Beautiful Bounty (The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. Book 1)

by Nightingale, MJ

  She shook her head in humiliation. “Believe it or not, that is my stomach growling. Prison food is not the greatest, and I hardly ate anything these last two days.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so,” he replied, let out a sigh that nothing was wrong with his baby, and began to laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” she pouted.

  When her lower lip jutted out like that, he had the sudden urge to lean over suck it into his mouth, and kiss those lips. “Well first I thought something was wrong with my car, but if you’re that hungry, I could just pull over and we could grab a bite. There’s tons of good places to eat along this road.”

  “No thank you,” she replied tartly. “Just get me home to my mom.”

  “Fine!” Women, he thought. He just didn’t get them. If you are hungry, you eat. He drove on in silence, but not for long.

  Her stomach was practically speaking. He just shook his head when he saw her place her hands over her offending organ. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to get home to her mom, but something also told him, probably her tone, that she didn’t want to spend any more time in his company than she had to. And, that bothered him.

  When her stomach rumbled again he just had to ask, “You sure?”

  One of Nikko’s eyebrows arched up. And, Ronnie was hungry. There was no denying that. Her damn stomach betrayed her every chance it got. The advertisements along the road were just about killing her. But she had no choice. It was look at them or look at him. And damn him for looking so good in his white dress shirt, and dark slacks. He had taken his jacket off, and the tailored shirt fit him like a glove. The muscles bulging in his biceps as he handled the car smoothly was pure torture. She looked away from him, but could still feel his eyes on her. “Yes, now just drive!” she snapped, her eyes flashing his way, chest heaving in her sudden anger at him.

  His eyes watched those breasts for a second too long. She noticed him staring and crossed her arms in front of them again and looked out of the side passenger window avoiding him.

  “Okay,” he growled. They drove a few more minutes in silence, her stomach occasionally reminding him of her hunger. Sometimes softly, other times fiercely.

  They were half way to Spring Hill and he was looking at all the restaurants they were passing letting her stew in silence. The more places he passed and signs he read, he began to realize he was hungry too, and not just for the delectable little morsel by his side.

  They passed several places advertising seafood, and barbecue. Popular choices in this area. He hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, and it was past three in the afternoon now. He could use a bite, and that might also give him some more time with Ronnie. To question her, and maybe get a little more information.

  They were stopped at a light. “Mmm,” he teased. “That place looks good.” He pointed at the sign advertising fresh seafood. Ronnie, couldn’t help herself and looked. Her stomach growled in response. Nikko laughed, and lowered his window hoping beyond hope the smell of the place would reach them. The light turned green and he had to continue, but he left his window down just in case the aroma could entice her.

  At the next stoplight there was a restaurant, well more like a shack along the side of the road. It was called Big Jimbo’s Barbecue with a sign advertising all you can eat ribs. The aroma was pungent, sweet and tangy. He looked at her and gave her a conniving smile. Her stomach growled so loud it nearly surpassed the sound of his engine.

  The barbecue did her in. “Pull over, asshole!” She gave him her dirtiest look. “And, you’re buying!” she added for good measure when he burst out laughing and pulled into the parking lot of Big Jimbo’s Barbecue.

  Ronnie was out of the car as soon as he had it in park, and he had to jog to catch up to her at the window of the barbecue shack. She was already ordering while he fished out his wallet from his back pocket.

  “I’ll have the sweet tangy ribs, an order of fries, some onion rings, and a strawberry milkshake.” She turned to him and smiled wickedly licking her pink lips.

  He wanted to taste them, but the ribs smelled good too.

  “For you?” asked the scantily dressed brunette at the counter. She was getting an eyeful, and letting him know she liked what she saw.

  Looking at her nameplate, he turned on the charm. “What would you suggest, Linda?” He gave her a winning smile and turned slightly to see if Ronnie was watching. She was. She didn’t look pleased. That made him happy.

  The brunette giggled. “Oh, the ribs are fabulous, but so are the pulled pork sandwiches. Those are my favorite.”

  “Well, Linda,” he flirted. “If those are your favorite then I’ll have one of those.” He smiled and leaned on the counter getting closer to the brunette. Her white t-shirt fit her closely, suggesting that she too was more than a handful.

  Ronnie turned away in disgust. Yup, this was the Nikko she remembered. A real man-whore. She walked stiffly to the picnic benches and sat with her back to the window. If Nikko was trying to put a show on, she wasn’t going to give him an audience. Unfortunately, she could still hear them chatting. The man was an uncontrollable flirt.

  “And what about to drink, Linda? What do you suggest I order?” His voice dropped huskily, but he kept his eyes on Ronnie watching her shoulders stiffen.

  “You have to try one of our shakes, darling. Vanilla is my favorite.”

  “Mmm, vanilla,” he drew out the word. “That does sound good.”

  His voice was practically a seduction, Ronnie thought. She recognized the tone. If she had a full stomach, she might have thrown up. She still might, if this went on much longer. Soon she could add the sound of dry heaving to her list of strange bodily sounds she shared with Nikko today.

  “It is,” Linda replied, her own voice taking on a sultry tone.

  “But Linda, I’m not in the mood for vanilla today. I think I’ll have the strawberry too.”

  “Whatever you want, darling. Whatever you want,” she repeated.

  Yup, Ronnie thought, I am going to puke.

  “I’ll be right over there, Linda. Call me when our order’s up, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure thing,” Linda murmured, sliding the glass window closed.

  Ronnie shook her head. The man was a pig. In the car, she briefly felt sorry for him, when he talked about his car, and his parents and brothers and all. But even though he had some tough times, the man was still the biggest Lothario this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

  She heard the gravel crunch under the soles of his shoes, and then she felt him behind her. The day was a hot one, but his body so close to hers was throwing even more heat.

  “Ronnie, let’s go sit over there in the shade. They’ve got a fan setup and it’ll be cooler,” he murmured behind her and touched her shoulder. Again, even despite her anger, her hunger, her frustration, she felt the current between them. She supposed he felt that way with every pretty girl he took to bed, and there must have been many. For her, this was something different.

  But the fan did sound like a good idea, so she got up, and pulled her shoulder out from under his hand. The shade would be nice as well. She wished she had seen the spot earlier, but it was not in direct view of the front of Big Jimbo’s Barbecue. She walked over and took the seat opposite him. They were sitting down, and no sooner had they sat, when miss long-legged Linda, in the tightest pair of daisy dukes on the planet, came sashaying out of a side door with two milkshakes in her hands.

  “Oh, Linda,” he teased. “You are fast.”

  “That’s what they tell me,” she laughed, not sparing Ronnie a look as she sat on the table her back to Ronnie giving Nikko an excellent view of her thighs.

  “Nikko, if you want to be alone with this . . . this Linda. I’ll go eat in the car,” Ronnie smiled at him.

  He looked from Linda’s spread open thighs to Ronnie’s face, and her words, said with as much disgust as she could muster, couldn’t hide the emotion he saw there. Jealousy. He was slightly pleased, but didn’t want
to push his luck with her anymore today. “No, Ronnie. Stay. I really want to get to know you better. Sorry, Linda,” he gave her a sympathetic smile. His way of letting her down easy.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Linda stated seemingly noticing Ronnie for the first time. She got up and brushed the debris, and dust from the table off of her backside. She acted confused for a moment, hurt.

  Ronnie felt bad for her for a second, after all he had been flirting mercilessly, and she of all people knew what it was like to face the full effect of the Nikko charm.

  “I’ll be right back with your orders. Sorry, I . . .” she stammered, “misunderstood.” Then she was sashaying back to the cook shack much more quickly than she approached the table. When the door shut with a clang of screen door hitting metal frame, Ronnie shook her head.

  Nikko shrugged his shoulders, “What?” he asked, playing the innocent when Ronnie continued giving him a dirty look.

  “You are a reprehensible flirt. That girl thought you were hitting on her.”

  “Was I?” He continued to play coy and she wasn’t buying it for a second.

  “Seriously Nikko.” She rolled her eyes at him, just shook her head, and began to fiddle with the wrapping on her straw. She popped it into the top of the Styrofoam container, and then took a sip of her strawberry milkshake, a long one.

  He watched her curiously. He knew he had been flirting, but only to make her jealous, and realize what she missed out on last summer by running from him. He began to peel the paper off of his own straw when she finally came up for air. He wished those lips were sucking something else. His cock was enjoying the thought immensely. He was grateful the table was hiding his powerful erection.

  As Ronnie took another pull on the straw she saw Nikko squirm on the seat uncomfortably as he tried to get his straw unwrapped. “Oh yes!” she whispered huskily and licked her lips. She put the straw back in her mouth to suck a little more of the frothy, creamy concoction into her mouth. Two, could play his game, she thought, as his jaw hit the dirt. She could make more out of her enjoyment of the milkshake than she really felt and give him a little dose of his own medicine. She released the straw and then darted out her tongue to lick the tiny bubble of ice cream that appeared on top. Nikko jammed his straw into his own mouth and looked at her fiercely. Smiling and then ignoring him, she popped the straw back into her mouth sucking greedily.

  Nikko’s mouth dropped at the sight of Ronne’s lips on the straw, sucking. And her words practically had him shoot a load like he was a teenaged boy again. His blood was pumping in his veins. The wrong veins, or maybe the right ones. He felt his cock in his pants stir against the constraints. The second, no maybe third time that day, she’d made him harder than the Rock of Gibraltar. He shifted on the wooden seat uncomfortably. His balls would be blue in no time if she continued her little sensuous torment much longer. He knew what she was doing, but that didn’t, couldn’t stop his reaction to it.

  He finally took another sip of his own drink needing the coolness of it to tame the flames she was fanning. It was good. “Oh yes,” he teased her back saying it breathily. “So good!” he purred and went in for another sip.

  They exchanged glances over their straws and then both of them couldn’t help themselves, they burst out laughing simultaneously.

  They laughed, and for Ronnie it felt good. It was the first time she had laughed in days, and had not thought about all the things she had to face. For Nikko, it was startling. He realized he loved her laugh, and would like to hear her do that more often. Like last summer, he realized there was something about this girl who made him want more than just a roll in the hay. But, he couldn’t think of that now.

  “Ronnie, I’m sorry about earlier.” She just shook her head, and looked at him. “I know I can be a flirt, but I was just trying to make you jealous. And for the life of me, I don’t know why!” he told her. Honesty. How different that felt.

  She gave him a quizzical look and then smiled softly. “It’s okay,” she shrugged, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. “I know what you . . .” and her words were interrupted by Linda and the screen door again, but this time she carried a large tray laden down with food.

  Nikko wondered what she was about to say, but thought better of asking her to finish it. He somehow knew it wouldn’t have been something he wanted to hear. She had her long awaited food, and he didn’t want to spoil the joviality of her current mood.

  Both of their laughter slowly trickled off as Linda set the tray between them. Nikko handed her a fifty dollar bill, and told her to keep the change, and she nodded politely and walked away, a sad regretful smile on her face.

  Ronnie couldn’t wait any longer, and neither could Nikko. They dug into the feast set before them. Ronnie grabbed the paper basket containing a pile of the aromatic ribs. Her mouth was watering as she sunk her teeth into the most delicious ribs she had ever eaten. She couldn’t help the groan of pleasure that escaped her lips as the food slid around in her mouth, and she swallowed her first bite.

  Nikko loved watching her eat. She dug right in, and paid no mind to the barbecue sauce on her fingers, or the little bit that dribbled just past her bottom lip. He shook his head and reached for his sandwich as she nabbed the onion rings, and popped a smaller one into her mouth.

  “Oh God! Now this is good,” Ronnie moaned not faking anything this time.

  “Are we doing that again?” he teased. He set down his sandwich which was quite good, and reached for her French fries.

  “I can’t help it! Nikko. These are really good,” she said biting into another pork rib. “And stay away from my fries,” she warned around her mouthful of food while shaking her rib at him.

  He laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender but couldn’t help adding, “Or what?”

  She just laughed, took another bite, and they ate for a while in companionable silence. Good food seemed to have brightened her mood. After her onion rings were half gone, and half her ribs, she pushed the containers away and reached for the French fries. He finished his sandwich, and enjoyed just watching her while he sipped his milkshake.

  “Try them,” she offered. “I’m all done with them.”

  He normally didn’t eat greasy fried food, but the smell, and her words earlier had him curious. He picked up a large onion ring sinking his perfect white teeth into it. They were great. The flavor of the crispy batter and the sweet Spanish onion exploded in his mouth. He finished it while she smothered her French fries in ketchup, and he wrinkled his nose at the gooey mess. He had never liked ketchup masking the taste of his food.

  “Don’t knock it,” she teased, lifting a smothered French fry to his face. Food from her hand, he couldn’t resist, and opened his mouth just enough to take a small bite, but she still had to reach to get the food there.

  Ronnie’s mouth suddenly went dry as Nikko’s eyes flashed and dared her to feed him the fry; the man was just too damn sexy for his own good. He couldn’t go ten minutes without flirting. She waved the French fry in his face daring him to take it from her.

  He saw the glint of mischief in her brown eyes. She squinted just a bit before she put the fry to his mouth, and pulled back before he could bite it.

  “Tease,” he whispered huskily.

  She smiled in return, and brought the French fry close again. But this time, just as she pulled back he took her hand, grabbing it in his own as he guided it to his mouth. Her hand trembled under his pull, and her air left her, as he took the fry into his mouth all the way to her finger tips, just barely biting the tips. It sent shock waves through her. She stopped resisting him, and relaxed as he then licked a dollop of ketchup off of her finger. She literally shivered despite the heat of the day, as her pussy clenched in response to the sight of his tongue. He licked it, sucked it, and when her finger was bathed by the warmth of his mouth he slowly released it.

  “Delicious,” he whispered, drawing his tongue across his lips.

  She was speechless, and desire so inte
nse pooled in her. She felt her panties getting wet, and a throbbing ache began to possess her. Looking down at her hands and the finger he briefly sucked on, she shook her head again. She grabbed a wet nap and ripped the package open to finish cleaning her hands, lost in the aftershocks of the sensations he evoked in her. She needed the time to compose her thoughts and regain control of her senses. That, and she was a bit too ashamed by her reaction to look up just now.

  Nikko watched the play of emotions flit across her face, from wonder, to shock, and confusion. He would love to know what she was thinking. His next words snapped her out of her delirium.

  “Thank you Ronnie, lunch was quite enjoyable,” he whispered, not wanting to break the spell of the moment.

  Ronnie forced her mind to clear, shook her head and got up.

  “I’m done. We better go.”

  He rose as well but more reluctantly. She was still cleaning her hands with the wet nap as he untangled himself from the picnic bench.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Let’s get you home,” he assured her when she began to move.

  He tossed the remains of their late lunch onto the tray, dumped it into the closest trash can, and then he quickly caught up to her just as she opened her passenger side door. He intended to open it for her, but she had been too quick. When she backed up she backed up right into him, and there was no denying his arousal. The hard long ridge pressed up so intimately along her backside immediately set her body on fire again.

  Ronnie turned in his arms and the look on her face took him by storm; it was what he was feeling, shock and desire, and he swept his arms around her pulling her into them, doing what he wanted to do since he first saw her in the Courthouse. The kiss was fierce. There was no foreplay. This was no gentle kiss. He plundered and she opened without hesitation. She wanted this as much as he did.

  Beyond the taste of barbecue was Ronnie, all sweet and giving. Her breasts were crushed against his chest, and he could feel the tiny buds hardening as she began to return the kiss. He was getting his fill and his arousal was pushing against her, between them. He felt her hands grasp at his back as she clung to him, her nails digging in and scraping him through the material of his cotton shirt.