“I decided against twenty questions, baby. Findin’ I’m likin’ the surprises you give me.”
And I liked that.
I leaned closer. “Tonight was a great night, Ren. The best.” My voice dipped quiet. “Thank you, baby.”
His eyes got even warmer when he replied, “You’re welcome, honey.”
That was when I got even closer and whispered, “And last night was exactly what I needed. Thank you for that, too.”
“Anytime, Ally,” he whispered back.
“Ally?”
This came from behind us and we both turned our heads, Ren not letting go of my hand, and I saw Zach Gilligan standing there.
Shit.
Zach looked disbelieving.
He also looked angry.
Shit.
I hadn’t seen him since that night at Club. I had seen Helen, and I knew she was now with another guy, this one nice, cool and, big bonus, not a cokehead.
“Jesus, Ally,” he clipped, moving into our serene romantic secluded spot in a way that made my back go straight, Ren’s hand tighten in mine and the air around us turn heavy. Zach ignored all this and leaned deep into me. “You know, that was five hundred dollars-worth of product you made me drop in the john.”
Before I could say anything, Ren ordered, “Step back.”
Zach completely ignored Ren and kept his angry attention on me. “And Helen kicked me out. I was this close,” he held a thumb and forefinger half an inch apart, about double that away from my face, and I felt the air turn stifling, “from asking her to marry me.”
Again, before I could retort, and I had some doozies, Ren got there.
“Get your hand outta my woman’s face,” he growled.
Zach, apparently not feeling or not understanding the vibe in the air or the tone of Ren’s voice, turned his head to him.
“Fuck off,” he snarled at Ren. “Got something to say to this bitch.”
That was when it happened. And it happened so quickly, if I had blinked, I would have missed it.
And what happened was that Ren let my hand go and his shot up and out. He cupped the back of Zach’s head and slammed him face first, fast and hard enough to make a sickening thud, into our table.
His fingers gripping Zach by the hair, he pulled him back. Zach blinking and his nose bleeding, Ren brought him to within an inch of his face.
“That’s a start,” Ren whispered scarily, “Do you get me?”
“Yeah man, yeah,” Zach replied quickly.
“You see her again, you don’t know her. You get that?”
“Yeah, yeah, definitely,” Zach said.
“Get the fuck outta here,” Ren rumbled and let him go, but did this by jerking his hair back so Zach’s neck bent unnaturally and he went flying.
He righted himself and didn’t look back, but lifted his hand to his nose and scurried.
I stared after him until he disappeared then forced my eyes back to Ren, who I noted did all that without leaving his seat.
Without leaving his seat.
Holy.
Crap!
“You ready?” he asked, his voice rough, which meant he was still angry. Therefore I quickly nodded.
Ren got up and pulled my seat back for me to do the same, which I did. He grabbed his suit jacket and jerked his head toward the building which was silent pissed-off Italian American badass for Get moving.
I grabbed my bag off the table and got moving.
Ren shrugged on his jacket as we went, but caught my hand tight when he was done.
I noticed that most of the other diners were dining. Only a few were looking up, and only because we were moving and caught their attention. Other than that, it seemed everyone missed the action.
Thank God for that plant.
Ren kept hold of me until he opened my door and angled me into his Jag. He got in, started her purring, pulled out and headed home. Even though the air still weighed heavily making it hard to breathe, he drove like he normally drove which was casually, a little fast, but in total control.
I sat next to him while he did it, wondering how to handle this situation. I wasn’t certain silence was best. I also wasn’t certain, since clearly my “business” had interrupted our fabulous evening, if he was mad at Zach, or me, or both, and if both, which one more.
What I was certain of, and I did not care even a little bit what this said about me, was that what Ren did was all kinds of freaking hot.
So I also sat next to Ren fighting squirming because I was all kinds of turned on.
With all this on my mind, alas, we made it home in heavy silence without me saying a word, which I decided was good. Whatever we said would be in his house and everyone knew it was better to have it out in a house, not a car. A car was too confining and if tempers flared, that was bad if the one with the temper flaring was driving.
And as you know, Ren’s temper could totally flare.
Ren was at my door before I fully folded out of the car. He helped me the rest of the way, threw my door to, and guided me up to his house, beeping the locks on his car. He let my hand go when he opened his front door but put his to the small of my back to guide me in.
I went in and dropped my bag on the couch. I turned on a light on an end table and turned to face Ren to see he was tossing his jacket to a chair.
“Honey—” I started.
He lifted a hand to me.
Shit.
The Hand from Ren.
I didn’t like it, but I thought it prudent to shut my mouth.
He dropped his hand and spoke.
“In making the decision to take you as you take me, it was not lost on me that my concerns about you doin’ what you’re doing were valid. There are going to be times, like tonight, that your work will leak into our life. Therefore it was not lost on me that I’d have to deal with that. I dealt with it. It’s over. If it’s something we need to discuss, I’ll trust you to explain that to me. But that asshole was not a threat, just a nuisance who, from the little he said, jacked up his own life but blames you. What I’m sayin’ is, he does not deserve our time to discuss it.”
This was all good.
Really good.
Still.
“Are you angry with me?” I asked quietly.
“No, I’m angry that we had a great night, that jackass tainted it and I got fuckin’ blood on my sleeve.”
I pressed my lips together, but I did this in order not to laugh.
I unpressed them to say, “I’ll get the Shout out.”
“Good idea,” he muttered irately.
“Can I say something?” I asked and his eyes grew intent on me.
“Any time, any place, anything we’re talkin’ about, you can say whatever the fuck you want, Ally.”
Loved my man.
Loved him.
“That was hot,” I declared and watched his body lock.
“What?”
“No. That’s not right,” I said. “That wasn’t hot. That was smokin’ hot, and I don’t care if that makes me a freak. It was hot. You were hot. Now I’m hot. So hot, I may have an orgasm, standing here remembering it.”
To that, instantly he ordered, “Take off your dress, Ally.”
Oh crap.
Totally about to have an orgasm.
It was then I noticed the air in the room had changed.
It was still heavy.
But now it was warm.
“Now,” he demanded.
Without further delay, I crossed my arms in front of me, curled my fingers into my skirt, and pulled my dress up and over my head.
I dropped it to the floor beside me so I was standing in front of him in nothing but lacy black panties and stiletto heels.
“Now come here, and baby, if you give me shit about comin’ to me, when I get to you, I’m turnin’ you over my knee.”
This was a conundrum.
But a spanking might delay getting him inside me and at that moment, that would not do.
So
I went to him.
Once there, he crushed me in his arms, his mouth slammed down on mine and his tongue thrust into my mouth.
I whimpered into his, put my hands to his shoulders and held on.
His hands went to my ass, lifted up sliding down the backs of my thighs until my legs wrapped around his hips then they went back to my ass and he started walking.
He took me down to my back on the couch with him on me.
When his lips slid to my neck, I turned my head and begged in his ear, “Need you now, baby.”
He lifted his head, looked down at me and my legs clamped around his hips at the heat in his eyes even as he slid one hand from my ass and it plunged right into my panties.
I gasped.
Nice.
“You take it missionary, Ally.”
“Okay,” I breathed.
“’Cause I’m gonna fuck you hard, baby.”
Oh God.
Yes.
“Okay,” I repeated breathily.
His mouth came to mine and his eyes didn’t leave me when he murmured, “Panties, honey.”
I let him go with only one leg, shoving down my panties on that side, cocking a knee and sliding them over and down off my foot, so he had the access he needed in the least time with the least effort I could take to give it to him.
His hand was working between us and seconds later, the tip of his tongue slid over my lips as he slid slowly inside me.
My eyelids dropped, my lips parted and all was right in the world.
He watched and I knew he entered me slowly so he could.
Because once he was in and I gave him the show he wanted, nothing went slow.
It was hard, fast, rough and amazing.
I came within minutes. I did it hard and I did it crying out his name before I sank my teeth in his shoulder.
Ren took a lot longer, but it was clear from his noises and the brutal beauty of his kisses that he enjoyed it so I gave him everything he needed with my hands, my mouth and my happy place to take him there.
Finally, he got there.
He had his mouth on my neck working me, and I had my hands under his shirt roaming his back, my mind memorizing our evening. All of it. Especially this part, his weight on me, him filling me, the scent of him, the feel of him.
Everything.
So it took a beat before I realized his body was shaking.
“Ren?” I called.
He lifted his head and I saw his smile.
He was laughing.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
“Jesus,” was his nonsensical answer.
As good as it felt feeling his big strong body move on me (and in me, it must be said), I didn’t get it.
“What’s funny?” I repeated.
“Only you,” he replied.
“Only me?”
“Only you would get off on me slammin’ some asshole’s face into a table.”
I stiffened.
His hand immediately came up to cup my jaw, his body stopped shaking and his smile died clean away.
“Take me as I am,” he whispered, and I noticed his voice had that tone, his face had that look, and I melted beneath him.
“Yeah,” I whispered back.
“Love you, Ally.”
I grinned. “Love you more, baby.”
He didn’t grin.
He said, “Impossible.”
I frowned.
“If you make me cry, no sex for a week,” I declared, but my voice was husky.
“Then I better not make you cry,” he murmured, lips twitching.
“Damn straight,” I mumbled.
That was when he grinned.
Then his lips came to mine and he ordered, “Go clean up. That went fast. I wanna eat you and fuck you again before you go learn how to bypass security systems.”
My entire body trembled.
“’Kay,” I agreed immediately.
He touched his mouth to mine, slowly slid out while watching, and said, “Meet you in bed.”
He so would.
He rolled off. I rolled the other way, got to my feet and let my panties drop down my leg. I stepped out of them and sashayed, wearing nothing but a pair of stiletto sandals, to and up the stairs.
I hit the bathroom and did as ordered.
Then I met my man in bed.
* * * * *
“Tonight, you watched. Next time we go, you watch again. The time after, you’re up.”
This was Vance.
We were standing by the driver’s side door of my Mustang in Lee’s parking garage in the dead of night, and he was being bossy.
He had also taught me sick good things that night, so I decided not to give a shit that he was being bossy.
“Right,” I agreed.
He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small black leather pouch with a zip around three sides and handed it to me.
“Those’re yours. Picks. You buy locks at a hardware store and practice. When you’re up, I’ll be timin’ you. You got thirty seconds.”
I looked up at him and nodded but said, “I didn’t bring anything to give you.”
He gave me his shit-eating grin.
I decided to get serious.
“Appreciate you doing this, Vance.”
“The grip you got on that guy’s junk, no hesitation, bringin’ him down to his knees. Fuck. His face,” Vance replied. “Half the team’s terrified of you. Bobby’s having nightmares. I had no choice. Jules and I want more kids. Don’t wanna piss you off.”
It was clear he didn’t feel like being serious so I lifted a hand and socked him in the arm.
He lifted a hand and caught me at the back of the head.
Then he shocked the shit out of me by pulling me in and kissing my forehead before letting me go and murmuring, “You did good tonight.”
“Do you kiss Mace’s forehead when he does well?” I asked and his eyes got intent.
“Learn now, you’re a woman. This is a man’s job, not because more women don’t have the stones to do it, but because they think they need to have stones in order to do it. The way of the world, men can do shit you can’t. What you gotta remember is, you can do shit that men can’t. You play to that. You use it. I am not gonna treat you like one of the guys ‘cause you’re not one of the guys. That doesn’t mean I won’t treat you with respect. And what you learn now is, even if you get treated differently, there’s no difference. Yeah?”
This was very profound. And wise. And I’d never thought of it like that.
But I liked it.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Now I gotta get home to Jules and Max,” he muttered.
“Right,” I replied. “Give Max a cuddle for me.”
“Will do,” he said, moving toward his Harley.
“Vance?” I called and he turned back. “Really. Thanks for tonight. I appreciate it.”
“You’re a Nightingale,” he replied then finished enigmatically, “Anything.”
He roared off on his Harley and I was in my car following him when it hit me what his “anything” meant.
He was an ex-con, recovering alcoholic. And Lee had taken him on, trained him, and offered him a different life. A better life. And when he won Jules then they had Max, he got the best life there could be.
And he appreciated it.
I parked outside Ren’s, the jazzed feeling I had expiring and fatigue setting in. So I wasted no time getting in and quietly changing into a nightie, washing my face and brushing my teeth.
I slid into bed next to Ren, turned into his heat by curling into his back and snaking an arm around his waist.
He grabbed my hand, slid it up his chest and held it there.
“How’d it go?” he mumbled sleepily.
I pressed closer.
“It was righteous.”
His hand gave mine a squeeze. “Good.”
He was right.
He fell back to sleep.
Not long after, I followed
him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Completely Happy
I moved into the middle aisle of bookshelves and did it stealthily.
If I found my target, I didn’t want to be disturbed.
It was the next day, late morning at Fortnum’s. The store would be closing in an hour so we could all get ready to go to Tex and Nancy’s wedding. But Jet, Indy and I were taking off in thirty minutes to hit the mall to buy dresses (and probably shoes).
So I didn’t have a lot of time.
I found her in the way back room, beyond the middle room with its table filled with crates, crates that were filled with vinyl.
She was shelving books in Women’s Studies.
Tall, extremely thin, dark hair that was graying and she left it at that.
Jane.
“Hey,” I called and she jumped.
Then she turned to me. “Hey, Ally.”
I got close and asked, “You going to Tex’s thing?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Going to Blanca’s after?” I asked.
“For a little while.”
This meant she’d show her face, leave a present and get the hell out of there.
Let’s just say Jane wasn’t social.
“You write those Rock Chick books?” I went on conversationally, and her eyes went huge.
She took a step back.
Fuck. My gut feeling was right.
She did.
Holy crap.
I followed her. She took another step back and we kept going, but as we did it occurred to me she would think I was on the attack. So I reached out, grabbed her hand and held it just as her shoulder hit a shelf.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
“It’s… okay?” she asked incredulously.
I nodded. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re… not?”
I shook my head. “I’m not. But, if I’m gonna have your back, I gotta know why you wrote them and why you didn’t tell anyone you did.”
“You’re going to have my back?”
This was going way too slowly. I had to speed things up.
I squeezed her hand. “Yeah, Jane. I’m gonna have your back. But you gotta talk to me. We don’t have a lot of time and we don’t wanna get caught talking.”
“No one ever comes back here,” she spoke mostly the truth.
“Duke does, and he’s here and avoiding me, so that’s a possibility.” I squeezed her hand again. “Chickie, spill.”
Rock Chick Revolution Page 37
