1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  Her whispered words are directed at no one, and I wonder if they were meant more for me or for her. I watch her profile as she continues to inspect the ceiling fan.

  It’s not the first time that the girl beside me has knocked me stupid with something that comes from her beautiful mouth. As I sit dazed by her brilliance, my mind attempts to piece together what she’s been through. Being the daughter of a pimp and a prostitute in Las Vegas couldn’t have been easy. Her dad was hawking women’s bodies and profiting from it, even the mother of his own daughter. Revulsion stirs in my gut.

  We lie in silence for several long minutes, me lost in thoughts of her, her just looking lost.

  Huffing, she turns her head with a sweet smile. “I need caffeine.”

  And just like that, she’s back. These last few days, Raven has opened up to me on her own, always changing the subject when she’s done sharing. I want to know more about her, but I’ll let her set the pace.

  “Are you always this pushy in the morning?” I tease.

  A soft pink kisses her cheeks as she buries her head in my chest. I run my hand up her back into her hair.

  “I don’t think I’m pushy in the morning, but then again, I’ve never slept over with a boy before.”

  “Boy, huh?”

  Rolling her to her back, I climb above her and bury my face in her throat. Her hands slide into my hair, and she holds me to her. I nip at her neck, eliciting a soft moan that vibrates against my lips. It takes every ounce of my control not to flex my hips into her accepting body. I pull up the hem of her t-shirt and rest my hand against her ribs.

  “Jonah, is that your phone?”

  I ignore her breathy question as my fingertips brush against the underside of her breast.

  “Jonah, I think you should get your—”

  I silence her with my mouth, swallowing her unspoken words. She hums and tilts her head, allowing me to delve deeper. I do just that, driving my tongue against hers. As slow as I can manage, I move my hand up until it’s overflowing with the weight of her breast. She presses into my hold, molding my hand against her.

  “What if it’s an emergency?” She breaks the kiss to speak before pulling me back to her lips.

  I smile at her eagerness before sucking her full bottom lip into my mouth. Her hands slide from my neck down to my chest as she explores my body with her touch.

  “You taste fucking fantastic.” I trail my tongue from her lips to her neck with every intention of tasting her breasts.

  “The phone. It could be . . . a family emergency.” Her clipped words come out between needy pants. Her hands run up again and into my hair sending the opposite message of her words.

  I’m kissing her shoulder, her chest heaving against mine. There isn’t much that could drag me away from her willing little body. But she’s right. And I’m pissed.

  “Fuck.” I kiss her hard and suck her tongue deep into my mouth letting her know there’s more to come. “Later.”

  With a quick push up, I’m off the bed. She whimpers, her face flushed, a shy smile tugging on her swollen lips. Her face is free of makeup, and her hair is tossed around the pillow in a wavy halo. Seriously gorgeous.

  “I’m going to kill whoever that is.”

  Her laughter fills the room making it hard to stay mad. I follow the sound of my ringing cell phone to the living room, hoping the distance from Raven will calm my racing pulse and dull the throb in my pants.

  Nabbing my phone off the table, I check the caller ID.

  Yeah, he’s dead.

  “This better be good,” I growl.

  “Oh shit. Either you didn’t get laid last night, or I interrupted your morning piece of ass.”

  My teeth grind together and I grip my cell. Blake has no idea how close he is to a beat down.

  “Blake, you ever talk about Raven like that again, I will rip your balls off and shove them down your throat. I won’t tolerate anyone disrespecting her. We clear?”

  Is he fucking laughing? What the hell.

  “No shit, man.” The way he says it, I’m surprised he doesn’t follow it with a “Duh!” He chuckles. “Pretty obvious after watching you two last night. Oh, and for the record, I approve.”

  “Great. Don’t know what I’d do without your blessing.” I force sarcasm into my words, but can’t suppress a smile.

  “‘The Assassin’ settles down. I can see the headlines now. Women around the greater state of Nevada flood the streets with tears.”

  “I’m not settling down. We’re just hanging out.” I grimace at the sour taste of those words from my mouth.

  “Right, dude. Whatever you say.”

  Subject change, ASAP. “You called for a reason?”

  “Well, besides calling to find out if you dipped your—”

  “Blake.” My tone is heavy with warning.

  He’s laughing. “Training today is moved to eleven.”

  “Got it.”

  “Oh, and, Jonah, I want details.”

  “Keep dreamin’.”

  His laughing is coming through the phone in loud bursts. “Just hanging out, my ass!”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  Hitting end, I toss my phone to the kitchen island, making it skid. I grab the coffee pot and turn to see Raven leaning up against the kitchen doorway. She tilts her head, flashing me a sexy half-smile. How long has she been standing there?

  “Let me guess . . . Blake?”

  “Yep, Blake.” I fill the coffee maker with water. “How’d you know?” Or better yet, how much did you hear?

  “I heard the a-hole part when I walked in.”

  Good. I’m glad she didn’t hear the part about us just hanging out. I know it’s more than that, but Blake’s nosey ass doesn’t need to know.

  “He really knows how to get you going, huh?”

  “It’s safe to say Blake knows how to get everyone going.” I scoop coffee grounds into the filter, spilling some on the counter. “Except you, you actually laugh at him.”

  Most girls who laugh at Blake are trying to get him take them home. No way Raven has feelings for Blake. Jealousy, mean and ugly, twists in my gut.

  “He’s funny.” She says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

  I stop what I’m doing and turn to her, arms crossed at my chest. “How funny?”

  She shrugs and comes to me from across the kitchen. “Really funny.”

  The urge to beat the snot out of Blake comes out of nowhere. A need to protect or mark what’s mine overwhelms me. Something primal and male pushes my feet to move across the room and make a point.

  I close the space between us, grab both hands full of her ass, and fuse my lips to hers. Her body tenses for a moment, probably shocked by my sudden need, before her muscles melt against mine. She clutches at my shoulders with a moan that settles behind my ribs. I use my hold on her backside to lift her up on the counter and step between her legs. The heat from her skin sears mine as she presses in close. My hands tangle in her hair, gripping tight and pulling back, opening her to me. Her body relaxes, giving me control. I growl in victory before I break the kiss: no slow sweeps of my tongue to bring her back, just a quick nip at her lower lip.

  “Wow.” She straightens out of my hold. With her hands locked behind my neck, she leans her forehead against mine. “What was that for?” She pulls back, her eyes searching my face. “Wait, was that . . . are you jealous?”

  She knows? Of course she knows. I acted like a complete animal.

  “I had to be sure.”

  “Be sure?”

  “Yeah. Be sure that I do it for you.”

  Her eyebrows pinch together. “And?”

  “Baby, the way you just gave yourself over to me? No question.”

  Her eyes grow wide and her face gets red, but she doesn’t deny it. Yeah, I totally do it for her. Blake can live.

  I run my thumbs across the heat of her blush. “Do you work today?”

  She blinks as if she’s just been
released from a spell before her shy smile is directed at me. “I’m on call.”

  “I’ll finish up the coffee. You check in with Guy and find out if he needs you in today. If not, I want you to go to training with me.”

  “Training with you?” Her hands tense behind my neck. “I mean, won’t you get in trouble if you bring a friend?”

  I tuck her loose hair behind her ear before cupping her jaw, my thumb skating along her lower lip. My eyes follow the path of my thumb, remembering what she tastes like. “Friend? Is that what you are?”

  She tries to drop her chin. I hold her face to mine, locking her eyes.

  “No, at least, I hope I’m more.”

  “Yeah, baby, you’re definitely more. So, the answer to your question is no, I won’t get in trouble if I bring you to training. We can swing by your place, feed Dog the cat, you can change and grab some of your stuff for the next couple days.”

  A slight tremor runs through her body. “Days?”

  I ignore her question. After last night and this morning, with her sexy warm body pressed against mine and waking up to her giggles, her throaty moans, and my hand up her shirt, she isn’t going to be sleeping anywhere, but my bed in my arms from now on. Or as long as this lasts.

  “Come to training with me. You’ll like it. You might even pick up on a few things.”

  “Don’t think I need MMA skills in my everyday life at the garage.”

  “True,” I say, twisting a piece of her soft hair around my finger. “But it wouldn’t hurt to know how to break someone’s arm.”

  I laugh at her horrified expression.

  “You can do that? Break someone’s arm?”

  “Come to training and I’ll show you.”

  A quick call to Guy confirms that she’s free for the day. She had a hard time explaining why she was over at my house at nine o’clock in the morning, but it seems he bought her excuse that she was here working on the Impala. Their close relationship puts me at ease. In the short time I’ve known Raven, I haven’t seen her talk on the phone to anyone outside of Eve and Guy. She’s mentioned that she and her mom aren’t close. I remind myself to ask her about that later.

  Ready for the day, me showered and dressed, Raven properly caffeinated, we head to my garage. She walks to the truck and waits for me to hit the locks.

  “Which one do you want to take?” I motion to all of the available forms of transportation.

  Stunned, she looks up at me like a kid who just walked through the gates of Disneyland.

  “I get to pick?”

  “Sure, if you want to.”

  “Heck yeah, I want to!”

  She walks to the Harley without hesitation and hits me with the stupefying smile she did last night. So open, and trusting but also something beyond that. Believing.

  I try to ignore the tightening in my chest. “The Harley it is. Grab a helmet.”

  We climb on, and I try hard not to smile like a complete jackass as she wraps her arms around my waist. The weight of her head touches my back, and I could swear she was hugging me.

  There’s not a guy out there that wouldn’t list having his girl on the back of his bike as one of the best feelings in the world. Her knees are at my hips and the heat of her body at my ass. Yeah, I’m smiling like a jackass all right. At least she’s behind me so she can’t see it.

  Ten

  Raven

  Fan-freaking-tastic. That’s the only way to describe riding on the back of a Harley Blackline with my super-hot, badass boyfriend. The words tumble around in my head, making my stomach flutter, or maybe it’s the adrenaline from the ride. My guess is a combination of both.

  The sun is shining, and there’s a comfortable breeze from the speed of the bike. Jonah’s massive body commands the incredible piece of machinery as we twist and turn through the Las Vegas streets. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to drive it myself. I make a mental note to ask Jonah if he would teach me.

  He takes the long way to my place, making sure to hit some of the most beautiful parts of town. On a particularly long stretch of road, I loosen my hold on his waist and tighten my knees at his hips. With a quick prayer, I throw my arms over my head, completely free, and howl like a wild dog. Jonah’s body shakes with what I assume is laughter, but I can’t hear over the roar of the bike. A little embarrassed by my blissful liberation, I wrap my arms around his body and hug him to me.

  We pull up to Guy’s Garage, and Jonah parks the Harley right next to my Nova. I swing my leg over the bike and dismount while he holds it steady. Pulling my helmet off, I smooth the tussled ends of my hair. Kickstand down, I admire him as he comes off the bike. He exudes confidence and stability, like a man well aware of his body and its capabilities. His red t-shirt hugs his torso, and his jeans are baggy but tight in all the right places. He removes his helmet and walks around my car checking it out. He’s seen it plenty of times from a distance, but never close-up.

  I study the look of concentration on his face. “Well, what do you think?”

  His gaze snaps to mine. “What do I think? I think it’s amazing.” He bends at the waist with his hands on his hips to look in the driver’s side window. “Original interior, stock shifter, steering wheel . . . Raven, baby, you did this?”

  I’m back to perma-grin status. My chest swells with pride at the surprise in his voice.

  “Yeah, it took me two years saving money for parts and working on it in my free time.”

  He closes the space between us and wraps his arms around my waist, placing his hands on my bottom. Just like in his kitchen, the simple touch ignites my blood and I feel something I don’t feel often. Sexy.

  “I’m so proud of you, babe. This,” he gestures to the car with a nod, “is incredible. You are incredible.”

  His words penetrate deep into my soul, shaking the useless rubble of the protective wall he destroyed just last night.

  Pushing up to my toes, I place my hands on his chest and slowly brush my lips against his. His grip flexes against my bottom. I make another pass at his lips, and another, then open my mouth and allow the tip of my tongue to drag against his full lower lip. He reaches into my hair and tugs gently, angling me to him and taking no prisoners. His lips cover mine, tongue thrusting into my mouth. A groan rumbles against my palms, sending my blood soaring. His kiss is possessive and dominant, and I moan into his eager mouth. Without warning, I feel the sunbaked metal of my car against my back as Jonah pins me there. He grinds his hips into my belly and my legs go weak. Time passes, minutes or hours I’m not sure, as I lose myself in his kiss.

  “We need to slow down before we get arrested for indecent exposure.” His wicked grin and hungry eyes have me thinking it’s worth the risk.

  He holds me firmly against the car until my breathing calms and I regain the use of my legs.

  “You okay?” he asks, a wolfish smile tugging at his lips.

  “I’m good.”

  With two steps back, he releases me from his hold, but grabs my hand.

  He shrugs one shoulder. “Show me your place.”

  I head for my apartment in a Jonah-induced fog. Will I ever get used to being with him? Or will I be stumbling over my feet every time we’re together.

  “Ray!”

  Just steps from the alley, I hear the unmistakable call. Guy is standing in the bay, his glare so tight I can’t see the color of his eyes.

  “Um, I’ll be right back.” I let go of Jonah’s hand only to feel him hold on tighter.

  “No. I’m coming with you.” His expression is relaxed, but determined.

  This should be interesting. Guy has never seen me with a man before, mainly because I’ve never dated one. And now here I am, walking hand in hand with The Las Vegas Casanova.

  “Hey, what’s up?” My unusually high voice has Guy’s scowl narrowing.

  He looks back and forth between Jonah and me, his eyes darting from our joined hands to our faces. “What’s going on here?”

  “Oh, uh
. . . well, we just—”

  “Raven and I are dating, sir.”

  Guy’s face goes from pinched and small to wide and slack. “Dating.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jonah pulls me to his side, letting go of my hand and throwing his arm over my shoulder.

  I smile up at Guy, who’s back to glaring. This time, it’s aimed directly at Jonah.

  “Didn’t know you were the dating type, son.”

  My heart races at Guy’s blunt confrontation of Jonah’s reputation.

  “Never was. I am now.” Jonah’s answer is accompanied by a firm squeeze.

  I want to jump up and down at the certainty that laces Jonah’s words. Instead, I wrap my arm around his waist and hug him to me, smiling huge at Guy.

  His face relaxes, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Right then.” He points in Jonah’s face, putting on his best fatherly expression. “Behave yourself.”

  Now it’s Jonah who’s fighting a grin. “Yes, sir.”

  With a curt nod, Guy walks back into the garage. I exhale the breath I was holding and lead Jonah to the alley. That went well, but if I know Guy, we’ll be talking about it later.

  We take the stairs to my door, and I watch the playful humor slide from his face. I grab my keys and open the door.

  “This is it.” I motion for him to enter.

  He glowers around the 500 square feet. “It’s . . . cute.”

  I’d be embarrassed if I thought his distaste was due to my poverty, but it’s clear in the way he checks out the street lights and the locks on my door that he’s concerned for my safety. My heart beats a little faster.

  “Make yourself at home. I’m going to change and grab a few things.”

  Thankful that I hit the laundromat a couple days ago, I pull a black lace bra and panty set, my favorite jeans, and a black tank top into my arms. I step into the bathroom and slide the curtain closed. Changing quickly so that Jonah doesn’t have to wait, I brush on some mascara and swipe on lip gloss. I grab my toiletries and walk back out into my room.

  On the way to my backpack, I freeze and bite back my smile. Seeing a UFL Heavyweight on my tiny twin bed makes it look like a Twinkie. I lose the battle and a laugh shoots from my throat. He looks at me like he knows what I’m laughing about and totally agrees.