by Sky Winters
“Who gave you that black eye?” he asked her.
She took a deep breath, but he went on.
“Do you want me to find him and kick his ass?”
Melanie chuckled softly, feeling a surprising calm about the entire situation now. Doug, Jake, where she now was, all of it. “That was too questions.”
Doug looked her in the eye. “Ohio…”
“It was my ex-husband. Well, my soon-to-be ex-husband… Jake. He used to get drunk sometimes. He had problems with depression. That’s no excuse. I used to feel bad for him, until one day I stopped because feeling bad for him was not helping him and it certainly wasn’t making him stop hitting me. I didn’t want him to go after our son.”
With a surprised look on his face, Doug asked, “Son?” under his breath.
She nodded. “His name is Stevie. He’s two. He’s so smart…” She looked Doug in the eyes again after momentarily looking away in embarrassment and shame.
Slowly, he reached a hand up and gently cupped her cheek, letting his fingertips softly pet and massage her jawline. He rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, Melanie,” he said softly, an earnestness coating his voice as his green eyes gazed into her blue ones. “I really like you.”
He hadn’t used her real name in a while. It kind of shocked her. Blushing, she smiled at him. “I like you too,” she replied. She felt a nervous energy fill her up, making her head spin in a not unpleasant way.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers, kissing her deeper than she expected. She kissed him back, feeling as though little firecrackers were going off inside of her. This was something she had anticipated, somehow. This was something she knew was coming, if she kept hanging out with Doug. But, at the same time, she felt like rejoicing. He was kissing her!
He gently let his tongue slip into her mouth, tasting her momentarily without going overboard. When he finally pulled back to look at her, he was smiling cutely again. Melanie definitely wanted more kissing with him. She wanted more of him in general.
How could she have been so stupid as to assume this sweet guy was a violent felon?
“Now what?” she asked, biting her lip and hoping that he would say ‘more making out.’
But he didn’t. He chuckled. “Climb back on board and I’ll show you something.”
He drove her on his motorcycle through all of the monuments along the Tidal Basin that he was allowed to enter on a bike. They rode past the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King, and Lincoln, and waved at FDR from the street.
Melanie held onto him, smiling and cuddling against Doug’s strong back. His tiger tattoo made sense to her now. It felt as though everything made sense to her now.
He soon hit the highway again but he was not on it as long as he should’ve been if he was going to drop her off at Casey’s house. He stopped his bike in front of an apartment building just outside of DC.
She was going into the tiger’s den.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Heart of Purple
Getting off the bike, Doug removed his helmet and set it on the handlebars so he could help Melanie off. She took off her helmet and followed him, looking at him as he carried his helmet under his arm to the front door of the building. “This is my place,” he said. “You don’t have to stay over, but you’re welcome to.”
She appreciated that he was upfront about it. No pretense of coffee was involved. “Could I just call my friend first to make sure she picks up my son from daycare?” Tomorrow was Saturday, so Casey would hopefully be able to watch Stevie for a few hours in case… Melanie couldn’t believe it, but in case she slept at Doug’s apartment.
“No problem,” he said, taking her helmet so her hands were free to make the call. He led her into the building’s elevator. “There’s no reception in here, so you might want to wait till we’re in my humble abode before you try calling out.” He smiled at her.
He pressed the button for the fourth floor.
“So,” she said, trying to start a conversation. If there was anything more awkward than a silent elevator ride, she didn’t know what it was. “What sort of work do you guys do in Stars and Stripes?” Now that she knew it was a group of veterans who rode their bikes around, she figured that it was some sort of philanthropic project, not just guys who liked speeding down highways and getting into fights. She had clearly watched too many movies.
“We raise awareness for those injured in combat, and we accept donations when we go to events,” Doug answered.
She smiled at him. “I feel like such a goober for thinking you were dangerous.”
“I’m only dangerous if you’re threatening my loved ones.” He winked at her and she blushed. Now that he knew she had moved to DC to escape domestic violence, he was most likely going to try and be her body guard or something. She liked the idea, but she didn’t want her asshole ex to hurt him.
The elevator stopped once they’d reached their floor and Doug brought her to his front door. He unlocked it and held it open for Melanie to walk through. His apartment was pretty small, with olive green walls and cream-colored carpeting. He had a bed in his living room, behind his couch so that he could vault from one to the other if he wanted to. She would not be surprised if he did things like that.
“Welcome to my abode,” he said, closing the door behind himself and locking it. “This neighborhood’s known for being safe, but I like to be extra careful. Can you get you anything? A Diet Coke?” He grinned at her.
He remembered her less-than-flashy drink request. “Yes, please,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No sweat,” he said. “Make yourself at home.” He went into the apartment’s small kitchenette to pour her a glass of Diet Coke with some ice.
Melanie sat on his tan, leather couch and was amazed how much it sagged when she sat. It must have been fairly old to do that, but something about it was cozy so she wasn’t going to complain. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and pressed Casey’s name on her list of contacts.
“Hi, Casey,” she said. “What’s up? Listen, I’m out on a date with Doug Albright, the motorcycle club vice president that I mentioned to you the other day…” She paused and Doug smirked at her from his place in the kitchen. He was keeping his distance from her while she talked to her friend, out of politeness. “Yeah, the guy with a tiger tattoo.” Doug let out a laugh at that, and she blushed, smiling at him. He was getting a kick out of this. “Anyway, would it be possible for you to go to Little Sprite’s Daycare and pick up Stevie for me? I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow morning…” She chuckled. “I know. Thank you so much! I’ll make it up to you soon. No, shh, I owe you. Bye.”
She ended the call and put her phone back into her purse, setting her purse down on the coffee table that was actually a big, brown chest that a pirate might use to store his treasure. Doug brought out her glass of soda and set it on the chest as well, sitting beside her but keeping his distance. He definitely gave her space and let her do things in her own time. That was something she really admired about him. Maybe the army had trained him in the ways of being a gentleman, too.
Reaching out, she picked up the glass of Diet Coke and took a long sip. The wind in her face from the motorcycle ride, as well as nervousness, made her thirsty. She set the glass back down and looked at him, smiling and feeling a bit awkward because she didn’t know what to say next. She was rusty when it came to dating, if that’s what this was now, and she wasn’t really prepared to make the first moves.
All of a sudden, Doug moved closer to her and put his arm around her. “You’re not afraid to sit close to me, are you?”
Melanie shook her head. “I wondered why you were so far.”
He kissed her deeply and she slid back against the leather couch, ending up underneath him and not minding that one bit. They made out for several wonderful moments, and then he broke his mouth away from hers and looked into her eyes, green into blue.
“Do you want to move to the bed?” he asked her, his
voice coming out in a breathy whisper which she found exhilarating.
She nodded and he kissed her again before taking her hands and gently pulling her up to her feet. He led her around the couch to the bed. Melanie started to take off her shoes, because for some reason her brain told her that was the most important thing to remove.
“I’ll be right back,” he suddenly said, rushing off down the hall hear the front door. To the bathroom, she assumed.
Melanie removed her blouse next, and her slightly sparkly black pants. She carefully placed her clothes on the back of the couch in a neatly folded pile. She sincerely hoped that Doug wouldn’t mind dating a mom, but she guessed that they were already past the point of worrying about that. He clearly liked her!
When he came back out of the hallway, he was wearing only his t-shirt and a pair of dark blue boxers. He was also carrying something small in a shiny, gold wrapper. A condom.
She was so grateful that he thought about that. The last thing Melanie wanted was to be pregnant again, at least not for a long time.
Sitting beside her on the bed, he gently removed her bra, cupping her right breast in his hand and kissing it. He slowly slid her black panties down and took them off, tossing them onto the couch and knocking her pile of clothes down onto it with her panties.
He carefully removed his boxers and put the condom on his lengthy, thick cock. She lay back on the bed, resting her head on one of the pillows and looked at him. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The last time she’d had sex, it had not ended well for her. Jake would always violently convince her to have sex with him somehow, usually so he would stop slapping her around, and she often spent the week afterward with some sort of bruise or limp from his abuse.
She didn’t expect that from Doug, though she was still haunted by those memories.
“Hey,” he said soothingly, positioning himself between her legs but not moving past that. He still had his shirt on. “Do you really want this?” he asked, looking deeply into her eyes. “We can stop if you’re—”
“Yes,” she replied, reaching over and stroking the side of his hard cock. “I want this.”
Smiling a dimpled smile at her, Doug got on top of her, kissing her lips and her cheeks. “I’ll go slow, okay? I promise.” He could tell that she was nervous and a little scared, so he was doing her best to make everything comfortable for her.
He pressed himself into her, caressing her cheeks as he slowly thrust. Melanie reached up to his face and ran her fingertips over his dimple. She leaned towards him and snatched his mouth to her own, kissing him and grinding her hips a bit so she could move herself against him.
When she pulled her mouth from his, she batted her lashes at him. “You can go faster, if you want,” she said seductively. Suddenly, she did not feel afraid. Lust for Doug had melted the fear away. All she wanted now was for him to be inside of her, filling her up and driving memories of the bad guys away.
Smirking a little, he held onto her and sped up his thrusting. He licked his fingertips and gently rubbed them against her clit.
“Ooohh,” she moaned. “Oh, Doug!”
“Yeah,” he murmured back, “You like it like this, Ohio?”
Suddenly, something came over her and she pushed him off of her, slamming him down onto the bed and straddling him instead. She bounced against his cock, grinding against him and moving him around. He tightly grabbed hold of her butt and lolled his head from side to side, enjoying what she was doing to him.
Melanie placed her hands on his chest, running her fingers through his chest hair and digging her nails into his skin, careful not to puncture too far in. She leaned over him, feeling the pleasure mounting inside her. All at once, it felt as though her brain itself was screaming.
Doug took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked. She closed her eyes tightly as she came. “Aaahhhh, yes! Oh, Doug! Doug! DOOUUUGGGG!”
His neighbors were all probably well aware that Doug was getting laid this evening. He smirked up at her and, once she had calmed down, resumed his position on top of her. He quickened his pace as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She watched his dog tags as they jangled back and forth, hitting against his chest as he thrusted. She arched her back a little and swiveled around beneath him, sensing that he was about to cum. He closed his eyes tightly. “Aww, yesss!” he hissed as he came. “H’aaahh…”
He pulled out of her and took the full condom off, tossing it into the trash can nearby. Melanie watched him, missing the closeness they’d just shared already. Happily, as soon as he was done cleaning himself up, he came back to cuddle her.
“Where have you been all of my life?” she asked him. “Oh, Iraq, that’s right.” She giggled a little, feeling like it was time to be silly after what she’d just felt. Her head felt light and dizzy in a good way.
Doug laughed. “I wasn’t in Iraq for twenty-four years!”
She smiled and kissed him.
He kept his face close to hers when the kiss was over, their noses brushing ever so slightly against each other. “I think I’ve fallen for you,” he whispered. “And I don’t just fall and get back up, Melanie…”
Gazing into his eyes, she blushed. “I think I’ve fallen for you, too.”
They lay beside each other one the bed, naked, looking into each other’s eyes for a pleasant, long time. They hardly said a word, but when they did, it was to compliment each other.
“Being away from you is going to be hard,” she told him.
He cuddled her close to him. “I’m just a Harley ride away. You can see me whenever you want.”
The trouble was that, for now at least, she wanted to see him all the time. She wanted to make up for lost time when she had thought he was no more than a thug.
CHAPTER FIVE
A Hero’s Welcome
As they rode down the street towards Casey’s house the next morning, they slowed their speed and Melanie felt as though something wasn’t right. Sure enough, when they got into the driveway, she recognized Jake’s car parked there behind hers. As she and Doug stopped near it, the front door opened and the man Melanie was hoping she would never see again emerged.
He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black button up shirt. She had a momentary lapse in judgment, thinking that he looked sexy like that, but then she gave her brain a mental slap and leapt off the bike with Doug. They both quickly removed their helmets and set them aside.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped at the man she used to love.
“I came here looking for my wife,” Jake said. “I thought you’d be hiding out with one of your old friends. And here you are. Who the hell is that?” He gestured to Doug who was standing behind Melanie, slowly cracking his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
From the front window of Casey’s house, Melanie could see her friend was watching. She didn’t see Stevie. Casey had most likely ushered him into his bedroom at the sound of the yelling outside. Thank goodness, Melanie thought.
“If I wanted to be your wife anymore, I wouldn’t be hiding out with one of my friends,” she pointed out to Jake. “Anyway, I’m not hiding out. I’m living my life and taking care of my son. It’s over, Jake. So why don’t you just get in your car and go back to Ohio?”
“It’s not over!” Jake yelled. “I’m sorry about the other night, okay? But you have really got to learn to stop talking back to me.”
“The only person who has anything to learn around here is you,” Doug said. “She said she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Leave her alone.”
Jake pointed a finger at Doug. “You stay out of this, pal.”
Looking him over, Jake appeared to be taken aback by the fact that Melanie was now spending her time with a biker guy. “You leave home and end up gallivanting around with this freak!” He tried to approach Melanie, but Doug pushed him back when he came close. “Melanie, what are you doing hanging around this- this jailbird?”
“He’s not a jailbird,” she replied. “H
e’s an American hero.”
Jake scoffed. “Oh, please.” He tried to push forward again, but Doug pushed him back even further.
“I said leave her alone!” Doug bellowed. Suddenly, he punched Jake squarely in the face, sending him reeling backwards. He was all set to hit him again, but it turned out that the one punch had been enough to get Jake good and dizzy. “How surprising, the big man who hits his wife can’t handle one measly punch.”
Clutching his cheek, Jake shook his head as blood came from his nose. “You’re both bullshit,” he spat. “I’m not wasting my time with either of you.” He got into his car without another word and drove away. Melanie didn’t think that he would be back again. She was with the man she needed now.
“Are you okay?” she asked Doug, giving him a gentle hug. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
He shook his head. “My hand hurts a little, which is strange because I only punched a numbskull.”
“Aww, let me kiss it and make it better.” She kissed the knuckles on his right hand.
Just then, the front door opened and Casey came outside. “Is he gone now?” she asked, frightened. “I heard him in the driveway and I didn’t know what to do. I made sure to keep Stevie in his room. I’m so glad you two were here to get rid of him!”
When she got a look at the handsome – if unique-looking – Doug Albright, she smiled at him and Melanie. “Please come inside.”
They went inside Casey’s house and sat down in the kitchen.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she told Doug as she poured three cups of coffee. “Melanie has told me about you, but not enough!”
Melanie blushed. “I didn’t want to divulge every detail.”
He thankfully took a mug of coffee and took a long sip. “Mmm,” he said, “Thank you.”
Smiling, Melanie got out of her chair and went to the bedroom to get Stevie. She brought him out by the hand. “This is someone I want you to meet, Stevie.” The little boy looked up at the tattooed veteran. “This is Doug Albright,” she told her son. “He was a soldier and now he rides a motorcycle so he can help other soldiers.”
