by Rachel Cross
When she pulled back, he cleared his throat and took off his helmet. “What’s going through your head, sweetheart?”
“Yesterday, you asked me about Bruce-Rocked-My-World Day.” She inhaled deeply and blew her breath out before continuing. “I renamed Valentine’s Day.”
He grunted. She smiled, because if she’d learned one thing, bikers avoided the flower and candy holiday the same way they’d die before they bought anything but a Harley Davidson. That meant neither one of those two things were going to happen in their lifetime.
“You changed my life a year ago. What you don’t know is how much you affected my desires in what kind of qualities I wanted in a man. It’s not easy when you grow up under the protection of Bantorus MC. Boyfriends like to play, but don’t commit—”
“Don’t need to hear about your past,” he said, lowering his brows.
She rubbed the hardness off the corner of his mouth. “I know, but this is important for me to tell you, so listen. I’ve never had anyone fight for me without using his fists. I didn’t realize the significance of what kept you from me last year until yesterday when you were willing to throw down your colors for me. I know what wearing the three Bantorus badges mean to you, because we’ve been friends forever.”
“I’d still do it,” he said.
“I know, and I love you for being the man that you are with me.” She kissed him.
This time, she lingered on his lips, breathing in his scent. Emotions grabbed her and she pulled away with gentle smooches. “So, I’d like to start a new tradition every year, on this day.”
Bruce shook his head, already refusing anything to do with Valentine’s Day. She dropped her hands to his belt and grinned. “Don’t fight me, honey. We’re together. I’m going to rock both our worlds, biker-style.”
He hooked her neck, kissing her deeply. “Do your damage, sweetheart.”
She pushed him back to the end of the seat and scooted off his legs, until she had her feet planted on the ground straddling the motorcycle, and her ass over the gas tank. She undid his belt and jeans, releasing his cock. With one more look into his smoldering eyes, she went down and wrapped her lips around him.
He sank his hand into her hair, rearranging her head to watch what she was doing to him. She sprawled her hands on his jean-covered thighs, his whole body relaxed with each stroke of her tongue, yet his leg muscles flexed letting her know she was doing everything right.
Taking her time, she sucked the length of him. Deep and slow, licking and kissing, she paid attention to the movement of his hips on when to speed up and how much he enjoyed the sensitive area beneath the rim of his cock teased and caressed.
The power in his legs caused her to tremble with pleasure. Always the dominate one when it came to sex, he was fighting with her taking the lead and was losing control. She moaned around him, enjoying the way his hips thrust, needing to go deeper.
“Jesus…” He fisted her hair at the back of her head. “Love your mouth on me, sweetheart.”
She swallowed, increasing the pressure, enjoying the act as much as Bruce. She stretched her neck, taking more of him, until his hardness hit the back of her throat.
Before she could attempt to take more of him, she was pulled away from him, lifted off the bike, and had her jeans down to her ankles, legs spread, and bent over the bike with Bruce behind her, entering her in one swift thrust.
His hard heat slid in her wetness. She grasped the leather seat. This was what she craved. Him in her. Connected, and neither one of them going anywhere but paradise.
Slowly, barely moving at first, he withdrew and plunged back into her. The roughness of the hair on his legs further titillated her with each stroke. Her breasts swayed and the culmination of sensations drove her wild. She moaned. Her lower stomach pulsated and she reached for the pleasure he was giving her. Then his fingers dug into her hip and his other hand went between her legs.
“That’s it…” he said.
Her fingernails scratched the smooth leather on his motorcycle. Each thrust, taking her to her toes as she moved with him. She couldn’t concentrate with his hand adding extra stimulation, driving her wild, until she moved frantically against him. He was in her, outside her, touching her body. Her core tightened. The heat grew. Her muscles clenched and her pussy spasmed around him.
Then Bruce rocked her world.
She lowered herself to the seat, resting her cheek upon the leather at the same time he held her hips, thrusting into her one more time. His body shuddered behind her and warmth filled her.
Several minutes passed, or maybe an hour, she couldn’t tell because she’d gone somewhere and only Bruce knew the location. He pulled her to her feet, removing himself from her body, and used one of his spare T-shirts in the satchel on his bike to clean them both. They were both pulsating from exhaustion, barely holding themselves up.
He pulled her to his chest, chuckling. “Rock my world day, huh?”
“Yeah.” She grinned up at him. “Think a badass biker like you will want to celebrate with me once a year?”
He blew out his breath, and she felt his happiness to the ends of her toes. “I can handle that.”
She squeezed him, and then stepped back. It was time to go home. She might not be able to match the day that they had with their official first ride together, sex in a national forest, and their future bright in front of them, but she was game for trying to break records with Bruce.
Bruce took them home at a leisurely speed, pointing out the sunset in the distance over the coastal mountains. She used the time to touch her man and laughed when he caught her wrist over his crotch and replaced it on his hard stomach.
He pulled into the parking lot of Cactus Cove and slowed down, almost stopping. She tightened her arms around him at the sight before her. Every Bantorus member formed a long line with their motorcycles welcoming them home. She swallowed the lump of emotions. God, she loved her family.
She searched the crowd, holding her breath, afraid to hope that the one person she needed had shown up. Then she saw who she was looking for and she let herself believe that everything was going to be okay.
Her dad stood at the end of the line at the steps to the porch. She met his gaze, never looking away. Hurt still etched his eyes, but there was something else.
The closer Bruce rode, the clearer she could see that her dad’s eyes were welling with unshed tears. Proud and stubborn, her father lifted his chin. The sob she’d held inside upon seeing her family escaped.
Bruce had her off the bike and tucked under his arm before she could wipe the tear sliding down her cheek. Five feet away from the cabin, she stopped and gazed up at Bruce, asking his permission.
“He’s hurting. Go to him, sweetheart.” Bruce let go of her.
She ran the few steps and threw herself onto her daddy’s chest. His big, rough hand—the one that comforted her as a child and gave her support as an adult—encased the back of her head. She absorbed the emotions he was trying hard to hide. She lifted her head and whispered, “I love him, dad.”
“I know you do, and so do I. I can’t have my family torn apart because I want to protect those I’m closest to from hurting. When I lost your momma, she took all the good I had in me with her, but I’m trying to make it right. Bruce is a good man, baby. That was never questioned,” her dad whispered back, motioning his head toward the cabin. “Take your man home. Be happy.”
Her dad let her go, and she turned back to Bruce. Her man. He joined her and together they walked up the steps, through the door to the Bantorus cabin. Their future awaited. But no matter how many Valentine’s Days—or whatever they decided to call this holiday—they’d spend them all together from here on out. Kristen was damn sure of one thing: none of them would ever compare to this one.
About the Author
Top-selling romance author Debra Kayn lives with her family at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains in beautiful Idaho. She enjoys riding motorcycles, playing tennis, fishing
, and creating chaos for the men in the garage.
Her love of family ties and laughter makes her a natural to write heartwarming contemporary stories to the delight of her readers. Oh, let’s cut to the chase. She loves to write about REAL MEN and the WOMEN who love them.
When Debra was nineteen years old, a man kissed her without introducing himself. When they finally came up for air, the first words out of his mouth were … will you have my babies? Considering Debra’s weakness for a sexy, badass man who is strong enough to survive her attitude, she said yes. A quick wedding at the House of Amour and four babies later, she’s living her own unbelievable romance book.
Website: www.debrakayn.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DebraKaynFanPage
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DebraKayn
Check out the first Bantorus MC full length novel: Breathing His Air.
Trapped by Cupid
Nicole Flockton
To my beautiful niece, Michelle.
I’m so glad that you’ve discovered the love of reading and I’m so thrilled that it was my books that led the way.
Acknowledgments
To my fellow authors, Debra Kayn, Holley Trent, and Rachel Cross, I’m honored to be included in this anthology with you.
Tara Gelsomino, thanks for your insight on how to make this story stronger and making me dig further into the characters to find out what makes them tick.
My street team, Nicole’s Ninjas, thanks for always being there to support me and cheer me on. Your friendship means the world to me.
The girls on WWR, it’s so good to have a group where we can share our ups and downs and have an abundance of support, which makes this journey so much easier to deal with.
To my readers, I wouldn’t be continually trying to improve myself and write more stories if it weren’t for you buying them. Thank you.
Jason, thanks for always listening to my ramblings and for helping me to sound out ideas with you.
Chapter One
Lisa Wheeler looked up from her pile of towering charts and paperwork, took in the institutional green walls, and wished she were anywhere but here. It was just her luck to get stuck doing a night shift at the hospital on the most romantic day of the year—Valentine’s Day.
Not that she had anyone special to spend the evening with. She hadn’t been on a date in months. Her plans had been to sit on the couch, munch her way through a packet of Tim Tam cookies and watch her favorite romantic movies, Love Actually and then Notting Hill.
But instead, due to a last-minute shift change, she was now going to be spending the evening cleaning up puke, helping to stitch up the bloody heads of people who thought standing on a balcony and declaring their undying love was romantic … until they fell and ended up in the ER. She’d heard all the stories and wasn’t looking forward to what the evening was going to bring.
Sighing she picked up her pen and started making notes again on the chart, ignoring the latest squeal of delight when yet another flower delivery arrived. Was this what it was always like in the ER on Valentine’s Day? Being a romantic at heart she couldn’t help but wish that maybe one of the deliveries could be for her. From whom she had no idea, but she could dream.
“I’m sure your delivery is just moments away.”
Was the comment directed at her? Had she said spoken out loud? She looked up, spying two people standing a couple of feet away from where she was working. Nope, it definitely was not for her.
The high-pitched giggle belonging to Charlotte, one of the other nurses on duty, grated on Lisa’s nerve endings. She gripped her pen a little tighter, tamping down the desire to stab it hard into the paper.
“Oh, Noah, there’s only one delivery I’m waiting for. If you know what I mean.”
The temptation to vomit was huge. Could she be any more obvious in wanting the one man every single woman in the hospital wanted? Charlotte might as well tweet it out for the world to see, I want to date Dr. Sexy Green Eyes #ValentinesDay #dreamdate #sexydoc.
Aware their conversation was being observed, Dr. Noah Collins suddenly turned his piercing green eyes onto her. Mischief lit their depths and he took a couple of steps until he was leaning against the counter she was working at. “How about you, Nurse Wheeler? Are you expecting any deliveries this evening? Or maybe you’ve already received some?”
She clenched her jaw at the emphasis he placed on her name. He probably thought he was teasing her. He wasn’t. “Not that—”
“Oh, Lisa’s too busy establishing her career to worry about dating, isn’t that right?” Charlotte cooed in that super sickly sweet way she had. “I’m pretty sure romance is the last thing a newly graduated nurse has on her mind.”
Lisa had never really got on with Charlotte, and now she was reminded why. She wasn’t about to confess her secret desire to be swept off her feet by a handsome stranger for her and Dr. Collins to cackle over. She had hoped Cupid might decide this year was her year, but it looked like he was ignoring her again. Maybe he was sitting this one out on the couch watching Love Actually too.
“Oh yeah, I’m under no illusion about romance,” she replied, feeling her inner snark coming out. “There’s no handsome, rich knight in shining armor on my horizon, only full bedpans.”
Noah laughed but Charlotte’s eyes narrowed in irritation.
“Not a romantic, hey Nurse Wheeler?” Noah asked, leaning over the counter. His spicy scent tickled her scenes. “You have heard that this isn’t an ordinary Emergency Department,” he continued. “It’s the main hub of romance for the lonely staff of Perth’s largest ER. We don’t just fix people up. We fix people up.”
Indeed, Lisa had heard the stories. It had all started with the ER Registrar and Nursing Unit Manager, Alex and Sophie, getting together. Lisa had been doing her final training at the hospital with Dawn Granger, when the woman had found love with one of the local paramedics that was always bringing patients in. And the buzz had gotten even more intense when another nurse, Phoebe, had gotten married, to Alex’s best friend.
“So I’m led to believe,” Lisa replied sardonically. “I’ll be sure to be careful so I won’t need fixing up.”
“See I told you she’s not into romance.” Charlotte said, clearly not impressed she wasn’t Noah’s sole focus anymore. “Anyway I wanted to tell you, Noah, that your dad is amazing, I heard about the miraculous surgery he performed yesterday. No wonder he’s rated the best surgeon in the state, you must be so proud to be his son.”
Why did everyone fawn over Noah when it was his father doing all the good work?
“Yes, he’s very good at what he does.”
Something in his tone had Lisa looking up at Noah. His eyes had lost their earlier glint and his mouth, instead of always smiling devilishly in a way that tempted even the sickest of patients, was set in a firm line of annoyance. Was he annoyed at being compared to his father all the time? He never gave the impression it bothered him. He always seemed to enjoy the attention the other nurses lavished on him.
“Do you have plans after your shift, Noah?”
Lisa collected the folders she was working on. She didn’t need to hear the gushing anymore. She had better things to do than watch Charlotte and Noah organize a date.
As she went to walk past them, a hand halted her progress. The warmth from his fingers radiated through her, increasing her heart rate, making her momentarily forget how much he annoyed her.
“Yes?” If he asked again if she had received a flower or chocolate delivery today, she was going to stomp on his foot.
“I wanted to say thanks for the way you handled that impalement we worked on a couple of days ago.” A construction worker had fallen on site onto some exposed steel rebar and gotten critically wounded. Lisa wasn’t sure she’d ever seen so much blood before in her life. It was one of the toughest shifts she’d worked, but it was also one of the most rewarding ones. “You were cool under pressure and anticipated my every need, which made it so much easier to save the man�
�s life. A more experienced nurse couldn’t have done better under the circumstances, Lisa.”
His words rendered her speechless. It was the last thing she’d expected to come out of him. Noah had been terse, seeming angry throughout the complicated procedure, and Lisa had thought perhaps he was upset that the only available nurse to assist him was a rookie. When they’d finished, he’d left the room without a word to her. His compliment now was unexpected to say the least.
“Thank you. But I think it works both ways.” Lisa needed to get away and process what Noah had said to her. Was there more to him than just being the entitled son of a prominent surgeon? “I need to hand over these files.”
This time Noah let her pass.
“I’ll see you later in the shift, Nur—Lisa.”
• • •
“So are you ready for the rush this evening?”
Lisa looked up and saw Emergency Registrar Dr. Alex Scavoni, leaning casually against the counter.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I think.” She said with a laugh. “I’m surprised to see you here, Dr. Scavoni. Shouldn’t you be at home enjoying the evening with your wife?”
“It’s Alex, and you know we don’t stand on ceremony here, Lisa. Besides,” he laughed. “Trust me when I say Sophia and I have already had an enjoyable afternoon.”
“That’s nice,” she mumbled as she felt the blush bloom in her cheeks. Lisa didn’t need any more information to know just how enjoyable his afternoon had been.
“Before it gets too crazy, can you please take these files up to Admin for me?”
“Sure.” Lisa took the files Alex held out and headed toward the bank of elevators. She knew some nurses looked at running errands like this for the doctors as a demeaning task, but she was happy to help out when and wherever she could.
Lisa pressed the button and waited forever for the elevator to arrive. Surely, by now all of the Valentine’s Day flower deliveries would have been completed.