Chapter Two
Leaning back in the tub, Sally tried to control her feelings. It was really fucking hard. Why did he laugh? Was it because she was so stupid to ask? This was why she enjoyed being around Drew. He never brought any attention to her leg, or make her feel aware of it. In fact, when she was with him, it was the last thing she thought about. He made her laugh so much.
In that moment, she missed him, and wished she’d not come home to this empty house, or even to Steven.
He got up from the toilet and knelt beside the tub.
She wasn’t afraid of him. Even as she was getting undressed, he made her aware that she was a woman, and he made her ache. This was the difference between Drew and Steven. Drew made her laugh. Steven, he made her feel everything. There was no pause when it came to him. Staring into his eyes, she waited to see what he’d say, and still he said nothing for the longest time. He reached into the bath and grabbed her hand, locking their fingers together.
Staring at their hands, she saw how different they were. Steven’s were a little darker tanned than hers, from being out in the sunlight. She rarely ventured outside into the sun unless she had to. His hand also seemed to show his age. Her nails were bitten down as it was one of her coping mechanisms, biting her nails. She’d never grown out of it, not even as a kid.
“Your leg doesn’t even register to me, Sally. It means so little to me because it’s all part of who you are, and you’re what matters. I don’t look at other women because I don’t see them. I only see you, and I think you’re beautiful.”
“I wasn’t looking for compliments.”
“I know.”
“If Whizz catches you here, he’s going to kill you.”
“I also know that,” he said with a smile. It was the cheeky smile she had first seen on him that had made her attracted to him years ago. He’d always been sweet to her, and that had been a big deal to her at the time.
She had tried to not have feelings for him, or for her crush to mean anything. He could have anyone he wanted. Angel had shown her a picture of what he’d been like before he was part of The Skulls. He’d been so thin. None of his muscles had grown, and he’d seemed awkward, his messy blond hair falling all over the place. Now his body had filled out. His arms were so thick that she didn’t think for a second she could get her hands around them. His blue eyes sparkled with life and a playfulness that she rarely saw anymore.
“Do you have feelings for Drew?” he asked.
“No. I don’t know. It’s complicated. He’s my best friend.”
“Sometimes best friends have feelings for one another.”
She frowned. “We can’t do this, can we?”
“We can do anything we want to do, Sally. No one can stop us. You’re a fully grown woman.”
“But … my dad, Whizz, he’s not going to be happy. He told me that he doesn’t want me to pick a club brother or anyone. I’m … I don’t know what to do.”
“Do what your heart tells you to do.”
She wanted him, and that was the problem. She didn’t want to be with anyone else, but she also didn’t want to hurt her dad. He’d come for her, and given her a life she never for a second thought she deserved.
Pulling her hand away from him, she sank down into the water. Steven didn’t go. He rested his head on his hands, observing her. “You need to do what you’re happy with, Sally. Nothing more.”
“Why did you come here?” she asked. “You kiss me, and then you leave. When I see you, you wave, and you don’t talk to me anymore. I’ve texted you, asking everything I can think of to try and make some sense of it all, and I’m confused. You confuse me.”
“I’ve been taking care of some business.”
“Club business?”
He hesitated. “Personal business. It was important for me to do this.”
She didn’t like that, especially as it felt like he was holding something back.
“I don’t like you hanging around Drew, but I also know you’re friends with him. I’m not going to ask you to stop.”
“Oh. Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. Steven confused her. Part of her had hoped that her feelings for him had remained in the friend category. Of course, that hadn’t happened.
He laughed. “Do you remember when this was easy? When you were just a kid, and none of this mattered?”
“You wouldn’t be in my bathroom if I was just a kid.”
“Very true. I don’t like leaving you behind.”
Sally sighed. They were back to that. She didn’t want to break her father’s trust, but she also didn’t want to let Steven go. “I’m thinking of changing my courses at college.” This was a much safer topic than anything else.
“You can do that?”
“Yeah, I’ve been talking to a few of my professors, and they think I should be able to make a change depending on the area I want to move on.”
“Social work isn’t for you?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s fine thinking that as someone who has been through the system that you’d be able to handle anything, the truth is I don’t know what I can handle.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself.”
“Could I walk away though? Could I let a girl go through what I know can happen? I just see myself getting thrown in jail because I broke the law and didn’t go through the proper channels. I was known for being a liar, Steven. That stuff is hard to shake, and when no one is listening to you, it gets so lonely.”
“I’ll always listen to you, and remember that what would be different is you’ll have The Skulls at your back.”
“You’re not above the law.” She thought about Gash. Even though he’d killed a lot of people, it had been a bogus charge of rape and murder that had put him in jail. It had all been false.
“We’re not above the law, I know that, but you see, we can help you. You’ll never be alone again.” He held his hand up, and she stared at it for several seconds before placing hers on top. Locking their fingers together, she felt whole when he touched her. It was the first time she had ever felt anything at all. She liked that feeling more than anything else. “You’ll always have me.”
“Thank you.”
He took her hand, and pressed a kiss to her wrist. “Let me know when you’re ready to get out.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, watching him leave.
“I’m going to make you some of your favorite.”
“Angel’s hot chocolate?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve asked her for the recipe, and she won’t let me have it,” Sally said. “No one does hot chocolate like her.”
“That’s because I asked her not to give it to you.” Steven leaned against the doorframe.
He looked so manly standing like that. She rolled over and gripped the edge of the tub, smiling at him. “Why is that?”
“Because I want it to be special so that no one else can give you what I do.” He came forward, and dropped a kiss to her forehead. “Nice ass, baby.”
Before she could do anything, he was gone. Her cheeks were a bright red, and she sighed. This was what made it hard for her to give up Steven after everything her father had asked. Steven made her recognize that she was a woman, and he was the first person she had ever wanted to … go all the way with. It was a huge step, and one she wasn’t ready for, but when she did think about it, it was always Steven.
Drew was safe. She didn’t feel anything other than friendship with him. He didn’t make her think of sex.
She thought about it a lot as well. In the middle of the night when she woke up from a certain kind of dream, she’d be all hot and bothered, and it was only Steven that could make her feel, make her ache for him.
Sally didn’t linger in the tub. She didn’t want to. Washing her hair and body, she let the water soak away before climbing out. It wasn’t as easy as it used to be, but she had found over the past couple of years she’d gotten a lot of upper body strength, and was able to move herself quite easily. Reaching down for her crutches, she picked them up, and made her way into the bedroom. There, she sat on the edge of the bed, dried herself, and then grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt. Strapping her prosthetic on, she glanced in the mirror, and quickly combed her hair. Feeling a little like herself again, she made her way downstairs.
Steven had removed his jacket, and she got to glimpse his heavily inked arms.
“You didn’t take your time,” he said, turning toward her.
Right now, this felt more natural. “I didn’t want to waste a chance of catching you making the hot chocolate.”
“I’m not going to be giving you any of my tricks.”
She chuckled, and took a seat at the kitchen counter, which had been completely remodeled since her mother nearly burnt it down. It was strange. At times, she saw them as her mom and dad. Then other times, they were Lacey and Whizz. She loved them both though, and that was never going to change.
****
After Steven served them both some hot chocolate, they took it into the sitting room. Steven grabbed the first movie he saw and pushed it into the player. He took a seat beside Sally, and they sat in silence as the adverts played, and then the movie started.
“This is nice,” Sally said, whispering.
“What is?”
“Sitting here, watching a movie.” He watched her jump as the telephone began to ring. She handed him her cup, and stood to go and answer it.
“Hello.” There was a pause. “I’m fine.” Another break. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” She put the phone back into the cradle.
“Whizz?”
“Yeah. He wanted to make sure that all the doors are locked, and the windows are on the latch, and that I’m fine. He also asked if I wanted him to come and get me.”
“Do you want me to take you back to the club?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m not really into it at the moment.”
Steven sat back and tried to think over the past couple of years. Sally rarely stayed at the club, not since she got shot in the leg.
“You know it’s safe now.”
“Don’t, Steven.”
“You’re not going to the club because you don’t feel safe.”
“I visit the club all the time, Steven. It’s not that, okay? I just … I like having some quiet time. I used to have it all the time, but something changed.”
“You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he said.
She chuckled. “I know.” She took her hot chocolate from him and snuggled up close.
Steven wrapped his arm around her, stroking a thumb down her arm.
Drinking his own hot chocolate, he stared at the screen becoming aware of Sally pressed against him. The shirt she wore didn’t hide the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra.
The movie got steamy just like it had to when he was having difficulty right about now. Sally wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a woman, and they’d always had this thing between them. He’d kissed her, for God’s sake, and it had been the only touch he’d had from a woman in years.
Yes, he’d been celibate for a long time now, and it was fucking killing him.
Her hand landed on his leg, and he glanced down at it, wondering if she’d done it on purpose.
Stroking her arm, he stared at the screen.
“Does it always feel like they make it look?” she asked.
He glanced down at her. Her eyes were dilated, and her lips were slick from her licking them. He’d never thought brown eyes were all that attractive until he looked at hers. They were so clear, so beautiful, and she belonged to him. He knew it deep in his soul that she was his, and no one was ever going to take her away from him. Moving his hand up to her neck, he stroked across the pulse, which was pounding.
“It depends on the person you’re with. There are some really shit lovers out there.”
“Shit lovers? You sound like Adam.”
“The brother is rubbing off on me. I can’t help it.”
She sighed. “I like what you’re doing.”
His cock was pressing against the front of his jeans. He turned, cupping her cheek and tilting her head back.
Running a thumb across her bottom lip, he watched as she opened her mouth, and then he couldn’t resist. Closing the small distance, he pressed his lips against hers.
The moment she moaned, he held the back of her head, and kissed her, gently at first, letting her get used to the feel of his lips against hers. Only when she was ready did he run his tongue across, and as she opened her mouth, he plunged inside. She stroked his tongue against hers, deepening the kiss. The hand on her leg went to his arm, and she held him. He didn’t want to let her go, but she moved, keeping her left leg on the floor, and changing position so that he was between her thighs.
Steven stopped, and pulled away, staring into her eyes.
“I love it when you kiss me like that,” she said.
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the only one in the world to you.”
“You are.” He stroked her cheek. “You have no idea at all what you mean to me.”
“Can you make it feel good?” she asked.
“Sally—”
“I want to know what it’s like. I … please, Steven.”
“You’re not ready.”
“I’m asking you to show me how good it can be. Don’t tell me I’m not ready. I’m not ready to go all the way yet, but you can’t tell me that all there has to be is full-blown sex?”
“No, there’s not. There’s so much more.”
“Then show me.”
He nodded, even though he knew he shouldn’t. “I didn’t come here for this. I came here to be with you.”
“I know. I like you being with me, and I trust you, which is why I’m asking.” She placed a hand on his chest right over his heart, and glided it down. He knew where it was heading, but he didn’t stop her.
When she cupped his dick, he closed his eyes. The pleasure rushed over him just from her tentative touch.
“Is this because of me?”
“Yes. There’s no one else here to help me feel that way. That’s all you, Sally.”
She let go of his cock, and took his hand, placing it on her chest. Steven watched as she moved it down. First to her breast, and he felt the weight of her as he cupped her tit, pinching her nipple. Down she moved, over her stomach, to her pussy. She held his hand above her mound, and finally, after seconds passed, she placed his hand at the apex of her thighs. She gasped as he rubbed her gently. The shorts she wore were light, and had slid down her thighs, still covering her pussy.
Moving his hand away from her, he stroked her knee before going down, but this time he passed her shorts, and still keeping an eye on her, he touched her naked pussy. “You’re a naughty girl, Sally. You’re not wearing any panties.”
His cock thickened, and he found it hard to focus on anything else but her. She was wet, soaking actually, and that surprised him. “Do you get like this a lot?”
“Yes. I think about you a lot.”
Steven smiled. He couldn’t help it, knowing that she thought of him, and it worked her up like this, especially as he felt the same way. They both meant a great deal to one another. It wasn’t just sex either.
Taking possession of her lips, he kissed her hard, breaking away to her neck. He sucked on her pulse. She arched up, grasping his arms as he teased through her slit at the same time.
“Do you think about me coming to you, Sally? Licking this little pussy, and then fucking you so hard that I’m the only person you can think of?”
“Steven,” she said, gasping his name.
He eased back and stared into her eyes. Sliding two fingers inside her pussy, he stroked her clit, watching her reaction as he did.
“I’m not going to let you come on my fingers, Sally. I’m just giving you a teaser of what’s to come.”
When she began to tense up, he pulled his fingers from her pussy, and sucked them into his mouth, tasting her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to be licking your pussy, baby, I want to taste every single inch of you.” He couldn’t get enough of her already. She was his own drug of choice, and he knew that there wasn’t going to be any other woman for him.
He knelt up, and still with his gaze on hers, he began to remove her shorts. She didn’t stop him, but he saw she was a little nervous. “You want to stop this at any time, just say the word, and I’ll stop.”
“No. I want this.”
Steven wanted it as well, but he’d wait. When it came to Sally, she was worth waiting for.
With the shorts out of the way, she had pressed her thighs together. Putting his hands on her knees, he opened them, sliding between them. Then he pressed a kiss to her lips before moving down.
He held the lips of her sex, which had a neatly trimmed thatch of hair. Her clit was red, swollen, desperate for touch. Licking from her cunt up to her clit, he circled the bud, taking his time with her, getting her used to him.
The first lick had her gasping, and her body shaking.
Slowly, he got her used to the feel of his tongue. Even as she wriggled, he found her utter abandon breathtaking to witness. She was a beauty, and she couldn’t seem to help but close her eyes.
“That’s it, baby, give yourself to me.”
He licked her clit, sliding across, back and forth, and around, sucking the bud into his mouth, and then going down to plunge inside her. She cried out his name as he worked her pussy, wanting her to scream his name.
“Steven! Please! Yes!”
They were the only sounds he wanted to hear. Flicking his tongue all over her clit, he brought her to the crest of her orgasm. He held her, licking up her pussy as she came.
He loved the sound as it echoed off the walls.
When she came down, he pressed a kiss to her pussy, and then smiled up at her.
“That was amazing,” she said.
“That you can have any time. All you’ve got to do is ask.”
“Wouldn’t it be a bit rude?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not for me. I want you, and I want to give you every kind of pleasure you can imagine.”
She licked her lips. “What about you?”
“Not tonight. This was about you.”