A Sinner? He seemed too easy-going for that life. A sentiment only enforced by the flash of a grin he shot my man.
My man?
I blinked at the unbidden thought yet couldn't bring myself to bother denying it.
Tone shrugged. “He doesn't, but you know me. I'm an overachiever. Figured I would kill two birds with one stone.” He sliced dark eyes towards Aster on that last bit and she paled. “Especially since our first warning fell on deaf ears.”
“You can't blame me for-”
He held up a single finger and she swallowed her tongue. “You dropped the crystal ball and let it shatter at your feet. Now I suggest you be very, very careful about where your step. Cut yourself and there's nothing I can do for you.”
She tipped her head up, but her chin was trembling. Her hand went to the door.
“No police,” Tone said in that same serene voice. “We'll handle this in house.”
Aster nodded, her back to us. Then she shoved the door open hard enough to scatter the crowd on the other side. I could hear her cracking the whip, getting everyone back to work. When the sound of commotion faded, it occurred to me that I was standing here half-dressed.
My cheeks flushed. “I need clothes.”
“That you do, Pixie.” Rain took me in, nostrils flaring. Desire swirled in his eyes like a tempest, making my own react. “Let me get you out of here.”
“What about him?” I pointed at the man on the floor taking wheezing breaths.
“I've got him.” Tone crouched down and threw the mostly limp form over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Blood got on his white shirt. “Time for Mr. Fuckface to go on a long vacation.”
He walked out the door and turned a corner, heading towards the back door. I wondered what I was supposed to feel when they were gone. The word vacation stood out in my mind. And I had a feeling the Seven Sinners weren't about to fund a cruise for the guy.
But I found that nothing really mattered except for the hands on my waist.
“I should let you get dressed,” Rain said slowly, starting to step away.
I threw my arms around him before he went far, shaking like a leaf as the last several minutes caught up to me.
“Don't leave,” I whispered. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. I knew no one could pry me from his grasp and I melted against him, eyes closing.
His lips pressed into my hair. “I won't. But you probably shouldn't have said that. Good luck getting rid of me now.”
“Maybe I don't want to be rid of you.”
“Hope you mean that,” he rumbled. “Because you're mine now, magic girl. All fucking mine.”
Finally.
Chapter 7 - Rain
I sat on the bench in the dressing room while Kayla got ready directly behind me. The sound of rustling clothing was torture and salvation wrapped together.
Having her so close, that soft, smooth skin barely covered, was testing the bounds of my restraint.
I wanted to turn and wrap myself around her. Hold her so close we fused into one. Slide myself inside her and bask in her tight heat until I didn't know where I ended and she began.
Fucking hell, my dick was so hard I could've clubbed someone to death with the damn thing.
But she was saving me, without even knowing it.
My hands flexed, pain flaring to life as the broken skin around my knuckles stretched. I had never wanted to commit murder quite as much as when I heard my girl's scream and charged back here to find that scummy looking asshole clinging to her half-naked form.
Seeing his hand on her, keeping her from fleeing, had been all it took. Something snapped inside me and then I was on him, unleashing a maelstrom of rage with no intention of stopping. Had it not been for her soothing touch on my back that made every cell in my body gravitate towards that spot, I would've crushed his throat.
I stared at my hands. The worst of the blood had been wiped off on my shirt but there were red flakes around my nail beds and peeling on the sides of my fingers. These same hands had almost taken a life, and I waited for that knowledge to shake me the same way it had when I thought I was destined to follow in Creed’s footsteps.
Yet I was unmoved.
Even knowing Tone or one of the other Sinners would likely finish the job themselves didn't cause me any grief.
My girl was safe.
If a man had to die to achieve that then so be it.
“Here,” she said from behind me, and a square of white cloth entered my vision. It smelled like astringent.
“You keep wet wipes in your work locker?” Not that I hesitated to grab the damn thing. I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Kayla laughed softly and the sound was sunshine itself kissing my soul. “You seriously don’t want to know the kind of stuff I have to touch around here. Trust me. Those things work miracles.”
My nose wrinkled while I scrubbed at my hands and threw the stained cloth away. “You’re right. I don’t want to know. You dressed back there?”
“Look at you, being all decent,” she teased. “What happened to the guy who stomped through my class with a wrench?”
“That guy is taking a brief vacation. Caving fucker’s faces in tires him out.”
A hand went to my shoulder, and my whole body tensed. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind, pressing her softness against me. I swallowed a low groan, barely, feeling my dick stir. Did she have any idea what feeling those tits against my back did to me?
Fucking fuck.
“Thank you for that,” she whispered, lips fluttering along the shell of my ear. “I don’t know what might’ve happened without you.”
I stood swiftly and turned, thanking God she had clothes on as I stepped over the bench and pulled her into my arms. She went willingly, melting against me. Her head met my chest and rested there like the spot was made for her.
“You’ll never have to worry about him again.” I stroked her back. “Or any other asshole for that matter. Like I said, you’re mine, Pixie.”
She went unresponsive, turning stiff as a board. I frowned, resting my chin at the top of her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not quitting my job,” she said.
Straight, no chaser.
I laughed. In hindsight, that was likely the wrong choice of response.
She shoved at me and I only held her tighter. Trying to choke down the amusement reminded of me challenging Texas to a hot dog eating competition once before, but somehow, I managed.
“No one is telling you to quit your job, crazy girl.”
She stopped struggling against me. Her hands were still on my chest and she pushed back once more. This time, I gave her some slack so that she could look up at me, those gorgeous brown eyes searching mine. “You’re not?”
I met her gaze earnestly, letting her see the lack of guile. “Why would I? I’m not out to cut your wings. You’re mine, and I mean that. But you’re still your own woman, Kayla. I want you to be part of my life, not a prisoner to it. Besides, after tonight, this might be the safest place in town for you to be. No one will ever bother you again.”
It was her turn to frown, and even annoyed she was sexy as hell. “You sound really sure of that. Why?”
“The guy who just left?” She nodded. “He’s one of my brother’s. For him to have been here in the first place means it’s now on their radar.”
Kayla let her arms drop so she could hold onto my sides. “Is he like...the fixer or something?” Her eyes went wide. “Oh God, am I even supposed to know that?”
“Relax.” Somehow, I managed not to laugh again. “For one thing, you’re thinking of the mob. Second, I’ve already talked to him about you. You have nothing to worry about.”
Her lips curved. “You talked to him about me, huh? That’s sweet.”
I glowered at her. “Now you’ve got jokes?” With quick steps, I pushed her back against the locker and stepped between her legs. Claiming her space as
mine. My hand shot out, squeezing her hip while the other captured her chin. “Believe me when I tell you there’s nothing sweet about the things I want to do to you.”
“Shouldn’t I be the judge of that? Because on a scale of bread pudding to blueberry cobbler...you’re still somewhere between the two.”
The comparison came out of nowhere and I blinked in surprise, staring at her. “I don’t know what that means, but I think I should take offense at being compared to deserts.”
“Don’t worry,” her eyes flashed, and she arched her body against mine. Pressing soft curves all up on me. “That’s only because you haven’t seen me enjoy a desert, yet. Promise, there’s nothing sweet about that either.”
The blood in my head rushed below my waist and my cock pressed against her, growing harder by the second. My Pixie was obviously feeling bold, because she brushed a hand over it. Once. Twice.
She found the outline of my shaft through my jeans and lightly trailed her nails along it. My hips surged forward of their own volition, and a tiny moan slipped from her.
Wrapping my hand around her neck, I fused our mouths together without having to even think about it. I could feel the wild flutter of her pulse when I shoved my tongue into her mouth, beyond desperate for another taste of my girl. How could she be so goddamn perfect?
How could I be so goddamn lucky?
Her hands went under my shirt, nails biting at my skin. I welcomed the sting of her marking me. There was nothing I would enjoy more than taking my shirt off every day and seeing the evidence of her passion written on my skin.
“Rain,” she said on a low moan, pulling my bottom lip between her teeth.
Giving her neck a quick squeeze, I grabbed a handful of her ass and lifted. She obliged me, hopping up and wrapping her legs around my waist so that I could take her weight.
Our kiss deepened, turning slow and torturous. We moved against each other as if we had been doing this for years already instead of dancing around each other for days. Our mouths came together and then apart until my whole body was burning. Until we were sharing breaths so completely, we were filling each other’s lungs.
I kissed her like she was mine, and I was never letting go.
I kissed her like I had almost lost her, and I would never come so close again.
I kissed her like I loved her.
Because I did.
God forgive me but I was already head over fucking heels in love with this girl in my arms.
It was too soon. This thing between us was too new. I knew all that. But my heart wasn’t listening. It didn’t give a damn about appropriate timing or a gradual descent.
I wanted to keep her next to me more than I wanted to draw my next breath, and nothing would keep me from achieving that.
I pushed dress up her legs, exposing thick thighs and tanned skin. My fingers caressed soft flesh. Gripping. Kneading. Spreading. When they trailed a path towards the edge of her blazing sex and retreated, she shuddered against me, eyes closing.
Then there was a sudden commotion on the other side of the door, followed by hissed whispers that gradually faded, and I remembered where we were.
I was willing to bet Tone had already told my brother what went down. That Creed was even now moving things around in the background to place this dive firmly under their thumb. But that didn’t mean that someone might not die in the meantime if they walked back here and saw more of Kayla than I wanted them to see.
“Not here.” I kissed her breathless again before I put her down. The way she held onto me for a moment had me grinning with savage pride. If that was enough to put jelly in her knees, then by the time I was done with her she might not be able to walk right for days. “Come with me.”
I linked our fingers together and she smiled. With my free hand, I grabbed her backpack from the floor and swung it over my shoulder before leading her out of the dressing room. There was some strung-out looking chick leaning against the wall when we stepped out, chewing on gum so hard she was going to end up with a man’s jaw.
My eyes started to slide away from her, until I noticed the nasty look she shot Kayla.
I came to a sudden stop, protective instincts flaring to life once more, and I leveled the bitch with a cold glare.
Kayla bumped me with her shoulder, ignoring the other woman completely as she pulled me along after her. “Trust me,” she said, breezing through the dimly lit space. “She’s not worth our time.”
Now that I was paying attention—instead of charging through to find what was mine—I realized this place fucking reeked of desperation. When we stepped through the doors into fresh air and a setting sun, I took a deep, cleansing breath. A breeze picked up, scattering strands of electric blue hair around Kayla’s face and sending her sweet smell back to me.
Mine.
As if she could hear my thoughts, she shot a glance at me over her shoulder, smiling. She really did look magical against the backdrop of our small town. Like a gift from some fantasy land I wasn’t sure I even deserved.
But if I didn’t, fate would have to take it up with me another time.
“This way,” I steered us towards my chrome bike where it was parked haphazardly along the side of the building. “You know how to ride?”
Raising a brow, she threw her leg over the machine with practiced ease, flashing tanned thigh. I stole another kiss before I got on in front of her. And when her arms went around my waist to hold on tight, I felt like a hero from a movie, ready to set out on a new journey after accomplishing what I’d come to do.
Our journey.
Together.
Chapter 8 - Kayla
Rain surprised me by not driving like a madman.
He kept a steady pace while we weaved through town and all I had to do was hold on and keep my head pressed to his back. I was also trying to avoid being a squirmy mess of a passenger, which was easier said than done.
The powerful machine hummed beneath me, stimulating the already needy flesh between my legs. I almost wished he would drive faster so we could get behind a closed door somewhere. I needed his hands on me again, soothing the ache. Fighting the fire he had started when he pushed that creep’s face in.
There was probably something seriously wrong with me. After all, I was pretty sure getting all hot and bothered over seeing a guy I was quickly falling for getting his hands bloody in my defense was at least a little bit sketchy.
But I couldn’t help it.
Even now, thinking of the way Rain had thrown himself against the other man and unleashed himself made my body ready for him, wetness pooling between my legs.
Hypocrite, a laughing voice whispered, and oh how right it was.
Hadn’t I just tried to talk sense into Lizzy about staying away from dangerous men? Yet here I was, on the bike of one who—if the way he kissed was anything to go by—was planning on consuming me until we were one being instead of two separate people.
My fingers danced over the hard muscles of his stomach and I waited for fear to rear its ugly head. To ruin this moment. To remind me that this was happening much too fast and much too soon. Except the fear couldn’t touch me. His presence made it impossible.
Knowing how devoted he was to me reinforced my spine with steel.
Where my parents had never looked at me with anything other than disappointment; each time Rain focused on me with those thundercloud eyes there was appreciation at the front and center of his gaze.
He looked at me like I was a gift. Like I could do anything in the world, and he would cheer me on until his voice went hoarse.
The bike slowed and I lifted my head, peeking around.
Rain pulled to a stop in front of a sizeable, two-story, brick building. The bottom level had three garage bays that were closed for the night. There was a locked gate leading around to the back with several cars arranged in neat lines in front of it. And as he grabbed my hand and led me towards the building, I could see small, handwritten notes on each of them.
�
��Drop off zone,” he said, following where I was looking. “Whenever people don’t get here before I close the backlot, they leave their cars there until I can get to them.”
“They don’t worry about getting broken into?”
He dug his keys from his pocket and glanced back at me, brow raised. “Only someone with a death wish would give this place any trouble. I’m not in business with my brother, but his reputation does come with some perks.”
Rain stepped inside and flipped on a light, bathing the reception area in a white glow. There was a window along one wall that looked out into the garage where a large Jeep and something smaller sat. Seeing them there made me consider my earlier theory.
“What if I said I wanted to work with you?” I asked, seemingly out of nowhere. “Help you do mechanic stuff?”
“Mechanic stuff,” he repeated on a grin, toying with a few strands of hair that he’d captured between his fingers. The bright blue in some of his tattoos matched my hair perfectly. “You ever repaired anything before, Pixie?”
“Honestly, I don’t know how to change a tire. But I’m willing to learn.”
Instead of laughing at my obviously pitiful inexperience, he looked out into the garage, a considering frown on his face. “I have been thinking about expanding and hiring some actual employees. It’s not pretty work, but if you really want to learn, I wouldn’t mind teaching you.”
“Just like that? You would set aside time to show me the ropes from the ground up?”
His frown deepened and I kept my questioning look in place, despite the show tune my heart was humming. There was a dance routine being choreographed and everything.
“Why would I not?”
“What if I mess up?” I pressed. “What if I break something so bad it can’t be fixed?”
He shrugged. “You think I didn’t fuck shit up when I first started? As far as I know, there’s no such thing as a mechanical prodigy. You learn as you go. Yeah, I had a bit of extra motivation because I had Creed breathing down my neck, but everyone starts somewhere.”
Heart. Threatening to burst.
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