by Fiala, PJ
Joci looked up to see Gunnar waiting for her at the end of the row. Joci had been daydreaming about Jeremiah again and didn’t even notice she was just standing there looking lost.
“Sorry. Coming!”
Joci quickly walked down the row of bikes to Gunnar, and together, they walked to a group of Joci’s friends. Joci’s best friend, Sandi, and Sandi’s husband, Jon, were standing in the group, as well as a few others. Sandy was a beautiful woman, with long, brown hair pulled back in a braid or ponytail. She was the most vivacious person Joci knew, with a personality that rivaled the sun.
“Hey, there! How are you guys?” Joci said as she hugged Sandi.
“We’re good. I haven’t seen you this week. Busy?”
Joci nodded. “You know, getting all the items needed for tomorrow and the tickets and such ready, I had to keep at it so I could finish on time and enjoy tonight.”
Joci hugged Jon. “Hey, big guy. How are you?”
Jon was a great looking man, about six feet tall, short dark brown hair, and laughing blue eyes. Sandi was madly in love with Jon, and Jon was madly in love with Sandi. Joci envied their relationship. She had always hoped for a relationship like theirs.
“Doin’ good, Joci, but you have to stop being too busy to have lunch with Sandi. She likes her girl time!”
Jon leaned in a little closer to Joci. “She drove me crazy wondering where you were and how you were doing.”
Joci laughed. “Sorry, Jon, I promise to keep in better touch with Sandi.”
Sandi and Joci had lunch once a week to touch base and catch up. It was something they started doing years ago when the kids were little.
Joci looked at Sandi and hugged her again. “Everything is fine. I’m fine. Gunnar is fine. But, I do need to talk to you. Jeremiah asked me to leave with him tonight.”
“Mom…I’m headed over to see the guys.” Joci smiled at Gunnar as he started to walk away. With a wave, he was off.
Sandy absently waved at Gunnar, quickly turning back to Joci and said, “Tell me. What did you say? You better have said ‘yes’ this time.”
“Hello, Joci. You look beautiful.”
Oh, Gawd! His sexy voice made Joci shiver. Shit, her body reacted to that man before she could even put a thought to it. Joci slowly turned to see Jeremiah standing next to her and handing her a bottle of water. Joci never drank alcohol when she was on her bike. Taking a deep breath, Joci looked into Jeremiah’s eyes.
“Hi, Jeremiah. Thank you. How are you?”
Jeremiah leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Breathe, Joci.”
Dammit, how did he know she couldn’t breathe? She had taken a deep breath when she heard his voice and forgot to let it out. Joci looked at Jeremiah and blushed. She heard him chuckle, and her face flamed a bright red. Great!
“Hello, Jon.” Jeremiah held out his hand and he and Jon shook hands. “Sandi.”
Sandi nodded. “Hi, Dog. Looks like we’re going to have great weather tomorrow.”
Jeremiah looked up at the sky. “It sure does. That means more riders, which means more money for the cause. Gotta love that.” They bobbed their heads in agreement.
* * * * *
Joci undid the cap on her bottle of water and took a long drink as he watched her. God, she was beautiful, stubborn as hell, but so beautiful. She took his breath away.
He knew he affected her. He watched her when she was near. He could see the muscles in her neck moving with each exaggerated swallow. When he spoke to her, she licked her lips and looked him in the eye, not blinking. God, if she only knew what that did to him. His cock twitched every time he thought about her. And when he saw her, it had a life of its own, his stomach flipped, and his breathing became unsteady. She had been avoiding the inevitable, though.
He had asked her out four times now, and she refused every time. But this morning, things changed. Jeremiah looked at his watch. He hated walking away from Joci, but he was anxious to get this meeting finished to begin his time with her.
“We better get this show started. If you’re ready, come on over to the side of the building.”
He nodded at Sandi and Jon, gave Joci a little wink, and walked away. Joci needed to sit down. God, that man affected her whole body, her whole nervous system. Her knees were weak and she was lightheaded. Sandi laughed at her.
“Gawd, Joci, tell me you gave up and decided go out with the man. He obviously wants you, and you obviously want him.” Sandi leaned in a little. “And just think of all the fun you could be having…after hours.”
ARGH! Why did she have to say that? Joci swallowed to moisten her throat. “Sandy, we’re going out tonight.”
“Gawd, finally. For crying out loud, Joci, he’s been circling for almost a year.” Jumping up and down a couple of times, Sandy shrieked, “I’m so excited!”
Jon shook his head at his lovely wife. Nodding to Joci, he said, “Okay, ladies, let’s go hear what’s up for tomorrow,”
As they rounded the corner to the side of the building where the pre-ride meeting was being held, where about 140 people sitting and standing around waiting for the meeting to start. All the proceeds from tomorrow’s ride would go to area veterans who were in need. Medical assistance, work on their homes to make them more user-friendly to a disabled veteran, educational assistance for returning veterans, or any other sort of need that came up.
Jeremiah was a veteran of the Gulf War, and both his sons and all his brothers served in the military. It was with love and pride that he held this ride every year. Last year, they had over 700 riders and over 1,200 people who attended. This year, they expected it to be much more.
Joci loved stuff like this and she loved this cause. Her own family had served in the military. Both her parents and her sister Jackie’s husband, David, were veterans as well.
As Joci, Sandi, and Jon rounded the building to the back parking lot, Joci saw that the stage had been constructed for the festivities tomorrow. Some volunteers were working on it today.
“Mom, Sandi, Jon…over here!” Gunnar had a spot ready for them at the front table with Jackie and David and some of their friends. Connor was there as well. Connor was the best friend of Keith, Gunnar’s father. When Keith had left, Connor stepped up and helped Joci with Gunnar.
As they approached the table, Jackie and David got up and hugged Joci. Joci waved at their friends.
“Hi, Connor. How are you? I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
Connor stood and hugged Joci, “I’m good, Joci. Had a busy few days at work, but everything is fine. You look beautiful as always.”
Joci smiled at him. Connor swept his hand to the side and offered Joci a seat where he had been sitting.
“If I could have your attention, please. I’d like to get this meeting started so we can relax and enjoy the rest of the night. We’ll all be working hard tomorrow.” Jeremiah spoke into the microphone.
God, she loved the deep timbre of his voice as it floated over her whole body. It revved up her senses like nothing else in the world. She could almost imagine him whispering in her ear as he made love to her.
Jeremiah stood at the edge of the stage with a microphone in his hand. He looked perfect up there. He was confident, strong, in control, and sexy, sexy, sexy! He was wearing tight jeans and a black sleeveless shirt that showed off his perfect arms. Both his upper biceps were tattooed in beautiful scroll designs. And in the same scroll, he had dates tattooed on the back of each of his wrists. God, she could look at him all day. He was looking at her, as well. However, he wasn’t smiling; he was scowling.
“First of all, I want to thank a few people before we get down to the nitty-gritty. Deacon, once again, the hard work and effort you give to this cause each year astounds me. Thank you again for so much dedication and time on your part to keep this ball rolling.”
Deacon stood up and gave a thumbs-up to Dog as the crowd clapped and cheered.
“Gunnar…you have really impressed me with your organizational sk
ills and your ability to think outside of the box. You’ve helped us solve so many of our issues with space and parking. Thanks, man, we all appreciate it.”
Gunnar had a smile from ear to ear. David slapped him on the back and Joci smiled proudly at her son. He had his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and his bright, blue eyes twinkled. Gunnar looked over at his mom; she could tell he was very proud of himself. Joci winked at him and clapped louder than anyone else in the crowd. Jackie let out a loud whistle for Gunnar.
“Joci. Thank you for designing the best logo we’ve ever had and putting together the marketing plan of the century and the website. In the eight years we’ve been doing this ride, nothing has come together like it did this year due to your designs and marketing ideas. Because of you, this ride will be the biggest ride we’ve had to date. Thank you, baby.”
The crowd cheered. Joci did a double take. Had she heard right over the cheering? Did he call her “baby”? God, he had. He called her baby! Joci felt someone bump her shoulder and looked at Sandi, whose smile was spread across her face.
“He called you baby in front of everyone!”
Oh. My. God. She thought she would like to just spontaneously combust right now. As she looked around at everyone, she saw Gunnar look at her with a smirk on his face and Jackie looked at her with a smile and a wink. Jon had a smirk on his face as well. Connor was frowning at her. Then Joci saw LuAnn.
LuAnn was looking at her like she wanted to kill her. Joci was plain by LuAnn’s standards. The men always commented on LuAnn. They positively drooled when she walked by. Over this past year, as Joci was working with the crew on this ride, she heard so many guys saying very crude and rude things about what they would like to do to LuAnn!
As Jeremiah continued to give accolades and started explaining how things would work tomorrow, Joci brought her attention back to Jeremiah as he continued, “Finally, the sign-up crew will sign the bikers and riders in when they get here in the morning. Janice, Ricky, and Joci, you’ll be with me at the sign-in table. Break into your crews and organize yourselves for tomorrow. Sign-up crew, meet with me in the store, please.”
Joci stood up to start walking into the store and Sandi swatted Joci on the ass. “Go get him, Joci.”
Joci shook her head at her friend and opened the service door in the back by the garage. The store was in the front, but Joci was used to walking through the garage. When she came here, she usually walked through this back way so she could say hello to Gunnar and the guys. As soon as Joci walked into the shop, she could smell Jeremiah’s aftershave. It was the most delicious spicy scent that had teased her nostrils for the past few months. He was leaning against a wall waiting for her. His arms were crossed over his chest.
Joci stopped in her tracks at the sight of him. Jesus, he was breathtaking. He smirked a little as he watched her. He pushed himself off the wall with his shoulder and started walking toward her. With each step, Joci could feel her heart beating faster and faster.
When he stood right in front of her, he reached his hand up and touched her hair. He slid his fingers in her hair at the temple and slid them back until he was cupping her head.
He slowly bent his head down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Joci moaned at the feel of his lips on hers. He was holding her head and kissing her lips. Her body quivered and shook. She couldn’t breathe. She moaned again, and he slid his free hand around her waist and pulled her close. That was the undoing of Joci James. She grabbed his shirt on each side of his waist and fisted it in her hands. She was hanging on, trying not to fall, trying not to let this man consume her. That wasn’t going to be easy.
* * * * *
Jeremiah groaned into her mouth and pulled her closer. She smelled amazing, a scent unique to only Joci. And she was aroused by him; he could feel her body responding to him. He’d been thinking about her for the past year while she had been keeping him at arm’s length. He couldn’t wait anymore. He had to take this chance and make her see they could be amazing together.
He slid his hand down to the top of her sweet, little ass and pulled her into the hardness behind his zipper. She let out a little sob at the feel of the bulge pushed against her. He deepened the kiss, his hold on her head kept her in place while he seduced her mouth with his lips and his tongue.
Every time she whimpered or moaned, it spurred him on. He would never get enough of her moans. He could imagine how she would moan and mewl while he was fucking her. Just the thought made him almost blow in his pants.
Jeremiah broke the kiss and put his forehead against Joci’s. Their breathing was ragged and raspy. They were both shaking and hanging on to each other.
Jeremiah said, “Here’s how it’s going to go. We’ll go over things with Ricky and Janice, so tomorrow will run smooth. Then, we’re leaving…together…and tonight we’re going to be together. No more of you avoiding me. I want you, Joci, and you want me.”
Joci was shaking. Jeremiah lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She saw the determination there. Being with him was what she had dreamed of this past year. But, she hated the doubt and fear and horrible memories of finding out she had been cheated by men in her past.
She took a deep breath. “Then what, Jeremiah? We go our separate ways. You fuck me so I’m out of your system and move on? Is that what?”
Jeremiah’s brows furrowed and his eyes became little slits.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? What kind of man do you think I am? I wouldn’t…fuck. Joci, what the hell?”
He took a deep breath to steady himself. He couldn’t scare her away. He could feel how close he was to getting her to come home with him.
Lowering his voice, he whispered close to her ear. “I’ve wanted you since the first minute I saw you. I still remember what you were wearing, what you looked like when you walked in that door over there. You were wearing jeans with shiny little things on the back pockets that moved around and sparkled when you walked. You were wearing a gray T-shirt with rhinestone hearts on it. I remembered thinking how the gray in the shirt matched your eyes. God, your eyes. I think about looking into them while I’m fucking you. I think about it over and over. I have feelings for you, Joci. What happens tomorrow is we ride, enjoy the day, meet and greet, and come home.”
Joci took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah. I’m…I…you…” Joci swallowed. “What I’m trying to say is I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
Joci took another breath and pulled away a little. Her voice was small and shaky. “I’m scared…,” she managed to squeak out.
It was so soft Jeremiah could barely hear it, but he did. Jeremiah let out a deep breath, not even realizing he had been holding it. He closed his eyes a moment and opened them to see her looking at the ground. He put two fingers under her chin and gently raised it so he could see her eyes. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the tears.
He placed both of his hands on either side of her face and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. He very gently kissed each tear track on her cheek.
“I know this is hard for you. I won’t hurt you.”
“Hey, there you guys are. Are you ready?”
Ricky and Janice had just walked in the front door of the store. Ricky worked at Rolling Thunder in parts sales. He was a great guy with short, spiky, blonde hair. He had tattoos on both arms, full sleeves, and a set of red lips tattooed on his neck. His blue eyes sparkled taking in the scene before him.
Jeremiah looked over his shoulder at them. “Yeah, we’ll be right there. Why don’t you make sure the computers are booted up so we can run through the software with Joci?”
Ricky looked at Janice and smirked. They turned and walked over to the computers behind the sales counter.
Jeremiah looked back at Joci. “Are you okay?”
Joci gave a weak smile and wiped her eyes with her fingers. Jeremiah grabbed her and hugged her tight. He needed the contact with her. Poor thing, she was scared out of her wits. Those bastards in her past
had really done a number on her.
“All we can do is try, Joci. Not trying is worse than failing. If we don’t try to see if we have something together, we’ll never know.”
He could feel her shaking and tightened his arms around her, holding her in place so she would feel protected. After a few moments, he loosened his hold on her and whispered, “Ready?”
Joci nodded and Jeremiah stepped back, but held on to her hand. Together, they walked to the counter, where Ricky and Janice were waiting for them.
The four of them spent the next hour going over how the sign-in process would work most efficiently.
Ricky and Janice said their good-byes and Jeremiah told them to go on out, he would lock up behind them.
Jeremiah locked the door behind Janice and Ricky, then turned to look at Joci. She looked scared shitless. He didn’t want to scare her; he wanted to make love to her, to hold her, to smell her, to talk to her. He walked over to stand in front of her and watched her fidgeting with the little purse in her hands. Jeremiah could see them trembling and she was biting her bottom lip.
He stepped up to her and looked her in the eye. He placed his thumb on her chin and pulled her bottom lip out of her mouth.
“It’s going to be fine, Joci. You look like a scared little lamb heading to slaughter.” She nervously let out a little breath and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Her voice was soft and shaky. “I don’t do casual sex…can’t. With you, I’m afraid it isn’t casual.”
* * * * *
Joci took a deep breath. Geez, this was harder than she thought. She was drawn to him, had been from the first moment she laid on eyes on him. But, with all the women always throwing themselves at him, she was so damned afraid. Her stomach turned over, making it hard to breathe. Here it was, this moment she had imagined. But now that it was here, she felt almost paralyzed with fear.
“If you hurt me...I just can’t go through that. I know it seems foolish to you to not even try, but I can’t help myself.”
Her eyes became bright with tears. Her stupid emotions were all over the board right now and she knew she was rambling. She was sure she looked sexy as hell with watery eyes, a red nose, and that icky face people make when they’re crying. He would be crazy not to want her now.
