by Jenika Snow
He liked being gruff but also gentle with her. In fact, she was the only one who he was gentle with, but he liked it that way, and he couldn’t explain why exactly. Her cheeks turned pink, and his grin widened. “I’ve embarrassed you.” He ran his thumb over her cheekbone.
“Yeah, and that isn’t an easy task.” They locked gazes and held them there for several seconds. “But I’ve noticed that when I’m around you, I feel things that don’t make any sense.”
His heart started beating harder at her words. “Yeah?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, but that also scares the shit out of me.”
Yeah, he knew what she meant.
“And I just got out of a relationship—albeit a shitty one.” She pulled away and stared out the front windshield. “Not saying you wanted anything more than last night—”
“Naggie.” He waited until she looked at him before he continued. “I am not the kind of man who goes around wanting more than one night with a woman.”
She opened her mouth, probably to tell his arrogant ass off, but he shook his head and stopped her.
“No, just listen, okay?” She didn’t say anything or nod, but he kept going anyway. “I’m not asking for your hand in marriage or anything—” He grinned and loved that she rolled her eyes. “—but I am asking to see you again.”
“For more sex?” There was a little bite in her words.
“No, I was thinking we could hit up the Spaghetti Warehouse in Denver before I take you back to my place again.”
She rolled her eyes, obviously knowing he was kidding about the latter—well, kind of kidding. He did want her back at his place, in his bed, and with his dick inside her.
“Naggie, baby.” He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “My life has always been lived on the edge. I don’t do anything half-assed, but I also live my life fast and without regrets.” He cupped her cheek with his other and pulled her closer. “Maybe that’s why I want you so badly, or maybe it’s because you are one pretty incredible woman.”
He lowered his gaze to her mouth.
“All I’m asking is to take you out to dinner.” Of course he wanted more, hoped she did too, but this was her call. “I won’t pressure you, won’t hound you to go with me, but I will say I have never wanted a woman more than I want you.” He let those words hang between them for a moment. “And I’d like to explore that.” He started moving his thumb back and forth along her skin once more. “I won’t lie and say my life is a fairy tale, because you live in Reckless and know all about the Vicious Bastards.” Yeah, their rep wasn’t all good, and a lot of people tended to keep their distance, but if the Bastards didn’t have that type of reputation, they wouldn’t be where they were right now.
And whether the town realized it or not, they kept them safe, and made sure others stayed out that would have otherwise run the town over. It happened all over the country, but Reckless was the Bastards’ territory, and had been for as long as he could recall. So, living up to their name, they had to be crude and harsh or others would come in and take what wasn’t theirs.
Booshie just hoped she understood that and was prepared to deal with all that shit if she decided to move forward with him.
“You want just dinner?” There was a slight lilt to her voice. Hesitance maybe? But she was a smart woman, and her instincts were telling her that he wasn’t all good. He’d be lying if he tried to tell her he was this knight in shining armor.
“No, Naggie. I want a lot more than that, but I think this is new to both of us, and taking it one day at a time is probably the safest route.” She may have been in a relationship just yesterday, so he couldn’t really say this was new to her, but Booshie felt something with her.
She stared into his eyes, and although there was a part of him that thought she might tell him sex was all she wanted, he hoped like hell she wouldn’t.
“I’m too old to play games, and I am serious about making something more out of this than a one-night stand, but only if you are.” He stared at her, wanting to just take action, because that was the type of man he was, but he wouldn’t push Naggie, not when he had a shot of having more with her. He was too fucking old to be beating around the bush when he wanted something as much as he wanted her.
“Okay.” She said that word without hesitance, and he fucking loved that she was willing to jump in with both feet. “This is going to be fucking crazy.”
Booshie tossed his head back and laughed one of those belly rolling ones. “Yeah, baby, it really fucking will be, but when something feels good like this, I like it a little crazy.” He took her mouth and kissed her hard and possessively.
That ex of hers had screwed up royally by betraying her, but if she gave herself to him, he’d make sure she was never fucked over ever again. At least not in the bad way.
12
Naggie pulled her car into Rob’s driveway, and Bennie pulled in behind her. Once Booshie dropped her off, they made plans for later in the week for dinner, but she was still scheduled to give him ink Wednesday.
They hadn’t talked about that appointment, and her thoughts were more focused on the fact that she had basically jumped from being with Rob to being in… whatever it was they were in… with Booshie. But the difference was she felt so damn comfortable, and it felt so right being in Booshie’s presence that she couldn’t see this was wrong at all.
Whether it was or not was left to be seen, but right now, she’d enjoy the ride. She climbed out of the car, and Bennie did the same. She walked up to Naggie, and they both stared at the front door.
“And he’s gone, like for sure?”
Naggie looked over at Bennie. “I hope.” It was technically their one-year anniversary today, and they’d had plans for this afternoon to see a show and go to lunch, but fuck him and his nasty ass. She had done a drive-by before actually pulling into the driveway.
Fortunately, she had Bennie as backup, but it wasn’t because she was afraid of Rob. In fact, it was more that she was afraid of what she would do to Rob if she was alone with his douchebag ass. “And you’re sure it’s okay to stay with you for a while?”
Bennie rolled her eyes and then slipped her arm through Naggie’s. “Girl, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, that old house is too big for just me, and it’ll be like an adult sleepover all the time.” Bennie grinned. “With wine binge parties, stuffing our faces with greasy fattening food, and watching gay porn on occasion.”
Naggie burst out laughing. “You couldn’t handle gay porn. It’s too hot for you.”
Bennie snorted but grinned.
They made their way up to the front door, with Bennie’s heels clicking and Naggie’s boots hitting the pavement. She started to get pissed the closer she got to that door, but she pushed her emotions aside and focused on why she was here: to get the rest of her shit and leave.
Once at the door, Bennie removed her arm from the crook of Naggie’s and patted her on the back.
“No homicide today, okay?” Bennie grinned, and her red-painted lips stretched over her straight white teeth.
“Did I ever tell you that you’re awesome?”
“Yes, but you can tell me that anytime you want.” They both started laughing, and Naggie reached for the spare key she still had and unlocked the door.
“Let’s get in and out before he gets his ass home.”
“Agreed,” Bennie said in a singsong voice, but Naggie knew she was just as serious about getting this shit done as she was.
They entered the house and immediately went into the back bedroom she shared with Rob. God, she could practically still smell the nasty perfume Tally wore, and could even see them still fucking right in the bed. “Those nasty fuckers.” She said it more to herself and hadn’t meant to say it out loud at all.
“You have stuff in the bathroom?”
Naggie grabbed one of her small bags and handed it to Bennie. “Yeah. If you could go through anything that doesn’t look like it belongs to that douche, I’d appre
ciate it.”
Bennie left the bedroom, and Naggie got started tossing the rest of her clothes that were in the closet and in the drawers into her bag. Aside from those material things, she had no jewelry, no family heirlooms, and nothing she hadn’t bought over the past year that she couldn’t buy again. Just as she was coming out of the bedroom, Bennie came out of the bathroom.
“I was tempted to dip his toothbrush in the toilet.” Bennie grinned, but before Naggie could sit on that very tempting idea, the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut had them both looking down the hallway.
“That motherfucking cocksucker,” Naggie said under her breath.
“Naggie?” Rob yelled out, and there was clear anger in his voice, which further pissed her off. He had no right to feel anything but shame and self-disgust for being such a prick.
“Come on,” she said to Bennie and led the way down the hallway, not about to get into anything with Rob. She was done with this and him, and although she hadn’t committed herself to another man yet, she was anxious to see where this new chapter in her life led.
She rounded the corner only to come to a stop when she saw Rob standing by the front door.
“You’re here.”
“Just to get my shit, but now I’m gone.” She moved forward and tried to push past him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.
Snapping her head in his direction, she bared her teeth. “If you want to keep your balls and the option to have children later on in life, I suggest you let go of me.”
Rob let go of her, because if the past year had taught him anything, it should have been that she didn’t fuck around or make idle threats. But then again, he cheated on her, so he either didn’t care or he was just an idiot.
“Naggie, please let me explain—”
“Rob, if I were you, I’d just shut the hell up and get the fuck out of the way.” Leave it to Bennie to grow impatient too.
“Bennie, stay the hell out of this.”
“You have no right talking to my friend that way. You brought this on yourself, fucked up big time, and now you’re dealing with the consequences. I hope you like jerking yourself off from this point on, or maybe you can have that bitch Tally handle it for you.”
“I’m not seeing Tally. I stopped whatever was happening between us, because I want to change. I only want you, Naggie.”
Naggie stared at him but kept her humorless laugh inside. “You broke it off with her? For me?”
Rob smiled, obviously thinking she was thrilled with the idea. “Of course I did. I love you.” He tried to reach for her again, but she slapped his hand away.
“You stupid asshole. Now it looks like you really are going to have to jack off.” She shook her head. “You know, you say you love me, but you never once said it during our relationship.” She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “Let’s be honest, Rob. There was never any love between us. This was a physical relationship, and when I stopped putting out like a damn sex fiend, you went to the next easy lay.” Yeah, their relationship had been mainly physical, but she had actually let herself trust him, even if it didn’t feel real. “Then again, faking it was getting old anyway.”
What she had with Rob for the last year didn’t even compare to the night she experienced with Booshie. She stared at Rob, feeling sick and disgusted over wasting so much time with him. Served her right for not listening to her heart and letting her need to have someone overrule her.
“This whole fucking Tally in the bedroom was an eye opener, and one I desperately needed. I’m never settling again just because I’m sick of being alone.” She turned and looked at Bennie. “Let’s go.”
“So what, you’re just going to leave me and jump in bed with that fucking biker?”
Naggie turned back around. “Fuck you, Rob. What I do, or in this case who I do, is none of your damn business. You lost the right to care about what I do when you stuck your dick in a tramp.” She turned and left him standing there with a scowl on his face. Once they were outside, Bennie took her hand and stopped her.
“Who do you think told that POS about you and the biker?”
She shook her head. “I think the better question is who didn’t tell him. This damn town is like high school girls on speed when it comes to gossip, especially when it comes to the Vicious Bastards. But if I were worried about what people said, I would have conformed a long time ago.” She smiled, squeezed Bennie’s hand, and went over to her car.
“How about we order takeout and get drunk tonight? We can watch some horror movies where the dumb sluts get killed first.”
Naggie started laughing. “You read my mind.” She climbed into the car, and once Bennie pulled out of the driveway, she glanced once more at the front door. “So long, old chapter in my life.”
13
Booshie entered the clubhouse and was feeling pretty damn good about himself. Yeah, Naggie agreed to have dinner with him, and although it certainly wasn’t breaking news to stop traffic, to him, it felt fucking incredible.
He stepped up to the bar and slapped his hand on the counter. One of the prospects was cleaning glasses but stopped and glanced at him. He got Booshie a beer without him having to ask, and once the cold Sam Adams was in his hand, he turned and stared at Scars speaking with Ranger in the other room. Ranger was an old fuck of a member who was as ancient as the club.
He might not go on runs with them anymore, but he did ride with them in town, participated when needed, and kept the club pussy happy. Even for as old as he was, Ranger fucked like he was a hormonal teenager. That had Booshie grinning like a fool. He knew if any of the guys saw how fucking happy he was, they’d bust his balls.
It wasn’t like he got this way often, rarely in fact. Booshie tipped his beer bottle back, and although it wasn’t quite noon yet, the beer tasted damn good on his tongue. Maybe he was just feeling this surge of emotion inside him, like he was also a hormonal teenager and he had just gotten his dick sucked for the first time. That had him grinning even wider.
“What the fuck has you so happy this damn early?” Little leaned up against the counter of the bar, reeking of alcohol and cheap perfume.
“You need a fucking shower, man.”
Little lifted his middle finger and flipped him off. “Get me a beer,” he said to the prospect without looking at him. “And a shot of whiskey.” He looked at the prospect then.
Booshie lifted a brow in Little’s direction, but the other biker didn’t look at him and just flipped him off again. Booshie chuckled and stared straight ahead as he drank his beer.
“But seriously, what in the hell has you so damn happy?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re a lying sack of shit.” He glanced at Little, watched the man toss the shot back and then chase it with the beer. “Rough night.” He didn’t phrase it like a question, because it was clear the man was hungover, and when one of the club pussy women came stumbling out of the back hallway, it was clear he partied in his room too.
“Yeah. I didn’t close my eyes until past four.” Little scrubbed his hand over his face. “I had to show her why they call me Little.” He looked over at Booshie then and grinned.
“You’re a sadistic asshole.”
Little straightened and turned around to stare at the woman who he clearly fucked last night.
“See how she’s walking all fucked up?” There was almost pride in the sick bastard’s voice. “She found out real fast that Little is the opposite of what I’m packing.” He grabbed his crotch in an obscene manner, but that was the way of the club. The guys didn’t mince shit and said it like it was. “Baby, you ready for round two tonight?” The club pussy stopped and looked at him, and her cheeks heated. She was a newer girl, one who had been hanging around the club cleaning up but then wanted to take it a step further.
“I can hardly walk as it is.”
“Oh yeah, that’s fucking right.” Little drank from his beer bottle and set it on the counter before sauntering over to her. T
he asshole might be still slightly drunk from last night, but whatever he was whispering into the woman’s ear had her melting against him and sighing.
Booshie turned away before he had to witness them dry-humping each other and saw Ranger leave the room where he was talking to Scars. The Bastards’ president leaned against the meeting table and grabbed a cigarette out from inside his cut. Scars’s face held a hard expression, and Booshie knew something was up. He made his way toward the meeting room and once inside shut the door behind him.
“Hey.”
Scars looked up and lit his cigarette while staring at Booshie.
“Hey, man.” He tossed his light on the table, inhaled deeply, and exhaled just as forcefully. After pulling the cigarette away and looking at it, he took one more hit and snubbed it out. “I really need to quit this shit. I told Stella I would, and look at me smoking.”
“It’s a hard habit to kick.”
Scars nodded.
“What’s up? You look like you got something on your mind.” Booshie pulled out a chair and sat down a little ways away from Scars.
“It’s nothing.”
“Scars.” Booshie waited until he looked his way again. “I’m your VP, your second in command, and I have known you longer than anyone else in this club.” He left it open like that, letting the other man know they were close and therefore needed to trust each other.
He sighed, ran a hand through his dark hair, and finally nodded. “Yeah, man, I know. I guess I’m just feeling my age.”
“You act like you’re Ranger’s age.” Booshie grinned and was at least glad when the other biker grinned in return. “But seriously, what’s up?”