Sal (The Ride Series)

by Megan O'Brien

  “Good job, babe,” Sal said quietly, loosening his stance slightly and cupping my neck with his large hand.

  I nodded. “Before the doctor comes back can I have a huge cup of coffee? A girl can only deal with so much without caffeine,” I grumbled.

  Sal chuckled quietly as Hank stood. “I’ll get it,” he offered with a nod to Sal as he left the room.

  “Sounds like Jeb might be okay?” I hedged as Sal claimed Hank’s former seat next to the bed.

  He nodded, resting his elbows on his knees in what I recognized as a contemplative stance. “Looks like he’ll pull through. And if we can get your doctor back in here, I’m going to try like hell to have you outta here as soon as possible.”

  “Good,” I replied emphatically. “You look tired, honey,” I added quietly, reaching a hand over to smooth his cheek with my thumb.

  He nodded in agreement. “We can both catch up on sleep once we get home.”

  He’d been using the term “home” for weeks with us, and for some reason at that moment it rankled me.

  Where was Hank with my coffee?

  “It’s not my home you know, Sal,” I pointed out. His brows rose, clearly surprised by my response. “You keep calling it that, but I’ve basically been staying with you because it’s safer,” I argued.

  His raised brows turned downward in a glare, which would have had me retreating in fear if not for the fact Sal, didn’t scare me, he never had. Instead, I crossed my arms, daring him to take me on.

  “What’re you gettin’ at?” he demanded.

  I sighed. “I want us to live together because we want to not because you feel like you have to protect me,” I answered honestly.

  “Why do you think I feel the need to protect you?” he countered.

  I shrugged, not sure what he was getting at.

  “Christ, for a smart woman, you can be blind as shit sometimes,” he grumbled. “You clearly don’t get it. I want to protect you because you’re mine. And you’re mine because the moment I set eyes on you, there wasn’t another living soul who could move me the way you do.”

  Holy shit. That was a really good answer.

  “You’re under my roof because I want you there. You’re mine to protect. Hell, you’re mine period,” he corrected. “And, fuck that, you’re not staying with me. You’re moving in and you’re not moving out. I’ve wasted too much time. Life’s too short. You don’t like it, then I’ll chain you to the bed till you come around.”

  I was full-on grinning now as he ranted. I half expected him to pound his chest and slam his club into the ground as any self-respecting caveman would.

  “What are you grinning about?” he groused.

  “I love you,” I absentmindedly professed, biting back a laugh before slapping my hand over my mouth. I hadn’t meant to let that slip out, though I meant every word.

  He drew closer, replacing my hand with his full lips and pressing them against mine. “Well, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love you, too,” he said against my mouth.

  I beamed as my heart soared. “I had sort of figured,” I admitted.

  He chuckled and kissed me again.

  “And I don’t think you’ll have to chain me to anything, unless you want to that is,” I added.

  “Well, okay then, good,” he said as he nodded, moving to stand up.

  “Come here,” I beckoned with my good arm as he stood over me. I took his shirt in my fist, pulling him down into a soul-searing kiss.

  “Did we just agree to live together?” I asked quietly against his lips.

  “I thought we already were,” he replied with a shrug.

  “Of course you did,” I replied, fighting off another smile as he kissed me again.

  Chapter 16

  “You may kiss the bride!” the reverend declared as Wes pulled Connie into a tongue-tangling kiss. It was so typical of them to have a full-on make out session when they were announced as husband and wife.

  I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and grinned over at Sal as he stood beside Wes, looking strikingly handsome. He smiled in return, his eyes shining as they swept over my form-fitting bridesmaid’s dress.

  It was a casual wedding at the Italian restaurant Wes’ family ran, but it was beautiful. They’d decorated the entire back patio with lights and candles. It created a casual elegance, which suited the couple getting married to a T.

  Glasses clinked, music blasted, and everyone was ready to let loose.

  “Dance with me,” I pleaded, trying to pull Sal from his chair where he sat next to Cole. Gracie was sitting contentedly on her daddy’s lap and looking beautiful in her tiny little dress. She was growing every day, becoming more aware of her surroundings. She’d started smiling now, and I saw Cole visibly melt every time her gummy grin was directed at him.

  “Don’t dance, babe,” Sal said as he shook his head with a smirk. I knew this of course, but it didn’t stop me from trying.

  “Just one dance?” I tried with a small pout.

  His eyes zeroed in on my lower lip and he pulled me down to bite it gently. “The only place I need to know how to move is inside you,” his deep voice rumbled against my mouth. “If you’re good I’ll prove it to you as soon as we get home,” he said, his promise making my panties instantly wet.

  I nodded in agreement and accepted Scarlet’s hand as she came to retrieve me. None of the guys really danced. Mack would on occasion with Ettie. Wes had agreed to one dance with his new bride, but that was pretty much it. So, all of the girls had perfected the art of dancing together. Sometimes I wondered if the guys said they didn’t dance because they liked watching us so much.

  Connie came to join us, gorgeous in the strapless wedding dress that hugged her tan, slender form. The three of us twirled and moved to the music until my feet ached, and I grabbed a beer and went to take a breather next to Sal.

  He continued to talk to Cole but reached out and put his large hand on my thigh, squeezing in acknowledgement. Little by little, he’d become more affectionate. Not by leaps and bounds, but with gestures like this, gestures that said I was his and he was mine. They were more than enough for me.

  I looked down at the bandage covering the ugly gashes on my arm. It wasn’t all that painful anymore, but I worried about the scars. Parker was right that Sal would never be able to look at them and not think about him, and I worried about that, too. So far they were covered, but when the bandage came off permanently, I wondered if Sal could get past it. I really hoped he could.

  He looked over at me, his intense expression telling me he’d caught onto my train of thought. Sal had a knack for doing that.

  His fingers traced over the bandage lightly as our eyes met. He pulled my arm up, never breaking eye contact, and kissed the bandage.

  His brow quirked as though to say “see, no big thing.”

  I had to swallow down the lump in my throat as he briefly kissed me on the mouth before turning back to Cole. He resumed their conversation as though he hadn’t just completely rocked my world.

  We didn’t get home until late. I was pretty tired as I took my strappy shoes off in what was now officially our bedroom. It had been a beautiful, fun night. I was so happy for our friends.

  I heard Sal enter the room, but didn’t immediately turn around as I put my shoes away in the closet. “How about that dance now?” his deep voice rumbled from behind me as his large hands grabbed my hips, pulling my body against his from behind.

  My energy level immediately spiked along with my libido.

  “Yeah?” I murmured, tilting my head as he kissed my neck. Goose bumps rose all over my body as his warm breath caressed my skin, his teeth grazing slightly under my ear.

  “Hmmm,” he said by way of reply, his hands running up my bare legs before he lifted the material up over my head. “I’ve been dyin’ to know what you’ve had on under this dress all night, baby.”

  “Not much,” I responded with a grin as his eyes swept over my red thong and otherwise naked s
kin. I hadn’t needed a bra with the dress.

  “My favorite,” he nodded, licking his full lips and grinding into me from behind. I turned in his arms as he took my mouth in a heated kiss.

  “Not in the mood for gentle. You all right with that?” he asked against my lips.

  “Yeah,” I answered breathlessly.

  “Hands on the wall,” he directed, and I complied immediately.

  I heard him rustling behind me, divesting himself of his clothes. His knowing fingers then moved to trail down my spine, making me shiver. When he reached my thong, he wrenched it down my legs with such force I was surprised it didn’t break in two.

  He kicked my legs apart, his big body pressed against me from behind. His hands wrapped around me, cupping my breasts as he bit and kissed my neck.

  I was so worked up already, I felt my knees start to shake. His warm hands slid down my stomach to my core, making me gasp.

  “You soaked for me already, babe?” he demanded in my ear.

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  “Gonna take you from behind. I wanna feel this amazing ass against me,” he groaned as he slipped inside of me, making me whimper. He filled me up so completely.

  Then he started to move.

  He lifted me with his strong arms pressing me to the wall as he thrust with abandon. I had to brace myself with my forearms so I wouldn’t bang too harshly against the wall.

  It was delicious and consuming. It was Sal and me.

  “Fuck, babe, this is gonna be quick,” he warned.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, already fighting to contain myself.

  “Let it go,” he commanded when he sensed me holding back.

  I cried out as it hit me, pressing my forehead to the wall as he let himself go inside me, his warm body encasing mine so completely I didn’t know where I ended and he began.

  He spun me then, holding my body easily and taking us to the bed still inside me. He collapsed on top of me, breathing hard into my neck, his body slick with sweat.

  He pulled back and looked down at me with his gorgeous brown eyes. “You don’t ever worry about this, understand?” he asked, touching my bandage carefully. “You don’t worry about the shithead who did this to you; he’ll be taken care of. And, you don’t worry about what I think when I look at it,” he bit out, still breathing heavily. “’Cause all I see is you, always you,” he swore.

  “Okay,” I agreed, raking my fingers through his damp hair.

  “Okay. Let’s shower,” he directed, dragging me up and to the bathroom.

  ******

  “Let’s go get breakfast, then I have a surprise for you,” Sal shocked me by saying the next morning as we lay in bed, slowly waking up.

  I loved waking up with Sal. There was something so endearing about his mussed hair and groggy expression. I loved the five o’clock shadow on his chin and his deep, gravelly voice made deeper with sleep.

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked with a quirk of my brow. Sal had never surprised me with anything and I was immediately curious.

  “Yeah,” he nodded simply.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had a surprise before,” I mused, yelping as he swatted my ass on the way to the shower.

  “Glad to be your first, babe,” he winked.

  I rolled my eyes and laughed.

  We had breakfast at the diner near the house. They had the best waffles in town, and I was currently pouring an outrageous amount of maple syrup on mine.

  “I think you missed a spot,” he said as he chuckled, teasing me.

  “Shut up,” I replied, kicking him lightly under the table.

  “You call your landlord yet?” he asked, sipping his coffee and eyeing me over his mug.

  “No,” I admitted a bit guiltily. There had been a lot going on, to say the least.

  His eyes narrowed slightly.

  I sighed. “I’ll do it today, okay? I got distracted with everything,” I said honestly.

  His expression softened and he nodded. “When do you want to go get the rest of your stuff?”

  “Whenever, I don’t have much left over there. I’ll probably sell some stuff. But you could use a lot more kitchen stuff, so I’ll bring that. We can talk about the furniture later,” I said vaguely.

  “What’s there to talk about?” he asked with a creased brow.

  I’d been dreading this conversation. For so long I’d avoided making any comments about his bachelor pad because it wasn’t my place. Now it was, and yet, I’d still avoided it.

  “Babe, your place, it’s a total bachelor pad. You have two leather couches and a giant TV in the living room,” I pointed out hesitantly. I honestly wasn’t sure how this was going to go.

  “You gonna paint the walls pink or bring in a bunch of frilly shit?” he asked bizarrely.

  As a rule, I didn’t like pink. It just wasn’t my color. I was pretty sure he knew this.

  “Um, no,” I replied, surprised at his question.

  “Then do what you want.” He shrugged as though it was no big thing. “It’s our place now. It should look like a woman lives there.”

  My fork sat poised inches from my mouth waiting to deliver the buttery, syrupy goodness. But I stared at him in shock at his response.

  He leaned across the table and stole the bite from my fork, licking his lips.

  “Thanks, babe,” I said quietly.

  He reached his hand out and squeezed my chin with a crooked grin. He knew what it meant when he said I could make his place ours. But, he also didn’t want to make a big thing of it.

  I was good with that, more than good.

  He pulled up to the auto shop after breakfast. We hadn’t been here together since he got back in town.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked in confusion as I climbed off the back of his bike.

  “Your surprise,” he explained, leading me by the small of my back into the garage. There was an absolutely gorgeous dark blue Mustang which caught my eye immediately, and I looked at him with wide, shocked eyes.

  This couldn’t be, could it?

  “You need new wheels, babe. Your car is shot. I would have had you in something sooner, but this ‘Stang, well it just seemed like you,” he shrugged. “It took me a while to restore it,” he explained.

  “You…” I swallowed forcefully, “you restored this car for me?”

  He looked down at me with a tender expression. “Yeah, babe, of course I did. You think I’d let some other man do my job for me?” he demanded lightly.

  “But, this is too much,” I stammered, completely overwhelmed.

  “Do you like it?” he asked, watching me intently.

  “Yes, of course! It’s gorgeous. It’s perfect. It’s just…”

  “Good, then it’s yours,” he said, handing me the keys.

  “Oh, my god,” I breathed. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” I marveled, walking around the car admiring every line, every detail.

  “She purrs like a cat. Motor’s completely rebuilt, new sound, and brakes. It’s a safe ride as long as you ease off your lead foot,” he warned.

  “You wanted me to drive slower so you bought me a muscle car?” I demanded incredulously.

  He scratched his head so clearly baffled as to how to respond that I couldn’t help but break into laughter.

  I threw my arms around him and kissed his neck. “I’ll be careful, promise,” I told him with a smile.

  The drive home was amazing. She did indeed purr with a heady rumble that vibrated beneath me.

  I took the long way, blasting music and loving the rumble of the engine as I hit the gas. The thought of Sal spending his free time working on this car for me was so touching that I didn’t quite know what to do with it. It was so thoughtful and generous.

  I swung by Cole and Scar’s, revving the engine out front and squealing in delight when Cole opened the door, grinning and shaking his head at my antics. Scarlet was soon at his side, and after a quick exchange, she shot out of the house with a whoop.
r />   “Let’s go for a ride!” she cried excitedly, hopping in as we roared off.

  “Did you know?” I demanded over the music. The sound system he’d put in was amazing.

  “Only recently,” she admitted. “It was so hard not to tell you, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of spoiling the surprise,” she told me, running her hand appreciatively over the black leather interior.

  “It was a hell of a surprise,” I said as I grinned.

  We drove for a little while in silence, hitting the freeway briefly before exiting to wind our way through downtown.

  “Hey, I was wondering, do you think you could watch Gracie tomorrow night for a little bit?” she asked as we sat idling at an intersection.

  “Sure, absolutely. What’s up?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I think Cole and I need to get out. He’s been so tense with all this stuff going on and we’re both sleep deprived. I think we need to go and have a few drinks. Have some time together,” she explained.

  “Of course you do,” I agreed whole-heartedly. “I’d be happy to take her overnight even.” I offered.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet, but I’ll talk to Cole,” she replied. “Thank you so much. I’ll return the favor someday,” she said as she winked.

  I laughed a bit nervously. Sal and I hadn’t broached the kid topic. I was kind of afraid to bring it up.

  I dropped her off from our quick joy ride with the agreement she’d drop Grace off before dinner the next night. I was excited to spend some time with my favorite infant, and I was glad to give Scarlet and Cole some time together.

  “So what do we do with her?” Sal asked the next night, peering down at the baby as though she was some sort of science experiment. She had been dropped off fifteen minutes earlier with a few instructions from Scarlet and worried glances from Cole.

  “Don’t worry, man, go out with your lady. Have fun,” Sal had instructed, practically pushing them out the door.

  “Yeah, guys. Go have fun, remember fun?” I’d winked to Scar, repeating the words she’d shared so frequently with me.

  She’d grinned as Cole slung an arm over her shoulder and guided them to his truck.