Jolene and I prepared for a heated conversation when Clint jumped in.
“Hey, do you guys remember the night we went jumping off the Jericho Bridge?”
My mouth curled into a sly grin as I glanced toward Jo, who rolled her eyes and looked away.
Clint wagged his eyebrows. “Do you still have the piercing?”
“Are you kidding? Not Jo, the uptight, professional, suit wearing Jo,” I jeered.
Jolene lifted her tank top just above her belly button, revealing a small, crystal barbell. I tried not to stare at her tight abs and slim waistline. Her skin appeared creamy and soft, begging to be kissed.
“Man, that shit was epic. Who gets a piercing and then goes jumping off the tallest bridge in three counties, right into a grungy ass lake?” Clint took a long pull off the beer, swallowing through his fit of laughter.
“Yeah, well, don’t call me chicken shit then. I lived to prove you boys wrong back then It’s like it was a different world.”
“I guess it kind of was, huh?” I stared at the wall ahead. “We’re all different people now.”
“Speak for yourself.” Clint kicked my boots off the table. “I’d go jumping off that same bridge tonight. What about that night we got pulled over down by the lake and Jo tried to hide all the open beers under her mini skirt?”
“Oh my God! How can you remember all of that?” Jo’s wide eyes gazed at Clint. “It’s a wonder we’re all still alive today to talk about this bullshit.”
“Isn’t that the fucking truth?” I choked on laughter as I took a drink of the cold beer.
“Come on now, it wasn’t all that bad.” Clint tossed his head back and gave a long sigh. “Shit man, I’d trade damn near anything to go back in time.”
I tried to get a visual on Jolene without turning my head to see her reaction to Clint’s loaded confession. My chest tightened when I saw her give a slight nod. She agreed.
The three of us spent the next couple of hours sharing stories and talking about good times.
Clint hopped up and stretched. “I’m gonna use the head.”
I waited until he was gone before getting up and disappearing into the kitchen. I returned with two bottles of beer, twisting off both caps and handing one to Jo. I pulled my lips into a hard line. Being close enough to smell her shampoo made my body twitch.
Clint hustled back into the room, oblivious to the tension in the air. “Looks like you guys are gonna have to have fun catching up without me.” He clicked the button on his cell phone and shoved it back into his jeans. “I gotta go report in.”
“What’s up?” My head was spinning, wondering why I wasn’t called in.
“No idea. I’ll let you know and you two try not to get in any trouble. He leaned over and kissed Jo on the cheek.
“Later brother,” I said as the front door slammed shut.
“That was weird.”
I nodded. “Yeah, got a bad feeling ‘bout it too.”
Jolene took a long swig off the bottle and smiled. “Don’t go getting all paranoid. Want to talk about the case?”
“Nah, can’t collect my thoughts. My head’s a fucking mess. Can we dive in tomorrow?”
She shrugged. “Sure. I’ll let you get some sleep and go over files in the bedroom. You’ve got to be tired after that long night in jail.”
My shoulders sagged. “I don’t think I can sleep right now. I’m buzzing. How ‘bout some music?” I reached for my phone and clicked the playlist button. George Jones was belting out “He Stopped Loving Her Today”.
I didn’t like the uneasy feeling creeping around in my usually rock solid gut. I took down the rest of my beer in one swallow and darted off to the kitchen for another.
“Grab me one too, please,” she chimed from the couch.
Surprised to find her bottle already empty, I pried the cap off and handed her the full one. I leaned back on the couch and kicked off my boots. I watched the way Jolene tore into her beer.
“Man, you can still drink like the old days.”
Her eyes rounded and she wiped her mouth with the backside of her hand. Her cheeks flushed red. I drank my own beer while eyeing her. I fought the urge to reach out and pull her to me. A smile tugged in the corner of my lips, arching one dark eyebrow.
“Wonder what else you can still do like the old days?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
(Jolene)
The cold bubbles from the beer were a vast contrast to the searing rush of blood soaring through my body.
I was relieved to find Clint in the living room when I got out of the shower. After the phone call with Brad, I didn’t trust myself not to blow off some steam. I saw the way Ronin leered at me, his eyes full of hunger and need. It was obvious, but I told myself that door had been closed, locked, and nailed shut. He had a world of problems, and at least one redhead.
Not a battle that I wanted to fight.
Now, hanging out with both Clint and Ronin, reminiscing about old times made my heart swell. They had been two of the most important people in my life for as far back as I could remember. The three of us were inseparable. The Misfit Musketeers.
As the three of us talked, Ronin and I had become more playful, moving closer to one another on the tiny couch. It was like living in a parallel universe, not a care in the world. Just a cold beer and good company. Just like old times, when we were too dumb to worry about life.
Clint also served as a necessary cock block. Which might have worked had he not been called away. I didn’t trust myself to be alone with Ronin. The beer tasted damn good, and he was looking better than ever.
As he handed me another bottle of Bud, I couldn’t help but notice his strong forearms. He had really packed on some muscle over the years. He had also gotten some new ink.
My body hummed as I remembered our time together. When he said that he wondered what I could still do like the old days, I had to fight the urge to throw him down and blow him and his fucking mind.
I tried to slow down, but the beer was going down like water, smooth and mind numbing water.
Deciding to deter the obvious flirting, I changed the subject. “So, what’s been going on with you? Before all this bullshit, of course.”
His nostrils flared as he pulled in a deep breath. “Well, making pretty decent money off the custom choppers. I help Ruth down at the Clubhouse when I’m not riding or on duty. She let me buy a stake in the place about a year back.”
“That’s right, Sargent at Arms, congratulations.”
His lips curved into a lopsided grin, resembling that of a small child receiving a gold star. His devotion to his club was deeply rooted. He was a lifer by choice.
“Thanks, yeah, I moved up a couple years ago. Jesse’s been great, taking me under his wing. I’m learning a lot.”
“And what about the choppers? You think that’ll go anywhere?” I remembered how talented Ronin was when it came to bikes. He was like a steel horse god. He had been ever since the day that he offered to give me a ride to school on the back of his very first Frankenstein.
“I sure as hell hope so. Makes for a good payday.”
I turned to face him. “Not that you’re hurting for money.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes hardened.
Without thinking, I reached over and caressed his shoulder. “Hey, don’t get all defensive. I was just a surprised to see you lay down a hundred grand so easily.”
Ronin ran his hand through his beard. “What can I say? Business has been good. Ok, your turn in the hot seat. Tell me about what’s been going on down in San Diego. Looks like they’re treating you good down there.”
I took another long pull from my beer. I didn’t like to talk about myself. If I had to be honest with myself, I wasn’t happy. I hadn’t been happy in a very long time.
“Let’s see,” I started as I adjusted my position, attempting to hide my uneasiness. “After everything went down here, I started school at Berkley. Before graduation, I was offered
an internship with Carrington, Shuler, and Winslow, a great firm out of San Diego. It was my dream job so I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been fortunate enough to co-counsel some fairly high profile cases.”
“Is this what you usually do?”
I tilted my head, allowing my loose, wavy hair to cascade around my shoulders. “What do you mean?”
“When someone wants to know more about you, you give them a bullet point resume?”
Slapping his chest, I giggled. The alcohol was definitely getting to me, leaving my head fuzzy and my hands loose.
“Why do you always have to call me out like that?”
“Because you’re always trying to hide.”
I weighed his words. He was right. And, what’s the point? Why try to bury myself under a fucking rock? For what? It didn’t accomplish a damn thing in my miserable life, except for leaving me alone and withdrawn.
I gazed up at his face. His strong jaw twitched. His full, wet lips teased me as he licked the suds away.
“Ok, fair enough. After the house fire, and losing … Well, everything fell apart. I started drinking. I didn’t care about anything. Couldn’t give a shit whether I lived or died.”
Ronin lowered his head. “Yeah, I remember,” he said, followed by a heavy guzzle of beer.
“It was devastating. I would have been perfectly happy to wither away and die. Pop told me I had to make a choice. Either I could go away to school or I could go to rehab. It was an eye opener. I looked in the mirror and saw my mother, a shell of a human being. It was only a matter of time before I passed out and never woke up again, just like her.”
“Shit, Jo. Why didn’t I know this was how you were feeling?”
“Because I didn’t want you to know. You thought I was just grieving. I didn’t want you to know that I was too weak. I couldn’t handle you knowing that I was suicidal. Ruth took me to see someone. They put me on meds and signed me up with a therapist close to school.”
He twisted his long, chiseled body to face me. “But why’d you just up and leave in the middle of the night? That wasn’t fair. You didn’t even give me a chance to help you.”
The pained darkness in his eyes shattered my soul. “I was beyond help. I hated the way I left, but there was no other way. If I had laid eyes on you, even for a second, I knew I wouldn’t leave. It hurt too much.”
“I was destroyed.” His soft voice was broken and childlike.
“Ronin, I’m so sorry. Pop paid for school and made it clear that he wanted me to start a new life. I know it was wrong to leave you like that, but I thought I was doing it for the right reasons. Please believe me.”
“You left me to grieve the loss of our baby on my own. I had no one. You know how the club is, smoke a bowl and suck it up. I needed you.”
His heartfelt admission left me decimated. I had never heard him be so transparent. I had never allowed myself to think about his pain, focusing only on my own.
“I don’t know what to say.” I lowered my head.
“Don’t say anything. You’re here for me now. I can’t ask for any more than that.”
For the first time in the fifteen years that they had known each other, Ronin poured his heart out. I no longer had the will power to fight his vulnerability. My heartbeat pounded in my chest, my pulse thumping in my throat. His haunted eyes misted, causing him to swipe them with the ball of his palms.
“Maybe that’s why we never had this talk. This shit’s embarrassing.” He gave a half chuckle. I knew he was trying to bury his emotions.
“No, don’t do that,” I whispered.
The defeated expression on his face told me that he knew what I was talking about, and he didn’t try to deny it. There was no use. The pain had beat down his faulty wall.
I stood and turned to face him, extending both hands. He peered up at me. When our skin touched, it was as if an immediate electrical current flushed through my body. We made our way to the bedroom in silence.
I let go of his hands, moved to the foot of the bed, and slid my tank top over my head. In no time, I had wiggled out of my tiny running shorts.
The way Ronin’s eyes widened gave me exhilarating chills. He stared, savoring the sight of me, naked and inhibited.
“Jo …”
I stood and silenced him by gently pressing my lips to his, inhaling the scent of Budweiser lingering on his skin. That was the only invitation that he needed. His demeanor changed from pained to hungry all in a split second.
He bent down, coiled his arms around my backside, and swooped me up off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist, raking his shirt up and over his head.
Our melded bodies stumbled around until backing up into the wall. Ronin’s mouth devoured every inch of me before placing me in the center of the bed.
I watched him strip away his worn out jeans and toss them to the floor. I didn’t shy away from gawking like a fan girl. The man was built like Adonis, a motorcycle riding Adonis.
The way he gave all of his attention to pleasing me, caressing me, was foreign. I was so used to Brad, selfish inside and out.
Hovering over me, I memorized Ronin’s heated expression. His hungry eyes locked on mine. His rough, attentive hands made me tremble under his skilled touch.
Flushed, he abruptly scrambled off the bed, digging around for his jeans. I heard the rip of a condom package. The heat from his naked body sent a shiver between my legs. He rolled my erect nipple with his tongue. I felt my heartbeat deep in my heat and I couldn’t wait a second longer. Groaning, I reached for him, pumping his long, hard shaft until he fell backwards onto the bed.
“Shit, woman. I was supposed to be doing all the work.” His words escaped through a clenched jaw.
“Shut up,” I responded as I straddled his rock hard body, guiding his cock into my begging slit.
“Fuck!”
The sight of Ronin squeezing his eyes shut made me even wetter. He was so caught off guard that he didn’t know what to do with himself. I had him right where I wanted him. I rocked backward and rolled my hips. His full length filling me to the point of the perfect combination of pleasure and pain.
He cupped my hips, his own hips now moving in perfect rhythm with mine. Every back and forth motion causing my breasts to bounce until he clearly couldn’t take it anymore and shot upright, wrapping my legs behind his back. He coiled one arm tightly around my waist and used the other as leverage, pumping repeatedly until his body tensed. The way he gave an overwhelmed gasp caused my own body to respond. Swaddled around one another, complete and satisfied.
We spent all night making up for lost time, exploring one another, as if we had never been separated. I had never been so lost in someone else. For a few hours, we were one.
***
Sun streamed in through the sheer curtain. I stretched my arms high above my head, pressing my eyes closed, relishing the magical night for a couple of minutes longer.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
The deep, throaty voice made my body spring to life. He leaned in for a kiss, my skin still sensitive from the grazing of his beard.
“Mmm, morning.” I tried not to blush, but the glint in his eye informed me that the attempt was futile. I rested my head in the crook of his arm, trailing my fingertips along his ink, outlining the massive, heavy, blacked out X resting over his heart.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous. I could watch you sleep for hours.”
“Stop,” I said as I rolled over onto my side. “Seriously, how can you be so calm? Your entire world has just been turned upside down.”
His moist lips twitched. He tipped my chin and swept the hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear.
“Nah, darlin. My entire world is right here in this room.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
(Ronin)
Steam filled the bathroom as the scalding hot water worked on massaging the knots out of my back. I had hoped it would help ease my tense muscles. Waking up next to Jo had me completely bent.
&n
bsp; I had dreamed about her head on my chest with her dark hair fanned out across my skin for years, and it was better than I could have ever imagined. The lines on her face were soft and relaxed. Her full lips curled as she dreamed.
None of this changed the fact that it shouldn’t have happened. Not while we were trying to keep me out of prison for murder. I also couldn’t ignore the fact that she had a boyfriend. She had another life waiting for her, a life that didn’t include me.
Then there was the club. Jesse would have my balls on a fucking skewer for hooking up with Jo.
I toweled off and threw on my jeans. My mouth watered as the strong smell of coffee wafted through the room. Jolene leaned against the kitchen counter wearing nothing but my t-shirt. Her long, lean legs made my dick stir, remembering the way they were wrapped around me the night before.
“Coffee?”
I inhaled, filling my lungs. “Hell yeah.”
She poured me a mug of steaming hot coffee and placed it on the counter. I watched her wiggle her painted toes, shuffling her feet back and forth. It drove me fucking mental.
“I have to take a shower and then we’re going to need to dig in and get down to business,” she said, unaware of the way she was getting under my skin.
“Sounds good. Need any help?” I wagged my eyebrows, engraving her bashful smile on my heart.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Yeah, as much as I would love to, I don’t think that would be a very productive idea.”
I stepped in, closing the gap between us, taking her arms and wrapping them around my neck. With every passing second, I knew it was wrong. I knew that we would never work. Our time had come and gone. But it was like I was hypnotized just by being in the same room with her, breathing the same air. I had to be near her, to feel her touch, hear her soft voice.
“I beg to differ.”
Jolene stepped out of my reach. “No, you’ve got to get serious about this. Pretrial is right around the corner. I’ve been checking and this judge is a real hard ass. And this isn’t some quick in and out paraphernalia charge. We only have a short time to find answers.”
X Marks the Spot (Executioners MC Book 1) Page 7