by Olivia Chase
Red has a wild side that is begging to be set free.
I can do that for her.
I want to do that for her.
The nurse who pushed me in the wheelchair finally comes back in the room for me. “Okay, Mr. Beckett,” she says in a level tone after verifying my identity. She hands me a bunch of papers and explains what they mean. “Does this make sense?”
I nod. I need to get the fuck out of here, I hate sitting still for this long. Even if my arm nearly fell off. “Total sense, ma’am. I don’t have any questions.” I give a sidelong glance at Red. She’s sitting there, prim and proper, her lips pink and ready to be fucking ravaged by me. I have to calm my throbbing dick down. “Can I go now?”
The nurse gives me the stink-eye but nods. “Just be careful with that wound,” she finally says. “We don’t wanna see you in here again, Mr. Beckett.”
I press a hand to my heart in a solemn gesture. “And here I thought we were building a relationship.”
That elicits a snort from Claire. She ducks her head down to her lap and waits while the nurse exits the room, shaking her head.
I get up from the bed. “You ready to hit the road, Red?”
“Yeah…I should get going home,” she murmurs, not making eye contact. There’s a quiet seriousness to her tone now.
“Well, I’m not ready to go home,” I say to her bluntly. “We should do something.”
That makes her head jerk up in surprise as her eyes widen. “What?”
“I want to take you somewhere.”
An idea hatches in my mind.
Her look is skeptical, but I can sense more behind her eyes. She’s intrigued. “Oh, is that right? Why on earth would I go anywhere with you?”
“Because you’re intrigued, that’s why.” My words are right out there, nothing held back.
And because I want somewhere private to fucking taste your sexy lips, instead of in a hospital, I think.
She sighs. “I really shouldn’t.” Her protest is weak.
“Yes, you should. Fuck ‘shouldn’ts.’ Let’s go.”
“But you’re injured.” I can hear her caving.
“Just say yes, Red,” I urge her, giving my trademark smile that has always worked for me in the past.
Fuck, I need her to say yes. I don’t know why it’s so important. But I fucking do. Something about her beckons to a deep-down part of me. Is it her purity? Her integrity, her work ethic? The way she doesn’t treat me like I’m from the slums, like I’m no different than her? I don’t know. But she intoxicates me. I can’t just walk away now.
I’m not even thinking about Outlaws, or my idiot cousins—or my hothead brothers. All I can think about right now, is getting my hands all over Claire’s body, feeling her curves for myself.
“This is a bad idea, Jamison,” she says, and I know I’ve won.
Victory surges through my veins, sweet and strong. “Drive me back to Outlaws, and we’ll take my car.”
We walk out the ER and get in her car, a sensible maroon sedan. I’m not surprised by her choice in ride.
“Red, what’s your dream car?” I ask her impulsively, as she starts the car and drives us back to the bar.
“A Dodge Challenger,” she answers me immediately. “Cherry red with a fast engine and a stick shift.”
I blink. “I’m surprised. That’s a hot rod. Can you handle that much power?”
She gives me the side eye. “You don’t know what I can handle, Jamison.”
I admit…my cock gets even harder hearing her say this. What is it about this woman that intrigues me so much? She’s smart and funny…but she’s also hard to get, aloof enough to make me want to chase her.
Maybe I like the challenge she presents. I’ve never done anything the easy way, and I guess I’m not going to start now either.
“Red, I’m learning to not be surprised about anything having to do with you,” I reply. “So why don’t you have one?”
“Because unfortunately, they cost an arm and a leg, and right now I’m finishing my degree so I can get a better job.” She chews on her lower lip. “I have a plan. I have to be sensible so I can achieve those goals.”
I glance at her voluptuous body as we sit together in the car. Damn, she makes me fucking hard. But at the same time, I know that this thing between us—whatever it is—is just physical.
Women like her don’t belong with guys like me.
Still, I can’t deny that it feels strangely natural, driving together. She’s got the windows down, and for a few minutes I don’t even bother keeping up the conversation.
I just listen to the wind, feel it blowing in my hair, and watching gorgeous Red drive, knowing that one way or another—I’m going to slide inside her tight pussy and make her scream my name.
Just a matter of time…
I’ve gotten some missed texts and calls from my fam, but I ignore them. Nothing that can’t be handled when I’m done here.
We pull into the parking lot of Outlaws. All the cars are emptied out except mine. She puts her car in park.
“Um.” Claire clears her throat. “So, we’re here.”
“Don’t fucking overthink this,” I say. “Shut the car off and let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Have you ever been to the bluffs?”
I was going to keep it a surprise, but something tells me I need to let her know my plans. Claire’s skeptical of me. I want her to see I don’t have anything sinister in mind.
She blinks. “Oh. Not…in a long time,” she says, a smile creeping over her face. “But it’s a good night for it.”
The sun is setting by now, and the sky is streaked with dark blue. We both peer out her front windshield.
“Come out there with me,” I say softly.
She think for a long time, and for a moment, I wonder if she’s going to get cold feet and shut the whole thing down. But then she gives a subtle shake of her head, shut her car off and opens her door. “Okay. Let’s go.”
A moment later, we’re in my car; I turn it on and shift into reverse.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” she asks.
“I’m fine,” I say casually, even though my shoulder is throbbing like a bitch. I’m determined to ignore it though. I won’t show any weakness right now or give her a reason to back out, not when she’s finally dropping her guard.
We pull out of the parking lot, and I take us down the road. Few cars are out at this time of evening. The windows are down, and air streams in around us.
“It’s gorgeous outside,” she says quietly.
Something about the way she talks, the cadence of her voice, makes me feel on fire. It’s like her voice whispers across my flesh and makes every cell of my skin wake up. I’ve never had a reaction before like this.
I navigate us down side streets until we reach the park where the bluffs are. Few cars pass us at this point.
I pull into a parking lot near a scenic spot and shut my car off. Jump out and move over to her side of the car, opening the door.
We walk through a small portion of woods with a well-defined path until after a few minutes, we reach the bluffs.
Rock Bridge has many scenic views, including around the infamous rock bridge itself that the town was named after, but the bluffs are one of the most gorgeous. It’s beautiful and private, with lots of natural growth around.
Claire gasps when she sees the spot. The steep cliff ends with a large valley, filled with trees starting to bloom with new growth. The sky above is starting to speckle with stars. It’s stunning. “Wow,” she breathes. “I haven’t been here since I was a kid. It’s even more beautiful than I remember.”
“I haven’t been here a lot,” I admit. “Only a couple of times.”
“I bet the girls you’ve brought here love it.” Her voice is even as she says this, not betraying the question I hear in her words.
“I’ve never brought anyone here.” That’s actually true. As secluded as it is
here, I’ve never felt inclined to invite a woman to come here with me. Besides, the type of women I’m usually with, don’t have much use for a place like this.
Until Claire.
Claire bites her lip and looks at me. Even in the dim light, I can see her downward gaze.
I take the opportunity to reach over and touch her face. Her skin there is silky smooth as I imagined it would be. “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I whisper, and then I lean down and let my lips brush hers.
The taste of her fills my mouth immediately. My dick pulses with a throbbing ache, and my blood pumps harder in my veins. Fuck. She tastes so insanely good.
I nudge her mouth open with my tongue and then plunder her, licking her tongue, the roof of her mouth, absorbing her sighs and dragging her closer to me. My shoulder screams in protest but I ignore it.
Her groans spur me on. I let my hands roam a little, taking in the small of her back, her delicate shoulder blades, the curve of her ass. When I touch her there, she presses against me with a moan.
Fuck, her innocent desire just drives me wild. I want so badly to feast on more of her. But I don’t want to scare her away. It takes all my willpower to pull away from her, remove my hands from her body.
I urge her toward a fallen tree trunk. “Let’s sit, Red.”
She blinks at me but does as I ask. “Uh, okay. Yeah.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I ask her in an effort to reel back my rampant desire. My dick is pulsing against my zipper, aching to be set free. I ignore it as best as I can.
Claire rubs her palms on her thighs. “I have two younger sisters.”
“What are their names?”
“Sasha and Geneva,” she replies, giving me a small smile. “They’re pretty awesome for younger siblings. What about you?”
“I have four younger brothers,” I tell her.
She sucks in a breath. “I can’t even imagine how that had to be for you growing up. Did you feel like you had to take care of them? I did with my sisters, and there were only two of them.”
Despite my discomfort at opening up, I find myself saying, “Yeah, I raised my brothers.” Especially when my dad went to prison just over ten years ago. I was the only adult in the house then, a freshly minted eighteen-year-old, so I did what I had to. “Did the best that I could, but sometimes I wonder if it was enough.”
She reaches over and cups my knee with her hand. “I’m sure it was. Don’t second-guess yourself on that. You’ll go crazy.”
Her voice is layered with meaning. My curiosity goes up a few notches. “Do you second-guess yourself, Red?”
She sighs, a soft sound. “My parents went through a nasty divorce, so I was left to make sure my sisters got through everything okay. I just…wonder sometimes if I could have handled things differently with them.”
I reach over and stroke her lower back. I just need physical contact with her right now. I try to not question why. “It’s hard when you’re basically a kid raising other kids.” I should fucking know. Our mom bailed on us a long time ago, even before our dad went to jail, to marry husband number four, so it’s just me, keeping the boat afloat.
“Do you…” She stops.
“Do I what?” I ask.
Claire clears her throat and stares at her lap. “Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if things had turned out differently? If you hadn’t been responsible for raising your siblings?” There’s a guilty tinge in her voice as she asks this.
“All the time,” I say honestly.
That makes her finally look at me. Her eyes are wide, relieved. “God, really? Because I feel so terrible even thinking that.”
“Why feel terrible? There’s nothing wrong with having a reaction to a situation you’ve been forced into,” I say.
Claire bites her lower lip. Then she says, “You’re not what I expected.”
“Why, because I use words with more than two syllables?” I tease.
She swats my arm. “Hey, that’s not fair. I didn’t mean that at all.” She shrugs. “I guess what I mean is that I feel like…I don’t know. Like you actually understand me.”
I reach over and let myself touch the delicate line of her jaw. She closes her eyes and sucks in a slow breath at my stroke. “I do understand you.”
I don’t normally talk like this. Not with the kinds of women I typically hang out with, and definitely not my brothers or people from the neighborhood. But with Claire, it’s different.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe we do understand each other. It’s not a feeling I’m used to, but I like it. More than I should, even.
I lean over and capture her mouth in another kiss. This one is slow, drawn out, meaningful. I give myself the luxury of tasting her, let my tongue explore her. She opens to me without a second thought. I take advantage of her openness and plunder her mouth with every ounce of desire I have in me.
Her deep, sensual moan adds fuel to the fire.
My hands roam her warm flesh of their own accord, stroking her sides, slipping up to cup her breasts. They’re small but firm, with prominent nipples that beg for my touch. I pinch the tips, and she gasps against my mouth.
“Oh,” she says. “That feels good.”
Her innocent encouragement just makes me hunger for more. I’m betting Red doesn’t have a lot of sexual experience, but she’s not letting that hold her back.
With one hand, I clench her hip and drag her against my body. The other hand cups her breast and strokes it, thumbs the nipple into a hard bud. Then I lean down and take the tip in my mouth, through the fabric of her thin shirt.
She gasps and arches against me, pressing her breast closer to my mouth. Fuck, her excitement is more intoxicating than alcohol. I draw as much of her tit into my mouth as I can and suck, wanting to pleasure her, aching to see how turned on Claire can get.
I don’t know why, but my biggest goal right now is to make her aroused more than she’s ever been in her life. Something definitely tells me she’s not experienced a lot of physical pleasure.
I fucking want to give that to her right now.
I dig my hand into her hip and suckle her nipple through the shirt. God, I fucking want to taste her naked skin. I pull back. “I’m going to take your shirt off, Red,” I tell her, meeting her gaze.
With glazed eyes, she looks at me. “Um…”
I let my hands glide along her waist and cup underneath her breasts. “Let me taste you, Red. I just want to lick your skin.”
She groans then lifts her arms up over her head.
I tug her shirt up and expose her, just in her lacy bra, to the world. Then I pull both cups down and take one nipple in my mouth.
The feel of her skin in my lips is like I fucking died and went to heaven. Claire bucks against me, and I love the way she digs her fingertips into my scalp, urges me on. I suckle her deeply, savor the taste of her flesh, move from one nipple to the other and lick, bite, suck.
Her delicate groans of pleasure drive me fucking insane.
I bite down on the tip of her right nipple, and she jerks, but doesn’t move away from me. Her shudder of excitement tells me all I need to know.
Claire likes a bit of pain.
She wants it. Craves it. But I bet doesn’t know how to ask for it.
I’m determined to fucking give it to her.
I spend several more minutes lavishing attention on both her breasts. Her skin tastes like forbidden sin. I can’t stop myself. It takes several long breaths before I can finally ease myself back.
Damn, I’ve never felt or tasted anyone like this woman. She makes me want to say and do things I’ve never done before. She’s intoxicating, it’s like I’m drunk on her.
“Do you even know how gorgeous you are?” I murmur to her, brushing a kiss across her lips. I can’t stop the possessive grab my hands have on her waist.
She bites her lower lip and after a moment, looks at me. “I…don’t really know what to say.” Her voice is shy, hesitant. “I don’t think I’m th
at attractive, but thank you.”
Claire doesn’t believe in how gorgeous she is.
The thought makes me sad and angry. No one ever fucking made her feel beautiful? Wow. Fuck them. “Red, you’re insanely stunning. I want to lick your pussy so badly right now…”
She draws in a sharp breath. “Oh. Wow. I—”
“But I’m going to save that for our next date,” I finish.
She exhales, righting her bra and putting her shirt back on. “You assume we’re going to have another one.”
I let my fingertips slide under her shirt and brush her naked flesh. “Yes, I’m making an assumption,” I admit. “But I think you want it as much as I do.” I pause, then take her hand, willing my hormones to back down, as difficult as it is. Claire isn’t the kind of girl to fuck in one night. I want more. I want to give her more. “Let’s head out.”
She doesn’t say anything as I lead her back to my car.
The quietness almost makes it feel like a dream, and I savor the moments together. Eventually, we get to my car and then we’re heading back.
We drive toward Outlaws’ parking lot. The ride there is filled with quiet tension. I know stuff is on her mind, but part of me is hesitant to ask what. Because Claire could push me into areas I haven’t gone before. I’ve never felt this strongly about a woman upon first meeting her. I don’t know what the fuck is happening to me.
I pull into the Outlaws parking lot right beside her car and put my auto in neutral.
Claire runs her palms over her thighs. “Um. So, I’m glad you’re okay. I…hope you’ll think about what happened today and consider all your options. You know the name of a good lawyer now.”
I snort. “Yeah, like I want a lawyer doing any shit for me.” The words slip out before I even think about them.
She stiffens. “What do you mean?”
I know that I’ve said the wrong thing, said it so casually that it’s even more insulting to her.
I sigh and this time struggle to find the right words. “I’m living in a different world from you. In my world, if you’re talking to a lawyer, it’s a public defender and you’re probably about to go away for a few years.”
