Unfiltered & Unhinged

by Payge Galvin

  When he was fully wrapped, Dev grabbed her hips again, lifting her up. Cass pulled him closer with her legs, reaching to help guide him inside her. He moved slowly, sheathing himself by increments until Cass thought she was going to go crazy with the need for more friction, more feeling, more everything.

  She watched him watching her, feeling the heat of his gaze flood through her body. With one thrust he buried the rest of his cock inside her and Cass cried out, fingernails ripping into his shirt. Dev rocked his hips, rubbing his pelvis against her clit. His hands held her up, her weight partially supported by the saddle of the bike. His hands kneaded her ass, spreading her further so he had a better angle.

  Dev’s breath gusted against her neck as he began to move. With each thrust, Cass’s insides tightened a little more, the tension within her ready to spike. He rolled his hips after he buried himself in her, hitting her clit again with his pelvis every time. She ground against him, arching into his hands, and she felt her orgasm hit her like a nuclear blast. Dev bit at the join of her neck and shoulder as she cried out, her walls clutching him deep inside of her.

  “Fuck!” he shouted against her neck, slamming into her as he came. Dev stilled, resting against her as the tremors of his climax shook him.

  Cass pushed damp hair away from his face, running a gentle hand over his cheek. “Exactly,” she whispered, a satisfied smile on her face.

  Afterward, they walked toward the edge of the cliff. Dev stepped behind her and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned her back against his chest, sliding her hands over his forearms.

  “It’s beautiful,” Cass said, watching the lights of the cars zip by beneath them, the spread of the mountains above them.

  Dev nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “Yeah. It is.”

  They stood holding each other for a long time.

  Chapter 11

  The next evening, Dev sat at the bar of the Blind Tiger, a rocks glass of Jack in front of him, waiting for Baron and some other guys from the shop and trying not to think about Cass constantly. She was almost impossible not to think about. Even work was a lousy distraction. He’d finished a custom job on a Night Train—what the mechanics at the shop called a Yuppie Harley. Gigs like those were easy money. Of course, it meant he hadn’t gotten a chance to work on Cass’s bike at all.

  At yet another thought of her, Dev took a swig of his drink. Last night had been intense. Walking in on Wrex trashing her bike—again—and then laying hands on Cass had nearly made him lose his mind. He’d wanted to pound Wrex into paste, but Cass had been there, looking afraid for the first time since he’d known her. So rather than pummel Wrex, Dev had simply thrown him out.

  He drained the glass and signaled the bartender for another. Dev waited until his glass was full, and then took a swallow. He looked around for Baron, wondering what was taking him so long. He didn’t want to sit here all night.

  Dev was already regretting his decision to let Wrex walk. He knew the guy would be back, knew that Wrex would keep stalking Cass unless someone taught him a painful lesson to make him stop.

  He clenched his hand around the glass, knuckles going white. Cass. She was in his head all of the time these days. Even before the bike sex, she’d taken up more real estate in his head than was good for him. Dev found himself making up excuses to see her, to call her, to talk to her.

  Dev downed the rest of his Jack and set the empty glass on the bar. He laid down enough to cover his tab plus tip and pushed away. Screw it. He wasn’t waiting anymore. He wanted to go see Cass. He thought about calling her, but decided not to, at least not right now. He thought about going for a walk, clearing his head. He didn’t think clearly when it came to Cass, and with Wrex likely gunning for both of them that wasn’t a good thing.

  He stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the clean air. The bar had smelled of wet rags and old bourbon. Dev took a moment to catch his bearings, then began to walk down the street. He was passing the lot where his motorcycle was parked when he spun, lifting his arm, instincts telling him to move.

  A bottle crashed down on his forearm. If he hadn’t moved, it would have shattered over the back of his skull. Dev got a good look at the guy jumping him—big guy, dark hair. Two other guys were with him, backing him up.

  Shit.

  Dev felt the ache in his forearm, but knew that would be the least of his injuries if these guys had their way. “Wrex send you?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

  “You should watch who you’re friends with,” the guy with the bottle said.

  He swung it again and Dev ducked out of its path. Tough Guy Two was moving, trying to get behind him. They were herding him away from the street, deeper into the shadows of the parking lot. Tough Guy Three also took a swing, but Dev batted his hand away. Instead of backing away, he stepped forward, startling the other guy. He grabbed the guy’s head in his hands and cracked his forehead into the bridge of the guy’s nose.

  Dev felt it give with a sound of wet snapping. The guy howled, hands covering his nose. But that’s all the advantage he got as Tough Guys One and Two dogpiled on him, fists flailing. A knee caught him in the stomach, an elbow slammed into his cheekbone. He swung, his fist connecting to someone’s soft flesh. He got a fist in the ribs for his trouble.

  Another fist smashed into his jaw. Dev tasted blood, spat it out onto the gravel. He shoved a shoulder into Tough Guy Two’s stomach, driving him back. Dev felt blows land on his back. He kicked out, feeling his boot land somewhere soft. Then he gave the second guy a few rabbit punches to his ribs.

  The man broke away, shoving Dev backwards.

  An arm snaked around Dev’s neck, yanking him back. He got his feet back under him and grabbed the arm, managing a messy hip toss. Tough Guy One hit the ground, just in time for Tough Guy Three—face covered in blood—to land a lucky punch on the side of his head. Dev dropped to one knee, his bell well and truly rung.

  A kick to his back sent him to the pavement, his hands saving him from a full faceplant. Dev rolled, keeping his arms close to his head to protect against stray kicks. He felt a glancing blow land, but nothing that did any real damage so he kept rolling.

  He used his momentum to gain his feet. Dev punched One in the guts, watching him fold around his fist like a paper fan. He followed up with a knee to the face, sending the guy reeling.

  “HEY!” a familiar voice yelled from the front of the lot. Dev heard the sound of running footsteps and more shouting. The guys beating up on him backed away.

  Baron and the other guys from the shop had finally shown up. The odds went from three on one to five on three. While Baron and company ran Wrex’s guys off, Dev braced his hands on his thighs and tried to catch his breath. He spit out more blood, and then poked in his mouth to check for any missing teeth. Everything was where it should be.

  “You okay, man?” Baron said, putting a steadying hand on Dev’s back.

  He nodded, finally standing upright. “Yeah, okay. Thanks for the assist.”

  “What was the beatdown about?” Baron peered around, as if looking for more ass to kick.

  Dev shrugged, immediately regretting it when sore muscles pulled. “Wrex’s guys. I guess they were a warning.”

  He began to walk back to where his bike was parked.

  Baron followed. “Wrex?” He shook his head. “What’s he got to warn you about?”

  “Cass.” Dev got on his motorcycle, wanting nothing more than to get the hell away from this place.

  “You cool to drive?”

  Nodding, Dev started the bike. The roar of the engine made his head ring, but eventually the pain faded to a dull ache. “I’m good,” he told Baron. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”

  He took off before Baron could insist he come inside for a drink. Dev didn’t want to drink anymore tonight; the fight with Wrex’s brute squad had sobered him up pretty quick. Now he just wanted somewhere quiet to lie down.

  Dev’s mind flashed to Cass.
What if Wrex had a warning in mind for her too? Before he could do anything else, he needed to make sure she was okay. He reversed course with an illegal U-turn and pointed the front wheel in Cass’s direction.

  Chapter 12

  Cass heard the faint knock on the door. It wasn’t ridiculously late, but it wasn’t the time for people to just drop by either. Mags usually called her to let her know she didn’t have her key. Her roommate was spending the night at her boyfriend’s place, so it wouldn’t have been her. Liam?

  She padded over to the door and looked out the peephole. Though she couldn’t see his face with the way his head was turned, Cass would have recognized that profile anywhere. Dev. She hit the locks and flung open the door, surprised to see him.

  “Dev, hi,” she began, then trailed off when he turned his face to her. “What happened?” She yanked him inside, making sure the breezeway was clear.

  “It’s not that bad,” he gritted.

  “Couch. Now.” She ran into the bathroom to get the peroxide, washcloths, and her first aid kit.

  When she returned, Dev had dropped to the couch, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. She dumped her armload of supplies onto the coffee table, then sat down between his knees so she could work. He cracked open one eye—the only eye he could open—and gave her a bloody grin. He held his forearm in his free hand, blood leaking from small cuts.

  Cass took his arm, turning it over so she could inspect his wounds. His knuckles were bloody and scraped raw, a shallow gash running over one of them where he must have cut himself on someone’s teeth. She poured some peroxide on the washcloth and began to clean the back of his hand.

  “Should I ask how you got these?” She concentrated on what she was doing, moving on to the cuts on his arm.

  “Wrex sent some guys.” Dev shifted, as if he was having a hard time getting comfortable.

  “How many?”

  “Two or three.” He tried to shrug, then winced as he moved the wrong way. “I don’t know—I was a little busy. They waited for me outside of the Blind Tiger.” The Blind Tiger was a dive bar near his garage, named for a Prohibition speakeasy. Cass had been in there a couple of times.

  “I’m amazed they didn’t put you in the hospital,” she whispered, setting aside his hand gently. She took a fresh washcloth and leaned forward to clean his face.

  “It’s just some bruises and scrapes. A couple lucky punches.” He moved his head away from the peroxide-soaked cloth. “I’m fine. A few friends of mine drove up. Evened the odds.”

  “Would you stop with the macho crap and let me clean you up?” Cass glared at him.

  Dev subsided, going still as she lightly pressed the cloth to a cut over his eyebrow. “Ow,” he whispered, staring into her eyes.

  “Don’t be such a baby,” she whispered, moving the cloth down to his mouth. His lip was split and swollen. “Hang on.”

  She got up and went to the freezer. When she sat again, Cass handed him a bag of frozen carrots. “Hold this to your eye. It will help with the swelling.” When he tried to lean back, she stopped him. “Lie down. I can’t clean your face with your head back like that.”

  Plumping one of the threadbare throw pillows, Cass helped ease him down on the couch. When he was settled and had the bag of carrots pressed to his eye, she continued with her ministrations. She leaned forward, taking great care that she didn’t hurt him more than she had to as she cleaned away the blood and dirt. He had a bloody nose and a bruised cheekbone to go along with the black eye and split lip.

  Nothing needed stitches. Wrex’s guys must have been losing their touch, or Dev’s friends arrived at just the right time. She taped a butterfly bandage over the cut on his brow, then pulled back to survey her handiwork.

  Dev’s gaze was locked on her chest.

  “Really?” she sighed, sitting back and setting aside the first aid supplies.

  He gave her a lopsided grin, looking not in the least bit guilty. “Hey, you’re the one putting it right there in my face.”

  She placed her hand against his ribs, barely touching. “Does this hurt?”

  “No.” He closed his eyes lazily.

  “How about this?” She pressed hard against him.

  “OW!” Dev twisted away from her, trapping her hand against his chest. “You are an evil woman. I’m lying here, all wounded and manly, and you go poking at my injuries like I’m the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

  “Hee hee.” Cass did her best impression of the pudgy little character.

  “Not funny.” He closed his eye and readjusted the bag of carrots over the other one.

  Cass cleared the coffee table and came back with a glass of water and some aspirin. “Take this.”

  Dev levered himself up with a hiss, wedging himself into the corner of the couch. “Come here,” he said, dropping the frozen vegetables and beckoning for her to join him. He swallowed the pills, and then patted the space next to him.

  Cass sat down carefully, not wanting to lean against him for fear of leaning on a tender area.

  Dev wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “You’re not going to break me, you know.”

  “Says the Pillsbury Doughboy,” she scoffed, but rested against him anyway.

  They sat in the dim light and silence. Cass could hear her neighbor’s television, but otherwise everything was still. She could feel Dev’s steady breathing at her back, a comforting sound.

  “It was because of me, wasn’t it?” Her voice was soft, almost an apology.

  Dev’s arms tightened around her. “Wrex would have found some other reason eventually.”

  “That’s not answering the question.” Cass turned her head so she could sort of see his face. “Did they say anything?”

  “Nah.” He rubbed her upper arms. “But the stay away from Cass was implied.”

  “I’m sorry.” Cass rested her head against his chest. His heartbeat was steady thump beneath her cheek.

  He slid a little lower down on the couch so that they could lie a little more comfortably. Cass was draped over him, their legs twining together. “You do realize that you didn’t actually beat me up, right?”

  She shook her head. Wrex had sent his guys after Dev. What was she supposed to do about that? He’d already wrecked her bike—twice—and now he was going after the one guy who wasn’t afraid to work on it for her. Cass wondered how much of it had to do with the repairs and how much was Wrex just being psycho obsessive over her.

  This was what happened when a one night stand comes back to haunt you, she thought to herself, feeling like her options were shrinking faster and faster. She couldn’t risk Dev getting hurt. The thought of it made her insides twist. That meant no rebuild.

  That meant no racing.

  Crap.

  “I don’t want you working on the bike anymore,” she told him.

  She’d just figure out another way to get Wrex off Liam’s back. Cass wouldn’t risk Dev’s safety, not for her or her idiot brother. Dev was a good guy. He didn’t deserve the fall-out from her mistakes—or from Liam’s.

  Dev ran his fingers along her temple, brushing back her hair with the lightest of touches. Cass was amazed at how gentle he was. She could feel the strength of him, like stone wrapped in the velvet of his skin, but she knew that strength would never hurt her.

  “I took the job,” he said, his voice the barest of whispers in her ear. “And I intend to see it through.”

  “And if I want you to stop?”

  He threaded his hands into her hair, fingertips lightly massaging her scalp. Cass closed her eyes with a contented sigh, feeling her toes curl. Dev’s hands were amazing—it was the most luxurious thing she’d felt in ages. She never wanted him to stop.

  “Wrex doesn’t scare me,” he said, by way of answering the question.

  “He should.” Cass shivered as she recalled the look in his eyes when he’d grabbed her at the garage.

  Dev slid one arm around her waist, anchoring her to him. “It takes a lot more than
some guys in a parking lot to scare me. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Cass relented, finally relaxing against him. She snuggled into the shelter of his body.

  Dev let out a sound that was half sigh, half groan.

  “Sorry,” she murmured and started to move away, trying not to cause him more pain.

  “Worth it,” he chuckled sleepily, long lashes fluttering against his cheeks. “This isn’t how I thought the first night at your place would go.” His voice was tired, fading.

  Cass rested her head against his chest. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. Keeping her hand against his skin, she said, “There’s always the first night at your place to look forward to.”

  ‡

  Cass woke up slowly, disoriented when she realized she wasn’t in her bed. She pushed up, looking around the living room. She heard the shower running in the bathroom and subsided back onto the couch.

  Dev.

  He’d gotten her a pillow and wrapped her in a blanket before he’d gone in the shower. He’d stayed the night.

  He’d stayed the night.

  She’d never had a guy stay the night before. Cass hadn’t wanted one to before Dev. But now, she thought it wasn’t so bad to wake up with someone, even if they were in the shower. She snuggled down in the blanket, smelling the lingering scent of Dev. She grinned.

  Then she frowned. God, she probably looked like crap. Cass hopped up and went into the bathroom, happy to find it wasn’t locked.

  “Don’t mind me!” she shouted to be heard above the water. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste to rid herself of the dragon breath she was sure she was sporting.

  “I won’t,” he called back. “I helped myself to your shower.”

  “I see that.” Cass finished brushing. “How are you feeling?”

  “Sore.” Dev poked his head around the shower curtain.

  Cass caught a glimpse of his side. Bruises bloomed along it, black and purple. “Need some help?”