Cash

by Tess Oliver

  He gazed down at the vast stretch of water.

  “There are usually a lot more boats out there, but winter brings only the hardcore adventurers. The fishing boats are much farther out. Can’t really see them from here.”

  “I guess this is another thing I can take off my never done list.” He turned to me. “Thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome.” I stepped closer to him. “And since I wore this dress to impress you and now I’m suffering frostbite because of it, I’m going to steal some of that delicious body heat of yours.”

  He wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled against his chest. I rubbed my cold nose against the soft flannel of his shirt, no doubt a clothing remnant of his biker days. “What was it like, your life with the club?”

  He shook his head. “There isn’t much to tell. Dreygon Sharpe, the club president, liked the way I defended myself on the streets. I guess he felt bad for me being young and mostly on my own. He took me in. The Bedlam compound was in a remote area of Nevada sandwiched between mountains and desert. Sharpe had a huge set of walls built around his land, somewhat like a fortress or castle. Only there was no castle in the walls, just a few rustic cabins and some outbuildings that were used for storing drugs, weapons and the bikes.”

  I peered up at him with wide eyes.

  “You asked,” he said. “That’s how the club made money. Strip clubs, arms, drugs, anything that brought a big profit.”

  “Sounds depressing,” I said.

  “Yeah, but I felt like part of a family inside the club. It was something I’d never had before. But some of the shit that went down, like killing for no real reason, was wearing on me. I realized that I’d never given myself a chance to be out in the real world. So here I am.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I, for one, am glad you took that chance.”

  He leaned down and kissed me and in seconds heat radiated between us. His hands moved down and he slipped them beneath the hem of my dress. His palms smoothed over the skin on the back of my legs, warming me and making my pussy ache for his skilled touch again. His big hands wrapped around my waist and he hoisted me up onto the platform. He gazed up at me with a hunger that should have scared me, but instead it caused me to spread my legs for him. He pushed the dress up to the tops of my thighs.

  “Come here,” I said breathlessly. “There’s something I’ve been dying to do.”

  He stepped between my thighs and his hands ran up my legs. His thumbs rubbed lightly against my panties, making my task of opening the buttons on his flannel shirt more difficult. I got to the last button and pushed the shirt off his shoulders.

  I lifted my hand to his bare chest. “Cash Tremaine,” I said, my voice sounding extra small in the tall building. “You make my heart pound.” His chest lifted and fell with his deep breaths. I traced my fingertip around the hard planes of his muscles and down along the ridges of the scar. “Every inch of you is beautiful.” I leaned forward and kissed his neck. He smelled of strength and courage and hardship. “My body aches for you, and it scares the heck out of me.” He peered at me through lowered lashes, the movement of his chest keeping rhythm with my pulse. I leaned forward and kissed his neck. I felt like a whole other person near him. I wanted to experience everything he offered with his hungry gaze and his unsteady breaths. “Take off my panties,” I whispered against his ear. I leaned back and braced myself on my hands.

  His hands trailed up my legs, and he reached up and hooked his fingers around my panties. I lifted my bottom slightly as he tugged them off and along my legs, letting them drop to the floor at our feet. Then he reached up and unfastened the buttons on my dress with slow precision. My breasts begged to be free and I pushed them against the snug fitting fabric. He slipped his hands inside the open dress and pushed apart the panels, exposing my bra.

  Brisk air brushed over my skin, but his mouth was there instantly to warm me. He pushed the bra down, and my nipples stood erect beneath his tongue, hardening more with each sweet caress. I leaned my head back and reveled in the feel of his mouth on me. Then his hands moved back to my legs. He pushed my thighs wider apart and with one swift movement he dragged my bottom closer to the edge of the platform. He gazed down at my exposed pussy in such a way that I nearly came just at the thought of him looking so intimately at me. I was desperate for him, and while he seemed to be equally desperate, his movements were slow and measured. The man had slow and measured down to a fucking art.

  I reached forward and grabbed for the button on his jeans. I unzipped them, and while his movements were unhurried, mine were nearly frenzied. He seemed to enjoy my frustration. I pushed his jeans and underwear down below his hips and while his naked chest had sent my heart speeding ahead of its natural pace, the sight of his massive erection nearly made it leap from my chest. He stared down as I wrapped my fingers around him. A small groan rolled up from his throat, a tiny show of emotion but from Cash, the man of stone and steel, it thrilled me to hear it.

  I moved my hand up and down over his cock and rubbed my thumb over the slick tip. My exploration of him made the moisture between my legs surge. I lifted my face and kissed his mouth and chin. “Please, Cash, I want this,” I pleaded.

  His arms wrapped around me and he nearly crushed me in his grip as his mouth devoured mine. He pulled away just long enough to pull out a condom. I watched with eager fascination as he rolled it along his thick, hard cock. His eyes were nearly glassy with need as he lifted them to me. Then he pulled me closer to the edge and pushed between my legs. As intensely as I’d watched him before, he watched his cock slide into me. I cried out and clutched his hard arms as he drove himself deeper inside.

  “God, you’re so fucking tight,” he groaned. He reached between us, and his thumb teased my clit as he rocked against me, touching every sensitive spot, every spot that made me nearly delirious with the intense feel of it all. Having this massively built, intimidating man take complete control of my body and treat me as if I was breakable and delicate and truly important to him made my throat ache. I was falling so hard for him that having him inside of me brought me to tears. He’d been concentrating on my pussy, taking care to make sure I felt all of him, but when his eyes lifted to mine, worry crossed his incredible face. He removed his hand from between my legs and his movements slowed. He took hold of my chin and lifted my face to his. “Esme.” His voice was gritty and heavy. “Have I hurt you?”

  I shook my head. “No, the opposite,” I whispered into the cool air of the room. I took hold of his wrist and lowered his hand to between my legs. His thumb stroked my throbbing clit, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to take him deeper inside of me. I leaned back on my hands and the room seemed to spin, with the vast landscape moving from window to window as if someone had twirled the lantern room like a top.

  The delicious feeling that I was about to come apart in splinters of energy rushed over me. “Please, Cash!” I cried out as my pussy clenched tightly around him. I reached forward and clutched at his arms again for support. Everything about him made me feel secure. His hands went behind my ass, and he held me tightly as he rocked into me several more times before a low, deep groan rolled from his mouth. Our heavy breaths bounced off the surrounding glass panes. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

  Slowly, he drew his mouth away from mine. “Never in a million years did I expect this when I climbed on my bike and headed for Tucker’s Village,” he said quietly.

  I lifted his hand to my mouth and kissed his palm.

  “You must be cold.” Cash helped me down, and I reached for my panties. He picked up his shirt and pulled it on. He peered down at me as I buttoned it up. My hands trembled slightly from the cold and from the intimacy we’d just shared and from being so close to a man who overwhelmed all of my senses. Cash was one of those guys who you’d notice missing once he left a crowded room. There was so much power, so much energy behind him, he filled a room just by standing in it. And this beyond believable man was standing
in front of me, with his dark gaze riveted on me as I dressed him, his masculine scent still clinging to the moisture between my legs.

  I fixed his collar. He pressed his palm against my cheek. “You O.K., sugar peanut?”

  I smiled weakly. “I am.” As long as I pushed away the thought of him leaving one day, I was fine.

  He picked up the sleeping bag and unzipped it. We hopped up onto the platform and pulled the sleeping bag around our shoulders. It smelled of dust and bonfire smoke. I rested my head against his arm, and we stared out at the view.

  “I guess now we both have something to cross off our never done before list,” Cash said and then looked at me. “Unless—”

  “Oh yes, I’ve dragged many men up here. In fact, this is my lighthouse seduction dress.”

  He laughed and tightened his arm around me.

  Chapter 12

  Cash

  Bentley had found two more boxes of lights and I’d spent the late afternoon hours twirling them around porch posts and trees. It was a mindless activity, which worked well with my mood. Esme had me so distracted, I couldn’t focus well on anything. I couldn’t remember ever having a girl invade my thoughts as much as she had. Her scent still lingered on my skin and clothes. All I could think about was having her again¸ touching her, bringing her to climax, hearing her cry out my name. I’d come to this town with low expectations, be near the ocean, make some money, help Campbell’s old army buddy and then hop on my bike and move on. Moving on seemed a lot fucking harder now.

  Ben flipped on the switch, and his dirt-covered front yard lit up with twinkling red and white lights. He nodded. “I like it.” He looked at the neighbors to compare, and his light display dimmed in comparison.

  “Sometimes too much of a good thing is just that— too much,” I suggested.

  “You’re right. We’ve got just enough spirit here.” He stared down at me from the porch. “I’ll take you to Frank’s Bar and Grill for a steak and beer as a thank you for your hard work.”

  “I won’t say no to that. Is that the restaurant where Esme works?”

  “The very one.”

  “Let me just shower and change.”

  ***

  The restaurant walls were covered with ship’s wheels, fishing nets and paintings of old sailing boats. The smell of grilled meat and buttery lobster made my mouth water. Most of the tables along the tall, tinted windows were filled.

  A pretty red headed girl met us at the door with menus. “Hey, Ben,” she said happily. She made a point of looking me over from head to toe. “Who is your friend? Is this the guy everyone has been talking about?”

  Ben looked at me. “Don’t worry it’s been all good things. This is Cash.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” she said with a wink. “I’m Maddie. Let me get you two a table.”

  Some of the faces were already starting to look familiar. A small town made that easy, and it seemed that most of them had stopped eyeing me with fear and suspicion. People smiled and nodded as we walked through the restaurant, and while I knew I looked completely out of place amongst them, they seemed to have accepted my presence.

  I glanced around but didn’t see Esme. Her run in with Clint and her very real concern that her dad and brothers were getting sucked into something dangerous had me plenty worried. I knew too well that when you got into shady business, bad shit, and even murder, happened. My biggest concern was making sure Esme was safe without getting mixed up in whatever the hell they were doing.

  Maddie sat us at a table and made extra sure to wink at me as she handed out the menus. “We don’t get many like you in the village,” she said.

  “Like me? Not sure how to take that,” I said.

  She leaned over, making sure I got a good view of down her shirt. “A real man,” she whispered and then straightened and went right back to her restaurant role. “I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get you both to drink?”

  “Bring us a pitcher of beer,” Ben answered for us.

  She left to get the beer. Just then Esme walked into the dining room with a large tray of food. She was wearing a short denim skirt, and a small apron was wrapped around her slim hips. My eyes followed her across the room.

  Ben glanced over to see what had caught my attention and then turned back. “Smitten.”

  “Smitten?”

  “That’s the term we old people use for someone with a big crush. And I’d say, from the look on your face as you watched Esme walk past, that you have a big crush.”

  “Not going to deny it. I guess I’m smitten. But that is a damn funny word.”

  Esme placed the food down on the table. She talked to the two couples at the table for a second, and they laughed at something she said. Then I watched her as she walked back across the dining room. Maddie caught her on the way in and said something. She glanced our direction, and her smiled reached across the room and touched me. Maddie’s mouth dropped open as Esme headed straight over to our table.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Esme said very formally, “I was told there was an extremely hot man in the restaurant, and I just wanted to see for myself.”

  Ben laughed.

  I leaned back and peered up at her. I slid my boot across the floor and pressed it against her shoe. “And, what have you decided?”

  “Maddie does tend to exaggerate, but in this case, I’ll have to agree with her.” She strolled back across the room, and again, I couldn’t drag my gaze away. There was no way not to watch her, every movement, every gesture had my full attention.

  Maddie returned with the pitcher of beer. She seemed a little less friendly now. She pulled out her order pad. “The usual, Ben?”

  “Yep.” Ben looked at me. “The pepper steak is excellent. And I suggest medium rare.”

  “Sounds good.” We handed up our menus.

  Ben poured us each a glass of beer. “You can take the bike fenders this week. They’ll cut out those two rust spots and weld in new metal. First, they’ll sandblast off the old paint too. Unfortunately, funds are tight. I won’t be able to do too much right now with the bike, but getting it taken apart is a start.”

  “I guess we should stick with the house project first.”

  “Yes. And you’ve already made amazing progress. The house is starting to look like its old self again. Which reminds me, I ordered the brick pavers for the walkway. And I’m checking into sod for the front lawn.”

  “A front lawn will make a big difference.” It was hard to believe that I was sitting in a family style restaurant talking about sod and walkways, but I was fine with it. It was a much more low-key lifestyle, and it was nice, for a change, not having to worry about what was around the next corner or what sketchy gig waited in the future.

  The front door opened. From the corner of my eye I saw three men, two with the hoods of their sweatshirts pulled up on their heads, walk in, but I didn’t pay them much attention until the entire restaurant reacted to their presence. Conversations dropped to a low rumble. Clint, Jacob and another man, who had to have been the asshole Esme had described earlier as the escaped prisoner, waited to be seated. The third guy was fucking big and about as ugly as they came. Esme walked out and her face paled when she saw who’d walked in. I sat up and rested my forearms on the table. Ben looked back too. Everyone stared as Esme walked them to a table in the center of the room. It took Clint all of a second to find my face in the crowd. He pushed the hood off his head and then lifted his chin in acknowledgement. I didn’t respond. My eyes didn’t leave the table as Esme quickly dropped menus in front of them and hurried away. Clint and the beast next to him made a point of leaning over to watch her legs. My hands tightened into fists.

  “They’re just doing it to get a reaction from you.” Ben looked pointedly at my fists. “And it worked.”

  I relaxed my hands and sat back.

  People slowly went back to their meals and conversations, but something told me, they’d be finishing their food faster now.

  “Hey, s
weetheart,” Clint yelled out, “how about those beers?”

  The other customers tried to ignore his rudeness, but there was a lot of tension floating in the room now. A man walked out from the kitchen. Ben nodded his head toward him. “That’s Frank, the owner. He’ll call the police if there’s any trouble.”

  “The police who take twenty minutes to get here?” I asked.

  “It takes them a bit of time because they come from the next town over. You’ve got to understand, usually the most pressing thing to happen in this town in winter is someone sabotaging their neighbor’s light display. During the tourist season, they send a squad car through the village a few times a day, but in winter—” He glanced around. “Everyone here is local. Having these boys back in town has added a layer of unrest for sure, but I think everyone’s hoping they’ll get bored and leave before the winter is up.”

  “Who is the other guy with them?”

  Ben shook his head. “No idea, but he’s a frightening sight. That’s for sure. The Ridgewater family always managed to stay connected to the worst people. I’ve never seen that horrid wretch sitting with them though. Looks like he—”

  “Escaped a prison?” I asked.

  “I was going to say rose from a swamp but escaped convict works.”

  Maddie returned with our steaks. My stomach had been rumbling with thoughts of pepper steak, but the new restaurant guests had taken away some of my appetite. They seemed interested in their beers and whatever topic they were discussing. With any luck, they’d eat and leave without much problem. I knew one thing for sure— I was staying until they were out the door.

  I sawed off the first bite and nodded my approval to Ben. Esme cast me a sweet smile as she came into the dining room with a tray of drinks. She delivered them to a booth in the corner and then returned to take Clint’s order. The asshole leaned back and stared up at her. He made a point of looking my direction and then he sat forward and said something to her that was too quiet for me to hear but that made Esme storm off with a blank order pad.