“Your brothers came with you?”
“You know we never travel alone.” I began to laugh when I saw her expression change to one of concern. “Sweetheart, I don’t need any help in handling you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I wasn’t thinking that. I’ve been on my own for a long time. I don’t need handling.”
“Then maybe what you need is a good fuck.” Oh, she didn’t like that. Her pretty peaches and cream complexion turned a few deep shades of red. “You seem a little tense, baby.”
She took a deep breath. “Leave it to you to turn this into sex, Rock. I see nothing has changed. Is that all you ever think about? You don’t know what I need and you’re a-an asshole!” Allie was so mad she was visibly trembling.
“You forget that I know you, baby. You like sex almost as much as I do, especially after a good fight.” I knew that I was baiting her, trying to see how far I could push her before she jumped off the edge and threw herself at me in a fit of rage. My dick jumped at the thought of having her curves against it.
“Correction, Rock--” I could practically see the waves of anger rolling off her. “You knew me.” There was satisfaction in her snarky tone. A second later she was pivoting toward the kitchen. “I’m hungry.”
Just as she reached out for the refrigerator door handle the doorbell rang. She switched directions in one smooth motion, but I reached the front door first. I peered through the peep hole and ground my teeth together. When Allie made a move to open the door I grabbed her wrist and slammed her up against it. She caught her breath sharply, mouth open and a question in her eyes. I took in her reaction for a second before slamming my mouth down on hers.
She stiffened, but I ignored it, crushing my weight against hers and demanding that she give me what I wanted. Her hands came up to push me away. I reached up and grabbed her pony tail at the top, twisting the length of hair around my hand to hold her in place. She whimpered beneath my mouth and I knew her sound of pleasure from memory, and I thrust my tongue inside like I wanted to thrust my dick into her body. My dick was about to pound through my pants, and I dry humped her lower belly, groaning low. Another moan escaped her, coupled with her fingers clenching into my shirt and chest.
The pain her sharp nails inflicted jacked up my libido. Allie should have known better. Pain turned me the fuck on, and my hand found its way to her tits. I squeezed one and pinched the nipple hard, feeling her submit to me in the wild and needy way that was all her. No other woman matched her passion or the depths of greedy need that I knew was holding her captive.
The doorbell rang again and I pulled back with a low groan, capturing the wildness reflected in her gaze. We were both breathing heavy. Allie was flushed with warmth, more than just desire stamped on her face. I could feel her hard little nipples digging into me as sharply as her nails. Her mouth was swollen and glistening. Primal satisfaction surged through me as I noted the just- fucked look she had going on. I took the necessary step back, pulling the band holding her pony tail with me so that she was left with a thick halo of mussed hair.
“Someone’s at the door,” I said smugly, her wild hair begging for me to lose my hands in it.
She pulled herself together quickly, giving me a hate-filled glare that only amused the fuck out of me. “Asshole!” she whispered harshly, shoving me out of the way and opening the door.
I watched her crestfallen expression carefully.
“Tom!”
“I decided to quit work early, doll.” There was eager enthusiasm in his voice. “More time…to spend with… you… and Sam.” Each word lost strength. Dead silence followed, and I could just imagine his gaze taking in her dishevelment. Allie’s face turned soft with guilt. “What’s going on?” His tone implied that he was frowning now. “You, ah, look−”
“Oh, Tom,” Allie shot me a look of daggers, knowing now why I’d kissed her so thoroughly. “I’m so sorry! I forgot you were coming over tonight. Sam’s decided to spend the night at Becky’s, and I, ah, have to take care of something that came up.”
“Something came up?” He asked slowly. “So that explains why you look like you just crawled out of bed?”
“Oh, Tom,” Allie stepped closer to him, heavy regret in her tone. “It’s not what you think−”
“And just what do I think?” He’d gone from confusion to hurt, to anger.
I decided to make my presence known by pulling the door back all the way so that I could make eye contact with Tom. “I’m the fucking something that came up.”
“Tom−” Allie put her hand on his arm, drawing his attention back to her. “This is Sam’s dad, Rock. He, ah, showed up today to see him.”
Tom’s gaze shifted back and forth between me and Allie. “Is that so?” His tone was cold, indecisive.
I knew he was the man that Allie had been seeing, and I couldn’t help but wonder how far their relationship had gone. I didn’t want to think about her fucking him. “That’s so,” I confirmed, folding my arms across my chest.
You could cut the tension with a knife.
Allie glanced at me finally, hate and anger simmering in her eyes. “Rock, please. Give us a minute alone so we can talk.”
I just stared at her for a second. A minute was all she’d get. I turned on my heel and slammed the door shut behind me. It was enough to know that Tom would know the reason for Allie’s messed-up condition. Any man would recognize the signs of a woman who’d just been freshly kissed, if not fucked. Especially one he had an attachment to. The look in Tom’s eyes revealed that he wanted Allie, but was he willing to fight for her? He looked a little soft.
A minute later the door opened and Allie walked in. Slamming the door, she narrowed her eyes on me. “You’re a bastard, Rock, a real bastard. You only kissed me to give Tom the wrong impression.”
I grinned. “And you liked every fucking second of it.”
“Fuck you!” she said, losing control. “I like Tom. He’s good with Sam.”
That remark rubbed me the wrong fucking way. I didn’t want to know about another man being good with my son when I hadn’t even met him yet. “What else is he good at? Have you fucked him yet?” Her jaw dropped. I shrugged. “You said you like him.”
“Unlike you, I don’t fuck everyone that I like,” she seethed. “And I’m not having this conversation with you. It’s none of your business anyway.” She turned to go into the kitchen.
I wasn’t satisfied with her response. I shouldn’t care who Allie had slept with, but I did. I still thought of her as mine. The kiss we’d shared, and her reaction to it, revealed that she’d been into it, too. She’d melted against me like ice cream on a hot sidewalk, giving as much as taking. I bet if we hadn’t been interrupted I could have lowered her to the floor and fucked her brains out. I followed her into the small space.
“Have you fucked him?” I snarled, moving up behind her.
She swung around against the refrigerator door. “How many, Rock?” she snapped between those pretty, plump lips. “How many women have there been since me? Huh?” She crossed her arms and stared up at me.
“Too many to count,” I lied, watching the hurt fill her eyes. Sure, I’d fucked a few women, club whores only, and they’d meant nothing more to me than a temporary relief. The woman I wanted, and had always wanted, was standing right there in front of me. Seven years hadn’t done a damn thing to diminish my hunger for her.
She took a deep breath and lowered her arms. “That’s what I thought,” she said in a resigned tone, before turning and opening the fridge door. “I’m going to make dinner.” I clenched my jaw. “You can stay if you want, and we can talk about Sam.” She shot me a look over her shoulder. “And that’s all we’ll be doing.”
Sure, if that’s what she wanted to believe.
Chapter 6
Allie
Damn him! He had a lot of nerve questioning me about how many men I’d slept with when we both know that he was a man-whore. He had been one when we’d firs
t met, and I was certain that he’d fallen right back into his old fucking patterns as soon as I’d left. I felt a tight squeeze around my heart, and tried to ignore what it meant. Rock didn’t matter to me anymore.
Yeah, that was a lie.
When you loved an outlaw like Rock, time didn’t weaken that feeling. It had intensified it for me, and the thought of him with one other woman, let alone more women than I could count, was crushing. It literally hurt. I hadn’t wanted anyone but him, I hadn’t thought about being with anyone but him since then. Tom may have had the chance of moving up from friend to lover in time, and if Rock hadn’t shown up. Now that wasn’t even a possibility.
Seeing Rock again only confirmed for me that no one could take his place.
I remained quiet as I made a pepperoni and mushroom pizza for our dinner, keenly aware of Rock’s presence the entire time. He had at least gone to sit down in the living room and was scanning channels on the TV for something to watch. Once in a while I’d glance up to where he was sitting, taking in the subtle changes in him since I’d last seen him.
He was still a magnificent specimen, dripping danger and raw masculinity that promised anyone who came up against it immense pain. He was drop-dead handsome in a rugged, unkempt kind of way, with his hair worn a little long and his hard, square jaw that seemed to always be set in uncompromising stone. The extra pounds of muscle he’d packed on revealed a mature man who was solid and powerful.
When Rock had pushed me up against the door I’d felt the hard shape of his muscles--and one in particular between his legs. He’d been rock hard and that, coupled with his savage kiss, had primed me for a good fuck in record time. It had always been like that between us. Fast, intense, and consuming, only back then we wouldn’t have stopped with a kiss. He would have torn my clothes from me and fucked me hard right where we were.
Seeing Tom standing on the other side of the door had changed everything. Rock had only kissed me for effect, and not because he’d wanted me. He’d wanted Tom to see me with my lips swollen and my hair a mess so that he would get the wrong idea. And he had. The accusing hurt in his eyes had torn through me. I would never purposely hurt him. Once Rock had gone back inside and given us some time alone I’d done my best to repair the damage. We’d agreed to meet for lunch the next day.
I paused from what I was doing and stared at Rock, wondering how serious he was about taking us with him back to Maine. He had a right to have Sam in his life, and, if I thought about it, Sam had a right to know his dad, but that shouldn’t mean that he had the right to disrupt my life. He couldn’t make me leave my home, my job, or the friends I’d made. But at the same time I knew that I’d never be able to let Sam go so far away without me. He was my life.
I slid the pizza into the oven, and then went to the fridge for a drink. “Would you like a beer?”
“Sounds good.”
I grabbed two and joined him in the living room, tossing one to him on my way to the couch, deciding to sit as far away from him as I could. I ignored his knowing smirk as we both flipped the top at the same time. Rock put the can to his lips and chugged half of it down. I took a sip and looked at the TV.
“So did lover boy calm down?” he asked, shooting me a look.
I could tell that he didn’t really care. “That was low, what you did, even for you.” It still hurt that he’d kissed me because he’d wanted to piss off Tom and not because he’d wanted me. “We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow.” I took a sip of my beer.
Silence and then, “Is that all?” he groused, leaning forward and setting his beer down on the coffee table.
I sensed his disapproval. Well, that was just too bad. He couldn’t come back into my life and start calling the shots as if I were still eighteen. I took a long drink, needing the liquid courage. “No. We plan to go to his place afterwards and fuck our brains out.” I don’t know what possessed me to say something like that. It wasn’t true. But I didn’t want Rock to think that I’d kept myself for him all these years, that my hymen had probably grown back from my pussy’s lack of use. He didn’t want me, so what did it matter anyway?
Except that Rock was a possessive bastard, and I was the mother of his son. That alone gave him reason to think that he could be all bossy and demanding with me. In his world, that’s how it was. I pretended that I didn’t know that my words had affected him, that I couldn’t feel his narrowed stare on me, that I didn’t notice the tic in his jaw. I willed myself to remain calm and drink my beer, while keeping my eyes glued to the TV as if the news held my interest.
“What did you just say?”
He’d said the words slowly, in a low timbre that drew my gaze to his. Rock was unpredictable. I should have known better than to bait him. There was a storm brewing in his eyes that warned that I’d screwed up. I swallowed. It was too late to turn back now. And besides, he deserved it after the stunt he’d pulled on Tom.
I couldn’t back down now. “I said, ‘after lunch we’re going back to Tom’s place to fuck.’” I took a breath. “Why should you care anyway? We haven’t been anything to each other in seven years. And you said yourself that we’ve both moved on.”
He ran his hand over his lower jaw. “You’re right, I don’t give a fuck, babe.” He got to his feet and stretched. “I got some place to be. If you need me before morning I’ll be at the Moonshine.”
The Moonshine? I schooled my expression not to reveal too much of what I was thinking. The Moonshine was a gentlemen’s club outside of town that offered their clients several amenities, including rooms for the night that may or may not include one of their girls. It depended on what you paid for. It was a new place and doing well, if the rumors were true. And why wouldn’t they? They were the only place like it around for miles. Most went there for dinner and the shows, but they had a menu that included private dances and other types of sexual entertainment.
I didn’t like the thought that Rock might be going there for sex, but I knew him and his voracious appetite. When we’d been together a day hadn’t gone by when we hadn’t fucked at least once, most days two or three times. And it hadn’t mattered where we were, when he’d wanted me he took me. My pussy clenched, remembering how thick and long his cock was. I pushed away the memory of how he’d felt inside me, his huge shaft caressing every inch of me as I swelled around it.
“Are you going there to fuck?” The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.
His brows rose. “You gonna put out, babe?”
I wondered what he’d do if I said yes. I shrugged. “Not for you.” He scowled. “Maybe I’ll call Tom and invite him over. After all, he was going to spend the night tonight.” He didn’t need to know that it would have been on the sofa.
That was the wrong thing to say, I realized it as soon as Rock lost his shit and stomped his way over to me. I sank low in my seat. He braced his muscular arms on either side of me and leaned in. I could see that he was grinding his teeth, feel the heat coming off of him in waves. My heart skipped a beat at his closeness and the unspoken threat he presented to me.
Including my libido.
“You think that’s wise, babe?” I wasn’t sure what he was asking. “Throwing another man up in my face?”
Oh, that. “Why should it matter to you? I’m sure you’ve been with other women.”
“Yeah,” he admitted in a growl. “But none of them had a pussy as greedy as yours.” He leaned in even closer. “I can still remember how you taste.”
Oh, God. I couldn’t let him get to me. He could go to the Moonshine and fuck all the women he wanted, and it wouldn’t bother me. Yeah, that was a lie, and I think Rock knew it. I’d already felt his cock up against me, and now I wanted more. I fought from closing the inch that separated us and attacking his mouth with mine.
He straightened up slowly. “I’ll be back early in the morning, and I expect Sam to be here.” There was a mild warning in his tone. He walked to the door, stopped, and turned around to pin a narrowed gaze on me. “He�
��s going back to Maine with me, Allie, with or without you. So you’d better come to terms with that.”
Bastard! I silently watched Rock close the door behind him. There was no way he was taking Sam without me.
No way in hell!
Chapter 7
Allie
I didn’t sleep at all that night. I was too concerned about the situation with Rock and our future, and I couldn’t get my brain to shut down. Being alone in the house hadn’t helped, it had been too quiet without Sam. He was a snorer, and every night I fell asleep to the hum of his breathing. As soon as morning came, I phoned Becky to tell her that I was coming for Sam. I needed to prepare him for his first meeting with Rock.
We were on our way home now, and Sam was way too quiet for him. I knew that he was digesting the news about his dad. He’d only expressed interest in the identity of his father within the last year or so, when he’d started school and had really begun to notice that the other kids all had two parents instead of just one. I’d known that the day would come when he’d be curious and have questions, and when they’d started coming I’d been as honest with him as I could. I knew I’d been successful, too, when he’d run off seemingly satisfied with my answers at the time.
No Mercy Page 4
