by Isabel Wroth
He shook himself and stalked to the bed, reverently trailing his fingertips up the long line of her back, brushing her hair aside to see it all and marvel at that white skin with not a freckle on it. “I think maybe it’s a good idea for me to sleep in the guest room,” He said it, with his other hand around her belly and pulled her back until her ass snuggled up to his cock so she could feel for herself, why that was a good idea. “That’s um, up to y-you. I promise to behave,” She murmured a little breathlessly, and he tried. He valiantly tried to tear himself away, but it was no use. He’d slept alone for too long, he was here with her now, this angel in a soft pink nightgown pressed back against him and the scent of her candles filling the air around them. “Get in,” He murmured, whipping his shirt off while she was busy pulling the sheets and blankets back, watching that silk pull taut over her round ass when she bent to toss some pillows onto a curved chair nearby.
Fuck.
His fingers curled with the need to touch, but somehow he managed to restrain himself and crawled in after her. At first the mattress felt weird, but once she snuggled up to him, her cheek resting on his chest and her shoulder up under his arm, he felt completely cocooned and the normal twinges of pain he’d experienced while sleeping, the trouble of trying to get comfortable, vanished. She sighed a soft sound, her finger tracing a scar he’d gotten from one of the pieces of shrapnel tearing into his side, and for the first time it didn’t cause him to remember the agony and the horror of what had happened. He just felt her fingers, the gentleness of her touch,
He fell asleep in what felt like no time at all, a smile on his face and damn glad Athena was so insistent on him sleeping in a good bed. She didn’t know it, but she’d just screwed herself.
He’d been expecting to have to charm his way into her home, her bed, but that soft spot of hers was so sweet and tender, so giving, that after she’d gotten wicked pissed at him she’d brought him home.
Home. And he was going to stay.
TEN
Raid had woken her up with sweet, gentle kisses and she’d opened her eyes to the sight of him up on one arm, rubbing a lock of her hair between his fingers with this odd look on his face and a smile curving the edges of his mouth. “What?” She’d asked, and he’d shaken his head and simply said, “Beautiful.” She enjoyed the flutter of arousal that hit her square in the belly, the way his dark eyes looked like liquid metal in the sunlight. “Can you take a few days off?”
“Run my own business, make my schedule.”
“Good. I want to take you home.”
“Home?” Her stomach did that flopping thing again, only harder this time. “Yeah. My home. My brothers are waiting for me, been gone a long time, and I want you to meet them.”
“You want me to meet your family.”
“Course I do.”
“I’ve never met anyone’s family. Seems fast.”
“Babe, we’ve been talkin for a year. Even though your letters didn’t get to me, and mine didn’t get to you for six months of that year, we’ve been talkin. It’s time for doin, now. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Pack up some stuff, and some clothes for Cruncher. We’re drivin.”
Raid took her Jeep to go get it serviced and the tires rotated before they started their drive down to Texas. She’d argued with him about it, because it was hardly his responsibility to do that, but while she was taking a shower, the sneak stole her car keys and took off with her dog. It both irritated and amused her, but it gave her time to pack up some stuff and go next door to pay the neighbor boy to pick up her mail, water the plants inside and stuff.
Which was how she spotted a familiar black sedan parked a block down across the street. She knew who was inside, knew who was watching her and wanted to run inside. She made herself walk up to the house calmly, but once she was inside she armed the alarm and stood in the shadow of the hall to watch the road. Watch that sinister black sedan.
Thankfully it wasn’t long before Raid got back with Cruncher, but the black sedan was still there, and he watched Raid come in and disarm the alarm. She knew he was watching. He was always watching. She needed to start looking a little harder for a new place. “Babe? Got your shit together yet?” Raid’s voice was like a soothing balm to the nerves that jangled with every wild heartbeat. “Yes! How’s my car, thief?” She called back, turning away from the window to force a smile on her face when he came in, glad for the distraction of Cruncher’s eager greeting to hide what she was sure was fear in her eyes. “It’ll make the trip. You ready to go?”
“Definitely.”
She must have answered to quickly, or too brightly, because when she stood up Raid was right there and sliding his hands over her arms to rub up and down soothingly. “What’s up?” He asked, in a tone that said he knew something was wrong. “Nothing, I’m ready.” He tilted his head to search her eyes thoroughly, “Babe, if you don’t want to go, or your nervous about being in a car with me for-“ She stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, tilted her head back to look up into his face and smiled. “I’m ready, Raid. Just need to pee, and then we can go.” He smiled back, slow and easy, dipping his head to kiss her.
She forgot about the black sedan, she forgot about being afraid, she forgot about everything but the feel of his lips caressing hers and how he slid his hands up, caressing her so gently until he got to her hair. He stroked his palms down the messy length of it all, then bunched it tight in his fists and pulled her head back. The sharp suddenness of it, the desire that flared instead of fear, it made her gasp in surprise and gave Raid the perfect opportunity to slice his tongue between her lips and maraud his way into her mouth. She’d never enjoyed such deep kisses before, never thought she would, but the way he kissed her, the force of it and the desire behind it made her head spin. Made her whimper and moan softly as her knees threatened to give out. He must have known, because he walked her back a few steps to press her back against the wall.
That was the moment she froze.
Raid did too as the passion bled out of her, and the combination of his hands fisting tight in her hair, the press of his body holding her there and his mouth hard on hers, left her cold. “What’s wrong?” He whispered, his hands gentling in her hair, his lips softening on hers so that his words were brushed into the kiss, “Please don’t push me against the wall like that,” She murmured, sighing softly while she tried to distract him by touching kisses up the side of his cheek, “I’ve never liked the way it feels.” He nodded, shifting to wrap his arms around her and turned so he was the one leaning against the wall. “Alright. Thank you for telling me.” She smiled at him, feeling the relaxation returning. “No problem. I’ve got to pee, then we can go, yes?” He nodded, meeting her for a soft, sweet kiss. “Yeah. We can go. I’ll lock up and meet you at the car.”
“Okay.”
ELEVEN
She relaxed as soon as they passed the city limits, and she must have thought he was a fool that he wouldn’t notice. Something else was wrong, not just the deaths of her Uncle and her ankle biting little dog. Something that made her go cold as ice and shiver with fear when he pushed her against the wall. Two ways that kind of fear was created, and both kinds were born from someone else’s hands. Namely a man’s hands. He had time now to solve the riddle, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that the next place she called home, was safe, and with him.
It was hell, the three days it took to get to Austin, sleeping beside her on shitty motel beds and feeling her nuzzle against him all night. Rubbing all her gorgeous curves and soft skin against him. He played the gentleman, he got to know her during the drive, which in his opinion was the best way to get to know anyone. Sit in a car with them for a few days to learn whether or not you could stand to live with them for longer than that. Athena was just as amazing as she’d been in her letters, but even more so because they were able to banter back and forth and laugh together. Torture, because she was everything he’d ever wanted,
Torture, because travel stressed out Cruncher and made him gassy. Which was the most god awful thing he’d ever smelled, and he’d smelled some shit. Bad shit. Toxic shit. But Cruncher took it to a whole new level of disgusting. He wondered if the smell would ever leave the Jeep. If it didn’t, he was going to buy her a new one.
They pulled into town and he rolled up to the house that with his brother’s help, was his on a month to month basis until he decided where he wanted to live. He hurried around to get the door for her, loving how she took his hand with a smile and eagerly stepped down beside him. “This is your home?” He looked at it with her, the small one story farmhouse. He liked it, liked the tin roof and the wrap around porch, the rustic look of it and the nice big fenced in yard for Cruncher to play in. “For now, Top set it up for me until I decide where I want to put down roots. Come on out, gasbag.” Cruncher shot out as soon as the door was open, and first thing he did was sniff the grass for the perfect place to take the massive dump he’d apparently been holding onto for three days. “Jesus Christ, never seen a dog take a shit that big. No wonder we were dyin from his fumes.” Athena curled her lip up, but once Cruncher had relieved himself, he went and tore around the yard with gleeful abandon.
He made sure the gate was closed before he took Athena inside and looked around the open living space, the comfortable leather couches, the big kitchen, a bigger bathroom and the massive, single, bedroom. He almost did a fist pump of victory, knowing he was going to thank Top profusely when he saw him next, because he’d given Athena no option but to sleep with him. “This is really nice,” She said, touching things here and there with a little smile twisting her lips. “Remember, how I told you that one day I hoped to god I could make you understand just how much that letter you wrote, meant to me?”
She looked up from the picture she’d lifted from a table top, her expression curious and open, her smile softening as she set the frame down. “I remember.” He swallowed thickly and nodded, “Good. I need to go out for a little while, get some stuff of mine out of storage. Dress warm, and dress to ride. The boys are throwing me welcome home hog roast, Cruncher’s welcome too.”
“Cruncher won’t fit on your bike, and he’s too young to take off into the night with a strange man on a motorcycle. I can’t trust his judgment.”
He’d laughed so hard tears had gathered at the corner of his eyes, and he’d promised he’d get Cruncher a responsible ride. Kissed her until she’d had trouble standing again, and jogged down the stairs to the small garage. She’d watched him throw up the door and the grin that split his lips was breathtakingly handsome while he ran his hands over the manly two wheeled machine inside. She watched him reacquaint with it like it was a long lost friend, and then kick a leg over the seat like he hadn’t been paralyzed a few months ago. If she hadn’t seen the scars on his back from the explosion, and the long straight one up his spine from the surgery, how he moved now, she never would have believed someone as strong and vital as him had been bound to a wheelchair. And watching him ride away with a roar of his pipes, she couldn’t help but feel thankful to whatever powers that be, that he’d come out the other side through that surgery.
It was weird to be alone for the few hours he was gone. She hadn’t been alone since he’d shown up at her shop four days ago, and it was almost uncomfortable. Traveling and sleeping beside him had felt natural, and usually a thrasher, she hadn’t tossed or turned once with his heavy arm curled around her. God, that had been amazing. So amazing. And their trip here? She gave a little moan and banged her head on the fridge, her body still pulsing from the feel of his kisses. He’d been a perfect gentleman except for those kisses, and she was such a slut for being disappointed by that fact. An even bigger slut, because the roar of pipes, motorcycle pipes, pulling up in the driveway made her vagina pulse and clench hungrily. Her heart pounded in time with the pounding steps of his feet up the porch, her entire body shuddering with desire when he yelled from the front door, “Babe! You ready?”
God yes. She was so, so ready.
Some kid in a pick up came by to pick up Cruncher. He spilled out of the truck with a puppy like exuberance to greet her dog with a high pitched, squealed, “What up, dog?” And proceeded to flop down on the lawn and let Cruncher attempt to lick his face off. It was too adorable for words. “Jesus,” Raid muttered, shaking his head like he was embarrassed by the kid’s display of love for animals, which just made her like him immediately, seeing as how he’d greeted her dog before her. “Ruckus, for fucks sake, it says Prospect, on your cut. Not Pussy.”
Ruckus, bounced up off the ground and whomped on Cruncher, getting his total adoration with that one good whomp. “Sorry, bro. Love dogs. I’ll take care of him, promise. Ginger Scouts honor,” He told her, tugging on his own red orange hair and bounced off with Cruncher bouncing right beside him and right up into the truck without even bothering to tell her goodbye. Ruckus rolled the window halfway down, and she guffawed to see the pair of freaking doggles on Cruncher’s face. Ruckus, had bought accessories for her dog, without ever having met him. Love. “He is adorable.” Raid just grunted at her in response, his lips twisting with a jealous little sneer before he got a handle on it and threw a leg over his bike. He held his hand out to her and she gnawed on her lip a little nervously. “You’re about to pop my cherry, here. Promise it’ll be good?” She ventured, and his eyebrows slowly slid up into his hair, “You’ve never been on a bike before?”
“The kind with pedals.”
“Shit. Seriously?”
“Yeah?”
He nodded, his throat working audibly with some kind of emotion flashing across his eyes. He wiggled his fingers at her to get her to come closer, squeezing her hand when she took his and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “That peg right there is for your foot, one on the other side. Just swing on and put your arms around me. Try to lean the way I lean, to relax, and don’t let go.” He curled her hand up on his shoulder to help her balance, and she tried to gracefully swing her leg up like he had, but had to add a little hop to get all the way over, and sucked in a gasp when he pulled her arms around his waist, turning his head a little to look at her. “Ready?” She was excited, no doubt about that, but she still flinched when he turned the engine over and reved it. Letting her feel the powerful vibrations between her legs, the shift in his muscles when he rocked the bike forward with his hips to get it off the kickstand, and away they went.
It was amazing, the wind cold and sharp as it whipped around them, the thrill of gravity reaching for them as he’d turn right or left making adrenaline surge through her veins. She got it now, what he meant by feeling free air around him. The smell of it, mixed with the smell of him where she tucked her face into his throat, free air, sharp and clean, the scent of his soap, the leather of his cut, and that musk that was all man. She couldn’t imagine knowing what this felt like, the wind and the roar of the engine, the freedom it brought, and then having it taken away. Being bound to a wheelchair and told that you would never feel this way again. The wind tore her tears away, and by the time they reached their destination, she had it under control.
He pulled into a parking lot beside a long metal structure, with a beautiful green lawn, on three sides, a line of gleaming Harley’s and trucks set back from the road by a good half mile and surrounded with an eight foot high stone and black wrought iron fence. She got why they called it a compound, because it certainly looked like one. He pulled up and parked in a waiting space, helping her off and checking to make sure her shaking legs would support her before he shut his bike off and peeled his sunglasses off his face. “Okay?” He asked, and she nodded, smiling wide enough that it hurt her face, which made him smile back. “Was it good for you?” She laughed and let him tug her up under his side when he got up, “The best I ever had.” He sucked in a soft, smug hiss of air and dropped a kiss on her hair. “That’s how I roll, babe. Come meet my brothers.”
He led her inside to a massive open room that had cow hides on the floor, big round tables, a pool table parked in a corner under the requisite green lamps, a huge cedar wood bar along one wall with a sink and fridge and food prep area, the bar currently covered in food for the party. There were photos all over the walls in big glass frames, leather vests with names on them in shadow boxes, and sections of old motorcycles hung on the wall up the length of the big wrought iron staircase that led up to a second level. She saw a lot of doors. Offices maybe?
It was empty for how many trucks and bikes were outside, but Raid tagged her hand with a grin and tilted his head to a back door. “Be prepared, they’re probably all out back waiting to shout at us.” He gave her hand a squeeze then pulled her out a big back door, into a massive gathering of hot guys in leather jackets, standing around an even more massive fire pit where a whole pig was being roasted on a spit, those men all raised their beers into the air and bellowed, “BROTHER!” Loud enough to blow her hair back. She saw Raid duck his head before looking up to grin at the assembled masses, and it might have been her imagination, but it looked like he might have had tears in his eyes.
She thought he’d let go of her to accept the hugs and handshakes from the twenty odd men, but he didn’t, not once. Not even when he hugged another ginger haired, very pregnant woman (who looked familiar) and congratulated her on adopting the biggest man-child in the history of man children. Said man-child punched Raid in the shoulder, and said man-child was another gorgeous, panty melting guy of epic proportions. Only blonde, and frankly looked like Thor and Eric Northman had had a baby, and this was their ungodly hot offspring. “Hi, I’m Ever.” The woman introduced herself, and she smiled back and took her hand, “Athena, you look really familiar.” Ever laughed and pressed her hands together and did a little Namaste bow. “The ginger in me recognizes the ginger in you.” She was laughing too and bowed back, which made the men roll their eyes heavenward. “I came into your shop a few months back when Raid asked us to check up on you.”
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