the hard, firm pressure of Rebel's lips. His kiss claimed my mouth with ease and expertise, and I hated him for it. I hated him because my will, already weakened, to give in to him was close behind. I struggled against his brutally hard body, closing my mind to all of the pleasures I knew he could give. Struggling against him was my undoing, because the only thing my brain registered was the hard cock that was digging into me. Liquid heat pooled between my legs, dragging a moan from me.
My lips parted beneath his, allowing his tongue entry into my mouth. Our tongues embarked on a battle of give and take, tasting, exploring, and claiming one another. His groan vibrated against me. I knew that I was in trouble when he began to grind his hard-on against me, and the hands that were holding my wrists imprisoned at the small of my back tightened. He transferred both wrists into one of his large hands and clamped the other one at my waist. I was weak with arousal by the time his hand glided up beneath my crop top to cup my breast.
I pressed my flesh out instinctively, trembling wildly when he plucked and tweaked my nipple. Suddenly I was thrust back to four years earlier, when nothing had mattered except for the mind-numbing pleasure that had coursed through my body, allowing me to forget, if just for a moment, the impossible situation that I'd been thrown into. I'd willingly offered my body to Rebel back then, as I was doing now.
I was so weak!
I vaguely heard a phone ring, my whimpers all but drowning out the sound. Rebel groaned, pulling away. I was certain that my expression mirrored the raw lust that I saw on his face, with burning eyes and flaring nostrils. We were both out of breath. But by the time Rebel answered his phone, one would never have guessed that we'd been in the middle of consuming each other with a kiss. He sounded in control.
"Yeah?" he growled, pulling away from me.
I relaxed against the sink, gulping in deep breaths, my heart all but pounding out of my chest. How could I have let him get to me so fast? I watched, because I was too weak to move, as Rebel walked away from me. He was totally engrossed in his conversation, while I was left breathless and trembling with arousal. How could he turn it off so quickly?
When he turned back toward me I could see that he was still sporting a strong erection. Our gazes met, and my clit throbbed.
I had to get out of there!
I ran to my bedroom and locked myself in to get dressed for work.