Chapter Two

Cash

Fucking Wagman had been burning up the road between Brently and Tacapeo for the past few days, and I knew he was up to no good. I watched that fucker slip across the border and back at least six times in the past three days, and every time his saddlebags were full to bursting. To anybody paying attention it would look as though a member of CAOS was doing the transporting, and I knew that shit was intentional. But I couldn’t do a damn thing about it because he wore an all-black leather vest with no club insignia.

I followed on my Ducati just in case I found myself in a sticky situation and needed a fast getaway. Hogs were nice, reliable, All-American bikes. But this bad boy was built for speed and precision. It was a perfect stakeout vehicle. I kept a distance between us because I knew I could catch up if I needed to—for now I just wanted to observe. And I did. I watched him bypass the unmarked entrance to one of Lazarus’ stash houses and drive another twenty miles to another stash house used by the Mexican Devils. This house was situated on the border of Ozo and Clarity, which meant he had technically broken the rules.

But watching him take cash from a young Devil I’d never seen before, I knew he was still doing dirty shit. Those packages were almost certainly drugs because the Devils were deep into heroine and coke. Legal weed across the country had put them out of the green business, and there were whispers of sex trafficking, but not even the Feds had been able to prove it. Not yet, anyway.

I hopped back on my bike and drove toward Brently, pulling over at a truck stop to update Mick. “Yeah, Wagman was by himself, but he went over the border to pick up the packages he dropped off in Clarity.”

“Shit! All right, good going, Cash. Now get your ass back here, and be careful.”

“Got it.” I shoved the phone in my pocket and pulled back onto the road, eating up the cement that would carry me home at dangerous speeds. Driving the Ducati meant I had to travel light, only two pieces, but it also gave me tremendous speed.

In my rearview I could see two bikes gaining on me, one of them belonged to Wagman. Shit. I hoped they hadn’t made me, but just in case I pressed hard on the gas and put a lot more distance between us. I was strapped, always was as a former soldier, but why risk it when it was safer to outrun them?

This time.

But Wagman and his buddy had the fires of hell powering their bikes and caught up to me, crisscrossing behind me and in front of me in an attempt to disorient me. But I’d been in worse situations with worse odds and unlike these old bastards, I was fresh from years as a SEAL and had youth on my side.

In front of me, Wagman looked back with a sneer and pulled out that weak ass black pistol he was always twirling around his fingers. With less than a second to make a decision, I pressed the gas and knocked against his back tire just as he got two shots off and skidded to a stop after about a quarter mile. The asshole kept shooting, but lucky for me, Wagman was a shitty shot. Always had been and now when he needed to be better. He wasn’t.

The other guy slowed to a stop beside Wagman, and I finally caught a glimpse of the devil horns tattooed on his forehead identifying him as a member of the Mexican Devils. He didn’t even glance my way, so I turned the bike around and took off like a motherfuckin’ rocket. Brently here I come.

The last thing I felt like was hanging around a bunch of men, but I needed to stop at the clubhouse to debrief with Roddick and Mick. It amazed me how, in just a few short months, Mick had taken his VP role and made it mean something. Like the debriefing, it took us all back to what we’d been trained to do by the U.S. government. Though we all had our own reasons for leaving the service, Mick made us all realize we should take the good we learned and apply it.

It took ten minutes for the full debrief which included a map from memory of the drop house location in Ozo. “There was a Mexican Devil with him. Asshole didn’t draw his weapon or even look my way.”

Roddick grinned. “Good. They’re just using him as transport which means he and Rocky are on their own. No back up from the cartel. Thanks, Cash, good job.”

I accepted the clap on the back and a CAOS handshake from both men before I booked it out of the clubhouse. I loved that place, but sometimes a man just wanted to be alone. Or mostly alone, I amended after I stopped by Black Betty’s for two dinners, picked up a bottle of Jameson, and headed toward the little cottage in town Minx rented. She might be furious. I never knew what would piss off the little firecracker, but tonight I willingly risked it.

She pulled open the door and frowned. “What are you doing here?” She didn’t seem upset just confused.

But goddamn she looked so fucking sexy in tight red shorts and a matching tank that highlighted every single one of her dangerous curves. Her toes were painted silver with two rings on one toe, and fuck me she smelled like she’d showered with rose petals. Everything about her was soft and smooth and delicate. Sharp contrast considering her sharp tongue. “I came to see you,” I told her with the smile that made most women swoon. When that didn’t happen, I held up my loot. “And I brought dinner.”

She took a step back and grinned. “Next time lead with the food.” Walking down the short hall that looked to be the living room, she looked over her shoulder. “Take off your shoes.”

My eyes were glued to the round shape of her ass, looking like a question mark in profile, and I couldn’t stop staring. I knew she’d said something, but had no idea what. “Were you getting ready for bed?”

“No, why?”

“No reason.” Except my cock strained so hard against the zipper I knew I’d be sporting those teeth as imprints for at least a week.

“Come on in if you’re staying and lock the door.”

“Is that an invite?” I bit back a smile because even though Minx was a hard-ass and short with most people, I could tell she liked me. Even if she didn’t want to.

“Do you need one?” she asked, eyebrows raised and hands on her hips.

“No.” Letting me in was as close to an invitation as I would likely get, and I understood that.

“Well then,” she answered and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me to kick off my boots and follow after her. “I hope one of those meals is fried chicken,” she warned as she gathered dishes and silverware. “If not, you get water.”

“I brought my own drink,” I told her with a smirk as I showed off my bottle of Jameson.

“Not if one of these isn’t friend chicken, you didn’t.” Arms crossed she dared me, and I was so tempted to unscrew the cap and take a long swig. Instead, I pulled the Styrofoam containers from the plastic bag and flipped them open at the same time.

“Fried fish and chicken. I figured we could split it.”

Minx cocked an eyebrow, lips pursed together in an effort not to smile. But she wanted to, I could tell. She liked control of her world, and I was messing that up. “In that case, you can have ice water.”

I laughed at her tough words as she pulled two bottles of beer from the fridge and opened them before handing one to me. “Thanks for dinner. I couldn’t imagine cooking in this dreadful heat.”

“You could have had food delivered.”

She frowned. “I don’t do that.”

I could feel the frown form on my face and I tried to get rid of it, but she’d already seen it and gave me one in return. “You don’t have food delivered. Why?”

“I don’t like strangers showing up at my door.” She said it with such a blank expression I knew I had to be missing something.

Obviously that didn’t include me because she’d let me in, and I couldn’t deny the small measure of pride I felt at that knowledge. “Smart for a woman living alone, even a tough one. I’m guessing there’s a reason you aren’t going to share with me behind that rule?”

Big brown eyes assessed me for a long, uncomfortable moment. She had a way with those vulnerable liquid brown eyes that made me feel like a hero returning from battle and a speck of dirt on her shoe at the same time. I wondered which she leaned toward now. “Not that I’m not appreciative, but what brings you by?”

I guess we’re changing the subject. “Some shit went down earlier, and I wanted to see a friendly face.”

“Yet you chose my face instead?”

“Aw, Minx,” I joked with a charming smile, “you’re mostly friendly. When you want to be. Besides, I like looking at your face.” The blush that flooded her cheeks took me by surprise. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw any woman blush, never mind one as tough as Minx. But the more I knew her the more I glimpsed someone softer. Vulnerable.

She looked up and her gaze slammed right into mine. “Right back atcha, Cash.”

I knew she was uncomfortable so I leaned forward and batted my eyelashes, making her life. “Why thank you, Minx. A man does love to hear how irresistible a beautiful woman finds him.”

Her lips twitched, but I was learning to realize that Minx came by her seriousness honestly. “Why did you need to see a friendly face?”

She switched topics at speeds fast enough to give a man whiplash. “Club shit,” was all I answered, expecting her to ask a thousand questions I couldn’t answer. Instead, she nodded and took a long pull from the water-coated beer bottle.

“Are you okay?”

“Pissed off and shaken up, but good food and good company helps.”

Minx raised her bottle to me with a grin before taking another sip and drawing my gaze to those naturally plump lips that gave me an instant hard on. Abruptly, she stood and began clearing the table in silence. She didn’t look upset or angry, but I guessed that was my cue to leave. I was about to stand when she turned with two shot glasses and a smile. “Making things fuzzy tends to help, at least in my experience.” Then she sauntered off into another room, leaving me to follow her.

Again. She never failed to surprise me. As tough and badass as she appeared, she blushed easily and had a soft spot she hid from the world. “Thank you.”

She nodded and held up her shot glass, both shaped and colored like avocados. I filled them both, and she tapped the edges with a grin and knocked it back while I did the same. We repeated those motions like an old married couple two more times before she finally spoke. “I’m not what you think I am.”

“I don’t think you’re anything in particular. Well, except hot as fuck and prickly as hell.”

She smiled, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, they were far off. Cold. Distant. “I don’t need to be saved.”

“I’m not in the business of saving people who don’t need it. That’s why I left the Navy.”

“Good.” She gave a proud nod as though we’d settled something.

“Minx?”

“Cash,” she responded in a breathy whisper that sent a spear of fire right to my cock. Left me pulsing and aching to bury myself in her. But I wouldn’t.

For now, I just wanted something simple. “I wanna kiss you, sweetheart.”

She nodded but I was already descending, her pretty face growing closer and closer until our mouths touched. I swept inside and she allowed it, tasting me as fervently as I tasted her. We kissed like horny teenagers making out on the sofa, letting our hands explore each other’s bodies. She was soft and silky everywhere I was hard, sharp edges.

When she slid onto my lap, I worried I might lose my shit. In those tiny ass shorts my hands gripped her tight, but the warmth of her pussy was so hot I felt it through my jeans as she ground against me. Back and forth her hips moved along the length of my cock, and I knew we were at the point where we either stopped—or moved forward.

And damn, I wanted to move forward.

Her hands slid under my shirt, stroking my muscles to distraction before she finally got rid of the damned thing. “So hot,” she moaned and pressed kisses from my collarbone to my abs.

“Your turn,” I told her and pulled the tank from her body, putting those magnificent tits right in my face. Close enough to taste them. I grabbed them both in my hands and flicking my tongue against the tight, dusky pink tips before pulling them into my mouth. God, she was so sweet and so fucking responsive, I could smell her arousal already. I slipped a hand into those red shorts and holy fuck, she coated my fingers with her juices. “Minx,” I groaned as she held my head close to her tits, urging me on.

Her response was to grind against my hand, gaze pinned to mine in an intense look that tightened my balls. “Yes,” she moaned low and deep, stealing all of my control with another small move of her hips. Her hands flew to my waistband, unfastening my belt and my pants with an urgency that told me our kisses had affected her as much as me. “Cash.”

“Tell me.”

“I want you.”

“Then have me, sweetheart.” At my words, she reached inside my boxer briefs and gripped my cock. Her gaze never left mine as she stroked me from balls to tip. “Minx.”

She stood and pushed the red shorts down her legs before kicking them away. Climbing back on my lap she wasted no time coating my cock with the slick juices that flooded her thighs. “Condom,” she groaned, and I reached for my pocket and produced one.

Biting back every impulse I had, I let her roll the rubber down my cock and secure it in place. “You’re killin’ me, babe.”

Her hands rested on the sofa behind my head as she balanced above my erect cock that searched for her cunt like a heat-seeking missile. “Ahh, but what a way to go, right?” She gripped me and impaled herself on my cock, letting out a cry so throaty and erotic I had to dig my fingers into her flesh to stop the urge to come. “Cash,” she moaned my name over and over again as she slid up and down my shaft, fucking me like her life depended on it.

I kept hold of her hips so I could thrust up in her as our skin grew slick with our efforts. The sound of flesh smacking hard only made my desire stronger, my need for her out of control. Harder and harder I thrust while she rode my cock, bouncing and swiveling her hips in a way that tantalized me. “Cash,” she groaned in warning, and I slid a hand between us, rubbing her clit in fast circles to ratchet up her pleasure until she exploded around my cock. She convulsed in my arms as the orgasm washed over her. “Yes. Oh, God, Cash! Yes!”

That was all I needed to hear to let myself go and pound into her dripping cunt until my own orgasm ripped out of my body on a loud roar. I fell back on the sofa and she sank onto me, pulling me deeper inside her wet, still pulsing body. “Minx, you’ve wrecked me.”

She laughed and laid her head on my shoulder. “That was some kiss.”

I did the only thing I could in that moment. I laughed.

***

Minx

One of my favorite things about living on my own was waking up, even if it was to an annoying fucking alarm clock. It was better than the screams, rock music, or the sounds of someone fucking. Last night I’d slept more peacefully than I had in ages, probably since what ended up being my last night in my childhood home. But when I woke, groggy from exertion, I panicked at the feel of the hot, hard, and obviously male body pressed against mine. I tried to move, to slide out of bed, but strong arms kept me close.

I would have screamed my fool head off too, if his arms hadn’t relaxed and he hadn’t dropped a kiss just behind my ear. Cash. The man had the body of one of those Gods that museums loved to depict naked. Of course, I hadn’t been to a museum in a long time, but I remembered how they looked, tall and wide, masculine. They were all man, just like Cash. He smelled like sin and sex and something uniquely male, and just like that my body began to relax.

What was it about this man that slipped under my defenses? That made me relax when I should be on guard? I didn’t know, but I knew he was dangerous. A guy like Cash had the power to make me do the one thing I vowed never to do when I was free. Wish for things I couldn’t have. I gasped at the feel of his thumb and forefinger applying pressure to my nipple and instantly felt desire flood my insides.

The man had to be a magician, that was the only explanation for how he’d gotten me to sleep with him. Twice. How could I so easily fall into bed with him as if the past hadn’t happened to me? As if it didn’t loom over me every fucking day like a perpetual black cloud. I let out a long sigh to get rid of the thoughts that came far too early in the morning. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but my mind was running a marathon already.

“That is the loudest thinking I’ve ever heard. Don’t tell me you woke up with morning after regrets?”

“Only that we didn’t get to try that thing we talked about,” I answered honestly.

“Next time,” he promised and dropped a kiss on my shoulder.

“Cash, there can’t be a next time.”

He went stiff and pulled back. “You said that last time, Minx. Will I have to wait another two months until your itch needs to be fucked?”

“I told you I wasn’t ready for this!” I scrambled out of bed and walked naked across the room to grab my robe. “I like this,” I told him as I pointed between our bodies. “Hell, I even like you, Cash, but I’m not ready. Not for this. Not yet.” I heard the wobble in my voice, and fucking hated it. I didn’t like anyone to see me vulnerable because I never knew who’d use that against me in the future. That went double for men who would exploit that weakness for their own depraved needs.

“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what it means. Or why you’re not ready, Minx. You’re a grown woman, goddammit!”

That was the problem. On the outside, I was a grown woman, but on the inside, I was still a girl. “It means I don’t know what I’m doing, Cash, and until I do, I won’t risk it.”

His expression turned dark. “But you can fuck me when the mood strikes you?”

I reeled back as though he’d slapped me. I never realized his words could hurt so much. Hell, more than any fist I’d ever taken, and I’d taken plenty of fists. Feet, a flashlight, a lamp and even the butt of a gun. They all hurt like hell, but not like this. “I…you…,” My words wouldn’t come, so I took a moment to gather myself and pushed my emotions way down. “No, I can’t. I’m sorry. Goodbye, Cash.” I swiped a tear from my eye and fled to the bathroom, staying there until I heard his angry steps to the living room to retrieve his clothes and then out the door.

Once I was sure he was gone, I got dressed for the day, washed my bedding, and started on my homework. I had shit to do, a future to plan. I didn’t have time to spend hours thinking about the green-eyed cutie who’d shown me how great sex could be. I couldn’t think about him or his angry words or else I might do something stupid, like call him up and beg him to come back.

That means explaining why you’re not ready, the logical part of my brain reminded me. So I dug back in to my homework, highlighting and making notes before I finally finished my paper due at the end of the week.

With hours still left in my day, I decided to finish Talon’s dress so I could get started on a few new designs I’d started last week. The second bedroom doubled as my sewing studio and I spent hours in there, hunched over the machine and then the drawing table I’d found at Goodwill.

It was secondhand like most of the things in my little rental cottage, but I still loved it. With just two bedrooms, the house was more than I needed, but it turned out to be perfect for me. I’d decorated it in vibrant colors, yellow and red for the kitchen, blue and green in the small living room, and shades of gold for my bedroom. All the little embellishments, pillows and blankets, I made myself.

And I was proud to say I didn’t spend the whole day thinking about Cash. By the time I curled up in front of the television, I had only thought about him about three times an hour.

So, yeah. Progress.