Ride All Night

by Michele De Winton

  So that was it. All the conversation she was going to get about the history between the two brothers. Beth tried not to be frustrated, but she wanted more. She needed to know what was at the heart of their beef if she was going to be involved in this family. And she was, she reminded herself, she was seeing Grim again soon, and tomorrow she was shooting a pilot with Rusty that was going to change her fortunes in the TV industry for good. And that whole moment with him whispering sweet nothing in your ears? It was just the romance of going for a long hard ride with someone. That and the trees.

  * * *

  The ride home was uneventful. Beth pulled the exhaustion card and went to her room as soon as they got back to the workshop. With her safely tucked into bed, Rusty let himself collapse onto the sofa. It had taken everything he had to not nibble on her ear when she’d been leaning against him up on the hills above downtown LA.

  With the lights coming on ahead of them and the sun setting over the ocean as it stretched out in front, the world had been a pretty picture. Having Beth’s body nestled into his had felt all kinds of right. Too bad. She’s not yours to nibble on.

  He closed his eyes a moment and pulled a pillow onto his chest. He let his breathing grow slow and deep. Tried to release the tension of the long messy day. Soon he slipped out of the holds of his conscious mind and his brain tried to work through the day. The sense of her being pressed up against him returned but this time she turned to him and looked up into his face. Her green eyes seemed to have the last dying light of the green forest in them. They sparkled, glinted, questioned him. It didn’t make sense that they fit together so well when she was so short compared to his six-two height, and yet, there she was, tucked into him like . . . perfection.

  She didn’t drop her gaze.

  “What?”

  Her smile was quick. A flash across her face. “Just wondering if you were going to stop staring at me and do something with whatever was growing between your pockets.”

  Rusty blinked. She was right, his boner was strong and proud underneath her. “Got any suggestions?”

  “How about you let me deal with it for you.” She slithered down his body and released it from his pants in one swift series of belt, button, zipper.

  “Dear god.” Her mouth was on him. Her beautiful, full-lipped, daring mouth and oh man did it feel good. Hang on? This couldn’t be happening. Not like this. Beth had been a writhing hot mess of woman when she first climbed into bed with him but she’d been fueled by tequila and desperation and the Beth he’d gotten to know since then was coy. She wouldn’t have him in her mouth as quick as this.

  Then she twisted her tongue and he shuddered.

  Shut up, brain. He banished his mind and let sensation take him over instead.

  “You like that?”

  He nodded and looked down at her. Pushing his hand through her auburn curls he pulled her head back so he could see her at work. Watch her mouth caress his cock in long even strokes. Watch her eyelids flutter as she caught him at the back of her throat. Too soon he felt his balls tightening and the threat of an early release and he pulled on her hair to slow her down.

  “Oh no, you don’t get to tell me what to do.” She took his hands and held them down at his sides and then went to work on him in earnest. In seconds he was lost, unable to stop the flood of sensation even if he’d wanted to. His body tightened, his heart pumped blood faster than seemed possible, and his breath caught. Then, bam, he was surging into her mouth, his seed shooting hard and hot into the soft recesses of her throat.

  She waited for him to stop shuddering and then came up for air, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, best you get ready for a proper night-ride.” She stood and started unbuttoning her shirt. “I think I want to have you on your bike. Turn the engine on so I can feel it rumbling underneath me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He started toward his bike and the pillow fell from his chest.

  Wait? Pillow?

  “Oh dear. Looks like we might have run out of time.”

  “No. Hey, where are you going?” But the image of Beth faded into a mess of shadows. Rusty’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself crunched up on the couch. Shit. Beth’s door was shut, but what if she’d come out and seen him writhing there, his cock at full mast, her dream-head in his hands? He rubbed his face.

  He stood and checked the light under her door. It was off. Cracking the door open, he peered in on her asleep. Her hair was spread out on the pillow, her breath was steady—she hadn’t seen or heard anything. He breathed out a sigh of relief. But then she rolled over and her hair fell away from her face. With the fall of the hallway light on her pale skin she was as lovely in life as she had been in his dream. For a moment, he just stood there and watched her, half willing her to wake up and call him into her bed.

  But her breath stayed regular and slow.

  He leaned on the door frame, his eyes tracing the line of her arm thrown over her head on the pillow. Why was he like this around her? She was just a woman. One who was crazy enough to think she was going to find love with his brother. He felt the anger spreading over his skin like a hot and nasty rash after learning that Grim had been talking shit about him to Rocco. No. It wasn’t worth the energy. He wasn’t going to give Grim that much power over him. Not tonight. Not tomorrow.

  He shook his head. He needed sleep. Sleep, distance, and a whole lot of control, because while his brother might be a fuckwad who didn’t deserve her, he didn’t want to deny Beth Ravens anything. If she had her heart set on the bastard, then good luck to her. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to pick her up in too many pieces when she realized Grim was about as far away from a Prince Charming as life could manage.

  Tomorrow was another day. And tomorrow was the first day that Rusty McKinley had a real shot at making something bigger of his life. He wasn’t about to let Grim take that from him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Right, let’s double-check the shot list. I thought of a couple of other shots we might want, and we need to make sure we leave a little space in case Dave thinks of anything too.” Beth grabbed a piece of toast off his plate and stuffed it unceremoniously into her mouth. “I need to get myself together. I’ll shower and get ready. You go over the list.”

  Rusty had already read the shot list until it swam in his eyes. He had no idea if it was good or not. He’d leave that to the experts. The important part was that Rocco was cautiously optimistic that the Reapers would leave it alone. He’d managed to pretend it hadn’t worried him. But ever since the producer and Beth had insisted that he appear in the show as well, he’d been a bit nervous about how that would play out. Well it was okay now. Onward.

  Her ass practically poured into a pair of deliciously tight jeans, Beth popped up beside him where he was scanning the shot list. “This is the look we decided on, right? Biker but not too biker?”

  He gave her an up and down, taking in the black jeans and tight navy T-shirt he’d had the shop logo printed onto. Every curve was accentuated and the dark color made her pale skin even more translucent. Her eyes were rimmed with dusky blue, making the green brighter and her hair was down, ready to pull a helmet on and off. She looked like the dream pinup of every guy he knew. “Looks fine.”

  “Gee, way to pump a girl up.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Fine translates into ordinary and not all sexy in girl-speak.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since forever. Do I need to change?”

  “No. You look fine. I mean, great. You look great.” Trying not to look at her too hard and holding onto the shot list to make sure his hands didn’t ignore his brain and grab onto a piece of her fine-looking ass without his say-so, he gritted his teeth. “Dave just called. He’s fifteen minutes out.”

  “Okay.” Switching from checking in to taking charge, Beth put out a hand for the shot list and grabbed a pen from the bench in front of him. Marking up their prioritie
s, she ticked through the list then dragged his laptop in front of her. “I’ve changed these two around so we can get all the stuff with Tiny done at once. It’ll make him feel more comfortable rather than having to come back to him later in the day. Lucy will be fine however we shoot her; she’s amazing. The rest is about you and me and the bike makes three. Okay?”

  He tried to keep up with her whirlwind of typing and talking and as she pointed at the screen and at her color-coded sheet all he could do was nod. It all seemed great to him, better than great. To have someone pour as much passion into his project as he was, but with more technical film know-how and an impeccable eye for detail was a double win for him and he knew it. Those papers she did at film school had taught her more than she realized.

  “So, let’s go.” She hit print and he suddenly clicked at something that was missing. “What about the shots of you on the bike?”

  “I don’t think we need that in the pilot,” she said.

  “Oh, yes, we do. It’s a great angle.”

  “It’s hardly boy-meets-girl,” she said dryly.

  “I don’t know, it’s pretty close. Girl meets bike, bike takes girl for a ride, girl falls in love with bike and rides off into a sexy hot sunset.”

  “I’m not sure that’s really how it goes.”

  He shrugged. “It’s staying. Type it back in.”

  She sighed but added the shots back in and then hit print again.

  But when Dave arrived Beth looked like the wheels had suddenly fallen off her carefully arranged plan. She dragged Rusty aside. “He’s the cameraman?”

  Rusty turned to look where she was pointing. Dave had rolled up in his black 1970 Chevrolet and was unloading his equipment. Trying to look at him through Beth’s eyes he saw the greasy shoulder-length hair, the leather jacket with the Raising Hellfire logo, the sunken eye sockets after a long night drinking, and the lit cigarette hanging out his mouth. To be fair, Dave probably did look like he’d nailed too much meth. But still, guy was solid. “Hey, Dave,” he yelled across the workshop. “Need to put the cigarette out so you don’t blow us all up. There’s gas everywhere.”

  He turned back to Beth and waited, but she didn’t budge, her face locked in a frown. “What?”

  “I mean, I’m sure he’s a nice guy,” she whispered sternly. “But he’s not exactly neat and tidy.”

  Rusty laughed. “Hey, Dave. Beth here is freaking out that you’re not a real cameraman.”

  Beth shot daggers at him as Dave sauntered over, the faded and ripped black jeans he wore doing nothing to help hide how skinny he was.

  “That right?” He looked her up and down and gave her a flick of the eyebrow that could have meant hello, or just as easily, fuck off.

  “That’s not what I said at all,” she said. “It’s just that this is a big deal for Rusty, as I’m sure you know, and he needs to get it right.”

  Dave snorted through his nose. “Check her out. Where’d you get her, with a voucher from a box of Cheerios? You’re bright and perky and all, but you got any substance to you?”

  Rusty laughed again, but stopped himself when he saw the look on Beth’s face. “She’s in the pilot. Play nice.” He turned to Beth. “Dave’s been shooting film for longer than you and I have been eating eggs for breakfast. He might look like shit, but he’s good. Or at least the Coen brothers think so.”

  “You’ve shot for the Coen brothers?” Beth’s mouth formed a wonderfully perfect O and Rusty couldn’t help but think about what he could do with it. But then she shut it, fast. “Sorry. I’ll shut up now. I’ve been in town a while but haven’t had a break yet. It feels like a lot is riding on this, for everyone.” She gave Rusty a nervous glance.

  Dave nodded, apparently satisfied. “Not that what I look like should make a shit of difference, but okay then. What are we shooting?”

  As if he’d given her permission to jump into action, Beth pulled out the shot list and started going through it with Dave.

  He put up a hand when she was in mid-spiel and turned to Rusty. “I thought this was your show?”

  Rusty shrugged. “She knows more about this than I do, hear her out.”

  Once Dave had gone over the shot list, gruffly giving it his seal of approval, the world of Rusty’s workshop became a flurry of noise and activity. Lights popped up all over the shop and Rusty and his team were shunted on and off camera according to the master plan.

  “This is great, bro,” Dave said when they broke for lunch. “Really solid idea. And it’s looking sweet on camera. I take back the whole Cheerios thing I said about your girl there. Make sure you keep her, she’s a firecracker.”

  Rusty looked over to where Beth was chatting with Tiny about what would happen after lunch. “She’s dating my brother.” Hearing the words out in the world didn’t make them sit any easier in his head.

  “Oh. Right. Well, lucky guy. She’s gonna do well if she keeps her shit together. Could make a great director.”

  Rusty looked over at her again. Perhaps because he wasn’t in the film world he didn’t think of what they were doing in terms of roles, but she had, in fact, directed the day so far. Worked through the whole concept, written the shot list, worked with his team to get them ready. “Huh. True.”

  The afternoon was as productive as the morning until it came time for Beth to get onto the bike they’d just featured. “You sure the owner wants me to get on his bike?”

  Rusty grinned and pulled out his cell phone and rang the client. “I’ve got a sexy young woman here who’s worried you wouldn’t want her sitting on your bike. Wait, I’ll send you a pic.” The laugh came out of him before he had a chance to censor it. “No, I don’t think I’ll tell her that exactly, but thanks.”

  Beth snapped her head up when he called her sexy but he pretended he didn’t notice. The words had just come out of him unbidden.

  “What did he say?” When he hung up, Beth was practically bouncing next to him from nerves.

  “You don’t want to know exactly what he said, but he definitely wants you to get on his bike.”

  “And ride?” Tiny added from behind him with a smirk.

  “Something like that.”

  Beth’s blush wasn’t a bright pink flush, but he saw the change of her skin color in her neck and gentled his tone. “It’s not different from last night.”

  “That was spur of the moment. This time I’ve had time to think about it again.”

  He laughed. “Well, stop thinking and start feeling. Remember the sensation of flying? Of being free?”

  “Of the smell of trees?” She looked up at him and it took everything he had to not pull her face up to his and kiss it. “It’s all there. Just waiting. Are you ready?”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath then straightened and grabbed the helmet off him. The moment crumbled to dust. “Right then. Best get on with it.”

  He climbed on the bike and she tucked herself onto the back, curling her hands around his waist tightly. He revved the bike and slowly eased it out of the shop and onto the road.

  “And cut!” Rusty saw the words on Dave’s face rather than heard them and cut the engine before pulling off his helmet.

  “What? Why?” Rusty asked.

  “We got it. Now we need to get in a car so we can shoot you on the road.”

  “Wait, you got all that? Like all of it?” Beth had her helmet off now but was still tucked in close behind him.

  “Yep.” Dave beamed. “Your mini-meltdown about getting on a bike is gold. I would have loved to hear what that client said but never mind, the audience can guess. Helmets on. Let’s get on the road before we lose the light. If we get you riding as the sun starts to set it could be really great.”

  From the backseat of his car, Dave waved them on. Easing out of the lot, Rusty drove off down the road, Beth still tucked in behind him. Her arms were a tight band around his waist, but he knew she wasn’t really scared now. Not after last night. Still, he didn’t want her to freak out unnecessa
rily so didn’t push the torque too hard. Instead he let the bike have her head at the end, roaring up the road with a twist of the accelerator and hoping they got it on camera. When they got back to the workshop Dave was still grinning and Beth’s grip had lessened.

  “Turned you into a leather-head yet?” Rusty said softly to her, and she smiled up at him, her hip resting against the bike.

  “It was mostly horrifying. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.”

  “Yeah, you will. Just have to relax into the corners a bit more.”

  She laughed. “Ever the optimist. Sorry about hanging onto you so tight. I know I’m supposed to lean into the corners, it just seems to go against gravity. I’m a terrible passenger, I know.”

  “Hardly,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I trust you.” Her hair was mussed by the helmet and he tucked a strand of it behind her ear before the noise of everyone around them rolled back in. Dave came over to talk and Rusty took a step back. The warmth of Beth’s smile was still curling its fingers somewhere deep and warm in his chest but watching her with Dave he tried to shake it off. She was warm with everyone. When she said she had a plan she wasn’t kidding. The warmth she made him feel was just the way she was, nothing more, nothing less. She wanted his brother.

  The day wrapped and all the lights and people diminished, Rusty watched Beth flop down on the sofa upstairs. “That was a good day.”

  “All that for an hour of footage?”

  “More like forty-two minutes. To account for ad breaks.”

  Rusty whistled through his teeth but Beth just shrugged. “Dave’s happy. I heard him on the phone to your producer. I think you’re going to end up with a pilot that sells your idea without him having to do much.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  Her smile was slow and warmed him from the inside out. “It was your idea. I just pushed it around a bit.”

  “Dave thinks you make a good director.”

  She sat up at that. “Does he? Hey, that’s cool.” But just then her phone pinged again and she scanned the message. “What? Now?” She looked at her watch. “I guess it’s early if you’re on Hollywood time.”