Delta_Ricochet

by Cristin Harber

  “Up there?”

  “The stars and coffee.” His blue eyes gleamed as he stepped closer, and his palms wrapped around her waist. “You and me.”

  “Have you always been this amazing?”

  He rolled his bottom lip in thought. “No. It’s something I’m trying on for size.”

  “I like it.”

  The lip he’d sucked on had her attention, and when he released it, she wanted to kiss him. All of this was new to her. It wasn’t that she’d avoided dates. But this wasn’t even a date. It was simply thoughtful and sweet. She wasn’t sure she knew that calloused men who made their livings as a warrior in their world, be it Mayhem or Delta, men knew how to maim and move on, could have a sweet, romantic side. Or if she had seen it, she didn’t believe it to be true—just a means to an end, an act to get laid.

  “After you.” He took the coffee cups from her hands, setting them down, and let his hands graze her shoulders then cage her against the ladder.

  Shivers erupted as goosebumps rose on the back of her neck. Her nipples beaded. The shallowness of her breaths shouted so loudly she was convinced the whole community center could hear how Colin made her blood race.

  Colin nuzzled her ear, her neck, and the quietest whisper purred from her lips. Warm heat tickled against her skin, and her mind raced to say something but stalled.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded, quivering as he backed away, and placed the toe of her high heel on the ladder. “Do you want me to carry anything?”

  “No, I’ve got it.”

  Adelia hoisted herself up one rung. These were the worst shoes to wear when climbing a ladder, but he didn’t tell her it’d be a challenge for nothing. “Good thing I’m a vision of grace.”

  He laughed then promised that he hadn’t laughed at her, making her grin with each awkward step toward the ceiling panel. “Kind of dark up here.”

  She popped her head into the fresh air, taking in the dark night. Her eyes hadn’t adjusted but that was almost a blessing, as the stars seemed to reach from the heavens, beckoning her forward.

  A slight breeze picked up as she pulled herself onto the roof, and loose hairs lifted around her face. The quiet clatter of Colin climbing up the ladder mixed with the faraway notes of Seven’s reception until he joined her, then closed the rooftop hatch, separating them from the rest of the world.

  He, arranged all the things he’d brought up as she carefully picked a path to look each direction. One main road took everyone in from town, but for the most part, they were surrounded by green trees and parks. The community center’s equipment was unlit at that time of night, and she could barely make the outlines of the tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts.

  “I can’t believe we’re up here.” Just as quickly as she’d been awed by his creativity, her anxiousness reappeared. She had no trepidation about being alone with him or why he’d separated her from the reception, but it was how he made her heart skip and skin flush. He excited her in a way that sparked her curiosity.

  He stood at the edge of the tablecloth. The coffee and her extras, the cups, and the flowers formed a line along the edge of the table clothes, and Adelia bit her bottom lip. The precise set up was nearly unrecognizable from Mayhem’s chaotic style, but she soaked in how a military man might find order in a simple task.

  “This might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Short of Tex saving me from my real father. She stepped close to Colin and tucked her arms underneath his suit jacket, linking her hands behind his brawny back.

  “Then that sucks.” He swayed against her, hugging her close, almost possessively. But he didn’t act like that. She could walk away; she wasn’t an object.

  What was the pressure in her chest—as though she wanted to be possessed? Consumed? Things she’d avoided since she knew they existed. “I don’t know why,” she whispered. “But everything feels…”

  Motorcycles revved in the parking lot, momentarily stealing her attention until they slowly rolled away.

  “Yeah,” he said, letting her off the hook.

  But he had no idea what she thought because she couldn’t explain. Forget the fact that he was attractive. That was a gimme. Their attraction was palpable, but that wasn’t what was on her mind. He made her feel valued in a way that she never had before, and that was saying something. She did nothing but contribute to her community. She gave and gave and gave—to the point that she’d written her death sentence if someone found out how much she’d sacrificed.

  But she’d never focused on herself. That revelation had aftershocks, and wave after wave of memories and decisions flooded her until she squeezed Colin tight enough that he squeezed too.

  “I need coffee.” Caffeine fixed most problems in life.

  “That’s why we’re here.” He eased her down as Adelia could’ve sworn he mentally willed her to hear and nothing more.

  They made themselves comfortable on top of several layers of tablecloths, and now she understood why they’d needed more than one. The roof was rough. He laughed, and they joked, while underneath them, their friends danced and drank. When their coffee was finished, and she cuddled against him, it was as if she’d met part of herself for the first time tonight.

  Yet, he was the one who had suffered today, and she was thinking about herself. Maybe he should’ve called her selfish instead of stubborn. “How’s Sophia?”

  “A mess, but Javier will take care of her.”

  “He was a protector, even when we were little kids,” Adelia said. “He’d stand up to our father. I’m not sure he ever gives himself enough credit for all that he did for me.” She leaned her head against Colin’s chest, staring at the stars. They sat on the tablecloths like they were a picnic blanket, and she’d scooted her back to lean against his stomach. “Funny how the world brings people together.”

  Colin laughed in her ear. “No kidding.”

  “What?” She twisted.

  “First time I met you—”

  “Oh.” Her cheeks blushed at the memory of Mayhem and Delta’s first meeting. A shootout. “That was work.”

  “Look at you, sitting here all sweet and innocent.” He nuzzled her neck. “Smelling like an angel.”

  Her stomach flipped. “I do?”

  “Don’t think I’ll forget the day you tried to shoot me.”

  Adelia couldn’t think straight when he teased her neck. “I don’t recall it exactly like that.”

  “Hmm.” The sound growled across her flesh. “I do.”

  She couldn’t keep her eyes open, certain he was tormenting her on purpose. “That was so long ago.”

  His rough fingers stroked her cheeks, and she wasn’t unable to stifle a muted gasp as they traced down her neck. She twisted under the power of his fingertips, leaning in his arm to face up at him.

  This would be a kiss that could fill her sweet dreams and chase away nightmares. She didn’t expect to need his lips to touch hers as if the sun might not rise and waves wouldn’t crash if they didn’t close the distance.

  Colin’s full lips met hers, and their heat intensified.

  A kiss is simple until two bodies ignite. Her heart stalled, and his powerful hand threaded into her hair.

  His tongue probed, sweet and sultry. Colin took her mouth with more need than she thought could exist in a lip-lock. Her bridesmaid dress wasn’t enough of a barrier to stave off her interest in the hardening evidence of his arousal. She’d aroused Colin, and that aroused her.

  He stoked a fire inside her that made her more than simply wet for a man’s touch. He gasped while he kissed her. She raked her fingernails with their once-in-a-lifetime manicure down his button-down shirt.

  “I needed this,” he murmured. “More than anything else today.”

  He kissed her again like she was his savior, and she nearly cried because he had already given her the same relief. Adelia grasped his shirt, and Colin slanted her into his arms.

  “You good?” He nibbled by her ear.


  “Better than I’ve ever been.”

  His breath teased behind her ear lobe. “Crazy, I might say the same on a day like today.”

  Adelia closed her eyes, almost able to feel his pain, and he pressed lips to her forehead. Whatever tonight was, this was supposed to happen. She didn’t know enough to believe in miracles, but she knew enough not to doubt them.

  She and Colin had a special connection, and even if their purpose was only that she learned more about herself tonight than she had in thirty years or helped a man in need.

  But she wanted to believe there was more than just tonight. This was magic, something meant to be, as if some kisses could change the trajectory of the universe.

  He took his suit jacket off, tucking it over her, and their hands found each other again as they laid down under the stars with motorcycles revving nearby. Colin’s thick muscled bicep became her pillow and her focus softened. With heavy eyelids, Adelia listened to the night fade as she wondered if tonight was a dream. Tomorrow, she’d wake up back in the smelly land of bikers, whose brash ways of wooing women meant flicking beer caps in their direction.

  “Do you want to move?” Colin asked.

  “Not yet. I like where I am very much right now.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  What was the likelihood that Delta team had a job the morning after Jax’s wedding? Brock wouldn’t do that to the team—though emergencies of national security importance knew no holidays. Colin glanced at his cell phone. The screen had been dead since he woke up, and if he had any interest in a promotion within Titan Group, rookie mistakes like that wouldn’t fly.

  Yet, he hadn’t moved. For at least an hour, Colin had been aware his phone was dead, and his boss would rip him a new asshole. He’d thought about Brock’s lecture and the sure-to-follow spiel from Jared. But having Boss Man and his team leader tear into him was worth the sacrifice when it meant Adelia could stay here, draped like a sweet lover who was somehow wrapped in innocence he didn’t see often. Last night, he’d learned that there were many layers to the woman who’d once tried to kill him. He liked knowing the Adelia the rest of the world didn’t see.

  The night had been filled with a connection he didn’t expect and wasn’t ready to walk away from, even if he could come back another time. They had an uncrossed barrier that was left unsaid, but he respected her boundaries—not that he planned to try anything beyond a kiss on the community center’s roof. He’d needed her and wanted to be alone. Maybe, after her moment of running off the dance floor, she needed him too.

  The morning calm was his favorite part of the day—a clean slate to start over, and the cool air felt fresher. Most times, Colin could think more clearly.

  But that wasn’t the case right now. His mind crept back to the wedding-reception trinket that caused a chain of reactions, from kissing Adelia to letting his phone die.

  Damn it. If Brock was trying to get a hold of him, Colin’s ass was in trouble. A dead phone didn’t matter. His only hope was that the powers that be wouldn’t schedule a job off-the-cuff the morning after a Titan wedding.

  Even if Brock didn’t call, Colin would never tell a soul that he’d been awake and ignoring a dead phone because he’d chosen to wait for the sunrise and watch Adelia sleep.

  She stirred as though she could tell he was watching her and stretched her suit-jacket-covered arms. Her pink lips rubbed. She yawned.

  “You waking up?”

  “Mmm, maybe?” She curled against him, and Colin let his palm drift over her soft curves.

  If someone had told him years ago that this was ever a possibility, it wouldn’t have been a serious conversation. Somewhere over the course of Ryder and Jax spending time with their wives, which meant their teams interacted with Mayhem—and Adelia—he’d seen that they were real people not a group to be lumped together as a gang. But still, Colin had to wonder what kind of life Adelia had with Mayhem. He should be thankful, considering what her life could’ve been like, and now he knew Mayhem, he knew it wasn’t just Harleys and days filled with partying. But the organization sold guns and drugs, and Colin couldn’t picture the woman in his arms holding a .45mm handgun, which meant his sense when it came to her was dead wrong.

  Her eyelashes fluttered as her hand found his, interlocking their fingers. “Hi.” She stretched against him and purred like a cat.

  She might throw him off, but for the moment, he was cool with it. “Morning.”

  The sun caught her soft, brown-sugar eyes, and her sleepy grin lit with a contentment that couldn’t be hidden by her smudged eye makeup or any other telltale signs of their late night. “We had a slumber party on a roof.”

  She giggled and didn’t scoot away as she woke, instead staying pliable.

  If an award were given for potentially odd morning-after conversations, they were candidates. Nothing had happened between them other than a night of kissing that he wouldn’t forget. That and sleeping on a roof, which wasn’t anywhere near the worst or most uncomfortable place he’d slept, but he could blame his job for that. But clearly, something had happened between them last night, and Colin had no idea what it was.

  “You’re just looking at me,” she finally said.

  He tilted his head. “Last night was… different.”

  And he liked different. For the first time, he’d done the unexpected. What he wanted to do, what felt great for him—and them—and that difference had him buzzing better than any round of sex he could remember. That was the only thing he could think of, and they had barely touched one another.

  Her eyes went back to his, and the pink of her cheeks had lightened. “In a fun way.”

  He lifted his chin in agreement.

  The corners of her lips quirked. She lounged languidly, making no effort to sit up. “What’s the opposite of crashing a wedding?”

  He chuckled. “Us.”

  Birds flew in the distance, and he watched a car drive down the road. There hadn’t been many so early in the morning.

  “I can’t believe we didn’t leave.” Adelia shivered.

  Colin rubbed her shoulders and tucked his jacket around her. It swallowed her whole. Colin draped an arm around her side, flexing her closer as she moved back to where she had been the evening before and rested her head against his chest.

  “Do you make a habit of sleeping on roofs?” she asked.

  He hummed and searched the roof as though the scenery might strike him as familiar. “Nope. This is a first for me.”

  She laughed. “Me too.” Her eyes rounded. “Ugh, I used you as my mattress.”

  “Ha.” Colin gave her a squeeze and dipped his face to her neck. “Did you get the impression I minded?”

  She pulled his play, humming like she had to think first. “No. I don’t think so.”

  Colin kissed lightly as her head fell to the side.

  A barely audible, gasping sigh slipped from her lips. “Last night was a great idea.” Her breath hitched when he worked his way to her ear lobe. “A plus for creativity.”

  “Good.” His lips caressed the indentation behind her ear, and her hips moved. He liked the cause and effect and did it again. Colin nuzzled and carefully teased the shell of her ear with his tongue. Her ass wriggled as he explored, rewarding him with tiny moans. “You like that, huh?”

  “I think...” Her hair slipped over them, shading them away from the world. “I like everything you do.”

  His erection thickened, and he drank in a deep breath. The idea of everything he wanted was engrossing. It was just sex, and it sure as hell wasn’t to slide inside her tight pussy on top of this roof. But his body didn’t give two shits what logic and long-range plans were because arousing her aroused him. The idea of hearing her climax, of feeling it, of seeing the look on her face, that was enough to sustain life for all he cared about right now.

  Except that was bullshit. Something terrified her enough to run like hell off the dance floor, and this Adelia, the one who kissed him until she fell asleep, nee
ded something more than his cock-driven selfishness.

  She tried to twist away as though she couldn’t handle his attention, but he kept her back against his stomach nuzzling her neck.

  “Do you still like everything?” he whispered.

  “Yes.” Her back arched.

  Her need rolled over him, making his mouth water. “Where are you going? You’re okay?”

  Her legs had tensed, but her torso was glued to him. “I-I’m not sure.”

  Her breaths shook as she shivered. “Colin?”

  He trailed his fingers over her hips and up the side of her dress, giving her space, having no idea what the shit he’d done wrong. “Yeah?”

  “Why are you talking like this?”

  His fingers froze, and he stared at the sky, trying to pinpoint what he’d said. “Like what?”

  “Asking what I like, if it’s good…”

  He didn’t have to see her face to know she blushed, but he admired that she had the courage to voice her confusion. He hadn’t understood where she might be coming from, but now he guessed, that a woman who knew nothing by Mayhem jackasses might not have come across too many guys interested in their pleasure. “Before I left for boot camp, the guys that talked the biggest bullshit game? They were the ones to go home first.”

  She bit her lip, and he could tell that didn’t explain anything.

  “And the guys in high school, college, the ones always bragging on who’d they been with, whatever. They were the ones that never kept a girl.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Because they didn’t listen. They didn’t learn. They had no sense that what they’d got themselves into was anything more than a one-person show, and they struck out.”

  Her hesitant grin surfaced but quickly raced away as though she wasn’t sure what she heard and understood were the same. “You’re asking because you want to know?”

  It nearly killed him not to laugh at the obvious, but he hung on to everything he knew about her and tried to understand. “I like what my partner likes.”

  Her sugar-sweet eyes searched his. “Why?”