If there is a next time.
“Sorry. Thanks for bringing me here though, Knuckles,” I say sincerely.
“Well, I know Erin is a foodie, and it seems that runs in the family,” he says, lip twitching. “Good to know I can use food as a bribery tool against you.”
“Stop scheming and finish your steak before I finish it for you,” I threaten. I eat my last few garlic prawns and sit back and pat my stomach. “Best lunch I’ve had in a long time.”
“And it’s just down the road from your work,” he points out. “We could come here all the time if we wanted to.”
We stare at each other from across the table, the air thickening between us. I clear my throat and glance at my watch. I have to be back at work in twenty minutes.
“What are you doing tonight?” I ask him.
His eyes narrow.
“Do you want to come over or not?” I ask.
“Depends what you want me to come over for,” he replies, suddenly playing hard to get. How the hell did this happen? Has he turned the tables on me? Because I will actually kill him.
“I want more than one night,” he explains. “And if I’ve pegged you right, you’re going to take what I have to offer and then bail.”
Shit.
“Can’t we just see how it goes? Maybe we won’t be good in bed together.”
He doesn’t even justify my comment with a reply.
“I want a chance, a real chance, and I don’t want you pretending like you aren’t giving me one, or being so in denial that you consider yourself single. Make a conscious decision,” he says, leaning forward and looking me right in the eye. “And own it.”
My jaw tightens. He’s called me out on all my shit in one simple sentence, and nailed exactly how I would have handled the whole situation. I would have played it off any chance I had, my way of trying to protect myself. No promises and no expectations means I can’t be let down. It’s a defense mechanism, and I know that, but no one has ever called me out on it before, or tried to understand why I am the way I am.
But here sits this man.
Maybe he’s different.
Or maybe I’m being fucking naïve and stupid and walking into another broken heart.
“Let me think about it,” I tell him softly.
He reaches over and takes my hand. “You have to let someone in sometime, Celina, and I promise you that if it’s me, you won’t regret it.”
I hate that life has made me so cautious and cynical that I can’t even act normally with a man. I used to be a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic, but then life happened.
“I thought now was the time of meaningless sex?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
Knuckles laughs and gives my hand a squeeze. “I like to be different. I’m old-school, remember?”
“Old-school or just old?”
“We’ll see who has to try and keep up with who,” he murmurs, heat entering his eyes. “I hope you say yes, Celina, but the ball is in your court.”
He finishes his meal, and the two of us walk back to my office, hand in hand.
“Message me,” he says, kissing my forehead, my nose, and then my lips. “I guess I should probably go do some work, too.”
“Must be nice,” I reply, shaking my head. “Thanks again for lunch.”
“Anytime.”
I watch him walk to his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and ride away, the sound of his engine making me jump.
Yeah, I need to get on the back of that.
And on top of him.
I’m not going to lie, it took a lot for me to send the message to him, but . . . I want him. My body wants him, which I can accept, it’s my other parts that also seem to want him that’re the problem for me.
I’ve thought about it, and I still want you to come over.
Simple words, but he made them mean so much more.
I’ll be there in thirty.
Thirty? Shit. I jump in the shower and shave my legs and other lady bits, then complete my usual routine of putting lotion all over my body and face and brushing my hair. I put on my white robe, my favorite one, with my initials, and sit down on my bed. It’s been a few months since I’ve slept with someone, but I don’t feel nervous. I feel excited, and even though I saw him earlier today, I’m glad I get to see him again. These are all warning signs, but I told him I wouldn’t run, and I keep my word. I know when he arrives by the rumble of his bike and when my dogs start barking. I head downstairs and wait at the door. Should I try to be sexy? Maybe I should open my robe or something. I glance down. Why the hell didn’t I put on some lingerie? This is the first time he’s going to see me naked, and I’m wearing a fluffy robe. I undo the tie, and let the robe fall open, most of my goods on display.
Better.
Except when I open my door to let him in, Knuckles isn’t alone.
“Oh fuck.” I cringe, closing my robe and trying to hectically retie it, but in my frenzied state I can’t manage to. “What the hell is he doing here?” I ask, scowling at Knuckles, unable to look Rogue in the eye. Luckily for me, Knuckles instantly makes Rogue turn his back so I don’t have to face him.
A small win.
I’m so embarrassed, I want to crawl in a hole right now. I didn’t plan on any bikers seeing me naked except Knuckles, but hell, the rest of the MC might as well come have a preview too.
Fuck.
“Oh my god, he saw my nipples,” I say, wincing. “This is not how I expected this to go.”
“That’s not all I saw,” Rogue, the shithead, inserts into the conversation.
Knuckles slaps him across the back of his head. “Enough.”
“I’m gone,” Rogue chuckles, his laughter echoing as he heads back to his bike. When he’s a safe enough distance away, he calls out, “Knuckles, you’re a lucky man!”
“I’m going to fucking kill you—”
“I told him how beautiful your house was, and he wanted to see for himself because he’s in the market for one right now. I didn’t think you’d open the door like this, fuckin’ hell, Celina,” he growls, glancing down at me. “Now I’m going to have to kill my own vice president, and then Prez will probably kill me.”
“No one is killing anyone unless it’s me with you,” I tell him, still trying to close the stupid robe. He stills my hands, then closes the door behind him, turning the lock.
“Don’t worry about Rogue, trust me, there’s nothing he hasn’t seen. I hate that he got to see you like this though,” he admits, running his fingers through my still slightly damp hair. “So beautiful.”
My chest still heaving from what just took place, the tension becomes so thick that you could cut it with a knife. “He’s right about one thing though: I’m a fuckin’ lucky man.”
His lips slam down on mine, and there’s no easing into this kiss. I’m spun around and pressed against the door, his hands on either side of my face. He grazes his tongue between my lips, seeking entry. I open my mouth and let him explore, tasting me, his tongue playing with mine before retreating. When he sucks my top and bottom lip, I pull down on his neck, silently asking for more, and he gives it to me, the kiss turning even more demanding and greedy.
It’s want, it’s need, and it’s all-consuming.
He moves the robe out of the way and lifts me in his arms, his large hands on my bare ass. I wrap my legs around his hips, still kissing, while he carries me toward the stairs, stopping every few steps to make sure we don’t crash into anything, and getting distracted by deep kisses and ass grabs. By the time we make it to the stairs, he lays me back against them, freeing me from my robe and throwing it over the rail.
“You are so fuckin’ perfect, Celina,” he growls, looking over me in the light. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
I shiver. He kisses from my lips to down my neck, biting and sucking, then down to my collarbone before he starts to play with my breasts, my nipples getting the attention they’ve craved for a long time. My head falls back as he continues to k
iss lower, down my stomach, and my navel. When he spreads my thighs, I lift my head up to watch him as he starts to kiss, lick, and tease my pussy.
“Fuck,” I whisper, as he flicks his tongue over my clit. “That feels so good.”
He definitely knows what he’s doing, because it’s not long until I feel myself on the verge of coming. He reaches up to play with my nipples, at the same time he sucks harder on my clit, which sends me over the edge.
“I’m going to come,” I moan, giving him a second’s warning.
He slides a finger inside of me, and I scream his name.
Not his road name, no, for some reason, I scream out Jack.
And then I’m up in his arms once more, and I point to my bedroom. He pushes the door open with his foot and throws me on the white silk sheets and rips his clothing off while I watch, admiring every inch of him.
And there’s a lot to admire.
“Fuck, I want you so bad. I still have the taste of you in my mouth, but I want more,” he rumbles, growling so deep in the back of his throat I can only describe the sound as primal. He climbs on the bed and I take his thick, rock-hard cock in my hands and place it at my entrance, then lift my hips up when he doesn’t slide in fast enough. I can feel him trying to restrain himself, but I don’t want him to, I want him to be wild and not hold back.
I know I can take it.
He starts to thrust, and kisses my mouth, and he’s right, the taste of me is still there. I moan against his lips, his hips at just the right angle, hitting just the right spot. When he pulls out of me, slides down, and starts going down on me again, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
“I want you in my mouth too,” I say.
He lifts his head, dark brown eyes pinning me. “Later, I want to get my fill of your pussy first.”
Well, then.
I’m about to tell him he’s a selfish asshole, but I don’t really think selfish is the right word, because he’s clearly a very giving man.
Greedy.
He’s greedy for me.
And I fucking love it.
We cuddle after, and I enjoy being in his arms.
“We didn’t use protection,” I realize, cursing myself. How the hell were we so irresponsible? I didn’t even think of it, I was so caught up in the moment, so turned on that he made me forget all common sense.
“Don’t worry about it,” he assures me. “I can’t have any more kids.”
“You can’t? Why?” I ask, frowning.
“I had a vasectomy a few years back,” he explains. “Don’t get me wrong, I usually use protection though. I should have come better prepared, but I was in a rush and forgot.”
“I was about to say, a vasectomy isn’t going to save me from any sexually transmitted diseases.”
“You’re safe, I promise. I just got tested.”
I puff out a breath. “Okay.”
“Your heart is thumping out of your chest,” he says, amusement in his tone. “Were you picturing a son wearing the Cursed Ravens cut?”
“No,” I say, relaxing into him. “I was imagining me accidentally pregnant and freaking the fuck out.”
“Well, if you get pregnant, it’s not mine,” he says, and I slap his shoulder.
Wait, was that a joke or does he mean that he will still be sleeping with other people? Because if that’s the case, then we definitely need to be using condoms.
“I’m not planning on sleeping with anyone else while we have whatever this is going on, but if you are, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make this a one-night thing,” I tell him.
He stills next to me. “Do I look like a man who likes to share, Celina? If I wanted you for just a casual fuck, I sure as hell wouldn’t have put as much effort into getting you.”
“You said—”
“It was a joke,” he says, cutting me off.
“Just making sure,” I reply, sighing. “Being honest.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds. “Good. I don’t want us to have any communication issues about what this is. I’ve asked you to give me a chance, and I meant it. You’ve agreed, so fuck no will there be any other men so much as touching you while I’m in your life.”
“Same rules apply to you,” I say, tone hard. “No other women until we both decide we’re done.” I extend my hand so that we can shake on it.
He looks at my hand and I can tell he’s holding back a smirk. But he takes it, and we shake. “Deal.”
“Good.”
We go quiet, and for some reason I suddenly start to feel amused. I don’t know how we got here, but I’m happy we did. I feel so relaxed, so stress-free, and dare I say . . . happy? And sated, definitely sated.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” I say, smiling into the darkness.
“I’m glad you came too,” he replies, softly laughing. “Multiple times.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you did good.”
His lips press against my temple. “I wasn’t sure you were going to text me tonight.”
“I wasn’t sure either. You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
Another kiss, this time on the side of my neck, as he pushes my hair off my face. “No point in being anything except honest and straightforward. I don’t have the time or patience for anything else.”
I like that about him. In fact, the more I get to know about him, the more I like. Even though the whole biker thing should make me run, it doesn’t. I don’t know why. Maybe because of Erin, who is proof that something like this can work. Or maybe I just want something different. In this bedroom, it doesn’t matter what each of us does in our own time, or in my case, in my nine-to-five. As long as we don’t cross each other in any other part of our lives, it might not have to be an issue.
I roll over to my side of the bed but keep my arm on his chest so we’re still touching.
“What are you working on right now?” he asks as he absently reaches over to play with my hair. I don’t know why, but the question catches me a little off guard, maybe because I don’t want to tell him it’s the article on the MC, even if it is all positive and doesn’t give away any of their secrets. I don’t know how he’ll take it.
I try to think about some of the other ideas I’d brainstormed in the recent pitch meeting. “Currently researching middle schoolers and their exposure to sex,” I reply, swallowing.
“Can’t wait to read it,” he murmurs, frowning. “Or maybe I don’t want to know, considering the fact that in my mind my girls don’t know anything about any of that, and are going to be my baby girls forever.”
I laugh softly at that. “Well, I’ll let you remain in denial then.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Are you going to stay the night?” I ask him, foreign words on my tongue, but ones that feel right.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replies, pulling me closer against his body, invading the space I’d tried to put between us. I rest my cheek on his chest, his hair tickling my skin while he runs his fingers down my bare back. Suddenly I’m rolled over onto my back, with him on top of me, and I do something I’ve wanted to since I first met him, I play with his beard, gently tugging it and then running my fingers through it.
“That feels nice,” he whispers, making a soothing humming sound. “I don’t think a woman has ever played with my beard before.”
“Better get used to it then,” I reply, giving it another playful tug. “I like your beard.”
“And it likes you.”
I close my eyes as he starts to kiss across my cheek, my earlobe, and then down my neck. “And I hope you didn’t think I was done with you,” he asks, biting, and then licking the spot between my neck and shoulder. “Because, sweetheart, I’m only just getting started.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I reply, a smirk playing on my lips that he soon kisses away.
And then I fall into him all over again.
13
“I can’t believe you slept with Knuckles!” Erin says for th
e third time, eyes as wide as saucers. “Oh my god, Celina, when I saw you checking him out at my birthday, I knew you thought he was hot but never did I think this would happen.”
After we were unable to get enough of each other all night long, he made me breakfast while I got ready for work, which I found to be a really sweet gesture. To have a man like Knuckles, a badass biker who can have anyone he wants and do anything he wants, cater and care for you is like a tiger letting you pet it—he doesn’t have to be nice, and he can rip you apart, but he chooses not to. He rode away on his bike, and I drove to work, sending Erin a message before I got there asking her when can I see her because I needed to update her on some things, like the fact I spent the whole night fucking her bestie and also how fucking amazing he is in bed. I sent Akeira a similar message, a heads-up to my two favorite girls. Little did I know, Erin would decide she couldn’t wait for said information and walked over to my desk at lunch with coffee, food, and her ears wide-open.
“I wonder if he would have told me if you didn’t,” she asks herself, shrugging. “Doesn’t matter. My best friend and my cousin are together and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
“Can you keep your voice down?” I admonish her, popping a fry into my mouth. “I don’t need the office to hear about my sudden sex life.”
“Sorry, I’m just so excited,” she says animatedly, her cheeks turning rosy. “He’s such a great guy, Celina, and I couldn’t think of a better woman for him. I never would’ve thought you would’ve opened yourself to him, but I’m so happy you did. And he clearly adores you. I knew when he said he was going to go check on you he was crazy about you. There’s no way in hell I’d let him fuck you around, you know that, right? I told him straight up, if you’re going after her, it’s for keeps.”
“That’s a bit cute of you,” I tell her with a grin. “My baby cousin looking out for me.”
“Well, I brought all these men into your life, it’s only fair for me to make sure their intentions are good. Otherwise Knuckles would have to deal with me, besties or not. But he has it bad, so we’re all good.”
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