Leo winced. “Shit… I wish I hadn’t said that. It was nothing, really.”
“If it was nothing then you can tell me.”
Leo grimaced. “When we intercepted the kids in the desert… there was a disagreement about what to do with them. We had always… taken care of the mules. But these were kids.”
“But you did let them go, right? You told me you did.”
“Yeah. But not before we ended up pointing guns at each other.”
“Shit! You’re kidding?”
“I wish I were. I pulled my gun on the fucking President of the club. It was some bad shit, Jamie. But I couldn’t let him just kill those kids.”
Jamie looked around Leo to watch Ron a moment. “He needs to go,” she said quietly.
“Two days ago, I would have agreed with you. But now he seems… different somehow. I can’t explain it. But it like some huge weight has been taken off his shoulders.”
“And you think you can trust him now?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. Time will tell. But if he is sincere…”
She looked back to him. “If…”
“Come on!” Leo teased. “Now who’s being a downer? It will be okay! Listen… I think I need to help you move something heavy in the back, wouldn’t you agree?”
She smiled. “As a matter of fact…”
The moment they stepped into the stockroom, he pushed her against the door and leaned in, a hand to either side, blocking her escape. He didn’t kiss her and she stared into his eyes, eyes that burned with a passion she had never seen in them before.
“Are you going to kiss me or just stand there?” she demanded.
And kiss her he did, leaning in and taking her lips before picking her up and pressing her against the door with his body. The kiss was torrid and she wrapped her arms and legs around him as he leaned in. He broke the kiss and began to kiss down her neck, licking and sucking, as she held his lips to her neck. She was becoming wet with desire, desire that she couldn’t act upon.
“Stop, Leo. Stop.” she begged as she pushed at him, needing him to stop but not wanting him too. Never had he been so fiery, so aggressive and passionate, and she wanted him. She wanted to take this moment and just fuck him, to experience him finally letting himself go with her.
“Leo, please stop. Please! We can’t… not now!”
The roaring heat of his passion eased and he loosened his hold upon her, but he didn’t stop, not immediately, his lips slowing their maddening dance on her skin until only his panting was left, his breath hot and erotic.
“I want you,” he whispered, not yet letting her go.
“I want you, too. But not here, not now. I have to work. But later… later I want you to remember how you feel now… and take me then. Promise me,” she murmured as she kissed his neck.
“Yes. Later,” he said as he pulled back and gently lowered her to the floor before leaning in and kissing her slowly on the lips. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he murmured as he took her lips again.
She felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe we should go, right here, right now, she thought as her desire for him surged even harder at his words. “And you, me,” she whispered as she touched his cheek, the look on his face at her touch making her want to cry. How can my touch affect him so deeply?
As her hand fell away he kissed her softly again, then stepped back, freeing her to move. She took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure as she straightened her shirt and neatened her hair. With a final deep breath to fortify herself, she opened the door and walked up the short hall to the bar.
The moment she and Leo stepped into the bar, all glasses are raised in a loud salute, over forty faces grinning at them before they dissolved into laughter. She burned in embarrassment as she stepped behind the bar, her face flushed.
Will smiled at her and handed her a shot of Southern Comfort. “To take the edge off.” When she took the glass, he picked up another glass from the bar and held it in front of him. “To you and Leo… may he always halve your sorrow and double your joy,” he said quietly before tossing the liquid back.
She didn’t think she could blush any deeper as she followed suit… but she was wrong.
“You’re sure you don’t mind,” Will asked as he looked at the young woman sitting at the bar and smiled, the same young woman that had become one of Will’s regulars.
“No, of course not. You have covered for me several nights. I can do the same for you. Besides, who you do think ran this place before you got here?” Jamie teased.
“Thanks, Squirt. You’re the best.”
“What did I tell you about that,” she warned sternly, but not really minding that he used her old nickname.
“You don’t mind staying?” he asked Leo.
“Go.”
“Thanks man, I owe you,” he said as he moved out from behind the bar.
“Cute girl,” Leo said as Will escorted the woman out.
“Yeah. She’s the town optometrist I think.”
“Oh? Does he need glasses?”
Jamie giggled. “No… I don’t think so.”
Leo chuckled. “From the way she was hanging on him as they left, I’m guessing she wants to see if he can take care of her.”
Jamie grinned. “Thanks for offering to stay. I don’t think he would have left otherwise.”
“You know this means you will have to stay at my place tonight… in case he takes her to your house.”
“Oh dear,” she moaned dramatically, “what a shame.”
***
By the time Leo and Jamie arrived at his house, he was dead on his feet. It was almost two, and he had been up since six that morning. He wanted Jamie, wanted her badly, but he was wiped.
Jamie crawled into bed beside him and he snuggled her in tight. She had seen Leo beginning to droop as the evening wore on. They were going to have to come to some accommodation on their schedules. She was a night owl, sleeping from three or four in the morning until noon or so the next day, made that way by the bar’s hours. But Leo, he had to be up and gone early for his job.
Having Will to help had been a godsend, allowing her scoot out early some nights. It was impacting the profitability of the bar, but she was more than willing to trade that for quality time with Leo.
“Thank you… thank you for being here for me,” he murmured as he kissed her shoulders. “I… don’t know how I would have made it through the last month without you.”
“Shhh… no dark thoughts, okay? I’m here for you,” she whispered. His words weren’t exactly a confession of undying love, but they warmed her deep in her soul. “The last month, since you fell asleep on my couch, has been as happy as any I can remember.”
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
“I’m glad I did. I had no idea of the strength you have to bear that for so long. And I’m happy to help you share the load.”
“You have,” he sighed and she could tell he was sliding into sleep.
“Sleep,” she whispered as his breathing became slow, deep and regular. He had confessed to poor sleeping and nightmares, but since they have been sharing a bed, he had slept peacefully… even when they didn’t make love. Perhaps that is the greatest compliment of all -- that his newfound peace is because of me… not what I do to him.
She smiled, remembering the storage room from six hours before. She would let him sleep and gather his strength, but when he woke up… they would pick up where they left off. She could always nap after he left for work… because if he could recapture that feeling in the morning, she was certain she would need the rest.
***
The next morning she heard the shower start in the next room. Shit! I didn’t even hear the alarm! She stretched and yawned, groaning in misery as she pulled herself out of sleep. She could feel sleep pulling at her, so she rolled out of the bed and relieved herself, not wanting to fall back asleep before Leo finished his shower. She had plans for Mr. Graves this
morning.
When she heard the shower stop she began to feign sleep, positioning herself in the sexist position she could, covers tossed back, one hand carelessly placed between her legs as if touching herself, the other thrown over her head.
She could sense his closeness when he came back into the room. She imagined him still dripping with water, his cock hard, and she fought to remain still and not smile so to not give away the trap. As she hoped, he sat on the side of the bed and touched her lips gently with his own. It was his normal good morning kiss, but rather than her normal sleepy acceptance, she responded, offering her tongue as she slowly, as if coming out a deep sleep, wrapped him in her embrace. He settled onto her and then rolled over the top of her, holding her tight so that she came to rest on his chest.
“You’re not fooling anyone,” he whispered as their lips parted. “I saw you rinse your mouth out.”
“Does it matter?” she asked, a little disappointed that she hadn’t fooled him.
“No. Good pose though.”
“I thought you would like it. Are you going to be late for work?”
“Oh yeah,” he murmured as he pulled her back into the kiss.
“Do you remember last night? How you felt? How you wanted me? I want that… I want you to feel like that again… I want you to want me like that,” she gasped as he fought her way up out of the kiss.
“I remember…” he said and he could feel his passion beginning to spool up, coiling like a spring waiting for release.
She watched as the pupils in his eyes dilated, like they had the previous night, speaking of his need, and she felt a deep thrill pass through her. It was like the first night when she had seen that look of need, but amplified and turned up to eleven. Unburdened for the first time since their joining, his power radiated over her, making her heart race. He rolled over then hovered over her, staring deep into her eyes. She remained still, meeting his gaze, allowing him to choose the manner of their pleasure.
“Shit…” he growled as his phone rang. It’s not even seven o’clock! Who the hell is calling me at this hour?
“Leave it,” she begged, but she could feel the moment slipping away.
He hesitated, torn by indecision. “Fuck!” he snarled and snatched up the phone. “Graves!” he barked into the phone.
“Leo. Chuck Vanderford. Sorry to call you so early, but Ron Terrill just called and has asked to meet with me. He said he needed to talk to me. I want you to be here. Can you meet us in my office at seven-thirty?”
“Yes sir, Mr. Vanderford. I’m just about ready to walk out the door,” he lied, struggling to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
“Thanks, Leo. I appreciate that.”
“No…” Jamie groaned the moment he clicked the phone off.
“That mother-fucking Ron! I don’t know what shit he is up to now, but I have to go. I’m sorry, babe. I really am. Forgive me?”
“Yeah,” she sighed in exasperation. “But you owe me... and I intend to collect.”
“I know. And I am looking forward to having to pay up. But I have to go,” he said as he rolled out of the bed.
As he bent to kiss her, she gave his erect cock a caress, just to be a bitch. “You call me when you’re done. If Ron fucked this up by being a dick, I will cut his nuts off.”
He gave her one more quick kiss, longing to join her in the bed, then rose. “I will, but you’ll have to wait your turn.”
***
Ninety minutes later, Leo shook Charles Vanderford’s hand and accepted a slap on the back before Vanderford shook his head in amazement, turned, and walk back into his office. He had beaten Ron to Vanderford’s office by less than five minutes and he had braced himself for a fight, but Ron was all smiles and expressed gratitude that Leo was there to help smooth things over.
It quickly became clear that Ron didn’t needed any help. He had come across very sincere and apologetic, admitting that he had overstepped his bounds. Further, he agreed that the rancher consortium should reduce their level of support to a level appropriate for their current needs.
Leo sat in the guest chair beside Ron, as flabbergasted as he was the night before, when Ron apologized to the entire club. The meeting was productive and by the time they had finished, Vanderford had agreed to restore their funding if the need arose.
The moment Vanderford’s door closed, Leo pulled his phone to call Jamie. In the three years that he had known him, Leo couldn’t remember Ron apologizing for anything. And now he has apologized twice in just two days. For the first time in a long time, Leo felt like everything was coming together. As the phone began to ring, he smiled. He might just have to go in even later than he thought this morning.
CHAPTER SEVEN
With Ron back on board and Lima 6 once again in the good graces of the rancher consortium, Leo began to relax more and more. Jamie and her brother had agreed to split the days and shifts at the bar so that they could each enjoy some free time.
Before Leo had come into her life, she lived for her work. She would sometime date on Sunday or Monday, but if that was inconvenient for the boyfriend, that was just too bad. But with Leo, she cherished her time with him.
Two weeks after Ron’s about face, she moved in with Leo. It was a loose arrangement, consisting of mainly moving some clothes to his house, but doing so gave Will the run of her house without having her hanging around. He and Ellen were beginning to date steadily, and as she shared a house with another girl, it gave them some privacy as well. That was her story, and she was sticking with it, though in truth she couldn’t be happier sharing Leo’s bed every night.
The day after Will arrived on a used Harley he had purchased, Ron nominated him for a prospect. The purely formal vote was taken and was unanimous. The rest of the members rode him hard, as was their nature, giving him every shit job they could think of, but Leo assured him it was just a rite of passage, and it would pass. Will accepted the jobs with good humor and dedication. It had been a while since they had a prospect to keep their bikes cleaned and polished, and Leo availed himself of the opportunity to have his bike waxed until it gleamed.
Ron was a changed man. The cartel had started testing them again, sending mules into their territory. Leo didn’t feel the need to run every intercept anymore—he had other things to occupy his time now—but he did run the first intercept when Ron called him.
He was a bit hurt that Carlos, their snitch in the Prieto Cartel, now called Ron directly, though he couldn’t really blame him. Leo had promised to pull his family out and then burned him. It was a club decision, but it still bothered him.
When they stopped the mule’s SUV, Leo was holding the driver on his knees at gunpoint. When Ron pulled the kilo package of cocaine, one of fifty, from the back of the truck, Leo brought his weapon to his shoulder and prepared to end the man’s life. Before he could pull the trigger, Ron had stopped him.
That had caused a row on the intercept team, but Ron stood firm, saying the killings had to stop. Leo had mixed feelings about letting the man live, but punctuated Ron’s threat of certain death if he were to ever return with a quick gunbutt to the face. Apparently the threat worked, because nobody had seen the same face twice.
***
Sunday, Leo and Will were cruising the back roads around Vallecito with Jamie and Ellen on the back of their bikes. Will was rapidly becoming his closest friend since the death of Tuck and Two-Tone.
“Are you taking us to your ‘thinking rock?’” Jamie called in his ear over the wind and engine noise.
“No. That’s my place. Well, our place,” he called back. “Why?”
“No reason. But I’m glad it is staying our secret.”
“I like Will, but some things I’m not willing to share.”
“You shared it with me.”
“You’re… more… than a friend.”
She reached around him and gave his gentlemen parts a single soft stroke. “As are you.”
“You had better stop that unless you
want to get skinned up when I crash,” he teased.
“What do you think of Ellen?” Jamie asked, changing the subject.
“What about her? I like her, why? What do you think of her?”
“I was just wondering what you thought of her. It’s hard sometimes because he’s my brother. It seems to me like she leads him around by his cock.” She couldn’t hear him laugh, but she could feel it in his back. “What?”
“And that is different than how it has been for the last million years, how?”
“I don’t do that! Do I?”
“Yes… but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Hot Extraction: SEALs, Marines, and Infantry - A Military Romance Boxed Set Page 67
