Stripped Down

by Erin McCarthy

  Rick cupped her cheeks and gave her a hot, bent up kiss, letting all his passion loose on her. She destroyed him she was so damn sexy. When he pulled back she was panting. “Stand up, beautiful. I’m sliding in.”

  She did stand up but then she said, “Now what?”

  Leaving his brief on because he was not about sticking his bare ass on cold steel he took her around the waist and hauled her to him. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  She did, her tits pressing against his bare chest. Her arms snaked around his neck.

  It was an intriguing tangle of limbs but he managed to get up on the bike, with her facing him, and eased her down into his lap. “Hello,” he said. “Funny meeting you here.”

  Sloane gave a seductive little laugh. She didn’t giggle, that wasn’t ever her style. She had a husky voice, one that could hold him as securely as a fist wrapped around his balls. “I know, right?” she asked, arms draped loosely over his shoulders.

  The skin on her thighs had cooled from sitting on the bike, goosebumps still prominent all over her body. He aimed to make her warm again. Starting with bending down and easing his tongue over her nipple. She arched her head back to give him better access and he drew the tight bud into his mouth. He scraped his teeth over it and she gasped.

  His cock was resting on her thigh, still covered by his briefs. Ripping the condom open with his teeth, he set her back slightly, lifted his cock out and sheathed it. Sloane was already rocking against him eagerly and he teased her apart with his fingers, testing to see if she was ready for him. He cursed. “Babe, you’re so wet.”

  “It’s the motorcycle. I got turned on.”

  “And here I thought it was my muscles.”

  Sloane gripped his shoulders. “Fuck me, Rick. Just shut up and fuck me.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He gripped her waist and eased her down onto him. She gave the most seductive groan that he lost all ability to hold back. He just palmed her hips and pounded up into Sloane.

  Gravity kept her firmly on his cock and she was moaning virtually nonstop, her tits bouncing up and down with the hard rhythm. The bike was hard beneath him, the artificial lighting of his garage cast down over Sloane at an angle. Her body was fully displayed and lit for him, yet her face was in shadow. Her voice told him all he needed to know though. Her head was thrown back and she was holding on to hard. He was going to have bruises on his shoulders tomorrow and that turned him on even move.

  Her clit was rubbing against him from the angle and she was getting frantic, her moans desperate. He eased a finger between their bodies and tweaked her clit, giving it a little pinch like he’d done her nipple. Her head gave forward and she locked eyes with him, her mouth open in shock.

  She came silently, a big beautiful orgasm, so intense he felt her pussy contracting on his cock. He could feel her slickness sliding down over him.

  Finally she dragged in a deep breath and gave a soft laugh. “This is so dirty.”

  “Yes, it is.” He drove into her, wanting her to understand how hard she made him. “You like my ride?”

  She nodded. “Best I’ve ever had.”

  That stroked his ego just enough to cause him to explode. He was fucking Sloane on his Indian and she loved it. He buried himself inside her and let go of the last shreds of his control.

  Sloane watched him, looking triumphant as he groaned out her name. She even laughed softly, looking every inch the confident girl he’d known in high school.

  If he could help her heal from her marriage in any way, he was happy to do it. Especially if it involved sex. It was his special talent. Not to brag or anything. Okay. He was bragging.

  “But you never saw this one coming back when we were kids.” He exhaled on a sigh. “Damn, that was hot.”

  “Nope. If anyone had told me I’d be having sex with Little Dickie, naked on his motorcycle, I would have thought they were a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”

  “Unexpected. It keeps life exciting.”

  Sloane shifted a little. “Help me down off this thing. I’m not as limber as I used to be.”

  “You seem pretty flexible to me, though I may have to test it further. Splits, remember?” He winked at her.

  Sloane rolled her eyes, like he knew she would. He stood up and lifted her down off the bike. When she bent over to get her shorts and tank top, he swatted her bare ass.

  “Ah!” she shrieked, jerking away. She covered her ass and shot him a glare. “You’re a very bad boy.”

  He grinned. “The worst. But you’re a very naughty girl. Who stripped herself naked on my bike.”

  She tilted her head. “That was pretty naughty, wasn’t it?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good,” she said, looking very sassy. She pulled her tank top on. “Now please tell me you’re done working so I can get some sleep.”

  He wasn’t where he had wanted to be but he’d lost his enthusiasm for carburetors. He wanted to walk Sloane to her apartment and give her a goodnight kiss.

  “I’m done.” He adjusted himself and retrieved his own clothes. He took a deep breath. “Ah. Sex and motor oil. My two favorite scents.”

  “Gross!” Sloane laughed and put those little shorts back on.

  “It’s not gross. It’s the smell of awesome.” He wished he could slide into her bed and hold her throughout the night, but he wasn’t comfortable leaving River all night, even if he was just across the hall. She knew he worked at night, but if she woke up at five in the morning and he wasn’t there, she would get scared.

  “All right, I’m heading up.”

  “I’ll walk up with you.”

  “Won’t that look obvious if someone sees us leaving together at midnight?”

  Rick raised an eyebrow as he felt his pocket for his wallet. “Sloane. If they see you leave here at all they might speculate. You’re in your pajamas and there’s no fire.”

  “I’ll just tell them the truth—I came down to yell at you to keep it down.”

  He had no idea who these mysterious people were who were going to question her on her nocturnal activities but he just nodded. “Solid plan.”

  It turned out the mysterious people was a nine-year-old girl. When they came up the stairs River opened the door and poked her head out. “Why are you guys together so late?”

  Busted. “What did I tell you about opening that door?” he demanded of his sister, annoyed because one, she’d almost given him a heart attack. And two, now he couldn’t kiss Sloane goodnight. “You know you’re not supposed to do that.”

  River rolled her eyes. “I heard your voice.”

  “I went downstairs to yell at him,” Sloane said. “I was trying to sleep and he was banging around down there. It was totally rude.”

  “Totally,” he said, amused. Zero hesitation on her part to throw him under the bus. “Sorry again.”

  “It’s okay. Partly my fault anyway since I hit your bike Saturday night.”

  She sounded more snarky than sincere but he wasn’t going to worry about it. “Goodnight then, Sloane. See you around.”

  River held the door open wide for him. “No one likes a workaholic.”

  He grabbed her around the neck and gave her a noogie while she squirmed. “Who body swapped you with a fifty-year-old woman? Your soul is so old it makes dirt look young.”

  “Weird.” River shook her head. “You’re just weird.” Then she pulled away from him and waved to Sloane. “Goodnight.”

  Sloane was unlocking her door and she turned back and smiled and waved at him.

  She looked sleepy and sexy, her hair wrecked, her lips pink and plump. Her neck was still stained red from sexual exertion. She looked like everything he’d ever wanted.

  Rick felt something he’d never experienced before.

  A niggle of doubt that he could stay casual.

  He hustled River into the apartment and slammed the door, fucking terrified of that thought.

  Ten

  See you around.

&n
bsp; The words stuck in Sloane’s craw for days.

  That had been Rick’s goodnight to her? See you around.

  See you the fuck around.

  She sprayed a beagle down with warm water, massing shampoo into his haunches. The dogs were the only thing keeping her sane because she wanted to go shove “see you around” up Rick’s tight ass.

  She had stripped naked and posed on his motorcycle and he was going to see her around? He’d seen every damn inch of her. Fucking Little Dickie.

  She shifted the sprayer too far and water bounced off of Harley’s shoulder and ricocheted into her eye. “Damn!” She swiped at her eye. “At least I got myself instead of you, buddy.” She bent down and massaged his ears, giving him a kiss on the top of his head. He watched her with trusting brown eyes. “You are very, very cute.”

  The bell rung over the front door and she glanced over, realizing she’d been hoping it was Rick. It wasn’t. It had been three days, including her Wednesday day off, and she had not seen him. It was River coming through the door. Sloane wondered why River spent her days in and out of the garage and the groomers. Didn’t she have any friends? Wasn’t there a camp she could go to? Day care? It seemed boring to her. But then again, River was always reading or watching a movie on an iPad. She didn’t seem very outdoorsy or athletic.

  As kids she and Sullivan had been outside all summer long, riding bikes and roller blading and playing hockey. She hadn’t sat down to watch TV at all. There had been tumbling classes and cheer camp and bonfires with her friends over.

  “Hi, River, what’s up?”

  “Interest rates.” She shook her iPad. “And the DOW is down.”

  Nope. River was not at all like Sloane had been as a child. Not even close. She admired Rick even more for raising her because Sloane honestly wouldn’t have a clue what to do with her. “Interesting. I hope you don’t lose your shirt in the stock market.”

  “Nope. Sold at the right time.” River reached out and rubbed Harley’s head.

  “Are you being serious. You own stock?” Sloane finished rinsing Harley and moved the dryer over him.

  “Yep. Not a lot, but Rick usually gives me fifty bucks on my birthday and I invest it.”

  “Good for you. But dang, I’m clearly failing at adulthood.”

  “Are you divorced?” River asked.

  “Yes.”

  She nodded. Didn’t say anything, just nodded. Like she agreed Sloane was failing at life.

  Great. A nine-year-old thought she was a loser. “So what brings you by?”

  “My brother wants to know if you and Winnie want to go to lunch. He said he is dying for a burger. I refuse to participate in murder so he needs someone to go with.”

  So Rick wanted to go to lunch with her and Winnie. She was not feeling it. But there was no way to say no if Winnie wanted to go. Her boss heard from the other wash station and said, “Burgers? I’m in. I’m so in.”

  “You can go then and I can stay here.”

  “No, we can both go.”

  “Who is going to stay with River and the dogs?” she asked Winnie. “No, you go. I’ll stay. I’m not even hungry.”

  She wasn’t. What she wanted apparently wasn’t on the menu.

  River eyed her, like she understood something was off about Sloane’s reaction. “Don’t feel bad,” she said. “He keeps girls he likes in the Friend Zone.”

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about River. The kid was on the edge of unnerving. “What are you talking about?”

  “If he likes you as a person, he Friend Zones you. Girls he doesn’t care about are the ones he dates.”

  “I have no idea what you’re even talking about,” she said flatly, tempted to stick her head under the dryer with Harley.

  “I think you do.” The miniature sage gave a knowing nod.

  “I really don’t. I don’t think I’m as smart as you, River.” What she thought River was saying was that Rick liked her as a person so he wasn’t going to have sex with her. Which meant, since he had had sex with her, that he did not see her as a friend. But another notch on his bedpost. That wasn’t surprising, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

  In fact, it made her really damn cranky.

  She could admit, having Little Dickie crush on her had been ego-boosting.

  Have adult Rick attracted to her was equally satisfying.

  But if she was just the flavor of the week she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  Which was one hundred percent insane because she had assured him that all she wanted was a fling. That it wouldn’t be weird or awkward.

  And now she was hurt because he hadn’t reached out to her in three days.

  Stupid.

  She was just stupid.

  “Oh, here’s my brother.” River put her finger to her lips. “Shh.”

  Rick strolled in through the front door, hands in his front pockets. It was really unfair how good-looking he was. His presence filled the waiting room. It wasn’t just his big body. It was his confidence and cocky swagger. That charming grin.

  Sloane studiously ignored him, checking Harley’s coat, then drying her hands on a towel.

  “Hey, ladies,” he said, moving past the desk into the salon. “Ready for lunch?”

  “Hi,” Sloane said, determined to sound normal. “I’m going to stay here with River and the dogs. Winnie will go with you.”

  He just nodded easily. “Okay, then.”

  He didn’t look disappointed.

  And she was disappointed that he was disappointed.

  Oh, my God, she’d become that girl.

  The one who swore she could have a hookup then get pissed off when that’s all it was.

  Her phone rang in her pocket while Rick was strolling around petting the three dogs they currently had in the salon. She pulled it out to see who was calling and was surprised to see it was her former neighbor, Maribeth. She had been a bright spot in her life in Minneapolis. A dozen years older than Sloane, she had always been up for a glass of wine and some gossip. She was probably just calling to see how Sloane was doing.

  “Hello?”

  “Sweetie, I’m so glad you answered.” Maribeth sounded agitated.

  “Is everything okay?” Sloane asked. “How’s Patrick?”

  Patrick was Maribeth’s husband. “Oh, that asshole is fine. He’s golfing today, thank God. Listen, I’m calling because I’m really upset and I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  Her gut clenched. “Tell me what?” Was Tom living with Javier? Had they gotten married in Vegas? If it was that, she honestly didn’t care. There was no point in holding on to bitterness over her ex’s infidelity.

  “It’s Kate.”

  Sloane’s knees buckled. “What about her?” She couldn’t handle it if something had happened to Kate. Tears welled up in her eyes even before she knew what was wrong.

  “That dick you were married to has her chained up in the yard. She’s been there day and night for over a week. I went over the first few days and made sure she had food and water and played with her, but now Tom has locked the gate and I can’t get in. Her water dish was empty both days I got in there.”

  Sloane was horrified. “What?” Kate was her baby. The thought of her suffering in any way made her knees buckle. She wanted nothing more than to hop in her car and drive to Tom’s and hug Kate close to her and reassure her. “Oh, my God, why the hell would he do that? It’s probably eighty degrees outside in Minneapolis!” She started pacing back and forth, unsure what to do.

  “Should I call the APL? I can’t even get water to her now with the gate locked.”

  “If you call the APL will they put her down?” Sloane couldn’t handle the thought of that. “I should be able to contact my attorney and have an investigation opened, right? I mean, he won Kate in the divorce but this is neglect and abuse.”

  “In theory, yes. But how long will that take? I’m going to call Tom and try to reason with him. Me calling is different than you calling
him.”

  “Thank you,” she said, voice trembling. “And thank you for letting me know.” The words got caught in her throat. “If something happens to her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “Let’s touch base later today or tomorrow. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll cut the fence with wire cutters before I let anything happen to your baby.”

  “Thanks, Maribeth. I can’t thank you enough.”

  She ended the call and realized Rick was watching her, concerned.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Sloane burst into tears.

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Rick reached out and pulled her into his arms.

  She let him, though she didn’t wrap her arms around him. She just held her hands in an x over her chest, mind racing. “It’s my dog. That was my old neighbor. She said my ex has had my dog outside for over a week solid, and doesn’t appear to be feeding her or giving her water on a regular basis. It’s hot outside right now and there isn’t much shade to speak of. And the bastard has her chained up, which is not something I ever did. The yard is fenced! Why chain her up?”

  That miserable fucker. That absolutely horrible son of a bitch. He hadn’t wanted the dog. He had just wanted to hurt her, which made no sense. She had been a decent wife to him. She hadn’t bitched about his hours as a doctor. She hadn’t overspent his money. She hadn’t cheated. What the hell had she ever done to him that she deserved this? Yes, she’d blown up at him when she’d found out he was cheating, which seemed to astonish him. She wasn’t known for sharing her feelings and it seemed like Tom had thought she’d just quietly accept it. Which she had, after one explosion. She’d told him the one good thing she’d gotten out of their marriage was Kate.

  Somehow Kate had wound up the pawn because of those words, which made her feel sick and sorry she’d spoken up at all, even in impulsive anger.

  Poor Kate. She was a helpless victim and Tom was a stranger to her. She didn’t know this side of him. But then again, maybe he hadn’t just been hiding his sexuality from her.

  Rick rubbed her back. “That is a real dick move. Is the neighbor going to call somebody?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m afraid they’ll take her and put her down. She’s seven. I’m going to call my lawyer and see if there’s anything I can do to get her back, and Maribeth said she’s going to go over and talk to Tom and see if he’ll be reasonable.”