by Debra Kayn
"Curley," she whispered, not moving her body.
"Hm?"
Okay. He was semi-awake. She could handle the predicament like a mature woman and slip from the bed and get dressed.
Her body tensed in arousal, fighting against her. She really, really wanted to stay in bed with him.
No. She couldn't.
It would be a bad decision on her part to stay in bed. He'd start to believe he could have sex whenever he wanted without stepping up and treating her like his old lady.
Being intimate with him always came with consequences. He'd only started to hang around her after a long absence, and now that she was working for him, having sex with him again would make things unbearable between them.
He slipped his fingers into the crack of her butt, trailed his hand down, and hooked the back of her upper thigh, pulling her fully on top of him.
The hardness that teased her hip now stood at attention, trapped between them. She gazed into Curley's dark eyes. The smoldering look told her what was coming next, and she wouldn't deny him any part of it.
He was her man, even though she never got the benefits.
Curley brought her head down and captured her lips. The roughness of his beard early in the morning curled her toes and widened her knees until she straddled him.
As if his cock knew the direction to go, the tip danced impatiently at the entrance of her pussy. She moved until the slight pressure of his size slid inside of her.
His hand squeezed her ass, and he pressed his head into the pillow, breaking the kiss. "I need a condom."
"I'm on the pill." She lowered her lips, taking his mouth.
The second he slipped her the tongue, his breathing deepened. She had many reasons to tell him to stop, and the excuses avoided her brain at the moment.
Her breasts, pressed against his chest, arched in pleasure. She fumbled with where to touch him, wanting to have her hands all over, but desperately palmed his head to hold him close. The close shave on his head days ago already left his scalp as soft as the fur on a puppy. The velvety smoothness a stark contrast to the hardness emanating from him everywhere else.
Curley lifted her pelvis and put her down on him. His cock slid through her wetness, filling her completely. Her mouth came off him. He propped her up so that she sat, straddling his hips and taking his whole length.
His shadowy stare trapped her. She panted, wanting much more than sex. Afraid he'd never give her more. It'd taken him years to be with her, and she had no idea where they were going. He could walk out of her house afterward, and she'd go through losing him again.
But she worked for him now. He'd have to see her.
He reached forward and palmed her thighs, rubbing her legs from knees to hip. "You're holding back."
She inhaled a trembling breath. "I don't know what you're thinking. What this means to you."
"What's it mean to you?"
She hated when he refused to answer and, in return, asked another question, expecting her to reply...knowing she would. It was hard enough to think coherent thoughts with him inside her body and her arousal distracting her.
That's why she said, "I'm scared you're going to break my heart again."
He flinched, his gaze narrowing. Not giving her any hint about what was going on with him, he lifted her off him.
She plopped down on the mattress, dazed at the loss of him. Unprepared, she found herself pushed over until she was face down on the mattress.
Curley got behind her on the bed and lifted her hips. His hand landed on her upper back, pushing her upper body down. She turned her head, getting the blanket out of her face and fisted the sheet.
She moaned, taken by surprise at him thrusting into her pussy from behind. Before she could gain her next breath, he pounded into her.
Her heart beat wildly, threatening to burst out of her chest. The force of how he took her left no room for her to guess how he felt about her.
He showed her through sex what he refused to say.
Then, to her surprise, his words came as he relentlessly gave her every inch of himself. Over and over.
"I've always wanted you." He grunted, plunging hard enough her knees came up off the bed, and she was solely in his hands. "You're mine."
"But you're not mine." She panted. "You won't let yourself be."
She moaned, held hostage by her body's reaction to him. Her breasts, heavy and pressed against the mattress, ached for his touch.
He made her a gasping, needy mess. She bit her lower lip, expecting each thrust. Waiting for each thrust. Desperate for each thrust.
Once again, her soul was at the surface. Her desire for Curley bared to his view, his touch, his possession. All she'd ever wanted was him, and there was nothing that would change her feelings.
"You don't know," he muttered, shifting behind her.
He slid his hand between her legs. His fingers found her clit without his cock leaving her body. The stroke on the sensitive numb arched her back, and her legs almost straightened but for Curley's arm looping around her waist, keeping her up.
Instead of pumping into her, he held himself still. All the attention went to his fingers. Those big, rough fingers. They worked magic over her.
Her insides curled tighter, and her wetness coated his movements. Her pelvis moved against his hand as her back arched more.
Whimpering, she clung to the bed, unable to stop the spiral she was caught in. Curley worked her like a puppet master, making her dance. Making her love him.
She needed more.
He gave her more.
Taking his cock out of her, he slapped the hardness against her butt, sliding up and down her slit while his finger circled her clitoris. He left her guessing what he was going to do. He gave her cravings, she had no idea she had. She rocked on the bed, her sex pulsating.
Her core clenched, straining. "Curley. Cur...ley."
His hand left her. His cock left her. At the cusp of an orgasm, she moaned her objection. She wanted him back.
Opening her mouth to beg, he knocked the breath out of her as he slammed his cock inside of her.
"Take it." He pounded her.
Out of control and in his control, her pleasure circled, greedily sucking him in. Her climax exploded, ripping a scream out of her lungs.
Her orgasm lasted long enough, she worried if he'd killed her when suddenly, he thrust deeply into her and pressed her flat to the mattress. Held under his weight, she trembled at the violent shudder rocking his body.
Fear settled in her. She waited for him to get off her and leave. That's what had happened before. He always left.
His lips settled on her ear. "I have never needed inside someone the way I have with you."
"Please, don't leave me," she whispered, unable to breathe.
"You don't know what you're asking."
"I do."
"You don't." He growled. "If I take you..."
"Please." Her body stiffened underneath him. "Curley, please. I've given you my life since I was seventeen years old. I've never once asked you for anything. Stop fighting it. Stop fighting me. I know you love me. You have to love me. You wouldn't fight me so hard if you wanted to get rid of me."
God, she hoped her heart was telling her the right thing to say. If she was wrong and she'd loved him from afar for a lifetime, and he never loved her back, how would she ever go on without him?
"If I take you. I'm taking you in front of everyone, and you're going to sleep in my bed. Every fucking night. And, so help me, if you get hurt, all hell is going to break loose."
Relief washed over her. She was willing to do anything.
"There's no going back, Faye. No matter what happens. No matter what anyone says or does to us," he whispered, linking his hands with hers. "You're my old lady."
She nodded, afraid to speak, and have him change his mind.
Chapter 26
Curley
Faye's girlfriends sequestered her in the back corner of Promise. Curley
sat at the table in the front corner with Priest, but his attention was on the girls. They were surrounding Faye and going by the severe expressions on their faces, he wondered if Faye was explaining the fire to them or the fact, she was going home with him after work.
"I'm scheduled to go to the prison on Sunday." Priest drained the rest of the beer in his mug. "Walker will ask about Faye."
Curley strummed his thumb against the surface of the table. As his role in the club, he'd gone to the prison once a month to check up on Tarkio members serving time but had refused to see Walker. Which meant Priest made the trip for him.
"Yeah." He took in Faye's lowered brows as she nodded to the others. "Tell him what he wants to know."
Priest would do what he wanted, anyway. It wasn't his job to give his president permission to talk to other members—and Walker still owned the patch.
He was more concerned about watching over Faye than what happens with Walker at the moment. He'd pulled Elliot off of watching over Faye earlier. With her being with him every day and night, he would keep her safe. Word quickly got around, and he made one announcement about his living situation to Banks, and the rest of the Tarkio members were up to date on his life.
Jerry approached the table, blocking Curley's view of Faye. "Aaron, Roddy, and Paco are heading this way."
His chest tightened. "Good."
He'd sent the three Tarkio members over to the lounge in Superior to scope out Cal Williams. After Faye had contacted her insurance company and started the process of having the fire investigated, he'd set her down to talk about her old boss.
Hearing Cal had put the moves on Faye and scared her enough to quit, it took everything he had not to ride over there and get him out of her life. Luckily, Faye was smart. She'd made sure Cal never got her alone, and she quit her job to get away from him.
He hoped she was telling him everything. If he found out Cal had harmed her in any way, he'd kill the son of a bitch.
"I'm going outside to meet them." He stood from the table, slapped Jerry on the arm. "Thanks, brother."
"Not a problem." Jerry took Curley's place at the table.
There were six customers at the bar besides ten or so Tarkio members. A group of men who'd come from a party down the street. They spent their time bullshitting and eyeing the waitresses, content to have a place to drink.
He approached the girls and slipped his hand into Faye's, pulling her away from her friends. "I’m stepping outside. Hammer and Chrischris are here if you run into a problem."
"We've got things covered." She raised her brows. "If you can give Jenna some money, she'll pick up more signs. Supposedly, her cousin works at the store downtown that sells office supplies and stuff. She says they have all kinds of advertisements, and the place can also print them with the bar's name on them. It'll look more professional."
It took him a few seconds to understand what she was talking about. He'd forgotten about her conversation the other day about getting word out on the street about the new bar in town.
"Unless you want me to—"
"No. That's good." He slid his hand underneath her hair and pulled her closer. "You already have too much on your plate. I'll make sure to give Jenna something extra for doing that for Promise."
Her gaze softened. "That's nice of you."
She leaned her shoulder into him and grinned. He grunted, patting her ass. Despite all her hardships in life, she still believed in kindness when all he recognized was a paid job.
He let his hand wander, caressing the roundness of her ass. "I need to go talk with the others."
"Okay." She turned toward him. "I need to check on the customers."
She leaned away to move, and he hooked her hip, bringing her back. Claiming her lips, he took the kiss hard and deep, before pulling back.
Faye gazed up at him in a daze. He steadied her swaying body. At that moment, he wished he hadn't started the business to distract her because he could be at home with her in his bed instead of standing in Promise.
She walked backward away from him, staring at him curiously until she tucked her hair behind her ear to hide a slight smile. He rocked back on the heels of his boots, punched stupid by her happiness.
Once she turned and went back to work, he walked outside. He lit a cigarette, letting his fingers linger on his lips. Lips that still vibrated from the kiss.
Halfway through his smoke, Aaron, Roddy, and Paco rode up to the building. He walked to the corner and tossed the butt to the ground as the motorcycles quieted.
"There's a wreck right before the exit into town." Aaron took off his riding gloves. "The state troopers are thicker than ticks around the area."
Tarkio had enough associates in the Missoula Police Department, they rarely had to worry about their location. The state police were another matter. The motorcycle club's reputation often made them a target when any crime happened.
"How bad?" he asked.
"A car hit the guardrail. It looked like the driver was up and walking around," said Aaron.
"I'll let Banks know about the activity, and he can call the clubhouse and tell the others to stay away from that area for a couple of hours." Paco lifted his chin and stepped toward the door. "I'll let Aaron fill you in about our night."
Aaron leaned against the building when Rick pulled up on his Harley, followed by Tracy in the truck. Anxious to hear about how things went at the lounge, Curley tucked his hands into his vest pocket and planned to wait until they were alone.
Rick walked over to the truck and opened the door, lifting Tracy down from the seat. Curley lifted his chin at them. "No kids tonight?"
"Slick lost a bet, so he's babysitting." Tracy grinned, leaning into Rick's side. "I wanted to come over and check out Promise. Congratulations on the new business."
Curley found amusement that his MC brother got stuck with the kids. "As long as you don't go in there and distract the waitresses, the drinks are on me."
"Oh, you're sweet." Tracy looked toward Rick, whispered something to him, and then left her man's side.
Curley braced the closer Tracy got to him. The hug she gave him was unsurprising. Nevertheless, he let her squeeze him while looking over her head at her man. Rick's eyebrow cocked, tolerating his woman's need to shower affection on those she called family when she was happy.
"Treat her right, uncle, or I'll never talk to you again." She leaned back, patted his chest, and quietly said, "I'm happy for you, too."
He dipped his chin. Her words meant something to him. But the guilt kept him from sharing the happiness over the change in his life. It was only a matter of time until Faye found out the truth, and everything good would be stripped from his life.
When that happened, Faye would need Tracy and every member of Tarkio to see her through the darkness.
The others walked into the building. Aaron chuckled. "Might want to prepare the bar because once Slick's off babysitting duty, he's going to hit the bottle. Those kids can drive the calmest man insane. I can barely keep up with them."
Needing to hear what happened at the lounge, Curley said, "What did you find out about Cal Williams?"
"He's a horndog." Aaron shook his head. "He kept his hands off the two waitresses that are working for him while we were there, but he's sleazy."
"How so?"
Aaron clicked his tongue. "Mainly a feeling. He's uncomfortable around men. Every time the door opened and customers walked in, he grew tense."
"Like he was expecting someone?"
Aaron shook his head. "As if he was afraid, whoever walked in was going to kick his ass. But, when women came in, he quickly dismissed them."
"Hm." He inhaled deeply and looked out at the street. "Roddy checked into his background. He has no prior arrest. His record is clean, besides a speeding ticket over five years ago."
"It could be that he has a thing for Faye, and that's his problem. His behavior could be explained that the guy is awkward around other people. An odd way to act being the owner of
a lounge. I expected him to be a people pleaser."
"Well, if he's stuck on Faye, he'll soon learn she doesn't exist for him." He pushed off the wall. "There's still the fact the greenhouse burnt down, and she lost the most important thing in her life, and if someone is responsible for taking that from her, they're going to pay."
"It's not the most important thing to her." Aaron raised his brows. "We've all seen how that little girl loves you."
"She's not a little girl anymore," he muttered. "You also know I'm not any good for her."
"You forget how she was raised within Tarkio. She knows we're all a bunch of rough bikers with an asshole attitude. Besides, you're the only person she's had in her life since Walker left."
He knew Faye better than anyone, including Walker. He was the only one close enough to her since she was eight years old to understand that Faye would take the truth and believe he'd taken her only family member away from her. The only blood family who swore not to abandon her, and it was Curley who'd taken him away.
She'd grown up, building an armory around her feelings, not because she was afraid to love, but because she was afraid of losing another person in her life. To protect herself, she'd shot out with her temper if he came around.
Now that she was taking a chance on him, he understood he had one chance to get it right.
If he wasn't one-hundred-percent truthful with her, she'd cut him out of her life. This time, she'd have Walker's blessings. Probably Aaron's, too.
"Thanks for going over to Superior." He walked toward the front door, ready to go back inside, where he could be with Faye.
"Not a problem." Aaron followed him into the bar and headed toward the other Tarkio members.
Curley found Faye talking with Angela and Tracy while she cleaned the surface of the counter. Whatever she was saying had the other women laughing, and gaining the attention of Hammer and Whip at the end of the bar.
A primal need drove him forward, needing to breach her inner circle. It had more to do with wanting her to feel that comfortable with him more than it was a need for her attention.
She lifted her gaze, spotted him, and her eyes warmed. He stepped around the counter and tagged her hand, making her drop the rag.