by Ali Parker
She was naked from the waist down. I rolled across the bed and slapped her ass. She batted my hand away but didn’t move away from me. So I traced the curve of her ass with my palm. Her skin was warm to the touch and softer than silk. I wondered how she kept it that way. Did she even have to try, or was she always this soft? I eased my hand down under her ass cheek and dragged a single finger down the back of her thigh. I drew it back up, tracing swirling patterns on her skin until my hand settled on the inside of her thigh.
Her eyes were heavy as she watched me. She didn’t move or say a word as I pressed forward, letting my hand cup her warm pussy.
Her legs drifted apart, and she stared down at me, her gaze unwavering. “I have to go. And if you do what you did to me last night again, I know I’ll never leave.”
That was kind of the idea. I wanted to bend her over and spread her open again. I wanted to slip my cock inside her. I was rock hard at the thought. “I can’t have just a little bit of fun?”
Ellie shook her head. “Not right now.”
I eased a finger between her lips and felt her wetness against me. I arched an eyebrow, daring her to tell me no again. She sucked in a breath. I eased my finger inside her and moved it slowly in and out. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, and her eyebrows pulled together. The face she made when I was stretching her open was so fucking sexy. I wanted to make her come again. I wanted to hear her moan.
“You can’t spare fifteen minutes? That’s all I need.”
She shook her head. Her eyes fell closed when I pressed deeper inside her.
Suddenly, she stepped away, and I was left with a wet finger. She grabbed her panties, stepped into them, and then hopped in place a couple times as she pulled her jeans on.
I sucked her juices off my finger before getting out of bed and dressing. The taste of her on my tongue was maddening, but I told myself I would have her again soon.
We opted to take one car to her place. I drove because then it gave her a reason to have to come back to my place to get her car. She spent the entire drive with her hand on my cock. I was thick and hard beneath the denim, and she knew what she was doing to me. Maybe it was payback for what I had done to her this morning.
If it was, I hoped it was the kind of thing she would do all the time. Having her hand on me while I gripped the wheel was a fine way to drive.
I parked in front of her apartment and then followed her up the steps and through the front door of the building. We went straight to the back of the building, and she let me into her suite.
A dog came barrelling down the hall toward us right away.
Cade was a happy-go-lucky pit bull with a grinning face and massive tongue. He dragged that tongue up Ellie’s cheek when she crouched down to greet him.
“Oh, gross,” she muttered, dragging the back of her hand across her cheek to wipe away the slobber. She stood up. “Come on, let’s go outside. I know, I know. You’ve been cooped up a while. You can say hi to Axel after you’ve done your business.”
Ellie opened her patio door and practically chased the dog out. Cade ran a few frantic laps of the backyard and then dropped into a squat to, as Ellie had said, “do his business.”
After she let him back in, I dropped to my knees and scratched him behind the ears. Then, I grabbed his snout, shook his head playfully, and wrestled with him for a couple minutes. Ellie watched the entire exchange with a smile.
I played with the dog a bit more while she changed into clothes more appropriate for spending the day at the shop. She emerged from her bedroom wearing a looser pair of jeans, her typical shop boots, and a white T-shirt with several grease stains.
“Ready?” she asked as she filled Cade’s dog bowls with water and dog food.
I nodded.
We got back in my car and drove over to the shop. Without a word, her hand was back on my crotch. I put mine on her thigh. She shifted lower in her seat and took my hand in hers. Then she interlaced her fingers with mine as her hand on my groin started rubbing me absentmindedly. I could get used to this shit, that was for damn sure.
At a stoplight, I had to put my hand on hers to stop her. “You’re going to give me blue balls for the rest of the day, woman. Keep your hands off me.”
Ellie gave me a coy but innocent smile. “Okay,” she shrugged. “You just tell me when you change your mind.”
I grunted out a laugh as she put her hand back in her lap and looked out the window as we drove the rest of the way to the shop. When we arrived, she stepped out and stretched. I got a nice peek at her lean stomach as she reached her arms over her head. I was sad to see it disappear when she began making her way toward the shop.
I told myself I wouldn’t have to wait long until she was under me again, until I could taste her and drink from her. My thoughts were of her naked body on the bed before me as I entered the shop.
Jamie was there. She was on the phone with whom I could only assume was a customer. Her voice was chipper and polite as she asked for their information and told them she would call them as soon as we were accepting work. She assured them they would be our first priority, and she would keep them posted if there were going to be any delays.
“Good stuff, Jamie,” I said as she hung up the phone.
“Thanks.” She grinned. “Looks like things will be pretty busy for you guys once you’re up and running. You’ve had a lot of your old customers calling in and asking if this was your new permanent location.”
“Means it’s been easy to find us. That’s good. Word of mouth is working.” We didn’t advertise. Advertising only invited attention, and we didn’t need any of that.
Ellie said hello to Jamie as my phone went off in my pocket. I excused myself and slipped back outside. The sun was hot on my shoulders, and I shielded my eyes from the glare as I answered the phone.
It was Jax calling to check in on his little cousin.
“How’s Jamie doing? She picking things up quickly?”
“Yeah. She’s pretty sharp. Fits right in.”
“Good,” Jax said. Then he paused. “I don’t think this needs to be said between us, but you understand she’s not available, right?”
I barked out a laugh into the phone. “You’re right. It didn’t need to be said. Besides, she’s not my type.”
“I thought anything with tits and a pussy was your type.”
“Well, you can’t blame a guy for that, can you?”
It was Jax’s turn to laugh into the phone. “‘Suppose not. But you keep your eyes and your hands off my baby cousin. She’s too good for you. She’s too good for any of us MC bastards.”
“Couldn’t agree with you more.” That was how I had felt about Ellie for all those years, so I knew exactly where Jax was coming from. His words reminded me that I had brought Ellie closer to the MC life. I didn’t like the way that sat in my gut. “I have to get back to work, Jax.”
“All right. Tell Jamie not to flirt with any of the guys who come in.”
“I’m not going to do that.”
“Fuck you, then,” Jax said, and he hung up the phone.
I laughed to myself as I slid my phone back into my pocket. Then, out of habit, I looked up and across the street before starting to turn back to the shop.
As I did, I stopped.
A black Lincoln was driving down the street and was cruising at a speed that was at least ten miles under the speed limit. I could hear the tires peeling across the pavement. The engine was silent as it approached, and I noticed it had tinted windows.
Then, when the car was directly across from me, the driver’s side window rolled down.
A man I didn’t know was sitting behind the wheel. His seat was reclined back, and his left hand rested lazily across the top of the steering wheel. His fingers were marked with tattoos and each one hosted a thick, gold ring adorned with several different jewels.
There was a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He was clean-shaven and bald—perfectly bald like he just
shaved his head with a straight razor that morning. He gave me a crooked grin, but I didn’t sense any kindness from him.
He was wearing sunglasses that were as dark as the car itself. As he passed, I stared into the depths of the lenses where I knew his eyes would be. Then, his hand emerged against the windowsill in the form of a gun.
He mimicked the motion of firing two rounds at me and then lifted his fingers and blew on them like he was blowing smoke from the end of a pistol.
He returned his attention to the road and drove on. The window rolled slowly back up, hiding him from view.
I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. A pounding had begun behind my eyes. My hands ached because they were clenched into fists so tight that my nails were biting into my palms.
I couldn’t go back into the shop right now. The anger was straining to break free, and I didn’t dare bring myself anywhere near Ellie right now.
So I stayed out on the gravel drive, mind racing, fury burning, as I came to a conclusion that made my skin cold. A name kept running through my mind, over and over, and I knew things were about to change.
Watson was waving the starting flag.
Chapter 14
Ellie
Axel returned from his phone call fifteen minutes after leaving the shop. He met my gaze and hooked a thumb over his shoulder to point at his parked car outside. “I have to run out to meet up with Jax for a bit. Are you okay to hold things down here?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll start placing orders for equipment. You good with that?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Axel sounded distracted, but I wasn’t going to say anything about it. He left in a hurry, and I watched him fumble with his keys at his car door. Seconds later, he was peeling out on the road in a screech of tires. He left behind the stench of burned rubber.
I got comfortable at the shop computer. It was nice to have one inside the shop. At our old location, we’d had to go into the office anytime we needed to access the internet, which was a fair amount. Now, we would be able to walk ten feet to the shop computer and find whatever information we were looking for.
I logged onto our most commonly used supplier’s site and began adding to the shopping cart tools that I had written down on the list of things we needed to buy. After I had been at it for ten or fifteen minutes, I heard the shop door open.
Jamie slipped in and closed the door gently behind her. She walked around the shop peering at the tools I was sure she couldn’t name until, eventually, she stood on the other side of the computer from me.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” I looked up and smiled at her before looking back at my computer screen to continue shopping.
“Do you mind if I hang out in here for a bit? I’m getting a little lonely in there. I forwarded the shop calls to my cell phone, so don’t worry. I won’t miss any customers trying to get a hold of us.”
I liked her resourcefulness. I especially liked that she had taken the initiative to solve the problem before it happened. “Sure. Grab one of those rolling stools over there and have a seat.”
She grabbed the stool that read “Ford” across the seat and sat down across from me. She was quiet for a while, but I could feel a question burning inside her. I leaned back from the computer and rested my hands on my knees.
“So. Is this your first time working in a place like this?”
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. It’s a lot different than what I’m used to. My last job was at a coffee shop pouring lattes and cleaning espresso machines. This feels really intimidating compared to that.”
“You’ll be fine here. Everyone is really nice. That’s why I stayed. I couldn’t imagine ever working anywhere else now. Maybe you’ll start to feel the same way after you put in your time here.”
“Speaking of putting in your time, how did you learn so much about all this stuff? Cars and bikes, I mean. I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.”
“I learned from my dad while I was growing up. It made the transition to work as a mechanic pretty easy for me. You don’t have any experience with cars?”
Jamie shook her head. “No. None.”
“Have you ever changed a tire?”
She shook her head again. “The only work I’ve ever done on a car was filling it with gas. No joke.”
I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it. I was relieved when she let out a little chuckle, too, and blushed.
“I know,” she said. “Kind of embarrassing, but I want to learn more. I’d love to know how to change my own tire. Or my oil. I know that’s important. Right?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I would say it is.”
Jamie reminded me of how I had been when I was really young, asking my dad to teach me everything he knew about cars. He had jumped at the opportunity despite the flack he’d gotten from my mom about it. I remember him saying to her that if I ever lost interest in mechanics, he wouldn’t push me to keep learning. He would let me follow whatever passion I chose.
There had never been anything I wanted to do more than work on cars and motorcycles. I was living my dream job. I knew it wasn’t what most girls wanted. The early mornings and the late shifts made it hard to date. The grease and the grime and the inevitability of having coarse hands and chipped fingernails was unavoidable.
I glanced at Jamie’s hands. Her nails were bright pink and perfectly shaped. She caught me looking and tried to hide them under her legs. “I know I don’t really fit in with the whole ‘vibe’ of this place.”
“We don’t care about that. But if you start helping out in the shop, you’ll probably break those. I hope you don’t spend a lot of money on them.”
“My nails?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Oh, I don’t care about that. I mean it’s nice to have them done all nice and whatnot, but I’ll stop going to my appointments if I start working with you in here.”
“Yeah. I miss having pretty things.” I frowned down at my own hands. My nails were naked and incredibly short. They had to be that way. Otherwise, I would constantly catch them on things while I worked under the hood. They weren’t worth the effort, the money, or the pain.
I started to wonder if Axel might appreciate a softer side of me. Our time together last night had proven to me that I was more than just a onetime fuck for him. He had been tender with me, soft, almost vulnerable. Almost.
He had been kind and gracious. The meal he had prepared for me spoke volumes. It had taken him time, and he had gone about it with care, making sure everything was just right. I had always known he was a little obsessive about things—working so often in the shop with him had brought that to light pretty quickly—but I never expected him to be so meticulous where I was concerned.
It felt nice to have him doting on me. Maybe I could do something sweet for him to return the favor.
“Hey,” I said, and Jamie looked up at me. “Would you be open to the idea of giving me a makeover this weekend? I want to surprise someone.”
“Someone?” Jamie asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
“Yes. Someone. I would like for him to see me all dolled up. It’s never happened before. It might be nice.”
“I think that would be so much fun,” Jamie said. “It will be so easy. You’re already beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I blushed.
“I can bring my makeup and curling iron and give you the full treatment. I can even bring some nail polishes if you like. But, may I be honest with you?”
“Yes,” I said hesitantly.
“I think Axel likes you just the way you are.”
I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. She had only been around for a couple days, and somehow, she already knew about me and Axel. “How did you know?”
Jamie giggled. “Oh, please. I knew the moment I met you two that there was something between you. I wasn’t sure if it was something that happened in the past, or if you guys were currently an item. But everything fell into place. You’re seeing each othe
r, right?”
“Sort of. I’m not really sure. We haven’t said anything out loud to each other. Things have been mostly … physical.”
“Sounds fun.” Jamie winked.
I laughed and nodded. “It has been. He did something really special for me last night, so I was thinking a big makeover might get his blood racing, you know?”
Jamie nodded. “Absolutely. I already have a couple ideas for a look we could create. A dark, smoky eye and a wet, glossy lip. I think he’d like it. We’ll do you up like a vixen, a badass biker babe with a chip on her shoulder. I think he’d be more into that than you putting on a cute dress and heels. Am I wrong?”
“No, I think you’re spot-on.”
Jamie clapped her hands together excitedly. “I’m so excited! Thank you for asking me to help you. It means a lot. I moved here over half a year ago now and meeting nice people hasn’t been easy. It’s been kind of lonely, to tell you the truth.”
I felt for her. Feeling like you were alone in a city as big as New York wasn’t a good feeling. “Well. You’re among family now. Everyone at the shop is your friend. That’s just how it is around here. We stick together, and we have each other’s backs. Always. If you ever need anything, ever, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for it, okay? Axel will make sure you have what you need, whether it’s work-related or not.”
“Work-related or not?”
I didn’t want to spill too much information so early. I had no clue how much she knew about Axel and her cousin Jax. Did she have any clue about the MC at all? Did she know what they were all about? Did she even know that about fifty percent of the jobs our shop took were under the table gigs?
She would learn in due time, but that time was not right now.
“Yeah. Like I said, we’re a family. We help each other out, no matter what.” I gave her my best smile, and she seemed to take comfort in it.
“That sounds really nice. Like what I’ve been looking for.”
