by L. Wilder
“Um-hmm.” I lowered my mouth to her shoulder and began trailing kisses along her neck and collar bone. She reached for me, pulling me towards her as I lowered my mouth to her breast. “You going to be able to manage quiet?”
Heavy breaths and low moans filled the room as I raked my tongue against her nipple. Her head fell back, and with her eyes closed, she mumbled, “Oh, God.”
“Yeah, didn’t think so.”
Goosebumps prickled across her skin as my fingers worked their way across her abdomen, through the waistband of her black panties. A small whimper escaped her throat as my hand trailed further down between her legs. I lowered my mouth to her ear as my fingertips grazed across her center and whispered, “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed touching you?”
“I’ve missed it, too. So much.”
I kissed her, long and hard, reveling in the sounds of all her little whimpers and moans. I slipped my fingertips inside her and had just begun to stroke her when she moaned, “Oh God, Roman. Don’t stop.”
I could feel my need for her building, burning deep inside my gut. Fuck. It was more than I could take. I had to have my mouth on her. I sat up and reached for the waistband of her satin panties, and her eyes widened with anticipation as I started to ease them down her long, slender legs. I slid my hands under her and pulled her towards me. A light hiss slipped through her teeth, and her head fell back when I started to kiss along her inner thigh. Her fingers dug into the sheets and her back arched off of the bed as I pressed the flat of my tongue against her sensitive flesh. “That’s it, baby. Let go.”
Her eyes clamped shut as I continued to nip and suck, teasing her clit with my mouth. It wasn’t long before her legs started to tremble. I realized then that she was letting go, giving in to the moment and even relishing in it. I increased the pressure, and her breath quickened. I knew she was getting close when she started to writhe and gasp for air.
Seconds later, she grabbed one of the pillows and held it against her face as she moaned with fervor. Soon after, her body jolted with her release. She was still in a haze when I lifted the pillow from her face. Frankie looked up at me with wonder in her eyes. Damn. She got me right in the heart. I never thought I’d ever feel this way about a woman—that I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her. That was a risk I never saw myself taking—until her. She made me want things I never dreamed I’d want, and while it scared the ever-living hell out of me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Unable to wait any longer to have her, I stood up, grabbed a condom from my wallet, and removed my jeans. Once I was undressed, I slid on a condom, then lowered myself back onto the bed. My breath became strained as I hovered over her. She looked so damn beautiful lying there beneath me, and I couldn’t imagine wanting her more than I did at that moment.
“I missed you,” she whispered as she brought her hands up to my face.
She pulled me towards her, pressing her mouth against mine, kissing me. I gently slid deep inside her. Fuck. She felt so damn good—so tight, warm and wet. I had to pause for several breaths just to get a grip on myself before I exploded right there on the spot. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“Roman,” she whispered.
The longing in her voice as she said my name spurred me on. I started to rock against her, slow and steady. I watched her every move, listened to every moan and whimper, making sure that I was giving her exactly what she needed. The muscles in her body grew rigid, her chest stilled as she held her breath, and I knew she was close. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn’t stop the inevitable torment of her building orgasm. I increased my pace, just enough to push her over the edge, and soon after, her fingernails dug into my hips as her entire body grew taut, and I heard the sound of air rushing from her lungs.
I continued to drive into her, the tight grip of her body bringing me closer to climax with every thrust until I finally came inside her. I took a moment to catch my breath, then lowered myself down on the bed. After I removed my condom and tossed it into the trash, I pulled her over to me. The room stilled as she nestled into my side and rested her head on my shoulder. Our breaths started to slow, and just as the lustful haze began to fade, Frankie looked up at me and whispered, “I don’t want you to go.”
“I can stay for a little while.”
“The boys...”
“I’ll make sure I’m gone before they get up.”
“Okay.” A sense of peace washed over me as she lay her head back down on my shoulder and curled up next to me. “I’m really glad you came tonight.”
“Me too.”
I closed my eyes and listened to the soothing sound of her breathing, and it wasn’t long before we both had drifted off to sleep. It was early, well before daylight, when I woke up, and a smile crossed my face when I found Frankie still nestled up against me. She looked so damn incredible lying there. I hated the idea of leaving her, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to get going before Sean and Corry got up. Doing my best not to wake her, I eased her off of me and onto the pillow, before slipping out of the bed. I gathered my clothes from the floor and quickly got dressed. I stepped back over to the bed and kissed Frankie on the forehead before turning to walk out the door. I hadn’t gotten very far before I heard her ask, “Hey...when am I going to see you again?”
“When do you want to see me?”
“How about dinner tonight?” A soft smile crept over her face as she said, “I can order Chinese, and we can watch a movie with the boys.”
“Sounds good.” I stepped back over to the bed and leaned down and gave her another kiss on the forehead. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I wasn’t a man who’d ever believed in happy endings or any of that bullshit. Happy wasn’t something I ever thought I could be—not in this lifetime, but as I left Frankie’s place that morning, I found myself wondering if I might’ve been wrong. It was certainly looking that way. This thing with me and Frankie was just getting started. I had no idea how it’d go, but I was looking forward to finding out.
Chapter 18
Frankie
I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to go with Roman on a memorial ride with his brothers. I’ll admit I was tempted to turn him down. I’d never even been on a motorcycle before, and on top of that, I’d only met a couple of his brothers. While they seemed okay, I was a little terrified of making a complete fool of myself in front of all the Sinners and their ol’ ladies. However, hearing the pain in his voice when he talked about his fallen brother and how the ride was their way of paying tribute to his life made it impossible for me to refuse.
He came to the house a little early so he could run through some of the basics of riding. I was still feeling a little out of my comfort zone after we made the short ride over to his clubhouse and eased in behind a large group of bikers. Even with all the side glances and snickers from his brothers, Roman was all business as he made his way to the middle of the pack. I didn’t say a word. I simply smiled and held on to Roman’s sides for dear life, trying not to act like I was totally freaking out—which I was. There were just so many of them, and they were all wearing their club jackets and dark sunglasses which made each of them look ominous. It was overwhelming, but at the same time, it was so very cool. We were surrounded by all these big motorcycles, each with their own style and colors, and I could feel the thunderous roar of their engines vibrating through my chest. Every time we passed a car or someone walking on the street, they’d all stop and stare at us with a look of fear and intrigue.
When we came up to a red light, Roman glanced back over his shoulder and asked, “You doing okay back there?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I ran my hand across his back. “What about you? You doing okay?”
“Doing just fine.” He reached down and gave my thigh a gentle squeeze. “Like having you on the back of my bike.”
“I like being on the back of your bike.”
“Well, aren’t you two just the cute
st fucking thing,” the guy next to us teased.
“Mind ya business, Country!”
“Now, we both know that shit ain’t gonna happen.” Country chuckled as he said, “Not when my boy Widow is over there acting all sweet.”
Before Roman could respond, the light turned green, and we took off. I thought that would be the end of it, but Country wasn’t ready to give it up. He eased up beside us and slid his glasses down his nose, pretending to check me out. When we slowed at the next light, Roman inched his bike closer to Country, then said, “I know you’re still on the mend, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass.”
“Alright, alright,” Country threw up his hands in surrender with a chuckle. “You win.”
I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going until the group started towards the State Park at Oak Hill. I’d been there many times. I loved hiking the trails at Radnor Lake. With its scenic route around the lake and all the different picnic areas, it was the perfect place for a last ride. When we got up by the lake, the guys pulled in to one of the rest stops. Everyone was somber and quiet as they got off their bikes. Without saying a word, Roman took hold of my hand and we followed the others to the water. Once we were all gathered around, one of the older men stepped out in front of the group. He was tall and muscular with a fierce expression, and like many of the others, he was covered in various tattoos.
As he held up the urn of ashes, he said, “Badger. We wanted to take this moment to thank you for your dedication to the club. You would’ve made a hell of a brother.”
He stepped over to the water and as he started to release the ashes, he recite the Irish Blessing:
“May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”
Once the urn was empty, they all shouted, “United we stand. Divided we fall. Hoo-Rah.”
With that, they all turned and started back towards the parking lot. As we were walking, I leaned over to Roman and whispered, “That was really sweet. I’m sure it would’ve meant a lot to your friend Badger.”
“Yeah, it would have. He was a good kid.”
He didn’t say anything more. I didn’t really expect him to. He’d been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. He hadn’t even told me how Badger had died. I didn’t push then, and I certainly wasn’t going to push now with all his brothers around. When we got back to the parking lot, I was pleased to see that the brothers’ moods had lifted, and they were all starting to talk and cut up with one another. I was standing there taking it all in when Widow gave my hand a squeeze and said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
I watched as he stepped over to Menace and started talking. I was feeling a little out of sorts standing there alone, but that feeling quickly faded when a group of three women came over to me, each of them young and beautiful and, thankfully, smiling. The pretty redhead was the first to extend her hand and say, “Hey, I’m Delilah, and this is Marlowe and Remington. We just wanted to come over and welcome you to the club.”
“Thank you.” I shook her hand as I said, “I’m Frankie. Roman...I mean Widow has told me a lot about you. It’s really nice to finally put faces with all of your names.”
“So, he’s told you about us?” Remington asked.
“He’s shared a story or two,” I answered with a smile.
“Well, he hasn’t told us much about you, so you’ll have to fill us all in.” Marlowe giggled as she said, “Sometimes it’s like prying teeth to get these men to tell us anything.”
“I’ve noticed that.” I glanced over at Roman and smiled before saying, “I’ll be glad to fill you in on anything you want to know.”
“Are you going to be able to make it to the cookout tonight?”
“I wanted to, but I’ve got to get back home to meet the boys. They were at their dad’s this weekend, and I need to be there when he drops them off.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we should plan a day to get together for lunch or maybe a girls night out.”
“That would be great.”
One of the brothers came up behind Delilah and asked, “You girls behaving yourselves over here?”
“As best we can. We were just getting to know Frankie.” Delilah slipped her arm around the man’s waist as she said, “This is Hawk, by the way. He’s the club’s Sergeant at Arms.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Hawk.”
“Right back at ya.” He gave me a wink as he said, “Good to see that Widow’s finally found someone who can put up with him.”
I giggled as I told him, “I think it’s him who’s having to put up with me.”
“Either way, you’ve got yourself a good one.”
“I certainly think so.”
When Widow and his brother Menace walked up, Hawk gave Widow a nudge with his elbow. “I was just telling your girl what a pain in the ass you are.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, I tried to tell her she needed to get while the getting was good, but she wouldn’t listen.” He chuckled as he teased, “Don’t know what we’re going to do with her.”
“Better watch it,” Country warned from a few feet away. “Widow gets testy when you mess with his woman.”
“Ah, he knows I’m just fuckin’ around.”
“Yeah, I do. I also know it’s time for us to be gettin’ back on the road.” I looked over in Viper’s direction. “Prez is already gearin’ up to go.”
“Alrighty, then. I guess we best be going.” Hawk looked back over to me as he said, “It really was nice to meet ya. Hope we’ll be seeing you around.”
“It was nice meeting all of you, too.”
Marlowe stepped over to me as she said, “I’ll get with you about lunch sometime this week.”
“Great. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Our little group dispersed, and after we all got back on our motorcycles, Viper led us through the rest of the park. We followed him back into Nashville but veered off when we hit downtown. I hated that I couldn’t join them for the cookout, especially after meeting the girls, but at the same time, I was looking forward to seeing the boys. I always missed them when they were at their dad’s and planned to have a nice dinner for them when they got home. When I’d invited Roman to join us, I’d assumed he’d want to go back to join the others for the cookout but was pleasantly surprised when he took me up on my offer.
As soon as we got back to the house, he followed me inside and asked, “You want a hand with dinner?”
“Sure. That would be great.” After I took off my jacket, I went over to the fridge. As I pulled out the hamburger meat, I told him, “How about burgers?”
“Oh, okay. You planning on frying them in that skillet of yours, or do you want me to put them on the grill?”
“I figured I’d just do them in the skillet.”
“You sure? You remember what happened the last time you used the skillet.”
I’d found it very endearing that he’d volunteered to help me cook—right up until the moment I realized why he’d actually offered. Feeling mildly offended, I placed my hand on my hip as I asked, “Oh, so you’re worried I’ll burn them?”
“I’m just thinking the grill might be a better way to go.”
“Um-hmm. Sure.”
A playful smirk crossed his face as he said, “I’m just thinking of the boys here. I know how they feel about their burgers being burned, and I wouldn’t want them to be disappointed.”
“Ah!” I gasped. “You’re such an ass!”
“You know I’m just messing with ya.”
“Oh no, mister. I know how this thing goes.” I laughed as I told him, “There’s a grain of truth in every joke.”
He came over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. He looked
down at me with a soulful expression, leaving no doubt there was something on his mind. “Let’s move in together.”
“What?”
“Let’s move in together,” he repeated.
“What are you talking about?” I could only imagine how I must’ve sounded. I was in utter shock. I couldn’t believe he’d want to make such a big move so fast. “We’ve only known each other for a few weeks.”
“So.” He shrugged. “My brothers only knew their ol’ ladies a couple of months, and they moved in together. Hell, they were all engaged and married in less than six months.”
“And what does that have to do with us?”
“I want to be with you, Frankie.”
“And I want to be with you, but there’s no reason to rush into anything.” I slipped my arms around his neck as I told him, “I think we’ve got a good thing here, and I don’t want to mess it up by doing something neither of us is ready for.”
He didn’t respond which made me worry that I’d said the wrong thing. Hoping to explain myself a little better, I told him, “I just think we should take things slow and really get to know each other before we do something like move in together. It will give the boys a chance to get to know you better, too.”
“I’m good with slow. I just want to be able to spend as much time as I can with you.”
“Well, that’s good, because I want to spend as much time as I can with you, too. I’m not going anywhere.” I brought my hand to his face as I whispered, “I love you, Roman.”
Emotion filled his eyes as he crashed his mouth down on mine. His rough hands slid across my skin with a reverence and possessiveness that ignited an ache deep inside me—an ache that was all for him. I felt his passion pouring into me as his fingertips twisted tightly in my hair, pulling me firmly to his lips. He slowed for a moment as he kissed me long and deep, taking my bottom lip between his teeth as he seduced me with his skillful mouth. The mixture of pleasure and pain that ran through me as his teeth bit into my lip shot straight to my core. I was lost in a delicious haze of hormones and lust when I heard a car door slam shut. I forced myself to break his embrace and took a step back as I told him, “The boys are home.”