“Yeah.” Her breath was slowing now. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Did I…” She shook her head, and her hair fell in shimmering waves around her face. “Oh, yeah.” She sighed. “You?”
“Oh, God, yeah.” His fingers traveled up and down her shoulders and arms, soothing her. “Can’t think the last time I enjoyed anything more.”
“Really?” She sat up now, tilted her head at him. “You enjoyed it more than cooking?”
“Ummm.” He pretended to think about it. “Marginally.”
“More than milking cows?”
“Uh, let’s see. Maybe a bit more than that. Not much, though, ‘cause milking cows is pretty damn awesome.” He paused. “Except not.”
“Huh,” she teased him. “So you really did enjoy it.”
“Let me make this crystal clear for you, kitten.” He tugged her down to get a kiss, whispered against her sweet mouth. “In the whole of my life, I’ve never enjoyed anything more. Ever.”
Chapter Twelve
An hour later, Shay and Warren were curled up in bed, watching the snow falling outside the window. In the glow of the fire, it was beautiful and it was romantic… and it was strangely bittersweet for both reasons.
He stroked her naked back, loving the silkiness of her skin. When she stirred in his embrace and looked up at him, he kissed her forehead.
“OK, kitten?” he said.
“Yeah.”
“Not cold?”
“No.” She squirmed a bit, trying to get as close to him as humanly possible. “You’re like a heater, babe.”
His eyes flared at that. “‘Babe’?”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip, flustered. “Was that – you don’t like it?”
“I like it when you say it.”
Shay relaxed again. “Really?”
“Mmmm-hmmm. Really. It’s been a long time since anyone called me by a pet name.” He contemplated that for a few seconds. “Been way longer than anyone calling me by my real name. And here you are, doing both.”
Shay felt that now-familiar surge of jealousy rising in her chest. The thought that some other woman had called Warren by a pet name annoyed her, and yet again, she reminded herself that she had no rights here. None at all. So instead of going all spitting hellcat and kamikaze murder-death-kill, she took a deep breath.
“Who called you by a pet name?” she asked, like it totally didn’t matter to her in the slightest. “An ex-girlfriend?”
Warren heard it in her voice, though, and he grinned a bit. “Why? You jealous?”
“What? No!” She felt a flush spreading across her face, and she cursed her pale skin. “I’m just asking.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Smart-ass,” she muttered. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear about your hordes of women, anyway.”
“My what of women?” he said, amused beyond belief.
“Hordes. Truckloads. Masses. Uh.” She scrambled to think of some more words. “Platoons.”
Warren threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Platoons?”
“Yes,” she hissed, mutinous and pissed off and not even bothering to hide it anymore. “Platoons.”
“Ha. So not.”
“Ha,” she rejoined. “Looking the way that you do? Please. ‘Platoons’ is being conservative.”
“When do you suppose I had time to entertain dozens of women, kitten? Between working the fields, tending the animals, keeping my asshole of a father from beating on my Mom? Believe me, I was stuck at that farm, and except for the occasional beer with buddies from the mill, my social life was pretty dismal.”
“So… no girlfriends?”
“In high school, sure. When I was working, yeah. A woman who worked at the mill office. But when I went back to the farm full-time, it died out. No time to spend with her.”
“Oh.” She shifted a bit, reprimanding herself for that mental fist-pump she’d just done. “So… no women for a while, I guess?”
“Nope. Not for over three years.”
“Oh.” She ducked her head, feeling petty and stupid now. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
She considered not telling him the truth, decided that it made no sense to lie. “Being jealous.”
Warren fisted one hand in her hair, gently tugged until her forced her head back. Without a word, he gazed down at her, searching those green eyes. All he saw was feeling, and it was feeling that he recognized… because he fucking hated the thought that anyone had ever touched Shay before him. He didn’t just mean those Utah MC assholes, either – he meant anyone touching Shay. Anyone, anywhere, any place on her body, ever. He was even feeling ragey about a dentist looking at her teeth.
Also? He couldn’t bring himself to imagine her with anyone else in the future, not even a good guy, one who could offer her marriage and kids. One who was going to make Shay happy forever, in ways that Warren never could or would.
Fuck, he hated that asshole the most of all. That asshole was going to get to live Warren’s dream, and for that, he wasn’t getting any forgiveness.
“You jealous, baby?” he asked softly. “For real?”
“Yes.”
“I like that.”
She blinked. “Why?”
“Because I’m so jealous of any guy even looking at you, and I feel like a dickhead about it. Now I know I’m not alone in how I’m feeling.”
“Yeah,” she said morosely. “I guess I’m a dickhead too.”
He laughed again, took her mouth for a sweet, soft kiss. “We’ll be dickheads together, then. It’ll save anyone else having to put up with us.”
“Deal.”
She lowered her head to his chest again, running her fingers through the blond hair there. He held her closer, started to think about her future, the one that she’d get back to after this all ended. This whole thing with the Fallen Angels was really just an interruption to her real life, the one that was sitting and waiting for her return. It suddenly came to him that he actually knew very little about her life in Montana.
“Shay?”
“Hmmm?”
“What do you teach?”
He half-expected her to say something like, ‘Prep for the Zombie Apocalypse’ or ‘Kicking Ass And Taking Names 101’, so her answer took him aback for a second.
“English Lit.”
He hadn’t expected that. “Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Smart girl.”
“Sometimes.”
“And that’s where you’re gonna stay after all of this? Up in Montana?”
“I guess. I mean, it’s decent money, and I like the staff and students. I have a few friends in town, but nobody super-close. It’s been hard to make friends and not talk about my whole life before a few years ago. So, it’s OK. I mean, it’s – it’s alright.”
He heard the reservation in her words. “But…”
“But what?” she asked, startled, looking up at him again.
“I heard a ‘but’ at the end of what you just said.”
“You did?”
“I did.”
“Well…” she said slowly. “I’m just feeling ready for a change, I think.”
“You mean a new state? Or a new job?”
“Both, really.” Shay sighed. “I was thinking about self-publishing a book. I have enough savings that I could swing about a year of not working, so I could stay home and just write, you know? Then I could go back to teaching after my break.”
Intrigued, he sat up, pushed the pillow behind his back, and leaned against the headboard. Warren had barely graduated high school, and though he still liked reading, the whole concept of writing was terrifying to him.
“You have a story already?” h
e asked her.
“Yeah. I’ve been writing it in my head for almost ten years.”
“Tell me.”
“You really want to hear it?”
“I do.” He shifted a bit, got more comfortable, patted his chest. “C’mere. I’m listening.”
“Uh, alright.” She snuggled up to him, amazed for about the hundredth time just how perfectly she fit right here. God, being with this man felt like coming home. “You won’t be bored?”
“How could I ever be bored by you, honey?”
“Ohhhh-kaaay. Just remember that after I’ve blathered on for twenty minutes, and your eyes are rolling to the back of your head so hard that you’re afraid that they’ll stick like that.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“It might.”
“Shay. Just fucking tell me, alright? Stop trying to put me off. It ain’t working, so give it up, yeah?”
“OK,” she whispered. To her surprise, her voice trembled, and she was a bit taken aback at just how turned on she was by his commanding tone. Bossy, take-charge, demanding Warren was her favorite version of the man, and she didn’t give a shit what that said about her. It was hot.
He heard the tremor, and right away, he lifted her face to his again. “You crying, baby?”
“No.”
“No?” His face was fierce, protective. The most lethal, panty-dropping combination imaginable, in her humble opinion. She clenched her thighs together as a shock of arousal moved from her stomach to her pussy, and she struggled to stay cool.
“Nuh-uh.” For good measure, she shook her head. “I’m good.”
“So why do you sound like that?”
“Like what?” she said.
“I don’t know… shaky.”
“Because… because…” Oh, Lord, her words were all breathy now, and she saw his eyes burst in to awareness. In to blue flame. “I’m –”
Without a word, he slid his hand between her thighs, forcing them open with no effort at all. In fact, she helped him, without any shame or hesitation. She just let him do what he wanted, because it was what she wanted, too.
She chose what was happening between them. She’d always choose this. And no matter what, she’d always choose Warren.
His fingers were already coated with her sweet honey, and he slipped two of them inside her without any effort at all. She made a small sound of pleasure, and right away, his other hand cupped her face.
“Look at me, Shay,” he commanded her, husky-soft. “Let me see your eyes.”
She did as he asked, and he smiled at her imploring, needy gaze.
“Open to me, baby.” He twisted his wrist, went deeper. “All the way. Give yourself to me.”
“I have.” The words tumbled from her mouth without thought. “Oh, God… I have.”
“I know,” he said, stroking her, his fingers moving in and out of her, his thumb on her hot little button. “I can feel it.”
“Warren…” she whispered, already lost to it. “Please…”
“Let go, Shay. Let me see you let go, not holding anything back. Give me everything. Now, honey.”
Helpless, not even trying to resist his demand, her back arched up and off the bed as she came. Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath rasped, and pure fire sizzled through her veins. God, nothing felt like coming for Warren – nothing had ever been so good. So intense.
So right.
Slowly, she came down, opened her eyes. When he saw that she was back with him, he smiled, stroked his erect cock with one large hand.
“How do you want me, baby?” he grated out.
“Inside me,” she gasped, already ready to take him, already halfway there again. “Hard, deep… please… please now.”
He grabbed a condom, sheathed himself, rolled on top of her carefully. He glanced down the length of her body. “Your leg?”
“Is fine,” she said, gripping his firm ass, trying to pull him in to her eager, begging center. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Despite her words, despite his own raging desire, he worked his way inside her incredibly gently, so damn tenderly. It wasn’t until she wrapped both legs around his waist and started raising her hips to meet his thrusts that Warren let loose.
He took her roughly, more roughly than he’d done on the sofa. He pounded in to her, over and over, his moans lost in her mouth as he kissed her without pause. And when she came under him, shaking and sobbing her release, he was lost. Lost in the best possible way.
As his orgasm was ripped out of him, he heard himself calling her name, calling it like a man calling for mercy. Her name was a tiny prayer, an incantation of wanting and longing. A plead for more from her, and with her.
More time. More emotion. More everything.
More Shay. All of Shay.
But ‘more’ was the one thing that he couldn’t get, wouldn’t ever get, and the thought broke his heart clean in two.
As his climax faded, Warren’s kisses gentled, lost their edge of need and desperation. She was soft and limp under him, totally spent, breathing fast and shallow. He stroked her lips with his tongue and with a moan, she opened to him. Gave him everything, just like he’d asked.
Moments passed, and they stayed just like that: still joined, kissing gently, not speaking. Finally, he pulled out of her, rolled off the bed. He covered her up with the sheet, already missing her slim curves. Fuck, he was going to miss her for the rest of his life – and it had already started.
“Be right back,” he said lightly, not giving anything away.
She nodded, watched him leave the bedroom. The Fallen Angels tattoo across his entire upper back was gorgeous, and for the first time, she saw it that way. On his body, a symbol of hatred and fear became strangely beautiful.
That was when she knew that Warren had the power to change her mind about things, even bad things. Maybe even the worst things – things like the MC lifestyle.
Maybe… maybe if she was in it with him, it would be OK?
Whoa. What the fuck, Shay? Don’t go there. Don’t ever, ever go there again. Not even in your own head.
He came back now, and she watched as he cleaned her pussy, then dropped a tiny kiss on her mound. Not to arouse, or excite, or entice. No, this kiss showed sheer fucking reverence for her femininity, her beauty. It was a small act of worship, of devotion, and she felt it deep. It touched her in places that she didn’t even know that she had, and that was when she knew that when it came to Warren Kane, she was in way, way over her head.
When he lifted his eyes back to hers, she averted her gaze. She was sure that her heart was right there in her eyes, and she didn’t want him to see all that naked, honest emotion. It wouldn’t do anyone any good, and she scrambled to think of something to say.
“So, it worked,” she said, going for a jokey tone.
He propped his head on her stomach, his chin on his fist. “What did?”
“Putting you off hearing about my book. You’re so easy to distract, babe.”
Warren paused. “You’re not going to convince me that this was all a big distraction.”
“No?”
“Nope.” He kissed her stomach, watching her closely. “You can’t help yourself around me.”
“I – what?” She laced her words with mock-outrage, and he smiled. “You really think you’re that irresistible, huh?”
“For you, I am.”
“Bah. Egomaniac.”
“Really?” He slid down the bed, his mouth now inches away from her tender folds. “You want me to prove it?”
Shay was immediately breathless, turned on, awash in need. Even as her body opened to him and her pussy throbbed, she gave him a saucy little look.
“Sure,” she said, all airy and ‘la-la-la’. “Go on, big guy. Try to prove it.”
And he did, damn him. Easily, and t
hree more times.
**
“Shay? You awake, baby?”
She groaned from the depths of her pillow. “Again already? Argh. You’re going to kill me.” She paused. “Actually, I probably wouldn’t mind going out that way, so carry on.”
Warren laughed, pressed a tiny kiss to the back of her neck. “It’s not about that, kitten… I need to talk to you.”
“Oh.” She rolled on to her back now, blinking at the clock. “Holy crap. Is it really noon?”
“Mmm-hmmm. I let you sleep.” He winked at her, and she melted in to a puddle of goo on the spot. “I did wear you out last night.”
“I’ll say.” She touched his lips, ran her fingers down his beard. “So what do you want to talk about?”
“Setting the stage.”
“Uh, what?”
He sat up now, and the expression on his face was so serious, she felt alarm. She sat up too, holding the sheets against her naked breasts. She crossed her legs, feeling like that added an extra layer of protection, somehow, and she idly noted that her leg barely hurt at all now.
“OK, so.” He paused, and she saw him gathering his thoughts. “I was thinking that we need to start preparing for someone to show up here.”
Her stomach clenched in fear, mostly because he wasn’t wrong. They’d been at the cabin, all alone, for seven days now. She recalled him telling her that if they got together, they’d have maybe a week to enjoy each other, and that was at most. Time was running out, and fast.
Fighting for calm, she nodded. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, you’re supposed to be downstairs, so we need to make it look like you’ve been down there this whole time. I want you to start showering and brushing your teeth in the downstairs bathroom, OK? Roll around on the bed a bit, too. Make it look used, like you’re sleeping there.”
“OK.”
“And –” He hesitated. “And we need to prepare you to be – to be handcuffed to the bed.”
Horrified, she scrambled backwards. “What? No!”
“Baby,” he implored her, his hands extended. “Just listen, alright?”
“No!” she repeated, louder, more panicked. “Why do we have to do that?”
Dark Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 6) Page 19
