by Hope Ford
I’ve finally let go of her hand, not because I wanted to but because she needed to get in the car. I crouch down beside her before she could shut the door. “I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself in there, but from now on, you have me to do it for you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“But you don’t have to anymore.”
Her mouth is wide open. “But—but I don’t even know you. Heck, I don’t even know your name,” she says.
I lean in and kiss her forehead only because I know if I touch her lips like I’m dying to do, she’ll never get to the safety of her home. “They call me Ice. And you may not know me yet, but you will. Be safe, Addison. I’ll text you later.”
I stand up and shut her door, and she’s staring up at me before she finally shakes her head, starts her car, and pulls out of the lot. Patriot follows behind her, and I watch, knowing that my life has been changed forever.
3
Addison
Are you home?
MY phone dings, and that’s the message on it. The name on the ID says Ice.
I text him back, still surprised by the change of events tonight. Yes, I’m home. But I’m sure Patriot has already told you that.
Yeah, I knew. But I wanted to hear it from you, he replies.
My heart starts to race in my chest. Ice is like no man I’ve ever met. He’s tall, dark and handsome with tattoos, and even with the scowl he carries on his face, he still makes my stomach flip-flop.
Well, I’m home. Thanks again for your help. I type it in and hit send as I stare at my phone, wondering if he’ll text back.
Don’t thank me. I have an ulterior motive.
My excitement instantly dwindles. Of course he does. Don’t most men? At least the men I’ve dealt with only do something if it benefits them. I toss the phone onto the coffee table and lie back on the couch. It dings again, but I don’t pick it up. Who knows what he’s sending me now or what he’s going to ask for?
When it dings two more times, I finally can’t hold back. I open the messaging app and read I want to get to know you.
Then the second one came shortly after. Hey. Did I scare you off?
Then the third. Are you okay, Addison? Text me or I’m coming over.
I start to type. Why do you want to get to know me?
I hold my breath after I push send.
There’s a thousand reasons but half of them would probably scare you off. For now, I’ll tell you this. Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Because you’re strong, willing to take on two bad cops without backing down. Because I already know I like you.
My heart melts a little in my chest, but then it hits me. What am I thinking?
You do realize that not an hour ago there was a woman grinding on your lap? You can’t blame me if I’m not falling over myself to believe you.
You want the truth?
Yes, I type, rolling my eyes. Why do people even ask that? Like I want him to lie to me?
It was more out of habit than anything. She always dances for us. But I wasn’t hard for her. She doesn’t do it for me.
I’m pacing now, back and forth in my living room and shaking my head. He just lied to me, even after he said he was going to tell me the truth.
That’s a lie. You were hard. When you came to help me, I could feel you pressed into my back and you were definitely hard. I’m finished with this conversation now. I gotta go. Thanks again for your help earlier.
I hit send and squeeze the phone in my hand. Why am I such a fool? I’m about to toss it across the room when it rings in my hand.
My mouth drops and I hold it up. It’s him. It’s Ice calling.
When the ringing stops, another text comes through. Answer the phone or I’m coming over.
The phone starts to ring again, and this time I accept the call.
I hold it to my ear but don’t say a word.
“Addison?”
But I still don’t answer. Maybe it’s because I’m mad he lied. Maybe it’s because I can’t get the image of that bare-chested woman in his lap out of my head. Regardless, I don’t have a lot to say.
“Fine. You don’t want to talk, then listen. Yeah, I was hard. But that wasn’t for her. I noticed you as soon as you walked in the club. I took one look at your curvy body and knew that I wanted you on top of me, underneath of me, any way I could have you.”
I gasp as his hard voice continues to talk dirty to me. “No more Pussy Parlor for me. There’s only one pussy I want and it’s yours. Fuck, I can already imagine it, and I want it. I’m done, Addi. From this point on, anything I do I’m going to be doing for you… and for us.”
My voice is shrill. He’s talking about my privates, and I can feel the moisture between my legs. His words, his voice, all of it is doing something to me. “But you don’t even know me.”
“I know enough. I know I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.”
“That’s just sex,” I stutter, trying to make excuses of why I feel like I’m about to hyperventilate.
He laughs then. It’s deep, sexy, and gruff. “No, sweetness. I can guarantee it won’t just be sex with us. There’ll be a lot fucking more than that.”
Before I realize it, my hand is between my legs, and I stroke through my wet, hot, swollen folds. I groan and instantly bite my lip.
His voice drops an octave. “Addi,” he breathes into the phone. “Are you touching yourself?”
“No!” I all but scream. My pulse is racing, but I can’t stop. My finger flicks across my clit, and I bite my lip, barely containing my whimper.
“I know you are, sweetie. I can hear the tiny pants of your breath. You like me talking dirty to you, don’t you? But you can’t lie to me. I won’t lie to you, and you can’t lie to me. Tell me, are you touching yourself?”
“Yes,” I say just as I stroke across my clit again. I groan this time, not even trying to hide it. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I know that I’ve never been this turned on in my life.
“That’s right. Don’t stop, Addi. If I was there, I’d be right there, running my tongue through your tight snatch, lapping it all up. I wouldn’t stop until you were begging me for mercy.”
I keep rubbing. The deep tenor of his voice in my ear is pushing me on, and I couldn’t stop now if my life depended on it.
“But I need it, baby. I need you to come for me. I need to know you’re satisfied, and I want you groaning my name when you come. Do it, baby. Give me what I want.”
I want to fight it. I want to hold on to the last shred of decency I have left. I just met the man, and already I’m coming from his dirty words. So I hold fast, refusing to give in.
“No,” I breathe into the phone.
But I can almost hear the smile in his voice. “You don’t want me to have it? That’s okay, baby, because I’ll work for it. I’d push my tongue to your clit as I push my finger in and out of you. My beard is going to leave marks all on your thighs but I won’t care, because that means I’m claiming you. And that’s right, Addi. I’m claiming you because you’re mine.”
And just the thought of his scruffy beard scratching my thighs and his tongue on my most secret place does it. I come, groaning his name over and over until I’m spent and limp on my couch.
I can barely catch my breath, but it sounds like he’s having the same problem. We’re both quiet, just breathing into each other’s ears, and it’s calming to me, making me wonder if he came too.
I clench my eyes shut tight, trying to shake the thoughts from my head, but I have to know. “Did you come, Ice?”
“Fuck yeah, I came. There’s no way I could have held back hearing your sweet little whimpers when you lost control and were calling my name. I came all over my hand, baby. I got a mess, but I don’t care.”
I sit up and look at the clock on the wall, and all of a sudden it all comes clear. I’m a schoolteacher. I just met a handsome biker, and he made me come without even touchin
g me. I’m not this person. I’m not. I don’t trust men. I’ve been the butt of fat jokes, I’ve been pranked by the jocks in high school, and my ex-boyfriend thought it would be funny to let me support his gaming addiction while he dated other women. And, well, a guy as handsome as Ice could literally have anyone he wanted, and I’m not falling for it. “Uh, look, I have to go. I have an early morning.”
He yawns into the phone. “I’d like to talk to you more, but I understand. I have an early morning too. I’ll see you tomorrow. Dream of me, baby.”
“Goodnight, Ice,” I say right before I hit the end button.
I hold my head in my hands. What am I doing? The last thing I need is to get hung up on some smooth, dirty talkin’ biker.
4
Addison
In the early morning light the next day, my embarrassment has faded, and I have to admit I’m wondering if he’s going to call or text me again.
I don’t have to wait long.
Good morning, beautiful.
I try to keep it cool and text him back. Good morning.
I dreamt of him last night. All the erotic thoughts are jumbled in my head, and I’m trying to get my head out of the gutter. I have kindergartners to teach today. Little minds to mold. I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about Ice—and I mean, what kind of name is that anyway? The man should be called Dirty, or Boss or something. Not Ice.
Come to my shop after school today.
And he words it just like that. It’s not a request. It’s a command. I take a deep breath, and my first instinct is to tell him no. I know this is a bad idea. I don’t look like any of those women at the club last night, and to be honest, I don’t ever behave the way I did last night. It was one lapse in judgment. I’m about to type in no when I get another text.
Or I can come see you at your house.
I’m already shaking my head. I don’t trust myself at my house with him. No, I’ll take my chances on his work.
I’ll come by your work after school.
He texts back almost instantly. Have a good day, sweetness.
I go to school, and all I can think about all day is Ice. I know it’s a bad idea, but at the end of the day, I’m driving my car to the shop across town. When I pull in, Patriot pulls in beside me. “I’ll watch you inside then Ice is taking over.”
“Patriot, did you follow me from the school?”
He tips his head at me. “Yes, ma’am. Ice said to follow you this morning and again after school.”
“I don’t need you to…”
But Patriot holds his hands up. “You need to talk to Ice about it. I’m just doing my job.”
I nod my head with a muttered thanks and walk into Valor Customs.
Ice is the first person I see, and he’s walking in from a back door. He walks straight for me, and I’m about to give him a piece of my mind about having Patriot follow me when he pulls me in for a hug. His big arms wrap around me, and he holds me tight. I’m feeling so many things right now, and I’m completely off kilter. I can’t remember ever being held so tightly.
When he releases me, he doesn’t really let me go. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and walks me through the building. He introduces me to Gage and Ranger, two other artists, and then he takes me toward the back where his office and paint booth is.
“I’m almost finished with this. I’m sorry, I tried to get it done before you got here,” he tells me as he points in the paint booth.
“It’s fine. I can sit here.” I lift my hip and settle on the stool. I’m in a perfect position to see in the booth and be able to watch him work.
He leans in and kisses me again on the forehead before muttering, “I’ll be quick.”
He walks through the door, and I watch as he works. He puts a mask on and lifts the spray gun. It’s like watching an artist as he moves the gun in his hands in strokes up and down. The skulls and flames come to life before my very eyes, and I’m amazed by his talent. The bike looks amazing, but what I really am fascinated by is the way the sinewy muscles of his arms flex as he works. The way he moves around and bends down, his tight butt looking amazing in his jeans. It’s like every dream I had of him last night is coming to life. I know my mouth is hanging wide open, and I only slam it shut when Ranger comes and sits down next to me.
“He does amazing work. People come from all across the world to have him work on their rides.”
I clear my throat. “He… uh, I mean it looks amazing.”
Ranger starts to laugh, and I can’t help it, I laugh too. I was caught, and there’s no sense denying it.
Ice
I try not to rush through the paint job knowing how much I’m charging for it, but with Addison watching me through the window, I can’t help but want to get done quick. I keep glancing at her, and she’s watching me closely, causing my hands to tremble as I hold the spray gun in my hands. I do what I can and finish, knowing I’m going to have to come back to it and touch it up later.
I clean up the gun and brushes and turn to look through the window again, a big smile on my face that instantly drops. She’s still sitting there, all prim and proper on the stool, but her eyes are no longer on me. She’s laughing, her face red as if she’s blushing as she talks to Ranger. Fuck. That.
I open the paint booth door with more force than necessary and stalk out to them.
“Did you not get the message?” I ask Ranger.
He looks clueless, but there’s a smirk on his face, telling me he knows exactly what the fuck I’m talking about. “What message?”
I tilt my head at Addison. “She’s off limits.”
Addison sucks in a breath just as Ranger turns to her. “Did he ask you to be his ol’ lady?” he asks her.
She scrunches up her nose, no doubt hating the sound of that. Nobody wants to be an ol’ lady until they understand the meaning of it. She shakes her head side to side, not even daring to look at me.
Ranger keeps looking at her, and it takes everything I have not to rip his eyeballs out. The only thing stopping me is the fact that he is like a brother to me, and I know I need to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Eyes off her, Ranger. I’m not fucking around.”
Ranger looks at me, the smirk still there. “Sounds to me if you haven’t claimed her, she’s fair game.”
“Now wait,” Addison starts, but I butt in.
I pull Ranger from his seated position on the stool. I’m pissed. “Back off, Ranger.” We’re toe to toe, and all it will take is one word from him about liking Addison and I’ll throttle him.
But then he does something I would never expect. He laughs. “I know she’s yours. I just wanted you to realize that you need to lock this shit down, Ice. Don’t fuck it up.”
He grabs on to my hands and pulls them from his shirt. He nods at Addison and walks away.
I start to pace back and forth, trying to calm myself before I say anything to Addison.
“I’m not property,” she says as she stands up from the stool.
I shove my hand through my hair. I don’t even know how to explain it to her. “Don’t – not right now.”
She puts her hands on her hips. “Fine, I’m going. I knew this was a bad idea anyway.”
And that right there is my undoing. She can’t walk away from me. I’ll never let her go.
I grab on to her hand and turn her back toward me. She gasps as she looks into my face, and I know without a doubt what she’s seeing there. I can’t even begin to hide how much I want her. I’m like a possessed lunatic, and I’m not going to lose her. Not now.
I can’t wait another minute. I push her against the closed door and fuckin’ finally claim her lips. I should go easy, take my time and savor every touch, but I can’t. It’s like a spark that’s been ignited, and I can’t get close enough to her. I grind my hips into her, leaving her with no doubts how much I want her. “You’re mine, Addison. All mine.”
She groans as she throws her head back, and I take what she’s offering, kissing and suck
ing on her neck. When I bite her tender flesh, she moans, loud and raw, and it echoes through the shop. I cover her mouth with mine, swallowing her moans and whimpers. When I pull away, we’re both breathless. “No one hears your pleasure, baby. That’s all for me.”
She nods, her eyes the darkest shade of blue I’ve ever seen.
Her arms loop around my neck, and I finally feel my heart start to calm. I thought she might fight me on it, but the way she’s grinding on my leg between her thighs she wants it just as bad as I do.
I’m breathless, but I have to ask. If she says no, I’ll cool it and hold out because I know she’s worth it. But I want her like there’s no tomorrow. “My apartment is upstairs.” I grab both her hands in mine, a part of me afraid that she might change her mind and try to escape me. “I want you, Addison, but if you want to wait, I’ll wait.”
Her eyes grow wider, and I’m waiting on the no when she surprises me. “Yes.”
I don’t even wait, for fear she’s going to change her mind. I wrap my arms around her and all but carry her to the door leading up the stairs. I make it up to my apartment in record time and don’t let her go until we’re standing next to my bed.
5
Addison
His hands and mouth are all over me. There’s no denying how much he wants me and in turn, how badly I need him. He has me undressed in record time, and when I try to cover myself with my arms and hands, he growls. Literally growls at me. His fingers circle my wrists, and he pulls them out to my sides. I suck in my belly, knowing that my rolls, cellulite, and faint white marks are on full display.
I clench my eyes together tightly, knowing if I see disgust on his face it’s going to wreck me. I can feel him lean in, and his lips brush across my cheek. He whispers into my ear, “Open your eyes, Addi. I want them on me.”
I take a deep breath and pry them open slowly, unsure of what I’m going to see. He’s pulled back to look at me, and his stare hits me full force. He wants me. There’s no denying the need and the longing in his eyes. Like an idiot, my thoughts come out of my mouth. “You want me.” I don’t say it as a question, I say it like it’s an observation.