by Hope Stone
“Stop,” I said breathlessly. She did, looking up at me with confusion. “I’ve got to come inside you, baby. And I don’t mean in that pretty little mouth of yours. Not this time.”
I kicked off my jeans and boxers but stopped long enough to grab my wallet and the condom that I always kept in there. Pressing another kiss to Erica’s lips, I moved forward onto the bed. I made quick work of removing the dress she was wearing, only to stop and stare at the lingerie underneath. Black lace covered her most private areas, but not well enough to truly hide them. I could still see bare flesh peeking out and the outline of two very erect nipples.
I wanted to take my time to explore every inch of her with my tongue, but I didn’t think I could wait another second to be inside of her. Besides, we’d have time for slow exploration later. We had all night, after all.
I pulled her panties off and placed my hand at her entrance to find that she was wet and ready for me.
“Oh my, you want this, don’t you?” I asked, dipping a finger inside and watching her squirm. “Have you been fantasizing about this like I have? Do you touch yourself when you think of me?”
Erica gasped and threw her head back as I pumped my finger in and out of her, but she didn’t answer.
“I said, do you touch yourself when you think of me?” I repeated, dipping my head down to her chest and lightly biting her nipple through her bra.
“Yes,” she cried out.
I put my thumb on her clit and rubbed in time with my pumping finger. “Yes, what?”
“Yes, I touch myself while thinking about you,” she admitted. There was a desperation in her voice, and I knew just what she was needy for.
I pulled my hand away, and she let out a soft cry of protest. I ripped open the condom and quickly rolled it on while she shed her bra. Lining myself up at her entrance, I kissed her, thrusting my tongue into her mouth at the same time that I drove my hips forward, burying myself inside her.
She gripped my shoulders so tightly that I thought her fingernails might cut me open, but I didn’t mind. I like a sharp little bite of pain to go with my pleasure. It just made everything feel even better.
I started to move in and out, slowly at first, but then building momentum until I was pounding her into the mattress. She met me at every thrust, taking everything I had to give and crying out for more. Every gasp and moan was music to my ears, and I couldn’t get enough of the way she shuddered with pleasure. She was so damn hot when she did that, and I wasn’t sure how long I could stand it without coming.
But I was a big believer in ladies first. So I gritted my teeth and kept going until a fine sheen of sweat coated both of our bodies.
“On my God, Trainer. I’m… I’m… Fuck, I’m coming. Trainer!”
Erica’s orgasm hit, and she screamed my name. It was fucking incredible to know that I had given her so much pleasure. Then her tight, wet heat started to convulse around my cock, as if trying to milk it. That was it, no more holding back as I exploded. A primal, guttural sound escaped me as I let loose.
I collapsed onto the bed beside Erica afterward. All the strength left my body, sapped by the powerful climax I’d just experienced.
I gathered Erica into my arms and kissed her forehead. We lay there quietly for several minutes, basking in the afterglow of our union. I was just thinking that I needed to go into the bathroom and deal with the condom when Erica sat up in bed with a gasp.
“Oh, shit. The steaks!”
She started to scramble out of bed, but I reached out and stopped her. “Don’t worry, I took care of that when I came in. I moved them off the heat, or what was left of them, anyway, and I turned the oven off.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe I did that.” She lowered her head and rubbed her temples.
“Well, you were pretty shaken up,” I reasoned.
“Yeah,” she agreed, “There’s still a part of me that thinks I should get out of here, run somewhere new, and hope he doesn’t find me, but I can’t be happy that way. I think that’s why I fell to pieces when he called. I had let my guard down here and allowed myself happiness. I’ve been thinking about a future.” She reached over and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Then my ugly past came back up and reminded me that I can’t move on until that’s dealt with.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“I’ll stay,” she said, not sounding completely sure. “But I’m not sure what to do about Jeff yet.”
“You’ll figure it out. And I’ll be here to support you.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say three little words that were way too early. I surprised even myself with that one, but it felt right somehow.
Erica and I salvaged what we could of dinner, eating in bed and talking about anything that wasn’t Jeff. Erica wanted an escape, and I gave it to her. Then later, I gave myself a treat by taking my time with her and exploring her whole body with my mouth and hands. She was amazing.
Erica
I was starting to think that I might love Trainer. I told myself that I was crazy, that it was too soon, but that didn’t change the way that my heart stuttered just from being near him. There was no stopping these feelings. I was crazy about him. The evidence was in what happened last night. I didn’t think anyone else in the world could have cut through my panic the way he did.
I woke up first this morning, which had never happened before. In the days that I had been staying at Trainer’s apartment, he woke up before me every day. I assumed he was one of those morning people that I would never understand.
When I turned over in bed and saw that he was still out like a light, I took a few minutes to study his face. His naturally tanned skin was smooth, and his lips plump. His beard was full, but he kept it clean and trimmed. I never would have thought that I would be attracted to a bearded man, as it had never been my type before, but it worked for him, adding to the sexy biker vibe that he had going on. I smiled as I watched him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. It almost made him look younger even.
He was still naked from our activities the night before, and I let my eyes wander down his chest, noting a long, thin scar on his right pectoral. I wondered what it was. A knife wound, maybe? His full sleeve tattoo actually started on his chest as a series of swirls and curves that became tighter and interlocked together along his shoulder. Then shapes started to form along his bicep. I saw motorcycles, skulls, the Outlaw Souls logo, and what looked like tools, maybe. The images were all in black and gray, and they ended at his wrist. The more I looked at it, the more I saw.
“What are you staring at so intently?” Trainer asked, startling me. He had woken up at some point.
I smiled. “Just trying to get a good look in the light of day,” I said, tracing the edge of a skull on his forearm with the tip of my finger. “What would you think if I got a tattoo?”
“That’d be fucking hot.”
“Does it hurt really bad?”
“Depends on where you get it,” he said, talking through a yawn. “I’m not going to lie, around the elbow hurt like a bitch.”
He held up his arm, showing me a starburst pattern at his elbow.
“I was thinking that I should get something significant to me. Like the word perseverance along my wrist maybe. Some kind of reminder of what I’ve been through and that I’m stronger for it.”
I did feel that way, even though I’d had a moment of weakness last night. The fact was that I wasn’t the same woman that had stuck around for years in that shitty situation.
“You just have to make sure you’ll be happy with it. They’re forever, ya know.”
We got out of bed. I was supposed to pick Dominic up at Elaine’s house at ten, so I had an hour until I had to leave. Trainer and I both needed a shower, so we got in together, but it was a while before any actual cleaning was done. I couldn’t believe how much I wanted this man after we’d had sex twice last night. I’d never experienced that before. My only other sexual partner had been Jeff, but even before I realized wha
t a scumbag he was, I didn’t want him like this. And the sex was incomparable. Jeff was selfish, and Trainer was… earth-shattering.
The word love crossed my mind again, and I tried to ignore it. I had to find a way to get Jeff to leave me alone before I could allow myself to go there.
When we went downstairs, I picked up the broken pieces of my phone. I hoped with all my heart that Dominic hadn’t tried to call me to pick him up last night. I hadn’t been thinking about that when I broke the damn thing. In fact, I hadn’t had a rational thought at all until Trainer showed up. It was amazing what effect fear could have on the mind.
I threw the cell phone away and took Gizmo outside to use the bathroom while Trainer got the coffee pot going. The back was much like the front in that it was one big porch divided in half. I was standing on my half when Talia came outside, choosing to grab a cigarette on the back porch this time.
“You got a dog, huh?” she asked. She looked like hell, with dark circles under her eyes, and her clothes looked dirty.
“Yeah, for my son.”
“Ugly little thing.” She was eyeing his scars with distaste.
I frowned, but I didn’t want to get pulled into an argument with her, so I didn’t respond. I just wanted Gizmo to hurry up and pick a spot to poop so I could go inside and grab a cup of coffee before leaving to pick up Dominic.
“I saw that bike out front. So you’re fucking one of those Outlaw Souls, huh?”
“I’m dating one of them, yes.”
“They think they’re so great, busting up in my house like they have a right to be here. They don’t. They think they can act like the damn police in La Playa.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. Swole had told me about the meth lab and that their rivals were responsible, but that was it.
“I’m just saying,” she went on, “I didn’t have problems like this before you moved in.”
“I didn’t rat you out if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said tiredly. I had bigger things to worry about right now. “I didn’t even know you were doing that stuff over there.”
“I wasn’t doing anything. It was Rage. The basement was his man cave.”
“Rage? Is that your boyfriend’s nickname or something?”
“He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” she spat bitterly. “He was pissed when I told him that his stash was gone.”
“So you’re not mad that he did this?” I asked incredulously. I was furious that my child had been put in danger, and I didn’t even have a personal relationship with the man. She should be pissed and feel betrayed.
“You know what? I think you’re a nosy bitch. Tell your damn friends to leave me alone.”
Talia took a last drag off her cigarette before flicking it into the grass. Lovely.
I watched as she turned her back on me and strutted into her half of the house. A nudge against my calf brought my attention to Gizmo, who was sitting on the porch beside me, wagging his tail.
“That was weird. Huh, boy?” I bent down and patted his head. “I guess some people just need someone to blame when their life implodes.”
“Talking to yourself?” Trainer asked from the doorway. He was shirtless and looking at me with a little half-smile.
“Talking to my good friend, Gizmo,” I replied. “Now I need to go get Dominic.”
“And I need to meet a buyer for the Triumph Bonneville I just finished restoring.”
I came back into the house with Gizmo trailing behind. “Then we’ll meet here for dinner tonight?”
It wasn’t really a question. Things had changed in our relationship last night. I wasn’t sure if it was because we’d finally moved forward physically or because I had accepted that I was going to stay in La Playa no matter what. Either way, we weren’t dating casually anymore.
“I can grab a pizza or something,” he suggested.
“Mama Mae was right, you don’t cook anything, do you?”
“Nope.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Let’s meet at the park first. Dominic and I can meet you at six-thirty.”
“It’s a date,” he said, kissing my lips before heading upstairs to finish getting dressed.
I pushed all thoughts of Talia out of my mind as I poured a cup of coffee into my travel mug. Instead, I thought about Jeff. Hearing from him last night was a shock, and his threats were causing lingering anxiety, but I couldn’t live in fear any longer. He might have money and resources, but he was only human.
I had to abandon thoughts of him as some kind of boogeyman. That was giving him too much credit.
Trainer
“Are you whistling?” Swole asked as she came into the garage where I was working on my bike. It was almost due for a tune-up, and I liked to stay on top of that. It was basic motorcycle maintenance.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said without looking up at her. I just hoped that she didn’t recognize what I had been whistling.
“Wasn’t that something from a video game? Mario, maybe?”
Yes, it was. The Bowser’s castle music had been stuck in my head all morning.
“It’s Dominic’s favorite video game,” I said. “And he’s really good at it.”
“Typical seven-year-old.”
“He’s almost eight, actually,” I told her. “Next month. Erica wants to have a party.”
Swole stopped on the other side of my bike and looked down at me with a bemused expression.
“What?” I asked snippily.
“You, that’s what. You’re crazy about those two.”
Yeah, I was. But it didn’t exactly feel manly to admit it. I’d catch shit from the single guys in the club if they caught me swooning like this.
“Why are you here?” I asked, not even trying to pretend I wasn’t changing the subject.
“I brought my bike. I’m noticing a squeak in the front brake. It seems to be working fine, but the sound can’t be a good thing.”
“No, probably not.”
Swole was one of the few members that didn’t work on her bike. She’d change the oil, or something else that was basic, but anything else was handled by me or Ryder. Standing from my crouched position beside the bike, I walked over and grabbed a couple of beers from the mini-fridge. Popping the tops off, I handed one to Swole.
“I’ll take a look. Might not get to it until tomorrow though. I’ve got plans this evening.”
“Hot date?” Swole smirked.
“Why are you giving me a hard time?” I asked, exasperated.
“I’m not, asshole.” Swole rolled her eyes at me. “I like Erica. You’re a good match.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Don’t be so damn defensive. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” I said. It was true. I just spent a lot of time with lifelong bachelors that disparaged anyone that settled down. Moves was a prime example. He’d often given Ryder shit about settling for one woman when there were so many to pick from in La Playa.
As usual, Swole seemed to understand where my mind was at without me having to say a word. “Fuck anyone that gives you a hard time. You find your happiness and take it. You’ll be a better man for it.”
“You think so?” I asked, taking a big swig of my beer.
“Hell, yeah. You think I’m a bitch now? You shoulda seen me before Tammy made an honest woman outta me.”
I laughed. “Thank God for good women.”
“Amen to that,” she said, and we drank together.
I walked into Tiny’s and spotted Hawk at a table by the door. He was working his way through a mountain of food, which was so typical of him. He was a workaholic, the type to get hyper-focused on whatever he was doing and forget to eat until he was starving. I’d told him a million times that it was unhealthy as hell, but he was a stubborn ox and would continue to do whatever he pleased.
I walked up to the counter and ordered some food for when I meet up with Erica and Dominic. After being told
it would take fifteen minutes, I doubled back and took a seat at Hawk’s table.
“What are you up to?” he asked after swallowing a mouthful of food.
“Picking up dinner.”
“Why not just eat here?” he gestured to the diner around us. “The décor not to your liking?”
“I’m meeting someone. A woman.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Erica Mills. Have you met her yet? She teaches yoga at the fitness center.”
I saw something like surprise flash through Hawk’s eyes. He definitely knew who I was talking about.
“Erica… Erica…” he looked thoughtful. I couldn’t shake the feeling that was an act, but I let him play it that way, for now. “Brown hair? Kid? Rockin’ body?”
“Yes to all three.”
Hawk let out a low whistle. “Damn, you’re hittin’ that? You’re a lucky son of a bitch.”
“Yeah, I am.” I couldn’t help smiling.
“Is it serious?” he asked, a little too casually.
“Yes.” The cagey feeling I’d had when talking to Swole disappeared now as I realized that Hawk might be interested in Erica too. I needed to stake a claim now. “She’s mine.”
“Interesting.” Hawk didn’t seem bothered by my words. He just pierced me with a speculative look.
The waitress brought my order to the table in a couple of white plastic bags to go. I stood up. “Catch you at The Blue Dog for the fight tomorrow night?” I asked.
“I’ll be there.”
The park Erica wanted to meet at was less than a mile from her house. When I asked her why she wanted to go there, she told me that it was a nice day and Dominic could use the exercise. Before I met her, I wouldn’t have thought that I would find responsible parenting to be an attractive feature, but I liked how dedicated she was to her son. It showed what a good woman she was.
