by Amelia Shea
She traced her finger over the dagger through a red shaped flower with the petals dropping appearing to be teardrops of blood. It wasn’t so much the beautiful detail which prompted her to move closer on her elbow. It was the scripted name. Skyla. She glanced up to see his stare penetrating her with a heated gaze. She smirked.
“How long after you got this, did you guys break-up?” She smiled, which wasn’t returned. If anything, his jaw tightened.
She cocked a brow. “Seriously, you should know better, Rourke. It’s a fact. You tattoo someone’s name on yourself, it’s not gonna last.” She was trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but it wasn’t working.
“It’s my sister’s name.”
She blinked and flinched. “I thought your sister’s name is Trini.”
He raised his brows. “Yeah. And my other was Skyla.”
Was.
Oh God, dread washed over her, and she tore her eyes from his dark stare. Inspecting the tattoo further would have saved her from the complete mortification she was feeling now. A heart with a dagger and drops of blood. The symbolizing couldn’t be more obvious.
“Shit,” she whispered and peered up through her lashes. “She died?” He didn’t answer her. She reached for his chest, unsure if he’d back away. He didn’t. Her fingers lightly slid over his chest and up to his neck. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing for me to say and I…”
He cupped her jaw and lifted her face putting level at eye level. “What movie ya wanna watch?”
Movie? What the hell was he talking about? She just brought up his dead sister in a joking manner, and he was thinking about a movie?
“What?”
“You invited me over to hang out, we just ate. Now ya owe me a movie.”
She saw through exactly what he was doing, and if she hadn’t felt like such a dumbass for bringing up his sister, she would have leaned in and kissed him. Here she was bringing up something horrible from his past, and there he was, trying to make her feel better. His thumb gently stroked her cheek, sending a shiver down her neck. She’d be all for ditching the movie and taking him to her bed. Apparently, Rourke had other plans.
“Pick a movie, Mace.”
Mace. There it was again.
She smiled before grabbing the remote and sifting through the channels. Action movies weren’t her thing, but she picked one. She wasn’t about to make him sit through a chick flick. When she settled back into the couch, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and she fell into the curve of his chest.
Perfect.
She wasn’t sure how long she lasted. The last thing she remembered seeing was a guy jumping out of a helicopter and landing on the roof of a building. She was only going to close her eyes for a second, but she’d been so comfortable curled up next to Rourke, she wound up passing out.
When she flickered her eyes open, she was staring at the wall in her bedroom. Great! Not only did she fall asleep, but he was forced to move her to her bed. He should have just left her on the couch, but he didn’t. She curled into her pillow and mumbled, “Can’t believe I fell asleep.”
“Ya didn’t even make it past the first ten minutes.”
Her eyes shot open, and she flipped over. Rourke was lying in her bed, shirtless, one arm under his head and smirking.
“You stayed.”
He cocked a brow. “Did ya want me to leave?”
She shook her head. Oh my God, he stayed. She had passed out, and he’d put her to bed and stayed.
“C’mere.”
When he lifted his arm, she scooted over to his side, curling up against his chest and resting her head over his heart. His hand draped over her ass, and he tugged her closer.
“I have off tomorrow,” she whispered while gliding her fingers over his ribs. “Wanna do something?” Her heart sped up, and she waited on his answer.
“Yeah.” His tone was low and gravelly.
“You owe me breakfast, remember?”
His chest rumbled against her ear, and she closed her eyes.
****
The ringing was an unwelcome blast to his ears. Rourke pried one eye open and squinted at the clock. 5:36am. Who the hell was calling this early? He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone, noticing two missed calls and a few texts from his sister.
“Hey,” he whispered in hopes of not waking Macy up. She remained curled in his side. His fingers caressed over her back.
“Sorry, I know it’s early. I tried the trailer but go no answer, assumed you were staying at the clubhouse, but Gage said you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, I stayed somewhere else last night. You all right?” Mentioning Macy to his sister was not happening. She worried about him and wanted nothing more than for him to find a woman and settle down.
“My sitter canceled, was wondering if you could come watch Emme?”
Rourke sighed and maneuvered Macy out from under his arm. He sat up and dropped his feet to the floor, dragging his hand down his face. Usually, this would be a yes without second thought. Usually, he wasn’t in bed with Macy. Fuck. He glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of her sleeping on her stomach, the sheet grazing her thigh. His cock stirred.
And there goes my fucking plans for the day. Plans which included being balls deep in her sweet body for most of the morning and then taking her out. But Trini needed him.
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“Oh God, thank you, Rourke. You seriously are the best brother ever. You know that, right?”
He cleared his throat and bit back his retort. Emme’s dad should be picking up the slack, not him. But he gave her a mere grunt before hanging up. The only words he’d give her were venomous, and he didn’t want to put that on her. His sister had enough shit to deal with.
He tossed the phone on the bed next to him and pressed his palm into his eyes. This was fucked.
The second he felt the soft caress on his back he froze. Her fingers lingered over his back, only adding to his anger he was going to have to leave her.
He glanced over his shoulder. Her hair was flattened on one side, smeared dark makeup creased the corner of her dazed and dreamy eyes. Even in the morning, still half asleep, he hadn’t ever seen a woman as beautiful as Macy.
“I knew we were opposites, but I was hoping you weren’t a morning person.” It was a joke, but he couldn’t find the humor. He was pissed the fuck off.
He stood and kept his back to her. “I’m not.” He leaned down, grabbing his pants, and got dressed in silence. When he turned around, he caught her sexy, half asleep smile and his cock hardened again.
“It’s just us here, Rourke. Getting dressed to use the bathroom isn’t necessary.”
Fuck.
“I gotta head out.”
Her smile faded slowly. She raised up on her elbow. “You said you were staying.” He could hear the disappointment in her tone, which only escalated his anger. Not at her but at his situation.
“Something came up.”
It was rare he answered to anyone or gave explanation. Aside from the club, and on occasion, his sister, Rourke didn’t feel the need or obligation to account for his whereabouts.
“But I took the day off.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I didn’t ask you to.”
It was a shitty response spouted on impulse. He was not happy about leaving her either. His gaze traveled down her body. Forget unhappy. He was fucking furious he was leaving her.
She gasped, and her eyes scanned the room. Oh, fuck me. What the hell was he doing?
“Gotta go watch my sister’s kid.”
“Oh.” His explanation seemed to serve as a fair excuse to her. She got to her knees and sat on her heels. “I could come with you. Kids like me.” She grinned.
He shook his head. “I’ll call you later.”
“Do you wanna come over after?”
Fuck yeah. But it wasn’t an option. He was riding out tonight with Gage for a pick-up in Idaho. They’d be gone most of the wee
k, not back till Thursday.
“I’m back on the road tonight.” He gave no further explanation.
Her bottom lip fell open. She shook her head and muttered something he couldn’t quite hear. If he had to guess, she was not happy. She turned her back to him, and he grabbed his shirt.
She whipped the covers off her body and stormed out of the room. Yeah, she was pissed. He continued getting dressed, staring at the doorway where she exited.
He grabbed his wallet and phone, shoving them into his pocket and giving one last glance around her room. He wouldn’t be seeing it for a while. Shit.
When he walked out to the living room, she was sitting at her kitchen table on her laptop. She didn’t look up.
He stood across and gripped the back of the chair across from her.
“I’m out.”
“Bye.”
“Mace…”
“Bye, Rourke.” She kept her finger fiddling on the keyboard, obviously intent on avoiding him until he left.
“That’s it?”
She slowly lifted her gaze, and he was surprised she had it in her. Her eyes narrowed, and her glare was threatening. “What were you expecting? A parting gift? Maybe a goody bag?” Her lip curled.
“What the fuck do you want, I gotta go?”
“Then go,” she snapped and pointed to the door. “I’m not stopping you. Go.”
“I get you’re pissed.”
“Yeah, Rourke I am.” Her eyes drew down to her computer, and she crossed her arms. “Something came up, I get it, but I offer to come along, you shoot me down, when I ask you to come back later, you can’t. So yeah, I’m pissed.”
He sighed. “Don’t need this shit right now, Mace.”
She scoffed and widened her eyes. “Well, I’m so sorry you don’t have the time, Rourke.” Her tone was full blown sarcasm. “I can see what a bitch I’m being by being disappointed that I won’t be spending the day with you.” She forced a laugh. “God, I am such a jerk for wanting to spend time with you.”
Aside from all the theatrics and snark, her words struck him deep. She obviously wanted to be with him. God, I’m fucking this up.
“Come here.”
She shifted her gaze to him and scowled. “Don’t summon me.”
Her attitude wasn’t lost on him. He drew in a deep breath and tried again.
“Please come here.” He cocked a brow and watched her hesitate. It was cute as hell watching her internal battle unfold. Macy was strong, independent, and above all, feisty. All the qualities that drew him in beyond her beauty. The same qualities he had a love-hate relationship with.
She pushed back her chair and walked over, her arms remained folded, and her body rigid. When she was two feet away, he hooked his arm around her waist and sidled her body against his. Her hands shot out onto his chest.
“Be back Thursday, maybe late, but I’ll come by.” It wasn’t much, but the best he could do.
“Yeah, whatever.” She veered her gaze past his bicep, and her bottom lip pouted.
He leaned close, grazing his mouth against her ear. “If I had a choice, I’d fucking stay, Mace. Trust me.”
She pursed her lips and glanced up through her lashes. “You would?”
“Yeah.” He leaned down, swiping his lips across hers, and she immediately gave into the kiss. Fuck, she didn’t give in, she took it and gave back. Her hands gripped into his chest, and she rose slightly on her toes to meet his height. He had almost a foot on her. He lifted her up and straightened.
Hell, he hadn’t made out with a woman in years for the sole purpose of just kissing. But with her, slinking her hands up to his neck and gripping him tightly, he was finding it impossible to stop.
The rumbling sound of her moan and her breasts pressed against him were giving him his own internal struggle. She jutted her hips forward, landing on his hardened cock. Fuck!
“Let’s have a quickie,” she whispered against his lips before spinning around and bending over the counter. She glanced over her shoulder with her hair sweeping past her shoulder. A small mischievous smile perking up her lips. “Can you do it hard and fast, Rourke?” Her challenging playful tone was followed by a wink.
Holy fuck.
If ever there was a woman made specifically for him, it was the one standing in front of him with the challenging smirk. Not much caught him off guard but this woman was fucking with his mind. He stalked forward and gripped her hips, tightening his grip into her ass. Grappling the waist of her pants, he ripped them down along with her panties. She gasped and wiggled her ass.
He couldn’t help himself. She never even saw it coming. The palm of his hand landed on her ass cheek, and she jerked forward. Before she could turn, he hooked his arm around her stomach, forcing her to stay bent over and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Stay still, Macy.” He drew his hand over her reddened cheek and licked her neck. If she was going to sass him, she changed her mind. Her head fell back into the curve of his neck. Her breath was heavy. He made a mental note. Macy gets off on ass slapping. He smirked.
Just the feel of her ass rubbing against his erection had him seconds from exploding. He one-handedly unzipped his jeans and jerked his cock once then centered it at her pussy. He pushed into her and groaned, dropping his head to her neck again. She was so fucking wet. He hadn’t even touched her aside from the kiss, yet she was soaking his dick.
He plunged in further and got a cheap thrill watching her fingers grip into the counter, nails scraping until her hand bunched into fists. Everything about her was fucking perfect in the most flawed way. Hard and fast was what she wanted, but he couldn’t help but take her slow. Feeling the walls of her core clamp tight around his cock was fucking heaven.
Her hair brushed against his cheek, and he inhaled her scent. Fruity and sweet. He curved his face against her soft locks, and he slid into her. Everything with Macy was different. He rocked against her body as her back leaned into his chest. Her hand curled around his neck, and he bent over her taking her deeper with a soft groan.
“You feel so good inside me.” She moaned as he closed his eyes. If she continued talking in her sweet voice, he’d be over in ten seconds. His usual stamina didn’t apply when it came to her. He slid his hands around her waist and up her stomach, clutching her breasts. Her ass jutted out, and he stroked his cock inside her, trying his best to hold back, but he failed. He pumped deep into her core and the more she moaned, loud and breathless, the closer he came to exploding inside her. He dropped his head to the curve of her neck and fucked as she requested, hard and fast. The only warning he got was the clamping of her walls over his cock, which amped up his desire.
“Rourke,” she panted, and he pounded inside her as he came hard. His strokes were long and deep as he gripped her tits in his hands.
“Fuck.” He growled as he exploded inside her.
Her body fell limp against the counter, and he hovered over her back. His breaths were short, and he closed his eyes, skimming his nose over her neck. She curled into his body and slowly angled her head.
“Thursday?” she muttered.
He hid his smile and kissed her neck. “Yeah.” He’d be back, and she’d be in his bed in a few days. It was the only reason he was willing to leave her now, knowing in a few short days they’d be together again. He pressed his lips to her shoulder, and they slowly separated.
If Rourke could have gotten out of the job, he would have, but it wasn’t an option. He watched as Macy righted herself and pulled up her pants. When she turned, he grasped her jaw and pulled her in for a kiss. It didn’t last as long as he would have liked, but she would be in his bed and in his arms in a few short days. He pressed his lips for a final kiss and pulled away slowly.
“See ya Thursday.”
Her eyes were dazed, and her smile slightly loopy. “Yeah.”
He made his way to leave but stopped halfway through the door and glanced over his shoulder. She was behind the counter staring, watching him. Go
d, he’d give anything to stay. He lifted his chin. “Good luck with the promotion.”
She flickered her lashes, seemingly surprised. Then her cheeks warmed to a soft pink, and her lips curled. “Thanks.”
He nodded with one last look. He took it in. He’d need her face in his mind to get through the next few days without seeing her.
It was going to be a long fucking few days.
Chapter Six
The day had started out on such a high. Rourke was heading back today. They had spent the last few days talking and texting on the phone while he was away. If she thought he was a man of few words in person, the phone was like pulling teeth. She monopolized the conversation, which would have remained silent if she hadn’t. But he called every night.
Then her day fell into the burning fires of hell. The promotion was announced. Kyle would be the new manager over the group, not her. It was a slap in the face. She’d worked her ass off for the promotion, going above and beyond, staying late, going in early, and working on weekends. She had earned that promotion.
The day had continued into a downward spiral.
An earlier conversation with Cheyenne was when she found out the guys had gotten home early. She half wondered why he didn’t call, but Cheyenne was quick to explain he needed to report in to Kase. When Chey mentioned coming by the clubhouse, Macy at jumped at the chance. Something needed to save the day, and seeing him was the only thing which would salvage the worst day ever.
Even with the thought of seeing Rourke, Macy remained bitter about being passed over for Kyle. How could she not? While she was staying late, Kyle had been cutting out of work early. She even ate lunch at her desk as opposed to going out with her coworkers. It had probably been her downfall. While she was working through her lunch, Kyle was out selling himself for her promotion.
“Let it go,” she mumbled.
She pulled up in front of the clubhouse and turned into the side lot, parking next to Cheyenne who was waiting for her. She got out of the car with her anger hanging in the balance. She needed to let it go; she just couldn’t.
“You okay?”
“No.” Macy bit back her tears. This was so unfair. It was hers. She deserved it, had worked for it. It was hers. But it wasn’t.