He stands up and moves to the left, getting off his bike rather than talking to me. I’m sitting here shaking my head, not understanding this. He’s never acted like this. Not once, and I’ve known him for what feels like an eon.
“Rico,” I snap his name this time, finally causing him to stop dead in his tracks. “Stop lyin’ to me and tell me what’s bothering you.” It comes out as a demand, but in all honesty it’s a plea. I need him to tell me what’s wrong. I need it so badly. The thought of him being upset or hurting in some way makes me want to vomit.
He turns around and looks at me like he’d choke the life out of me if he could. “Really, Vanna? You’re gonna tell me to stop lyin’? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you’re dead? At least that’s what the news articles I found said about you.”
I swallow hard and inhale deeply through my nose, trying to act unaffected. I need to find a way out of this. He can’t know everything, not yet. I need to downplay this situation and quick. The last thing I want is for everyone in the club to know about my past.
“There’s a lot you don’t know, and one day I’ll . . . one day I’ll tell you about it, but that can’t be today, Rico.” I beg with my eyes for him to drop this, to let it go. I’m not ready to tell him everything, not yet.
“Whatever. I don’t get what’s so damn tough? You know my fuckin’ life story and I barely know anythin’ about you, even now, even when . . .” Ricochet crosses the distance between us and wraps both of his hands around my throat. He gently squeezes and then intensifies his grip, making it more difficult for me to breathe, but I still do. I know he wouldn’t do anything to ever hurt me. “I’ve told you, I’m in love with you, Vanna, and the truth is I realized I’ve loved you for a long fuckin’ time . . . and . . . fuck. I might not be the most experienced when it comes to relationships and shit, but I’m damn sure shit’s supposed to be said both ways. Let me ask you this, are you ever gonna open up to me?”
I stare blankly at him, wanting to say yes, but I can’t tell the future. I have no idea if I’ll tell him everything one day. I have no idea. I don’t want him to see those parts, to know about how vulnerable I was, to see I was nothing but a weak woman who was naïve and fell for the wrong guy. For the guy who made these grand promises because she grew up in a home where the only love she ever felt was from her twin sister.
I don’t want him to realize I’m not worth his time.
“Fuck. I should’ve figured this out sooner. This,” he motions between the two of us, “is nothin’ but a mistake. It’s gonna fuck up our friendship. I see that now. I see what it’s fuckin’ doin’.” Ricochet shakes his head and walks away, disappearing through the doorway that leads into the bar area of the club.
I stand here in the garage, staring at the door, almost like I’m waiting for him to come walking back through it. I should know better. Ricochet isn’t the type who cools down quickly, so it’s pointless. I’m only going to drive myself fuckin’ crazy if I keep this up.
Reno gets in and I keep myself busy, sorting some tools for Hoodrat. The last thing I want to do is go by the bar when I’m sure Ricochet is shooting back some Fireball.
The door cracks open and the first thing that comes into my vision is golden mixed with brunette dreadlocks. “You alright, boo?” Nikki questions me, but she isn’t alone. Flashes of Irish red and white blonde come in too. The next thing I know she, Faith, and Iris are surrounding me.
“He’s actin’ like a damn fool in there, all pissy and shit. Dumbass men,” Iris grumbles.
Faith and Nikki both say something, but I’d be lyin’ if I said I knew what it was. It went in one ear and out the other.
“Sorry, ladies, what did you say?” I ask with furrowed brows, averting my eyes between the three of them.
“I said we should get out of here for a bit so you both have some time to cool off. I don’t need to know details or anything, but it seems like something is goin’ on between the two of you.” Nikki’s the one who speaks up, and Faith nods eagerly behind her.
“We all know he drinks until the bottle is gone when he’s pissed,” Faith pipes up, while now Iris is the one nodding her head.
“What do you suggest we do then?” I question the ladies, and Faith is the one who smiles devilishly. Hell, she’s the last one I expected to ever look at me like this.
“We’ve been talkin’ about goin’ down to the bar that opened up a couple blocks away. None of the guys have wanted to go, so, we haven’t yet,” Iris comments.
“They should’ve just asked me. You know I would’ve taken their asses.” Nikki has no problem stirrin’ up trouble. It’s probably why she loves life as a clubwhore. Fuck, she told me not too long ago she’d never want to be an ol’ lady or have kids of her own because this is the life she’s always envisioned for herself. I bow down my hands to her, to know exactly what you want in life . . . fuck, I wish I had that sort of certainty.
“Want to come with us? It’ll give you some time away from Ricochet, for the both of you to take a bit of time to cool down,” Faith suggests.
“Fuck, I just wanna get wasted. C’mon, you need to have a good time tonight. Let’s go.” Nikki grabs onto my hand and drags me along with her. Meanwhile, Faith and Iris follow close behind.
We get to the new bar that’s opened up a couple blocks away. There’s intense rocker music playing in the background and we’re the only women in here, which is just begging for trouble . . . but whatever, we came here to decompress, so we’re gonna decompress.
Nikki ends up dragging my ass up to the bar and Faith and Iris tag along. She orders us shots of vodka and the next thing I know we’re four shots in. I don’t know who ends up going to the DJ and requests “Bad Girl” by Daya, but I’m sure it’s one of the three women I’m with tonight.
I shake my ass to the sound of the music and let loose with the ladies. “You said you need a bad girl, what about a bad man?” A man’s voice comes up from behind me and I turn around to face the guy, obviously intending to tell the guy to fuck off.
He’s big and brawny, reminding me of the guy who’s on the paper towels, but instead of that lumberjack look he’s got more of an Italian snob look going on. He’s obviously the type of dude who has money and wants everyone to know about it.
“She’s already got one.” His voice comes out of nowhere and chills run down my spine, causing goosebumps to cover my arms. Jesus, we’ve both been drinking and I know for a fact this isn’t going to end up being good.
Chapter Thirteen
Ricochet
If it weren’t for Reno comin’ up to me and tellin’ me I’d better not fuck this shit up between Venom and I, I wouldn’t even be here right now. Ironic considering he’s the fucker who’s been tryin’ to get into her pants whenever he can. Yet it was enough for me to snap back into reality and realize the only reason I said that shit was because I’m upset at her for keepin’ shit private. I don’t have that right to be upset with her. I have to trust that in time she’ll open up to me, ‘cause at the end of the day there has to be a reason she hasn’t been open and forthcoming with her past. I know that. Fuck, deep down I know it. She’s always been a bit more reserved, and there is a reason for it. One day, I might even be lucky enough for her to share that with me. Not because I’m a selfish bastard who wants to know shit just to know it, but because I fuckin’ care about this woman more than she even realizes.
“Sorry, who’re you?” this Italian fucker with his gold chain across from my woman asks.
“Her man, but I made that damn clear, so fuck off. There looks to be an easy target walkin’ in the door now.” I motion toward the bridal party and the woman in white with the sash and tiara. The dude in front of me smirks and has no problem leaving Venom behind.
Nikki, Faith, and Iris are all here with her and luckily for me Reno and Iris are decent friends. If it wasn’t for Iris always checking in with Reno, I wouldn’t have any idea where they were. It would’ve made finding her a bitch.
“It wasn’t, but I think it is now. You see, there’s this really cool chick here, and I might’ve fucked up and acted like a dick to her earlier. But I want her to know I didn’t mean what I said, how I was just pissed and shit.”
Venom smirks lightly and looks up at me through thick lashes. “You called Emerson, didn’t you?”
Dammit. The woman knows me better than I know myself sometimes. “I might’ve,” I mutter, not wantin’ her to know she’s right.
“Bet she told you that your temper got into the way of things again.”
I don’t bother noddin’ ‘cause we both know it’s true. I got one hell of a temper.
“Sorry for what I said, I . . . I don’t wanna push you away, not when we’re just startin’ this.” I take a step closer to her and grab the back of her neck, grabbin’ her firmly I bring my lips down onto hers and lick my lips before colliding mine with hers.
Again, she’s sweet like honey on a hot summer day. I struggle as she pulls away, but I’m sure the gigglin’ goin’ on behind her has somethin’ to do with it. I glance past Venom and there the girls are, smirkin’ like teenagers.
I open my mouth to say somethin’ and my phone starts buzzin’ like crazy. Yanking the phone from my back pocket, I see it’s the group chat we have for the club and Boss wants everyone ready for church bright and early.
“C’mon, we’re goin’ home. I’m not done with you yet, and we gotta be in church at the ass crack of dawn.” I lace my words with promise and intent, fully plannin’ on rippin’ every fabric of clothing off Venom’s body at the first opportunity.
If you ask me, we both waited long enough for this to happen between us, for the inevitable to slowly wither away and I can’t fuck this up. I know she’s hidin’ shit from me. I know she has secrets, but I have to wait. There must be a reason for it and I need to trust in it. That’s even what Emerson told me. She said there’s always a reason for keeping things to yourself, and that eventually if I’m patient enough Venom might open up to me about the stuff I discovered.
Venom’s eyes flash with excitement and she ends up noddin’ her head at me. I glance back and see Faith, Iris, and Nikki are still tearin’ it up on the dance floor, so I shoot a text over to Muffler and tell him to get his ass over here and make sure they get home safe. We don’t ever leave our ladies alone, especially after what happened to Faith a few years back. They’re always with a member of the club, and even though Venom’s a chick too, she’s still a member of the club.
While I wait for a text back from him, I tell Venom we will be headin’ back to the club but not yet, how I want to wait for Muffler. She completely understands so we both get a shot of vodka and she starts giggling after.
I cock a brow in amusement.
“I’ve had so many of these tonight. I don’t even think in college I partied this hard.”
“In college you didn’t have Nikki,” I laugh and she begins to cackle too. It’s the truth. Nikki is a riot, it’s why all of us fuckin’ love her.
Venom and I share a couple more shots before Muffler’s large frame fills the entrance of the bar and he heads straight up to us. “You’re clear, brother. I’ll watch the ladies,” Muffler tells us and takes a seat at the edge of the bar. I give him a nod in thanks and take Venom’s hand, pullin’ her out of the bar with me and we walk the few blocks back to the clubhouse.
Out of nowhere she stops dead in her tracks and I turn to look back at her in confusion. “Why’re you stoppin’?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Do what?”
“This, with me . . . Rico, I’m not . . . I’m not some average girl with a normal life. I have issues. I have demons. And obviously, you know I have secrets I’ve yet to tell you about.”
No shit. “Yeah, I know. I’m willin’ to wait, to trust in the fact you’ll tell me when the time is right. If it makes you feel better, tell me somethin’ about you right now, somethin’ I don’t know.” I’ll do whatever it takes for her to feel better about this. I know she has issues and we’re going to work through them. I want to be with Venom and fuck if I’m gonna let her weasel away. When I sit back and think about shit, I realize I never took any time to get to know other women. Sure, there was a couple girlfriends I had in the past, but it was nothin’ more than hookin’ up and makin’ each other feel good.
With Venom, I want more.
I wanna know about her damn past. I wanna know the truth behind the article I found, and it’s not ‘cause I’m a nosey bastard. I just wanna know if she’s okay. Granted, given what I’ve already read I know there’s a hell of a story behind it all.
“I have a twin sister,” she blurts out.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard her talk about her family. “You never told me about her.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Yeah, well, we don’t get along the best. She’s always getting into impossible situations. Back when we were teenagers, we got along a lot better, but when I started going to college things fell apart. I . . .” Venom trails off, stopping dead in her tracks. She gnaws on her bottom lip and I can tell talkin’ about her sister isn’t somethin’ easy to do. “I miss her a lot, even if she’s always been the type to stir up trouble.”
I take a step closer to her and rub my hand against the small of her back, gently urging her to walk with me. She comes forward and we walk together side by side, with my arm wrapped around her waist. We don’t say a word. There’s nothing but the sounds of cars whizzing by.
This woman doesn’t have a clue how important she is to me, or how much the small bit she just gave me makes my heart swell with joy. She is opening up to me, and even though it’s just a bit, I’ll take it.
Chapter Fourteen
Venom
We get back to the clubhouse and I don’t miss the mischievous look in his eyes, the one that tells me exactly what he wants. His gaze lingers longer than usual and I find myself staring him down. His room is on the floor above mine since he’s an officer in the club, and we’re in the stairwell on my floor.
I start to take a step forward but Ricochet grabs my wrist and shoves me against the wall. “Where do you think you’re going, Showoff?”
“To my bedroom.” I maintain my cool while I’m answering him, but the honest truth is I’m not cool. Internally my heart is pounding a mile a minute and sweat beads on my forehead in anticipation of what’s to come.
Ricochet slides his hands down to my jeans and unbuttons them before yanking them below my ass. His bare hand grazes my cheeks and I suck in a sharp breath as soon as I feel the brush of air coming, and then his hand stings against my skin.
“Mmm,” I moan lightly, hearing a soft chuckle coming from behind me.
His fingers skirt between my legs and then dive against my entrance, swirling my essence around. Guess I picked a good day to go commando. “I had a feelin’ you were into some kinky shit, lucky for you I am too.”
Ricochet’s hands slide down the outsides of my legs and he shoves his face between my cheeks, shoving his tongue inside me. I gasp at the sudden pressure, never having a man go down on me like this before. He flicks his tongue, swirling and twirling against my lips and I groan, thoroughly enjoying everything he’s doing.
He brings his hand around to the front and brushes his fingers against my clit, toying with the hardening nub. Ricochet pinches my clit between two of his fingers and slides up and down, egging me on more and more. I gasp as what feels like small torpedoes shock through my system.
“Rico,” I moan his name, digging my nails against the wall. The second he hears his name, it’s like something within him comes to life. He groans loudly and my body begins to shiver, showing just how close I am to losing all control.
Out of nowh
ere he pulls his mouth from my nether regions and rises to his feet. The clink of his buckle coming undone tells me what he’s about to do and I shimmy my ass closer to him, needing to feel his fullness inside me.
He wraps a hand around my neck and squeezes, hard. “I’ll fuck you like I love you, Showoff, but I’m gonna fuck you like the whore we both know you are too. I’ve seen what you’ve done with Devi. I’ve watched the way she’s fucked you with a strap on, and the way you licked her like a sucker. Don’t be shocked when I make sure my seed is drippin’ out of every hole you have available.”
His words only serve to excite me so I shove my ass closer to him and he lines his big, thick cock at my entrance. Ricochet rams it inside me in one movement, but unlike last time he doesn’t give me time to adjust to his monstrous size. This time he’s keeping his promise, fucking me like I’m nothing but a whore he’s using to get his rocks off, and I’m not complaining in the least bit. My impending orgasm rises up to the surface and I lose all control, my juices shooting over his cock and my moans fill the stairwell. I’ve fucked a few men in my lifetime, but this man right here knows how to fuck a woman.
“I’m gonna fuck you all night, girl, so you’d best be ready.”
Ricochet
“Venom, get your ass up, Boss’s calling church and you’ve been in here, hidden away from the world,” Abyss’ voice echoes through Venom’s room and the woman has the nerve to turn on the light. “Venom, get up!”
I rise from Venom’s bed and take off the sheet, stand to my feet, and stare right at Abyss.
“Woman, haven’t you ever learned how to knock?”
Abyss’ eyes shoot straight down to my groin and she purses her lips together, not makin’ eye contact with me at all right now.
“Abyss, what the hell? Get out of here!” Venom rises from the bed and snaps, shoving a blanket over at me. I catch it and hold the blanket over my groin and Abyss makes her way out of Venom’s room. As soon as the door shuts, I toss the blanket back onto the bed and plop back down next to Venom. Wrapping an arm over her side, I pull her against me and nuzzle my lips against her neck.
Venom's Secret (Iron Vex MC Book 4) Page 7