Chapter Twenty-Three
Aveline
“GUESS WHAT?” I slid into the seat next to Ricky a few minutes before Dr. Redmond’s class was scheduled to start.
“What?” he asked, jean-clad legs stretched out in front of him.
I took him in, losing my train of thought. He was gorgeous, heat coiling in my belly at the sight. His hair was pulled back, exposing all those glorious tattoos on his neck and he wore his signature t-shirt, allowing me to fully see the symbols and drawings on his arms and hands.
I wanted to know what each one meant and why they were important to him. I licked my lips and Ricky growled.
“Mariposa, you’re licking your lips. Cut it out.” His voice was gravelly, the sound gruff and restrained, I wanted to lick them again to see what he would do.
“Sorry,” I breathed out. “I’m looking at your amazing tattoos.”
Ricky grinned, melting my heart. I loved making this angry man smile.
“Glad you like them. Still on for a tour of my work after this?” he asked.
I nodded, grinning to myself as I pulled out my laptop. Seeing Ricky’s primary place of work was the last piece I needed in my half of the class warfare project.
Dr. Redmond marched onto the stage and I looked over at Ricky, surprised to see him intently watching me.
“What were you going to tell me?” he asked, leaning over, his lips close to my ear.
“I got a job! I was hired by a firm that places interpreters in businesses and at events when they require translators. I start tomorrow. I have a cubicle and everything!” I gave a little shriek of joy and Ricky chuckled softly.
“And another good thing, maybe even better, my parents are away this weekend for a conference. I’d like to cook dinner for you Saturday night to celebrate. Can you come over?” My smile was wide as Ricky’s eyes sparkled, flashing with what looked like heat. Time alone was what I craved, and I hoped he did too.
“Hell, yes. I’ll be over after work. Probably eight o’clock. That okay?” he whispered as Dr. Redmond lowered the white board and projected her notes.
I nodded pressing my lips together to hold back another shout. Was this my life?
“We’re talking about Freud today, ladies and gentlemen.” Dr. Redmond settled her papers on the podium and faced her audience. “This is always a favorite lecture for my college students. Today is all about sex. Prepare yourself, folks. Freud blames all of our issues on not getting laid.”
Laughter broke out around us, but my heart beat faster. How could I possibly hear about sex when I was sitting next to the hottest guy on the planet?
I chanced a look at Ricky, and his eyes were squinted. Was this weird for him, too? My throat was dry. I swallowed hard against it. What would it feel like to finally touch him? Be touched by him?
“Freud tells us his theory that life is built around tension and pleasure,” Dr. Redmond explained.
“Any tension or stress you feel is due to pent up sexual energy. And that energy needs to be discharged.”
My body zinged with adrenaline, heart racing and body heating.
“There are five psychosexual stages. We will learn about each of them today. Each stage represents a fixation of sexual desire on a different part of the body. Oral, involving sucking or swallowing.”
My breath quickened, my head light. I shook myself to get with the program. Fainting during a sex lecture would seal my fate as a hopeless virgin for the rest of eternity.
“Anal or anus is the second stage—I’ll explain further in a bit—and the third stage, phallic, focuses on masturbation.” Dr. Redmond pointed to a columned chart describing the stages that she had displayed on her whiteboard.
I squirmed in my chair. My hands were clammy. I released a breath, blowing it out and then rubbed my palms against the length of my thighs.
“Latent is the stage with no sexual motivation present. Followed by genital, the penis and the vagina engaging in sexual intercourse.” Dr. Redmond’s voice was strong and centered. Meanwhile, I felt like I was walking along the edge of a cliff.
This was mortifying times a million. Listening to a lecture on sex, next to my idea of sex personified? Torture.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ricky, totally focused on me. His mouth parted, I could see the vein in his neck beating furiously. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and I could swear he even looked flushed.
We struggled through this heightened state of awareness, waiting for the lecture to end. When Dr. Redmond trekked off the stage, Ricky leaned close. “You okay?” His breath washed over me, and he smelled like spicy cinnamon gum.
“Mmm-hmm.” My non-committal agreement had to be proof I was in overheated la-la land.
Ricky’s eyebrows raised, studying me before standing up. “Let’s get to the garage.”
He walked fast, his long legs making quick work of the distance to the parking garage. I followed closely behind, grateful for the late February chilly weather than ever before.
“Ride with me on my bike?” Ricky asked, his jaw set.
“Sure.” I wheezed, winded from the sharp anticipation of cradling his body between my spread legs and the rumble of the bike pounding between us.
At my car, we tossed both our bags into the trunk. His bike was parked two rows down. He handed me a helmet and I secured it, watching as he removed a second one for himself. He got on first, steadying the bike. With an ease that surprised myself, I slung one leg over, scooting up to plaster my body against his back. My thighs hugged the outside of his and I slipped my hands under his jacket, fisting his shirt in my hands. He growled, and it reverberated through my chest, making me giddy. Anticipation flowed through my veins and my stomach fluttered uncontrollably.
The engine roared to life and it buzzed between my legs. I had to clamp my mouth shut to stifle my reaction from the stimulation.
Ricky took off, flying out of the garage and down the road. Minutes later, he slowed, turning into an auto body shop.
The signage over the storefront read Ed’s Bike Shop. I noticed a For Sale by Owner poster in the window. Ricky shut off the engine, and I climbed off the bike, taking off my helmet and handing it to him.
“This is the bike shop. The owner’s away this week, looking at properties in Florida where he’s relocating.” He slid a keychain from his pocket and unlocked the door. I followed him in, past a small, cluttered office and into the main bay where a bike sat, parts spread on a white sheet.
“Do you like working here?” I asked, pulling out my notes.
Ricky didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, of all the jobs I’ve had, this is the best one.” He strolled around the bike, his eyes focused on the shiny red metal. “Bikes are my escape. I bought the bike I have for next to nothing. Got a loan from Ed, here, and that’s how I got the job, too. He saw how much I dug working on it and that I was decent. He hired me and trained me.”
I took a few notes and then looked up at him. “But you’re majoring in business. Do you think you’ll like working in an office setting?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter much. Most of what I do isn’t because I like it. A business job will pay the most and that will help my family. I’d rather work with my hands, sure. But what I want isn’t important.”
He circled the bike, standing in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. “What’d you think of that lecture, mariposa?”
My eyes slid to the side, the floor, the ceiling. A slow burn traveled up my neck, settling on my cheeks. “It was… interesting, Freud, you know…” I laughed, a weird, awkward, uncomfortable sound escaping my lips. God, I sounded like a freak. Get it together, girl. Instead of wringing my hands together, I pushed my glasses higher up on my nose.
Ricky looked down at me, his eyes crinkling, and lips curved. “Interesting, huh?”
My hands shot out to the sides, “I’m sure you know all about that stuff… the stages and sex and… yeah.” I blew out a breath, my cheeks puffing, in what I was sure was the sexiest look I’d managed to pull off yet. “I’ve only done some light reading. That was new to me and frankly, a bit uncomfortable to hear around you because of your general hotness and all.”
Did I say light reading?
General hotness?
Oh. My. God.
Ricky threw his head back and chortled. “You are the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.” His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. He took the paper and pen from my hand, tossing them onto the floor. “I won’t touch you here. Although, I’ll admit it’s probably my biggest fantasy, but you aren’t ready for that.”
Bending down, he picked me up, his hands lifting under my ass until I wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re so tiny.” He smirked, his eyes focused on my lips.
I took off my glasses, placing them on the metal tool shelf next to us. My body shook, and I knew Ricky felt it when his grip on me tightened.
“I won’t hurt you, mariposa. You have my word that I’ll protect you. I’m not a good man, but I’ll be good to you.” He looked into my eyes, his warm brown orbs like melted chocolate.
“You are a good man. I wish you saw yourself like I see you.” My words pled, begging him to hear me.
Closing his eyes and shutting me out, he pressed his forehead to mine. “I need you,” he whispered. “I’ve never needed anyone like I need you. You’re open and vulnerable, kind and innocent. You’re unlike any girl I’ve ever met, and all I want to do is learn more about you. Understand all the parts that make you whole.”
His words sounded stricken and raw, but I absorbed them, drawing them into my heart. I didn’t know if he meant that he needed me physically or emotionally, but either way I was his.
“I need you, too.” I kissed his lips, a light sweet peck. “I’ve already learned and grown from being near you. You’re strong and loyal. The way you take care of your family has captivated me. And the way you make me feel is addictive.” I kissed him again, longer, and he groaned, one hand pressing into my back and one twisting in my hair.
My mouth opened, tongue peeking out to find his. Meeting, touching, and tangling as we moaned in unison. My hands sought his beautiful hair and I wrapped the long strands around my fingers, hoping that I would weave myself into him, his life, and his heart.
This complicated, gorgeous man, that thought he didn’t deserve happiness or dreams or good in his life.
I’d had a glimpse inside, something I believed was a rarity. And Ricky deserved all the beauty the world had to bring. I wasn’t sure I was the person who could give that to him.
But I sure wanted to try.