CHAPTER TEN
I’m lying, of course.
What’s between us can only be one thing.
Hope is mine.
Permanently.
Christ, it hit me like a fucking Mack truck when she came out of the bathroom, dressed in the skimpy pants that clung to her in a way that made it clear she wasn’t wearing any underwear. I’d been a bit of a dick bringing up that outfit, but I had no idea what size she wore, so I figured the stretchy pants should work no matter what. The tank top was the true dick move because I could have easily given her one of my shirts from the get-go. But, I was dying to see more of her. It’s stupid too, because the thing that amped me up more than anything was seeing her in my T-shirt, with my club’s logo in living color across her breasts.
She nibbles on her bottom lip, then sets her hand on my shoulder. "This is nuts. We barely know each other, but somehow everything makes sense when you’re around." Her voice isn’t much more than a whisper, but every word pierces my soul. I can’t even express how good it feels to hear her say that, although I’m not deaf to the anxiety in her words either.
Pulling her hand to my mouth, I press a kiss into her palm, then meet her eyes. "It doesn't matter how long we've known each other. I know you. I want you. Just be here with me. If that’s what you want."
"What will people think? It's been barely a year," she says in a rush.
I’m the wrong person to pose that question to. I’ve wanted to claim her since the second I laid eyes on her. Her marital status never mattered to me. I’m not a complete asshole. I am sorry for her loss, and I do recognize that if not for Clay’s untimely death, she wouldn’t be standing here asking me these questions. I take no pleasure from the situation either. But it is what it is.
"I don't know what to tell you. I know you can't help overanalyzing everything. It’s your nature. But try not to. You'll never be happy if you're always trying to please other people's idea of what you should be."
She nods and tips her head down shyly, so I tug her a little closer. Now I have her standing between my legs, and all I can think about is ripping every last piece of fabric off her. My hands settle at her hips, and I feel her bones jutting out. She’s gotten painfully skinny this last year. I want to take her downstairs to the kitchen and feed her until those generous curves are back.
The nervous look fluttering over her face has me worried I’ve gone too far. I pry my hands away from her hips. She’s still grieving. Still fragile. All those questions just proved that I have no business doing this. I shouldn’t have listened to her friend last night. My whole idea to wait a year and come claim her like some Neanderthal was fucking stupid. I want—no, I need—her to be ready for another relationship before we start anything. Because once I finally have her, I am never letting her go. Of that, I’m certain.
It’s this goddamned self-imposed celibacy thing. I’m wound up so tight I could blow at any second.
"Are you okay?" I manage to ask.
She steps in closer until her knees knock into the side of the mattress. Her breasts are at chin level, and I resist sinking my face into them. Although, as I flick my eyes up to her face, I catch a hungry look that makes me think maybe I’m wrong. I’m the one who is overanalyzing things. Maybe she wants this too. My hands find their way back to her hips. Her lips part, but no words come out. She’s struggling and frustrated. It finally dawns on me that she needs me to make the first move. I forget that she’s nothing like other women I’ve known, and I relish the idea of being the one in charge. Every woman I’ve been with in the last few years has been a quick fuck. There was no point in establishing who wanted what because we were both after a release and nothing more. Not one of them needed me to take the lead. This is going to be so good. I want to unlock every last sensual detail about Hope.
I run my hand down to the hem of her shirt and then up underneath until I encounter smooth, warm skin. "I like how you look in my shirt, baby." In a quick move, I pull the shirt up and over her head, dropping it on the nightstand.
My hands slide down and cup her sweet little ass. She gasps and puts her hands on my shoulder for balance. "Hope, I really want you."
The most gratifying, honest smile lights up her face. "I want you too."
Thank fucking fuck.
I stand up and she stumbles back a step, but I’ve got her. I slide one hand up into her hair and tip her head back so I can taste those sweet lips again. She’s so soft and eager. I touch the tip of my tongue to her and she opens for me. While my tongue explores her mouth, I let my hands roam back down to her ass. Her little cheeks fit my hands perfectly as I pull her up and into my hips. The move startles her, and she breaks away. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why—I’m hard as steel, and my jeans are doing a lousy job concealing my condition. Her hands slide off my shoulders. Oh, hell, no.
"You okay, Hope?"
Her teeth sink into her lower lip, distracting me so that I almost miss her words. "I’m scared."
"Of me?" I know I’m an animal, but I’m trying so hard to be gentle with her.
The corners of her mouth turn down, and her eyes lower till she’s examining the floor. "Of this." Her little hand flutters in the space between us.
"I haven’t been with anyone but my husband in over twelve years." She whispers the last part, but I hear her.
Inside, I’m thumping my chest. Not that this is news to me. Of course she hasn’t been with another man. Everything about Hope radiates loyalty and honor. Deep down, I know it’s the reason I want her for myself so fucking bad. Our differences may be staggering, but in this, we're the same. If we make a promise, we keep it. As bad as my first marriage had been, I’d never strayed. Unfortunately, my ex had not felt the same way about fidelity. But Hope is different. I know it in my bones.
"I kind of figured," I tell her as gently as possible.
She nods but doesn’t look up.
"Before that?" I’m such an asshole, because if she decides to ask me a similar question, I’m not sure I’ll be completely honest. But my curiosity wins out over common sense.
"High school boyfriend," she whispers.
Goddamn.
"I’m not going to hurt you, baby."
Finally she meets my eyes. "I know that."
Those words mean a lot to me. Her trust means everything.
"We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to." I’ll probably die from the most spectacular case of blue balls if I don’t get inside her soon, but I’ll do things at her pace.
Then she does the most amazing thing. She places her index finger over my lips. "No more talking. Kiss me."
No need to tell me twice. I wrap her in my arms and turn her toward the bed. My lips find hers, and this time I don’t hold back. I want her to understand who and what I am. How much I want her. She falls back on the bed, taking me with her. One hand is tangled in her hair, and my other is at her hip. One of her soft hands sneaks under the hem of my shirt, brushing against my skin. Grabbing the back of my shirt, I lift it over my head. She helps me yank it all the way off and toss it to the floor. Her gaze roams over me, heating my skin with pride at the way she seems to appreciate what she sees.
Now she’s breathing hard, making her breasts rise and fall, ready to spill out of the skimpy tank top. My hand slips up under the material, and she sits up just enough for me to take it off completely. I’m left staring at her lace-covered breasts. They fill my hands nicely, and she arches off the bed when my thumb brushes over the fabric covering her nipple. So fucking gorgeous. She’s so responsive, it makes me crazy. I drop my mouth over hers and take another long, slow kiss.
Her hands frame my face, sliding over my cheek and jaw. I can’t get enough of her touch. Groans of appreciation mingle with the sounds of our kissing. She rakes her nails through my hair, sending sparks down my spine. This time, I break the kiss, frantically moving my mouth over her jaw, down her neck, along her clavicle, and down the valley between her breasts. I look up, but her head is thrown back, eyes closed. Using my fingers, I pull the lacy cups of her bra down so I can feast on her nipples. I suck and flick my tongue against the hard peaks until she twists under me.
Those sharp little nails are still buried in my hair, lightly grazing my scalp, sending shivers all over me. Still tonguing her nipple, I let my hand roam down her side. She wriggles when I tickle her ribs, tease her belly button, but goes stiff as a board when I cup her pussy. Christ, the flimsy little pants are soaked. I rub my thumb restlessly over her mons and smile like a devil as she starts writhing under me. As I slide my hand up to the waistband, she goes still.
"Don’t. I’m a mess. Down there."
I honestly have no idea what that’s supposed to mean. My face must be full of what-the-fuck, because she sighs and braces herself on her elbows to look at me. She’s flushed from her chest up, and it’s a beautiful sight.
"You’re used to all those neatly groomed strippers, and…I’m not…I haven’t done that in awhile."
I’m still feeling clueless, but it’s starting to sink in.
"Uh, baby, I don’t really give a shit. I just want your sweet little pussy." I can’t help being crude. The absurdity of her thinking some fucking pubic hair is going to stop me from what I’ve been drooling over for two damn years almost makes me laugh.
Without giving her another chance to protest, I hook my fingers and yank the pants down her legs. She squeals and slams her eyes shut, but her hips shoot off the bed and her legs fall open, giving me one hell of a view.
I should have jacked off this morning. The minute she got in the shower, I should have run downstairs and jerked myself because I’m not going to last very long. I want our first time to be perfect for her, and coming in five seconds like a teenager isn’t going to cut it.
She’s all pale, creamy skin and glistening auburn curls. So fucking beautiful. I slide farther down the bed and push her legs up and over my shoulders. Using my fingers, I carefully rub over her clit hood in firm little circles until her body relaxes and she starts moaning. Then I spread her open, using my tongue to tease her first with soft licks, then light sucking. One finger slides into her easily, so I add another. She’s so hot, wet, and damn tight, my mouth stops moving for a minute.
A little whine from her gets me going again. My tongue swipes up her pussy, and I tease her clit with soft little flicking motions. Her breath hitches, and her hips arch up against my face. My fingers work her soft at first, gliding in and out. I settle my mouth over her clit, stroking with my tongue gently for a bit, then harder until her legs tremble. Sweet little whimpers, begging, nonsense words echo in the room as she convulses around my fingers. Her hips jerk uncontrollably, but I keep at her, wringing every last drop of pleasure I can out of my girl.
Brilliant sparks keep firing behind my eyelids. He’s turned my body to jelly. I can barely move. It’s been so damn long since I came like that. Guilt creeps in when a tiny voice inside says I’ve never come so hard in my life.
It’s just the passage of time. It’s been so long that you forgot what an orgasm was.
That soothes my brain, but my body isn’t buying it.
The urge to touch Rock overrides everything else. He crawls up my body, kissing every inch of me along the way.
"Hope? Are you with me?"
I nod because I can’t form any words right now. My hands slip over his shoulders and pull him down to me. Then I’m kissing him, tasting myself on his lips and not caring one bit. I can’t get enough. My fingers fumble with the button of his jeans. Together, we work the rough material down his legs. His hard, warm body blankets me, his thick erection resting on my thigh. I spread my legs and bump my hips up, begging him with my body for more. I need him to fill me hard, hot, and thick.
"Baby, I really need to fuck you now," he whispers harshly.
Mindless, I pant out a desperate sounding, "Yes, yes."
I hear him rip open a condom and watch him roll it on. God, he’s beautiful and huge everywhere. I seem to surprise him by tipping my hips up and wrapping my legs around him. He’s in the perfect position to slide right in, but he stops and looks into my eyes first.
"It’s been a while, baby. I’m probably going to embarrass myself."
I’m not sure what he means. What’s a while for Rock? Twenty-four hours? A week? The man surrounds himself with hot, available strippers on a daily basis. I can’t ponder this any longer because he finally drives his cock deep inside in one hard thrust.
"Fuck," he groans, drawing the curse out until instead of being vulgar, it’s the sexiest word ever spoken.
I grip his very fine ass, digging in my nails in an attempt to pull him closer. Finally he begins to move. Each slide in and out has me gasping and moaning. Sensations spread through my core. Every place where our bodies are connected burns with need. In no time, he goes from gentle, sensuous slides to hard, forceful pumping. I widen my legs, bringing my knees up, wanting him as deep inside me as he can get. He hooks one of my legs over his shoulder and then the other one. Pleasure pours through me with the new angle. Every merciless thrust pushes me closer to another orgasm, and then I come, screaming and shaking. His cock jolts inside of me, pulsing as he comes.
He shrugs my legs off his shoulders and nuzzles my neck before turning to capture my lips in a searing kiss.
"Thank you," he murmurs before moving away to dispose of the condom.
Everything inside of me is still racing and trembling. Absently, my fingers reach up to pinch my still-hard nipples.
"Jesus Christ, you’re the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen," Rock whispers.
Embarrassed, I drop my hands. He slides back into bed and pulls me to him. Slowly, he takes my lips in a tender kiss. His hands stroke my back with startling gentleness considering how hard he just fucked me.
A slow burn starts up, and I want him again. His soapy scent has been replaced with a lusty sweatiness, and it makes me want to lick him all over. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against his chin. The feeling of contentment that washes over me is false because I know this might be all the time we have together. Rock can’t be interested in me long term. I doubt he does long term, and let’s be honest—I'm nothing like the girls he’s used to. Now that he’s gotten fucking a straight-laced girl like me out of his system, he can go back to banging strippers or club girls who have a hell of a lot more experience to offer him than I do.
It’s insane, but I want to keep him. I shouldn’t want anyone in my life permanently already, but I can’t help it. It’s sad and horrible that Clay died so young, but I feel like a year-long fog is lifting and I’m grasping at the sunlight.
His big hand brushes hair off my cheek. "You look so serious."
Yup, seriously crazy about you.
But I keep the words to myself. The last thing he wants is a desperate-to-be-loved woman in his bed. If this is going to end, I at least want it to end nicely.
I force a smile. "I’m starving."
Concern darkens his face. "Let’s feed you, then."
I’m actually sleepy, but my stomach rumbles, so I get dressed. I sigh when I turn around and see he’s covered—I still haven’t gotten to explore those tattoos.
"What’s wrong?"
"You put a shirt on. I wanted to study all your tattoos."
He throws back his head and laughs. "You can play discovery later." He holds out his forearms to me. "You can study these while we eat."
I guess that will have to do. I like the promise of later.
Downstairs is a mess. There are plates, empty bottles, plastic cups, and all sorts of other stuff scattered on every surface. Sleeping bodies in various states of dress and undress are draped over a few of the couches. The door to the meeting room is firmly shut, and I wonder if anyone is in there. Rock ignores the mess and leads me to the kitchen.
My curiosity is piqued as we near the "yoga studio." I can’t even imagine what must have gone on in there last night. The door is only open a crack, so I can’t see more than the wall and a sliver of one of the mirrors.
We enter the dining area. A few guys are sitting around one of the smaller tables. I recognize Bricks right away.
A big grin lifts his cheeks, and he stands.
"Hi, Bricks."
He comes closer and eyes Rock, who nods at him. Odd.
"Hey, Hope. It’s good to see you." The quick hug startles me. As his counsel of record, when his ex filed another bullshit violation against him, the court had sent it to me. I promptly got a letter directing me to send it to another attorney. Feelings hurt all over the place on that one. I’d done damn good work for Bricks, but given the way things ended with Rock, it hadn’t surprised me. The enthusiastic way Bricks greets me does, however, surprise me.
I want to ask him, and I think he senses my question because he shoves his hands in his pockets and shifts from foot to foot. Rock must feel what’s coming too, because he squeezes me tight to his side and kisses the top of my head. The other guys at the table where Bricks had been sitting look up in surprise. Is it me, or does Rock’s open affection grab their attention? Surely they’ve seen him with other women before?
"Joining us, prez?" one of the guys asks. He’s tall and broad, with curling blond hair licking the edge of his jaw, a sharp nose, and a sexy amount of scruff.
"Prospect is helping Trin with breakfast," a shorter, and only slightly less muscled than the rest, guy informs us.
Rock seems conflicted. Is he already embarrassed to be seen with me?
But then he pulls out a chair and gestures for me to sit. Again, the guys give him a strange look. Rock pulls a chair close to me and falls into it. Even though we’re in two separate chairs, we’re pretty much touching from shoulder to thigh. I’m absurdly happy.
I don’t get to savor the moment, though. A tall, voluptuous blonde girl comes out of the kitchen with a tray of food. She’s both beautiful and cute. Suddenly I feel like an old sea hag. I thrust my hands into my hair, trying to tame it into something less messy.
"Hey, Rock-n-Roll," she calls out with a smirk.
"Hey, Trinity, you behaving yourself?" Rock answers.
"Never." She stops and sets plates in front of each of the guys. When she sets the last plate down, the hulking blond guy, who looks like some kind of Viking warrior, yanks her into his lap and gives her a wet kiss on the cheek. She giggles and slaps him away, then focuses her attention on Rock.
"What are you hungry for, Rock?"
His hand covers mine and squeezes, drawing her attention to me. "Oh, hi. I’m Trinity." She waves a few fingers at me and scrambles out of the Viking’s lap.
"Hi, I’m Hope."
"Well, what can I get you?" Her mouth does this nervous upward half-smile thing, and I feel bad that she seems so damn uncomfortable. I take a look at what the guys are scarfing down—eggs and lots of bacon—and my stomach rolls.
"Is there any cereal? Special K, Rice Krispies? Something like that?" I start to push my chair out. "Actually, I can go—"
Rock’s hand grasps me tighter as he pulls me back down. "It’s fine, Hope. You’re my guest."
Trinity is on her way to a full freak-out.
"Bring me what they’re having, get Hope her cereal, and two waters, please, Trinity," Rock directs.
She nods but doesn’t say anything, just scurries back into the kitchen. I’m not even sure how to react to that.
"You know how she got the name Trinity, right? All three holes—"
"Wrath! The fuck?" Rock growls.
The Viking slides a guilty look my way. "Sorry, Hope."
The guy next to him snickers, then sticks his hand out to me. "Excuse our president’s shitty manners—I’m Teller."
Rock grunts in response. "She knows the names of the important people."
I grasp his outstretched hand briefly. "Nice to meet you, Teller."
Bricks shakes his head and fixes his gaze on me.
"Rock told me you did the mural in the front room. It’s really spectacular," I say in an attempt to make some normal conversation. It’s the right move because Bricks’s face lights up. He rolls up his sleeve to show me the tattoo on his bicep, a mini-version of the mural.
I can’t help but lean over and trace the lines. "Wow, that’s amazing." He seems shocked that I’m touching him, so I snatch my hand back.
"Sorry."
"No, it’s fine."
And we’re back to awkward.
Trinity breezes back in the room, setting down a giant family-size box of cornflakes in front of me as well as a bowl and a gallon of milk.
"Jesus Christ, Trin, how much ya think she’s gonna eat?" Wrath mumbles at her.
Rock raises an eyebrow, but there’s no way I’m going to let him give this girl a hard time. She probably hates me enough already as it is.
"It’s fine. Thank you, Trinity. I’m starving."
She throws me a grateful look and disappears into the kitchen again.
I get busy pouring my cereal, because I wasn’t lying—I am hungry.
"So Bricks, how is it going with the kids?"
"Great. Sue’s finally chilled the fuck out. But if shit goes down again, I want you taking care of it." Rock tenses up next to me but doesn’t say anything.
"I’m not really—"
"It’s safe now. Vipers are in the fucking gr—," Wrath starts.
Rock’s fist slams into the table, rattling my cereal bowl. "Are you fucking high?"
"What? She doesn’t know?" He jerks his chin in my direction. All hell is breaking loose around me, but I’m not sure why.
"Know what?" I ask.
"Nothing," Rock growls.
Wrath looks to Teller and Bricks, but they both shake their heads.
I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.
I’m going to kill Wrath. It’s a shame because we’ve been brothers a long time, but the motherfucker has got a death wish this morning. Maybe I’ll just ram my fist down his throat so he’ll finally shut the fuck up.
We finish our breakfast in silence. At least I do. Hope is radiating confusion, and she barely ate a thing. Yeah, I’m going to kick Wrath’s ass for this.
My girl has definitely checked out of whatever we had going on this morning. This is exactly why I hesitated to sit down and break bread with these pricks. I might trust them with my life, but I sure as fuck don’t trust them not to say shit my woman isn’t ready to hear right now.
When I finish, she taps my arm. "I need to get my car," she says softly.
Damn. I’m not ready to let her go yet. After seeing her get so excited checking out Bricks’s tattoo earlier, I was looking forward to taking her back upstairs and letting her get busy tracing my ink. Maybe with her tongue instead of her fingers.
"It should be out front, doll."
Her lips purse, and I sense she’s about to get the very worst idea. "I didn’t know where we were going to end up last night, so I figured it was safest here."
She accepts that, thankfully.
"I’m going to run upstairs and grab my shoes." She wriggles her bare foot against my leg, and inside I’m thanking Buddha she’s not angry with me. I want to be a gentleman and tell her I’ll go get them for her, but there’s no fucking way I’m leaving her at the mercy of these douchebags.
"I’ll go with you." But, she’s already out of her chair.
"I know the way. Be right back."
I need to have a moment with Wrath, but I’m also hesitant to just let her run around the clubhouse unescorted. Not that anyone would hurt her, but I don’t want any of the guys thinking she’s up for grabs. "If you run into anyone, make sure to tell them you’re with me."
She gives me an odd look, then leans down to kiss my cheek. It’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever received, and I’m momentarily stunned. By the time I open my eyes, she’s almost out the door.
Wrath thinks I won’t notice him trying to sneak away.
"Stop right there, asshole."
He sits back down.
"What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with you?"
Teller and Bricks are laughing. "Shut the fuck up. You two weren’t much better."
"Prez, I thought she knew at least a little bit."
"Well, she doesn’t. All this shit is new to her, and if it’s all right with you, I’d like to break her in slowly, got it?"
He smirks at "break her in slowly" until I give him a hard glare.
"Yeah, sure."
"And treat Trinity with some respect, would ya?"
At that, Teller shakes even harder with laughter.
"What’s so fucking funny, dipshit?" I growl, knowing I am not going to like the answer.
"Everyone’s had a piece of Trinny."
I don't know what's gotten into my brothers today, but they all seem eager to test my fucking patience. "So fucking what? She tossed your homely ass a pity fuck—be grateful, not a dick about it."
Teller backs down with a pout. Fucking babies.
"Boss is right. She’s a nice girl, and she does a lot around here," Bricks adds.
"Ass-kisser," Wrath grumbles.
I’m tired of these guys. "Assholes, all of you." I punch Bricks in the shoulder, so he knows I’m not lumping him in with the two assholes I’m actually pissed at. Then I’m out of here. Hope’s been away from me for much too long.
The way she bounds down the stairs makes it impossible to believe she’s over thirty. At first, she flashes me a bright smile, like she’s happy to see me, then it dims, and I’m guessing she remembers she’s annoyed with me. Fantastic.
I take her hand, and we head outside. It’s a perfect crisp, cool morning. "You warm enough?"
"I’m good."
"Look, I’m sorry."
"I feel like I had breakfast in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language."
That’s actually a really good way to describe it, and I tell her so.
"So, it’s a biker thing?"
"Yeah."
"What are Vipers?"
Shit—I’m not ready to have this conversation with her yet. But if I want her in my life, she needs to be aware of some things.
"Not what—who. They’re a rival MC. They run Ironworks and most of the surrounding county right up to the Vermont border. We had some problems with them, but it’s over with now."
I can see her processing this information.
"Oh. Okay," she finally says.
Obviously none of it really sunk in. I’m having a tough time here, because I want to be straight with her, but I also don’t feel like giving her information that’s going to unnecessarily scare her and possibly push her away from me. Not when I finally have her in my life in the way that I’ve wanted for so long.
We’re still walking. We’ve cleared the wall that surrounds the conference center and are crunching over leaves into the woods. "How much of this do you own?"
"All together, about three hundred acres."
"Wow. Impressive. What are you going to do with all that land?"
It’s a good question. One I’ve been contemplating a lot myself lately. I own a house down in the city, but I spend so much of my time out here it seems like a waste. It would probably be a lot safer if more of us lived up here. Trinity lives here full time. She’s the only club girl with her own private room because she takes care of the place for us too. Two guys stay here round the clock to keep up on the grow house. Wrath, Z, Teller, and Murphy mostly live here full time, although Teller splits a lot of his time at his grandmother’s house helping take care of his little sister.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start adding some other buildings. Maybe build a house up here if I had someone to share it with.
"A lot of the guys hunt in the fall, so there’s that. We put in a small shooting range."
"Isn’t that dangerous?"
"Not if you know what you’re doing."
She’s silent.
"Why haven’t you gone back to work, Hope?"
She doesn’t answer for so long, I wonder if she didn’t hear me.
"I can’t."
I gently place my hand on her arm. "What about your house and stuff, honey?"
We’ve stopped walking, and she’s just fidgeting and staring off into the woods. "Clay had some insurance money. I’m okay for now."
"Oh, that’s good." It’s really none of my business. But I am relieved to know her husband thought to make sure she was taken care of if anything ever happened to him.
"This last year has just been…awful."
My arm snakes around her waist, and I pull her close. I can’t stand the thought of her in pain, emotional or any other kind. I also can’t shake the feeling that if I push her too fast, I’ll lose her. What I want to say is "you’ve got me" or "I’m here for you." But, I get the sense she’s not going to react well, so I just offer her a shoulder to lean on for now. After a few minutes, she wraps her arms around my waist and tips her head up.
There it is. Those beautiful green eyes that have haunted me since the first day I spotted her in that crowded courtroom. Even when I confused or annoyed her, she saw me. To her, I wasn’t a guy she wanted to ride for selfish reasons or some lowlife criminal. She saw me and treated me with respect, even if I irritated the shit out of her.
"This is nice here. Peaceful."
The look on her face is serene, and I’m so done for. We take in the mountain views together a little longer. She stops and gives me her sweet little frustrated look again. I lean down to kiss her, and she throws her arms around my neck, clinging to me. With my hands under her ass, I lift her up so she’s at the perfect kissing level. Somehow, before I know it, I’ve got her pinned to a huge pine tree. Her legs are wrapped around my waist, and her hot core sears me right through the layers of clothing between us. I’m so fucking hard I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my jeans. I really need to get out of them and into her.
The bark of the tree bites into my knuckles, and I realize it’s going to rip her back up if we keep going. Her hands have moved south, and she’s tugging at my belt. "Baby, hang on. I gotta set you down."
The loss of her wrapped around me is swift, and it sucks. But the second her feet touch the ground, she turns and braces her hands against the tree. The position is sexy as hell, and she makes it worse by arching her back and thrusting her ass higher into the air. Oh, hell fucking yes. She watches me over her shoulder as I slip a condom out of my pocket and struggle to free myself to put it on.
"Aren’t you a boy scout."
"A guy can dream."
This playful version of Hope wriggles her ass at me in an invitation I have no intention of turning down. In one swift move, I pull her pants down to her knees and grip her hips. I’ve got to bend a little to get the right angle, but once I sink inside her, it's heaven and nothing else registers.
We’re not in danger of being seen out here. There’s no reason for any of the guys to come stalking through the woods looking for us, but I have this insane urge to cover her up. Hope’s body is mine, and even the thought of the woodland bears and deer getting an eyeful annoys me.
She whines as I pull out and turns to give me this pissy expression that is cute as fuck. I pull my shirt over my head.
"Stay like that, baby."
Dropping the shirt to the ground, I sit down with my back up against the tree. She’s still braced against it, staring down at me. "Come here." I reach my hand up and she takes it, kicking off her pants the rest of the way. Okay, now she’s more naked than before. Then she’s straddling me and easing herself down with painful slowness onto my aching cock.
"Fuck, Hope."
She presses up tight and kisses my jaw, staring into my eyes. After a few agonizing seconds, her eyes flutter half-closed and she’s rocking up and down on my cock, driving me nuts. Now there’s too much clothing in my way. I want her tits in my mouth, and there’s my sweatshirt and a couple other layers preventing that. Snaking my hands under the material, I fill my hands with her lace-covered breasts, rubbing my thumbs over her nipples. This is crazy. I want my hands all over her at once. Fingers sinking into her hips, pinching her nipples, cupping her shoulders to hold her down so I can thrust up into her. Her shouts echo around us in the woods. It’s possible they heard that back at the clubhouse, but I don’t really give a fuck. Everyone will know I’m out here pleasuring my woman. Big deal.
The walls of her snug little pussy contract around me, calling my own orgasm. Now it’s my sharp groaning filling the air around us. She rides out the storm, her face buried in my neck, licking and nipping at my skin. My hands grab her face, and I pull her to me for a victory kiss.
We sit still for a few minutes, our foreheads touching, my hands settled at her waist. Finally, I nudge her and help her stand. She turns around and bends down to pick up her pants, and it’s a fight not to take her again. Except, I’m spent. I bury the condom under a pile of leaves.
"That’s not so green," she jokes.
She’s dressed, but has this very appealing, freshly fucked look about her. She should always look like this—rosy cheeks, reddened lips, mussed hair. I pick out a few small twigs that got tangled at the ends of her hair.
"I miss those cute little bangs you had when we met," I say absently.
Her face freezes, and she runs a self-conscious hand through her hair.
"I haven’t really—"
I press a quick kiss to her forehead. "Doll, you’re beautiful no matter what."
The tight expression softens. I note that her self-esteem issue hasn’t improved. It will be my pleasure to help her work on that.
When we’ve righted our clothing, I take her hand and lead her farther into the woods until we reach the clearing.
"Oh my gosh, you have windmills! That’s so cool!" She claps her hands together in a very girlish gesture and grins from ear to ear. The enthusiasm she displays just guts me. I’ve never known a sweeter woman.
There are four windmills up here that power the center. From a distance they’re unremarkable, but up close they’re pretty impressive. What they mean to the MC is that when we have large spikes in power usage, the electric company isn’t placing a phone call to the DEA. Maintaining our grow house downstairs takes a lot of energy. It’s the most important reason we bought up this hippie compound. Self-sufficiency.
"It was too dark to notice last night, but the roof is covered in solar panels too."
She turns to me with this adorable, curious expression. "I had no idea motorcycle clubs were so environmentally conscious."
"Actually, this was all here when we bought the place, but it’s nice not to get an electric bill."
"What about wintertime? It must be brutal up here on the mountain."
"We definitely need the plow truck, but the wind that gets generated here year-round is pretty insane. It hasn’t been an issue yet."
Her expression has turned thoughtful, and she’s quiet as we hike back down.
Wrath greets us out front when we return. He’s lucky I’ve had some time to calm myself. The urge to throat punch him isn’t as strong as before. Hope gives him a warm smile he’s not worthy of, and the bastard has the nerve to grin back at her. As he pulls her keys from his pocket and hands them to her, the urge to connect my fist with his Adam’s apple returns.
The look in my eyes must be murderous, because he holds out his hand. "Prez, we got that thing this afternoon."
Right this second, I don’t give a fuck about the exchange we have going on with the Green Street Crew or their little bitch shotcaller. I’m not ready to let Hope out of my sight. With a tilt of my head and a raised eyebrow, I let him know he better not spew club business in front of Hope again. But, he’s not completely stupid, or he’s finally sober, because he doesn’t elaborate.
Taking Hope by the elbow, I turn her away from Wrath—the nosy bastard doesn’t need to hear our conversation. "I’m sorry, doll. I do have some business to take care of this afternoon. It will probably go late."
She turns and places her hand over my heart. Fuck, if I’m not ready to take her again, right on the hood of her own damn car, in front of everyone. "I understand. Uh, thank you for last night." Her cheeks flame. In a lower voice, she says, "And this morning."
Oh, damn, she’s cute. And she’s making it impossible for me to say goodbye.