Текст книги "Revved"

Автор книги: Sherilee Gray

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Chapter Nine

Reid pulled back his damp hair, tying it in a knot at the base of his skull, and grabbed his black shirt from the closet.

It’s me taking care of what’s mine.

Mine.

He still couldn’t believe he’d said those words to her. But yesterday morning, standing in her kitchen, shit, it was as if someone else had taken control over his vocal cords. That one small sentence—it was not him. Those words should not be coming from a man like him, and went completely against the way he chose to live his life, the way he had been living his life for as long as he could remember.

But he couldn’t walk away, not yet. Staying at her place, surrounded by her things, her scent, knowing she was in the next room, had driven him bat-shit crazy. The need to stake some kind of claim over her was not something he could ignore. He realized that now. Just what that was, what it meant, he had no clue. Something had changed, though. Rusty had dropped her guard a fraction more, let him see another piece of her. And he liked it. Liked everything she showed him.

Both women had been out cold when he got them home, and neither had batted an eyelid when he’d carried them to the porch seat, not until the alarm went off when he’d used Rusty’s key to get in. Thankfully, Piper had roused herself long enough to punch in the code, then stumbled to bed.

That left him and Rusty. After he’d carried her to her room, woken her so he could get her to drink a glass of water, dodged her cute yet sexy attempt at a striptease, he’d watched her curl up under the covers and pass out.

Leaving her had not been easy.

He’d never, not once, had the urge to just sleep with a woman, without fucking, but he’d wanted to get into bed beside Rusty, pull her into his arms, and hold her. Which was messed up.

Instead, he’d taken the couch, the foreign urge enough of a kick in the pants to get him out of her room. Still, he hadn’t left her place, couldn’t.

Then in the kitchen the next morning, even hungover, she was gorgeous. And when he’d pulled her into his arms…shit. He didn’t know how she did it, went from redhead vixen to sweet and shy, totally innocent, but she did, and just that glimpse of vulnerability nearly did him in.

But when she smiled, giving it to him without any barriers, full-on happy…Christ, he loved it. She hadn’t been hiding from him, she’d let him see what she was feeling, and it had taken all his strength not to lead her down the hall to her bedroom and show her exactly how much that pleased him.

Shit was getting complicated. His feelings for her were getting complicated. He’d never wanted another woman the way he wanted Rusty. Hell, he’d never put in this much effort for any woman in his life, never had to. He’d tried to fight it, but seeing that soft side and holding her in his arms had made it impossible.

Then all of it, everything he’d been dwelling on during the night while he lay on her couch—the being out drunk, the risks she’d taken—had come flooding back. It had sent his possessive instincts goddamned haywire, and he’d staked his claim the only way he could: he’d called her his.

It was a mistake. That wasn’t where this was heading.

His course was set, wasn’t it? He wanted West Restoration, wanted to cash in on what the West girls could bring to the table, take R.I.P. to the next level.

He should give her up. But he couldn’t, not yet. He wanted Rusty as well, for however long that might be.

But whatever happened between them, it had a use-by date. It had to.

So yeah, he’d bathe in her light, because he was a selfish prick, then he’d move on when they’d both had their fill. The last thing he wanted to do was extinguish that fire in her eyes, and he would if he stuck around. The dark, toxic crap in his veins would see to that. At least this way they could part on good terms, start their business relationship without any hard feelings.

Focusing on work, making sure his businesses were successful, that was what he had to concentrate on. In the end, that was all he had, all he could ever have.

Shoving his feet in his boots, he laced them up, tagged his leather jacket, and grabbed his keys.

For now, though, he planned on enjoying every moment he had with her.

A short time later, he was pulling up outside Rusty’s tiny mauve and yellow cottage. Shutting off the engine, he climbed out and jogged up the steps to the front door. Music played inside, so he put a bit of muscle behind his knock. A few minutes later the door swung open and Piper stood there smiling up at him.

“Hey! You’re here.”

He grinned, guessing the curvy blonde had that effect on most people. “Looks like it.”

“Rusty won’t be long.” She winked conspiratorially. “She wasn’t sure what to wear, she doesn’t date, so…”

Piper was shoved out of the way, and Rusty stepped in front of her sister. “Thanks, Pipe. I can take it from here.” He took her in from head to toe and damn near bit off his tongue.

Rusty stared at her sister and jerked her head toward the kitchen, eyes going wide, and said to Piper, who was still standing there watching them, “I’ll see you later.”

Piper offered up another smile and a little wave, then as far as he was concerned, vanished. He didn’t say good-bye, didn’t know if she went to the kitchen, or if she was beamed up to the goddamn Starship Enterprise, because he couldn’t take his eyes off the woman in front of him.

The green dress she wore sat mid-thigh, showing off her killer legs, hugging all the right places. She had on black heels, sexiest shoes he’d ever seen, and her arms were bare, all that colorful ink on display. Her hair hung down her back, sleek and shiny, and the color of her dress made her eyes more vibrant than he’d ever seen them. Exquisite didn’t cover the way she looked.

“Jesus,” he rasped. She bit her lower lip, and her cheeks turned pink. Fucking gorgeous. “Come here.”

“Is this too much? I didn’t know where we were going…maybe I’ll get changed?” She took a step back. “Yeah, I should get changed…”

“I said come here, Foxy.” She stilled, then obviously realizing his reaction was not a bad thing, moved toward him, biting her lip all the way. “Hey,” he said when she stopped in front of him.

“Hey,” she whispered back.

He slid a hand over her hip, because he had to touch her, and smiled to himself when he felt her shiver. “You’re not getting changed.”

She looked up at him. “Okay.”

Taking her hand, he led her from the cottage, out to his car. He could feel the nerves radiating from her. Then Piper’s words came back to him. She doesn’t date. What the hell did that mean?

Rusty was a mystery, and he planned on learning some of those secrets tonight.

The drive to dinner started quiet, but not uncomfortable. If anything the air felt charged, damn near electric.

He needed a distraction, because the way she looked, smelled…shit, she had him close to busting through the front of his jeans, and he had a whole meal to get through yet. Then something her brother said popped in his head, and he jumped on it, anything to take his mind off the intensifying ache in his balls. “Why are you and your girls called the Axle Alley Vipers?”

She turned to him, and going by the wide eyes, he’d surprised her. “Who told you that?”

“Your brother.”

“He has a big mouth.”

“So it’s true?”

She sighed. “Yes, it’s true.”

“You gonna tell me why?”

“Do I have to?”

He grinned, couldn’t help it. “You do now.”

“Shit.”

He barked a laugh. “That bad?”

“God, I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.” She let out another sigh. “It started when we were in high school. A few of the local boys came up with the name after an incident at my dad’s garage.”

“An incident, huh? Keep talking.”

She shifted in her seat. “Okay, well, Piper was going out with this guy. They’d been seeing each other for a few months. She was crazy about him, but we all secretly thought he was a bit of a douche. Anyway, long story short, he came on to me, and Piper heard the whole thing. We were in the garage, and she threw a wrench at him. Unfortunately, Piper can’t throw for shit, and she missed. But Alex was with her and went ape-shit, tackling him to the ground. Deke jumped in and pulled her off. And Piper’s boyfriend, seeing his chance, jumped up and made a break for his car. But in his hurry to get the hell away, he flooded the engine and the car stalled, and I…”

Reid was struggling to hold it together, but with how miserable Rusty sounded reciting her tale, he didn’t dare laugh. “And you what?”

She groaned. “I went after him, climbed in my dad’s tow truck, and rammed the asshole’s fender. I’d pushed him halfway across the parking lot before my dad came out and stopped me.”

“Shit,” he choked out.

She snorted. “You can say that again. The guy actually did crap himself.”

He laughed, unable to hold it in. “Poor bastard.”

“He totally deserved it.”

“Yeah, I guess he did. I bet you have a few more stories like that?”

The smile slipped, and she looked away. “Yeah, a few.”

He didn’t know what just happened, what caused that killer smile to drop, but he got the feeling if he pushed, she’d push right back, and he didn’t want to ruin what had started off to be a really good night. So for the rest of the drive he kept things light, worked at bringing that smile back.

They arrived at the restaurant a short time later. Costa’s belonged to Law’s aunt, and he came here often. The atmosphere was cozy; he guessed some would say romantic. It was also welcoming and had the best pizza in Miami.

When they walked in, Law’s aunt Connie bustled over, making a fuss over him, kissing both his cheeks, then scolding him for not coming sooner. He’d known the family since he met Law in high school. He didn’t know what either of them would’ve done without Connie and her family over the years. They’d been there for Reid when he’d had no one but his mother, and she’d barely been able to take care of herself most of the time.

These people were family to him. He’d never brought a woman here before and decided not to think about his reasons for bringing Rusty tonight, what it might mean.

“And who is your lovely date?” Connie asked, a smile on her soft, round face.

“This is Rusty. I thought she should try some of your world-famous pizza.”

Connie beamed. “Always the charmer.” She turned to Rusty, who was still clutching his hand. “Rusty? This is a nickname, yes?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What is your given name?”

He felt Rusty stiffen slightly at his side, then she mumbled, “Jane.”

Jesus. The name couldn’t be more wrong for her. The woman was no plain Jane, not at all.

Connie screwed up her face. “Okay, I’ll call you Rusty.”

Rusty made a little snorting sound and squeezed his hand. He could feel her body shaking against his. “I’d like that,” she said, laughter in her voice.

Connie headed across the restaurant, showing them to their table in the back. She took their order, brought them wine, and bustled to the kitchen.

He took a sip of the tart liquid, smooth on his tongue. He rarely drank, his introduction to alcohol, and more importantly what happened to some people when they drank it, had put him off the stuff for life. He only made an exception when there was a special occasion.

He looked across the table. Like tonight.

Rusty was playing with her napkin, smiling over at him. “This place is great.”

“I spent a lot of time here as a kid. The place is owned by Law’s family.”

“You’ve known him a long time?”

“Yeah. I guess you could say they’re like my family as well.”

She fidgeted with the napkin some more. “And your family. Where are they?”

“My folks split. I’m close with my mother. My father…we don’t talk.”

“Oh.” She looked a little surprised, but then nodded. “I know what that’s like. After my parents split, my mother vanished. She chose her new man over her kids.” She shrugged. “Some people just aren’t cut out to be parents, I guess.”

Wasn’t that the truth—or married in his father’s case. “That had to be hard, growing up without her.”

“I had Dad. I also had Piper and then Alex, and an overprotective big brother who watched over me. I did okay.”

“Your brother, he get in a lot of fights?”

She frowned. “Yeah, nearly every week. Why?”

“A wild guess.”

She snorted. “They usually started because he was protecting Alex’s honor.”

“Babe, I’m guessing he spent a lot of time protecting yours as well. What you’ve got going on didn’t happen overnight. You’re gorgeous. The boys at your school would’ve been following you around by their dicks as soon as they were old enough to notice.”

The humor making her eyes sparkle, dimmed. She seemed to close off before his eyes, then glanced down at her hands, shoulders stiff.

He reached over and took her hand. “What just happened, Rusty?”

She lifted her head, and goddammit, the wall was up. “There’s more to me than the way I look. I stupidly thought you already knew that.”

The pizza arrived, and he waited until their waiter left before he spoke. He’d worked out for himself she didn’t trust guys, that she got uncomfortable when they paid her too much attention. But he wasn’t just any guy. He didn’t know the reason for it, but he did plan on finding out what had caused it. “Foxy.” She was back to looking at her hands, posture stiff. He was sure she’d bolt any minute. “Look at me, Rusty.”

Finally, she lifted her head, no fire in her eyes, no light.

“I’m not stupid. I can see there’s an issue. Someone did you wrong, and it left a scar. But I’m not gonna bullshit you. You’re fucking stunning. I’m not gonna lie and say that isn’t one of the reasons I started chasing you. And I don’t chase women. Ever.”

She narrowed her eyes, dropped her napkin to the table, and started to stand, no doubt ready to storm from the restaurant. He kept hold of her hand, tightening his grip, not enough to hurt but enough to let her know she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Let me finish?”

She scowled but planted her ass on her chair, still not looking thrilled by his honesty.

“Like I said, I’m not stupid, so it took me zero-point-three-seconds to work out there’s a hell of a lot more to you than the way you look. I saw that the first time you aimed those eyes on me. You’ve got a head on your shoulders, and you’re extremely talented at what you do. You’ve also got good, loyal friends, and that says a lot about you, too. Beyond that? Well, I’m hoping you’ll give me a shot and show me.”

He meant every damn word. He didn’t know why it was important for him to give it to her straight. He just knew he needed her to know.

Eyes wide, she stared at him across the table, then blinked, making it a struggle to stay in his seat and not drag her around into his lap. “You want me to show you?”

“Yeah, more than anything.” And fuck, he meant that, too.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, the action vulnerable somehow, calling to all of his protective instincts. “I…I don’t know what you want, what you’re asking?”

“What I want? You, naked and in my bed.” He held her gaze. Not letting her shut him down this time. “What I’m asking? That you’ll trust me when I say that having you naked and in my bed isn’t all I want, and that you’ll give me a chance to prove it.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know…”

“I can’t make you any promises. I don’t know where this will lead, but I want to find out.” As he said the words, he knew as much as he’d tried to deny them, he meant them. Every damn word. He should get up and walk out, stop this now, but he couldn’t, couldn’t walk away from her. That scared the hell out of him. “You gonna give me that shot, Rusty?”

Chapter Ten

The man staring at her from across the table, eyes dark, the sincerity of his words shining through, was a man she wanted to spend time with. A lot more time. But there was also something else, a shadow. She’d seen it when he talked about his family, and she realized he had demons in his past, just like she did. They’d made him the man he is now. She desperately wanted to know what caused those demons, wanted to know everything.

He’d told her how it was, despite the fact he’d worked out she had an issue where men were concerned. The man was astute, knew she didn’t want to be seen as nothing but an object, yet he hadn’t given her some line about wanting her only for her mind. He’d laid it out straight. Yes, he thought she was attractive, but he wanted her to show him more, what lay underneath. No other guy had ever bothered to try to find out.

But most importantly, she wanted him. There was no point pretending otherwise. The man was on her mind constantly, had been since he walked into her workshop several weeks ago.

His fingers, still wrapped around hers, gave her a little squeeze. “What do you say?”

She searched his face, and he hid nothing, it was all there—heat, determination, curiosity. She released the breath she’d been holding and jumped off a cliff. “Yeah, I’ll give you that chance.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, smiling because the guy did that to her. “I’d like to get to know you too, Reid.”

The smile he offered was wide and looked extremely good on him. “That’s good, baby.”

He’d been honest with her, and he deserved the same in return. Her tummy flipped at the prospect. She took a bite of her pizza to stall…and moaned. He was right. The pizza was delicious. Reid continued to watch her, making her heart beat a little faster.

She knew she came across a certain way, and it didn’t take a psychic to work out that Reid had been with more than his fair share of women. Pipe and Alex knew about her past, knew what had happened and why she didn’t date. Her experience where sex was concerned was limited, as in, born-again-virgin status. Maybe he wouldn’t care, but in the spirit of honesty, no matter how humiliating, she knew she had to open up, at least a little. It would be a hell of a lot more embarrassing if, when they finally got down to business, rather than burn up the sheets, she disappointed him.

It had been a long damn time since she’d wanted a man like she did Reid. She didn’t want to screw this up before it properly began.

Lifting his glass, he took a sip of wine, licking the ruby liquid from his bottom lip before placing the glass on the table. Shit, he even made drinking wine look hot. A shiver of need moved through her. God, she wanted that mouth, that tongue on her.

“What’s on your mind?” he said, jarring her from her wandering thoughts.

She finished chewing her last bite of pizza, then took a gulp of her wine, folded and unfolded the napkin in front of her, trying to find the right way to start. “Um…well, you see…”

“What is it, Rusty?” He’d stopped eating, wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin, and sat back, watching her with an intensity that made her squirm in her seat. His jaw tightened. “Is there someone else?”

“What?”

“I don’t share. We see where this is going, we do it exclusively.”

His posture was stiff, fists clenched in front of him, but dammit, all she could hear was the word exclusively. He didn’t want to share her, and he didn’t plan to date anyone else. She liked that, a whole lot. A smile lifted of its own volition, and then she realized he didn’t look quite as happy as she felt.

“That’s it? You’re seeing someone…”

“No.” She held up her hands. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. I haven’t dated, well, not seriously, in a long time…like, a looong time.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded.

“How long?”

She inwardly winced. “Eight…um, years.”

Silence. “You want to repeat that?” he finally said.

No.

She did some more squirming. “I mean, I’ve had the odd date, but nothing, um…more.” Then, without giving herself a chance to chicken out, she blurted, “What I’m trying to say is, I haven’t slept with anyone in eight years, and that was only the one time. So if you’re expecting some freak between the sheets, you’re dating the wrong woman.” There, she’d said it.

She risked another look at him. He sat there, motionless, like a damn statue, eyes locked on her. She’d shocked him. “Um, Reid?”

“You’re telling me, you have only had sex with one guy? And that was eight years ago…once?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” Great, she’d put him off. She’d hoped her lack of experience wouldn’t be a problem, but judging by the expression on his face, she’d been wrong.

“You were what? Seventeen?”

“Eighteen.”

He sat back in his chair again, more emotions moving behind his eyes, but this time she had no hope of figuring them out. “This guy took your virginity, then…nothing?”

“Nothing.”

His gaze turned hard, intense, and his fists clenched again. “He hurt you?”

“No. Nothing like that.” And he hadn’t, not physically anyway. “It was my choice.”

He seemed to relax before her eyes, his fierce gaze still blazing hot, but in a completely different way. She shivered.

“Fuck.” Then he groaned and cursed again.

“What is it?” Okay, he was confusing the hell out of her now. “Is that going to be a problem for you? I just thought you should know…so if we, ya know…you won’t be disappointed.”

He sucked in a shaky breath. “Come here, Foxy.”

They were in a corner in the back of the restaurant, the lighting dim, no one was paying them any attention. She stood and went to him. It seemed she could refuse him nothing.

When she reached his side, he slid those big, warm hands around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap. “Look at me,” he said, like she had an option, like she could do anything else when he was near. “First, there’s no if, there is only when. I’ve already told you I want you in my bed, and that’s gonna happen, yes?”

Her belly fluttered. “Yes.”

“Second, nothing you could do when we’re together could disappoint me, nothing. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she whispered, melting more and more by the second.

“Third.” He shook his head. “Foxy, I don’t think you get how hot that is for a guy, knowing besides one idiot—because it isn’t hard to work out the guy was an idiot—you haven’t let another man inside, haven’t let another man touch your body. And, baby, knowing your first time was your only time, means I’m gonna be the first man to show you what it is to be treated right. The first man to make you come so hard, you scream.”

Heat rushed between her thighs at his dark promise, and she wriggled in his lap, squeezing her thighs together to ease the ache. He wasn’t wrong. Her first time had been awful in more ways than one. There had been only discomfort and humiliation. Common sense told her that her hesitation over having sex again was because of what happened that night. But for the first time since then, listening to the rough, lust-filled edge to his voice, shit, it all just—slipped away. All she could think about right then was how it would feel to have his weight pressing her into his mattress, his mouth on hers, the feel of that big cock, currently digging into her ass, moving inside her.

One of his hands slid into her hair, fisting gently, bringing her in close, his lips an inch from hers. “You want that? You want to know how it feels when a man rides you so hard all you can do is take it, until you explode around his cock, screaming his name?”

She licked her lips. “Yes, I want that.”

The grip on her hair tightened, but instead of kissing her, he buried his nose against her throat, whiskers scraping her sensitive skin. When he spoke, his voice was low, husky. “I can’t wait to give it to you.”

A tremor moved through her, and she gasped when he nipped at her throat, knew he’d felt it when he chuckled darkly against her skin.

“If I slid my hand under your dress, my fingers inside your panties, I know I’d find you wet and hot.” He made a low sound, a combination somewhere between a growl and a groan. “You been taking care of yourself a long time, Foxy. You must be fucking hungry for it. I bet you’re drenched right now.” He nipped her ear. “You drenched, baby?”

Jesus. The things he said—she should probably be pissed, but God help her, she loved it. Loved the rough, crude way he spoke to her. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?” she said.

He cursed low, then suddenly she was on her feet. He pulled his wallet from his pocket, threw a pile of cash on the table, then his hand wrapped around her wrist, and he towed her toward the door. He didn’t stop to say good-bye and headed straight to his big black ex-hearse parked around the side of the restaurant.

He unlocked her door first, and she scrambled inside. His opened a second later, and he slid into the driver’s seat. He turned to her, and before she could open her mouth and ask what was going on, his hands were on her hips and she was in his lap, legs bracketing his heavy thighs.

“What are you—”

His hands went to either side of her face, and he pulled her down, their mouths crashing together, all teeth, lips, tongues. Both wanting it all and taking it. His erection was right there, and she couldn’t help but grind down on it, letting out a moan at the exquisite sensation of having him between her thighs. He did some more of that growling she was growing to love, and it egged her on. She moved her hips against his, rubbing his hard, denim-covered cock over her swollen clit, gasping into his mouth every time she rasped over the sensitive bundle of nerves.

“You’re fucking hungry for it, aren’t you, Foxy?”

She couldn’t speak, could only feel. The next thing she knew, she was on her back along the bench seat of the Plymouth, and Reid was between her thighs. “You want to come, beautiful?”

“Yes.” She tried to lift her hips to get more of that amazing friction. “Please.”

One of his hands took both of hers and pinned them above her head, and he looked down at her. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

She did as he asked, and he started moving his hips against hers, denim scraping over lace. She lifted her ass higher, seeking more, and he gave it to her, dry humping her in the front of his car like a couple of teenagers.

“I want inside that tight, hot body,” he hissed. “But you’re not ready for what I want to give you, not tonight. You’re not ready for the way I want to fuck you, but I can still make you scream for me.”

He bent down and took her nipple into his mouth, through the light fabric of her dress. The hand not holding her wrists immobile moved down and gripped her ass, angling her hips. She whimpered and thrashed beneath him, desperate, so hot and hungry. She didn’t care that she was all but begging him to make her come, not when she could feel her orgasm racing up on her.

Her inner muscles convulsed, and she moaned long and low. Then Reid bit down on her nipple, and she flew apart, shuddering and crying out his name. The whole time, Reid continued to move on top of her, until she was gasping for breath. She was vaguely aware of him stiffening, a shudder moving through his big body, his deep groan, right before she collapsed in a boneless heap beneath him.

After a few minutes, the silence closed in around them, the only sound Reid’s harsh breathing. His lips brushed her ear. “That was beautiful, sweetheart.” Then a low, almost agonized groan vibrated through his chest. “But shit, Rusty, you made me come in my pants like a fuckin’ horny teenager.”

She blinked up at him. “You what?”

He blew out a breath, and she was sure she could see his cheeks grow red. “The way you came apart for me, the way you responded…” He shook his head and grinned down at her. “Foxy, you made me blow a load in my jeans.”

She couldn’t help it—she felt almost high after the mind-blowing orgasm she’d just had, and the knowledge that she’d made this man, a man who seemed to have control in every aspect of his life, lose it completely…

Plus, the goofy smile on his face was just too damn much. She started giggling.

He smirked. “You think this is funny?”

She nodded, grinning. “No.”

“Woman, you’re killing me here.”

She bit her lip to try to stop the giggles, but it wasn’t working. “I’m not laughing at you, really I’m not.” And she wasn’t, she was just so happy, ridiculously, stupidly so, and then there was the look on his face, he just looked so…horrified. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and completely lost it. Throwing her head back, she laughed her ass off.

A moment later, Reid buried his face against her throat, and she heard it, a sound she knew she’d never get sick of hearing—his deep rumbling laughter.