Right now she was in his territory and like a dog he intended to mark her as his own before she left this room. He wanted something concrete that told anyone who looked at her that she belonged to him.
Getting up he went to the door of the bathroom and knocked. He opened the door and went inside when she advised him that she was in the shower. Stepping into the shower behind her, he stood and stared at her until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Turn around, Carla,” he said.
She turned around slowly and met his gaze. A temptation was what she was. As if challenging him, he watched her suck on her bottom lip as her hand slid down her stomach and further still to the small patch of hair that hid her sex.
There had been other women in his past that had tried to use sex against him, but Carla was better at it… experience made all the difference. She used it to distract him and make him lose focus.
He came in here to seduce her this time… to try and extract the words he wanted to hear from her. Now all he could do was watch her silent way of reminding him just how good she felt as well as how much he adored her.
Never again would he be able to look at her and just see a soft hearted mother who tugged at his heart strings. Along with that he would see a sexy siren that could very easily chain him like a dog and lead him around on a very short leash.
“I want to know… need to know… how you feel about me, Carla,” he said.
Then in awe he watched as her free hand made its way back up her wet body to her breasts and her head fell back. She was going to kill him with this. No more… he was letting her make him come undone just from watching her instead of having the conversation he needed to have.
“I’m serious,” he said, trying to ignore how effectively she was manipulating his body as well as his mind.
“Me too…” she whispered.
Then she pulled the shower curtain open and got out closing it back shut behind her. He stuck his head under the spray of the water, willing the image of her away. Sometime later when he finished his own shower and exited the bathroom, he came up short at seeing her in his bed, hugging one of the pillows, her temptingly naked back on display… sleeping. He wanted to scream his frustration to the wind.
She had finally allowed him to be with her. While it had been wonderful it had done little to ease his need for her… it had simply shifted it. Now he needed her to feel the same way about him that he felt about her. However, if sleeping kept her here with him for the night, he would take it. Decision made, he crawled in beside her and after she released the pillow one thin arm immediately draped across his chest. She curled into a smaller ball pressing her face and lips against his rib cage.
Like a glove, she fit in the curve of his side perfectly and he found himself jealous of a dead man. Had Doug Johnson known what a gem he’d married all those years ago? Somehow Greg knew the man probably did and only prayed that he too would be given an equal chance to make her happy. Her satisfied sigh told him perhaps he was off to a good start.
Greg awoke to the sounds of someone whimpering. Opening his eyes he found Carla lying next to him with her eyes tightly shut. One slender arm stuck out from beneath the blanket on the bed and was trying to hold as much of her forehead as possible. Hangover.
He gently got out of the bed, pulled on his underwear and then dug in his suitcase until he unearthed his first aid kit and took out a packet of aspirin. Remembering that there weren’t any cups in his room, he walked over and picked up the bottle of liquor.
After dumping what was left of the liquor out of the bottle, he rinsed it and filled it with water from the bathroom. Then he headed back to his side of the bed and sat on the edge. Leaning down he kissed one bare shoulder and whispered, “Sit up, beautiful.”
In typical Carla style, always doing the last thing he expected, she did exactly what he told her to and sat up. Rather than being shy around him after introducing him to the most amazing sex of his entire life, she simply allowed the stark white sheet to fall to her waist.
It took him a moment to remember his purpose but he eventually tore the packet of aspirin open with his teeth. She squinted at him but held out her hand. She put the pills in her mouth and reached for a drink but upon seeing the liquor bottle she adamantly shook her head no.
“No… it’s water… I dumped out what was left,” he said and handed it to her.
She took a drink, winced and then took another drink before handing the bottle back to him. He sat it on the night stand and turned back to her. Seeing the heel of her hand pushed against her forehead as though pushing back against the pain, he fluffed his pillows and leaned back. Then he pulled her by her shoulder to lay her head on his chest and stomach. He managed pull the sheet back over her which was more for his benefit than hers. He wanted her again… badly.
Instead he allowed her to use him as a pillow while he combed his fingers through her short but soft hair. It was nice being here like this with her and aside from hating that she was in pain, he enjoyed holding her this way. He was normally out and gone the morning after… even during his serious relationships. It had always felt uncomfortable… like they were expecting something from him he either wasn’t able or willing to give. Carla didn’t need or want anything from him… except for pleasure and even with that she’d given more than she received.
“That feels good,” she whispered against his stomach after some time had passed, “But I should go… Meredith or Chuck will come to check on me and if I’m not in my room…”
“When can I see you again?” he asked.
“We leave to go home tomorrow so…” she replied. “I’d love to see you from time to time… whenever you happen to be in Florida visiting Becca or whatever. It’s doubtful I’ll be able to make it back up here anytime soon, with the boys and all but I hope you’ll at least keep in touch.”
Stay in touch? That was on the low scale of what he wanted from her. Perhaps it was the effects of the morning after but he’d had plenty of experience in this area and never before had it left him with stars in his eyes and a feeling like love in his heart. Carla Johnson had changed his whole outlook on relationships and she merely wanted him to stay in touch.
As if the cat had his tongue and was threatening his very sanity, he lay there watching as she got up out of his bed, ran a hand through her short hair and then pulled on her panties and eventually her dress. Bringing up his slip about how strong his feelings were for her the night before, didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. Damn if he didn’t want to be with her just as badly, if not worse, now that he’d enjoyed her, as when the idea of making love to her was a mere fantasy. He had it bad for her but this time was different… he was desperate for her to return his feelings.
She approached him, with her high heel shoes dangling from one hand and bent to kiss him. It felt like a goodbye kiss and his heart couldn’t take it after having waited all these months for her heart to open up and give him a chance. Sitting up he caught her head in between his hands and brought her mouth to his several more times. If a person could speak using no words at all, then he hoped her heart somehow heard what he was saying.
Instead she quietly gathered the remainder of her belongings and left his room. He lay there for several minutes replaying the events of last evening and wondering how in such a short time, after years of denial, he’d gone from being an advocate for bachelorhood, to being willing to sell his soul for a chance at something more with her.
After showering he called Becca. His sister was a force to be reckoned with, especially now that Dickie had helped bring her inner spirit to the surface.
“They already know… so I cannot run interference for you two while she sneaks back to her room,” Becca answered with a laugh. “All I ask is that you be careful with her… don’t hurt her. She means a lot to Chuck… to the whole group. Especially with the way she has taken Chuck under her wing and no one wants to see her get hurt.”
“She’s not the one who is goin
g to be hurt,” he muttered into the phone.
“Oh, I see…” Becca replied quietly. “I was really hoping that something would happen between you two but perhaps I was reading signs that weren’t there?”
“It’s no secret, Becca. You know me better than anyone… I really like her. Who am I kidding? I’ve got it bad for her… I think I have since I went to her house with you that first time,” he said. “I think maybe my desire for her maybe just pushed her to far too fast. Maybe I just need to give her some space to think about what if any feelings she does have for me.”
“Yea… I know. Dickie has been nothing but patient with me and I couldn’t love him more for it. Carla seems to want to be everything to everyone… especially her kids… so much so that she sometimes almost waits too long to act on things she wants or needs,” Becca said. “My tip for the day is that this time you may have to fight for what you want. Unlike the women in your past… Carla is unlikely to simper at your feet and beg for your attention. She has a family and responsibilities that will come first and will always take precedence over any feelings she may have for you. You are going to have to show her that you can fit into her life in order for her to make room for you in it. Sorry to say this, but you aren’t going to be able to do that from here in New York.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“I’m saying that you need to close up your apartment, come back down to Florida and prove your worth to her. Support her, be there for her… make yourself invaluable to her… you can stay at the beach house for as long as you need,” Becca replied. “She has feelings for you but you’re going to have to coax them out of her a little bit.”
Hanging up with Becca, he thought about what she’d said. Family was everything to Carla while he knew next to nothing about having a family. Could he be a family man? Wanting to be with her was one thing but could he fit into her world?
Chuck and Meredith obviously approved but they were adults. He’d never even contemplated having kids, let alone voluntarily being involved with them. All he could do was try but Becca was right that he couldn’t do that from here in New York. If that’s what he had to do to wake up with Carla everyday… he’d do it. After all she hadn’t said she didn’t love him in return.
After showering and getting dressed, he headed for his apartment. He had a million things to do if he expected to return to Florida for an unspecified amount of time. Making sure that Jarrod Tompkins would remain behind bars for a while was at the top of that list. One area that could help him fit in was keeping them all safe.
Just as he was about to call the sergeant and get an update on the case, his cell phone rang. Seeing Rusty Hawkins’ number on his caller ID he accepted the call.
“Hey, buddy. I thought I’d call and see if finding out where about ninety percent of all that money went would help?” Rusty asked when he answered.
“Wow, that was fast. I can see being deployed hasn’t caused you to lose your edge any. You should consider getting into law enforcement once you do actually get out of the service,” he replied.
“Hell no… I’m done carrying a gun unless it’s for hunting. I don’t think I can do it anymore to be honest. I emailed you the information that I found. Pass it onto your guys on the force but I’d appreciate it if you cleaned my name off of it first,” Rusty said.
“Sure… and I owe you one,” he replied.
“Nah… you don’t owe me anything but after I get out… if you’re ever in Ohio stop in and say, ‘hi’. It’s been a while and we need to catch up. Maybe I can introduce you to a few of my friends from the service,” Rusty said.
“Looking forward to it,” he replied before hanging up.
After closing up his apartment properly Greg advised the landlord that he would be out of town on an extended trip. Then stopping at the post office he had his mail forwarded to Becca’s beach house, before finally calling the Sheriff’s Office.
Greg felt better after hearing about the charges leveled at Jarrod and being assured that he wouldn’t be making bail anytime soon considering the dollar amount involved. He also managed to sweet talk his buddy into emailing him a list of victims after explaining that Chuck intended to try and make their loss a little easier to take.
Having done all he could and knowing it was really late he headed back to the hotel where he found the men of the group gathered in the lounge of the bar talking loudly, laughing, planning the event for the victims of Jarrod’s scam and having a good time. Greg had friends… plenty of friends. Rusty being one of his closest ones, but this group... they felt like his people… family. He finally understood what drew Becca to them. It felt like he had known every one of them for decades.
He was really starting to enjoy himself along with the drink he’d ordered when the conversation turned to the women of the group. Looking over at him, Bobby Jackson said, “So now that you’re back in the saddle so to speak… thanks to Carla… you ready to learn to ride a motorcycle too?”
The guys all laughed when he nearly choked to death on the whiskey he’d taken a drink of. He only managed a nod of his head.
“Good… Dickie can help you with a seat for it and then it’s all ready to roll. We got the Arizona ride coming up in a few months. I’m thinking you are going to want to ride with us and not be stuck riding in the campers with the women and kids,” he said with a laugh and smack to Greg’s back that made him laugh too. “Never pictured hitting the road with a retired cop but I’ll make an exception for you. Besides… I like donuts too.”
The guys all laughed as if they had just accepted him into the fold and given him their stamp of approval on pursuing Carla. Now if he could just get her to agree to something more than simply keeping in touch.
Chapter Eleven
The two weeks after returning from New York were even busier than normal. Chuck had taken to working non-stop on the painting he planned to give away at the event for those people who had been victimized by Jarrod. Meredith had been working with both Dana and Lilly on planning the event and finalizing wedding plans. Carla had managed to get the boys back into a school routine just in time for orientation at the college and for classes to start.
She must be insane to try and cram in college courses on top of everything else that was going on. Greg had talked her into this but he wasn’t the one having to worry about lining up babysitters for the boys, planning meals for them on the nights she wouldn’t be around, finding someone to help them with homework when she was at class and above all trying not to completely disrupt their lives. Amazingly, instead of staying in New York, Greg had come back down to Florida with the group and started working part time at the motorcycle shop that Bobby Jackson owned.
The crazy group of bikers had enfolded Greg into their midst like he was one of their own, much to her chagrin. Now he was around every corner she turned, or at least that’s how it felt. This made putting the amazing night she’d spent in his arms behind her nearly impossible.
She had meant what she said about seeing him from time to time, but that had been meant as more of a tension reliever… a way of enjoying their time together and then getting back to her regularly scheduled life, than the truth. It was her way of saying goodbye.
Instead of just being faced with memories of him at night, she was slapped with them on a daily basis. Somehow he became more gorgeous each time she saw him, as though he was more than ten years younger than he really was.
His sinful mouth was constantly grinning at her in such a way as to whisper memories of how good it had felt on her skin. Combine that with catching his scent from time to time and it was nearly unbearable. He smelled like some amazingly rugged alpha male ensuring all other males in his territory knew him to be the one in charge. It set her body on fire and her nerves on edge.
At least he was being a gentleman about it and not constantly trying to get her back into his bed. She was a mother but she was also a woman and pleasure like Greg Sanders was capable of only reminded her of th
at fact.
Carla recognized her own weakness and was no longer strong enough to resist him now that she knew his taste, his smell, and the way he felt. The liquor she’d consumed that night had helped take the edge off of her nerves over being with a different man after more than twenty years with the same one. She had wondered if she could even go through with it but thinking her chance of being with him was either now or never had emboldened her.
Greg didn’t share the same rugged looks as the rest of the guys who worked at Bobby Jackson’s motorcycle shop. Somehow clean shaven and clean cut he still fit right in. He was just as much a dare devil as the rest of them seemed to be with no sense of propriety or dignity.
When she had stopped by on her way to college to drop off the lunch Chuck had left behind and let him know the boys would be picked up by her father, the group had been in the side alley teaching Greg to ride on a smaller dirt-bike.
Once it was obvious that Greg could handle the bike just fine, the training had quickly changed to a competition of sorts. Despite the fact that the bike was obviously too small for them, the guys were each taking a turn riding on it. The object of the game was apparently to see who could get to the end of the alley the fastest.
Knowing they were unaware that she had pulled up in front of the garage bay, she remained in the safety of her car and simply watched them all. It was like watching grade school children who weren’t being properly supervised.
They were laughing and giving each other a hard time as they each took a turn speeding down the alleyway on the small bike with their knees up near their elbows. When that no longer held the same appeal they quickly adjusted to trying to ride wheelies instead.
Though she should probably get out and put a stop to their fun before one of them really hurt themselves, she couldn’t shake the smile on her face at their antics. The mischievous smile Greg wore was simply breathtaking and drew her gaze like a moth to a flame.
After a few close calls she expected they would call it quits but instead it only seemed to make them more determined to keep the bike on one wheel for the entire length of the alley. Glancing around it appeared that Lilly Jackson wasn’t working at the moment, which explained a lot.
Unexpected Ride Page 14