“I'll take it as a compliment. No worries.”
“So what's the deal with your brother?” I'm going to go ahead and blame my bravery on those shots.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he acts like he hates me one second, and then goes all caveman on me the next. It's a little confusing,” I answered honestly. “I'm not quite sure how to take him.”
“Hmmm.” She thought for a minute. “I'm not sure what I can tell you other than if he didn't like you, he wouldn't waste a second of his time on you. He's got a wild temper, you saw that. But he's a good guy Riley. If he wants the chance with you, try and give it to him. He doesn't open up to people often.”
Before I could pry anymore, I saw him walk in from the side of the bar and over to where I was sitting.
“What are you two talking about?” he asked.
“Nothing,” we both answered at the same time causing us to burst into a fit of laughter.
“Perfect,” he growled before helping me to my feet. “I'll see you tomorrow Mel.”
She was still laughing when we walked out of the door.
“Can you ride on the bike?” he asked as if he was suddenly aware of my outfit and state of mind.
“We can take the side streets, plus it's dark so no one should see you.”
“Where do you live?” I asked changing the subject.
“In an apartment above the bar.” He nodded upward.
I stood in silence and wrapped my arms over my chest when a crisp breeze blew past us.
“Let's go.” He placed his arm around my waist and pulled me into him as we began to make our way to his apartment.
“Hold on a sec.” I looked up at the flight of stairs before me and reached down to pull off my heels.
Before I could pull off the first shoe, I was swept into his arms and he was easily making his way up the stairs as if I weighed nothing. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I rested my head against his shoulder. He smelled like leather and a hint of cologne. I couldn't wait to see where this was all leading.
Chapter 5
I woke to a dark room and an arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds allowing my eyes to adjust. The light from the hallway allowed me to see that the walls around me were exposed brick and that I was obviously lying in a bed with someone next to me. Where in the hell was I? How much did I drink last night? I reached to the nightstand next to me, searching for my phone or anything that would provide more light. No such luck.
The breathing next to me let me know that the person next to me was still asleep. Seriously, how much did I drink? I remembered everything up until we took those shots after I went to the office with Luke. Luke? No way in hell was I lying in his bed. Did we have sex last night? Shit.
I slowly slid out from under his arm and placed my feet on the ground. The room swayed a little bit as I stood, but I needed to find a bathroom before this situation became even more embarrassing. Somehow I maneuvered my way out of the room and into the hallway. Luckily the first door I came to was a bathroom. I found an unopened toothbrush in the medicine cabinet, and after releasing the remaining alcohol in my system and washing the makeup from my face, I walked back into the hallway.
Now what? Was I supposed to go back to bed with him. I looked down at the blue t-shirt that hung over my bare legs. Did I change myself into this? I swear if I had sex with a guy that hot and I don't even remember it...
My feet somehow led me to his kitchen where I found a bottle of water in the fridge and my purse sitting on the counter. I dug my phone out to see what time it was. 5:14AM. It wasn't too early to sneak out, I guess. If only I could find my clothes. I looked around at the black, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. This was a really nice kitchen for a guy. I wondered if he liked to cook.
“Hey.” I jumped at the sound of his voice.
“Hey,” I said back.
He stood in the doorway of his kitchen wearing only a pair of boxers. His tattooed, bulging arms crossed over his rock hard chest. My eyes traveled down to see the sculpted abs that had always been hidden under his t-shirts. I swallowed the lump in my throat as he took several steps toward me and ran a hand through my tangled mess of hair.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not as bad as I apparently should feel,” I answered.
“I wondered how drunk you were.” He ran the back of his hand over my cheek causing me to blush. “Do you remember everything?”
“I remember you taking me back to your office for dancing with a guy. I remember taking shots after that.” I looked into his eyes. “It's all pretty fuzzy from there.”
“Are you serious?” He looked angry. “How much did you drink?”
“An amount that I'll never drink again.”
“I like that answer.” He carefully pulled my head into his chest and held me against him. “Let's go back to bed. We've only been asleep for a few hours.”
“Did we....” I couldn't ask the question.
“No, you fell asleep in my arms when I was carrying you up the steps. I put you to bed right after we came inside.”
“And changed my clothes?” I questioned.
“Yeah.”
“And nothing happened?” I asked again.
“No, nothing happened.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “Except one thing.”
“And what was that?” I was surprised I wasn't lighting up the room with the red glow from my cheeks.
“I saw your tattoo.” He chuckled and ran his hand down my side, over the ink.
“That's not fair.”
“Why's that?” I could feel his chest rumble each time he laughed.
“I still haven't seen yours yet.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “So, it's not fair.”
“I guess we'll need to fix that sometime soon.”
“So you just took care of me all night?” I asked.
“Someone had to.” He laughed now, and we began to make our way back to his room. “Now let's sleep please. I'm too old for these crazy college hours.”
“How old are you?” I asked because I realized I had no clue.
“I'm twenty-six.”
“Oh yeah, you are an old man,” I teased. “I'll be sure and let you keep up with me from now on.”
“Trust me baby.” He pulled me into his arms. “Soon enough, you'll be the one trying to keep up.”
When I woke again, the bed was empty. I looked around the room and could see the sun peeking in from behind the dark blinds. The large bed took up most of the room, and the pillows smelled like leather and Luke. I needed to bottle that up so I could spray it every day.
Lifting my phone from the nightstand, I saw that is was past 2:00PM. Shit, I had slept most of the day. I placed my feet on the floor again and thankfully I felt steady. My head had cleared and most of the night was slowly starting to come back to me.
Luke had stopped me when we were leaving the bar and wanted to take me home. I talked to his sister. Had she said that he liked me? And then we came here.
“Hey.” He was standing in the doorway.
“Hey.” I turned to look at him.
“You feeling any better?” he asked as he came and knelt before me.
“Yeah, I was just wondering where my clothes were.” I let out a shy smile.
“I put them on the chair right here.” He pointed behind me, and I saw my clothes folded in a neat pile.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I was tired of trying to analyze this.
“What do you mean?” Confusion swept over his handsome features.
“I mean just that.” I looked down at my hands. “Why are you being so nice to me now? You hardly know me.”
He slowly lifted his hand and pushed my hair behind my shoulder. “Look at me.”
I hesitated but lifted my eyes to meet his gaze once he ran his knuckles down my cheek.
“When you charged into that argument between me and Mel, I was
furious. No one has ever stood up to me like that, especially a girl. Then you sat there that night as if nothing had happened. Then you came back again with your advertising gig. Every time I saw you, I knew I'd met my match.”
“So, you like me?” I was still confused. “Because sometimes you act like you hate the sight of me.”
“Yes, baby. I like you.” He let out a small laugh. “I'm kind of hoping you'll give me a chance to convince you to like me back.”
“Well, you'll have to be nicer to me if you want that to happen.” I laughed and ran my hands down his biceps. “No more tough guy act.”
“My tough guy act was lost the first time you walked into my bar.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
“Good.” I traced the tribal tattoo art that was painted around his forearm.
He sucked in his breath when I ran my fingertips across his wrist. I looked up to see his pupils were dilated, and he was watching my mouth. Without warning, his lips came crashing into mine, and his hand wrapped around the back of my neck.
I parted my lips, and his tongue claimed my mouth instantly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I parted my legs and pulled him forward. He stood slightly, lifting me from the bed and laying me on my back a few feet back from where I had been sitting. He climbed over me and parted my legs further with his knees. He was still only wearing a pair of boxers and I ran my hands down his rock hard stomach. He pushed his erection into my center causing a moan to escape the back of my throat.
He lifted me a few inches from the mattress and ripped his large t-shirt over my head. I fell back and lay heaving in breaths as he took in the sight of my breasts. I could see the lust and burning desire in his eyes and knew that I wouldn't be able to stop this from happening even if I wanted to. A low rumble came from his chest seconds before he tore the panties from my body. I was lying completely naked and exposed on his bed, and I had never felt sexier. I reached for his boxers, but he pulled them down himself.
We looked into each other's eyes, and without a word, I knew I was about to cross a line with this man and I would never be able to look back.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked before moving an inch.
“Yes,” I answered.
Without another word, his lips melted back into mine as he pressed into me.
We spent the next few hours in bed, exploring each other’s bodies. I found more tattoos that I hadn't seen before, and he kissed every word that was written on my side.
“Do you need to work tonight?” I asked as we sat cuddled up on his couch.
We had ordered Chinese food and were both sitting under a blanket on his black leather couch. The walls in his entire apartment were exposed brick. His living room was simple like his bedroom; black leather furniture, black coffee table, and a TV mounted on the wall.
“We're closed on Sundays and Mondays,” he answered as he pulled me into his side. “Do you need to get back to your apartment?”
“No, not really.” I thought about it. “But you can take me back whenever you're ready.”
“What does that mean?” He pulled back and stared down at me.
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “I don't have work or class until Tuesday so Monday is also my day off. But if you're ready for me to leave, I can go.”
“What makes you think I ever want you to leave?”
I sat and stared back at this man who just a week ago I considered a complete jackass. Now he was sitting here acting all sweet and caring. It was kind of giving me emotional whiplash. And I kind of liked it.
“If you want me to take me back to your apartment, just let me know.” He ran his hand down the side of my cheek and lifted my chin. “But no, I don't think I'm ever going to want you to leave.”
He leaned forward and captured me in a long, slow kiss. When we broke contact, I was gasping for air, and he had a small smirk across his face.
“I think I'll stay.” I smiled back at him as I tried to catch my breath.
The next few hours were spent on the same spot on the couch—watching movies, stealing kisses, and eating egg rolls.
“What are you going to school for?” he asked when I walked back in from the kitchen.
“Advertising with a minor in Marketing,” I answered.
“So you're going to go around asking people for money once you're done with school too?” he laughed.
“Basically.” I lifted the blanket, sat back down, and smiled. “I'm actually hoping to get more into Marketing and Web Design once I get a real job but now all of my classes are focusing on other things.”
He smiled down at me, taking in everything I was saying.
“How long have you owned The Green Room?” I asked.
“Too long.” He leaned his head back against the couch. “It was our dad's bar. He was killed in a car accident almost ten years ago, and that's when I took over.”
“When you were sixteen?” That shocked me.
“Yeah.” He continued to stare at the ceiling. “He had left it to me in his will. I was still in high school. Since I was so young, Mel and our uncle had to run things for a few years, but once I turned twenty-one, I took control of the place and have been running it ever since.”
“Do you like it?” I could feel the wrinkles on my forehead my eyebrows were so high.
“Most days.” He turned to look at me. “Why?”
“You just sound.” I didn't know the right word to say. “I don't know, tired?”
He let out a small laugh and continued to stare at me. “Yeah, it wasn't my first choice of a career, but I'm glad I can carry on my dad's name. Green is our last name.”
I let that sink in as I started tracing the tattoos on his arms again.
“Let's go to bed, baby.” He pushed a piece of loose hair behind my shoulder and leaned over to kiss me behind the ear.
“Can I take a shower first?” I blushed. “You know, since you've held me hostage all day and ripped my underwear to shreds earlier.”
“You do kind of stink,” he teased as he kissed down my neck.
“Shut up.” I pushed him back. “Really?”
“No.” He laughed and pushed himself off of the couch. “Come on let's go get you a shower.”
I closed the bathroom door and stripped Luke's t-shirt and boxer shorts from my body. The hot water was steaming up the mirror as I stepped under the stream. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. Three weeks ago, I was stuck in a mindless relationship, and now I was shacking up with this hot bad boy who owns a bar and rides a motorcycle. I wasn't even sure if this was a one-time thing or if he liked me enough to see where this could go.
The bathroom door opened, and he cleared his throat. “I brought you a clean shirt and some sweat pants.”
“Do you have other girlfriends?” I blurted out and immediately covered my face with my hands. Why couldn't I ever keep my mouth shut!
“You ask me this while you're in my shower?” He laughed.
When I didn't answer, a blast of cool air blew over my arms and a hard body pressed against mine.
“Hey.” He pulled my hands from my face and forced me to look at him. “What are you worried about?”
“Nothing,” I sighed. “Everything. It's just... Everything is kind of happening fast here, and I don't even know how you feel about all of this.”
“There's no one else but you.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
I nodded my head and processed what he had said.
“Are you dating anyone else?” he asked.
“No,” I shook my head, “I'm not.”
“Okay, then stop overthinking everything.” He ran his hands down my back, causing a trail of goosebumps to follow.
“I just...”
“I'm only with you,” he interrupted. “I only want to be with you.”
All doubts melted away when I looked up and saw the sincerity in his eyes. I moved my hands up his arms and wrapped them around the back of his neck. Running my fingertips through
his short hair, I could feel him harden against my belly. I watched as his eyes turned dark before his mouth came crashing down onto mine.
He easily lifted me around his hips and pressed my back against the tile wall. The water poured over us as he kissed down my neck to my breasts. I threw my head back and let out a loud moan as he slid into me and began to slowly set his pace.
“I'm never going to get enough of you,” he growled into my ear.
As I moved closer and closer to the edge, I was beginning to think I would never get enough of him either.
Chapter 6
“I want to drive.” I stood and stared at a black motorcycle parked in front of me.
“Yeah right.” He laughed.
“You don't trust me?”
“From what I gathered, you've only ridden on a bike once.” He walked over and pushed my chin up, causing my gaping mouth to close. “And that was the other day. So no, I don't trust you to drive my bike.”
He lightly kissed my lips before climbing on the bike and handing me the helmet.
“You'll let me drive eventually.” I pushed the helmet over my ponytail. “So just prepare yourself for that day.”
I climbed on behind him just as the engine came to life. I wasn't ready to go home yet, but it was late afternoon on Monday, and I needed to finish some schoolwork before the next day. Plus, I knew I was keeping him away from work, because he normally spent Mondays catching up with the office work.
We had spent most of the night naked in his bed and most of the morning sleeping. I knew with school, my work, and his work, we wouldn't see each other much during the week. I looked down at the clean pair of oversized sweatpants and t-shirt I was wearing of his and squirmed because I hadn't worn underwear in over a day since he ripped them off yesterday. My phone had died yesterday afternoon, but I had let Hannah know where I was and that I was safe. Other than a few texts to her, my life had been all about Luke for the past thirty-six hours. I liked that.
He pulled up to my apartment and turned off the bike. We walked hand in hand up the steps, and I unlocked the door and he pushed it open.
“You're home.” Hannah rushed out of her bedroom and grabbed my arm. “I've tried to call you but your phone was dead.”
Bad Boys of Romance - A Biker Anthology Page 9
