by KB Winters
Again. She never failed to surprise me. As tough and badass as she appeared, she blushed easily and had a soft spot she hid from the world. “Thank you.”
She nodded and held up her shot glass, both shaped and colored like avocados. I filled them both, and she tapped the edges with a grin and knocked it back while I did the same. We repeated those motions like an old married couple two more times before she finally spoke. “I’m not what you think I am.”
“I don’t think you’re anything in particular. Well, except hot as fuck and prickly as hell.”
She smiled, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, they were far off. Cold. Distant. “I don’t need to be saved.”
“I’m not in the business of saving people who don’t need it. That’s why I left the Navy.”
“Good.” She gave a proud nod as though we’d settled something.
“Minx?”
“Cash,” she responded in a breathy whisper that sent a spear of fire right to my cock. Left me pulsing and aching to bury myself in her. But I wouldn’t.
For now, I just wanted something simple. “I wanna kiss you, sweetheart.”
She nodded but I was already descending, her pretty face growing closer and closer until our mouths touched. I swept inside and she allowed it, tasting me as fervently as I tasted her. We kissed like horny teenagers making out on the sofa, letting our hands explore each other’s bodies. She was soft and silky everywhere I was hard, sharp edges.
When she slid onto my lap, I worried I might lose my shit. In those tiny ass shorts my hands gripped her tight, but the warmth of her pussy was so hot I felt it through my jeans as she ground against me. Back and forth her hips moved along the length of my cock, and I knew we were at the point where we either stopped—or moved forward.
And damn, I wanted to move forward.
Her hands slid under my shirt, stroking my muscles to distraction before she finally got rid of the damned thing. “So hot,” she moaned and pressed kisses from my collarbone to my abs.
“Your turn,” I told her and pulled the tank from her body, putting those magnificent tits right in my face. Close enough to taste them. I grabbed them both in my hands and flicking my tongue against the tight, dusky pink tips before pulling them into my mouth. God, she was so sweet and so fucking responsive, I could smell her arousal already. I slipped a hand into those red shorts and holy fuck, she coated my fingers with her juices. “Minx,” I groaned as she held my head close to her tits, urging me on.
Her response was to grind against my hand, gaze pinned to mine in an intense look that tightened my balls. “Yes,” she moaned low and deep, stealing all of my control with another small move of her hips. Her hands flew to my waistband, unfastening my belt and my pants with an urgency that told me our kisses had affected her as much as me. “Cash.”
“Tell me.”
“I want you.”
“Then have me, sweetheart.” At my words, she reached inside my boxer briefs and gripped my cock. Her gaze never left mine as she stroked me from balls to tip. “Minx.”
She stood and pushed the red shorts down her legs before kicking them away. Climbing back on my lap she wasted no time coating my cock with the slick juices that flooded her thighs. “Condom,” she groaned, and I reached for my pocket and produced one.
Biting back every impulse I had, I let her roll the rubber down my cock and secure it in place. “You’re killin’ me, babe.”
Her hands rested on the sofa behind my head as she balanced above my erect cock that searched for her cunt like a heat-seeking missile. “Ahh, but what a way to go, right?” She gripped me and impaled herself on my cock, letting out a cry so throaty and erotic I had to dig my fingers into her flesh to stop the urge to come. “Cash,” she moaned my name over and over again as she slid up and down my shaft, fucking me like her life depended on it.
I kept hold of her hips so I could thrust up in her as our skin grew slick with our efforts. The sound of flesh smacking hard only made my desire stronger, my need for her out of control. Harder and harder I thrust while she rode my cock, bouncing and swiveling her hips in a way that tantalized me. “Cash,” she groaned in warning, and I slid a hand between us, rubbing her clit in fast circles to ratchet up her pleasure until she exploded around my cock. She convulsed in my arms as the orgasm washed over her. “Yes. Oh, God, Cash! Yes!”
That was all I needed to hear to let myself go and pound into her dripping cunt until my own orgasm ripped out of my body on a loud roar. I fell back on the sofa and she sank onto me, pulling me deeper inside her wet, still pulsing body. “Minx, you’ve wrecked me.”
She laughed and laid her head on my shoulder. “That was some kiss.”
I did the only thing I could in that moment. I laughed.
***
Minx
One of my favorite things about living on my own was waking up, even if it was to an annoying fucking alarm clock. It was better than the screams, rock music, or the sounds of someone fucking. Last night I’d slept more peacefully than I had in ages, probably since what ended up being my last night in my childhood home. But when I woke, groggy from exertion, I panicked at the feel of the hot, hard, and obviously male body pressed against mine. I tried to move, to slide out of bed, but strong arms kept me close.
I would have screamed my fool head off too, if his arms hadn’t relaxed and he hadn’t dropped a kiss just behind my ear. Cash. The man had the body of one of those Gods that museums loved to depict naked. Of course, I hadn’t been to a museum in a long time, but I remembered how they looked, tall and wide, masculine. They were all man, just like Cash. He smelled like sin and sex and something uniquely male, and just like that my body began to relax.
What was it about this man that slipped under my defenses? That made me relax when I should be on guard? I didn’t know, but I knew he was dangerous. A guy like Cash had the power to make me do the one thing I vowed never to do when I was free. Wish for things I couldn’t have. I gasped at the feel of his thumb and forefinger applying pressure to my nipple and instantly felt desire flood my insides.
The man had to be a magician, that was the only explanation for how he’d gotten me to sleep with him. Twice. How could I so easily fall into bed with him as if the past hadn’t happened to me? As if it didn’t loom over me every fucking day like a perpetual black cloud. I let out a long sigh to get rid of the thoughts that came far too early in the morning. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but my mind was running a marathon already.
“That is the loudest thinking I’ve ever heard. Don’t tell me you woke up with morning after regrets?”
“Only that we didn’t get to try that thing we talked about,” I answered honestly.
“Next time,” he promised and dropped a kiss on my shoulder.
“Cash, there can’t be a next time.”
He went stiff and pulled back. “You said that last time, Minx. Will I have to wait another two months until your itch needs to be fucked?”
“I told you I wasn’t ready for this!” I scrambled out of bed and walked naked across the room to grab my robe. “I like this,” I told him as I pointed between our bodies. “Hell, I even like you, Cash, but I’m not ready. Not for this. Not yet.” I heard the wobble in my voice, and fucking hated it. I didn’t like anyone to see me vulnerable because I never knew who’d use that against me in the future. That went double for men who would exploit that weakness for their own depraved needs.
“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what it means. Or why you’re not ready, Minx. You’re a grown woman, goddammit!”
That was the problem. On the outside, I was a grown woman, but on the inside, I was still a girl. “It means I don’t know what I’m doing, Cash, and until I do, I won’t risk it.”
His expression turned dark. “But you can fuck me when the mood strikes you?”
I reeled back as though he’d slapped me. I never realized his words could hurt so much. Hell, more than any fist I’d ever taken, and I’d
taken plenty of fists. Feet, a flashlight, a lamp and even the butt of a gun. They all hurt like hell, but not like this. “I…you…,” My words wouldn’t come, so I took a moment to gather myself and pushed my emotions way down. “No, I can’t. I’m sorry. Goodbye, Cash.” I swiped a tear from my eye and fled to the bathroom, staying there until I heard his angry steps to the living room to retrieve his clothes and then out the door.
Once I was sure he was gone, I got dressed for the day, washed my bedding, and started on my homework. I had shit to do, a future to plan. I didn’t have time to spend hours thinking about the green-eyed cutie who’d shown me how great sex could be. I couldn’t think about him or his angry words or else I might do something stupid, like call him up and beg him to come back.
That means explaining why you’re not ready, the logical part of my brain reminded me. So I dug back in to my homework, highlighting and making notes before I finally finished my paper due at the end of the week.
With hours still left in my day, I decided to finish Talon’s dress so I could get started on a few new designs I’d started last week. The second bedroom doubled as my sewing studio and I spent hours in there, hunched over the machine and then the drawing table I’d found at Goodwill.
It was secondhand like most of the things in my little rental cottage, but I still loved it. With just two bedrooms, the house was more than I needed, but it turned out to be perfect for me. I’d decorated it in vibrant colors, yellow and red for the kitchen, blue and green in the small living room, and shades of gold for my bedroom. All the little embellishments, pillows and blankets, I made myself.
And I was proud to say I didn’t spend the whole day thinking about Cash. By the time I curled up in front of the television, I had only thought about him about three times an hour.
So, yeah. Progress.
Chapter Three
Minx
Driving and having my own van was one of my true pleasures in life. Magnus had told me, “A girl with the capability to drive always has an escape route. Even if you need to beg, borrow, and steal to get a ride, once you have it you’ll know what to do it with.” Coming from that big burly man, the words struck a chord. And every time I put my ass in the driver’s seat I thought of his words and the power a driver’s license had given me. It meant that each time I got behind the wheel I was choosing to come back home.
Today I wasn’t really choosing, but I had to drive up to San Diego because my business ethics course—surprise, surprise—required all students to show up for the test. In person. What the hell good was taking online courses if they could still summon you far and wide, I didn’t know. But the test was over, and I was pretty sure I kicked ass despite my shitty test taking skills. Knowing I’d mastered most of the material left me feeling confident, and that made for a relaxing ride back to Brently.
Even though I didn’t enjoy the long drive, I did enjoy the scenery that seemed to switch between lush green grass and water so blue it almost looked fake, and dry swaths of golden earth. Both gave me the kind of relaxation that comes from familiarity, from looking at a place and knowing right where I was. The first few times I drove by myself I felt panic set in at the idea that I didn’t know where I was going or how to get back to Brently even though Magnus had given me a GPS.
Now I didn’t have that problem. It turned out, I had a damn good sense of direction, pretty ironic if you asked me. But helpful and it was a skill I tested regularly.
The day started so well that I should have known it wouldn’t stay that way. I got to school and found a parking spot, I did well on the test, and the drive home was relaxing. At least until about an hour outside of Brently when my van coughed, choked, and then died in spectacular fashion. “Damn you!” I smacked the steering wheel in frustration, but it was my own fault. Magnus told me this old van was a piece of crap, but I had to have it. And now I was stuck between two towns in the hot desert heat. I needed help, and I had only a few options.
Talon was too pregnant to do that much driving, so I wouldn’t even ask her. I would have called Charlie, but she’d left a few days ago to take a cruise, to get away from reminders of CAOS and the man the club had stolen from her too soon. That meant I had to use my AAA service which was fine, it was exactly why I paid the damn fees every year. I made the call and climbed back in the van to at least avoid sunburn and dehydration.
No sooner had I settled in with an audio book on my phone did I hear the roar of a motorcycle. It was a sound I had gotten used to over the past few years, but it always caused a rise in my anxiety. I waited for it to pass but when it didn’t I went on alert, scanning my mirrors to see where the bike had gone and more importantly, who it belonged to. I nearly jumped out of my seat when a knock sounded on the passenger window.
Cash.
“You gonna roll down the window or what?”
“Or what,” I answered like a child.
“Car trouble?”
“Not once AAA arrives.” The nice woman on the phone said forty-five minutes. I could listen to a few chapters until then.
“Damn. I’m right here Minx. I can give you a ride home.” He smiled but I could tell he was frustrated with me, probably because he thought I was playing games, but I really wasn’t.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll wait. I don’t want to leave my van here unattended.” That was part of the reason, anyway.
“Fine. I’ll wait with you and then you can let me take you out to dinner.” He flashed that panty-melting smile, and I squeezed my knees together, refusing to be moved by his gorgeous smile or those laughing eyes.
“No thanks. I have no itch that needs to be fucked,” I said pointedly.
He groaned and smacked the roof with his palm. “Dammit, Minx.”
Exactly what I had expected. Anger, not an apology. He probably didn’t owe me one because he didn’t understand why I wasn’t ready, but my stupid emotions didn’t get the memo, and they were well and truly offended. “You’ve done your duty by offering, Cash, so thank you.” Leaning against the headrest, I closed my eyes and hoped he would go away though I knew that was unlikely. Despite his harsh words to me last week, he was a good man.
“It’s not duty, Minx.”
“All the more reason for you to continue on your journey home.”
I heard the heavy footfalls of his boots walk away, but I realized he wanted me to hear him walk away. Any other time the man moved with the stealth of a ninja, but now he sounded like an old woman with a cane and a bad cough. I waited but the loud roar of the motorcycle never came. He was still here.
Damn him.
Finally, the AAA driver arrived and hooked my van up to the tow, promising it would end up at Mick’s place just as I had requested. “You got a ride?”
“If you could just take—”
“Yes, she does.” His words had the desired effect on the skinny gray-haired driver who shuffled back into the truck and pulled into traffic.
“I told you I don’t need your help. More to the point, I don’t want it.”
The bastard smiled. “Well, it looks like you’re stuck with it now. May as well agree to dinner, too.”
“I don’t need to agree to anything since you’re making all the choices, do I?” This. This was why I’d been keeping my distance from men. This loss of control left me feeling shaken and vulnerable, two things I fucking hated more than I hated the bitch who orchestrated my kidnapping.
“Minx.” I kept walking toward the bike, and he followed on my heels. “Minx, come on.” He sighed heavily, but I didn’t turn to face him because I didn’t want him to see how close I was to losing my shit. “If that’s really how you feel then.”
“Then what,” I asked without turning. “You’ve sent away the only other ride I had, so just forget it. Come on.” Fifteen minutes later the bike came to a stop again. Dinner, I guessed by our location. We both dismounted the bike and headed inside the greasy spoon diner that looked like a shithole compared to Black Betty’s. It was just
called ‘Diner’, and the green pleather booths were more ripped than whole. Half the chairs were missing from the counter, and everything was covered in a layer of dirt. The thing I’d learned about these kinds of places was that they’re hit or miss. Despite the shitty outside, the food might actually be good.
“Hungry?”
“I guess.” We sat and Cash tried to catch my gaze, but I refused him. Not because I was mad, which I was, but because I needed to break this strange hold he had over me.
“You plan on being mad at me all night?”
I shrugged. “You’re a long way from Brently out here.”
He laughed and shook his head. “You know I do things other than sit around the clubhouse all day, right?”
I didn’t know, actually. No one ever told me shit. Hell, lately I hadn’t even been getting hours at the bar so no, I didn’t know. “Like what?”
“Me and a few buddies have a partnership in a franchise of dispensaries up and down the state, and we take turns providing security for the money runs.”
“An entrepreneur. Impressive.” I knew some of the club guys like Mick had businesses outside the club, and I assumed they all knew this shit could fall apart at any moment. Magnus had learned that lesson the hard way.
“Does it make you more interested?”
“No. But it makes me think that maybe I misjudged you.” We placed our orders with the middle-aged waitress, and I tried not to think too hard about his knees brushing against mine or the way his helmet had given him bedhead that only made him look hotter and sexier.
“You thought I was just some dumb biker”
“No.” I slowly drank my tea as I searched for a way to say it without offending him. “Men who choose to join these types of organizations don’t tend to do much planning for the future.”