by Debra Kayn
She landed softly on the carpet.
Kent shifted, breaking the kiss, and hooked his thumb in her panties, dragging them down her legs. She closed her eyes, squirming for him to go back to touching her.
He granted her wish when his hand slipped between her thighs. She turned her head, nuzzling his shoulder. The wetness of her sex and his touch sent a hungry echo through the room.
"Does that feel good?" He placed his lips on her neck, sucking on her skin.
Her nipples peaked harder, and she shivered at the enticing sensations traveling through her. Wanting to touch him, she pushed her arm between their bodies and found his cock, pulsating against her hip. She held on, caught in the pleasure building inside of her.
In the back of her mind, she knew the next step to having sex, but with Kent, she had no idea what he planned to do. It was the mystery, the newness, the advantage of letting him take the lead that excited her.
He lifted his head, and his hand left her. She grabbed for him, afraid he was stopping.
"No..." She sat up.
She was prepared to argue and beg for him not to leave her this time.
"I need to grab a condom." He shifted to his hip, dug in his back pocket for his wallet, and removed the protection.
He rolled it on his cock with ease and looked at her. "I'll go as slow as you want."
She propelled herself toward him and swung her leg over his thighs to be on top. For her first time with him, she wanted to see him, touch him, feel him.
He grabbed her ass, keeping her from sliding onto his cock. "Slow, honey. Let yourself stretch until you get used to me."
She held on to his shoulders and raised up. Peering down between their bodies, another twinge of awakening encompassed her pussy.
Kent took his cock in hand and rubbed the head back and forth between her legs, coating the condom with her wetness. She gasped with each stroke against her clit. If he kept that up, she'd come without feeling him inside her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, panting hard. Letting her body relax, she let him tease her opening until the feelings were too much, and she lowered herself. She moaned in his ear. The pressure of their bodies joining thrilled her.
Kent held on to her hips, holding her steady. She moved against the restriction. The more he slipped inside of her, the harder it was to breathe. Her insides coiled. Panting, she lowered herself, inch by inch. He filled her completely, and he wasn't all the way in yet. Her body, as if starving, spasmed around him.
He rolled with her until she landed on her back with Kent on top of her. Her gaze connected with his, and he slowly moved in and out. Her body arched off the floor.
"Oh, God." She held her breath, grasping, reaching.
Prisoner to what he was doing to her, she held him, letting him stroke her higher and higher. Her insides fluttered. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't stop.
Wild underneath him, her body bucked. She grabbed his head, needing to see him.
His penetrating gaze owned her. She came, floating off the floor, out of herself, and exploded.
Kent plunged, held her still, and groaned. She pried her eyes open, not even realizing they closed on their own, and she'd missed watching the moment he'd climaxed.
Her muscles depleted; her arms fell to the floor. She panted for breath. Kent rolled off her and looked down her body before back up to her eyes. Sweat drenched his forehead, dampening his hair.
Stroking his face, she melted even more. "You make me scared and excited."
He smoothed her hair off her forehead. "Why are you scared?"
"I have all these feelings in me that you bring out, and I'm afraid I could become the person everyone believes I am. Already, I want you. I want to do things with you, to you. God, Kent, I want to feel good with you."
"That's how it's supposed to be." He kissed her softly. "I want you wild for me. There's going to be more. Lots more. Sex is important to me, honey. I will want you when I want you, and I'll damn well be here when you want me."
She shivered. Not knowing if he was promising or threatening her, she hoped that she was woman enough to keep up with a man like Kent. Then, she wondered if he could keep up with her because after one time of having sex with him, she was addicted.
"Why are you excited?" he asked.
"Because I want to keep doing this." She paused. "I don't ever want to lose you again."
"You won't." He kissed her. "You're mine."
"Are we together?" she whispered, hopefully.
His grin transformed his face. "You were mine before you even realized we were together."
She laughed. The sound like a long-lost friend who'd come to visit.
He heaved himself to his feet, reached down for her hands and pulled her up. "Let's go celebrate instead of sitting here on the floor."
"Where will we go?" She grabbed her panties off the floor and slipped her legs through the holes.
"Curley mentioned everyone was going to Shoshone Canyon, it's down by the river. Do you know where that's at?"
"Yeah, but the area doesn't have a good reputation for being safe." She rubbed her head, realizing she'd been wrong her whole life about Shoshone Canyon. "You know what? I want to go with you."
The popular canyon was a biker hang out. Over the years, parties, crime, and police activity stories ran rapid in Missoula, scaring locals away from the bend in the river. She'd believed the stories about bikers claiming the spot. Now she knew differently. Tarkio Motorcycle Club had only helped her, and she, of all people, should've known not to believe gossip.
He glanced at her as he buttoned his jeans. "I got a glimpse of you letting loose the other night at the clubhouse. I'd like you to be able to do that with me. Touching me, looking at me—just like that tonight, while we enjoy ourselves. No more talk about job hunting. No worrying about what anyone thinks. No guessing if we're together."
She caught her lip and nodded. "I'd like that."
He glanced down. "I hope you have something to wear in those bags because showing up naked isn't going to work. I don't want any other man seeing what I have."
"Hm." She tried to remember the outfits she bought with part of her savings. "Lucky for you, I bought clothes today. What do you want me to wear?"
"Surprise me." He carried the used condom out of the room.
She hugged herself, muffling the squeal inside of her. She felt like a young girl, going on her first date, not a divorced woman with more baggage than she could carry alone.
Chapter 28
Kent
KENT WALKED OUT OF the bank after cashing his first paycheck from Rocky Electrical after working two weeks for the company. While he was able to get a job within a few days of being back in Missoula, Callie still struggled to find somewhere that would hire her.
He got on his Harley, prepared to pull away when a truck parked beside him, cutting off his view of the street.
Out of his peripheral vision, he recognized Callie's asshole ex-husband getting out of the vehicle. Almost instantly, another car pulled up and parked on the other side of him.
The driver avoided all eye contact and fiddled with something between the console. Alerted to suspicious behavior, Kent continued sitting on his Harley. Both men were around the same age, but it wasn't the sequence of their arrival that warned him it wasn't two customers going to the bank at the same time.
It was the man standing in front of the doors of the bank that hadn't moved since he'd arrived that suddenly decided now would be a good time to walk toward him.
Three to one. He was outnumbered.
Lifting his foot to the peg on the Harley, he kept his hands loose on his thighs in case he had to grab the knife he carried in the shaft of his boot.
The man stepped off the sidewalk. Kent met his gaze. There was definitely trouble coming at him.
"Pretty bike you have there." The man stopped in front of the wheel. "How's it ride?"
Hill got out of the truck. The driver of t
he car on Kent's right side opened his door. Not one who ran when threatened, he said, "About as good as you'd expect."
The guy bent at the waist, inspecting the bike. Kent lost sight of Hill as Callie's ex-husband walked behind him. He glanced in the side mirror, catching a glimpse of him getting closer.
"It'd be a real shame if something happened and put marks on the body." The guy stretched his arm out to touch the wheel cover.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Kent.
The man's gaze flickered to the right of Kent's shoulder. In one fluid move, Kent pulled his knife, got off the bike, and had Hill up against his truck with the blade at his throat.
"Tell your buddies to go away." He pressed the forged steel against Hill's skin. "Now."
"Leave us." Hill's face reddened.
The other two hesitated. Kent put more pressure on Hill's neck. He wasn't playing around.
Waiting until he heard the car start behind him and could no longer see the other man, he changed his grip and put the tip of the knife underneath Josh's jaw.
"What's your plan?" said Kent.
"There is no plan."
"Bullshit." Kent lowered his voice. "As far as I can see, Missoula isn't that friendly of a town, so I'm going to assume you and your friends weren't coming up to me to welcome me back."
"You don't belong here." Josh gritted his teeth, not daring to open his mouth in case Kent slipped with the knife.
"It's a good thing you have no control over my comings and goings." Kent lowered his arm and stepped away. "Let me set you straight. I'm here, and I don't plan on letting you change that for me. If I even hear you utter Callie's name, it'll be the last thing you say because I will kill you. Now, if you want to crawl back to your friends and cry, maybe make a plan to come after me or Callie, I'd suggest you cover up all the extra-curricular activities you have going on under the nose of everyone in town because I would love nothing else than to tell the truth to anyone who knows you, exactly what kind of man you are before I put a bullet in your head."
He threw his leg over the motorcycle, slipped the knife back into his boot, and started the engine. Giving Hill a two-finger salute, he rode away.
If Hill wanted to keep coming at him or Callie, he wasn't going to wait until Tarkio had the information they were digging up. He'd kill the motherfucker.
At home, he pulled into the driveway when Callie hurried outside. Afraid something was wrong, he turned off the engine.
"We have to go." She came to a stop in front of him. "Paco called looking for you and left a message with me to give to you. He wants you to come to the clubhouse as soon as possible, and he wants you to bring me, too."
If something was wrong, no Tarkio member would want a woman to come along. He crooked his finger. She leaned closer, and he hooked her neck, bringing her lips to his.
"Good day?" He kissed her again.
She shrugged. "Not really. Tomorrow, I'm going to try the car lot. I don't think selling cars is really something I can do, but I can try."
"No use doing something you'll hate." He gazed down her body, taking in the crop top. "Lock up the house, and you can ride with me."
Her eyes widened. "On your Harley?"
"I'll keep you safe."
She hurried back to the house, locked the door, and came back to him. "I've never ridden on a motorcycle before."
"Today is a good day to learn." He caught her hand, pulling her closer. "Put your left leg on the peg, step up, and swing your right leg over the seat."
She lifted her leg. "I don't want to fall off and die."
"You won't." He waited until she made up her mind, and awkwardly climbed on behind him. "Now, scoot tight against me and wrap your arms around my waist. Don't let go."
"We're leaning," she said.
"I'll straighten it out." He patted her thigh. "When we go around corners, you'll want to lean into the curve with the bike."
"That sounds dangerous."
"You wouldn't be on the back if I thought you were going to get hurt." He started the engine. "Ready?" he shouted.
She nodded against his shoulder. He rode out into the yard, so not to scare her as he turned around, and then entered the street. Her arms tightened around him. Taking it slower than he'd normally go alone until she got the hang of riding, he stayed to the back road all the way to the clubhouse.
When he stopped and shut off the engine, she slid off the bike, holding on to his arm. He stood, grinning at her poofing up her wind-blown hair with her fingers.
"Not hard, huh?" he said.
"I'll tell you when I gain feeling in my legs again." She slid her hand into his. "That was weird."
Roddy walked out of the clubhouse, spotted them, and waved. He led Callie over to the Tarkio member, curious about why he was summoned and wondering if it had anything to do with his encounter with Hill in town.
"Hey, dude, dudette." Roddy grinned, making his round face turn red. "Trouble in the neighborhood?"
"Got a message to come over." He looked over at the collection of motorcycles, spotting Paco's Harley in the line.
"You two have fun, man. I'm going to work on my motorcycle and enjoy the tunes." Roddy walked away, taking a Walkman out of his pocket and slipping the headphones over his ears.
Inside the clubhouse, Dawn waved to Callie. He whispered in her ear to go talk with her friend, and he went over to the table and asked Razor where he could find Paco.
"He's in the meeting room. I'll go tell him you're here." Razor slapped down the playing cards he held in his hand.
He stepped away from the table, giving the men privacy for their game. The more he thought about being summoned to the clubhouse, he was sure it had to do with Hill.
There was a reason why Callie's ex showed up at the bank with his two friends while he was there.
As he was learning, there wasn't much that happened in Missoula that Tarkio didn't find out about.
Curley walked out of the hallway and motioned him to come forward. Kent looked over at Callie, deep in conversation with Dawn, and approached Curley.
"I'm looking for Paco," he said.
"Yeah, I had him call you." Curley motioned with his chin. "Follow me."
Led to one of the bedrooms, he paused in the doorway, seeing what all the hoopla was about. A woman sat on the bed. He couldn't see her face with her long hair falling in the way, and her knees drawn up to her chest. Not knowing the woman, he looked at Paco standing in front of the window for answers.
Paco stepped away from the woman and pointed to the hallway. Kent stepped back, out of sight.
"Thanks for coming." Paco kept his voice lowered. "Where's Callie?"
He tensed. "First, why don't you tell me why you want to see her?"
"The woman inside the room is Linda. She arrived at the clubhouse, asking for Callie."
"Does Callie know her?"
Curley turned toward him and said, "She's the one I was telling you about that was spotted hanging out at Hill's swingers' club."
That wasn't enough information. He knew Callie and the life she'd led. Female friends deserted her because of her ex-husband spreading lies around about her. Because the woman inside the bedroom asked for her, he wasn't going to trust her not to hurt Callie.
"I'm not going to let Callie be around her until I know what's going on," he said.
"Speak to her yourself." Curley raised his hand. "You'll see what's going on."
Leaving the other two in the hallway, he stepped inside and cleared his throat. "You wanted to speak with Callie?"
The woman slowly raised her head. He tensed, taking in the black eye and swollen lip. Somebody had done a number on her.
"Is she here?" said Linda.
He wasn't going to give the woman hooked in with Hill's business any information on Callie until he knew her intentions. "I'm sure there are women here who can help—"
"No." She got up from the bed, grimacing in pain. "Please. I need to see her before...what time is
it?"
Looking at his watch, he said, "Almost six o'clock."
Linda moaned. "It's too late."
"Why don't you tell me what's going on? If you need help..."
Linda, her arm wrapped around her middle, walked past him and left the room. He followed her out, stopping beside Curley and Paco. She talked to no one and went through the back door.
"What the hell was that about?" he demanded.
"Hell, if I know." Curley stepped forward, stopped, and turned around. "She showed up like that about an hour ago and refused to talk to anyone but Callie."
"I'd like to know who beat the shit out of her," mumbled Paco.
He wasn't going to get any info from the Tarkio members. "Watch Callie."
Going out the back door, he searched the area for Linda. She couldn't have gotten far. Every movement seemed to have caused her pain.
Spotting her rounding the building, he jogged until he caught up with her. "Wait up."
"I need to leave." She kept going.
"How does what happened to you involve Callie?" He kept pace with her. "Is she in danger?"
"I can't say."
"Why not?"
She stepped off the sidewalk and entered the street, and he grabbed her arm the second she made it to the other side. "I can protect you."
"You can't even protect Callie." Tears choked Linda, and she looked him square in the eyes. "And, neither can I. Just let me go before someone sees me talking to you."
He refused to let her go. Everything surrounding Callie seemed to revolve around her ex-husband. "Did Josh Hill do this to you?"
Her gaze flickered away. "Please, let me go."
"Let me help you."
"It's too late." Acceptance flashed over her bruised face. "If you do anything, help Callie. It's not too late for her. Don't leave her alone."
Linda hobbled down the sidewalk, head bent, and barely lifting her feet. He stared after her, trying to make sense of what she'd told him. The dire message, talking about running out of time, protecting Callie, the injuries on Linda's body.
He damn sure would take care of Callie.
Chapter 29