Chapter Seventeen
Charlie
“Now. Now. Now.” I was going insane if I didn’t find release soon. My body quaked, my mind gone. Each flick of his tongue created a new crest of ecstasy, almost there, but not enough.
Never enough. My thighs squeezed around his head and shoulders and I was lost to him. Wave after wave of pleasure swamped me, brought me to a new level, a place I didn’t know existed. Part torture, mostly heaven, I wanted the finale, to... Thoughts escaped me.
Time stopped, I swore an eternity passed, words flew from me and my body demanded more. “I can’t take this. Please.”
Fingers jacked inside me. Between the strokes of tongue and fingers, I crashed down and shattered against him. The sharp pangs of pleasure gave way to a bone-deep comfort that relaxed me. Relief and comfort spread through me in the afterglow of what we’d shared. His calloused fingertips scraped across the sensitive flesh of my thighs. I shivered and tried to force open my eyes but he’d melted every muscle, even the ones that worked my eyelids.
I sighed and heard Joe chuckle as his warm and reassuring weight settled next to me. He stroked my hair, nuzzling my neck. Sleep pulled at me. I’d slept little the past two days. Just a quick nap to recharge my battery, then I’d be ready for round two.
Joe’s scent enticed me from sleep, my eyes flickered open and sunlight hurt them. I lay in the crook of his arm and ran my hand over the hard surface of his chest, curling my fingers into his chest hair.
My mind started churning and last night replayed on a surreal filmstrip of memories. The exhaustion, fight and then the climax had driven me beyond my normal limits. Hell, blown past any experience I’d ever had. So relaxed in my bliss cocoon, I must’ve fallen into a deep sleep. I only remembered thinking about how tired I was, then now. How had that happened? Why hadn’t he woken me up for round two? I’d never known a man to delay let alone deny his own pleasure.
No one had ever made me forget myself so completely. My cheeks heated remembering all the dirty things I’d said last night. But Joe liked it, liked me.
I studied the dark-haired biker. Asleep, his sexy lips didn’t mock me for not kissing them. His eyes didn’t try to steal into my soul. His charisma was buried in sleep, and I could almost inspect him without the pull I’d felt from the first moment I’d seen him. Not that I’d wanted to feel anything.
I ran a finger down his solid jawline to the square chin that normally demanded I agree with him. Now, he was peaceful, maybe harmless. I explored—how could I resist him now?—brushing my hands down his chest to his defined, flat stomach. I stopped as the treasure trail of hair thickened low on his abdomen. Did I want to wake the beast? Was I ready for his brand of lovemaking? Even if I could, he wouldn’t let me hold anything back.
But he wasn’t leaving, and God help me, I didn’t want him too. I needed him to brand me again with his kind of passion. I could become addicted, and I’d only had a taste. I followed my instincts and stroked the thick length of his erection. He was big. Bigger than I’d ever experienced.
Soon his hips moved and power filled me. He wanted me as much, maybe more, than I wanted him. God, it felt good to be wanted again.
“Morning, darling,” he purred from above me.
I didn’t look up, instead I moved down, closer. Focused on making him beg like he had made me the night before, I scooted down, taking him into my mouth.
“Fuck,” he moaned, moving under me. I liked this.
His hips moved faster then suddenly stopped. I glanced up and he sat up, tugging me toward him.
“Oh no, darling, I’m coming inside you this morning. Over and over until you can’t scream my name.”
Heat, liquid and scalding, shot through me. His words fed the fire inside me. His lips found mine, I tried to pull away.
“I need to shower, to brush—”
“You need to fuck me,” he growled and flipped me over so he was on top. “Grab the condom by you.”
I glanced over to see a whole string of them. He wasn’t serious about again and again? I’d never had more than one orgasm or given a man more than one. Was it even possible?
“Now, darling.” Need turned his voice rough.
Power and passion swirled inside me. I made him sound that way. With a gulp, I handed him the condom.
“Good girl.” He grinned down at me then swiped a finger through my folds.
“All ready for me. I like the smell of your pussy. And the taste.”
His words were so dirty. I shouldn’t...but I did. His dirty mouth turned me on. How’d I lived this long without knowing that one simple fact?
“You want this bad boy in you? To fuck you?” He rolled on the condom.
“Yes, please,” I begged, pressing up into him.
“Say it.” He sucked my lip then let it go. “Now.”
“Fuck me.”
“How?” He pushed into me and stopped. “I can wait all day.” He smirked down at me.
I pumped up into him, but it wasn’t enough. I needed all of him.
Hard. Fast. Brutal. Where had that come from? I’d never... I was going to have to quit thinking that...obviously Joe was unexplored territory. Wild and rough territory.
“I want you to fuck me—” did I dare say it? “—wild and rough. Make me come.” I met his gaze and jerked up, taking him deeper.
He chuckled and plunged into me. With deep, hard strokes he claimed me. “Fucking tight pussy makes me want to come, but you have to do more. You gotta make me.” He challenged me.
Oh hell yeah, I was up for the challenge. I wrapped my legs around him, giving him just a bit more room. I met him thrust for thrust.
“Harder. Fuck me, hard,” I demanded, lost to the moment.
His eyes lost focus and then closed before he gave me exactly what I needed. If last night was eternity, today was a freight train barreling through me—hard, fast, he ripped the orgasm from me.
“That’s it, so damn tight. I’m going to fuck you unconscious.” He grinned down at me. “Again.”
“Try it.” I panted, more than ready to give him a full serving of what he gave me last night.
I pushed up on his chest. “My turn.”
He arched a thick brow at me before rolling over and taking me with him. I squealed, breathless, ending on top of him with him still deep inside me. I liked a man with talents.
I found myself impaled on his cock, almost uncomfortably full.
“You gonna sit there all day?” He grinned up at me.
I fell forward and my breasts dangled over him.
“That’s it.” He claimed a nipple, and pleasure tore through me. I moved slow at first but that wasn’t enough. I needed more.
His mouth captured my breasts as they slid over his face and back. He dug fingers into my hips and I rode him for all I was worth.
We moved together and my clit rubbed against him, creating a spark I needed to ignite. I dug fingers into his shoulders as we moved together. His body hitched and my fingers dug deeper. Pain flashed from his hold and that excited me too.
I sat up and bounced, needing to bring him home. His eyes glazed over, watching me move.
“Come for me again.” His raspy voice excited me.
“Can’t. It’s your turn.” I slammed into him, again and again.
He gave me a feral grin and thumbed my nub. Sensation swamped me and I threw my head back as I climaxed again.
“Joe.” I shouted his name and let myself spiral out of control.
“Fuck, Charlie, coming,” he grunted and pumped into me.
I collapsed onto his chest a few moments later, both of us spent and sweaty. That was dirty sex and I’d loved it. Sucking in oxygen, I tried to calm my breathing. Both our hearts raced in our chests. I loved feeling his heartbeat with mine.
I licked his salty neck and he sighed. “Fucking perfect. Knew you’d be a hellion.”
Me a hellion? Only with Joe. I’d never lost control like this before but Joe had pushed me, goaded me until I’d broken my boundaries and let it all hang out. It felt damn good. But had I pleased him? Really?
I peeked up at him. He looked satisfied. Should I ask? No, not ever.
He rolled over and I landed on my mattress, he looked down at me while lying on his side. “What are you thinking?” He narrowed his gaze on me.
“Nothing,” I squeaked.
“Liar.” He traced my bottom lip with the rough pad of his finger.
I shivered. “What are you thinking?”
He grinned. “That I’m a lucky bastard to have you in this bed.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “I loved your dirty mouth and that tight pussy.”
Heat raced up my neck. He didn’t just say that? I wasn’t used to such plain speaking.
“You surprised me.” The words toppled out. “I’ve never had two, didn’t think it was a thing.”
A satisfied smile spread across his face. “Darling, two is just the beginning.”
* * *
Three days passed without an attack. When we weren’t trying to lure the bad guys, Joe and I spent most of our time in bed. I still hadn’t pushed him beyond like he had me and it sort of pissed me off. I was competitive and it was better to brood on ways to undo him in bed than to think about the men trying to kill me.
I opened the fridge to find the ingredients for lunch—my turn on kitchen duty. Despite what I’d expected, Joe and I made easy roommates. He was neat enough, and in a good mood most of the time. Of course that could be from our efforts to set a Guinness Book record on the most orgasms achieved. It’d sure improved my mood. And he’d been right, two was just the beginning. We’d already topped that record.
I put together a salad with the leftover chicken he’d grilled last night. Cutting up vegetables soothed me—the lack of work and a normal routine had begun to get to me. I needed normal. This time with Joe was anything but normal and it was messing with my mind.
“Lunch!” I hollered into the living room where a sports commentator talked about NASCAR. I didn’t understand the attraction.
He sauntered in with a bare chest and feet—I wanted to forget lunch and head back to bed. “You look tastier than my lunch.” I leaned up for a quick kiss, but Joe had different ideas. His slow, consuming kiss made me wet and ready for him. I was addicted. This was the most sex I’d had ever, yet Joe showed no signs of slowing down.
I broke the kiss and stepped back. “Down.” I laughed. “We’re having lunch.”
“I’m hungry for you.” His sexy rumble created a racing thrill in my stomach.
“Seriously, how long before this wears off?” I set his salad on the table before grabbing my plate, sitting across from him. Away from temptation.
“What wears off?” He sat down and poured half the bottle of Thousand Island on his salad.
“Really? Like a little salad with that dressing?”
“Only way to eat rabbit food, drowned in good stuff.” He grinned before taking a huge bite of pink-splattered lettuce.
I sprinkled a lot less of my olive oil blend on the salad in front of me.
“Pathetic.” He shook his head. “What wears off?”
“This sex thing? Surely your libido slows...” I trailed off when Joe’s frown turned to a glower.
“Watch your words, woman...never question the Italian sex drive.” He teased but underneath there was a seriousness. Had I insulted him?
“I didn’t mean—”
“Darling, you’re only getting deeper. Less words, more eating.” He took another bite and studied me. “But get me, this is how I always am...there’s no tamer version of me.”
I gulped and focused on my salad. With that kind of drive, he must move from woman to woman. No established relationship worked liked that. Did it? None I knew about.
“What?” he demanded in that cocky way of his. I swear he could read my freaking mind.
“You must date lots of women.” I hadn’t meant to say that.
The fork clinked against my table. “Look at me.”
“Forget it. It’s nothing. None of my business.” Why couldn’t I just ride this sexcation until the end without complicating it. I didn’t want a relationship with Joe.
Liar, my conscience called me out.
The chair scraped back and Joe kneeled beside me, turning my chair until I faced him, was looking square at him. Dark eyes full of intense emotion, he stared at me and I wondered what I’d unleashed. I’d never seen him so serious.
“I’m not forgetting any of this. And it is your business. So ask. Say it. Whatever’s eating at you.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I swallowed, trying to remove the lump from my throat that telling that lie had caused. He mattered to me, whether I wanted him to or not.
“Just ask.” He grabbed the chair next to me and pulled it close, sitting down inches from me.
Maybe I just needed to take this a question at a time instead of rushing to judgments. If I even could do that. I had a judgmental streak I’d inherited from Dad.
“What’s the longest you’ve ever dated anyone?” I couldn’t say girl because I didn’t want to think of him with others.
“Two years in high school. Most of the time I move from woman to woman—three months maybe up to six before it falls apart. How about you?”
“You do relationships?” I didn’t expect that.
“You answer my question first. We’re trading.” He clasped my hand and squeezed.
“Three years, four months and seven days.” I rattled off the answer, knowing it was strange to know the time I’d dated Jensen down to the day. Truth was, I knew the hours, minutes and seconds too. Not that I told anyone that. “I was engaged to Jensen when...he was killed in the line of duty.” I had to get it out there. I couldn’t say part without saying all of it.
“That’s hard. It’s been a couple years now?” He rubbed my hand in slow circles.
It relaxed me, comforted me, but I didn’t trust my voice so I nodded my head.
“Yeah, I’ve always been a monogamous kind of guy, sometimes it lasts longer than others. Pretty impossible when I was in the Marines.” He gave a mocking smile. “Doesn’t fit your stereotype, huh?”
“But then, the sex...” I shut my mouth, feeling the heat in my cheeks. But I couldn’t stop now. “You can’t... I mean we’ve been going at it...how do you sustain that?”
“Not with any fucking pills.” He laughed at his own joke.
I could attest to his staying power.
“I like a woman, I like her in my bed, yelling my name. That never gets old. Always time for that—best mood-altering drug in the world—hot and dirty fucking.”
I’d found out that was true. “It’s just, I guess it’s not been my experience.” There, I’d admitted it.
“That sucks too, but that’s not me. Darling, I’m straight-up, what-you-see-is-who-I-am every damn day.” He grinned. “How many orgasms a day before me?” The cocky glint in his eye made me smile.
“One. I didn’t even know more was a thing—” I might’ve said more but Joe’s belly laugh cut me off.
When the laughter died down, he searched my face, looking for something. I hoped he found it because I wanted us to be more.
* * *
The days swept passed with the same routine. We’d head out to lure the mob, come home and have sex, then spend the night goofing around. Having Joe with me was too good, we were easy together in a way I’d never experienced.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” I clicked off the movie we’d been watching.
Joe grinned over at me. “Yeah, darling, I wasn’t watching that.” He pulled me onto his lap. “Waiting is part of war. Maybe harder than the attacks.”
Why did he always have to be so damn reasonable? “I don’t want to wait.”
Joe laughed. “And they know that. Quick attacks by amateurs didn’t work so they’re pulling back, no doubt planning to switch things up. Lulling us into making a mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?” I hadn’t thought about that.
“Involving your family, going back to work, letting down our guard...those things make us more vulnerable.” Joe ticked each one off on his fingers.
“Dad invited us over to a family barbecue.” I sighed. “And I know we can’t go.”
“That’s right. We just keep doing our thing,” He wagged his eyebrows. “Wanna go on a night ride?”
His phone rang. He held up a finger and strode out of the living room. He never took Brotherhood calls near me. If they were all legal, why didn’t he let me listen? There were a thousand things I didn’t understand about him and his lifestyle.
In a few minutes he came back with worry lines between his brows.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, my boss just had some intel for me.” He smiled but this one was forced. “So about that ride?”
The idea of being on the back of his bike sounded perfect. “Is it safe?”
“Safe enough.” He caressed my cheek then stood up. “Get some jeans on, and we’ll head out, even stop at a bar for a drink.”
“All sounds great to me.” I hurried upstairs and changed.
“Where we going?” I descended the stairs, excited for a ride.
“Fuck, woman, you look good.” He kissed me like he was starved for me.
Lust rushed through me in hot streaks, leaving my fingertips tingly. My hands slid down his shirt and cupped him through his jeans.
He growled into my lips. I broke the kiss with a laugh. “Let’s go for that ride.”
“I could ride you upstairs.” His hooded eyes raked over my tight tank.
“Later, lover boy. Now I want a ride on that big Harley of yours.”
He blinked and the regular Joe was back. “Like my bike, do you?”
“I do.” I bit my lip, surprised that I liked it so much. No one would ever peg me as a Harley rider. “I might have to get my own bike.”
“Damn, don’t say sexy things like that if I can’t take you to bed.” He squeezed my ass. “Grab the jacket. You’ll want it before we get back.” He grabbed his leather jacket from the hook beside the garage door.
Joe had bought me a leather jacket a few days ago, saying it was the only safe thing to wear on a bike. He sporadically wore a helmet, but a leather coat was a must. I didn’t understand his logic, at all.
We rode out through the city and into the countryside, of course that was never far away in Oklahoma City. Every time, we took a different route, another one I had no idea about. I was a creature of interstates—the quickest way wherever I was going. Joe liked back roads, the more hilly and curvy the better.
My impatience blew away as he drove too fast down the dark roads. I wish I could blame the zinging bubbles in my belly on the road, but it was Joe. He’d changed me in the few days we’d been together. He was dangerous, with his freewheeling way. He gave me peace too. I hadn’t even known I didn’t have it until Joe wedged himself into my life.
Between my dad, brothers, and then Jensen, I’ve spent years on edge. So many rules to follow and worries to hold in. Staying in the blue line’s good graces was like running an obstacle course. Dangers lurked everywhere, especially for a woman. Dad’s warnings of the double-standard for women had become more intense with Jensen. He’d always reminded me how much I had to lose.
But in the end, he’d lost it all, by ignoring all the rules he insisted I follow. He’d only wanted me to succeed. Right? Guilt tightened my chest. Of course my fiancé had my interests in mind when he’d hammered me with the rules. Then why hadn’t he followed them?
Joe didn’t care what I did, he just stood beside me. Maybe I’d been wrong about him and his bikers. I’d only had a small taste of the acceptance he’d described, and I wanted more.
Joe slowed and turned into a dive bar in the middle of nowhere. Bikes lined the front of the place. Nervousness added to the acid, making my stomach ache. I’d only met a few bikers and I didn’t know if I was ready for my illusions to be stripped from me. Not all bikers could be like Joe, otherwise they wouldn’t have such a bed rep. Right?
“Where are we?” I handed him my helmet.
“Jack’s Place. I need to meet someone here. The bar is a hangout for a lot of bikers but not part of any club. Jack ran with the Bandits back in the day, but he married and got out.” Joe threaded his fingers through mine. “You need a drink. You’re too tense.”
“What business?”
“Just a quick meeting. I’ll need you at the bar while I meet my guy.” He didn’t meet my eye but tugged me along to keep pace with him.
“What?” I stopped, not liking the sound of this.
“Charlie, it’s club business. You aren’t part of that.” There wasn’t even a hint of apology in his face.
“Because I’m a cop?” I fisted hands on hips.
“No, because you’re not a member. We don’t talk business in front of anyone. That’s the way it is.”
I didn’t like it, but it did make sense. “Is this about that phone call you got?”
“Yeah. And before you go all batshit crazy—”
“I am not crazy—” Now I was pissed.
“Yeah. Before you go off, would you let me into a police meeting?” He shook his head. “I remember how territorial you were.”
Shit, he had a point. I hated when he made sense. “Fine.”
“Glad we got that straight.” He winked at me, then held open the heavy red steel door and we walked into a boisterous bar with country music playing on an outdated jukebox in the corner. He headed toward the bar.
“JoJo, over here,” a tall thin Mexican called to him. He wore a Bandit cut.
I opened my mouth but the look he shot me had me shutting up.
“A minute, amigo.” He led me to the bar. “Bud in a bottle?” He spoke low in my ear. I nodded. “Anyone bothers you, feel free to kick their ass. Then I’ll end them.”
A chill swept through me at his menacing words. He was joking, wasn’t he?
He ordered two bottles of Bud from the bartender. He gave the guy a fifty. “She’s mine, yeah?”
The bartender nodded and stuffed the money in his pocket. No change? And was Joe talking about me? Where the hell did he get off saying that?
“Drink your beer, I’ll make this quick.”
I nodded and he was gone. The last thing I wanted to do was be surrounded by criminals and thugs with Joe gone. I could take care of myself, but what was he doing? This was exactly the kind of situation my dad and Jensen always warned me about.