by Nicole Fox
“Bullshit,” I said succinctly. “Jessi, I've seen your designs. I seriously doubt that Ellsmith has really had anything to do with the grades that you've been getting. I think he was just saying that to scare you. And rest assured that if he does anything to try to get you booted out of the university, the Hounds and I are going to go after him. I'm going to-”
Jessi sighed and shook her head, pulling away again. “I don't know, Rip,” she said, her voice wavering. “What if he's right?”
I leaned down to kiss her forehead lightly, pausing there for a moment, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions that I was feeling. It would be so easy to ignore everything deeper than the anger that I was feeling towards Ellsmith. It would be easy enough to act like the dumb biker dude and go storming over to his house, to pound on his door, and then punch his lights out once he answered.
But I could tell that that wasn't what Jessi wanted to see from me. And for some reason, what she wanted from me mattered.
“Jessi, you're one of the best designers that I've ever seen, anyway,” I told her. “It's been exciting to watch you work on J.T.'s bike with your dad. And beyond that, you're exceptionally beautiful, even when you're covered in grease and dressed in your baggiest, most holey overalls.”
Jessi pulled away from me, staring at me with wide eyes. Then, she winced and looked away. “You don't have to say things like that,” she said quietly. “I mean, I know that you tend to ...sleep around. Some of the other guys around the club have told me. And I've heard some of the stories that you've told my dad.” She took a breath, shaking her head. “Just, I know that the nights that you're not with me, you're off sleeping with other people. You don't have to make me feel ...”
“Jessi-” I began, but she cut me off before I could finish.
“I shouldn't have come to the clubhouse tonight,” she said, looking embarrassed. “And I shouldn't have made such a scene. I'm sorry.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you ...want me to leave?”
I blinked at her, taking a moment to process her words, not even sure where I wanted to begin responding. “I'm not sleeping with anyone else,” I told her truthfully. “I tried to, once, after we slept together, but ...I just wasn't really interested.”
Jessi stared at me and then laughed a little, shaking her head. “Don't lie to me,” she said, making a move to stand.
I caught her wrist, pulling her back down. “Look, I'm not sure how to convince you,” I told her. “But I really haven't been. Otherwise, I probably would have been sitting with someone else tonight when you came in.”
Jessi frowned at me and then ducked her head a little. “But everyone says that you-”
“I don't know who you've been talking to, but …” I trailed off, frowning. “Well, yeah. Normally I do sleep with a different girl every night. But I haven't been, lately. And, no, I don't want you to leave. I don't mind that you made a scene. I mean, the guys are going to give me hell about it, and I'm going to have to do all sorts of stupid drinking bets and things like that to keep my biker credentials, but ...”
She at least cracked a small smile at that.
“And Jessi.” When she looked up at me, I reached out to cup her cheek, brushing away the remainder of her tears. “I absolutely do not think that you are disgusting. I think that Ellsmith is disgusting. But I think you are so incredibly beautiful and brave and strong, and I'm so sorry that I haven't been there for you in the way that you needed. I'm going to fix that, I promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jessi
Hearing Rip promise to take care of things with Ellsmith was like a weight off my chest—even though he'd promised that before, and even though there had been no change since the first time he had promised it. But I could tell that he really felt badly about everything that I'd gone through, and I could also practically feel the anger radiating off him. He was going to take care of Ellsmith; I didn't have to worry about that anymore.
What I didn't know how to react to was Rip's insistence that he hadn't been sleeping with anyone else since we'd slept together. I'd been so sure that he was still sleeping around, that this was just a release for both of us. Now, I was beginning to wonder.
I was pretty sure that I had feelings for Rip. I wasn't in love with him or anything like that; I didn't know the guy that well, for all the time that we'd been spending together lately. But I definitely respected the man, and I definitely enjoyed whatever it was that we were doing. I just didn't expect things to actually progress.
I yawned, interrupting my train of thought, wherever it might have been heading.
Rip laughed and squeezed my shoulder lightly. “Come on, let's get you to bed,” he said. “Unless you're going to tell me that you need to get back home so that you can make curfew.”
I grimaced and pulled out my phone, not surprised to see that I had a half dozen missed calls from Dad. I hadn't really thought anything about my curfew; I'd been so worked up over everything to do with Gary. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath. I was going to be in so much trouble.
“Here, let me talk to him,” Rip said, gently sliding the phone out of my hand. Before I could protest, he was calling Dad back, the phone pressed to his ear. “Hello, sir, this is Rip,” he said into the phone, and I was surprised to hear how formal he sounded. “Yeah, she's right here. I know she was supposed to be home before her curfew, but she wasn't feeling so great, so I picked her up after her classes and we ended up going back to my place because it was closer.”
He listened to whatever Dad had to say in response to that. “I don't think it's anything too serious. I bet she'll be back in the shop in the morning,” he told Dad. “But if she's not up to it, I'll make sure and show up to give you a hand.” He listened again and then held the phone out to me. “Your dad wants to talk to you.”
“Hi, Dad,” I said into the phone, unable to keep the nervousness from creeping into my voice. Rip's hand came up to gently stroke my back to calm me down.
“What did I tell you about hanging out with-”
I tuned out his words, unable to listen to them when I was already so upset. Tears started falling down my cheeks again, and I could see Rip's expression grow tight before he reached out to grab the phone from me. “I'll bring her home in the morning,” he snapped into the phone. “Have a good night.” With that, he hung up.
“I'm sorry,” I sobbed as Rip pulled me back into his arms. God, I couldn't believe I wasn't able to hold it together better than this.
“Shh,” Rip said. “There's nothing for you to be sorry about. You're already upset and you didn't need him yelling at you as well.” He held me silently against him for a long moment, until I was able to pull myself back together a little more. “Come on,” he finally said. “Time for bed.”
As he led me towards his bedroom, I paused, feeling uncertain. “Rip, I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling-”
“Hey,” Rip said, turning to face me, holding my hands lightly between his. He looked searchingly into my eyes. “I promise you, Jessi, we're not going to do anything,” he told me. “I mean, I'd like to spoon you, if that's okay. You seem like you could use that. But I'm not going to force you to have sex with me or anything like that tonight. Not after everything that you've been through. And if even sharing a bed is too much, then all you have to do is say the word, and I will come sleep on the couch.”
I stared at him for a minute, surprised at his words. “You're not like what I expected,” I finally said.
“What do you mean?” Rip asked.
“You're a big, brawny biker dude,” I said, shrugging a little, feeling a bit self-conscious. “I just expected you to be ...kind of an asshole. But you're ...” I trailed off, not even really sure what I was trying to say.
Rip laughed a little and shook his head. “Yeah, well. My aunt was a real Southern belle,” he said. “I learned pretty early on that you treat women right—and if you don't, they come after you with a wooden spoon!”
I giggled at
that and shook my head. “It's just ...” I shook my head again, feeling a bit overwhelmed by his kindness.
Rip seemed to understand what I wasn't saying, though, and he smiled at me. “Come on, darling,” he said, drawing me into his room and over towards the bed. He stripped off his jeans and his tee-shirt, but he left his boxers on as he climbed into bed. I did the same, leaving on my panties and bra as I slipped in next to him, holding my breath.
“Good night,” Rip murmured into the darkness, curling his body protectively around mine.
“Good night,” I whispered back.
# # #
In the morning, we woke up in a tangle of limbs. I could feel Rip's morning hard-on pressing insistently against my thigh, wordlessly begging me to do something with it. When I pulled back and looked up, Rip was still fast asleep, his face slack and his arms resting loosely around me.
I shifted, dragging my hand over the tent in his boxers. Although he stirred a little, pressing his hips closer to mine, his eyes didn't open. I hesitantly slid my hand into his boxers, tugging lightly at the soft, scorching skin there.
That got a reaction out of him. Rip groaned and his eyes flickered open, staring blearily down at me. He frowned and cocked his head to the side, and my hand stilled against him, wondering if I'd done something wrong. We had never woken up next to one another before. We just had these little quick things in back alleyways and bathrooms. Maybe he hadn't expected me to stay the night. Maybe I had been meant to get out of there before he woke up.
“I'm sorry,” I breathed, moving to get out of bed.
“Jessi,” Rip said sharply, his hand shooting out to catch my wrist. I paused there at the edge of the bed, practically shivering with embarrassment. “Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong,” he told me, his voice still rough with sleep.
I bit my lower lip. “Look, I should get out of here,” I told him, already glancing towards the untidy pile that I'd left my clothes in the previous night. “Sorry that I-”
Rip growled and suddenly sprang into motion, tumbling me back onto the bed and climbing on top of my hips, pinning me back against the sheets. Once there, he ground down against me, his erection providing heated friction between my legs. “Do you feel that?” he asked roughly, repeating the motion again. “That's all you, babe.” He shook his head. “If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't be half as hard as I am.”
I frowned up at him, trying to trust his words. “But I-”
“Jessi, if I wanted you to leave, trust me when I say that I would just tell you to leave.” He caught my lips in a soft, searing kiss. “But I don't want you to leave,” he continued as he broke away from me.
“Okay,” I said shakily. I was practically dizzy with the heat of my lust already, and it only grew more intense as he slid his hands down and explored the area between my thighs, stroking expertly at my need.
“Is this okay?” he asked, pausing for a moment to stare searchingly at my face. “I know you were pretty upset last night ...”
I groaned and pressed down against his probing fingers. “Honestly, Rip, if you don't get these panties off me and your fingers inside me within the next five seconds, I'm going to do it myself,” I warned him, only half joking. I could hardly think straight with how badly I needed this.
“As much as I'd love to watch you pleasuring yourself,” Rip said, “I'd rather save that for sometime when I'm not feeling quite so desperate for your slick pussy.” He slipped down my panties and then nuzzled his way between my legs, pressing soft kisses down my folds.
I whined a little, hands fisting in the sheets. His tongue skimmed around the rim of my entrance, and I could tell that he was teasing me from the way he grinned up at me. “Rip,” I whimpered breathlessly. In answer, he delved into my hole, using just his tongue, tasting my desire. But even though he expertly darted his tongue in and out, swirling it around, hitting all my sweet spots, it just wasn't enough.
I was practically sobbing by the time he pulled back and lined up his cock against the same space that his mouth has just been ravishing. “Please,” I begged, beside myself with need. “Please, please, please ...”
I came on his first thrust into my sheath, clawing at his biceps in an attempt to ground myself, my head twisting from side to side, eyes squeezed shut as wave after wave of orgasm consumed me.
When I came back to consciousness, I realized that Rip was frozen over me, even though I could see the strain in his face and his arms from holding so still. “Can I ...” he started to ask, and I realized he was waiting for me to calm down a moment before moving, keeping from overwhelming me.
I nodded my head vigorously, and I was rewarded with the way he began to pump his hips against mine. He pushed my legs up and back, giving him better access to my hole, and I could feel the burn of his girth deep inside of me. I was trembling all over, and my sahking was only emphasized by the little sparkling shoots of pleasure I felt as Rip ran his hands all over me.
I came again and again, until I could hardly breathe, let alone think. It was a relief to finally feel Rip stilling above me, a soft groan falling from his lips as he spilled his seed. He practically collapsed down against me, looking nearly as exhausted as I felt. After a moment, he had the presence of mind to pull me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
“Back to sleep?” I finally asked, when he showed no signs of moving.
Rip laughed a little at that. “Back to sleep,” he agreed. “Have to keep our energy up if we're going to go for round two.”
I shook my head, even though I was smiling. “You're going to kill me,” I told him.
Rip kissed my hair, and I settled against him, closing my eyes and letting sleep claim me again. I had to admit, I felt a lot more settled now than I had before. Rip and I were definitely going to need to have a talk at some point soon, but for now …
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mick
I was startled to see none other than J.T. Williams walking into my shop that afternoon. It had been a pretty quiet day. Jessi was in classes, and Rip had called in sick that morning. I wondered, now that I saw J.T., if Rip was really sick or if something else had come up and J.T. was here to renegotiate Rip's involvement at the shop.
Truth be told, I was starting to enjoy Rip's presence around the shop, and I'd hate to hear J.T. say that that would no longer be a possibility. The dude had finally shut up about his dumb one-night stands, and when he wasn't talking about pounding a girl into the bed, he actually was a pretty interesting guy. And he sure did know a lot more about bikes than I would have expected.
“Hey, J.T., what can I do for you?” I asked, wiping my hands on a rag and trying to sound casual even though, honestly, the man kind of gave me the willies. I'd heard plenty of stories about the kinds of things he was capable of, after all.
J.T. grinned at me. “Just coming by to check on the bike,” he told me, and oh, that made sense. Well, sort of. I had assumed that Rip had been sharing pictures with the man along the way, showing him every step of the build process. He'd definitely seen pics pretty recently, because I'd asked him to confirm detailing on some of the sections that we were finishing up.
But, then again, there was a difference between seeing a picture of a bike and actually touching the pieces in your hands, running your fingers over the smooth chrome. I knew that just as well as anyone.
“Yeah, so this is what we've got so far.” I told J.T., beginning to walk him through everything that we had. I moved on to give him a rough timeline of our process, which I was anticipating finishing just before the deadline that J.T. had set. It was going to mean a lot of long, late nights as we got close to the deadline, but that was nothing new for me.
“And how's Rip doing around the shop?” J.T. asked. “Not giving you any trouble, I presume?”
“No, he's been really helpful,” I said honestly. “Surprisingly helpful, actually. I kind of expected him to be more of a nuisance. The first couple weeks that he was here, he wouldn't shut up
about all his conquests, but he seems to have gotten that all out of his system, because now we mainly just talk bikes.”
J.T. snorted. “Well, he probably realizes that you don't want to hear all the details about him pounding your daughter,” he said.
I blinked at him. “Excuse me?” I asked.
J.T. frowned. “Jessi,” he told me. “She's been over to the clubhouse a few times, and I haven't seen Rip head home with anyone else since she started dropping by.”
I stared at the man for a long moment, wondering if I was actually hearing him correctly. He must be mistaken, though. There was no way that Jessi would deliberately defy me and go over to the Hounds of Hades clubhouse. And there was no way that she was sleeping with Rip.
I hoped.