“Red, meet Detective Bucco,” Ouray announces. “You can use my office if you like.”
I’m a little uneasy as I watch Red lead Lissie down the hall at the back.
“Worried?” Ouray taunts, a grin on his face.
“Fuck off,” I grumble as he walks away, chuckling.
“So when did this happen?”
Ginger steps up beside me. Still a stunning woman but no longer as enticing as I once thought her to be.
“Not sure what it is yet,” I admit, my eyes still trained down the hall where Lissie and Red just disappeared inside Ouray’s office.
“It’s clearly something.”
“Mmm.”
“Does she play?”
My head snaps around at her question. I can see she’s partly teasing as she tries to hide a smile, but I can’t hold back my knee-jerk reaction.
“No fucking way.”
CHAPTER 9
Yuma
I’VE RESIGNED MYSELF to the kids’ corner.
The beer smell isn’t as prevalent here and I’m closer to Ouray’s office, where Lissie and Red have been holed up for almost half an hour now.
Kiara is sidled up beside me on the sectional, her head resting against my arm as I’m playing some racing game with the boys. Ezrah, Thomas, and Michael. A couple of the other boys are playing pool with Ouray’s son, Ahiga, overseeing.
Not counting Ahiga, or Ezrah and Kiara since they live with their nana, there are currently four kids in the club’s care. Some of the boys are reunited with family, or in rare cases are adopted. Some, like Wapi, come in as young boys and stick around. Others yet leave when they turn eighteen.
I’m the only one born into the club. I was just a kid when Nosh brought home the first of the club’s lost boys: a rough-looking, lanky teenager my parents baptized Ouray. The man who ultimately started paying it forward when he took the gavel.
Lisa leans over me, checking her granddaughter.
“She sleeping?” she asks softly.
“Almost.”
“I’m about to put dinner on the table, can you herd the little ones into the kitchen for dinner in a couple of minutes?”
“Sure.”
“Yuma?”
I twist my neck so I can look at her. “Yeah?”
“She’s a good woman.”
It takes me a second to realize it’s not Kiara she’s talking about, but Lissie.
“I know that.”
She pauses for a moment before nodding and returning to the kitchen.
She is a good woman, which is why I’m on pins and needles, because of what Red might be sharing with her. I should be the one to tell her.
Just then I hear footsteps coming down the hall and Lissie walks in first, her face unreadable. Red follows right behind with a blank look on his face. He keeps on walking when Lissie spots me and comes over.
“You havin’ dinner with us, Lissie?” Ezrah beats me to the punch.
“I don’t think so, Ezrah. I have a little bit of work to finish off.”
“Stay.”
Her eyes come to me and her face warms with a smile. Phew.
“I’m not sure if I can. I’ll have to see. Make a few phone calls.”
I get up, trying to dislodge Kiara, but she hangs onto me so I swing her up on my arm instead.
“Make the calls. I’ve gotta get these kids in the kitchen for dinner first anyway. Please?”
Her eyes go soft when she looks at Kiara, who put her head on my shoulder.
“Okay.”
“Come on, guys,” I call the boys. “Last one in the kitchen is a rotten egg.”
Giggling, the three boys scramble to their feet and start running.
“Not hungry,” Kiara mumbles.
“Gotta eat, girl. After that Nana can take you home.”
She lifts her head and looks at Lissie, who has her phone by her ear but is observing us closely.
“You gonna stay?”
Lissie
Good Lord.
I think my ovaries just spontaneously spit out some eggs. The big rugged man holding that cute little girl, like she’s made of glass. Why are men with kids so freaking sexy?
I cover the phone with my hand.
“I’ll do my best,” I answer Kiara.
“Blackfoot.”
“Keith? How’s Aleksander?” I watch Yuma head toward the kitchen still holding the little girl.
“On his way home with Autumn and antibiotics for a couple of weeks. Whooping cough, like we suspected.”
“Poor baby.”
“Did you catch Franklin?” he wants to know.
“Got a few names from him. Two of his guys work for the concrete contractor.”
“Seriously?” Blackfoot chuckles. “That’s priceless. I wonder what our esteemed mayor would think of that.”
“I know. I had to laugh when he told me. Also, he gave me the name and number for his contact in the developer’s office.”
“Email them to me. We’ll deal with it tomorrow. Go home, Bucco. Good work today.”
The woman I noticed standing close to Yuma, when I walked in, is studying me when I tuck my phone in my pocket. I’m feeling a little uneasy: hers aren’t the only eyes watching me as I walk up to the bar.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Wapi asks.
“Just water is fine.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” Tse, who was at the other side of the bar talking to a couple of rough-looking guys, comes walking over, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “You hanging around for a bit?”
“She is, and if you like that arm attached, I suggest you remove it, asshole.”
Yuma approaches with a scowl on his face and with a chuckle, Tse drops his arm from around me. It’s clear the man is a horrible tease and Yuma seems to be a favorite target.
“Let me introduce you to the brothers before the food comes out,” he says, taking my hand in his. Still a little out of my element, I let him take the lead.
I meet Kaga and a guy named Brick, who seems impressed with my choice of vehicle and offers his mechanical services. Then Paco, Honon, and Lusio, who mostly grunts. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep all the names straight; especially when I find out not everyone is here.
An older man, sitting at the end of the bar, looks up when Yuma guides me there. It takes me a second to realize he’s using sign language when his hands start moving. To my surprise, Yuma’s move just as fast.
“Lissie, this is Nosh,” he finally says. “My father.”
Yikes. I offer my hand but the man doesn’t seem to notice, glaring at his son. I’m about to retract it when he turns his eyes on me, taking me in top to bottom, which doesn’t do much to settle the churning in my gut. I feel like I’m being measured and found lacking. Before I can drop my hand, his shoots out and grabs on as he gives me a brusque nod.
“Never mind Nosh,” Yuma mumbles. “He’s an old coot.”
I have so many questions, but I don’t get a chance to ask them when Wapi loudly announces, “Grub’s on!” just as Ouray walks in from outside, carrying a massive tray of grilled meat.
There’s a sudden cacophony of noise when people start moving all at once, congregating on the massive dining table. A ton of food has been set out, but then there are a good twenty-five or so people here.
“You sit here,” Yuma says, guiding me to one of the smaller tables dotting the large space. “I’ll grab us something to eat.”
I take a seat and watch what looks like an early morning stampede on Black Friday. I’m glad Yuma offered to get me some food, because I don’t think I would’ve been able to get anything on my plate.
“Anyone sitting here?”
The woman who was observing me earlier walks up with a full plate.
“Not that I know of.”
“Perfect.” She pulls out a chair across from me and sits down. “You not eating?”
“Yuma is getting me a plate.”
A bite she was lifting to her mou
th stills halfway there.
“That’s nice.” She almost sounds surprised. “How long have you known Yuma?”
“I moved into the apartments he manages a couple of months ago.” I know it’s not really an answer, but something makes me a bit careful to share too much with this woman.
“Oh shit.” Red Franklin walks up to the table, a scowl on his face. “Ginger, what the fuck are you doing?”
“Having dinner and talking with…Should I just call you Detective Bucco?” she asks, turning to me.
“It’s Lissie.”
“…Lissie,” she says, turning triumphantly to the still annoyed looking Red.
“Like hell you are.” He pulls out a chair and sits down. “Wasn’t born yesterday, woman.”
I’m not sure what the interaction is about, or the looks the two share, but Yuma is heading this way with two plates loaded with enough food to feed a family of four.
“I’ll finish whatever you don’t,” he announces, sliding one of them in front of me before he sits down beside me. “I got you a little of everything.”
No shit. Ribs, sausage, potato salad, mac and cheese, a broccoli salad, and a chunk of garlic bread perched on top of the heaping plate.
Red and Ginger are already digging in with gusto, Yuma eyeing them suspiciously before he turns to me.
“Eat.”
At first we eat in silence, with the occasional moan from me when a new set of flavors hits my palate. Simple fare, but so good. When I see Lisa walk by, I call her over.
“You are a goddess in the kitchen. This is incredible.” Mumbled words of agreement go up around the table and Lisa, who looks like she’s not used to compliments, disappears back into the kitchen with a little smile on her face.
“I’m busting out of my pants,” I announce, pushing the plate, which is still half-full away. Yuma, who already finished his, pulls it in front of him and digs in. “Really? How can you eat more?”
“Our boy has always had an insatiable appetite.” Ginger shares with an appreciative glance at him that makes me feel slightly uneasy. “A variety of tastes as well.”
“Ginger…” Red growls at her.
“What?” She turns to Red with an innocent look on her face, but doesn’t seem genuine. “I’m sure Lissie would want to know what keeps him happy.”
“And you’re done,” Red grunts, shoving his chair back and grabbing her hand to pull her up.
“What was that all about?” I ask Yuma, who stares after them, his jaw clenched.
“Ginger being Ginger,” he says, turning back to me.
“They’re a couple, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Don’t worry about it. She’s an old lady, she’s just flexing her muscle, making you feel uncomfortable.”
“But you’re even not part of the Mesa Riders.”
“Makes no difference to Ginger. Ignore her. Trust me.”
“Okay.”
I still keep my eye on the woman who is back at the bar, Red’s arm proprietarily draped over her shoulder, as they appear to be in conversation with Ouray.
“Come on.” I turn to Yuma, who managed to empty my plate too. “Let’s get out of here.” He’s already reaching for my hand.
“Wait. I should give Lisa a hand cleaning up.”
“Babe…”
“We’re not in a restaurant, Yuma. We can’t just walk out and leave all this mess for her to clean up.”
I don’t wait for a reaction and stand up, stacking the four plates. I’m about to head to kitchen with them, when Yuma grabs them from my hands. “I’ve got it,” he mumbles.
I follow him into the kitchen where Wapi is at the sink rinsing dishes, while one of the older kids is loading them into the industrial-sized dishwasher. Lisa is sitting at the table with the younger kids but gets up when we walk in.
“I was gonna offer to help clean up,” I tell her.
“No need. I’ve got plenty of volunteers.” The older boy loading the dishwasher snorts loudly, and Lisa throws him a sharp look. “And idle hands that need to be kept busy.”
I’m sure there’s a story there, as the boy turns all shades of red before focusing back to his task.
Goodbyes take another twenty minutes before we head outside.
“I’ve got my bike here, I’ll follow you home.” Yuma follows his words up with a deep kiss that has me forget we’re perfectly visible through the big windows of the clubhouse.
I’m not surprised when he’s already waiting for me at the base of the steps up to my apartment.
Yuma
Couldn’t wait to get her out of there.
Fucking Ginger. She almost managed to shut whatever we’ve got going here down before we even get started.
I know there are things I need to talk to her about in more detail than I have, and although she’s been very accepting so far, I’m not so sure how some of those details are going to go over. I’m not looking forward to that conversation.
Seeing her at the clubhouse was an unexpected but ultimately welcome surprise. She seemed to take the whole thing in stride, even my instinctive kiss, which was more of an announcement than I was ready to make. I may not know how this is going to work out, but I sure as fuck am ready to find out.
“Yuma…” she breathes when I shut the door behind me and crowd her against the hallway closet.
“James,” I correct her, my nose almost touching hers. “My name is James Wells. Yuma to the outside, but with you I want to just be me.”
Her eyes go soft and her hands come up to frame my face.
“James,” she repeats. “Kiss me.”
She doesn’t have to ask me twice. Her mouth opens under mine willingly, and what starts out as a sweet kiss quickly turns into frantic groping in her entryway. Her tongue in my mouth, her hands tangled in my hair—holding on for dear life—while I pull up her leg and rub myself against her heat. I have to pry my lips from hers before I lose the last frays of my control.
“Don’t want to take you up against this fucking closet our first time, take me to your bed, Lissie.”
Her cheeks flushed deep red, her dark eyes even darker, she takes my hand and leads me to her bedroom. Inside, she surprises me when she stops in the middle of the room, and turns around to face me, whipping off her top in the process. With her eyes locked on mine, she reaches behind her and unclips her bra.
Fuck me, she’s beautiful.
Not because of her generous tits—they easily fit my palm—but because of the proud tilt of her chin, despite the hint of vulnerability in her eyes. She’s challenging me to take her as she is. I almost laugh, because the idea I might have an option in resisting her is ridiculous. Instead I strip my own shirt, kick off my boots and socks, and shove down my jeans.
I hear her sharp inhale, but I’m not sure whether she’s reacting to the tattoos covering my chest and stomach or my unencumbered cock pointing straight at her. It doesn’t matter either way, because it’s my cock she’s focused on when she drops to her knees in front of me.
At the first touch of her tongue, I already almost blow my load, so I quickly haul her up under her arms.
“Hey,” she protests. “I was enjoying that.”
“Me too, Babe. Too fucking much,” I grumble, while pulling down her jeans and underwear at once, the scent of her arousal thick and tempting in my nostrils. I can’t resist pressing my face against the dark curls at the apex of her legs, inhaling deep.
“James,” she whispers, running her fingers through my hair.
The slight scrape of her blunt nails against my scalp sends a charge straight down my spine all the way to my balls.
“Bed, Lissie.”
She doesn’t argue, just lowers herself on the mattress on the floor. First fucking thing on the agenda, after I fuck her, is getting a goddamn proper bed. I snag my jeans and fish out the hopeful condom I’ve had in my pocket this past week or so, rolling it on.
I ho
ver over her, lowering my mouth to hers as I drop my hips in the cradle of hers. Immediately her legs wrap around my hips.
“Please, James.”
“Fuuuck, Lissie,” I groan when I feel the heat of her, as I slide inside her body. “I planned on taking my time.”
Her legs tighten around me and her hands slide down to my ass as she chuckles with her face tucked in my neck.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
CHAPTER 10
Lissie
OH MY GOD.
I don’t even recognize myself.
The moment Yuma rolls off me to get rid of the condom, after a sweet brush of his lips on mine, I turn the opposite way.
I’ve never been one to be forward—or particularly adventurous—sexually. I don’t even think I particularly enjoyed sex, which makes it even more mind-boggling that I would initiate it like some dyed in the wool seductress. Okay, technically he did when he told me to take him to bed, but I’m the one who ripped off her clothes and went down on her knees in front of him.
I can’t believe I did that.
My only excuse is I may have known he was fit and good-looking, but I wasn’t really prepared for the full effect of him standing naked in front of me. The man is so gorgeous it should be illegal, and with his rugged looks and those tattoos giving him an aura of danger, he made my bad boy fantasy come true.
“I’d pay a fuckofalot more than a penny to know what’s going on in that head of yours,” he says, climbing in bed behind me, still a bit breathless from his release minutes ago. I’m not so sure I can even speak. I think I screamed.
Oh my God. What if someone heard me?
“That’s enough,” he grumbles, propping up on one arm and rolling me on my back with the other. The inhibition I was lacking earlier is back as I quickly pull up the sheet to cover myself. Something that doesn’t go unnoticed. “Whatever you’re thinking…stop it.” He grabs my chin and turns me to face him. “Not doing much for my ego here, Babe.”
I roll my eyes. “Nothing wrong with your ego.”
“Talk,” he urges.
There’s no avoiding his penetrating blue eyes and after a few moments I give in.
“I don’t do this. This isn’t me.” I can see I’ve confused him. “The whole sexy vixen thing, I’m not like that.”
Edge of Darkness Page 7