by Xyla Turner
That girl would learn. He was a Guardian. Those men did not play that shit.
He pulled her back against him, placed one hand on her ass and squeezed. Some words were exchanged but she went out the front door with him.
Dessy laughed and said, “Let me go get these drinks. Y’all are some entertaining folks.”
“Alright.” I grabbed my drink and headed back to the girls.
“I'm about to retire. Me and the little one are tired.” Kylie waddled over to me.
“Okay, girl,” Shay said. “Be safe.”
“Can Razor leave?” Phoebe asked.
“When this one leaves, so does he,” Shay replied.
“Gotcha.” Phoebe nodded.
“Let me check on Vita cause I'm about to retire myself," I informed the group.
"Really, y'all are party poopers," Phoebe whined.
"I'm staying. Don't worry, we'll have fun," Shay smiled.
I kissed everyone and made my way to the front. The trucks, bikes and cars were lined up on the outside but Vita was nowhere to be found. Until I heard a raised voice.
"What do you mean, your place or mine?" Vita snapped. "I'm no biker groupie. Told you that."
"Listen, suga. I'm not here to argue semantics. You dry humping guys over there and looking at me like you want it. Here I am. You want it or are you still playing?" Swag asked.
Nothing was said for a minute and then Vita said, "Look, Swag. No games and no funny shit. I saw you, liked your style but that whole biker groupie comment was a turn off. So, no. I guess I don't want it."
"Lies," he countered. "You just don't want to admit that I beat you at your own game. You come sashaying your ass in my face, dressed like that, and you expect me to think you're something different." He paused. "Give me a fucking break. I was born at night, but not last night."
"Well, Swag. I won't give you a break, my pussy, these lips or suck that dick on any night," Vita clarified and started to walk off.
"Vita," I called her while waving near the door.
He was close behind her but not in a hurry.
"Hey," she waved back. “You ready to go. I need to get the fuck outta here. You said Manor had good guys. Ugh." She huffed.
"They are good guys, for the most part. A little rough around the edges." I tried to defend them.
"Rough?" She shook her head. "The man just called me a whore. I'll say."
I laughed out loud and said, "Sorry, your night was a bust."
"Not a bust, I have a number I'll never use, got to do my Rihanna dance that I only practice in the mirror and met some cool chicas." She laughed as we walked to our cars.
"Okay, Vita." I waved. "Be safe."
"Alright, lady. I'll see you at work on Monday." Vita waved back.
"You work with her?" The deep voice said as I went to get in my car.
I turned to see Swag leaning against a car across from mine.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Fuck." He shook his head. "Do I want to know more about her?"
"Well, it depends." I laughed. "Do you want to kick yourself now or meet up with her later after a few apologies?"
His laugh was thick and hearty. A good laugh.
"Both," he managed to say.
"Her name is Vita. She's a senior engineer at my job, going for the VP position and this is her first time going out in about four years." I cringed as Swag put his head down and contemplated his feet. "I probably shouldn't add that she has her shit together; her own house, car, and property."
"Fuck me." He shook his head. "Sad thing is when you're so used to the wrong thing, when the right thing finally comes to you, can't even see that shit for what it is. Keep saying I want to settle down and clearly of all the fucking women, I push the good one away."
"Well, maybe all hope isn't lost. You know." I shrugged. "In the six months that I've worked with her, she's always been fair."
Swag shook his head and muttered, "Fucked up."
"How about this? I'll give you her number and you see if you can right the wrong." I pulled out my phone and searched for her name. "Ready?"
When I looked up, he was eyeing me with closed brows and a curious glint. "You and Apollo ever get y'alls shit together?"
"What?" I coughed. "Me and Apollo?"
"Yeah, I heard you left and now you're back. He already warned everyone off of you, so I'm wondering if you and him ever fixed what was broken."
"He did what?" I gasped. "I, uh..."
It was my turn for my head to shake.
"I'll take that as a no." Swag raised his hand. "I just thought it was a kind thing for you to do and wondered if he had fixed the shit he fucked up, since you were talking about second chances and all."
Dammit.
"Hmm, maybe those aren't for me." I showed him my phone so he could copy the number.
"You're too young to be this cynical. Believe me, if Apollo is warning my guys off of you, he's trying to make it right. I've known him a bit and he's a complicated dude. However, when Razor needs something done, Apollo is his guy because not only is he loyal but he won't stop until it's done. No matter what that shit is." Swag copied the number. "Thanks Lori. I hope to see you around."
"Yeah, have a good night." I opened my car door and drove home.
I did not wait up to hear his motorcycle come home nor did I cry because he did not come home by three in the morning.
That would have been stalker-ish. If I'd fallen back into that cycle, it was time for me to make some more changes.
Eleven
Mending Hearts
Apollo:
The plan wasn't even complete yet and already something went wrong and I hadn’t the faintest idea. Lori seemed to be over the kissing thing at her house with the boots, which I shouldn't have bought in the first place but seeing her face and the way she hugged them to her chest. I wanted to buy a pair every single week.
That small lapse in judgement, coming over to her house at night wasn't good because we were starting from scratch and at the same time, I just wanted to see her face light up. I kept my distance but fully expected to spend some time with her at the party. How that got fucked up, I had not a clue. When we’d spoken she seemed fine and was informing me about Shay's party.
Retracing my steps mentally, I had gone back over to the guys and hung out for a few.
Donna showed up because Razor tapped me and muttered, "Here comes trouble."
She’d said she missed me, was upset that I had gotten another nurse and that she thought she meant more to me. Of course, she did all of that with her hands all over me.
That had to be it.
I told her I was unavailable and attached. She guessed that it was the short-haired gal and I didn't confirm or deny that but she went about her way. That was when I saw Lori dancing with some guy and went to cut in. She was cold and aloof; then she tried to be chatty.
Fuck.
I stayed at the compound that night because I could have seriously hurt something and the way my skin was flushed, nerves were shot and heart was aching, I would have gone to jail. The next morning though, I was pounding on her door at eight in the morning.
I couldn't sleep, so I stopped by the nearest coffee place, grabbed a couple of cups of Joe and went to wake her ass up.
"Open up." I kept banging and after ten minutes, the door cracked open.
"What?" she croaked.
"Let me in." I stepped closer.
"It's eight in the morning, I'm tired and don't want any company," she uttered in a husky voice.
"Lori, you got one chance to open this fucking door or I'm kicking it in." I kept trying to calm myself down but I was livid.
"Okay, okay," she said as she pulled it open. "What's the emergency?"
Pushing the coffee towards her, I walked into the living room and said, "Sit and we're going to talk. I've tried to do this your way. I've tried to do it alternate ways but I keep missing something. I'm done." I glared at her. "Sit your ass down and talk."
Surprisingly, she sat down, took a sip of coffee and looked at me with wide eyes.
"Why are you upset with me?" I asked. "Tell me the truth, Lori. I'm not in the mood to guess."
"You come barging in my house and tell me what you're not in the mood for?" she snapped back.
"Lori, what are you upset with me about?" I repeated slowly since my patience was hanging by a thread.
"Why do I need a reason?" she replied and I fucking lost it.
"Fuck!" I roared. "I'm so sick of this shit. Another man touches you and it drives me insane. I wanted to rip his fucking hands off. I don't want another man looking at you or thinking he has a chance at what's mine. That's why I spend my free time with you. That's why we're doing this whole thing because I wanted you to know me. I wanted to get to know Lori but if you're not honest with me, how can I ever know you? Me, of all people, you should be honest with."
Lori put down her coffee and her reddish coloring could have been from the hot coffee or her temper but I was not ready for her to unleash like she did.
"You of all people?" she screamed. "You single handedly annihilated my life with less than three sentences and you want me to share something with you! Ha! You're rich. Shit, that's just rich."
"No. No. You don't get to do that. You don't get to blame me for the shit storm that led down that path. I was wrong. I have apologized and tried to make amends over and over again. You won't let it go and it keeps being the thing that keeps us apart." I tried to reason with her.
This time, she shattered me. "You broke my fucking heart, Apollo!
The tears were pouring down her face and I didn't know whether to run away or to her.
"You broke my heart into little tiny pieces and you want me to get over that. You want me to put myself back together again and jump on the fucking wall again. I put myself out there before and fell and had to piece my life back. Now you think you know what you want and you want me to go back up that wall and wonder why I won't just blindly go. I'm not the insane one." Lori was literally screaming at me. "You move across the street and I stay up all night wondering if you've gone with that bimbo and why you haven't come home. Then I realize, I am displaying the same tendencies from before. Once again worrying about Connor Locklear and he doesn’t give two shits about me, my feelings or thoughts."
She nodded her head. "Yeah, you need to go."
"Are you shitting me?" I stood, holding my head. "I love you, woman. LOVE YOU! I'm not asking you to go back up there alone and take a plunge. I'm asking you to join me because I'm already there. Fucking heart has been aching all night and I've been working overtime to make you see me. The real me, not the inflated, infatuated me but the ‘me’ that loves you. That you're not in this alone and sweetness, I'm not going no goddamn where. You can't make me. You hear?" I stood up and moved towards her. "I'll follow you. I'll do the thirty-day program but I'll be back at your door. You can yell to the rooftop at Peppers that you hate me and that we'll never be but I will fight for us Lori, because I know what we can be together."
My voice broke slightly.
"I know you're mine. Ain't lived till I got to know you. Ain't done shit till the possibility of you in my life formed. So, do what you got to do but there ain't nothing that will convince me – you don't love me. I know you do. I feel it. Felt it before and mishandled that shit. You were too close but now, I'm fighting for us."
Lori's eyes were focused on the floor and her bottom lip was quivering when she muttered, "I don't love you."
"Lies." I cupped her face. "Tell me the real truth."
She looked up at me and tried to say it but her mouth just quivered and the tears flowed down her reddish-colored face. Her fingers gripped my shirt as she pulled me closer to her.
Her eyes looked up to me and she continued to cry. "Tell me this is real. I can't go through it again. I swear to God, I can't. My dream of being with Apollo died that night."
"I know, sweetness," I muttered as I held her chin up. "You'll never go through that again. Not on my watch. It's no dream Lori, and I swear to God, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Till the day I die, I’ll promise you that."
Lori's grip loosened on my shirt and she threw her arms around me as the tears continued to spill. In turn, I enveloped her in my embrace so she could do whatever she wanted as long as it took place right there.
After a while, Lori stopped crying so I loosened my grip a bit.
“Tell me, Lori,” I whispered as my forehead connected with hers.
Those tear-stained eyes rose to look at me, then she said what I was wanting to hear for a lifetime.
“Love you, Connor.”
Lifting her chin, my lips connected with hers. The kiss quickly turned into a frenzied mess as we battled to go deeper and our breathing grew heavier.
Putting an end to it all, I lifted her and those legs automatically wrapped around me as I took her upstairs. It was rushed, overdue, and fucking crazy.
Clothes were flying, ripping and dropping. I think I had one sock on and one boot as I kneeled on the bed.
“I'm clean. I’m clean,” Lori breathed.
“Me too. Tests are at the house.” I crawled towards her until my mouth was near her visibly wet pussy. “Fuck.”
My forefinger played around her lips as Lori leaned back and moaned.
“Come on,” she whined.
Shit, she was right. We'd both waited too long for this to play around.
Pulling up on my knees, I lined my raging hard cock with her welcoming entrance and pushed in. She was so tight; I didn't get far.
Her fingers started to rub her clit as I rocked back and forth to gain more depth.
“I'm about to come,” she warned.
“No, not yet.” I finally pushed inside. “Now.”
Lori’s mouth opened and nothing came out but her legs were shaking and she stopped rubbing so I kept grazing her sensitive clit with my thumb. Her knees tried to collapse but I continued to plunge in and out of her wet channel as she fell apart around me.
“Oh, God,” Lori cried. “Connor.”
“Yes, sweetness.” I grabbed her wrists, put them next to her head on the bed and powered into her as she moaned and yelled her delight.
When I felt close, I stopped and flipped us, so she was sitting on me as I sat up. I grabbed a chunk of her hair, pulled it down so her boobs were bouncing in my face. Licking, biting and slapping them into submission.
After letting her hair go, those dilated eyes met mine and she cupped my face to kiss me. It was sweet, sexy and all fucking mine.
Those hips continued to move in circles on me. Coupled with her tongue swirling in my mouth, I exploded inside of her tight pussy.
Lori settled with her forehead on mine.
“God,” she breathed. “That was a twenty!”
We were both breathing heavy and trying to catch our breath.
“Twenty what?” I asked.
“Oh nothing.” She started laughing hysterically.
My fingers were playing with her hair since she was still on my me. Then I realized what I hadn't figured out.
“You letting your hair grow out?” I looked at her.
“Oh, yeah.” She smiled.
“Why?”
“One of my friends told me he liked it long.” Lori laughed.
“I like him.” I kissed her lips.
“I do too.” She rubbed my scar from the bullet that grazed my neck and the other that hit my shoulder.
“This is from the situation with Bronx and Shay?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I tensed up because I wasn't sure what she was going to say about me killing a man.
“You're an awesome guy, Connor Locklear,” she said before her face descended and those beautiful lips kissed the raised skin from my neck to my shoulder.
My head fell back against the headboard as a wave of emotion rolled over me. This fucking woman was kissing my physical wounds just as she was healing my emotional one
s.
Shit.
I got it then. It made perfect sense why Razor and Bronx fell and fell hard. Why finding a partner who had the sight to see where you’ve been hurt, apply the balm and nurture you back to the person you were intended to be was what it meant to live free. These women deserved all the love they could ever get, had a right to it and if needed a man that would die to preserve that love.
Plain and simple.
We stayed in bed all day, humping like rabbits or slowly making the other lose their mind with orgasms. Lori explored all of my tattoos with her mouth and wanted explanations for every one of them. I told her she’d really love the next one I planned to get. That’d be her next surprise.
Around ten that evening, we finally decided to leave the bed and go grab some food at the nearest open establishment which was a gas station. It was one town over but we rode my bike so the ride wasn’t that bad and having Lori’s hands wrapped around me with her body pressing against mine was an opportunity I wouldn’t turn down.
It still blew my mind that she was finally mine.
Fucking, finally.
It seemed like it took a long, twisted journey to get here. Her in my arms, laughing, sharing long looks and sweet kisses.
We purchased snacks, sandwiches and her favorite ice cream but this time, we bought two pints instead of sharing one. As we left the store, there were four guys standing next to bikes watching us. I grabbed Lori’s hand and pulled her behind me as we walked to the bike. She saw the threat and followed my lead. Instead of getting on the bike, I stood and said, “Evening.”
“This is Viper’s territory.” The tall one spoke up. “We don’t come on your land without notification, remember?”
I nodded and said, “We don’t come into each other’s territory to conduct business, yes. My old lady and I are getting fucking ice cream. That’s two different things.”
“New rules,” the tall, stupid one snapped. “Notification is needed.”
“Whose rules?” I countered.
“Viper’s rules,” he barked. “The real Vipers.”
“Put the shit in the saddlebags,” I whispered to Lori.
