by K E Osborn
I smile and look at him. “I’m just surprised, is all.”
His smile falters, and he lets out a small breath. “Not what you were expecting?”
I chuckle. “Not at all… much, much, better.”
His grin reappears, and he leans in planting a chaste kiss on my lips as he sways me from side to side playfully.
I’ve had such a good night with Torque. I never thought the man I met in the store that night could be the same man who’s holding me tight right now.
“I’ll have to get up early so you can take me home. I’ll need to get ready for class,” I murmur.
He nods and weakly smiles. “Then, I think it’s best we hit the hay. Don’t want you falling asleep in your lecture.”
I chuckle. “Ahh… that would be a no. Those professors are tough.”
He looks me up and down and grins. “Guessing you want something to wear?”
I smile. “Yes, please.”
He plants a quick kiss on my forehead, lets me go, and saunters over to his wardrobe. He looks through for a moment then pulls out a large gray shirt. He sniffs it which makes me laugh as he brings it over and hands it to me.
I walk toward the bathroom to get changed. “Thank you,” I call out as I step away.
“No problem, meet you in bed,” he replies.
As I walk into the bathroom, I smile. The area’s mainly white with black accents. It has all the essentials—shower, toilet, and basin. But the mirror takes up the whole wall above the sink, and I wonder why a man would need such a large vanity mirror. I smile to myself as I get changed. It’s all very manly in here with his shaving paraphernalia and such scattered around. Which is weird, seeing as he has a well-maintained beard most of the time. Honestly, it could do with a woman’s touch. I shake my head at even thinking that thought. I use the toilet, wash my hands, and make my way back into the bedroom to see him already in bed.
Inside I whimper slightly, shattered that I don’t get to see him in just his underwear. Because that’s what most men usually wear to bed.
Unless he’s naked?
I tense up slightly wondering if he is, in fact, naked.
He lets out a laugh and pulls the covers back beside him, but it doesn’t show his body. “You should see your face, foxy. What’s going on in that head of yours, this time?”
“Just wondering if I’m going to be getting into bed next to a naked man or not?”
He snorts, pulling the covers back. I tense up wondering if I’m about to get my own personal show of what I felt in the theater but am quickly disappointed when I see he’s wearing briefs. He laughs and raises his brow. “I can sleep naked if you’d prefer?”
I burst out laughing and shake my head. “No idiot. Just shove over.”
He smiles, and I slide into the bed, the mattress dipping beneath me. Its softness is just right. His warmth surrounds me, and I smooth my hand under the covers and slide it up his bare chest. The ripped muscles make my body come alive, and I look up at him as his head turns sideways. I lean up and kiss his lips tenderly. He kisses me back slowly, languidly, his free hand sliding to the side of my face between my ear and hair, pulling me to him.
I move slightly, so I’m more on top of him as I kiss him, the tension becoming a little more heated as we kiss. The idea this might go further becoming a reality. My thoughts take a turn to the theater and the intense feelings he ran through me, and I know he could do even more given the chance in a bed, in private.
So I run my hand down his chest, the coldness of a chain around his neck tickles my hand while I slide toward his cock as we kiss. My clit’s throbbing with the thoughts of us taking this to the next level. But his hand quickly grabs my wrist stopping my movement, and I pull back and look down into his eyes with confusion. His eyes are dark. Hooded. Completely full of lust. But there’s a hesitation in them as he grimaces and lets out a heavy breath.
“Heeley.” His voice is low, gruff.
I swallow hard, wondering why this hesitation. “I understand where you’re going with this and why. But I don’t want our first time to be here. Not in this bed. I want our first time to mean something, and taking you here seems…”
Moving back slightly, I think I understand. “Is this because of how many have been in this bed?”
He grimaces and pulls me back to him. “Don’t think about that.”
The thought he’s had so many women in this bed makes me a little queasy, but the fact he’s willing to wait certainly makes me happy. He doesn’t want me to be just another number in his bed. I like the fact I mean more to him than that, even if I’m getting impatient and want to rip his clothes off right now.
Leaning in, I plant another quick kiss on his lips and smile. “Thank you. This actually means a lot to me.”
He smiles as I lean in and snuggle into his side. He wraps his arm around me and pulls the covers up encasing us both as we settle in for our second night together.
My alarm blares loudly from my bag, and I groan in annoyance as I snuggle into Torque further to try and get away from the incessant noise. My face digs into his neck as I mumble incoherently, while I hear Torque chuckling to himself rubbing up and down my arm tenderly.
“Make it stop,” I murmur.
He leans in kissing my temple. “The only way it’s gonna stop is if you go and turn it off.”
“Urgh… I don’t want to.”
He laughs. “Wow! Your energy in the morning is infectious, foxy.” He unhooks his hands from around me leaving me to flop on the bed in a heap as he jumps up with far too much energy. His heavy footsteps walk through the room, but I can’t see what he’s doing because my face is buried in a pillow. Suddenly the alarm stops its infernal racket.
I smile against the fluffy pillow, relaxing further into the bed while he continues to move about his room. “You know you have class to get to?”
I huff into the pillow. “I don’t want to go to school today, Mom.”
He snorts out a laugh as his hand whacks down on my ass, hard, making me yelp out. My head finally raises from the pillow, and I notice a detailed tattoo of the same logo which I spotted on the front door of the club tattooed on his back as he pulls a shirt down. The rest of his body is dressed too, making me frown. I missed my opportunity seeing him practically naked, and I pout because I was too lazy to catch my own private Torque show.
Damn.
“C’mon, don’t be a brat. If I’m getting up this early, you are, too.” He grabs my arms and hoists me out of bed, pulling me to him, and I giggle as I link my arms around his neck. He smiles at me as my sleepy eyes take him in. His disheveled hair looks amazing like this, and I run my hands through it as I sigh contentedly.
“You taking me home on your ride?” I ask, and he smirks.
“Yes, if you hurry the fuck up and get dressed.”
I purse my lips. “What? No breakfast or anything?”
He grins. “Fine. Quick breakfast. Then I take you. But you need to get a move on, woman.”
I smirk and grip my fingers into his hair, tugging on it slightly, making his head fall back a little as he takes a step away from me, and I duck out from him and head to the bathroom for my clothes. He groans out a chuckle as I leave him in the bedroom so I can get dressed. I make quick work of it, using the toilet while I’m there and then quickly ducking back out to see him sitting on the edge of the bed looking like he’s lost in his own thoughts.
I wonder where his mind is until he glances up and smiles at me. Standing quickly, he reaches out for me. “Ready?”
“Let’s get some breakfast. Biker style,” I call out, and he shakes his head.
We walk out the door and down the hall into the main clubroom. It’s practically empty. I guess everyone’s still asleep. It’s pretty damn early, and by all accounts, bikers don’t need to get up at stupid o’clock.
Torque leads me toward the giant bar, and I wonder why we’re heading there. He moves me behind the bar and toward an open door. We walk thr
ough, and I notice a big kitchen with stainless steel everything. It’s almost like what you’d see in a restaurant. Big burners, lots of counters, giant fridges. Yeah, it’s awesome.
“Wow,” I murmur, and he grins at me as I see Ruby and another girl in there already, but they’re not doing much, just dealing with some coffee pots and mainly chatting amongst themselves.
“Morning, ladies,” Torque calls out, and they turn to him and raise their brows.
“Holy shit! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you up this early.” Ruby chuckles.
“Hey, now, Ruby… I can get up early when the occasion calls for it. And right now, my woman needs coffee and toast.” Pursing my lips, he rolls his eyes at me with a huff. “If you wouldn’t mind?” he adds, and I smirk.
It’s not the please I was hoping for, but it’s better than nothing.
Ruby and the other woman both try to hold in their smirks. “Sure thing, Pres, coming right up. Some for you, too?” Ruby asks.
“No, thanks. It’s too early for me,” he replies.
“We’ll get right on it. You both go, take a seat. We’ll be real quick,” the other woman says and Torque nods.
“Thanks, Cindi.” He grabs my hand.
“Thank you,” I call out as I’m dragged out of the kitchen, around the bar, and out into the clubroom to one of those wooden tables I saw last night, and we take a seat next to each other.
I smirk as we sit down, and he looks at me raising his brow. “What has you smirking right now?”
I giggle. “Doesn’t this table make you feel like you’re at summer camp?”
He rubs the back of his neck like the thought only just crossed his mind right this second. “Well, shit. No, I never thought of that. But now that’s all I’m gonna think about. Thanks for putting that memory in my mind, foxy.”
I chuckle and shrug. “Anytime. Happy to help you feel like less of a man and more like a boy.”
He shakes his head, reaching out grabbing the back of my head and pulls me to him looking deep into my eyes. That instant chemistry is there, popping and surging between us as a fire burns in my belly for him.
“I can’t wait to show you just how much of a man I can be, Heeley.” His voice is low, gruff, seductive, and holds promise and so much lust I want to burst.
Licking my lips, he lunges forward taking me in a deep, frenzied kiss as his fingers thread through my hair pulling on it tight and making me whimper at his force. It’s not painful, it’s erotic, and the dominance he’s showing me is only turning me on, making me even more annoyed I didn’t insist on us taking it further last night. But I understand his thinking, and sometimes waiting makes the gratification all the more electrifying.
A clearing throat forces us to break apart as my coffee and toast are placed on the table next to me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Didn’t know what to put on your toast, so I did the peanut butter thing. Hope that’s okay?” Ruby asks, and I look at her with a smile.
“Perfect. Thank you.”
She smiles and walks away. I glance to Torque who’s grinning from ear to ear.
I pick up a slice of my toast and take a bite as I wonder what the hell I’ve gotten myself into?
All I know for sure is things with Torque are certainly going to be fucking interesting.
TORQUE
Four Days Later
Tensions in the clubhouse have been high. With Alfonso going back to Enzo sans hands, and no repercussions coming back at us so far, we’re a little on edge. But the fact that businesses are still being bought, and Ace can’t seem to lock down the identity of who the fucker is that’s purchasing everything in damn sight, it’s making it hard for us to build a case against Enzo.
We’re at a stalemate for now. So while we wait for something to show up, I’m trying to keep club morale up. The brothers are tense, everyone’s walking on eggshells, and I’m not sure how to keep them under control. Last thing I need is to have them breaking out and taking matters into their own hands. The main culprit being Trax—he’s so close to breaking point.
He needs an outlet.
Something to let off steam.
Also, I want something to bring Heeley in so she can meet everyone officially. Especially, Mom. She said she wanted to meet her, so I think this might be the way to do it.
Over the past few days, I haven’t seen Heeley, but I’ve been keeping in contact with phone calls and texts. Plus, I’ve had the incoming reports from Zane when he’s tailing her letting me know exactly what she’s doing at all times. This helps me relax a little knowing she’s safe. However, the fact she doesn’t know this is happening sits uneasily in my stomach. If she finds out she has to know I’ve done it for her protection. I can only hope she’ll understand if she figures it out.
For now, though, I need to see her, and my guys need to let off steam. I’ve asked Ruby to organize a club barbecue for tonight with all club members attending. Heeley’s coming in as well. We don’t have them too often, but when we do, they’re a lot of fun. The grills are set up out the back. The brothers bring in their families. It’s a big deal. Family is everything, and I want Heeley to know while we might have a darker side to us, we also have good in us too.
Everything’s ready to go. The tables are all set up. The grills are all on. And the families are either arriving or are already here. The echoes of children’s laughter filters through the air as they run around the back of the yard playing chase as we all sit back and watch around a giant bonfire.
Heeley should arrive soon, and I have asked Gatekeeper to inform me when she arrives. And as if on cue, my cell alerts telling me she’s pulled up. Smiling, I walk around the side of the clubhouse to see her Ninja, and I chuckle loving the fact she rides a bike. This woman really is something else. A couple of my brother’s wolf whistle at her as she pulls off her helmet, her blonde hair waving from side to side as she lets her hair out like a fucking supermodel. My cock aches instantly.
Why I haven’t fucked her yet is beyond me.
Walking up to her, I step to her side and smile. “Have I told you how fuckin’ hot it makes me that you ride that thing? Even if it is a crotch rocket?”
Heeley smiles, placing her helmet on her seat and steps up to me. She smells of fruit and leather, and it’s a toxic combination. I want to take her right here and right fucking now, but there are brothers watching us. Not that it’s bothered me too much in the past, but with Heeley it’s different, and I promised myself our first time wouldn’t be here at the clubhouse. No matter how much I might want to go back on that, I’m not shifting my position.
She looks into my eyes while wrapping her arms around my neck and licks her bottom lip. It’s sexy as fucking hell.
“I think I got the memo.” She leans up on her toes and presses her lips to mine as a round of catcalls echo through the compound.
She giggles against my lips, and I pull back looking her over. She’s wearing leather pants, boots, and a leather jacket zipped up at the front. She looks one hundred percent biker chick, right now, and my cock is really fucking appreciating it.
“You look fuckin’ killer.”
She looks at my tatty jeans, black tee and cut, and chuckles. “You look like… well, you.” She leans in and smirks. “Which is hot by the way,” she says while grabbing my hand, and we start to walk. “So what can I expect tonight?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never been to one of these before,” I jest.
She shoves my side. “You’re an idiot. No… really? Are people going to like grill me and do the whole… are you good enough for our Pres spiel?”
Raising my brow, I tilt my head wondering if anyone would actually say that to her. She’s already met Neala, so I’m sure they’ll get along fine. She’s met Surge, too, and he’s given her the nod of approval. Trax thinks she’s a firecracker. So that only leaves Mom. And that could go either way. She could take her under her wing or drill her like a damn drill sergeant.
“You’re taking a little
too long to answer.” She grimaces.
I tighten my hand in hers and grin. “No, I think you’ll be fine. I was running through my head all the possibilities and scenarios, and I’m sure no one will harass you tonight. It’ll be fun. I promise.”
We round the corner to see the festivities in full swing, and her eyes light up. I grin as she takes it all in. She moves closer to my side, obviously to feel protected, but she doesn’t need it. Everyone knows she’s here with me. I pull her toward the bonfire and take a seat, yanking her down to sit on my lap. She does so without hesitation, throwing her legs over mine, sitting sideways and wrapping her arm behind my shoulders. She snuggles into me, and I love how natural this feels. Having a woman by my side, one that I care about, feels, well, nice. No, scrap that, it feels fucking incredible. It’s been a long goddamned time, and I had no idea I could feel this contented again. Even in the midst of chaos with the Andrettis, and the unknown that reigns with them, I still find a moment to just be—happy.
Neala bounds up and takes a seat right next to us, making Heeley smile wide. “Hey Neala, it’s great to see you again.”
“Oh, shit! Hey, Heeley… I didn’t know that was you. You look so… so, biker chic. I love it. You’re rockin’ the leather. You’re going to fit in here just fine,” she boasts, and Heeley smiles.
Tremor walks up and takes a seat next to Neala. They look at each other guiltily and quickly look away.
Flaring my nostrils, I shake my head.
“Hi… Tremor, isn’t it?” Heeley asks.
He nods and gives her a curt wave. “Yeah, good to see you again. Sorry for smoking in your store that time, I feel bad about that.”
I raise my brow at him, and he looks away from me quickly back to Heeley like he’s worried I might lose my cool. Which I just fucking-well might.
“It’s all good, Tremor. You’ll know next time.”
“Yep,” he replies lighting up a fucking cigarette.
Heeley sits up a little taller on my lap like she’s curious about something.