Chrome: With a Heart Forged in Steele (Carolina Bad #4)

by Rie Warren

  “Much as I like holding you like this, I do not like seein’ you like this.” I cupped her cheeks.

  “Oh. You want me to go back to trash-talkin’ you?” A naughty grin floated across her pouty mouth.

  Aaaand old Rayce was back. Racy Rayce.

  I dragged her palms up my chest. “Wouldn’t mind you dirty talkin’ to me, princess.”

  “In your dreams.” She flipped her flirty eyelashes at me.

  “You got that right.” I put the truck into gear.

  “Oh reeeallly?”

  “Babe. The things you do to me in my dreams should be illegal.”

  “Wow.” Her breath rushed in and out. Her tits lifted hard and fast.

  Fuck.

  Her breasts were big and round on such a small firm body . . .

  “Wonder if I could live up to that,” Rayce said.

  Cutting a glance at her, I slid my gaze all up and down her figure. “Don’t think my dreams would even compare to you in the flesh.”

  The sexual tension thickened between us during the drive into Mt. Pleasant. It’d been growing for months. To the point I thought of no other woman but her.

  Rayce finally pulled her gaze away to watch the landscape zoom past. “Why did you pick me up, Boomer?”

  “Your bike’s at JB’s right?”

  She nodded.

  “Not like I’m gonna leave you stranded. Wanted to make sure you got to work okay.”

  Except I didn’t stop at Stone’s Garage. Instead I headed across the nearby bridge to Isle of Palms.

  When I parked outside Acme Cantina, Rayce asked, “And what are we doing here?”

  “Breakfast.”

  “I thought you were taking me to work.”

  “I am.” I hopped out and then opened her door. “After breakfast.”

  “I already ate.” She crossed her arms over her more-than-generous tits.

  I tried not to stare. “I didn’t.”

  “Boomer—”

  “Easy, princess. It’s just breakfast. Can’t even be classified as a date.” Taking her hand, I helped her out.

  “And what makes you think I wouldn’t go out on a date with you, old man?” Her feet hit the pavement, and she smiled sweetly.

  A huge laugh busted out of me. “I’ll keep that under advisement.”

  ****

  Breakfast was an eye opener. Despite Rayce’s protests, she ordered a glass of OJ, a cup of coffee, a Mexican omelet with a side of bacon.

  I just dittoed that, times two.

  As beach tunes pumped in from the bar and perky waiters and waitresses shuttled food back and forth, Rayce sat across from me, nursing her java.

  Ten minutes later, breakfast arrived. She dug in with gusto, the choppy lengths of her blue-streaked hair hitting the high curves of her cheeks.

  She ate greedily.

  It was sexy.

  I bet she fucked the same way, too.

  After wiping her lips—moist and pink—with a napkin, she winked at me. “Done staring yet?”

  My plate was virtually untouched. “Can’t help it. You seem to like things in your mouth.”

  “You know it.” She grinned.

  “I’d like to.”

  “Boom, what if I reached across the table right now and”—her hand opened toward me—“touched”—her fingers stretched. “Your.” My hips involuntarily kicked up. “Bacon!”

  She nabbed a crispy piece and chomped it between her teeth.

  “Princess, you can snatch my meat anytime you want.”

  The air got sucked out of the room just like that as she studied me with intense eyes.

  I leaned toward her. “Ain’t it a shame you gotta get to work?”

  “Yes,” she breathed out. In the next instant she scowled. “No.”

  “Yes? No?” I took a long gulp of coffee. “You’re just all kinds of conundrums. But that’s okay. I got time.”

  “And I’m almost late for work.”

  “I told Josh you might be.”

  “What?” Her chair screeched back.

  “Easy now. After last night . . .” I shook my head. “Wanted to make sure you’d be okay. You know, about JB and everything going down.”

  She shifted toward me. “What? Why?”

  “Are you really that blind, Rayce? I like you. You try to make it damn difficult, but whatever the fuck.” I shoveled food into my mouth so I wouldn’t say anything else, well aware my swarthy skin heated from the inside out.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Okay?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “About damn time.”

  ****

  Seven in the a.m., and the forecourt of Stone’s garage hummed with customers, mechanics, and cars.

  As usual, Ray—Josh’s second-in-command—stuck his head out the door. Proceeded by his big blond beard.

  “Damn, Ray. You ever gonna trim that thing or what?” I asked.

  “The missus likes it.”

  “He’s lumbersexual,” Rayce added, her husky voice short-circuiting all my brain matter.

  I stared at her ass as she walked into one of the open bays.

  I hope she’s limber-sexual. I planned on finding out very soon.

  I fucking trotted right after her.

  “Big Man Boom in the house!” Gerald blasted out, his huge hands cupped around his mouth.

  Rayce—who had removed her leather jacket—rolled her eyes as she unlocked her tool chest. She quickly switched on the air compressors, doing her best to ignore me.

  Mick gave me a knuckle bump. Javier dipped his toothpick in my direction with a wink and a waggle of his black eyebrows as he scanned between Rayce and me.

  No way was I saying a damn word about us—not with her standing right there and this bunch of grease monkeys who were even bigger gossip whores than my MC tribe.

  Also, there wasn’t exactly a Rayce and me.

  Yet.

  Stone burst through the door from the reception area with a baby in his arms and a preschooler skipping beside him.

  He shifted baby Jolie to his shoulder and high-fived Rayce. “Glad you made it in okay, girl. Got a ton of work lined up for you today. Don’t trust any of these other bozos to handle it.”

  “Dat ain’t fair, jefe. We got seniority,” Javier complained.

  “Yeah. Seniority. What about that? Huh?” Mick echoed, slapping his well-creased baseball cap against his thigh.

  “Seniority?” Josh’s eyebrows shot sky high. “Shee-it. Only person with seniority around here is me. Don’t you forget it.”

  Just then a high-pitched hiccupping sound escalated from somewhere in Josh’s vicinity.

  The noise escalated, growing louder and louder.

  All the mechanics silenced. Even Rayce looked faintly alarmed.

  “What are you schmucks staring at?” Josh had to yell to be heard over the piercing, wailing shriek. “It’s just little Jolie here.”

  He deftly flipped her down to the big cradle of one arm, dug in the pocket of his coveralls, and quickly popped a bright pink pacifier into her mouth.

  That was when I noticed her miniature all-in-one outfit: Daddy’s Little Monkey Wrench.

  Jolie started sucking, instantly quiet. Josh grinned down at her, gently bouncing her in his arms.

  Big macho mechanic with an oil cloth hanging out of one pocket, a burp cloth over his shoulder, and absolute love written all over his face.

  I cleared my throat. “Family day at work?”

  Josh’s head popped up. He looked from me to beside him, behind him, and around the interior of the garage bay until he located JJ, his eyes widening in panic.

  “Jesus Christ, kid. Don’t climb the frigging car lift! This ain’t a jungle gym!” Josh bellowed.

  JJ clung to the pole beneath a car raised on high struts, waving with one hand as Josh went heart attack mode.

  Jolie’s sweet baby face scrunched up when her dad yelled. Looked like she was about ready to go off again.

 
Gerald swooped in and saved the day, piggybacking JJ to Josh, who looked poleaxed.

  Deposited on the floor, JJ jumped up and down. “Daddy! I almost flew!”

  Josh breathed out in relief and started rocking Jolie again all the while patting her on the rump. “Someone has to make sure the kid doesn’t break his arms and legs.” He swept his hands across the baby’s bright red curls. “As for this l’il darlin’, I’m breakin’ her into the garage scene early.”

  “Well, shit. She’s damn cute. Got Leelee’s hair, huh?”

  “And her temper.” He winked at me.

  “Can I hold her?”

  “Yeah, man.” Josh handed her over. “Be careful. She bites too.”

  I wrapped Jolie in one arm. “Bullshit. C’mere, little lady.” I cooed down at her. “Uncle Boom’s just gonna walk you around. Show you some of this South Carolina perfection.”

  I ambled around the garage, careful to stay out of the guys’ way even though they all stopped and made baby noises at Jolie in their deep gruff voices.

  Shit, she already had the whole crew eating out of her hand.

  The smell of motor oil, the sound of air guns . . . her momma might’ve been a bestselling writer, but this little girl was destined to be a gearhead.

  She was goddamn perfect, and so tiny even at three months old she fit along the length of my forearm.

  Jolie popped out the pacifier, and I caught it in my hand. I braced myself for the screeching to begin but instead of howling, she gurgled and made sweet faces at me.

  I felt Rayce watching intently. I knew she was staring. I glanced at her and winked.

  Her big eyes rounded before she narrowed them.

  She stalked off, a flush on her cheeks, grumbling, “Sexy as hell. Knight in shining armor. And good with babies. Hate.”

  Chapter Four

  Got It Bad

  RAYCE’S WORDS MADE MY chest expand. Yup, sure sounded like she hated me.

  Then I smelled something that made my eyes water, and it sure as hell wasn’t car oil.

  I located Josh in a jiffy. “Hand off.”

  “Huh?”

  “She ripped one out.” Passing Jolie quickly into his arms, I pinched my nose closed. “If I’m not actually related to it, I’m not changing it. Sorry, dude. Find another chump.”

  “Yeah. That’s my girl. She’s a master shitter. Worse than the kid ever was.”

  “Worse than I was what, Daddy?” JJ skidded to a stop beside us, a mini version of Josh right down to the cleft chin.

  “Uh, nuthin’.” He ruffled the boy’s dark blond hair. “Hey, speaking of. You need to use the potty yet?”

  “Nuh unh. I made poopies before we left the house.” He scratched his boyish belly. “How come I don’t get M&Ms no more for poopies?”

  “You think I’m gonna put an M&M dispenser in the john?”

  “Yes, Daddy! That would be cool!”

  I smothered a laugh.

  Taking JJ by the hand, Josh disappeared into the interior of the garage, trailing hazardous waste fumes in his wake.

  I had no real reason to hang around, other than to salivate over Rayce while she set to work on a car. So I made small talk with Gerald for a while and did just that—drooled over Rayce—knowing full well the knuckle draggers would be tearing up the text messages talking about it later.

  Couldn’t help it. I had a crush on the woman in a major way.

  About the time she bent over the classic Bonneville, stretching her dark blue coveralls to the max with her nice round ass, my cock went as hard as the tool she was wielding.

  I groaned low in my throat.

  Her eyes swung to me, and she wiggled a little bit more.

  Damn tease.

  I really liked the show, and thank fuck the dudes here thought of her as just one of the guys, because if anyone else ogled her the way I did I would not be held responsible for my actions.

  Approaching her from behind, I growled, “You like what you do to me, princess?”

  She straightened, and for one brief moment her ass slid against my erection.

  Turning around, she half-smiled at me in a sultry fashion. “Maybe.”

  “I think you’d like what I’d do to you.” My gaze slid down the front of her body, settling on the twin globes of her tits pressed against the tight black tank top.

  She’d tied the top of her coveralls around her waist, showcasing the width of her hips, the slimness of her waist, the sexiness of her dynamite figure.

  She had a streak of grease on one arm, another stripe across her chin. And make no mistake about it, Rayce had just as much ink as me. Sleeves from shoulders to wrist curled up her arms. Dark tattoos—large showy designs of flowers and hearts outlined against shadowy black that flowed up her skin. One small flower—the only color—a buttercup in soft yellow trailed up the back of her neck.

  “Maybe.” She shrugged.

  Fuck. Her workplace was not the place to put some serious moves on her.

  Stepping back from her, I tried to will my hard-on away. No dice, because Rayce reached out and squeezed my hand.

  My eyes flipped to hers.

  “Thanks for this morning. For sticking up for me. For not believing what my dad said.” She withdrew her hand and glanced away.

  I tilted her chin to capture her gaze again. The soft hazel of her eyes only seemed to shimmer more close up.

  “No thanks necessary. Anytime you need me, I’m there.”

  She nodded. Her lips trembled a little.

  The moment was intense, and I wanted to say more, so much more.

  “Hang on a sec.” Bending over, she fished inside the backpack I’d noticed she carried everywhere.

  She pulled out my well-worn leather jacket, shaking it out. “You should have this back. From last night.”

  “Keep it.” Did I like the idea of her wearing it?

  Affirmative yes.

  Rayce crinkled it in her arms and pressed her nose to the collar.

  Then she ruined it all by saying, “This thing? What is it? A millennium old?”

  Growl.

  “I’m only thirty-one.”

  “Oh. So Stone Age, then?” She rolled her eyes.

  Wrangling her to me with an arm around her waist, I jerked her against me where there was no mistaking how much I wanted her. “Something’s sure stony hard around you.”

  “It’s like that, is it?”

  I brushed my fingertips across the crest of her cheek. “And you, princess? How old are you?”

  “Twenty-four . . .” Her voice was breathy as she swayed against me. At the sound of an air compressor starting up with a shrill whine, she pulled back. “I . . . uh . . . I need to get back to work.”

  And I figured I probably better do something productive with my day other than mooning over her. “So I’ll pick up your bike from JB’s and bring it over here later.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I can get—”

  Pressing a fingertip to her mouth, I silenced her.

  I leaned over, whispering, “I’m doing it. And I’ll see you later.”

  My hand lowered and curled around her neck as my mouth hovered near the corner of her lips. I kissed her, just there, with a quick lick of my tongue.

  She sucked in a breath.

  “Later, princess.” I ambled away, scorched by that one small taste of her.

  I didn’t leave right away. Instead I found Josh in his office where I clued him in to a few details about Rayce’s home life. I might’ve been sticking my nose in her business, but I wanted to know someone had an eye out for her when I couldn’t.

  “Yeah. Yeah,” he assured me. “You got it. I figured something was up. Found her sleeping here a couple times.”

  “She sleeps here?” I raked my fingers through my hair. “Fucking hell. Have you ever seen any bruises on her?”

  I thought about heading back out to her place and wrecking her dad’s face with my fist.

  “No. Nothing unusual.” Josh eyed
me with caution. “Dude. Try to relax.” He patted me on the shoulder. “You got it bad, huh?”

  I frowned, blowing out some of the tension. “Something like that, yeah.”

  “I told you, didn’t I? That time at your house, for Miss Myra.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You told me. Great.”

  He patted me on the shoulder again. “Good luck to you. Now get the fuck out of here and stop distracting my employees.”

  Instead of tempting myself even further by cutting through the garage, I hit the parking lot. Didn’t stop me from peering inside to Rayce’s workstation though. She stood with the dudes, riffing with them. I heard the tail end of her joke and watched all the men double over, laughing.

  I walked to my truck, smiling. This was her real family.

  I wanted to be part of it, too.

  ****

  At JB’s house, I loaded Rayce’s street legal KTM EXC 500 onto the flat bed of my TopKick and strapped it all down nice and secure. The enduro bike had to have taken a lot of savings because it was nothing short of hot-as-fuck and high spec. The make was Austrian, and this particular model was accented with chrome, bright orange, and dense black on a white, lightweight body.

  I made it to the compound—Chrome and Steele with Retribution right next door—and decided to check out the MC before hitting the paperwork.

  Inside, the few who were still there from last night’s debacle looked hungover. Not from liquor but from the fact we’d laid down the law the night before. I knew not a single one of us would do anything differently. Hunter was a brother, and that meant helping him keep his woman safe from threats, just like we’d done for Brodie and Ashe before that.

  Hard hugs were given and received from Tail, Tuck, and Cole. I was just glad our latest Probie, Kinkaid, hadn’t witnessed the MC mayhem.

  Wind hit me like a frigid slap in the face as I walked the few steps over to the business side of things. Even the chilly winter weather and the events of the night before couldn’t dampen my spirits. I was making headway with Rayce.

  Whistling when I entered Chrome and Steele, I immediately zipped that shit up when Lucy and Brodie—who was sitting on the edge of her desk—stared at me in open astonishment.

  “Who’d you fuck?” That was Brodie. No subtlety whatso-fucking-ever.