by Opal Carew
She stroked his cheek. “Is there something wrong?”
“What, baby?” He met her gaze. “No, of course not.” He kissed her, a gentle brush of his lips. “Just tired.”
He stroked her hair back, and his gentle touch made her feel warm and protected. “Are you okay? I mean, was that okay?”
She smiled, warmed by his concern. She leaned in and kissed him again. “It was wonderful,” she murmured.
He nodded, but she could tell he was unsettled. Well, she had freaked out every time he’d touched her for the past few days. He was definitely still gun-shy.
“How about you just relax while I make some dinner?” She stood up and pulled on her jeans, and she didn’t miss the heat of his gaze on her bare breasts as she tucked them back into her halter top and tied it behind her neck.
He stood up. “I think I’ll go out for a ride.”
She glanced at him in surprise, but didn’t say anything.
“Okay. There’s a spare key in the bowl by the door.” Laurie watched him walk to the door, pick up the key, then close the door behind him.
As hard as these past few days had been on her, they’d been hard on him, too. She thought he’d be happy that they had taken this step forward, but something was bothering him and she wished she knew what it was.
But right now, he needed a little space.
All she knew was, now that she’d allowed herself to open the door and share intimacy with him again, she needed more. He’d stoked the fire and it was blazing inside her.
After dinner, she’d show him just how much she needed him all over again.
* * *
Steele mounted his bike and let out the throttle. The roar of the engine was comforting. Reliable. As he rode the bike along the road, the wind whipping at his face, the machine felt like a part of him.
The moment he’d slid from Laurie’s body when she’d stood up, he’d ached at the loss of her warmth surrounding him. She’d become a drug he was addicted to. A need that had buried itself deep in the pit of his stomach.
He wanted her. Emotionally. And physically. But he needed more than the sweet, delicate lovemaking they’d just shared.
He knew she needed time. She needed tenderness and love to get past the trauma she’d endured at the hands of Donovan. And he’d give her that. He’d give her whatever she needed.
But what if he fucked up? What if his urges—his intense desire to bend her to his will—got the best of him and he did something stupid? Something that scared her. Or traumatized her even more than what Donovan had done.
Not that he’d do something worse. But coming from him … someone she’d learned to trust and rely on …
Fuck.
* * *
It was close to seven and Laurie stirred the chili again, wondering where Steele was. She walked back to the living room, a glass of red wine in her hand, and sank onto the couch. Steele was used to total freedom. Keeping his own hours. He probably wouldn’t appreciate her telling him to be home for dinner at a certain time.
The two of them were so different, lived such different lifestyles, but somehow they would find a way to make things work.
She heard a key in the lock and Steele stepped inside.
He glanced at her, but he seemed preoccupied. “Dinner smells good.”
She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “I hope you like chili. There are homemade buns, too.”
He nodded. “That sounds great.”
“Okay. Well, sit down and be comfortable, I’ll go serve it up.”
He sat on the couch. “I could use a beer, too.”
“Coming up.”
She returned with two bowls of chili and the beer and set one bowl in front of him on the coffee table, then returned for the rolls and butter. They put on an adventure movie while they ate.
She wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but she realized she needed to let him talk in his own time. When they were finished, she cleared away the dishes and sat beside him. She cuddled up to him, and he slid his arm around her, then drew her close. A few minutes later, he tipped up her chin and kissed her, his lips moving softly on hers.
But then he pulled back, staring at her with eyes filled with heated need and anxiety.
“I want to do this with you. I want…” He sat back, his hands balled into fists. “But … Fuck, I don’t want to do anything wrong.”
“You won’t.” She rested her hand on his muscular arm. “I want this, too.” She tightened her fingers around him, gazing at him imploringly. “Please, Steele. Make love to me.”
A growl rumbled from deep inside him and he pulled her into a deep kiss, then he slid his arm under her knees and he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. Silently, he stripped off her clothes, slowly and purposefully, then he stood up and shed his own. Her gaze wandered over his glorious, muscular, tattooed body. Sculpted arms, broad shoulders, ridged abs. Everything about this man was spectacular.
And his cock. It had grown to an impressive length, and it was so thick. He pressed her back on the bed and prowled over her, then kissed her deeply. He tested her readiness by gliding his fingers over her slit, finding slick wetness, then he pressed his cock against her. She drew in a breath as he glided into her, filling her with his thick, hard shaft. She tightened around him, embracing him in the most intimate way she knew how.
He moaned. His lips found hers and he began to move. Drawing out, then gliding deep again. Drawing out, then gliding deep again. He set a smooth, sweet rhythm, driving her pleasure higher and higher with each stroke.
She trembled with need, wanting him with an intensity she’d never known before. She kissed him under the chin, his whiskers raspy against her lips.
Joyous feelings swelled within her. Feelings she couldn’t keep to herself.
“Oh, Steele. I love you.”
He sped up, driving deep into her. Again and again. She held tight, riding the intense waves of sensation. Then he thrust deep and groaned.
The feel of his liquid heat filling her catapulted her over the edge. She clung to him, as rippling sensations quivered through her, then her body exploded in the sweet ecstasy of release.
Once the shimmering orgasm waned, she collapsed against him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She drifted into sleep, his big cock still inside her.
* * *
Laurie awoke with a start. The big warm body she expected to be in her arms was gone.
She pushed back the covers and stood up, then grabbed her robe. Had Steele left?
She walked into the living room and her anxiety waned when she saw him sitting on the couch, a coffee in his hand.
“Good morning.”
But he just nodded, then gestured to the couch.
“Laurie, sit down. We need to talk.”
Uh-oh.
She settled beside him. “Sounds serious,” she said, trying to keep her tone light.
He glanced at her, then stared at his coffee.
“Look, who are we kidding? You and I are never going to work.”
Shock vaulted through her and her heart compressed. “I don’t understand. Why do you say that?”
He shrugged. “Look around. You have a home here. It reflects who you are and what you want. Stability. Security. You aren’t going to get any of that with me.”
“Steele, I want to be with you.”
Irritation flared in his eyes. “You might think you want me, but I don’t believe you’ll be happy if you leave your normal life to ride with me, and I can’t see myself giving up the open road to live in one place.”
She sat there, numb. The thought of leaving her home behind was unsettling, but now that she’d come to terms with her feelings for Steele, she was sure they could work something out. Love could find a way.
She didn’t want it to end between them, and she couldn’t believe Steele was willing to throw away what they had.
Maybe she should be practical, but her heart didn’t care about practic
alities. Her heart wanted Steele.
She wanted Steele.
“And even if that weren’t true,” he continued at her silence, “you need to figure out how to be who you are. You got way in over your head with your relationship with your ex. You figured out it wasn’t right and tried to leave, but then you wound up with me. Another Dominant wanting to control you.”
She wanted to reach out to him. To stroke her hand over his whisker-roughened cheek. But instead, her hands clenched into fists in her lap.
“But I like being dominated by you,” she said. “With you, it’s totally different than what he did. You treat me with respect and”—she gazed at him—“love.”
His lips compressed. “Look, you were in my care and I protected you. You’re right that, fool that I was, I convinced myself I was in love with you. But we were both caught up in high emotional stakes and what I thought was love was just a strong protective instinct.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. What I saw in your eyes … what I feel when you kiss me … That’s real.”
He frowned. “That’s passion, not love. You and I have great chemistry together. And what you said last night…” His hands clasped between his knees. “You only think you love me.” He gritted his teeth. “And when you say you like being dominated by me, you don’t really get it. You were in my care. You’d been traumatized.” He leaned in close, his eyes blazing. “I held back.”
“I can handle it.”
He stared at her, assessing. “Are you sure about that?”
Her heart pumped faster as he leaned a little closer, his powerful aura filling the room. She wanted him to touch her. To tear the clothes from her. But panic welled in her. And fear. She leaned away a little.
He grabbed her wrists and pushed her down on the couch, trapping her hands beside her head. He captured her mouth, driving his tongue inside. Claiming her.
She could hardly breathe. She was excited, her body trembling with need. Aroused and … anxious. Her insides heated as he plundered her mouth, longing for him to take her. He released one of her wrists and slid his hand over her breast, stroking it until her nipple swelled to a tight bud.
“Fuck, I want you.” His lips found hers again and he slid his hand under her top, then cupped her breast. His fingers teased her nipple, then he squeezed it between his thumb and finger, leaving her breathless.
His nostrils flared. “Do you still think you can handle it?”
She stared at him wide-eyed, but nodded, then gasped as he grabbed the neckline of her shirt and tore it open, then his mouth found her nipple and he sucked.
He sat up and unzipped his jeans and pulled out his cock. It was hard with wanting her.
He wrapped his fingers around it, the tip jutting from his hand. “Suck me,” he ordered.
As soon as she sat up, he pushed her head to his thick cockhead, then filled her mouth with the plum-sized head. He pushed deep, driving into her throat. She gagged but he pulled back, then cupped her head, his fingers forking through her long hair. He glided her head forward and back, his cock sliding in and out of her mouth, more gentle now, but still pushing her to her limit with the thick shaft filling her again and again.
His hand squeezed her head. “Suck me hard.”
She gagged again as he drove too deep.
He pulled from her mouth. “I need to be inside you.”
He grabbed her jeans and ripped open the tab, then tugged them from her hips, and off. He climbed over her, a look of need on his face.
He tore the crotch of her panties and pressed his cockhead to her damp slit.
She wanted this, oh, so desperately, but a whimper erupted from her throat. It was happening so fast. He was being so demanding.
“No,” she cried involuntarily.
He stopped instantly, then drew back. He drew in a breath as he pushed his cock back into his jeans and zipped up.
“That’s what I thought.”
As she lay there catching her breath, Steele stood up and left the room.
Ten minutes later, he reappeared with his packed bag in his hand.
Her heart clenched at the sight. “You’re leaving?”
She wanted desperately for him to deny it. Because she was truly and heart-shatteringly in love with Steele.
“That’s right.”
“But … we just have a few issues to work out,” she said desperately. “We just have to—”
“Laurie, no.” His granite eyes were steely and distant. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you. That’s why it’s important we recognize this for what it is. If we stay together, either I’ll have to hold back, denying who I really am, or I’ll wind up hurting you.”
She stared at him, still trying to grasp that this was really happening. She didn’t believe what he said, but it was clear he had made up his mind and would not be swayed. She drew in a deep breath, then released it. “So this is it?”
His lips compressed. “I’m afraid so. The guys and I will be heading out this afternoon.”
Her gaze flicked to his. “So soon?”
“There’s no reason to stay any longer.”
Ice water trickled through her veins and she trembled. “Of course.” Her jaw clenched and she hardened herself against the pain. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
He nodded, then walked to the entrance.
“Take care of yourself,” he said with a last glance her way, then disappeared out the door.
As it closed behind him, her heart contracted.
Then the tears flowed.
* * *
Steele sped along the highway, his gut aching. He didn’t know if he believed what he’d told Laurie or not. His heart insisted he loved her. And maybe she really did love him, too. But he couldn’t stay. All the issues he’d brought up were true. They were a long way from making a relationship work. And it would kill him to know he’d hurt her.
Better to just let the whole thing go before they got even more involved. So she could find someone who could give her a better life. Someone more stable.
He never wanted to hurt Laurie. If he dominated her in the bedroom, she wouldn’t be happy. Especially not after what she’d gone through with Donovan.
He pulled up to the cabin and went inside. The crew was packing up the place.
“Where’s Laurie?” Rip asked. “She joining us later?”
“Why did you think I’d be bringing Laurie?”
“Fuck, you kidding man? The two of you are crazy in love. Anyone can see that.”
Steele’s jaw clenched. “You’re wrong.” Then he turned and strode off.
* * *
A week had passed and Steele couldn’t stop thinking about Laurie. He knew he’d done what he had to do, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
They were staying for a couple of weeks at a cottage owned by a friend of Magic’s, and Steele had hoped he’d be able to kick back, enjoy the sun and water, and take the time he needed to get over her.
If only it worked that way.
As the sun set, he and the crew rode into town. They were meeting Wild Card at a bar in the small town nearby. They rode along the main street, then pulled up and parked in front of the place, and stepped inside. There was quite a crowd in the place.
“There’s Wild Card.” Magic grinned. “Hey, it looks like he’s getting lucky tonight.”
They walked toward the bar where Wild Card stood, a woman facing him, his arm around her waist holding her close to him. He leaned in and murmured something against the woman’s ear.
Steele couldn’t see her face, but everything about her reminded him of Laurie. Her long, dark hair, waves cascading around her shoulders. Her slender but shapely frame. Even the way she would dress if she weren’t wearing Raven’s clothes. Lean jeans that accentuated her tight, round ass. A lacy camisole leaving her shoulders bare.
She laughed at whatever Wild Card had said to her and he would have sworn that was Laurie’s laugh.
Fuck
, he had it bad.
Wild Card’s gaze lifted from the woman he seemed intent on charming to them.
“Steele, hey, look who I ran into.”
The woman turned around and … fuck, it was like a slam to the chest. It was Laurie.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
At his sharp words, the soft, enchanting smile that had spread across her face at seeing him faded.
“I wanted to see you again.”
“Laurie, you and I are done. There’s no reason for you to be here, so why don’t you just go back to your cozy little town house and—”
“I’m selling it.”
“What?”
“And I’ve quit my job.”
“Why the fuck did you do that?”
She shook her head. “Donovan got me that job. It was with one of his companies. And he got me a good price on the town house because his business had dealings with the builder.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t have been able to afford it without the job anyway.” She stared into Steele’s eyes. “Everything there reminded me of Donovan. How I’d allowed myself to be convinced he was good for me. That he cared for me. Then later, how I allowed him to control me.” She sipped her drink. “So I walked away.”
“I’m sorry. I got the impression you loved that place.”
She nodded. “I did.” And she locked gazes with him. “But I’ll love again.”
His chest tightened, but he took a deep drag of his beer. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I was hoping that…” She pursed her lips. “Well, that I could ride with you.”
He shook his head. “I already told you. You and I can’t be together.”
“I know,” she said hesitantly, “but I really think riding with you, all of you, would clear my head and help me figure out what to do next. Wild Card said I could ride with him.”
Steele glared at Wild Card, who simply sipped his beer innocently.
“I think we should let Laurie ride with us.” Dom’s eyes glinted as he stared at Steele, his lips turning up in a grin.
“It’s not your call,” Steele said, his fists clenching at his sides.
“Now, wait,” Rip said. “As much as you’re the leader, Steele, and we all respect that, what the rest of us want should count for something.”