"Always," I whisper before lowering my lips to her palm, flicking the sweet into my mouth with my tongue and licking across her skin before placing a kiss to the centre.
She looks over at me, and the smile that lights up her face damn near knocks the wind out of me. We've only been messing about for a few months, but already I'm fighting to keep those three little words inside me. I have no idea when I fell, but I did. And hard. And despite the fact that I already know we have no future, I also know that I'll never regret this. I will always look back on our time together fondly because of all the things she gave me.
I was so fucking naïve back then, I think, dragging myself from the memory of that weekend. It was by far the best few days of my life. It was a hell of a lot better than what was going to happen in the coming weeks when I was to learn that every second we'd spent together had been fake and based on a lie.
Stripping out of my clothes, I throw them at my laundry basket and walk into my en suite. The shower calls to me despite the fact that my hair is barely dry from the last one, but the need to rid myself of that scent is almost too much. It makes me want things I know I can't have. Things I shouldn't crave after everything that happened.
I fall into my cold bed, wishing that I was in another, and stare up at the ceiling, desperate for a distraction from the memories running around my head at the speed of light. Images from when we were kids start merging with the two from this week and mess my head up more than it already is.
At some point, they must send me to sleep, because darkness fades in.
Although at no point do I stop thinking about her.
In my slumber, I never left her flat. Instead, I caved to my need to kiss her before I left and ended up spending the night devouring her, which is exactly my fear.
I cannot become more attached, more infatuated than I already am.
She's part of a game to secure my daughter's future. I need to keep that front and centre of my mind, and once that’s done, then I need to do what I should have done the second I saw her.
Tell my father.
A pain lances through my chest at the thought of doing so. I know it’s what has to happen. She betrayed him. She betrayed me. It’s the way it has to be, despite what my heart is trying to tell me.
I'm already tempting fate by keeping her a secret. It won't just be her head on the chopping block when I hand her over if he discovers that I've known for a long time.
He won't understand that I needed to make use of her first.
When I wake, it's with my cock tenting the sheets and the image of having her body pressed up against mine in my head.
I groan when I see the sun is already streaming through the cracks in my curtains. I throw the covers back ready to start the day, but my phone on the bedside table stops me in my tracks.
Sitting on the edge, I swipe it up and find the new app I downloaded.
It takes about a minute to load, but when it does, I find exactly what I need.
I shower and dress in record time, not wanting to miss my opportunity.
Emmie is still sleeping when I poke my head into her room, so I leave her a note for when she eventually emerges and head toward the address on my phone.
A smile twitches at my lips as I climb on my bike and start the engine.
She has no idea what's in store for her. The thought causes more excitement to explode in my belly than it should.
12
Piper
It takes me longer than usual to drag myself from the sleep fog that surrounds me to figure out what the noise is.
I crack my eyes open to find the morning sun illuminating the room, along with the insistent buzzing that woke me.
Pushing myself up on my elbow, I look at my bedside table.
My phone?
My brows pull together. I don't remember seeing it there last night. But then I guess I wasn't exactly with it after Dawson turned me into a sex-crazed mess.
My cheeks heat as I think about what went down between us. I squirm, my thighs clench, and my temperature spikes.
Damn him. He shouldn't still have this power over me.
My phone stops ringing, reminding me that I should be doing something other than reliving last night, and I reach over for it.
Seeing as it was Lisa, I call her back.
"Have a good night?" Curiosity drips from every one of her words.
"Err..."
"Breakfast. Right. Now," she demands, making my eyes roll.
"Lis, I've just woken up," I whine.
"Don't care. Meet me at our usual post in forty-five minutes and not one more. I will come and find your arse."
"Ugh, fine. See you there."
I hang up before she has a chance to say any more.
Throwing the covers back, I strip out of my pyjamas on the way to the bathroom and turn the shower on to warm up the second I walk in. My body aches with every movement and step.
I lock down my thoughts, not needing to remember how he looked standing on the other side of that glass barely a few hours ago.
I pee and brush my teeth, and I'm about to turn to the shower when my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror on the door catches my eyes.
"Holy fuck," I gasp, inching closing to get a better look.
My neck, chest and boobs are covered in red hickeys and bite marks, but even more shocking are the almost purple fingerprints on my hips.
"Motherfucker." I twist this way and that, finding that the bruises cover my arse as well as my inner thighs.
Well, I guess there will be no forgetting about him for a good few days. If he was trying to ensure I wouldn't sleep with anyone else, then I think he's probably achieved that.
Ripping my eyes away from the evidence of our time together, I walk straight into the shower and allow the heat of the water to wash away the tension in my muscles.
"It took you forty-seven minutes," Lisa mutters when I fall down in the chair beside hers at the back of our usual cafe.
"You were timing me?" I ask, although I don't know why I'm surprised.
"You have juicy gossip and I need it, seeing as I went home alone last night and had to make do with my friend in my top drawer."
"Shush, there are kids over there."
"They don't know what I'm talking about," she says, rolling her eyes and waving me off. "Anyway. Spill, girl."
"I need coffee," I mutter, pushing to stand while she whines behind me. "The usual?"
"Please."
Lisa sits with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed while I queue up to place our order.
"So, I know he was there because I saw him, talked to him," she starts the second I'm in hearing distance once again.
"You spoke to him?"
"Spoke to... chatted up... same thing."
"Jesus, Lisa," I mutter, hoping like hell it covers up the wave of jealousy that washes through me.
"What? He is smoking hot, and you seem to think you're not interested."
"I'm not."
"Which leads me to my next point... where the hell did he take you, and what happened next?" Her eyebrows wiggle in delight. "And don't lie to me, I saw you dancing. I could feel the chemistry between you two from the other side of the club."
"You were wasted, Lis. I doubt that."
"Drink makes my chemistry-o-meter better, thank you very much. Thank you," she says, looking up at the server when she lowers our plates with breakfasts wraps onto our table.
"Fine, we danced. Then he took me down to the basement for some more dancing."
"Wanted you all to himself, huh?"
"I don't know what he's playing at," I admit around a mouthful of my wrap.
"You took him home though, right?"
"Um..." I decide to go with honesty. Well, as much as I can, at least. "He didn't give me much choice."
"Oh my God," she squeals in delight. "I just knew he'd be the ultimate alpha in the bedroom. It's in his eyes. You see it, right? So what happened next, did he bang you
all night long until you could barely stand?"
"Yeah, did he do that?" a deep, very familiar voice asks as the spare chair beside me is pulled out and spun around.
Oh my fucking God.
Lifting my eyes, I watch as he throws his leg over the chair and sits on it with his arms on the backrest in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snap, narrowing my eyes at him when a smug smile pulls at his lips.
"Joining your stimulating conversation. Please don't let me stop you. I want to hear just how good it was." He winks, and my face burns with mortification. "Something tells me it was wild."
Lisa smothers a howl of laughter while I pray for the ground to swallow me up.
"What do you want, Dawson?"
"Thought I'd come for breakfast." Without asking, he reaches out and snatches up what's left of my wrap and stuffs it in his mouth.
"You did not... oh my God. You need to leave."
"But things were just about to get interesting. Did you tell your friend here yet how you ended up tied to the bed?"
I don't need to look at Lisa to know she's got a shit-eating grin on her face.
"No? What about how I ate you out until you shattered, crying my name like I was God?"
"Okay, enough. You need to leave," I snap, standing with such speed I send my chair crashing to the floor behind me. All eyes in the café turn to me, and my face burns bright red at the attention.
Totally ignoring my words, the cheeky fuck reaches out for my coffee and takes a sip. His lip curls in disgust. "Caramel? And here I thought you were already pretty sweet."
If it were possible, I swear steam would be billowing out of my ears as I grit my teeth and stare daggers at him.
"You need to leave," I repeat, despite the fact that he makes no move to do so.
"Sure, it looks like you're finished here, anyway." He stands, and I breathe a sigh of relief… until he wraps his hand around mine and pulls me into his body. "Missed you, baby girl," he whispers, although he makes sure it's loud enough that Lisa hears. My eyes find hers as she practically melts into a puddle on her chair.
"Go with him right now, but I will be calling you later."
"She might be otherwise engaged."
Lisa smiles at me, totally ignoring my pleading look as Dawson drags me from the café and out onto the street, where I now see his bike is parked.
"What the fuck was that? And how did you know I'd be here?"
"Lucky break?" It comes out a question, so his innocent face and the shrug of his shoulder do nothing to convince me.
"You're becoming a real pain in my arse, you know that, right?"
"No, but I'm sure it could be arranged." Before I can step away, his arm snakes around my waist, effectively pulling me into his body as his hands squeeze my arse. "I'm more than willing to claim all of you, if you are?"
"Oh, so you can ask for permission?" I sass.
"You're cute. Get on."
"No." I place my hands on my hips and stare at him.
"No?"
"Exactly. No." Taking a step back, I prepare to walk away from him. "This was fun and all, but I've got shit to be doing."
I make it two steps before I'm hauled back against his hard body.
"Whatever shit you've got to do can't be as fun as the shit I've got to do, so you really should just come with," he growls in my ear. Goose bumps race across my skin as my fight begins to leave me.
I want to stand my ground and walk away. He did just ruin my morning and eat my breakfast after all, but a part of me wants to know what his plan is.
"Are you going to kill me?"
He laughs, and I can't help but wish I was facing him so I could see him smile.
"No, baby girl. Not today."
A shiver runs down my spine at the silent warning in his words.
"I had something very different in mind."
"Okay." The word falls from my lips before my brain has even registered the thought.
He stills for a beat, I assume shocked at how easily I agreed, but I'm too curious to walk away now.
He hesitantly releases me before opening his top box and retrieving a helmet for me.
"How convenient," I mutter, pulling it on my head while he does the same thing.
Sensing someone watching me, I look over my shoulder to find that Lisa has moved to the table in front of the window and practically has her nose pressed up against the glass.
"Your friend is..."
"Crazy?" I finish for him.
"Yeah, something like that."
I stand on the pavement as he throws his leg over his bike, then waits for me to join him.
He stills the second I climb on, but unlike the first time I sat behind him earlier in the week, I can't restrain myself and wrap my arms around his waist, resting my palms against his abs. With him refusing to allow me to touch him when we've been together, I figure I might as well take what I can get.
"I haven’t been on the back of a bike since you." My lips slam shut the second I realise I said it out loud. His body tenses under my hold, so I know he heard me, but he doesn't respond. Instead, he starts the engine and kicks the stand. In a heartbeat, we're flying through the city. I hold tighter and let the vibrations rumble through me as I think back to us doing the very same thing all those years ago.
I have no idea where we're going, and every time he slows, I look around, thinking that this might be the place he thought he wants to take me.
When he finally brings the bike to a stop in a car park, I look around with frown lines marring my brow. At least it's not an empty warehouse—or worse, the Royal Reapers clubhouse.
"The cinema?" I ask once we've both pulled our helmets off.
"Yeah. Problem?"
"No, it just wasn't what I was expecting."
"What were you expecting?"
My thoughts dive straight into the gutter, and from the smirk that appears on his face, I assume he can read them.
"Not today, baby girl. Something tells me that you're still sporting the evidence from last night."
My cheeks flame.
Reaching up, I open the top two buttons of my blouse and pull the fabric aside.
His eyes immediately darken as they lock on the swell of my breast.
"Keep showing those off in public and I'll have to kill any motherfucker who looks this way."
"I'm not flashing anyone. Jesus, caveman," I mutter, buttoning back up and righting my clothes.
"Good." After locking up his bike, he takes my hand and leads me toward the cinema.
"What are we watching?" He shrugs, looking at what's on offer. "I don't mind."
"I thought you wanted to come."
"Not really. It's more of a spur of the moment kind of thing."
"Riiight."
"So shoot 'em up or chick flick?"
"Your choice, but choose wisely," I warn.
"Why? Will the wrong choice result in me not getting inside you again?"
I want to say yes, but I think we both know that I'm unable to do so around him.
"I'm sure we could negotiate."
"You mean like I say what I want and you say yes."
Something like that, I think to myself as I follow him over to the machine to get tickets.
He stands in front of the screen so I still have no idea what we're watching as he leads me over to the snacks.
"Popcorn?" The moment that one word falls from his lips, I'm hit with a wave of nostalgia so strong that it threatens to buckle my knees.
"N-no." I glance around at what's on offer before my eyes land on something I haven’t eaten for years, despite my shower gel choice.
"Love Hearts?" he asks, reaching out and picking up two packets from the shelf.
"Two?"
"You might need the extra sugar for later." His eyes trail down my body. I might be fully dressed, giving nothing away in my attempt to hide all the love bites this morning, but still, I may as well be naked from the heated look in hi
s eyes.
A desire-filled shudder rips through me before he grabs my hand, places my sweets down on the counter to pay, and orders the biggest tub of popcorn they offer.
He passes the tickets to the young guy who directs us down to screen four.
The name of the film he chose shines brightly on the screen above the door and I smile.
As we walk up the stairs toward the back of the theatre, we only pass one other couple who are sitting silently, stuffing their faces.
"Here's fine," I say, tugging on his arms as we get to a row of seats, a few from the dark ones in the back.
He chuckles but pulls harder, ensuring I follow him all the way to the top.
I feel like a naughty teenager when he encourages me to walk down to the darkest part. We all know the kinds of things that happen back here, and my blood turns to lava at the thought of him touching me again.
He falls down into the seat beside me, stretching out his legs and widening them enough that one of his thighs brushes mine.
"So... you thought against a chick flick, then?" I ask, not really knowing how to break the weird tension that has fallen over us.
He stills with a handful of popcorn to his mouth before lowering it back down and leaning over to me. His lips brush my ear, the caress of his warm breath down my neck making my skin prickle with awareness.
"You grew up in an MC, baby girl. I know a chick flick wouldn't get your engines revving." I gasp as his giant hand lands on my thigh and skims up until his little finger is teasing the seam directly in front of my clit.
"Dawson," I warn, but all it makes him do is chuckle.
"Don't try to pretend like I don't know you. This isn't actually our first date, remember."
A weird cough rumbles up my throat. "T-this is a date?" I ask, my eyes wide as they turn to take him in.
He shrugs nonchalantly. "Two people in the back of a cinema not having a fucking clue what they're watching because all they can think about is when it's over so they can go home and fuck? Yeah, sounds like a date to me, baby girl."
Play You: A Second Chance/Single Dad Romance (Rebel Ink Book 4) Page 9