Heart of Steel

by Cathleen Cole

  Steel’s hand covered mine, as though to stop me. I bit one of the muscles on his back, hard and he snarled at the sting. Shooting me a glare over his shoulder he dropped his hand from mine. I continued playing with him, inching my body closer so I could drop my hand lower and fondle his balls for a moment before I returned my attention higher up once more. When I let him go, I felt him relax slightly but I quickly moved around him and dropped to my knees. My lips were wrapped around his cock before he could stop me.

  “Remi,” My name broke on his lips, his gruff cry one of pleasure. I wanted him to feel as good as he’d made me feel. I wrapped my right hand around him again when I went to work with both it and my mouth on his shaft. When he shifted, to lean against the wall of the shower, I went with him, not giving him a moment of reprieve from my hand, lips, and tongue. I wanted to drive him wild. One of those large hands tangled in my hair and I could feel him put slight pressure on my head. Enough that he was helping me move on him, but not so much that he was dictating the speed or depth. He let that be my choice.

  Glancing up at him I found those piercing eyes watching me hungrily, and it made me groan. He echoed the sound as the vibrations surrounded him. I found my clit with my free hand and began rubbing myself. It was so hot, having him under my control like this. I heard Steel mutter a curse and met his gaze again.

  “Jesus, fuck. Remi.” He sounded tortured. His eyes were glued on my hand, where I was pleasuring myself. His hand tightened, painfully, in my hair and I had no choice but to let his dick pop wetly from my mouth and rise to my feet as he tugged me up. He kissed me hard, tongue punishing. I could tell he was holding onto his control by a thread. Walking me backward, Steel propelled us under the spray of the shower. The hot water felt amazing as it pounded down on me.

  He kept us moving though, and I gasped when my back hit the cold tile. There was no sympathy from Steel, I’d pushed him past that. All he could think about was fucking, and that made my core clench. I wanted that too. It’s all I’d been thinking about for the last hour while he’d made me train the same move over and over again.

  Payback’s a bitch, I thought with a grin.

  Steel lifted me by the thighs and hiked me up until my legs were around his waist and he rested between them. It was amazing how easily he could pick me up. Every thought in my mind was obliterated when, with one thrust, Steel lodged himself as deeply inside of me as he could. I screamed in pleasure. He started up a pounding rhythm, and I scored my nails down his back as I matched his pace. His hands went to my hips, helping to push and pull me. It was brutal, the sound of slapping flesh loudly echoing throughout the locker room, mixed with his grunts and my moans.

  When my climax hit, I swear I thought I was going to pass out. I had never orgasmed that hard in my life. I slumped in his arms while he rode out his release. Afterward, we leaned there, attempting to, breathe, and I nuzzled into his neck. Even after sweating for an hour and had a round of hot, rough sex, he smelled like sin.

  “Fuck. Did I hurt you?” He pulled back enough so that he could look at me. I gave him a satisfied smile.

  “If you did, I liked it.” The look on his face at that answer was priceless. A moment of silence passed, and I started laughing. I’d shocked him speechless. I didn’t know that was possible. Finally, he just shook his head and chuckled as he let me slide down his body. I could feel the aches and pains now but some could have easily been from the sparring session.

  “Come here.” My eyebrows rose at his tone of voice and the look in his eyes. I wasn’t sure I had the endurance for the round two his eyes were promising. We spent the next half hour, soaping each other up, scrubbing each other down, and playing in the water. Who knew this big, bad biker could be so playful? I grinned at him. Something told me not many people got to see this side of Steel. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy that, for now, this side of him was reserved for me.

  Chapter 34

  Remi

  I walked through the door to our house on cloud nine that night. Sure, I’d skipped another day of school to hang out with Steel, but it felt so good, and not just the orgasms. I thought back to the round two that we eventually got around to and smiled.

  I paused when I saw Ming, Julie, Anna, and Bridget all sitting in the living room. It was unusual to have us all home on a Thursday night, I glanced at my phone, ten p.m.

  “Hey, guys.” I looked around and they all smiled at me.

  “Hey,” they all chorused back.

  “Now that we’re all here.” Ming met each of our gazes and then got a stern look on her face. She and Julie shared a knowing look and Anna looked a bit guilty. I glanced over at Bridget, she looked as confused as I felt.

  “Bridget, Remi, we’ve been wanting to talk to you both.”

  Uh oh.

  “Bridget. We’re starting with you,” Ming said firmly and folded her arms over her chest. I dropped down into a chair. We were going to be here for a while. “What’s going on? You’ve been depressed and not like yourself at all.” Bridget shot me a desperate look, but I just grimaced. No way was she going to get out of telling them about Gunnar. Ming could be like a hound dog on a scent once she figured out one of her girls was in trouble.

  “It’s nothing, really.” The other three girls managed to look both unimpressed and unconvinced all at the same time. I plucked at an imaginary piece of lint off my leggings.

  “I broke up with Gunnar.” When they all started firing questions at her rapidly, she finally broke down and told them what had happened.

  “So, how is that going?” That came from Anna and she sounded dubious.

  Bridget shrugged. “He’s pissed and I’m confused. I’m supposed to stay away from him. But I don’t want to and I don’t want him to be mad at me. I also don’t want him to get into trouble because of me. I’m not sure what to do.” We sat quietly for a minute.

  “Are you still seeing him?” Ming asked.

  Bridget shook her head. “We haven’t seen each other since I told him we had to break up. But we’ve talked on the phone and texted a bunch since.”

  “So, he doesn’t want to be finished?” I asked. I hadn’t asked Steel about Gunnar at all. It wasn’t fair to put him in the middle of it, especially since he wasn’t pressuring me and asking me about Bridget. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if he knew that Gunnar and Bridget were having issues. Talking wasn’t exactly his strong suit and I couldn’t picture him and Gunnar sitting down to share their feelings. The mental image almost made me giggle out loud.

  “No. He wants me to tell my father to fuck off. But I haven’t told him everything either.”

  “Why not? You can’t have a relationship with him if you won’t be honest.” Bridget rolled her eyes at Julie but then nodded because she knew that Julie was right and just trying to help.

  “I know. I’m just scared that if he finds out how… connected my family is he’ll be the one to leave. You know?” She whispered the last part. We did know. Gunnar had no idea who Bridget’s family was. But we did. We knew how much trouble they could cause for the MC and Gunnar. Bridget was her daddy’s princess. Brent Jordan would burn down the city for his daughter, whether she wanted him to or not, and as the former Mayor, he still had a lot of pull.

  “Sweetie. You’re going to have to tell him. You’ll be worth the risk for him,” Ming said matter-of-factly. She may be going into medicine, but she was the romantic while Julie was the practical sister.

  “I know. I will,” Bridget whispered. Ming turned her gaze on me, and I gulped. She was done with Bridget, recognizing that was as far as she’d get with her tonight. It was my turn now.

  What had I done wrong? Trying to think of why Ming might be looking at me so disapprovingly.

  “Now Remi. What is this I hear about you missing classes?”

  I hissed out a breath and glared at the other three girls. They all studied either the ceiling or the floor, avoiding my hard stare. I flicked my eyes back to Ming.

  “I’m just
a bit burnt out,” I muttered. I looked down when she sighed.

  “Look, Remi. I know you’ve had a lot going on with your dad’s death and your company. I’d love for you to finish college but,” she paused until I looked up at her again, “if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world.” My mouth dropped open in shock. I hadn’t been expecting that. She was going to be a doctor. They had to devote so much time to school and studying so I figured she would expect everyone else to as well.

  “You own a business that has made you independently wealthy. You’ll work hard for it, but you don’t need that college degree. Most people get it so that they can get the job. You have the job. If it’s too much, you can always learn the business then finish the degree later.” She narrowed her eyes at me speculatively.

  “Although, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you only started missing classes once you and Steel met.” She dropped the tough girl look and grinned. “But honestly? I think it’s good for you. He’s good for you. You were working yourself into the ground, and mostly because your uncle was pushing you to do it. You need to take some time for yourself. Trust me, I know.” With that, she stood up. “I’m going to bed. I have rounds at six a.m. tomorrow.”

  Ming paused at the foot of the stairs and held each of us in a look for a heartbeat. “I love you all. I’m always here if you need me. Well, I’m always around if you need me, if not specifically here.” She called a good night as she slowly walked up the stairs. I huffed out a breath and looked around at the other girls.

  “She’s right. For both of you.” Julie and Anna came over and gave both me and Bridget hugs. We spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and eating junk food. Despite all of us having either early classes or work the next morning, we didn’t regret the time spent together.

  Chapter 35

  Remi

  I’d decided that Ming was right. College wasn’t life or death right now, so I decided to take the week off of classes. I spent extra time at Mackenzie’s, picking up more of the work. Strangely, I couldn’t tell if Uncle Caleb was happy about that or not. It was almost as though he was irritated that I was there so much. When I questioned him about it he’d just lectured me about missing classes, which made sense. Adults got super weird about wanting you to get a college degree. But I couldn’t get Steel’s skepticism about Uncle Caleb not wanting the company out of my head.

  The discussion about me being at Mackenzie’s more with Uncle Caleb had dissolved quickly into an argument so we’d parted ways and neither of us had brought it up again. When Steel and I weren’t working, we’d been spending as much time together as possible. It was really nice how easily we clicked. We didn’t have to try to get along or enjoy each other, we just did.

  Finally, it was Friday night and after finding out Steel had club stuff to do tonight, I got the girls together and talked them into hanging out. Then Bridget had talked us all into going to a party on campus.

  We piled out of her BMW and I grinned as I looked up at the fraternity house. There were football players in various stages of undress playing a drunken game of touch football on the front lawn. Half-naked sorority girls cheered them on. Music poured from the house. Anna and Bridget towed Julie and me toward the house. We hadn’t been to a campus party together in a long time.

  Inside we wound our way through the throngs of partygoers toward the keg. Bridget quickly filled cups and handed us the alcohol. I surveyed the room. Anna was waving at a few girls she knew, and a group of guys had already come up and started talking with Bridget, who was still standing next to the keg. Even Julie wandered off to say hi to a few of the girls I recognized from her study groups. I knew quite a few people at the party as well and I was about to start up a conversation with a girl from one of my business classes when I caught a familiar face in the crowd.

  Frowning I followed the girl. What would Amy be doing at a college party? I’d seen her at the clubhouse a few times over the past week, after having met her on my first date with Steel, and we got along great. The crowd finally parted, and I saw her standing with a petite strawberry blonde girl near the stairs.

  “Amy!” I had to shout to be heard over the music. Her head snapped over in my direction, eyes wary. They warmed as soon as she saw me. The girl next to her was still on guard though. I saw her take my measure, but I couldn’t figure out why.

  “Hey, Remi!” We gave each other an awkward hug. You know, one of those hugs that says, ‘I know you well enough to greet you intimately in some way but I’m not sure if this is too much?’

  “This is Delia.” She gestured to her friend when we finally broke apart and I shook her hand. The girl’s shake was limp, and she quickly looked away once I’d let go.

  Oookay, I thought, I guess I’m not wanted. I smiled at Amy.

  “Well, I just wanted to say hi. I’m here with some friends.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward where I’d come from. Amy’s gaze followed the movement, and she nodded.

  “If you get bored or need anything come on over,” I said with a smile, despite Delia’s suspicious look. We said goodbye, and I made my way back. I sat chatting with a few people I knew and noticed a lot of different kids approaching Delia. She had that shifty look every time someone approached her so maybe it wasn’t just me. Some people just weren’t good in crowds. I made a mental note to try to get to know her better in the future if I ever had the opportunity to see her in a less crowded place.

  “Remi! They’re going to play our song!” Bridget’s face was flushed and glowing. I groaned because I knew what was coming next. We’d gone through a shuffle dancing period in high school. I knew what song was about to come on and what dance she wanted us to do. The music starting up just confirmed it. Anna and Julie laughed as the shuffle dance version of Rihanna’s Umbrella came on. I shook my head at them but as they started dancing, I joined in. People stopped what they were doing and moved, giving us room and creating a circle around the dance floor.

  We were all grinning like maniacs as we danced around the small area. For those who have never seen shuffle dancing, it’s like mixing the running man, hip hop dancing, and a fish flopping out of the water all mixed together. There are certain choreographed moves you can learn and do together or you can pretty much just do whatever you want and fling your arms and legs around. Either way, it ends up looking like you’re doing it on purpose. A few people at the party started joining in with us, dancing to their own moves.

  Soon enough the song ended, but I declined dancing to another. The other three kept going, and I went in search of another beer. Whoever was in charge of the music kept the style up since they’d finally gotten people interested in dancing to it. The dance floor was packed now.

  Sipping my new beer, I turned and watched everyone on the dance floor. Some were still shuffling, others were grinding, but everyone was having a great time. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end right before a voice spoke directly into my ear from behind me.

  “Hey, Rem.”

  I couldn’t hold back the groan, but I was pretty sure the loud music covered it. I pasted a fake smile on my face and turned.

  “Hey, Scott.” Scott Reynolds. We’d dated my sophomore year of college and to say I regretted it would be downplaying it. He was a douchebag. Dad had always hated him and now I could easily see why.

  At the time his blonde hair, blue eyes, and Adonis good looks had made my heart flutter. Now I saw the smarmy look on his face and the slightly mean tilt to his smile. He had never treated me badly while we were together, and he’d have never dared to treat my friends badly, but I’d seen him treat so many others in a way I didn’t like. It made me feel ashamed, even to this day, that it had taken me almost a year to see it and to stand up for those he picked on.

  We’d ended things because I’d caught him dragging a young freshman guy into the girls’ bathroom early one morning. That sort of thing was bad enough in high school but in college? No. He’d pulled the kid’s pants down and was going to
toss him in there while it was full of girls getting ready for the day. We’d had a huge screaming match in the middle of the hallway. For the remainder of the year, he’d made my life miserable. First, he’d try to get me back, then he’d try to embarrass me in one way or another. When dad had died, he’d had the decency to drop off the face of the Earth and leave me alone.

  Scott was staring at my tits. I sighed, and it brought his focus back to my face. His grin told me he didn’t give a shit that he’d been caught. I was pretty sure he was already drunk. “Nice seeing you here, Rem. I haven't seen you around campus much this year.”

  I shrugged nonchalantly and took a sip of my beer. He reached out and put a hand on my arm. “I was so sorry to hear about your dad.”

  Swallowing hard, I smiled tightly at him. “Thank you, Scott. That’s really sweet. It was tough but… things are getting better.” I stopped, shocked. They really were starting to get better.

  When had that happened?

  I’d been wandering around with a weight on my chest for so long but now it was hard to pinpoint when exactly that weight had started easing off. Before I could examine it too closely, I realized Scott was speaking.

  “I’m sorry, what?” I asked when he looked at me expectantly.

  He chuckled good-naturedly. He was being extremely laid back, especially considering how he’d acted after we’d broken up. Maybe he’d grown up and matured.

  Lord knows I have.

  “I asked if you maybe wanted to go outside? Get some fresh air? I’ve sort of been wanting to speak to you.” I watched him suspiciously. It made him laugh again.