Roadster (Iron Ladies Book 1)

by Danielle Norman

  This was more than Adeline could bear. Throwing her hands over her face, she let the tears fall as they may. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Good thing you have us then, huh?” Melanie asked as she stood to turn the television off. “We’re going to help but I have to tell you that Riley is leaving next week.”

  “Leaving? For how long?”

  “A year or more. He’s moving to Montana,” Loren added.

  “He can’t. I need him. Where is he?”

  “Just so happens, he’s at Keke’s for breakfast and I happen to know that he orders enough for two people. He’s been there since…”

  “Seven.” Adeline said before Melanie could finish.

  “Keke, do you love me?” Olivia started singing, which was met by a group of moans and one pad of paper being tossed at her head. “What? Keke’s has been around forever, and it just seems fitting that this song is all the rage right now and that it is Adeline and Riley’s spot. You know that if everything works out, you’ll have to name a kid Drake, or Olivia. I can handle Olivia.” Adeline picked up her pen and flung it at Olivia as well.

  For the first time in weeks, Adeline felt good. She had a plan, or rather that her plan was no fucking plan at all. She grabbed her purse and headed back to the elevator and then in under three minutes she was in her car and on her way to get her man.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Adeline

  Adeline had some old-school Poison playing at full volume, and as they were singing, “Something to Believe In,” she pulled into the parking lot, cut the wheel, threw the gear shift into reverse, and slid into an open spot. God, she loved showing off. It was a sure sign that her day was

  going to be good, it had to be because it had sucked lately without Riley.

  Adjusting the rearview mirror so she could check herself once more, she added one more pass with her Devil Red signature lipstick, grabbed her purse, and hopped out. A few deep breaths, and she headed for the door.

  Adeline didn’t stop to take in the cars around her, but if she had, she would have seen four familiar vehicles pulling into different spots. Each one laughing at the other one when they rolled in because all there for the same reason...to see Adeline and Riley make up.

  Pulling the door open to the restaurant, Adeline pushed her sunglasses onto her head and her eyes darted to the back corner booth. There sat the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. She knew he was going to smell of spices and fresh-cut grass, and that his hands would have a slight callus to them, because he wasn’t the type of man who got manicures, and he was the kind of man that worked with his hands. He was just Riley.

  He must have sensed her because he looked up as she reached halfway. He stood but didn’t move toward her.

  Adeline told herself to keep walking, knowing that if she stopped, she would lose her nerve. The thought had a smile tugging on her lips. Adeline Morgan didn’t lose her nerve.

  She took the last fifteen or so steps toward Riley, and each one had a bit more of her reserve slipping away until she was hurling herself into his arms, and she let out the breath she didn’t realize that she’d been holding when he caught her.

  “You’re here, you’re finally here. I kept telling myself that you’d eventually show up.”

  “I’m here.” Adeline giggled, holy hell she giggled like a fucking preteen schoolgirl.

  “I’m going to kiss you.”

  But he didn’t get to because she beat him to it, and whether Keke’s was used to this crazy display of affection this early in the morning, no one knew, but they definitely were not used to the commotion going on outside their windows. Adeline pulled back from Riley and turned to see Olivia, Sunday, Melanie, Loren, and Noelle all shouting and clapping.

  “They are nuts.”

  “They are,” he said before dropping another kiss to her lips. “You hungry? I’ve already ordered.”

  Adeline bit her lip, feeling a little shy for the first time in her life, but she nodded and let him tug her down into the booth. “Yeah, I’m starved, but let’s take it to go.”

  So they waited for their order to be packaged, seemingly unable to keep their hands from stealing little touches or their lips from seeking the other’s out. When they finally walked outside, Adeline had to force herself not to drag him to her car and take what she wanted. First, sex in public at any time of day was ill-advised, and second, her car wasn’t in the parking lot.

  Her head whipped around, and her eyes were wide as she pulled herself from Riley’s side.

  “Riley, do you see my car?” Frantic. It was the only way to describe her voice. Her car was her baby, and she had parked it right in the spot where they currently stood.

  She didn’t wait for him to answer—she already knew her Charger wasn’t where it was supposed to be—and pulled out her phone.

  Then she froze.

  Melanie: Chill. I have your Charger. Olivia is following me home then she’ll bring me back to get my car. Now you don’t have a ride. You have no choice but to go with him. Have fun.

  Adeline let out a chuckle and showed the message to Riley. “Well, your chariot awaits. My truck is over here.”

  Less than twenty minutes later they were walking into his house, and five minutes after that they were in his bedroom, clothes strewn across the floor.

  Adeline splayed her hands out against his muscular chest and then dragged her nails down as she fell to her knees before him. Wrapping one hand around his hard shaft, she used her other to cup and play with his balls. The moan that escaped his lips was music to Adeline’s ears. She rubbed her tongue around the base of the head and then up, sliding it across the tip and then back down the other side. Each stroke of her tongue brought a new sound from Riley, and Adeline found a power within her that she never knew she’d possessed until that moment.

  When his hands slid to the back of her head and his fingers sank into her hair, a shiver rolled down her spine.

  There was something powerful in being powerless as well.

  She let him guide her, loved the feel of him sliding past her lips and hitting the back of her throat. Loved the deep rumble and half-formed praise that fell from his lips as she took him deeper, humming her own approval.

  “Oh god, Adeline . . .” He thrust harder, fisted his hands in her hair a little tighter, and her hands found his hips, nails digging in and urging him on. “Fuck!”

  His whole body tensed with his release, the splash of satisfaction coating her throat.

  Adeline looked up and locked her eyes with Riley’s honey-brown ones. She swallowed then brought one index finger up and wiped the corner of her mouth.

  “I think that I just died and went to heaven.” Riley pulled her up to stand next to him.

  Adeline didn’t answer him—hell, she wasn’t sure that she even comprehended what he had said because she was too busy concentrating on his lips. She followed every movement, when he cracked a smile so did she. When he licked his lips, she mimicked the reaction. When he leaned in, she stepped back so she could watch as he lowered his head to her breasts and began to suck. He played with one hard nipple, the sweep of his tongue across the pebbly surface sent shivers racing down Adeline’s spine.

  “Riley.” She moaned and trembled when he groaned, adding a slight vibration to her already sensitive breasts. Her breath was a mixture of blissful sighs and pleas for relief.

  Adeline smiled as Riley made his intentions known, not verbally, but by using his mouth to coax her back toward the bed. A tug to the left on her sensitive nerves had Adeline following his movement. Allowing herself to be directed, she moved to the center of the bed slowly as Riley continued his assault, which was a mixture of soft bites, tugs, and kisses.

  The cool air tickled her already heightened senses as Riley broke his contact with her nipple and moved his hands to the V of her thighs, driving one finger inside of her.

  “Oh god, Riley.”

  When he raised his head Adeline focused on his eyes. She had
never seen his eyes so dark or hooded with desire and she knew somehow, hers mirrored that desire. Adeline refused to break the hold he had on her even as he drove another finger inside of her several times, before bringing his fingers up to his own lips and sucking.

  Adeline had never once contemplated eating pussy but right then, watching Riley do that, it had to be the hottest fucking move in the entire world. She was on fire. She was ready to explode any moment.

  There was no holding back.

  “That’s it, baby, come for me.” Riley’s voice was heavy with desire.

  Adeline writhed, almost thrashing as her orgasm tore through her. The muscles in her legs tightened and her back arched as the waves of aftershock washed through her, and she was left marveling at this man in front of her.

  Adeline found it hard to remember what it was like to be part of a family. Sure, she had a family, she knew they used to do family things, but all those memories had been overshadowed by the tragedy of Sasha and then the drugs and rehab. Once she had rebelled, her parents distanced themselves from her. Hell, while she was in rehab, they bought her the house she lived in just so she wouldn’t move back into their house once she was released. That should have hurt her, but truthfully, she was grateful. That single gesture had changed her life. It led her to her three best friends, which ultimately led her to Riley.

  She and Riley had just spent the day with Noelle at the Magic Kingdom. Since Riley wasn’t going to Montana, he was using a few days off to spend them with Adeline.

  Adeline was laughing because Noelle had convinced her uncle that she needed shoes that matched almost every single princess. He’d turned to Adeline for help, but she was firmly on Team Noelle on this one. “A girl’s gotta have shoes,” was all Adeline kept saying.

  Adeline had never thought that she’d want kids, but seeing Riley with his niece and hanging out with Noelle these last few weeks had changed her mind. She could seriously see a kid in her future . . . their future.

  “Whatcha thinking about?” Riley wove his fingers between hers as they sat on the couch at his house. Noelle was asleep on a blanket on the floor as they waited for Loren to pick her up.

  “Nothing, just thinking about how happy I am.”

  “Are you really happy?” Riley looked nervous.

  “Yeah. You make me happy. I’m happy with my life and where this”—she waved her hands between her and Riley—“is going.”

  “Then move in with me. I have plenty of room. I know that you like living with the girls and if it’s that then we’ll find a house closer to them.”

  “No.” Adeline saw the look of hurt on Riley’s face and backpedaled. “No! I didn’t mean that . . . I’m not saying no to moving in, it’s that I’m saying no to moving close to them. The girls and I have spoken so many times about selling that house. None of us truly like it or the area. It was just kind of where we landed out of convenience. If anything, I’d rather they move out here. We’ve actually looked at office space over near Medical City. We like it over there because it’s close to the gun range and most of our training areas.”

  “So then that’s a yes?”

  “Yes, but only if you’re sure. I don’t know if you’ve truly thought this through. I come with a lot of baggage. I mean . . . I come with three grown-ass girls. They will be popping around and checking in on us.”

  “So will my sister.”

  “I have a lot of shoes.”

  “I have tons of closet space.” Riley winked, not at all put off by any of Adeline’s reasons.

  “I have girly stuff.”

  “I have guy stuff, and as soon as Loren gets here, I will show you exactly what my guy stuff can do to your girly stuff.”

  Adeline let out a low laugh. This feeling, the one that she felt when she was with Riley, oh yeah, it was love, that’s what that feeling was. Anyway, it was more intoxicating than any drink or any drug and Adeline knew one thing for sure: she wanted to be high on it forever.

  Epilogue

  Three years later . . .

  Adeline held her notepad in one hand and her pen in the other. She had an army of men helping her today. They were carrying boxes into the new Iron Ladies headquarters. It was nestled at the front of the five-thousand-acre parcel of land that the former mayor of Orlando thought he could trick Adeline’s husband into selling to the city for dirt cheap. The compound, as Adeline liked to call it, was divided into four parts.

  The residences, which were four different houses nestled into one section of the property.

  The training grounds, which included an indoor gun range, a small racetrack, and a gym. The counseling center, which had a licensed counselor on call to meet with the women during the whole investigation and divorce process. The offices, which included the Iron Ladies’ office as well as the law office, which was run by Barrett Huxley. He’d left the law firm he had been working at so that he could work with the girls full time. He liked to tease and say that he was The Man in the Iron Mask. But it was nice having him around for legal advice and to help with messy cases.

  “Put that over there. Nope, I said over there.” Adeline pointed to a stack of boxes in the corner, and Riley let out a groan.

  “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Adeline threw her notepad and pen down and walked over to grab the box, but Riley stopped her and threw his arms around her large pregnant belly.

  “Uh-huh. No you don’t, Mrs. Thomas, you are due any day so you are not lifting any boxes. I’ll pick it back up and move it.” He bent and kissed Adeline’s belly. “He isn’t ready to come out, so don’t force him.”

  “I’m not having a boy, it’s a girl.”

  “You’re having a boy, there’s no way God would be so cruel. I’m surrounded by women. You, your friends, my sister, Noelle. I need a boy. I need some male bonding.” Riley threw his hands up as if he were in prayer. “Please.”

  Adeline laughed. She knew what they were having, but she wasn’t telling him. They had agreed not to find out, but Adeline couldn’t stand the not knowing. She’d decided that she liked the name Drake Thomas after all.

  The End

  —keep reading to see more from the author.

  Enough

  Book One, Iron Orchids series

  Chapter One

  Ariel

  Moving to the happiest fucking place on Earth had nothing to do with fairy tales or finding my Prince Charming. Thanks to my daddy, I no longer believed in magic or happily ever afters. I landed in this city because this was the land of hotels, conventions, and destination weddings, which meant it was my best bet at becoming an event planner.

  I didn’t hate being a seamstress, but it wasn’t my dream, it was my mama’s. I never told her that I’d rather be on the other side, planning the events where people wore the fancy clothes, costumes, and uniforms.

  I never got the chance.

  During my freshman year of high school, she had her first stroke, spoke with a slur, and relied a little more on me. But just before my senior year, Mama had her second stroke, and someone needed to keep the business going to pay the bills, so I took over. Because Daddy was long gone, he had no use for an invalid wife, and no interest in raising a teenage daughter who hated him.

  I told myself repeatedly that Mama would have wanted me to follow my dream, even if it meant hers was gone. Though, I doubted that included buying a motorcycle.

  I brushed the wetness away then strapped on my helmet and headed to my motorcycle. Ever since binge watching Sons of Anarchy, I wanted to be badass. Okay, not like crime badass. Just the I-look-cool-on-this-bike kind of badass. So, after I unpacked my last box, I went out and purchased a Harley Sportster. I couldn’t wait to start the engine and let the wind whip across my face. It was cathartic. As the engine roared to life, I replayed the words my teacher said just a few weeks ago during motorcycle safety class.

  Ease up on the throttle.

  Hold steady.

  Don’t freak.

  The bike will go where your eye
s go.

  I found myself twisting the throttle a little more than I should have, and a small smile pulled at my lips.

  I shifted gears and headed to the service road around the Mall at Millennia, Orlando’s version of Rodeo Drive. Since I lived in metro Orlando, finding somewhere to practice riding wasn’t easy. There were always constant road improvements or tourists who drove like idiots reversing down the interstate because they missed the fucking exit. So, the rarely traversed area behind the mall was one of the best places to practice.

  It was also one of the only places I’d practiced. I stayed within a five-mile radius of my home, but I needed to get comfortable and feel confident so I could take my bike out for a long ride, let the sun shine down on my face and forget the reality that was my life.

  After a few laps around the mall, I pulled my bike into a parking spot, headed inside to grab a drink, and was walking back out to my bike when two men dressed all in black cut between two cars.

  They reminded me of Crabbe and Goyle from the Harry Potter movies, and I was still watching them from the corner of my eye when they broke into a run. There was nothing oaf-like or klutzy about them. Maybe they had just robbed Tiffany’s or Cartier? That didn’t seem right, though. There were no security guards chasing them. No alarms going off or police cruisers peeling into the lot.

  Eyebrows dipping, I paused. Watching.

  The two men zigzagged through another section of cars, and the one on the left pointed in my direction. In that earth-shattering moment it connected—they were after me. I ran. Fuck. I had no clue what to do. I would never be able to start my bike and get away quick enough. Their footsteps got closer then stopped. I turned around just as the two men separated, one going left the other going right, moving in an arc around me. They were corralling me like a caged animal.