Pop The Clutch: A Second Gear Romance

by Kristin Harte

  Easton pushed me back onto his desk, bringing my knees up and over his shoulders, spreading me wide so he could fit between my thighs. “Don’t worry about that. There’s no end date on love, Violet. We’ll focus on the now.”

  I nodded, falling back, not giving a care to the papers and things falling to the floor. “I’m trying to do that.”

  “Thank fuck.” He kissed me again, rolling his hips into mine as he did. “I want to be with you, baby. No matter where we go, we’ll be okay so long as we’re together.”

  But I had to say the truth, had to make sure he completely understood. I had to give him everything. “It’ll never end. There will always be someone who calls me Cowgirl or says they recognize me from the internet. And I…I’ve spent a lot of time turning away from that.”

  “Running,” he whispered, pressing his lips to mine on the tail of the word.

  “Yeah. I run away when that happens.”

  He gripped me tight, pulling my upper body to his, surrounding me with his strength. “Run to me, baby. I’ll take care of you. Just run to me instead of in another direction.”

  I groaned as he nudged his way inside me, still clinging to his shoulders. He was right—so long as we were together, we’d be okay. Location didn’t matter, not really. Because no matter where we lived, Easton would be my home. My safe place. My anchor. And I wouldn’t risk losing that again. I would run toward something instead of away from everything. Toward him.

  EPILOGUE

  VIOLET

  “Fucking Brogan’s MIA again, Wyatt’s being all cryptic about his rehab, and Colton can’t be bothered to respond to a text. I swear, those bastards are all keeping secrets about something, and it’s getting on my last nerve.” Easton walked out of the bathroom with a towel slung low around his hips, his handsome face turned down in a frown as he tossed his phone on the dresser. “What the fuck was that?”

  “Zombie.” I grabbed for another handful of popcorn, barely even looking away from the screen. I mean, I had to for a second. Mostly naked, wet Easton Cole wasn’t something I passed up on very often. Or maybe never would be the better term there.

  “I get that, but what kind of zombie?” He stretched and dropped his towel, knowing exactly what he was doing to me. This wasn’t his first attempt at distracting me from a movie in a hotel room.

  Ignoring his blatant nakedness, I shrugged and went back to watching the screen. Faking disinterest to push his buttons a little.

  “A dead one.” I giggled as Easton pounced on the bed and rolled me underneath him, totally blocking my view. “Hey, I was watching that.”

  “Watch me instead,” he said before pressing his lips to mine. But that kiss didn’t last nearly long enough for me. I tried to chase his lips with mine, to no avail. Instead, Easton moved down my neck, over my collarbone, and along my sternum. Licking, biting, and sucking a path he knew well. I fell back as he pulled up my Second Gear T-shirt to expose my breasts to his lips, as he mumbled into my skin, “Love when you wear my clothes.”

  He sucked a nipple into his mouth, making me arch in pleasure. Easton had quickly discovered that he could tease me relentlessly with his tongue and teeth in this way, so he took advantage of it whenever he could. Which was not nearly often enough, in my opinion.

  “Easton,” I groaned, shifting enough so he could lie between my legs. He rolled his hips into mine, rubbing his already hard dick against me. My panties were no match for the feel of him, for the heat we shared, though they were certainly annoying. I wanted to be naked with him. Again. Now.

  But he had other plans. Plans that included sliding his hand into my panties and teasing me where I was already wet and wanting.

  “What time do we have to leave?” he murmured against my breast.

  I sighed and lay back, surrendering to his speed. This time. “Checkout’s at noon.”

  He glanced at the nightstand. “Three hours. I can work with that.”

  I giggled as he yanked me down so I lay flat on the bed. With his lips attached to my nipple once more, I tugged the T-shirt over my head. Easton lifted off my nipple with a pop and slid down the length of my body, kissing a path from my waist to my knee as he did. Watching me the entire time. But I was greedy and wanted all of him. His weight, his body pressed to mine, the solidness of him—I needed it. So, I reached for him, and he grinned as he gave in to my demand.

  “One more month,” he whispered as he rested his body weight on top of me.

  I wrapped my calves over his hips, tugging him into my hold. Clinging to him with every inch I could.

  “Four weeks,” I replied.

  He huffed and ran his tongue along my top lip. “Twenty-eight days.”

  I dropped my head back, sighing as he took the hint and kissed his way down my throat. “Technically, twenty-nine.”

  He bit the side of my neck a little harder than a nip, making me jump. Making me claw at his back as I begged for more without words. “Today doesn’t count, because I’ve had you,” he said, his voice muffled against my skin. He rocked his hips into mine. “And I’m about to have you again.”

  I laughed and pulled his face to mine, kissing him deeply, loving the way his tongue tangled with mine so naturally. “You always have me,” I whispered when we broke apart.

  He rolled forward, rocking his way inside me as I gripped his shoulders. “But in twenty-eight days, I’ll have you every day.”

  “Yes,” I hissed, closing my eyes to the delicious stretch of him sliding inside. I was already a bit sore from having so much sex over the last three days, but I’d never tell him that. He’d stop if he knew, and I didn’t want to stop. I wanted more. I wanted to make memories that would sustain us through the lonely nights coming up.

  Twenty-nine more nights.

  Easton set a rhythm that was slow and deep, letting my body build toward its climax as if there were no time frame. No deadline. The way he always did when he knew we were close to parting once more. We’d been renting hotel rooms outside of Kalamazoo—the midpoint between us—for months. He’d spent time with me in Chicago, and I’d spent a ton of time with him in Downriver so I could be with Grandma, but our hotel weekends were my favorite. We would order takeout and watch movies and just be. Usually the naked-and-in-bed kind of being. The best kind.

  But reality had fallen upon us like a jackhammer. We’d missed each other too much in between visits, and at some point along the way, we’d decided it was time to make a move. For one of us.

  Lids heavy, sweat dripping down his hairline, Easton flexed and groaned and fucked me until I couldn’t see. Until my eyes closed and my back arched and my body gave in to the need to simply feel. Until he pushed me right over the edge and left me shaking and gasping and begging him to come with me. A few more thrusts, and he stiffened on top of me, pushing deep, coming with a moan that almost made me jealous. Made me want to do naughty things to him just to hear it again.

  Made me anxious for the next twenty-nine days.

  “Love you,” I whispered as he slid out of me, the two of us still connected from shoulders to toes.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, rolling to the side and taking me with him. Snuggling me close.

  It was a question he’d been asking every day since we’d chosen our current path. Are you sure? He’d offered to move to Chicago a hundred times. Hell, he’d offered to pick a whole new city, find a place for the two of us to start over. But Downriver was his home, and deep down, I wanted it to be mine too. I wanted to be close to Grandma for as long as I had her. To help Dahlia care for her as the end neared. To be there as she slowly said her final goodbye. I wanted to help the old lady in the trailer park plant the flowers in the spring and stop by Dalton’s trailer to say hi to him and his dogs. I wanted to get to know Easton’s mother and his sister, to learn what it was like to have roots so deep and to have survived such loss as that family had. I wanted dinners with Dahlia and shopping on Eureka Avenue and all the things I’d left behind.

  B
asically, I wanted my life back.

  I’d resisted that truth for a long time. Had been okay with Easton giving up his life and us spending time together elsewhere. But there’d been a particular moment that had sparked my acceptance of coming home. A morning with Easton in Downriver after one of our whirlwind weekends. We’d spent the evening playing board games and drinking lemonade with Grandma before heading back to his trailer for a night of not sleeping. The next morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted, we’d stumbled into The Little Spoon Diner to grab a quick breakfast before I headed west once more. Easton had been paying at the counter as I’d returned from a trip to the restroom.

  It hadn’t been a big thing that caught my attention, more of a feeling of being watched. A whisper of a snicker from a table a few feet away. When I’d turned, there’d been three high-school-aged boys staring at me. Whispering to one another with their phones in their hands and their tablets sitting on the table. And I’d known.

  Cowgirl Vee.

  “That’s her,” the biggest one had said as he’d looked me up and down. I’d nearly frozen, my heart thumping and my body going into a state of panic like it always did. But then I’d looked up, and Easton had been watching me. He’d smiled my way, and that had been enough for me to remember who I was and what I had to lose if I let people who had no place in my life overwhelm me.

  “You got something to say to me?” I’d asked, glaring at the boys with my eyebrows up.

  “Yeah,” the biggest one had said, nudging his smaller friend with his elbow. “What’s your hourly rate?”

  I’d glanced over at Easton again. He’d flicked a glance at the boys with worried eyes, looking ready to fight if need be. His presence had given me strength, given me confidence. Given me bravery. “Oh, honey,” I’d said as Easton’d started my way. “I didn’t do that stuff for money. I did it because the guy knew what to do to get me excited. I still can’t be bought.”

  “Everything okay here?” Easton had asked as he’d wrapped an arm around my hip. Supporting me. Not pushing me behind him or jumping between us, just giving me the backup he’d known I’d needed. Letting me stand on my own two feet.

  “Yeah,” I’d said as I’d winked at the boys in the booth. “These kids were just wondering how to get with a girl like me.”

  Easton had looked them over, his eyes lingering on all the electronics they had with them at their table, and then he’d shrugged. “Get off the computer and try being a human being now and again. Works like a charm.”

  We’d left without another word, with smiles on our faces. And that day, as I’d driven back to Chicago across the miles separating us, I’d known I could do anything so long as I had Easton with me. Including coming back and dealing with being Vee.

  Easton kissed my lips softly, pulling me from my memories with the feeling of being adored. Of being cared for. Of us. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for him, because I knew he felt the same way about me. We were a team, a partnership, and we’d have each other’s backs no matter what.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for me to live with you?” I asked, smiling. “Your bachelor lifestyle could take a serious hit.”

  “Don’t care,” he said, rubbing his scruffy chin against my chest.

  “Dolly might.”

  “She’ll adjust,” he murmured, moving up to kiss me once more, holding my face like it was something precious to him. Like I was something precious to him. And I was, I knew that. He made sure I knew it every minute of every day. “Will you? Adjust I mean—the bakery in Flat Rock isn’t like those fancy restaurants you’ve been working at.”

  “It’s not, but it’ll be good for me and give me a chance to save for my own patisserie.”

  “And you’ve got Gunner’s business.”

  Yes. That alarmingly charming restaurateur had jumped at the chance to serve some of my desserts once Easton had taken him a slice of my blue cheese cheesecake. Gunner’s projections wouldn’t be enough for me to quit the day job and cater to the local restaurants, but it was a start. A fresh one that I’d needed for a long time. Plus, Gunner knew everyone—if I could make him a happy customer, I had no doubt he’d toss my name out to his peers. So long as I kept some special treats just for his restaurant.

  Going back to the scene of the crime had never felt so right.

  I reached up, smiling at Easton as I ran my fingers over his jaw. “I’m really coming home.”

  “No more running,” he whispered, his confidence strong. His words sure.

  I shook my head. “Nope. No running.”

  His grin may have been bright and beautiful, but his wicked little smirk looked even better. “Well, there is one reason I’d be okay with you running.”

  “And what’s that?” I rolled him onto his back and threw my leg over his hips, settling myself into a straddle on top. Wanting one more go before we had to separate for a month. Before I spent my very last weeks in Chicago packing and pining and missing him like crazy.

  Easton smiled up at me, his hands going to my hips. Holding me in place. “If you’re running toward me.”

  I grinned and leaned down to kiss him, taking advantage of my position to rub my breasts over his chest. “I love you.”

  Easton looked up at me in wonder, the same way he always did when I said those three words. That expression never got old—whether in person or on Skype, during sex or just a random afternoon snuggling together. We made sure the other knew how we felt, kept up our communication and didn’t hide our feelings. Which was how I knew that he loved me just as much. How I could be so sure that moving back was the right decision.

  Easton loved me enough to show me the way home, and I’d never let anything come between us again.

  “Love you too, baby,” he said. “One more month.”

  “Twenty-nine days.”

  “Twenty-eight.”

  Thank you for reading Easton and Violet’s second chance at love and life. If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review to help other readers find it.

  Next up for the Second Gear series is REV THE ENGINE, a second chance romance that‘s destined to burn up or stall out.

  * * *

  Men are not supposed to fall for their best friend’s little sister, which means Gracie Cole is the one women who’s always been off limits to Brogan. He’s dead set on keeping his hands to himself. This time.

  * * *

  Because a year ago they spent a week snowed in all alone, the proximity breaking his restraint. That week left him with some of the best memories of his life…and a hefty load of guilt. He should definitely not try to get her naked again but seeing her almost every day makes that more difficult than keeping the secret of their tryst from his friends.

  * * *

  They both agreed to leave their mistakes in the rearview, but Gracie’s turned Brogan’s life inside out, and he’s not sure he can resist her again. Even if that means losing the friend he sees as a brother.

  * * *

  www.kristinharte.com/rev-the-engine

  In the mood for something a little more dangerous? Check out the Vigilante Justice series!

  * * *

  In Justice, Colorado, the Kennards run everything, including the only big business in the area. Their sawmill employs most of the town, and the Kennard brothers live up to a long family history of keeping their neighbors and coworkers safe—until a motorcycle club comes to town and starts causing trouble. Big trouble.

  * * *

  The kind that ends in funerals.

  * * *

  The kind no law enforcement can help them with.

  * * *

  Start the series for free with PAYBACK

  And don’t forget the series that started it all. Paranormal romance at its finest!

  * * *

  A shifter battling his wolf instincts… A woman living a life of obligation and lies… A moment of fate interrupted by danger. The men of the Feral Breed are ready to take you on a ride! Grab CLAIMING HIS FATE for free
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  ALSO BY KRISTIN HARTE

  VIGILANTE JUSTICE SERIES

  The Vigilante Justice Series brings romance and suspense together with very good men doing very bad things.

  In Justice, Colorado, the Kennards run everything, including the only big business in the area. Their sawmill employs most of the town, and the Kennard brothers live up to a long family history of keeping their neighbors and coworkers safe—until a motorcycle club comes to town and starts causing trouble. Big trouble.

  The kind that ends in funerals.

  The kind no law enforcement can help them with.

  PAYBACK

  RETALIATE

  JUSTIFY

  REPARATION

  PENANCE

  SABOTAGE

  SECOND GEAR SERIES

  Sometimes you don’t just need a second chance at love… You need a second chance at life.

  Downriver, Michigan is a place of legends. From the explosion of the auto industry to the shuttering of the local steel mills, the people from this blue-collar community know exactly what it is to have to rise from the ashes. Never giving up is part of life, like second base, second gear, and second chances.