Snake

 

When the morning sun filtered through the windows of the motel room, I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow. It had been a late night, and I hadn’t gotten enough sleep. The few hours I had gotten, though, had been deep. A gentle movement in the bed next to me reminded me that I wasn’t alone.

 

I reached over and wrapped an arm around Bambi, pulling her close. She was tall, but she weighed nothing. I liked that I could throw her around a little, and I hoped I would have a chance to experiment with that some more. Our lovemaking had been amazing; I felt as though I had never truly been satisfied until that night. I kissed her shoulder as I curled my hand around her body to find her breast. Maybe we could have another round before breakfast.

 

But Bambi stiffened. It was a reaction of hers that I was beginning to become familiar with. It was only when she was pliant in my hands that she was truly relaxed. The rest of the time, she was tense and rigid like a doll. She held herself as tightly as she could, as though it would keep the rest of the world away, but it couldn’t work for long.

 

“Can I tell you something?” she asked quietly.

 

I had woken up with an erection, and I was ready to go again. Having her once had only made me want her more. I trailed my hand down her stomach and touched her gently between her legs. “Is it something we could talk about in a few minutes?”

 

She sucked in a breath, hesitating. “We could, but I really think you ought to know.”

 

Pushing myself up on my elbow, I looked down at her with curiosity. “What is it?”

 

“Well, um …” She bit her bottom lip, and it only made her sexier. Our late-night escapades had ended without any time for washing off her makeup, since we had instantly fallen asleep in each other’s arms when we were done. Her dark eyeshadow had smudged, but it did nothing to detract from her looks. “You see, what we did last night … I had never done that before.”

 

“You mean you’d only done it in missionary before?” We hadn’t done anything too crazy. I didn’t get it.

 

Bambi’s cheeks flushed a pale pink. “No, I mean that I was a virgin until last night.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

 

I couldn’t have heard her right. “You’re joking.” It wasn’t a question, as I was determined for my statement to be true.

 

“I’m not.” Her eyes were glossy, threatening tears. “I hadn’t ever done that before. Any of it.”

 

Shocked and yet somewhat pleased, I pulled her to my chest and held her tightly. “That’s hard to believe. You’re so beautiful. I would have thought some guy would have gotten to you already.” I racked my brain, trying to think if I had even met a virgin anytime in the last five years other than her.

 

She shook her head, and her hair brushed against my skin. “No. I hardly ever even went on any dates. Mother kept me so tightly under her wing, and the only time I could go out was if it was someone she approved of. I know you haven’t met her, but I can tell you there weren’t very many guys who fell I that category.”

 

I hadn’t met the woman, but I had seen her in the car during the parade and I’d heard her harsh voice in front of the courthouse. “No, I can imagine not.”

 

“I’m sorry. I should have told you beforehand. But I got so carried away, and I just didn’t think about it.” She shrank down against the pillow, and I wondered just what she had been through that had made her so submissive. Bambi had told me about her childhood, but I had a feeling I didn’t know the full extent of the abuse. “I’m sorry, Snake.”

 

Pulling gently on her shoulder so she had to roll over, I looked down into her eyes. They were big and brown, like a doe’s, and so deep I could get lost in them. “First of all, stop apologizing. I’m glad I was the one to do it. What I want to know is, do you regret it?” It was too late to change things, but I had to know.

 

She gave me a faint smile. “No.”

 

“Good.” I pulled her into me again, wrapping my arm around her and holding her close. I was no longer eager to do it again right away. We could wait, and she could rest. Besides, my mind was too busy working. There were so many things to think about. Knowing that Bambi had been a virgin had changed things more than I would have imagined. She wasn’t just a conquest, although if I was honest with myself she had stopped being one long before now. This woman was someone I was going to protect, and I would do anything to keep her safe. I had changed her life, and I was responsible for her.

 

Bambi sighed contentedly against my chest, and I dropped a kiss on her temple. “I’m going to go find us something to eat.”

 

I got dressed quickly and stepped outside, the morning sunshine harsh after the dark cocoon of our motel room. I blinked and pulled on my shades, noticing that a few of the guys were standing near their bikes. “There any good grub nearby?”

 

Rusty just grinned at me. “Why would you need breakfast? Sounded like you were eating plenty of pussy last night. Didn’t that fill you up?”

 

I shook my head. “I guess that means your room is next to mine? Hope we didn’t keep you up too late. Actually, I hope we did.”

 

“Just late enough to know you’re in the running for the bet.” Rusty thumbed over his shoulder at the building. “They really ought to make those walls more soundproof.”

 

I looked behind me at the motel office. “Yeah, what are you going to do about the bet? Did you manage to lay your hands on the manager at this motel as well?”

 

Rubble stepped up and punched Rusty in the shoulder. “Only if he’s into hairy foreign guys.”

 

We all laughed, and I had never felt so alive. I had a beautiful woman in my room, and I was with my friends. I had it all.

 

Rusty shoved Rubble aside. “Very funny. What about you, Snake? Are we going to have to take your little blonde beauty queen back to Myrtle Creek? Then I guess we’ll have to come back in a few weeks and see if she’s starting to look fat.”

 

He thought it was funny, but his questions only brought me back to the thoughts I’d been having ever since Bambi had broken the news to me a few minutes ago. She was sweet and innocent. She couldn’t go back to her mother, and she needed someone to look after her. I couldn’t let her go back to Myrtle Creek if I wanted to maximize my chances of impregnating her. I wanted both her body and her mind. “No, she’s going to stay with me.”

 

“Oh, I see,” Moose said with a knowing nod. “Someone’s got himself a bitch.”

 

“Don’t call her that,” I snapped, my fists instinctively curling at my sides. “And anyway, I want to win that bet. I can’t do it if I send her on home, now can I?”

 

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Axle volunteered with a wink. “I tried to get my farmer girl to come with me. She was so wild, and I thought for sure she’d want to ride around on the back of my bike for a little while, but—”

 

“But then she saw you in the daylight and realized how ugly you were?” Rusty interrupted.

 

We laughed heartily, and Axle waved him off. “But,” he continued, “she had too many obligations on the farm. I am, however, invited to come back and help her do a little milking anytime I want to, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

 

I headed off to get breakfast, finding a little diner down the street that would wrap up a couple of breakfast sandwiches to go. I had no idea if she liked bacon, sausage, or if she even ate meat, but I would find out. I still had a lot to learn about her, and I had plenty of time to do it in.