by Vivian Gray
“You think of your dad as a murderer?”
The question took her breath away. “Well, no.”
“So what’s your beef with the MC then?” He took another swig of his beer. She could tell this question had been on his mind for a while. “We’re good guys. I made you dinner. Doesn’t that prove it?”
She smiled briefly, weighing her words. “Dinner is nice, but it doesn’t make up for the needless violence. My brother would still be here if everyone just stayed out of trouble.”
“So would mine.” He flicked his thumbnail under the tab of his beer. “But you don’t see me running away from club life.”
His comment stilled her. “Your brother died because of the club, too?”
He jerked his head into a nod. “About four years ago – a botched deal with the Wicked Spawn.”
“So how can you want to stick with a club that got your family killed?” She fought to keep her voice steady. It seemed like she, and she alone, operated in a different realm from the majority of MC members.
“Because it’s family.” The words came out softly. Silas looked up at her, earnestness written across his face. “It’s the only family I got. Family means more than life. There’s no other option.”
His words warmed Jessa in a way that felt distantly uncomfortable. She didn’t want to sympathize with him or be moved by his dedication to the club. But he’d lost a brother, too, and here they were.
She downed the rest of her beer, then rose on shaky legs. Why did this man make her feel this way? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t right. “I’ll wash the dishes, since you did the cooking.”
“You don’t have to,” he said over his shoulder as she carried their plates to the sink.
But she needed the chance to lose herself in a task. Anything to keep herself from staring into his eyes and imagining their clothes coming off again. “No, that’s the rule, right? You cook, I clean… and vice versa.”
He eased back into the chair, taking another swig of his beer. “I think that’s how it goes. Followed by dessert.”
“What’s dessert?”
The second the words left her mouth a wicked smile curled on his lips. “Anything you’d like.”
His innuendo made her roll her eyes. That was exactly what she was trying to stay away from. “Great. For dessert, I’d like to go to bed.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She washed the dishes in record time, tossing him her breeziest approximation of a smile. “Thanks again for dinner, Silas. Good night.”
In the quiet of her bedroom, Jessa tugged at her hair. Even though keeping things strictly friendly with Silas was right, it somehow felt wrong. She shimmied out of her clothes and hopped into the shower, keeping the water cooler than normal, as though it might somehow convince her body to drop the animal-in-heat tendencies around Silas.
She had to set herself straight. Working late forever wasn’t an option, and besides, ignoring a housemate for eternity didn’t seem right either.
It was time to take the bull by the horns and just get the fuck over Silas.
***
Silas didn’t recall falling asleep; the night had been more of fitful starts of restlessness. Dreams melded into sudden wakefulness. His entire body was on edge, but he didn’t know why.
When the floorboards in the house creaked around midnight, his instincts told him it wasn’t an intruder. The way his skin prickled told him that Jessa was just a restless as he was.
And then he felt a hand on his forearm. Warmth crept through him. In the darkness of the room, lit only by the weak rays of moonlight entering through the glass sliding door to the backyard, there she was.
“Silas.” Jessa’s voice was soft but urgent. “Are you awake?”
He sniffed and propped himself up on an arm, yawning. “Yeah. What’s up?”
“I can’t sleep.”
He tried to take stock of the situation through the haze of darkness. He’d gotten to sleep in her bed just one night, the day he’d gotten stabbed. He’d been kicked out to the couch again, like a pet who had lost bed privileges.
“You okay?” He rubbed an eye.
“Yeah.” She sounded uncertain though. His eyes adjusted to the darkness slightly, and he sucked in sharply. Jessa was nude. Completely, unmistakably nude.
“Hey, what—” he began, just as her hand slipped under the thin blanket covering up his lower half.
“I can’t sleep because of you,” she said in a softer voice, so quiet he thought maybe he’d mistaken it. “I can’t stop thinking about how you fucked me.”
Clarity surged through him. There wasn’t a faster way to wake a man up than a naked woman looking for sex. “Yeah?” The thought of her tossing and turning because she couldn’t stop fantasizing about how he’d drilled into her on top of the dresser had him hard in seconds. “You miss it? Need me to give it to you again?”
Her hand crested the hard ridge of his cock through his boxers and all his thoughts melted away. Need took over, the desire bubbling just beneath the surface every minute since they’d last fucked. He shoved the blanket away and sat up, pulling her up on top of him. She straddled him, her arms hooking around his neck, heavy breasts pressing into his collarbone.
“That was fast,” she breathed out.
“That’s what you wanted.” His heart raced as he discovered the curves of her body in the darkness, finding pure warmth and softness. He cinched her around the waist, sealing her body against his. “I’ll give you what you want, Jessa.”
She moaned low, and a dribble of moisture reached his leg. Fuck, she wanted it so bad she was dripping. He encircled her waist with his hands, squeezing her tight.
“This is why we should just sleep in the same bed,” he murmured, skating kisses up her jawline. She writhed against him, head dropping back as he kissed her. “That way you don’t have to come out here begging for it.”
She rocked against him. “Please, Silas. I need it.”
He pulled back to look at her, smiling as he watched her skin glint silvery in the moonlight. “Actually, I like it when you beg.”
She rolled in a slow circle on top of him, one that reminded him that there were a time and place for begging. And now was the time for fucking.
He fished his cock out of his boxers. The swollen head slipped along the folds of her pussy, and she moaned, rocking harder on top of him.
“Silas.” Her voice was a desperate plea.
With a grunt, he pushed himself into her, the fat head of his cock popping inside easily. She slammed down on top of him, riding him with a desperation that took his breath away. All he could do was sit back and enjoy it.
She slammed up and down on top of him, soft grunts escaping her. Her hair slipped out of the top knot, wisps brushing his face as she rode him.
His ass cheeks clenched as her pace increased. Digging his fingers into her hips, he started matching her movements from below. Slamming up into her just as she came down. A strangled scream escaped her, making his balls tighten. This might be the fastest he’d ever come in his life.
“Fuck, Jessa.” His voice was a low growl. “It’s so hot when you fuck me like this.”
She hooked her elbow around his neck, arching into him. Sweat prickled on his brow as he drilled up into her from underneath. Her pussy locked around him like a vice. A scream erupted from her.
“Oh! Oh!”
Silas took that as his cue to finish her off. Grunting with the effort, he steadied her by the hips as he fucked her, relentless, merciless. Her cries turned into a scream, her pussy quaking around him. His own climax pummeled him, came in from left field. His ass cheeks turned to rocks, and his belly jerked as he came.
When the wave receded, Silas’ chest was heaving. Jessa had her head draped over his shoulder, her breath coming out in short, humid spurts against his skin.
“Well, damn, Jessa.” He laughed softly, smoothing his hands over the curve of her ass. It felt nice to have the weight of
her on top of him. Felt nice to have her linger in the afterglow.
“Yeah.” She dragged her fingernails up over his bicep. “Fuck.”
She stayed on top of him for a few more moments. When her breathing went even, he laid back on the couch, arranging her alongside him. She mumbled something and curled up beside him, fitting just so in the remaining space of the couch. Silas tried not to disturb her as he reached for the discarded blanket, tugging it up over both of them.
He stayed awake for only a few moments after that before tiredness claimed him and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Silas spent the next day on club business. They had more leads on the Spawn now that their attack mission the week before had gone so well. They hadn’t taken out higher-ups but sent enough of a message to put the Spawn on high alert. They were scared and panicky now, exactly where Silas wanted them.
So measuring the next step was of the utmost importance. But the heightened tension came with heightened worry. Almost hourly his mind flashed to Jessa – wondering what she was doing, if she was thinking about him. He was worried that something might happen to her, more now than before. The Spawn knew the Death Knells were on a hunt for them. Would they make Jessa even more of a target?
Silas tried not to think about something happening to her. More than that, he tried not to think about why it made his chest hurt. Why it took his breath away.
By nightfall he knew he wouldn’t be making it back to the house for at least a couple more hours, so he sent a prospect to go keep an eye on Jessa’s house. Even with the extra vigilance, part of him was itching to get back there so he could keep an eye on her himself.
The thoughts were a distraction. Which meant Jessa was becoming a distraction.
Later that night as him and a few club brothers came back from a sweep across their territory to check on a few areas vulnerable to Spawn takeover, Tiny shoved him from behind.
“You heading back to your old lady now?” He cackled.
“Sure am.” Silas headed for their meeting room to drop off a duffel bag with extra ammo. “You know, I was wrong about the whole marriage thing.”
Tiny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe you like it, but I ain’t trying to dip my toe in those waters.”
“Why? The waters are warm, practically bathwater.” Silas hooked his arm around Tiny’s neck as they walked back toward the living room together. “Or maybe I just caught myself the perfect old lady.”
“Do I really hear our prez spouting off about how great it is to be married?” Tequila wandered into the living room, a stunned look on his face. “Now this I cannot believe.”
Silas sent him a cocky grin. “It has its perks.”
And that was the truth. Silas couldn’t wait to get home and see Jessa, even if their relationship hung like a question mark in the air between them They certainly didn’t hate each other anymore, that much was certain – and a relief.
There was something a bit too ironic for words about how Jessa tried to keep distance between them but still ended up begging for it and sleeping on the couch with him anyway. The thought made him smile as he headed toward his bike. Maybe tonight would be the same. The deepest part of him hoped for it.
When he pulled up to her house close to midnight, everything looked in order. The recruit he’d posted to keep watch nodded as Silas pulled up. Silas walked his bike into the driveway, parking it alongside her beat-up Mazda. He smiled as he walked toward the front door, the quiet sounds of night washing over him, the crickets singing their rhythms, the distant noise of traffic settling like a blanket over the night.
When he pushed into the house, all the lights were on. He found Jessa in the living room, curled up on the couch, his “bed”, sitting on the blanket like she’d made a nest out of it.
Her cheeks reddened when she looked back at him, and he couldn’t stop the smile from overtaking his face.
“You miss me that much, huh?” He sauntered her way, all the tiredness in his limbs disappearing just from glimpsing her. “Gotta hijack my couch.”
She sent him a flat look, but a smile tugged at her lips. “This is my couch, I’ll remind you.”
“Sure, but isn’t it ‘ours’ now, wifey?” He leaned over the back of the couch. She looked up at him with tenderness on her face, and he leaned forward without realizing it, and suddenly they were kissing.
His mind reeled through the kiss. What the fuck was this? Actually kissing her like they were a couple greeting each other at the end of a long workday.
When they pulled apart, surprise registered on her face. Indecision gripped him for a moment, left him staring and uncertain.
She reached up and ran her fingers over the buzzed part of his head. “Welcome home.”
He leaned forward and kissed her again, a confession burbling inside him. When they broke apart, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I missed you.”
The words hung heavy and strange between them, reminding him of the absurdity of it all: faked marriage for her safety; forced living arrangements; and explosive sex between two people who couldn’t be more different. What was the point of saying shit like that when the whole thing was basically just playacting?
A smile twitched on her lips, and she looked away. “Yeah. Same here.” He came around the couch and eased down next to her. Her gaze fell to his boots. “You didn’t take your shoes off.”
“I was too excited to see you,” he murmured.
She sent him a sugary sweet smile. “Doesn’t matter. Take ‘em off, buddy.”
He sighed, but there was a smile behind it. He launched himself off the couch, trudging back toward the front hallway to leave his shoes in their designated spot. Once he’d toed them off and returned to the couch, she patted the spot next to her.
“Shouldn’t you be going to bed?” He sat down next to her, pinching her side.
“Yeah, I guess. I’m just not very tired.”
“You need me to put you to sleep like last night?” He sent her a cocky grin. “That worked better than a sleeping pill. You slept like a baby.”
She laughed through her nose, her face a mixture of embarrassed and knowing. “Maybe.”
He arched a brow, squeezing her knee. The feel of her in his grip sent electric shocks through him. Jessa was something else; he just didn’t know exactly what.
Her legs splayed open, inviting his hand further. He let a low hum, pushing his hand over the top of her leg. “Seems like more than maybe.”
Her eyes followed his hand as it trailed up the goosepimply skin of her thigh, pausing at the hem of her soft shorts. He ran his thumb over the crotch of the shorts, watching all the vulnerable expressions cross her face.
“In fact, this seems a lot like yes.”
Her mouth parted as he slipped his fingers under the shorts, searching out the crotch of her panties. When he found it, she was already damp. He held her gaze as he pressed his fingers into the folds of her pussy, his fingertips slipping over the slick, hard nub of her clit.
She tensed, drawing in a sharp breath. “Why did you have to work so long today?” Her voice came out pinched. “You made me wait for so long.”
“Oh, now we’re back to regular working hours?” Silas dipped a finger into her, and Jessa’s head fell back, a low moan escaping her. “I didn’t get the memo, babe.”
She laughed throatily. “You need to try harder to keep up then.”
Something in her tone sparked mischief inside him. He pressed another finger inside, pumping in and out. “So you wanted me here with you, huh?”
Jessa arched her back, a yelp escaping her as Silas squeezed her clit with his free hand. Her thighs locked up as he finger-fucked her harder.
“Seems like you need me more than you want to admit.” He loved the need creasing her face, the raw bliss that wracked her body. She let out a pitiful moan.
“Yes. Please. Harder.” She spread her legs wider, white knuckling the armrest, her head twisted back. He pul
led his fingers out of her, loving the angry gasp that practically tore the air in half.
“You… What…”
“Don’t worry, babe.” He made quick work of his belt, then pushed his pants to the ground. “I just need to be inside you when you come.”
The flush in her cheeks deepened at that, but her shock subsided once he tore her shorts off. He got to his knees in front of the couch, tugging her to the edge. He ran his ramrod-straight cock over the folds of her pussy, wetting his lower lip as the bulging head coasted over her entrance.
“Please,” she wailed.
Silas grabbed big handfuls of Jessa’s ass because plunging himself inside her, quicker and deeper than he’d intended. Watching her writhe with pleasure while he finger-fucked her already had him teetering on the edge. It wouldn’t be long now. Seemed no matter how much they fucked, he couldn’t get enough… and he was always able to come – damn near couldn’t control himself.
