“Nope. Sounds good. Thanks for coming over, Harry.”
“Answer the fucking phone next time, you hear?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“Bye, Harry,” Amber called from the kitchenette as Harry walked to the door.
“Bye, darling. Give your mother my best.” Harry smiled then closed the door behind him.
I stared at Amber for a beat, then smiled. “So, I’m gonna guess that you know Harry.”
Amber bit her lip and shrugged. “He helped out with a few things after my dad died. Life insurance policy, bank accounts, all that kind of stuff. He was really sweet.”
I blinked. I’d never known Harry to be anything except cantankerous and ornery, but I still jerked my chin in a slow nod.
Amber must’ve seen my disbelief, because she smiled slightly. “I think he had a little crush on my mom. And he felt bad about my dad dying, so he overcompensated with his guilt. He brought over scones every time he visited. I don’t think my mom even noticed.”
“Now I feel cheap. He didn’t bring a single thing for me today, aside from a lecture and some paperwork.”
Amber snorted as she turned to the burbling coffee pot. “Yup, you sold yourself cheap. All the legal work and none of the fringe benefits.”
“Fuck me. I hope it’s cheap. Knowing my mom, though, she’ll make it difficult just because she can.” I shook my head then braced my hands on the bar as I took in the sight of Amber barefoot in my kitchen. She stretched up to get a coffee mug off the shelf, and my shirt rose until I could see the curve of her ass cheek peeking out. I bit back a groan. How much coaxing would it take to get her back into my bed? Maybe next round we could go with her still wearing my shirt. That sounded hot as hell to me.
“Your mom’s contesting your grandma’s will? That sounds kind of awkward.”
Nothing killed a boner quicker than talking about my mom. I sighed. “Yeah. She ignored her own mother for years—including her last one on earth when Grandma was dying and suffering through chemo treatments. Ma didn’t lift a fucking finger to help, and now she’s got the nerve to threaten to sue me because she doesn’t believe Grandma would leave her outta the will. More like she’s hoping the judge will take one look at me and side with her. Fucking cunt.”
Amber paused with the coffeepot in her hand and sucked in a breath. “Sorry. It’s just…I really don’t like that word. Except you know, when you used it last night.”
“Well, if it helps, I really don’t like that woman, so it fits.”
“Right.” Amber nodded slowly. “I can see that. Family, huh?”
“Yeah. Family.”
She poured two cups of coffee, then set the pot back on the burner and turned to me with a tremulous smile. “You look like you need a hug.”
“Kitten, I am never gonna turn down an offer like that from you.”
Amber closed the distance between us, and I went back on a foot at the force she landed with. Her arms closed around me as she hugged me with a grip that surprised me. She was so small; I hadn’t expected it. I closed my arms around her and hugged her back just as hard. After a moment, her grip loosened slightly, and her hair tickled a bit as she burrowed her head into my chest.
“I’m sorry your family is sucking so much right now,” she whispered.
“Ditto,” I whispered back. “Although I don’t really consider her family anymore. That ship sailed when she kicked me out in high school. Now she’s just some chick that I share half of my DNA with.”
Amber pulled back to frown up at me. “What about your dad? Is he on your side about your Grandma’s things?”
“He died when I was six. Closest thing I’ve had to a father since is Maverick. He let me help him when he was tinkering with his motorcycle. The man taught me everything I know about bikes.”
“What about brothers? Sisters?”
I shook my head. “Only child. Ma didn’t have time for me after Dad died. She was too busy chasing after her boyfriends.”
“Cousins? Aunts and uncles?”
“Maybe? I don’t know. None on my mom’s side, anyhow.” I shrugged. “Grandma never mentioned any. Never really knew my dad’s family. I think they live back east in Ohio or something.”
Amber’s brow wrinkled. “So, you don’t have any family left?”
“I have my Brothers. Or I did. I guess we’ll have to see how this next meeting goes.” I lifted a shoulder like I didn’t give a shit whether the men I’d come to see as family wanted me to be a part of them. For the first time, a niggle of regret burned in my stomach. I might’ve lost my friends—the guys I’d considered family—for this girl. Was she worth it? Was what we had together enough? Was any girl worth losing everything for?
Amber took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t know you had zero family outside of the club. It would’ve been nice if you’d told me the stakes last night before we…you know.”
I snorted derisively. “I wasn’t thinking of the stakes. I wasn’t thinking about anything aside from you.” Remembering how I felt last night, high off the confrontation with Ruslan and later with my Brothers, then seeing Amber all gorgeous and barefoot in my apartment—and worried about me—I couldn’t regret what we did. She was the first woman in my life, aside from my grandma, who gave a damn about me. Nothing about having this woman in my life was regrettable. “It’s too late to go back now, kitten. We’re here. And I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks. You’re mine for as long as you’re willing to put up with my shit. So, what do you say? Are you in?”
“I just…I don’t like the idea of me costing you everything. I’m not worth it, Bam. You have to see that.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me until I could feel the heat of her body through my thin T-shirt that covered her. “Never say that about yourself. You are the best thing to ever fucking happen to me. Believe it. Believe in us. Everything else will fall in line or it won’t. But never doubt that I want you. I’m in this one hundred percent. No regrets.”
Amber searched my eyes like she’d find something there to contradict my words, but after a beat she bit her lip and nodded slowly, then she said in the sweetest, softest voice. “Okay. I’m in.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic. Let’s go celebrate.” I gave her a smacking kiss, then punctuated it with a smack on her ass that had her wincing. “Unless you’re not feeling it. Are you sore?”
Amber ducked her head, her hair mostly obscuring her flushed, red cheeks. “Kinda, but we could probably still—”
I snorted. “Not happening. I want you a hundred percent with me, not suffering through the motions, kitten. Let’s get you in a bath and soak those aching bits. I suddenly feel the urge to pamper my girl.”
Bending down, I put a shoulder into Amber’s stomach, then lifted her up and onto my shoulder. Amber’s hair tickled my back as I grasped her bare ass cheek in one hand to help her balance.
She shrieked in surprise, then groaned when my hand flexed on her ass. “Bam, come on. I can walk all on my own. And I really think I’m okay. At the very least we can take care of you instead.”
I laughed as I started down the hall. “I always take care of you first, kitten. That’s something you can count on. And I’m carrying you to the bathroom. If we’re not gonna have sex, I’m at least gonna have a little bit of fun while we get there.”
“What about our coffee?”
“I’ll bring it to you. Do you want three teaspoons of sugar or four?”
“Oh my god, Bam, really?”
Chapter 16
Amber
We spent most of those first days lost in a sexual fog—learning everything about each other’s bodies, cuddling—just enjoying the bliss of a new relationship. I discovered that Bam’s feet were ticklish—but not his armpits—and he had this one spot on his neck near his left
ear that made him groan when I ran my teeth over it. I spent hours tracing his tattoos with my fingers and tongue. He showed me how one orgasm could roll into another and another and another until I thought my heart would explode. The man was a master of lovemaking.
He’d called in sick to work that Monday, and I didn’t have to work until Wednesday night, so we had plenty of time to get to know each other. We spent most of that first day in bed. After my bath I’d practically had to beg Bam to make love to me. Fortunately he’d caved with a little coaxing and some not-so-subtle licks of my own. Then Bam had made me stay in bed while he cooked me breakfast. And after breakfast, some more rolling around between the sheets. But by then I was pretty sore, so most of our time was spent with soft touches and giggles and whispers.
Later that night Bam told me about his mom and moving in with his grandma, how he didn’t even really remember his father. I told him about my losing my dad and trying to keep my family together. He knew most of the details, but wanted to hear them from me. He held me close and rubbed my arm like he was trying to soothe all my hurts away. I fell asleep that night wrapped in his arms. It’d been a long time since I felt so cared for and safe.
But eventually Bam had to get back to work, and meanwhile, I was avoiding my house, mostly because of my mom. I didn’t know if she’d heard about me and Bam yet, and I wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her. So like the responsible adult I was, I hid. I sent her a few texts that I was hanging out with Sydney since she was off, too, and added a few imaginary scenarios about how we were catching up on girl time.
To make up for the lying liar I was being, I went over to Sydney’s house Wednesday while Bam was at work to catch her up on all that’d happened.
“A tongue? He sent you a freaking tongue like it was a box of chocolates or something?” Sydney gaped at me, her eyes wider then her mouth. “Oh my god. That’s so…so deranged.”
“I think it’s safe to say that Ruslan has different ideas about seducing a girl. It’s pretty sick that he even kept it, you know? And stupid. If he was ever tied to the guy’s disappearance, they’d have him if they found that jar. It’s ridiculously blatant to keep a freaking body part lying around.”
“And now you have it? Oh my god. What if the cops search your house? Your fingerprints are all over it.”
“I’ve got nothing to worry about. Bam returned it. Or I think he did. Last I saw he was leaving with the jar, and he sure as hell didn’t bring it back.”
“So, it’s Bam, huh? Are you and him…you know?”
I flushed bright red. Only Sydney could go from eviscerated body parts to sex at the blink of an eye. “Yes.”
“I knew it! Didn’t I tell you he was the one?!” Sydney lifted her hands like she’d made the game-winning goal, and wiggled in her chair. Dropping her hands into her lap, she leaned toward me with avid interest. “Oh my god, you have to tell me everything. How was it? How was he? Did he take care of business?”
“Sydney.” I groaned. “I’m not giving you details.”
“I’ve told you everything about my partners. Girth, length, duration—”
“Number of freckles,” I finished for her. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I could pick your last three exes’ penises out of a lineup. Not that I ever asked for that kind of detail. Ever.”
“Well, I am. So, spill! Please tell me it was worth waiting for. That man better have taken care of you.”
I rolled my eyes as I caved in. Like we both knew I would. “He did. It was amazing. I think I had, like, three or four orgasms before we even…you know. He was just so sweet and tender, and then rough and dirty when I wanted it.” I sighed as I remembered our first time together. “And he’s been just as gentle and dirty every time since.”
“Wait, so are you guys together? Like together-together?”
“Yeah, we’re together.”
Sydney squealed and tackle hugged me. “Oh my god. This is amazing. I thought you guys were just doing the nasty, but you got him to commit? I thought he was one of those can’t-tie-me-down bad boys.”
I laughed as Sydney settled onto to sofa next to me. “I guess he is, but he was the one who wanted it crystal clear that it wouldn’t be a one-night stand, before we even slept together. Like it was a deal breaker for him if I didn’t agree.”
Sydney squealed again. “That’s amazing, Amber! You must teach me your ways. I can’t get a guy to agree to breakfast the morning after, let alone have him be the one to demand a commitment. That’s insane.”
“I guess. I don’t know. It just feels right, you know? Like he was the one I’d been waiting for.”
“And little did you know he’d been under your nose all this time.” She leaned toward me and raised her eyebrows. “And now he’s got you under him.”
“Subtle, Syd. Really subtle.”
“Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing wrong. Maybe I need a tough-as-nails, hot, bad-boy biker to tame me. Do you think you could get Bam to hook me up?”
I snorted. “Good luck. If things go how I think they’re gonna go, Bam won’t have any biker buddies to hook you up with.”
“What are you talking about? I thought he was in your father’s club.”
“He is for now, but I guess the club isn’t happy that he’s defiling a daughter of one of their members. From what I gather, they told him that he has to choose: the club or me.”
“And he chose you. That’s so romantic.” Sydney sighed with a faraway look in her eyes.
I snorted. “It’s stupid is what it is. I couldn’t get him to see that I’m not worth it. He won’t have anyone once he tells the club about us. His dad died when he was little, his mom is a horror show that any talk-show host could make a week of shows with, he’s an only child, and his grandma died last year. The club is all he has.” I shook my head. “Had.”
“He’ll have you, though. And it sounds like that’s all he wants right now.”
“But it’s ridiculous. How can I ever be enough? How can I live with that weight on my shoulders, knowing I’m the reason that he’s lost his makeshift family?”
“That does suck, Amber. But who says it’s permanent? If you guys really stick together, wouldn’t the club come around? Maybe it was just an idle threat.”
“The guys in the club don’t make idle threats. They’re going to jump Bam the first opportunity they get, and I’m going to be the one to pick up the pieces.”
“But isn’t that what you wanted?” Sydney winced and backpedaled a bit. “Not the beaten boyfriend part, obviously. But you’ve been saying for weeks now how you didn’t want to date a biker. It was the entire reason you thought Bam was unsuitable.”
“I never wanted this. The club is a huge part of who Bam is. How can I live with myself, knowing that I’m the reason he doesn’t have that anymore? How can this ever last? He’s going to look at me and remember that I’m the reason his friends kicked him out. I’m the reason he’s not a True Brother anymore.”
“You can’t take the weight of their decisions on yourself. You’re not doing this to him. They are. And at the end of the day, it’s Bam’s choice to make, right? And he chose you. Let that be enough. You deserve to be happy, Amber. Don’t let those guys keep it from you.”
I nodded slowly as Sydney’s words sank in. It was scary as hell to know that everything might change when Bam went to his next meeting, but Sydney was right—I couldn’t take the weight of the club’s decision on my shoulders. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was a grown woman who wanted to be with a great guy. Everything else was just background noise.
“Good, now how about you give me all the details about Bam’s sweet, sweet loving.”
“Sydney!” I groaned.
“Okay, no gritty details. How about something vague? On a scale from one to ten, how was the first time?”
My face burned, but I could
n’t lie. “Fifty?”
“Oh my god!” Sydney squealed. “Now you gotta give me the gritty details. Tell me everything, and don’t leave out a single moment.”
Chapter 17
Bam
“I think I’ve created a monster,” I groaned as Amber nuzzled against me. We’d spent most of our time together in bed or in the shower or on the sofa. Pretty much all the areas we could be naked. Apparently I’d unleashed a nymphomaniac. Not that I was complaining. I’d enjoyed every minute. But we’d just had an intense quickie, and both of us had to be somewhere soon.
When I’d come through the door after work, she’d practically attacked me with her sweet kisses just before she all but dragged me into the bedroom.
A woman after my own heart. Or, technically, dick. Heh.
“Are you saying you don’t have another round in you?” Amber whispered huskily as she nibbled on that spot under my ear.
“Christ, woman, don’t you have to go to work?” I rolled over so I could play with her tits. I palmed her left one in my hand while my thumb passed over her nipple, rolling the budded tip round and round.
Amber groaned. “Yes, but I don’t wanna. I’d rather be in bed with you and play some more.”
“Sucks being an adult sometimes,” I murmured just before I ducked my head and drew her nipple into my mouth. With how fast the last round went, I really didn’t have the time to give her lovely tits the attention they deserved.
“Is this you encouraging me to go to work?” Amber laughed. “Because I gotta tell you that your actions don’t really match your words.”
It was a toss-up which sound I loved more—her laugh or that little mewl she made when she teetering on the edge of orgasm. Both sounds made me feel like I could do anything, that the whole damn world lay at my feet.
Amber moaned and arched her back. I tossed a quick glance at the alarm clock on my nightstand and winced. We really didn’t have the time. Any minute tonight’s Brother with guard duty would be knocking at the door, and I didn’t want her naked when they showed up. That amazing sight was for my eyes only.
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