He shook his head. “I’m gone for not ten minutes and you lock me out?”
After another silent moment, one she spent scanning his face, his eyes hardened and narrowed. “Are you gonna explain?”
She found herself blurting, “I thought you left.”
He reared back. “After what we did, you thought I left?”
What was she supposed to think? She woke up, and he was gone. Still, he said it like it was absurd. Instead of answering him, she nodded.
His eyes widened. Then his expression softened. He moved, closing the distance between them and cupping her cheek. “Do I look stupid to you?” He shook his head and chuckled. “Don’t answer that.”
She smiled.
He wiped the grin off his face. “A man’s gotta be a stupid fuck to leave you after that, Lex.” Drawing a strand of her hair away from her face, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “A man’s a stupid fuck he leaves a woman who goes wild like that for him.”
Her smile widened, cheeks flushed. “Sorry, I kind of lost control—”
“Don’t ever apologize for that.” He drifted an arm down her back and wrapped it around her waist, tucking her to his side. He closed and locked the door then turned fully to her. “Was putting my bike away.”
Oh God, and she thought he’d left? That made her look bad in one of the worst ways, insecure. “Sorry…I just—”
He quirked a brow. “Sorry?”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Lex, I know you’ve been hurt, but you gotta trust me. I know I messed up with you in the beginning, but we’re starting new. I don’t want to keep having these discussions.”
So it troubled him to assure her?
She looked away from him to gather her thoughts. “You don’t want to keep having these discussions?”
He nodded.
She pulled away. “Then don’t.”
His brows furrowed.
“You don’t want to trouble yourself with these discussions, then don’t. You know where the door is.” She spun on her heel then felt his hand grasp her upper arm.
He turned her. Surprising, he didn’t look angry. When he spoke, he didn’t sound it either. “I explained this to you, Lex. That conversation we had about me and women?”
How women dodged him? What did that have to do with this?
“That’s happening now. I said something to get you pissed, but, babe, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s no trouble for me to tell you that I care about you, to show you, but I don’t want you to keep thinking that I don’t. I don’t want you to think I’m like all those assholes you dated who hurt you. I’m nothing like them.”
Right. Good thing he explained.
She closed her eyes tightly, feeling nothing but warmth spreading through her chest. “You didn’t say that,” she heard herself say in a small voice. “You said, and I quote, ‘I don’t want to keep having these discussions.’”
“I know I don’t explain shit right sometimes, Lex, so knowing that, you should ask then let me explain. I do and you’re still pissed, then I probably deserve it. Just give me a chance to clarify before you get pissed.”
She nodded.
He pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss. “Let’s get to bed.”
“I…um…have to clean up.”
Releasing her, he quirked a brow. She strode toward the kitchen, but she didn’t make it two steps before she felt the heat of his arm circle her waist and his chest press tight against her back. He lifted her off the floor, walked to the counter, and settled her on it.
“What—”
“You hurt herself.” He grabbed her left foot and lifted it to his face. Dropping it, he did the same with the other. His finger then skimmed her heel. “It hurt?”
She shook her head.
“You got something to clean it with?”
“In my bathroom. I can—”
“Go, I’ll take care of this.”
“You don’t know where I keep my rags.”
He straightened and smirked. “Where do you keep your rags?”
She smiled. “The drawer to the right of the sink.”
“Now I know.” Placing his hands on her hips, he lifted her off the counter, strode a distance away from the broken glass, and set her on her feet. “Go on. I’ll be in bed in a few.”
Turning toward her room, she took three steps before he called her name. She looked over her shoulder.
“Like the nighty, but when I get in bed, I want you naked, like before.”
A shiver skated down her back. She rushed past her room, into her bathroom, cleaned the cut, took off her nighty, and climbed into bed.
Not five minutes later, he appeared at the door. He held her stare for a moment too long then walked toward her slowly. En route, he took off his boots then clothes. The way he did it, taking his time as he undressed, meant she got a good look at him, something she hadn’t had the chance to do before. Tall, big, and chiseled, not in an overly obvious way, in the way anyone could tell he worked out but didn’t obsess about it. His arms, chest, abs, legs, all of him… Just beautiful.
“Like what you see, Lex?”
Her gaze still on his abs, she nodded.
He laughed, making her snap her stare to his handsome face. “You aren’t the only one, babe.”
She smiled. “You ready for bed? I’m exhausted.”
His eyes narrowed playfully. He smirked. “Not yet. I’m gonna make you come a couple more times.”
“So sure of yourself?”
He got into bed directly in front of her, grabbed her hips, and roughly yanked her to him then covered her with his massive body.
The suddenness of it startled and thrilled her. She let out a squeal.
When he positioned himself right between her legs, she wrapped them around him, bringing him closer, and felt him lengthen against her. Jaw clenched, his expression grew intense. She meant to tease him some more, but that hungry look stopped her.
“Are you gonna go wild for me again?”
Breaths growing shallow, she nodded though she didn’t know for sure since she hadn’t planned it before.
He kissed her.
Then he did more.
To her delight and his, she went wild.
Much like the first time, she couldn’t have helped it.
Before she slid into a deep sleep, her chest tucked against his side, his arm around her holding her close, he buried his face in her hair and whispered, “Sweet dreams, my wild woman.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lex had started to believe she’d do just about anything if it made Dodge happy.
They spent much of the last few weeks together. Not just her and him, but Cullen too. In fact, they hadn’t been on a typical date since their first two weeks ago.
He worked. She worked. After work, he cooked, she did, or they ordered in. When he made the meal, they ate at his house, and when she did, they had dinner at hers. Sometimes, the nights he cooked, she made dessert. Usually, she baked cookies, but once, she’d made brownies and another time, a chocolate cake. Leftovers, Dodge took to the garage, which he later told her the brothers devoured five minutes after he walked in. The nights he cooked, if she made dessert, Cullen helped her. Other times, she read to him while Dodge finished dinner. Sometimes, Cullen watched TV or played in the kitchen with his toys. This happened when it was too late to play outside with his friends. The nights she made dinner, Cullen lounged at her house so did Dodge. Every night, she ended up at their place since Cullen’s bedtime was nine. After Cullen fell asleep, she and Dodge spent time alone.
Not only hadn’t they been on a date, but they hadn’t left Cullen with a sitter and Cullen hadn’t had sleepovers either. Technically, they hadn’t been alone. Cullen asleep in a room nearby didn’t count. At first, it made her uneasy because after Cullen went to bed, Dodge made his move. From experience, he touched her, she lost logical thought and rationale.
The first night he tried had been the Satur
day after their first date. They’d spent the day together and ordered pizza for dinner. After eating, they sat around the television and watched a cartoon with Cullen. Dodge sat pressed up against her right side, his arm draped around her shoulders, Cullen to her left. When Cul started to get tired, he laid, placing his head on her lap. She couldn’t help herself then, so she ran her fingers through his dark, thick hair mindlessly.
“You can stop that, Lex. He’s out.”
She turned her head, meeting his eyes, and read something in his gaze. He carried Cullen into his room and tucked him in. Only when Dodge rejoined her did she realize what that look meant—gratitude.
He grabbed her hand, tugged her up and off the couch, and led her into his bedroom. A huge master with a dark wood sleigh bed and matching furniture, the navy bedspread similar to the color on her living room accent wall. The room was masculine and not just because clothes littered the floor. It was a mixture of everything, the furniture, the comforter, the messiness, and hard not to notice, there was no décor. No picture frames on his nightstand, no artwork on the walls, no candles scattered around the room, no vases on his armoire.
She took this in and met his stare. He released her hand and crossed his arms over his chest. She knew by the way he scanned her face he was waiting for her reaction.
“It’s big.”
A slow smile spread across his lips. “That’s all?”
“It’s masculine.”
He chuckled, uncrossed his arms, and lifted a brow. “Lex, you come in my bedroom for the first time, a room that looks like a disaster to me so I know to you, it looks worse, and all you gotta say is that it’s big and masculine?”
“There’s no point in saying it’s a mess because I think you know it is. Beside the fact, it’s rude.” She inched closer to him. “It’s my first time in here, and it’s not my place to say.”
“You’re mine, so it is your place to say.”
He had a point. They were embarking on something new, and it was best to be honest.
She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”
“So what else do you have to say?”
She released a breath. “I don’t know why I have to say something you already know. I’d be nagging then.”
His smile widened. “And you don’t nag?”
She grinned. “I try not to.”
Slowly and purposefully, he closed the distance between them, planted his mouth against hers, and snaked his arms around her waist. She hooked hers around his neck. As she did, he skated one hand up her spine to grip the back of her neck and deepen the kiss.
Need consumed her. That easy, that fast.
She drew away before she got completely lost. Fighting to catch her breath, her eyes met his. He drew his brows together.
“We can’t. Cullen’s—”
“Passed out, babe.” A second later, his lips slanted over hers. He tightened his arms around her waist, plastering her body to his.
Sliding her hands to his chest, she pushed. She only managed to get a millimeter between them, just enough to speak. “We can’t. What if he wakes up or—”
“You gotta be quiet, babe, or you’ll wake Cul.”
She didn’t have time to process that before his mouth covered hers again. When she did, she giggled.
Pulling away on his own, he smirked. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m serious. He doesn’t know we’re together. What if he catches us—”
He released a sigh. “First, he knows more than you think, Lex. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. He’s three, but he isn’t stupid. He may not say much, but he’s always watching, and I’ve seen him looking our way when I sit next to you or grab your hand.”
She hadn’t noticed that. They hadn’t been together long, but around Cullen, Dodge was never overtly affectionate.
“Last, I locked the door, so he isn’t gonna catch us doing anything but being in my room.”
She hadn’t noticed he’d locked the door. Then again, she’d been preoccupied.
“I know you get loud and trust me, babe, I fuckin’ love that, but I think for our sake ’cause Cul’s asleep, you can be quiet, right?”
She hoped so since he was very much right. If she couldn’t be quiet, then they’d never have sex. She didn’t want that. Honestly, she didn’t think she could go weeks waiting until Cullen had a sleepover.
“I don’t know if I can.”
He grinned. “How about I find creative ways to cover your mouth if you get too loud?”
She didn’t know why, had never done it before, but she wanted him to do that. A full body shiver snaked through her making her legs quake. Her body pressed to his, he felt it and took it as a cue.
The next moment, he drove his tongue into her mouth, slid his hands between them, and unbuckled her jeans.
He took her on his bed, him on top, hard and fast, almost desperate. The whole time, he kept his mouth glued to hers. She came undone, moaning softly into his mouth as she did. Before the aftershocks fully faded, he pulled away, gripped her right hip, and flipped her on her stomach. Then grabbing both hips, he lifted her butt off the bed and thrust into her from behind, his balls slamming hard against her clit. She snapped her head back and let out a deep moan.
Instantly, he removed one hand from her hip to wrap around her middle, sliding it swiftly up her chest until it rested between her breasts and he’d grabbed hold of her shoulder. He lifted her upper body. On her knees, her back pressed to his chest, the cool air hit her nipples. She shivered, a whimper escaping her lips.
He covered her mouth with his other hand. His fingers dug into her cheek as he buried his face in her neck. Against her skin, he said, “Fuck me, Lex. Hearing that one moan, almost shot my load.”
She was helpless, and yet, despite her position, she felt in control and turned on beyond belief. It could be what he said, the way he sounded, how his breaths heated the skin on her neck, or how his whole body shook with restraint. Maybe a combination of all four.
“I hate it, but you gotta stay quiet. Okay?” His voice gruff.
Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. Still, he held his hand over her mouth. Nothing she could do but nod.
He waited what seemed like forever. Maybe to torture her, maybe to make it last longer, she had no clue. What she knew—the whole time she prayed he’d put her out of her misery. When he didn’t, she rubbed herself against him. One hand gripped his thigh; with the other, she reached for her clit.
“Fuck me. Are you…” He dug his fingers into her jaw and groaned against her neck. “Are you touching yourself?”
She nodded.
“Fuck.”
He pulled out and thrust inside. Hard. After that, he didn’t stop, but he did place his hand over hers and worked her as she worked herself.
She came a minute later.
A minute after that, he did.
Only then did he uncover her mouth.
After, he slid out, collapsed beside her, hooked his arms around her, and hauled her until her chest lay pressed against his. “Thought I was gonna die waiting to see if we’d woken Cul.”
She had too except she hadn’t known that’s what he’d been doing.
He cupped her cheek. “You do that to me.”
She smiled.
After falling asleep on his chest, she woke around midnight and headed home. Dodge didn’t argue, but he did walk her home.
The next night, they had dinner at her place. Later, they headed across the street to Dodge and Cullen’s. She read to Cullen, per his request, for a half hour before Dodge told Cul he needed to bathe and head for bed. She graded some papers in the meantime. After Cullen fell asleep, Dodge grabbed her hand, tugged her off the couch, and led her into his room. Again, she worried about waking Cul. Dodge assured her Cul had passed out. After two mind-blowing orgasms, she fell asleep beside him. Hours later, she woke, and Dodge walked her home. Now, it was somewhat of a routine. They still tried to be quiet, but she was less w
orried about waking Cul.
In between this routine, she started some of her own. Twice a week, she stayed at school until six grading papers, revamping her corkboards, and writing lesson plans. Decorating the classroom for obvious reasons had to be done while she was at school. The rest though she did at school because she knew if Dodge and Cullen were home, she wouldn’t get anything done. Not their fault but hers.
Everything had been smooth sailing, not only remarkable but unbelievable. It’d only been three weeks since they started dating, but they spent a portion of every one of those days together, which made it feel like they’d been dating for a few months instead of just twenty-one days. Usually, by date twenty-one, she’d already spotted several negative qualities in her partner. Granted with Dodge, she spotted those before they started dating since he’d been a jerk on more than one occasion, but in the last twenty-one days, with the exception of him disliking her workout attire and picking a fight, everything had been great.
It wasn’t just about the sex either. Sex with Dodge was the best, but there was more. He didn’t just cook for her, and she didn’t just make them dinner. She cooked; he stayed in the kitchen with her and vice versa. They talked about their day. They joked and laughed a lot so it felt like they were not just lovers but friends. Several times while she read to Cullen, she spared a glance at him and noticed him watching them with a soft look in his eyes and a smile on his lips, that same expression of gratitude on his face.
She loved that, loved spending time with him, talking to him, loved when he was affectionate. Mostly, she loved seeing him smiling and laughing, looking carefree. He shared some of his life, so she knew he hadn’t had much of that. And she loved, loved Cullen. All these feelings grew by the day, more so as she got closer to Cullen and Dodge. They were becoming a staple in her life.
Case in point, Thursday night, she offered to watch Cullen. While Cullen slept, she had two mind-blowing orgasms. Dodge had one, which she hoped was mind-blowing. They lay facing each other, still naked, cuddled close. Her head rested on his arm. His arm wrapped around her neck, hand buried in her hair, the other on her hip.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Gotta work Saturday. I work Saturdays once a month. The brothers, we take turns so no one has to work every Saturday.”
Riding Hard (Hell Ryders MC Book 4) Page 15
