ROMANCE: The Surprise That Rocked Me

by Linda Wright

  I sighed and banged my forehead against the door. “Why me?”

  As if someone had heard my silent prayers for things to look up and decided I needed more awful luck Paul opened the door and stared out at me. He looked like he’d been hard at work and I almost felt better.

  “Why do you look like trailer trash?”

  Did I say I almost felt better?

  I shoved past him and went straight to the bedroom. He’d already emptied his closet and the bathroom. I sank into the bed and groaned. I’d been rejected so thoroughly by Ramsey. Even if I hadn’t known him for very long it still stung.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I glared at Paul for sitting next to me. “Nothing. I’m just tired. It was a long day. Can you please go finish packing?”

  He just stared at me. “You look sad. I’m sorry I cheated on you, Kasey. Things had just gotten stale between us. We haven’t had sex in over two months.”

  I let my eyes roll back as I thought about what he was saying. Had it really been that long? “I’m not sad because of you, Paul.”

  As I said the words I frowned. I wasn’t sad because of Paul. He’d been my boyfriend for a while and he’d cheated on me and I wasn’t sad. I was sad over the stranger I’d met on the street and instantly felt attracted to. Something was wrong with that.

  “Then why are you sad?”

  I groaned and sat up. “You really want to know?”

  He nodded.

  “I went with that guy this morning to his house. He’s in a motorcycle club. He was so nice and everything was going great. Then there was a fight and he was trying to separate it. It wasn’t working so I took charge. I screamed and broke up the fight and insulted the guys fighting. Then Ramsey kicked me out. He even made someone else bring me home.”

  “You broke up a fight in a motorcycle club?”

  It was my turn to nod. “Yeah. Nothing was working so I took charge.”

  He stood up and stared at me. “Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?”

  “Ex.”

  “Whatever. You’re the girl who wouldn’t let me order pineapple on my pizza because it was too different. You’ve shopped at the same store for your clothing for as long as I’ve known you. You don’t branch out. Ever. But suddenly you’re hanging out in a motorcycle club?”

  I stared at Paul and frowned. Maybe he wasn’t the boring one. Maybe it was me. Why had I been so able to let go with Ramsey, then?

  “You wouldn’t let me touch you if I hadn’t showered right before. Did you make Mr. Dirty Biker shower first?”

  I flipped Paul off and stood up. “Out of my room. This was fun but I’m over it.”

  He shook his head. “No. Explain to me why you treated our relationship like this clinical project you were working on and then you let this man get to you so much. Why aren’t you sad over me but you are over him?”

  “I’m not sad over him! Just get out!”

  He wasn’t budging. I didn’t want to fight with him anymore because I knew he was right. I felt more attraction to a man I’d barely spent any time with than I did to the guy I’d dated forever. I shook my head and moved to the bathroom.

  “Finish packing and go, Paul. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how unhappy we were. I’m sorry if I hurt you with how clinical I was with you but seeing how easy it was for you to cheat and lie to me I’m glad I was. I’m going to shower. See you around.”

  I closed the door and locked it before starting the shower and stripping. I kept Ramsey’s shirt out so I could put it back on when I was done. I went through the motions once I was in the shower and found myself frowning a lot.

  I wasn’t an idiot. I knew what I felt for Ramsey was one hundred percent hot blooded lust but I thought that maybe I could like him. It sucked that he’d tossed me aside before I’d gotten a chance to see if there was anything between us. My pride also hurt. I wanted to think I was hot enough to make him sad to have me gone. It seemed easy for him to cast me aside, unfortunately.

  I wasn’t paying attention in the shower and I’d just finished shaving my legs when I stepped funny and slipped. My head connected with the tile wall hard and I saw stars for a moment. I closed my eyes and steadied myself before cutting the water off and getting out of the shower so I could be on solid ground.

  My head throbbed when I touched it but otherwise it seemed okay. Close call, I thought. I’d been too distracted by Ramsey to pay attention.

  I dried off and pulled just Ramsey’s shirt back on. I tip toed out and saw that Paul was officially gone. I was pissed to see he’d left with my favorite coffee mug but I’d let him have it. I locked the door and curled up on the couch with the remote. I needed to relax and lose myself in some brainless TV.

  I must’ve fallen asleep because it felt like I’d just blinked when there was a knock at the door. My apartment was lost in darkness which told me I’d been out for a few hours. I ran my hands through my hair and winced when my fingers brushed over a lump on my head. I recalled the shower slip and groaned. It wasn’t abnormal for me.

  I looked through the peephole and sucked in a too large breath. My lungs protested and I ended up having a coughing fit.

  “Open up, Kasey.”

  I figured I might as well. Maybe he wanted to formally reject me. I opened the door and stared at him. “What?”

  He stared down at me and his expression was pained until he reached my face. Then it went all red and furious. “He hit you. I fucking sent you back here and he hit you. Where the fuck is he?!”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

  He stormed into the apartment and looked around. “Where is that little shit? Is he still here, Kasey?”

  I watched him silently. I had no clue what he was talking about.

  Finally, after he’d checked out all of my apartment, he came back and gently touched my head. “What happened?”

  I finally made sense of why he was freaking out and shook my head. “Oh no! No, he didn’t hit me! I slipped in the shower and hit my head on the wall.”

  “Don’t cover for him.”

  “I’m not. He was here when I got home but we talked and came to the realization that I was a cold bitch with him. He pointed out that we hadn’t had sex in months and that I was sadder over being rejected by you than I was over him cheating. It was a fun conversation for both of us. He left and the only victim was my favorite mug. He stole it.”

  Ramsey put his hands on his hips and just frowned a lot. “Cold?”

  I nodded. “Cold. Boring. Something like that. Anyway. He didn’t hit me. I’m just a klutz.”

  “You were sad?”

  It was my turn to frown. “Of course. You kicked me out like I was yesterday’s garbage! That sucked.”

  “Kasey. You stormed into the middle of a brawl between gang members and started bossing people around. Night Rider’s isn’t as bad as some of the clubs around here but it isn’t a fucking safe haven for women, either. They still have the same ideas that women should either be cooking or fucking. Not bossing men around and screaming like a damn banshee. Especially not hitting members in the face! You broke Jake’s nose. He’s been bitching about you nonstop.”

  I threw my hands up. “How was I supposed to know? It’s not like I hang out with motorcycle clubs every day. I just saw you trying to break it up and no one else was helping. You got hit and I decided it was time for it to be over.”

  His eyes had softened and I realized the bottom of the shirt I was wearing had ridden way up and he was getting quite the image. “You put my shirt back on.”

  I lightly slapped his chest. “It’s comfy.”

  Ramsey shook his head and looked back at my face. “I couldn’t let you stay there. There are rules. Unless you’re someone’s old lady you aren’t protected and I didn’t think you wanted me to claim you right there in front of everyone. I sent you away for your protection, Kasey. They’re not bad guys but they’re not exactly living in this century, either.”

 
; I frowned. “You’re not like that, though. Are you?”

  His eyes trailed down my body and he blew out a long breath. “Not usually. I was raised by a tough woman. I learned not to disrespect woman the hard way. She’d beat my ass and then make my dad do it again when he got home if I was disrespectful. I’m having a hard time thinking with that respectful part of my brain right now, though.”

  I felt like a bolt of electricity shot through my body. He was wearing another bandana and I took pleasure in pushing it off of his head. I shoved my fingers into his hair and tugged his head down to me so I could press my mouth against his.

  As far as first kisses went it was one to write home about. His mouth was warm and soft, a drastic difference to the roughness of his facial hair. His hands immediately moved to my head and his thumbs stroked over my cheeks as he tilted my head to deepen the kiss. When his tongue brushed over my lips I opened for him and instantly felt my world tilt. The man tasted like chocolate.

  Paul had never tasted like chocolate. I’d never kissed a man who did. My mind reeled and I had to get closer to Ramsey. I practically climbed his large body to get closer. He moved his hands to my ass and held me against him. I locked my ankles behind his back and moaned into his mouth.

  Ramsey nipped my bottom lip and then ran his tongue over it. “How could anyone ever think you were cold? You’ve been nothing but fire since I met you. Fire in my hands and I can’t get enough.”

  I kissed across his jaw and down his neck. My teeth snagged on his skin but I was fast to sooth the sting with my tongue. I moved to his ear and sucked the lobe into my mouth before gently biting it. “No matter who knocks we ignore them.”

  He grunted and pried me off of him long enough to reach between us and rip my shirt over my head. His eyes were fevered and hungry as they trailed down my naked body. “Fuck. That sidewalk had nothing on the real thing.”

  Laughter spilled from my lips and I hit his arm. “Shut up.”

  He shrugged out of his Larryet with my hands helping him. Next went his heavy boots. I ended up knocking over a statue Paul left when I whipped Ramsey’s belt out of the loops and across the room. I didn’t pause to pick up the broken pieces.

  His mouth was molten lava moving over my skin constantly. He kissed burning trails down my neck and across my chest while I fought to get this shirt off over his head. “Leave it. I’m busy.”

  I moaned as his mouth sucked on an especially sensitive part of my neck. My hands never stopped moving over his chest, though. “Can’t. I need to see you.”

  He broke away from me for the second it took to rip the shirt off. It sailed across the room and knocked a picture frame off the shelf. More glass shattered. It didn’t matter. Suddenly his chest was bare in front of me and I couldn’t think. It was solid muscle in the form of lots of lovely ridges and dips. I made plans to run my tongue between every one of his abs. Another time.

  I lowered my mouth and gently bit down on his chest. Tattoos covered most of his skin there. I saw the Night Rider’s name printed there and trailed my nails down it.

  “Fuck, Kasey!” Ramsey grunted when my teeth raked across his nipple.

  I squealed as he lifted me and held me so my chest was in his face. He eagerly took one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked. As fast as it happened it was over. He shifted me so that his hands were cupping my ass and spun around. He knocked over a side table and a lamp fell over.

  “Jesus. This place is a death trap. Which way to the bedroom?”

  “Back there.” I tried pointing but he wasn’t looking.

  Ramsey was already walking towards the back of the apartment. When we got to the bedroom he tossed me onto the bed like I weighed nothing and prowled towards me. “Anything else breakable in here?”

  I settled myself in the middle of the bed and smiled. “Break anything you want.”

  He unbuttoned his pants and then picked up a picture from the shelf holding my TV. I knew without looking it was a picture of me and Paul at a friend’s birthday party. Without blinking he dropped it and glass shattered. “Anything I want, huh?”

  I had the same feeling that I had earlier on the back of his motorcycle. Everything in me felt wild and free. I sat up and shook my hair out so it fell all around my shoulders. “Break anything. I don’t care. Hell, break everything. Just come here.”

  He pushed his zipper down and a deep chuckle rang from his lips. He stalked closer to me and stood next to the bed. “You’re eager.”

  I moved to kneel in front of him and nodded. “I am.”

  He moaned when I shoved his pants and briefs down as far as I could get them. “Paul was a fucking idiot.”

  I pulled him down on top of me and moaned as his weight settled. I used my feet to get his pants off and wrapped my knees around his hips. “Paul who?”

  Ramsey buried his face in my neck and pressed his lips there. “You’re so sexy, Kasey.”

  I used all of my strength to roll us over and straddled him. His hard member was trapped between our bodies and when I rolled my hips on top of him it rubbed me just right. I tossed my head back and moaned. My hair trailed down and tickled his legs as he lifted his hips.

  He reached up and wrapped his arms around my back to pull me down. His lips claimed mine in a kiss that stole my breath.

  I lifted my head and met his eyes. “I need you. Now.”

  He rolled us back over and parted my thigh with his knee. With shaking fingers he leaned over the bed and grabbed his pants. A condom appeared from his pocket and he ripped it open. “Give me just one second, baby.”

  I took it from his hands and reached between us to roll it on to his girth. I gave him an extra stroke and then lifted my knees to guide him into me. His head pushed into me and then he stilled. I raised my hips to take more of him in.

  His mouth found mine and swallowed my cries of pleasure as he slid into me in one strong stroke. His chocolate taste enveloped me until he was all I could think about. He wrapped his arms under mine and held onto my shoulders as he slid out and then pumped into me again.

  “Ramsey!” I cried out his name and dug my nails into his back. He filled me almost to the point of pain and his thrusts were so strong that I couldn’t fully catch my breath. “Yes. Yes.”

  He rested his forehead on mine and held my gaze. Our breaths rushed out and mingled in the inches between us. “You feel so good. Say my name again.”

  I met his thrusts with my own and held him so tight that our bodies felt like one. I called his name over and over again until he lost control of his steady thrusts finally and fucked me harder and faster. My body tightened and I knew I was close. I breathed the words against his mouth and he held his breath as he tilted his hips. The new angle ground his body into my clit and before I could blink again I was coming harder than I ever had before.

  Ramsey grunted when I tightened around him. His hands dug into my shoulders and his head slipped to rest there, next to his fingers. He pumped into me two more times before stilling and growling out a release into my ear.

  For a long time after we both came we still clung to each other. My body still pulsed when he shifted, even slightly.

  Finally Ramsey lifted his body off of mine and slipped out of me. He disposed of the condom and then rolled onto his back, bringing me with him so that I was curled into his side. “Jesus.”

  I smiled into his chest and ran my hand over his tattoos. “I’ll give you a second and third chance if you want them.”

  He laughed. “I want them. I want a fourth and fifth, too.”

  “Yeah?”

  He hooked his thumb under my chin and lifted my face to his. “Yeah. Probably more. You’re fun. I can’t say I’ve ever destroyed so many things while trying to have sex.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s probably just me. I have really bad luck usually.”

  He scoffed. “Your really bad luck led you to my motorcycle so I don’t want to knock it.”

  “I’m glad you came over.”

/>   He leaned down and kissed me. “Of course. I should’ve realized you weren’t ready to go to the clubhouse yet.”

  I climbed on top of him and straddled his chest. “I’m not sure I’m made to be the quiet submissive type. Do you think there’s room for me at the clubhouse just the way I am?”

  His eyes trailed low and a grin transformed his handsome face. “I’ll make room. Once you’re my old-”

  I held my breath as he cut himself off. He’d almost called me his old lady. I waited patiently as he seemed to think about his words.

  “I haven’t done this in a while but I think I’m supposed to ask you out on a date before I ask you to be my old lady. So… Do you want to go out with me?”

  I laughed. “That sounds perfect. As long as you keep giving me these self-defense lessons.”

  Ramsey hooked his arms under my thighs and dragged my body higher on his chest until I was vulgarly spread out right above his mouth. “Your next lesson? Never let a biker get his mouth on you. Once he does, you’re done for.”

  He spread my legs until I was resting right on his mouth and then he moved his tongue. Oh, yeah. I was done for. One crazy day and I’d basically become someone’s old lady. Just my luck.

  *****

  THE END

  bonus stories #10

  Undying Love

  Would they live and Die for one another

  By: Linda Wright

  Undying Love

  Summer days were always slow and lazy back home. Why I can remember one only worried about time, was to not be late for Sunday service. Our farm was quite a ways from town, but there was a short cut across the small stream that ran through the Gower farm.

  Col. Carter Hamilton Gower was one of the wealthiest men not just in the town but the whole county. I had only seen his farm from afar but it was beautiful. The Col. and his wife Miss Leta were fine folks, and always willing to help their neighbors. They gave to the poor in the town and always willing to give to the church. But they also knew where they stood on the social class of the town. Ms. Leta always made sure her dreams for her son were for him to attend West Point like his father. Yet here I was trying to get to the service before the first hymn was sung since I was usually running late to get to service and usually would cut across the stream. Heck I had been doing it for years and saw no reason to stop. I got to the stream and decided to take off my shoes, tie them over my shoulder, pick up my dress and start to wade across. I didn’t see the figure sitting across under the tree. Then I heard him laugh and knew it was Nathan Gower skipping Sunday service again. His mama and pa have tried to get him to go to church but Nathan well he seemed to like fishing on Sunday mornings more than hearing the reverend preach. Everyone knew that Col. loved that boy and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for him. As for me well I have loved Nathan since the first time I saw him I was in first grade and he was in third. The first time he smiled at me I knew one day I would marry him; mind you I was six years old at the time. It was something about him, his hair was the color of a beige white a real tow head and his eyes, there were the mystery they weren’t blue but more of a gray, but so light without the pupil there one would think his eyes were only white. He was even at age eight a handsome boy. Here he was now at eleven and still with the tow head and he’s now added a smile that would melt any girl’s heart and often did. We never seemed to think that one day we would have to go our own ways. This was the eighteen hundreds and there was this thing called social class and one to remember their place in society. Many of the families here have they lineage traced to the first settlers and Ms. Leta was one of them who never let you forget it. But today we didn’t seem to care about any class we were just two kids by that stream. He got up and moved closer to the streams bank.