“Holy crap,” I gasped as I climbed out of the car. “This place is beautiful.”

Wrench came around from his side, his eyes following mine as I took in the massive cliff sides that framed one side of a beautiful, large swimming hole. The sun skipped across the deep blue waters, not a ripple or a wave to be seen on the surface. The air was still and warm, a perfect summer’s day, the conditions around me forcing me toward the water.

“Oh my gosh, this is so freaking cool,” Harlyn yelled as she jumped from the car and immediately headed for the miniature beach that sloped down into the water.

“Harlyn…” I warned with a stern look on my face.

She sighed overdramatically and spun around. “Freaking is not a swear word, Mom.”

“Yeah, Mom.” Wrench chuckled, following Harlyn down onto the sand. For a moment, I just stopped and stared, not even caring that he was being an asshole and mocking me.

“You took your boots off,” I commented, just as he reached for the hem of his shirt. His cut was gone too, but for some reason, seeing him without his heavy motorcycle boots on his feet just seemed… strange.

His hands paused. “Have you ever got sand in your shoes before? That shit is uncomfortable.” Then in one swift movement, he whipped his T-shirt up over his head and tossed it on a nearby chair, before working away at the button of his jeans.

A lump formed in my throat and I fought against it, knowing that if I swallowed that it would clearly show just how much I wanted to see his body. That, and I’d look like a horny pervert, getting my excitement by watching him strip off.

He dropped his jeans, revealing a pair of swim trunks that came to just above his knee.

“Come on, Wrench,” Harlyn’s voice called, followed by the sweet sound of water splashing as she waded in knee deep. Her giggles lit up around us, bouncing off the cliffs and echoing in the air.

I grinned, the light melodic noise filling my heart and driving away the apprehension I’d been feeling for the last week.

My baby girl was happy. We’d had a scare, but what I did notice was that each and every one of the brothers at the club had made a point to find Harlyn, and remind her of just what she meant to them. I couldn’t help but wonder whether that had something to do with Wrench. He’d spent hours with Harlyn—drawing, creating, trying to help her make sense of what was going on so she could be at peace with it.

I didn’t care what anyone said, seeing a man—any man—put your child in a place of importance in their lives, well, that does something. It changes how you see them. Maybe even alters the emotions you have toward them, because that little person who has always been the most important thing in your life, was now also important in theirs.

My eyes watched him as he picked up Harlyn under his arms and tossed her into the air, her body disappearing beneath the surface of the water with a booming splash before appearing again, laughing and demanding more. The muscles in his arms flexed as he swung back before tossing Harlyn, her delighted squeals sailing with her through the air. As he turned his back to me, the first thing I noticed was the tattoo, a full back piece identical to Optimus’ with the club name and insignia. I walked forward, my fingers moving on their own accord, wiggling at my sides as if threatening to take on a mind of their own if I didn’t let them have one touch of his inked skin.

“How many brothers have the back piece like yours and Ops?” I asked, managing to pull back my curious hands and detour my body to the side where there were a handful of beach chairs and loungers. Ham had already laid himself out on one, close to where Wrench and Harlyn were playing.

“I couldn’t even tell you off the top of my head,” he answered without turning around, his eyes carefully watching Harlyn as she paddled back to him. “Probably not as many as you’d think.”

“So it’s not like a compulsory thing?” I asked curiously. Even though I had Harlyn and technically had dated Optimus for a few months, there was still a lot about the club that I didn’t know. It wasn’t like there was a course you could take on being a biker. The rules for each club differed so often, and frequently so dramatically that a compliment for one club, may be an insult to another.

Clubs like the Brothers by Blood weren’t in the majority, they understood that people didn’t always agree or understand their way of life, and they were patient. But some would throw a fist in your face if they even sensed curiosity surrounding you.

“Nope, not every brother who patches in decides to get an entire piece done. But every one of them has something tattooed that identifies them as part of the club. It’s not law, but more out of respect… to show your loyalty.”

I listened silently as he explained some of the other brothers’ tattoos, all while he was entertaining my daughter happily.

The sun beat down from above, the heat lapping at my skin, heating me slowly from the outside in.

Ham started to strip off, making his way down to the water. “Hey Har, you wanna swim out to the platform with me?” he called, getting a bright smile back in return.

“Can I, Mom?” she asked, ducking around Wrench and jogging over to me.

Harlyn was a great swimmer. It was one thing we had done together. Since she was only a baby, we swam at least two times a week, come rain or shine. She loved the water, and I loved the time I got to spend with her, laughing and learning, watching her become more and more confident.

“Sure babe. But stay close to Ham, it looks pretty deep out there.” I looked over to where Ham stood watching. “Be careful.”

He snapped me a salute with a cheeky grin. “My eyes won’t leave her, mama bear,” he told me confidently before spinning around and racing into the water. “Last one there is a rotten egg!”

“Hey,” Harlyn called after him. “Cheater!”

The two of them dived into the water, laughing and joking as they waded deeper and deeper.

“You need to put some sunscreen on before you burn,” Wrench warned as he made his way across the sand.

I cringed. He was right. My skin was silky and pale, too long under this heat and I was going to be a fucking lobster. “Shit! I did Harlyn before we left but forgot about me.”

I stood up, plucking my bag from the ground and hunting around inside until I found the bottle of sunscreen I knew I’d stashed inside. When I turned to sit back down, I noticed Wrench was now occupying my vacated seat. As I moved to sit on the chair next to him, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“Sit down, I’ll do your back and shoulders.” His words, while innocent, had my blood rushing to a million different parts of my body. Okay, maybe not a million, maybe just one. Hence why my clit was suddenly beating to the same rhythm as my heart, and no doubt it wouldn’t be long until my bikini bottoms would have a small patch of wetness soaking through for all to see.

I stalled for a second, his hand around my wrist not allowing me to escape, the same hands that I was now imagining moving across my body. My shoulders, my back, my waist, his fingers digging into the muscles as he massaged the cool liquid into my hot skin.

“Sugar,” his soft growl startled me back into reality, and I jumped. With my eyes clearing from my daydream, I was finally able to bring his face into focus. He looked up at me with an intensity that I couldn’t even explain. His shoulders pulled back, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, almost as if I had projected my imagination up onto some big screen for him to see. “Can you just sit down, woman?”

He tugged my hand, and I went with the movement. He straddled the long lounging chair and positioned me between his legs, the both of us facing out to the water. There was plenty of room for the both of us, with the chair having a long seat where you could lay down and sunbathe, exactly what I planned on doing as soon as my skin was protected from the heat rays.

“This is gonna be cold,” Wrench warned as I listened to him squirt some of the liquid into his hands and then cap it again.

I straightened my back and clenched my eyes closed. “Holy shit!” I yelped as he placed both hands on my shoulders and began rubbing in circles. His deep chuckle annoyed me like he was getting pleasure from tormenting me. It wasn’t just the liquid that was cold, the water had cooled his skin, but the more he moved his hands across my hot skin, the more we both seemed to find an odd balance between the two.

I looked up and across the small pond to see Ham helping to push Harlyn up onto the small platform that floated out in the center, it wobbled and bounced around under the weight of her little body as she made her way to the edge.

“Jump!” Ham urged her, holding onto the side.

She looked over at me and raised her hand in the air, waving it maniacally back and forth before pinching her nose with her fingers and leaping into the air. The water burst around her little body, flying into the air as she hit it while curled into a ball.

Wrench laughed softly under his breath as his hands continued to glide smoothly across my skin. “She’s a daredevil.”

I waited until her little head popped up out of the water, her cheeks spread wide with the most beautiful smile as she swam back to Ham. Then I took a breath and allowed it to fill my aching lungs. “It still makes me nervous… sometimes she just scares the hell out of me with this whole fearless behavior. But I can’t bring myself to complain or fight her on it because it just makes her so happy.”

“You’re a great mom,” he commented, his words soft and more meaningful than I even think he intended. “A lot of them would be screaming at her, or constantly floating around her like one of those helicopter parents.”

His thumbs moved in between my shoulder blades, and he pressed down with just enough pressure to hit the muscles and draw a soft groan from my lips.

“Jesus,” I whispered, partially embarrassed but mostly mentally begging for him to do it again. I was never one to go out and spend money on things like massages, it always felt too personal to have someone touching my body in that way. But with Wrench. Fuck! His hands felt damn perfect.

His fingertips drifted lower, tracing down either side of my spine. I arched my back and unconsciously let my head hang back as he performed his magic.

“You ain’t ever had anyone touch you like this before?”

My skin flushed, but I couldn’t bring myself to move away, my body desperately pleading with him to explore even further. “I usually put my own sunscreen on,” I joked, pulling my lip in between my teeth as he hit the base of my spine and pressed his hands outward. “Fuck me,” I whispered, inhaling sharply.

Wrench’s low growl in my ear made me gasp, his mouth now directly beside my ear having completely abandoned the sunscreen. “Anyone ever tell you not to say things you don’t mean,” he whispered, the bristles on his chin brushing against my neck and sending a shudder through me. His hands moved to my hips, gripping them tightly and pulling my body backward until my ass was pressed against his front, and it was obvious in that moment just what those two words had done to him. I tried to pull my legs together, scared that it may be just as obvious what his touch was doing to me. But before I could, his rough hands grabbed my thighs and held them captive.

“Wrench,” I hissed, my eyes nervously flicking out over the pond finding Ham and Harlyn had swum all the way across the other side and were walking along the cliff side picking wildflowers.

“Lean back,” he demanded before his lips pressed to my jaw.

I shouldn’t.

No. We shouldn’t do this.

He would get into trouble, and Op would lose his mind at the both of us.

My heart raced faster as he ground his hips forward, the length of his cock pressing in between the cheeks of my ass, the only thing separating the two—his swim shorts and my skimpy bikini. Yet, I fucking wished they weren’t.

His hand skimmed over the top of my thighs, and before I could object, swept over the front of my bikini bottoms, nearly making me shoot straight up in the air as he made contact with my swollen clit.

“I said, lean back, sweets,” he ordered, this time slightly sterner and with a little motivation. I could already feel my bikini bottoms becoming wet as he continued to swipe his fingers over them, teasing and taunting me. “I really want to have a taste.”

Wrench’s other hand came around my shoulder, pressing his palm against my throat as his fingers wrapped around it. He used it to pull me back, so his chest was pressed against my back. I could feel his muscles, contracting against me as he held me there. He used his thumb to turn my head to the right, his hand holding me there while he stole possession of my mouth. He kisses were hot and harsh and they made my heart race.

Gone was the man who was so determined to touch me with gentle hands, brushing them over me like I was so breakable. In his place was this raw energy, feverous need and lust, swirling around us. And to be completely fucking honest, I was giving in to its magic.

My body was begging, pleading, for Wrench to take me any which way he damn well liked.

I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I’d been thoroughly fucked, and with the way Wrench was, I couldn’t wait to see if he’d treat me like a princess, or fuck me like a whore. Maybe even a mixture of the both.

Pressing my hips forward, I hoped he’d take it as a note and dip his fingers beneath the thin material that was keeping me from reaching any kind of peak.

He pulled back, his lazy smirk letting me know that he had indeed been aware of my forward actions. “You want me to touch you?”

I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat as he moved his hand from my neck and slowly moved it down over my chest, so achingly slow that I couldn’t even predict where it was going to land.

“Say it, I wanna hear you say the words.”

I licked my lips, they were already plump and bruised from his kisses. “I want you… to touch me.”

“Mmmm…” he groaned. “And what is it that you want me to touch, Sugar?”

Holy fuck, this asshole.

I frowned. “Wrench, just… touch me.” I was breathless and needy and very well aware of the fact that I’d gone from responsible parent to complete and utter slut within a few minutes. But, God, I just wanted him to touch me.

“Say it,” he snapped, his movements halting and making me whimper in disappointment.

“Wrench…”

“Tootsie Roll…”

Growling low in my throat, I finally snapped, my needy pussy just wanting so badly to feel him. “Touch my pussy, please. Rub me, fuck me… something.”

With his hands both in my lap now, he used one to pull my bikini bottom to the side, while the other took the most deliciously long and earth shattering swipe through my wet folds, flicking over my throbbing clit.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, turning my head to look in his eyes.

They were burning, consuming me with need and passion. “You gonna come for me?”

Oh God, I was, and it wasn’t going to take long. It had been years. Years and years of nights alone with my battery operated friends and my hand. Having Wrench touch me felt utterly divine, here in the open, his finger strumming me like a damn guitar.

“Yes,” I moaned, thrusting my hips forward as he used two fingers to penetrate me. “Fuck! Damn it.”

He groaned, “You’re so damn wet. I wish I could get my cock out and just slip right inside you.”

My hips with a mind of their own began to grind against his hand, my hands latching onto his arms and my nails digging into his skin. I remembered thinking how painful it must have been, but I was simply too high to care.

My muscles all began to curl as I imagined him pulling his cock from his pants and just filling me to the brim. “Oh God, I’m gonna come.” My muscles all started to clench and I felt a wave of pleasure begin to wash over me. I struggled to breathe, biting down on my bottom lip to stop myself from screaming. My back arched and I squirmed in his hold, but he didn’t let up, whispering in my ear, encouraging me to ride the wave and let it take me away.

Out of breath and tingling, I leaned back against Wrench’s chest, my head lying against his shoulder as my body continued to shudder in the afterglow of my orgasm.

“So fucking beautiful.” Wrench smirked, pressing a light kiss to my cheek.

I blushed, but as he pulled back, I captured his lips with mine with the only way I knew how to say… well… fucking wow.

He chuckled softly, raising his hand to his mouth, his tongue snaking out and lapping at the two fingers he held up. “Mmm…” he groaned.

My mouth hung open, I knew what he was tasting as his eyes drifted closed and he sucked them into his mouth.

Me.

He was tasting me.

His eyes popped open and instantly met with mine. “Just as sweet as I imagined you’d taste.”

I smacked him in the chest, unable to stop the blood rushing to my cheeks. “Stop, you animal.”

He grinned. “It’s all good, baby. Next time I’ll get it straight from the source.”

“Hey, Mom! Look what I found,” Harlyn interrupted, calling us from the swimming hole as she waded out of the water with a handful of daisies.

Wrench squeezed my thigh and whispered in my ear, “‘Cause you know now I’ve tried it once, there has to be a next time. My poor cock might actually combust if not.” He ushered me forward, strategically grabbing a towel from the ground beside him to place over his lap as I scooted forward to meet my little girl. I couldn’t stand, my legs still shaking and twitching and my bikini bottoms now completely drenched.

“Those are beautiful, baby, I was just thinking of coming for a swim with you.”

Harlyn grinned. “Yes! Let’s go!” She grabbed my hand, pulling me off the chair before turning to Wrench. “Do you wanna come, Wrench?”

“Yeah kid, I’ll meet you there in a minute. Just gotta have a moment.”

Harlyn raised an eyebrow at him but soon shrugged. I couldn’t help but grin back at him, though, and all that earned me was a glare filled with dark and sexy promises.

Promises that I want to bathe in, and allow to fill me.

But that also could put the both of us in very deep shit.

What was a promise worth these days?

Guess we were about to find out.