by Eve R. Hart
“Food preference?”
“Hmmm…I’m kind of in the mood for pizza. I like mushrooms and pepperoni.”
“I don’t suppose you have the stuff to make that here?” I asked, knowing damn well that I wouldn’t be able to make it even if she did.
“Oh, of course not,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way to her bedroom.
Thank God for smartphones. In just three minutes, I had found a place nearby and ordered two extra large pies, knowing that it would be more than enough for both of us. I may have been thinking ahead because I had no plans to leave here for as long as possible. I didn’t have a problem with leftovers, and I hoped she didn’t either. I wasn’t sure when her next shift was, but I was going to take advantage of every free minute until then.
It took everything in me not to make my way back to her bedroom and into the attached bathroom that I knew was there. Just the thought of her naked and soaped up…well, you know.
Damn. I really needed to keep that shit under control right now. I didn’t need to be answering the door with a giant hard-on.
Fuck!
I pulled my hair free and ran my fingers through it. Nothing was helping.
Baseball.
Math equations.
Elephants pooping.
Ethel naked on a scooter.
Okay, that last one did it. I blinked as my body did a hard shudder. I loved the hell out of that old bat, but there was no way I wanted to think about her naked.
“You alright there?” Rosemarie asked and I jerked to my feet.
I hadn’t heard her and I guessed she witnessed my body’s reaction to my thoughts.
“Yeah, great. Perfect.”
I took her in, from her cute light pink painted toes to the sexy half-smile she held on her face. Who knew that dusty pink and gray plaid flannel pants could be so sexy on a woman? Paired with an off the shoulder sweatshirt, and damn…made a man want to just curl up on the couch with that. And by man, I meant me. I could just see it, and I couldn’t deny that it made me smile.
Her hair was still damp and she had it pulled back into a low ponytail.
“Okay,” she said with a slight sigh when the room stayed too quiet for too long.
I mean, I had to be honest, I was frozen in my spot. Not only was I thoroughly thrown by this woman, I was also starved for her. I was so afraid to make the wrong move. Hell, I didn’t even know what move I had to make. I got that she wanted me. That was good, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. I needed to know that she wanted more than just my body, than just what I could give her physically.
“What now?” she asked looking deep into my eyes as she waited for my answer.
“I…” Feeling the need to stall, I cleared my throat. I let out a strange, nervous laugh. “I honestly have no fucking clue.”
“You’re here. I mean…” She pressed her lips together and shook her head like she was still in shock. “I don’t know what I mean.”
I crossed the room and took her in my arms. I should have kept my distance. Being close to her was just too much—for both of us, it seemed. I loved how when I wrapped my arms around her, she melted into me. And that little sigh that escaped her as I pulled her closer, yeah, that got my heart racing.
“Yes, I’m here. I’m going to just say all of this and hope that I’m not going to sound crazy or scare you off. I can’t stop thinking about you. Yes, I am grateful for everything you did for me that night. I will never be able to thank you enough. But that’s not it. And I don’t want to beat around the bush or play coy. I have seen how fucked up things can go when people try to hide their feelings. So, I don’t want to. I want you to know that whatever this is between us, I want to dive right into it. I want to see it grow and I want to be the best—and only—man in your life. Oh, and in your bed.”
There, I tossed my heart out at her feet. I put it all out there and I hoped to fuck that she was going to pick it up.
“Oh, you’ve been the only man in my bed in a really long time.” With a cock of her brow, her words hit my ears with a playful, sassy tone.
I couldn’t help it, my head fell back and I laughed.
“Baby,” I said after I regained myself. My lips right next to her ear as I whispered deeply. “Just wait until you really get me in your bed, you won’t even remember that you ever had anyone else in there.”
Her body did a hard shiver. I smiled and placed a light kiss just behind her ear.
Then there was a knock at the door.
Fucking saved by the…pizza delivery guy?
I was trying my fucking hardest to resist the urge to rip her clothes off and see how many times I could make her come in one night. And not that I didn’t want to do that, because come on, I sure as fuck did, but I wanted her to know that it was more than me just wanting to get in her pants. And until I made that point and saw that she really got that this was happening, I was going to keep my dick tucked away.
“I’ll get it,” I said as I popped her ass and stepped back. “Go get comfortable.”
I reached down and adjusted my crying dick as I made my way to the door. I paid the kid, took the pizza, and then went in search of plates in the kitchen.
“Mushroom and pepperoni for the sexy nurse lady,” I said as I handed her a plate with two huge slices.
Then I pulled out one of the bottles of water that I had tucked under my arm.
I watched as she unfolded her legs and sat up straighter as the excitement about the food danced in her eyes. Then I took the other end of the couch. We were silent for a few bites, both of us locked in some sort of trance with each other.
“What kind did you get?” she asked as she tried to lean over to get a look. To be fair, the couch was really long. I hated that we were so far apart, but the distance was needed right now.
“Olives and pineapple,” I responded taking a huge bite as I waited for the ‘eww’ or scrunched up face of disgust. I got that a lot. The brothers never wanted to share when it came to my choice of pizza. Eh, whatever. I liked it and that was all that mattered.
“That sounds…interesting.”
“Would you like to try it?” I asked holding it out to her a little shocked that she didn’t write it off instantly. Also, it fucking made me smile.
“What the hell,” she said with a shrug as she leaned over and took a good-sized bite. “Not bad. Yeah, okay, I’d eat that.”
Could this really be the woman of my dreams?!
“Are you saying you’d share an olive and pineapple pie with me?” This was a big deal. I was sure she didn’t see it like I did, but it truly was.
“Yeah,” she said like it wouldn’t even be a question.
“I knew you were perfect for me,” I blurted out like a nervous teenager on his first date. Wow, when the hell did I lose my cool?
“Well,” she said with a laugh. “If that’s all it takes then I might not be so special.”
“Oh, you are,” I assured her. “I have yet to find anyone that would eat this on their pizza. You are quite the woman.” Ha! There, got a bit of that charm back, and it maybe worked on her just a little.
“Okay, so I know people call you Bocca. And that you have amazing hair. And that you are Mr. Smooth. You belong to a motorcycle club. Oh, and you like odd toppings on your pizza. What else is there?”
“I’m good with computers,” I said and watched her. Her eyes narrowed and for some reason, I felt like she could read me like an open book. Like she was able to see what I wasn’t saying. “I belong to the Steel Paragons MC down in Moon Hill. I live in a small room on the compound because I haven’t really had a reason to buy a place of my own yet. I do an apple cider vinegar rinse on my hair twice a week to keep it looking like this. It really helps make it shine.” I added a wink after that because I could tell that she really liked my hair. “I have never had a relationship. Uhhh…I don’t know what else.”
“Well, that’s a start, Mr. We Should Talk.”
“Ask me somethin
g. Anything.” I said and I knew I’d be honest with her no matter what. “But just be prepared to answer the same question.” I smirked then took a huge bite of my pizza.
“Oh, no. This sounds like it could get dangerous.”
Man, this woman was awesome. Playful. Sweet. Sexy—oh, so fucking sexy. Smart. Just, fucking perfect.
“Where are you from?”
“Chicago,” I answered without hesitation. To this, she raised a brow.
“You don’t sound like you’re from Chicago…”
Yeah, I knew that. And at times, I really laid into the southern accent. I had immersed myself in the culture the moment I got down here. Maybe it was an act. But mostly, I liked to think that it was me finding my place and trying my best to fit in…and well, now it had just kind of rubbed off after all these years.
That was the one thing I couldn’t hide, when I got serious the southern twang fell away. No somethin’ or goin’. There was suddenly Gs on the end of everything.
“I’ve been here a long time. Plus, I was a little sheltered growing up. What about you?”
“A small town called Polk City, Iowa. It’s just north of Des Moines. I actually moved to Des Moines right after I graduated high school.”
“Not a small town girl?” I asked. We seemed to be the opposite. I ran from a huge city that you could get lost in and found one where everyone not only knew you, but knew your business as well. She had left the quaint town setting to get lost in the big city. Or, that was what I was assuming.
“Um…no, it wasn’t that…”
Her words trailed off and I could tell there was something she wasn’t all that ready to talk about. But I wanted to know. I wanted her to understand that I would be there no matter what she had to tell me. That it wouldn’t change how I felt about her.
I set my empty plate down on the coffee table, then grabbed hers and did the same.
She softened and after a deep breath in, she began to tell me her story. It seemed that she had her life planned out perfectly. She knew what she wanted to do with her life and set out to achieve that goal right after she graduated. She was close to her family and that was her reason for choosing the nearest big city to move to. She knew she wouldn’t get anywhere in the small town. She’d always wanted to be a nurse and she loved her job. But that last part I knew already. It was written all over her which was also something that I loved about her.
Her grandmother had been the one to teach her Italian. Apparently, her grandmother was all Italian, coming over from Italy when she was barely twenty after she fell in love with an American man.
I found myself smiling as I listened to her talk about her grandparents. I loved how wistful she got telling me about how they were total opposites but loved each other deeply.
When she told me that her dad was Japanese, I immediately saw it in her features. The mix of Italian and Asian was there, perfectly blended. Her eyes almond in shape and set flat against her face. The bridge of her nose wide but the nostrils small and close together. Her lips full but small and came together at sharp points. Perfectly stunning.
Then she told the story of how she met a man. This was hard to hear but I listened intently because I wanted to know everything about her.
“I thought I was in love with him,” she said. “But now that I look back at it, I think that I was just hoping for something that wasn’t there. After a year of dating, I moved in with him. Another two years went by and I realized that he was never going to propose. The more I hoped he would, the further that dream faded away.”
She paused and I gave her time. I wasn’t going to push her because I knew she’d get it out when she was ready. Obviously, they weren’t still together. I wasn’t sure of that, but by the tone and the fact that there wasn’t a man around—or hints to one—I assumed he was no longer in the picture.
“Then one day I woke up and just felt nothing. I had been with him for nearly five years and just like that, I was ready to let it go.”
I reached over and pulled her body into mine. I was half sprawled out on the couch, one leg bent with my foot still on the floor, the other stretched out along the crease of the cushions. And she fit between them with her head resting on my chest. Fucking heaven.
“I needed a change,” she went on. “So I applied for jobs all over. This was the first good one that came along and I didn’t hesitate to pack up and move. He…well, he didn’t seem to care at all. The day I left, he told me that he knew it was never going to work between us. And that would have maybe been okay if he’d said it out of anger, but I knew him, and it was just like whatever.”
I wrapped my arms around her and gave her body a firm, comforting squeeze.
“Now it’s your turn,” she whispered, her fingers lazily making circles on my chest. “Tell me all about you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Rosemarie
I half expected him to stiffen and clam up at my demand for his life story. I for some reason figured he wasn’t the open, share-my-story kind of guy.
Turned out that I was wrong. And right there, as he held me in his arms, he told me it all. From the absent parents to the overachieving goals they had placed on his shoulders at an early age. To the whole boatload of people that he had in and out of his life that were there to mold his mind the way his parents saw fit. It basically sounded like he was isolated and raised by strangers.
It made me sad for him. The glimpses that I’d seen of the real man had been nothing short of vibrant and fun, even when he had been suffering in pain. It hurt my heart that he hadn’t been allowed to be that as a kid. The way he was raised was absurd, in my opinion. No child should be locked away. They should be free. They should be able to run away with their imagination and experience the joy of friendships. They should learn about life through being thrust into it, not from reading about it in books.
“So, wait, how old were you?” I asked coming out of my thoughts and catching part of what he had just said.
He laughed as he stroked my hair, the sound vibrating through his chest and for some reason, I loved that sound more now that I’d heard his story.
“Fifteen.”
My jaw fell open as I looked at him.
“You were fifteen when you lost your virginity? How old was she?” I was in way too much shock to be jealous. Not that I would be anyway, it wasn’t like I knew him back then.
“Uh,” he said actually looking a bit sheepish. “Ten years older than me.”
“That’s just…” I couldn’t think of a nice way to put it. Wrong? Ew? Seriously fucked up?
“To be fair, I was advanced for my age and seemed much older. But yeah, I can see it now how it was a bit messed up.”
“I’m sure you thought you were like some stud back then, didn’t you?”
“Oh, hell yeah.” He smiled widely, showing his teeth.
Then he carried on, telling me how he left home two years later. He told me his journey of how he ended up at Moon Hill and joining the Steel Paragons. I could tell there were a few details he was leaving out but I didn’t push. If this thing was real, then we had nothing but time.
“So, are we done talking?” I asked after he wrapped up his story.
I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I had an idea of why he had held himself back and while it was respectable and sweet, I was done waiting. I sat up and straddled him and my mouth attacked his.
We’d been touching for far too long at this point and not doing anything. Yes, I loved it, just being there in his arms and talking. But it had been way too long since I’d had these feelings running through me, and even longer since I’d been truly touched. My blood was boiling. My heart was pounding. And my head was clouded with lust.
I needed to be naked, now.
And I needed him to be, as well.
“Fuck, Rosemarie,” he breathed out as I broke away and started kissing down his neck.
His hands slid inside my pants and he grabbed my ass hard. Since I was wearing
a thong, there was nothing between his huge palm and my soft cheeks.
My hips rocked against him on their own accord.
Moans tore themselves free from the depths of my throat.
A shiver worked its way down my spine.
And I was completely gone to the world around me.
“I want you so bad, Rosemarie,” he said as he gripped my ass harder and worked me faster over his covered hardness. “I won’t even lie and say I haven’t thought of this. Too many fucking times to count.”
In a blink, he was up on his feet and slinging me over his shoulder. I let out a surprised squeal and he popped my butt with one hard swat. Then he took off like a man possessed in the direction of my bedroom.
Very gently, he bent over and laid me on the bed like I was a cherished treasure. He kept his eyes on me as he reached out and flicked on the dim bedside lamp. The look in his eyes told me he was going to devour me slowly.
His fingers lightly skimmed over my skin as he slid my shirt up and over my head. Then he did the same to my pants, taking his time to touch every part of me that he could. His warm, rough fingers caused my skin to prickle all over.
“You are so beautiful,” he breathed onto my flesh as he kissed his way up my torso.
My fingers threaded into his hair, holding him to me like I never wanted him to leave.
Then he took my lips again. I opened for him without hesitation and his tongue lazily sought out mine. His fingers skimmed over my panties before sliding inside the fabric.
He didn’t rush. He didn’t push into me. Instead, the tips circled my soaked entrance drawing a long, desperate moan from me.
“So wet for me,” he stated like I didn’t already know that. And I was sure he had a good idea that I was before he tested the waters, too.
He leaned back and stripped me of the rest of my clothes. Then he sat there, staring down at me, taking in every inch of me as if he were trying to memorize every little detail. I should have felt freaked out and wanted to shy away. But I didn’t. I felt safe and beautiful, even as he pushed my legs open and settled himself there.
