“Echo, I’m not moving in with you,” I say, shocked. He ignores me, placing the helmet on my head and fastening the strap. “Echo, seriously.”
Gentle fingers caress my cheek before his lips graze the corner of my mouth. Silenced, I simply stare as he effortlessly straddles his bike and waits patiently for me to climb on behind him.
The ride to Miss Mimi’s is thankfully short. I hold on so tight I begin to lose feeling in my hands, my eyes stay closed with my face buried into Echo’s back the entire time.
We stop and I jump off the bike and steady myself for a moment before fumbling with numb fingers to undo the helmet. Echo moves my hands and unclips the strap, then pulls the helmet from my head and balances it on the handlebars of his bike.
I step back awkwardly. “Okay. Umm, thanks. I’ll see you later.” I turn to leave, but his fingers wrap around my wrist. My eyes dart up to look at him, and his smile is wide and indulgent.
“Go pack your shit. Then I’ll take you to work.”
I shake my head and pull my arm, but his grip is unrelenting. “I’m not moving in with you, Echo, and I work just over the road.”
His smile twitches before he breaks into a raspy chuckle. “Go do as you’re told, sugar.”
His grip loosens, and I turn, darting towards Miss Mimi’s. Looking back over my shoulder, I blow him a kiss and shout, “I’m not moving in with you, Echo. See you later.”
The door clicks shut, and I flop back against it. Shaking my head, I smile and scoff lightly as I think about my bossy biker. Echo’s dominant personality consumes me. He breaks all my rules, but I like it. I pull in several calming breaths to try and find some equilibrium, but every thought flashes back to him and us.
I glance quickly at the clock; it’s time to get to work, and I rush to shower before changing into denim shorts and a Strikers vest. Sassy heels are swapped for worn Converse, and I grab my bag.
My phone beeping distracts me, and I grab it from the bedside table and quickly reply to a few texts from friends back home.
Home. The UK and my life there feels like a lifetime ago. Echo would never fit into that world.
I catch my refection in the mirror across the room. I’m not sure I fit into the world I left behind anymore either. The old Livvy was prim, proper, and lost. The girl in the mirror is wild, free, and happy. My American adventure might have helped me shake off the lost girl, but Echo’s responsible for the smile.
As I leave Miss Mimi’s, I see Echo leaning up against his bike just where I left him thirty minutes earlier. I blow out a sigh and tip my head to the side. When I raise my eyebrows at him, he smirks in response. “Echo, what are you doing?”
He hands me the helmet and waits for me to strap it on. I stare at it, then look over Echo’s shoulder at Strikers just across the street. “Echo, the bar is just there.” I point behind him, but he doesn’t even glance. His eyes are fixed on me and starting to narrow. “Echo, this is ridiculous.” I sigh in frustration.
Strong hands lift me into the air and place me on the back of the bike. “Echo!” I shout. His lips press against mine, silencing me, and my eyes fall closed. The kiss devours me, but it’s over too quickly, and I slowly open my eyes just as he places the helmet on my head.
The journey to Strikers takes less than a minute. Climbing off the bike, I remove the helmet and hand it to him. He pulls me into his chest; his huge hands palm my arse and lift me onto my tiptoes so he can claim my lips again. “See how much nicer I am when I get my way, sugar,” he drawls.
I raise my eyebrows in exasperation, pull from his grasp, and try to walk away, but Echo’s arm wraps around my shoulders, dragging me into his shaking chest as he quietly chuckles.
Strikers is busy, with people standing three deep at the bar. Turning to Echo, I question, “Bloody hell, it’s only early. Why’s it so busy?”
He pulls me into his chest and kisses my temple. “The night shift just finished at the factory, darlin’. They head into town for a drink before they go home to sleep.”
Brandi busily rushes from customer to customer, and I start to head towards her, but Echo stops me, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. Arousal swirls in my stomach, and his touch leaves tingles on my skin. I slowly open my eyes, desperate to see my desire echoed in his pupils.
Instead of lust, his eyes sparkle with mischief, and warm leather hits my bare skin. I look down and find I’m wearing the cut, Property of Echo bold against the black fabric. He steps back, smiles, winks, then turns and walks away.
My eyes flick from his back to the cut and back again.
“Liv, get over here. Time to work, baby girl.” Brandi’s voice spurs me into action.
“One minute,” I shout back.
Stomping across the bar, I shout, “Echo.” He pauses and turns. I throw the cut, hitting him square in the face. He holds the leather in his hands as his expression darkens and he stalks towards me. I back away, but he’s too quick. Thick arms band around my waist tightly as he walks us away from the bar and into the shadows at the back of the room.
“Arrgh, let me go,” I scream, but my squeals are drowned out when the house band starts to play. He lowers me to the floor in front of a booth; the area is dimly lit and barely visible from the bar. I struggle in his arms till his hands go down the front of my shorts and panties, cupping my pussy. He speaks quietly, his voice rasps into my ear, “Here’s your options, sugar. You can wear this cut and let everyone in this bar know that you’re mine and to stay away. Or I can stick my fingers inside your wet pussy and make you come hard, again and again until you scream so loud they all hear and know you’re off limits.”
I gasp loudly, shuddering when he kisses me on the temple. “Now I like the sound of the second option, sugar, but it’s your choice.”
His finger strokes up and down my sex, and my legs buckle. “How about you stop being a fucking caveman and let me get to work. Then you can go do whatever it is badass bikers do all day,” I shout.
His growl vibrates through his chest, and he forces me forward, bending me over the table at the booth. “Option three is I pull down these tight little shorts and give you a hard reminder of exactly who you belong to,” he growls.
I push against him, struggling to move with his hand still inside my shorts, but his weight holds me down, keeping me helpless. “Echo, I’m sore from all the times you’ve reminded me already in the last couple of days, so don’t be a dick. Let me up,” I snap at him.
His laugh’s dark and hard. “You’re mine, Livvy, and if I can’t use my fingers or my cock, then I’ll kiss you better and fuck you with my tongue instead. Now tell me, sugar, who do you belong to?”
I push back against him as hard as I can, but he’s unmovable. “Oh, for God’s sake.” I groan. “You, you stupid caveman, I belong to you. Now give me that damn cut and let me get to work.”
I’m freed and turned to face him a moment later. He drops the cut over my shoulders. I pull it over my Strikers vest and throw my arms out to the side, posing sarcastically. “Happy now?”
His smile is smug, and he lifts the hand he just pulled from my pussy to his lips, sucking his fingers enthusiastically. “Very. I’ll be over here if you need me.”