“The others are calling you Sir Beardselot. I personally think that one’s the most fitting.”
He showed no outward signs of humor, which typically would have scared me a little, but I trusted Marco, and he’d vouched for this man, so I knew there was no need to be frightened. He’d done an incredible job of standing sentry all night long, his emotionless, broody face and foreboding air making him appear unapproachable.
“I don’t know,” he mumbled back. “I think Bigfoot has some truth to it.”
I looked down to the motorcycle boots on his feet. “True enough.”
I rolled my eyes as “Cherry Pie” by Warrant, another cliché stripper song, came to an end, followed by the hoots and hollers of the men out front as the dancer, Giselle flicked the curtain aside and came flouncing off the stage, shooting an uneasy look at the big man beside me before giving me an eek face as she passed. “Not a fan of hair bands?” he asked once we were alone again.
“I’ll take good classic rock any day. The key word there being ‘good.’ I swear, if I never hear another Def Leppard song in my life, it’ll be too soon.”
That earned me perfunctory chuckle so short it took me a second to realize what the sound even was, but when it came to Xander, I considered it a win. “You know what, Sir Beardselot? You aren’t nearly as scary as you look.”
He turned to me, and those black eyes glinted like flint rocks being struck together to make a spark. “That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. I’m very scary.” With that ominous warning, he turned back around and faced forward like it was nothing.
“Remind me to always stay on your good side, then.”
“Gentlemen.” The DJ’s voice sounded through the speakers, cutting off our conversation. “The time has come for the main event. Get your wallets out for the lovely Marilyn!”
“Remember your promise?” I asked over the opening chords of “I’ll Surely Die” by The Rubens.
“I remember. And I won’t break it.”
With a wave of relief, I quickly climbed the three steps to the stage and whipped the curtain back with a flourish.
Knowing I wouldn’t be performing for anyone who mattered, I was able to put on a good show, swaying and rolling my hips, my movements as fluid as water. I was going to make a killing tonight, and that made my smile that much bigger and my moves that much more sultry.
I whipped my hair around, pivoting on my heels and putting my back to the crowd, dropping low and rocking my hips side to side on the way back up. I worked the crowd into a frenzy, crawling along the edge of the stage as I slowly removed the outer pieces of my costume. I parted my lips and gyrated, compelling the men up front to throw more money. At one point, I got close and sucked my index finger into my mouth, giving a half-lidded smirk to no one in particular as I slowly dragged it back out.
Moving to the pole, I grabbed hold of it with one hand, closing my eyes and tossing my head back as I strutted in a circle, going around and around as I picked up speed with the beat. At the crescendo, I kicked my legs up, wrapping them around the cold metal and using every muscle I had to flip upside down and spin. I did a back bend, swinging my legs over and arching my back to put my feet on the ground before coming to a standing position once more, my hair flying around in waves that set the men wild.
The music slowed, indicating it was time, and I stripped from the waist up just before darkness met the last pulsing beat of the song.
Covering my chest with an arm, I pushed back the curtain to find Xander standing there, his head turned away and his arm extended with my robe in his hand.
The guy was a complete gentleman. Scary as all hell, but still a gentleman.
“Good show?” he asked, turning to face me fully once I was covered.
“As good as it could be I guess, considering what I do.”
The deep black depths of his gaze grew earnest. “You’re too hard on yourself, Gypsy.”
I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by a voice that grated against my skin and made my stomach turn sour.
“Ah, sugar. That performance.”
I stepped away from Xander quickly so as not to blow his cover, then turned to face Malachi Black.
“Glad you liked it, Mr. Black,” I said flatly.
“Darlin’, I told you to call me Kai,” he said, his voice low and slimy. “And I didn’t just like it. I’m still fuckin’ hard as a rock.”
It took everything I had not to curl my lip in disgust and recoil from his touch as he lifted a hand and toyed with a strand of my hair.
“Like I said, thanks.” I managed to put some distance between us by taking a step toward the dressing room. “I should probably get changed.”
I started to turn away, only to have Black grab my arm and jerk me to a halt. “Women don’t usually walk away from me,” he said in a low voice. “I’m used to getting what I want.”
Pulling my arm out of his grasp, I turned to face him fully. “Then I suggest you start adjusting to the change, because I’m not a whore or a piece of property. And I’m. Not. Interested.”
With that, I turned and stomped off into the dressing room.
* * *
When Marco arrived that night to pick me up from the club, I’d been excited to see him, damn near giddy with it. But the moment I climbed into the passenger seat of the Cherokee, the air was thick with tension, like a humid fog filled the cab of the vehicle. We were halfway back to my house, and he still hadn’t said a word to me.
His silence finally became too much, and I couldn’t take it any longer.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or stay quiet the whole drive?
Several seconds passed before he spoke. “Xander told me you had a run-in with Black. You really shouldn’t provoke that asshole, Gypsy.”
My back went stiff as I slowly turned my head in his direction. “Provoke him?”
“You’re a challenge,” he gritted out. “Men like him get off on that shit, and when you talk back, it just makes him want it even more.”
I let out a caustic laugh, crossing my arms over my chest and flopping back into my seat. “So it’s my fault the prick can’t take a hint? What would you have wanted me to do, Marco? Swoon? Get down on my knees?”
“Of course not!” he barked, dragging a hand through his hair. “Christ. It wasn’t your fault. I know that, and I’m sorry. I just... I want you to be careful, is all. I can’t stand the thought of that guy being so close to you.”
“I was fine,” I grumbled, still feeling the sting of his words. “Xander was there, and I can take care of myself. Nothing would have happened.”
Silence enveloped the cab once more before Marco spoke again. “I’ve just been thinking about something you said earlier.”
“And what was that?”
He cast me a quick glance before looking back at the road. “That you couldn’t stand me seeing you up on that stage.”
My body locked up tight, and I turned tentatively to look at his profile in the dim lights filtering in from the passing streetlamps. “What about it?”
His chest rose on a deep inhale, and as he blew it out, he shook his head. “Baby, what you do… there isn’t one goddamn thing shameful about it. You do it because those kids depend on you. You do it because you love them and would bend over backward to give them everything that’s in your power to give.”
My earlier anger was suddenly forgotten. The breath I tried pulling in lodged in my throat at his ardent declaration, and when he reached over and took my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips for a gentle kiss, I had to blink back the threat of tears. How he could piss me off one second, then make me want to kiss him the next blew my mind.
“That’s not something to be ashamed or embarrassed of. I’m proud to know a woman as brave and loyal as you, Gypsy.”
I could barely think over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, and when I forced air into my lungs, the hiss sounded like the wind racing through a crack in a window.
/> “Pull over,” I said, somehow managing to speak through the thickness in my throat.
“What?”
“Pull over,” I repeated, pointing to the turnoff to the abandoned Tolliver Mill Road. “Right here, Marco. Now.”
Letting out a curse, Marco whipped the wheel around, pointing the hood of the car at the dark gravel road. We came to a screeching stop, and he quickly threw the Cherokee into park, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned to me. “Christ, baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I frantically searched for the release of my own seat belt in the darkness of the cab. When it finally gave way, I scrambled over the center console and into his lap, slamming my mouth down on his in a passionate, carnal kiss. It didn’t take him more than a second to catch on to what I was doing, and in a blink, Marco took control of the kiss, his tongue clashing and tangling with mine in a battle for dominance.
“Need you,” I panted, refusing to break the kiss even as I reached between us and fumbled with his fly. “Now, Marco. Please.”
“Take it, girasol,” he grunted into my mouth. “It’s yours.”
I got his cock free from his jeans, wrapping my fingers around the thick length and stroking from base to tip. Marco’s head slammed back against the headrest on a jagged groan as I continued to pump his erection. It was like a steel rod wrapped in velvet, soft and hard. I’d never wanted anything so badly in my life.
“Condom,” I whispered, jacking him harder and faster.
Reaching down to the buttons on the side of the seat, Marco pushed it all the way back, giving me enough room to wiggle out of my pants and underwear as he dug a condom from his back pocket and ripped it open with his teeth.
The moment he was sheathed, I guided the tip to my opening and drove myself down, crying out as pleasure and pain assaulted me, rendering me immobile.
“Fuck! Gypsy, you all right?”
I lowered my forehead to rest on Marco’s collarbone, my whole body shaking as I tried to steady my breathing.
“I’m fine,” I whispered once the sting began to subside. “I’m just… God, I’m so full.”
My body slowly began to relax, and he slid a little deeper inside. “Jesus, you feel perfect,” he said, his cock twitching inside me. “Never felt anything as good as being inside you.”
Bracing on my knees, I lifted off him, moving slower this time as I lowered back down, giving my body time to adjust. Eventually there was no pain, only toe-curling, world-rocking pleasure.
I groaned at the deep invasion, throwing my head back, my spine bowing as I picked up speed, gliding up and down his long, thick length.
Marco’s fingers dug into my hips as I rode him hard and fast. The cab filled with the sounds of our moans and heavy breathing, of skin slapping together.
“Oh god. Marco,” I whimpered, adding a swivel of my hips on every downward stroke. “You feel amazing.”
His hips began to snap up every time I slammed down, pushing him deeper and deeper. I’d lost control, the noises I was making sounding almost animalistic as I plummeted closer and closer to a soul-crushing release.
My noises spurred him on, and he lifted my shirt and pulled down the cups of my bra, exposing my nipples to the chilly air.
“Shit, Marco!” I shouted when he leaned forward and sucked one of the hard peaks into his mouth. That was all it took to set me off. He felt it the moment I went over the edge. Lifting his head, he grabbed my hair and pulled my face back to his so our eyes could lock. I squeezed around his cock as I continued to ride him through my climax until he fell over the edge with me, shuddering and grunting my name as he spilled himself inside the condom.
One minute ticked into the next before we were finally able to breathe normally. My sanity returned, and I looked around, letting out a little giggle at the heavy fog coating all the windows.
My limbs had stopped working, and I collapsed against his chest, rubbing my cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt like a contented cat.
“I should probably move,” I murmured a while later, not budging an inch.
“Probably,” Marco agreed, wrapping his arms tightly around me and holding me in place.
“Odette’s probably wondering where we are.”
Marco gave me a squeeze. “I would imagine so.”
I heaved out a sigh. “Just… give me one more minute. I’m not sure my arms and legs are working quite yet.”
My body shook with the force of his laughter, and I found myself smiling at the sound of it.
Finally having the energy to push myself up, I looked down into his hooded eyes. “Thank you.”
“Pretty sure I’m the one who should be thanking you right about now,” he said, reaching up to tuck a lose hank of hair behind my ear.
“Not about that. Although, that was pretty spectacular. I meant about everything you said before. About you being proud to know me. I just….” I had to pause to clear my throat. “I just want you to know that it meant a lot to me.”
Appreciation glittered in his gaze. “Any time, Gypsy.” He squeezed me once more. “I mean that. I’ll say it over and over, every single day, if that’s what it takes to make you see yourself the way I do.”
This man was something else. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself, baby.”
As much as I wanted to stay in his embrace, I eventually forced myself to climb back into the passenger seat. Marco handled disposing of the condom, and we righted our clothes before getting back on the road.
When I crawled into bed a short while later, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
And it was some of the best sleep I’d ever had.
Chapter Fourteen
Gypsy
The next few weeks were chaotic for me and Marco both.
Sunny had made the cheerleading squad, so I’d been working as many doubles at Fresh Foods as possible to pay for her uniform and the other costs that came with it, as well as the new brake pads I’d finally gotten on the van. Marco hadn’t been happy when I turned down his offer to pay for the work on my car, but he’d eventually let it go. Meanwhile, his work had taken him out of town a few times, so there hadn’t been a lot of opportunities for us to see each other.
I’d swung by Alpha Omega to visit him on my lunch break a couple of times, which usually ended up with him dragging me to his one-bedroom apartment over Muffin Top for a quickie. The first time I’d seen his apartment had been a bit of a shock. Sure, the whole place smelled like pastries, which was awesome, because everyone in town knew Muffin Top made the best pastries, but it wasn’t what I’d been expecting for him. There was no personality to the place at all. No pictures or artwork. No personal effects of any kind, really, at least not that I’d seen as he yanked me through the lifeless apartment on the way to the bedroom. It looked more like a stopover place than a home. He had the essentials, furniture-wise, and that was it.
Then there had been a few occasions where he’d come over for dinner and to hang out with me and the kids, but I’d been so exhausted that I passed out on the couch before he even finished cooking. To say he wasn’t happy with the hours I was putting in was a serious understatement. He worried about my health and well being, mentioning on several occasions that I was taking on too much. And more than once, we’d gotten into an argument about it, me griping that I didn’t need his help, and him complaining that I was too stubborn for my own good.
But today everything was different, because today was the kickoff for the annual Hope Valley Founder’s Festival, and no one could be upset or angry during the Founder’s Festival.
A three-day event that started with a parade through town and ended with a big outdoor concert and firework display in the town square was like Christmas in springtime for us. There were carnival rides and funnel cakes and turkey legs the size of my head. Booths selling everything from handmade quilts to homemade jewelry to jarred preserves and everything in between lined the streets. There
were so many vendors, you could spend all three days, from sunup to sundown, hitting as many booths as possible and still not see them all. I knew—my girls and I had tried the year before.
The whole town shut down for the Founder’s Festival, so for the first time in what seemed like forever, I had time off to spend with family, friends, and Marco.
We were all lined up along the sidewalk just outside The Tap Room, waiting for the parade to come through, and I was practically vibrating with anticipation as I waited for Sunny to appear with the rest of the cheerleaders. They’d spent two weeks practicing their routine for today, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my sister so excited for anything.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! I’m so sorry we’re late!” At the sound of Temperance’s frantic cry, I whipped my head around and pinned her with a dramatic glare as she and Hayes finally joined the rest of us.
Catching my look, she flinched, her wide eyes contrite as she joined our huddle.
“Something tells me you aren’t too sorry,” Nona muttered. “You’ve still got sex hair.”
I shot her a scowl before pointing my eyes at Holly and Ray in a ‘not in front of the kids’ look.
Eden and Rory fell out laughing as Tempie started finger-combing her wild locks.
Lincoln, Trick, and Marco groaned unhappily, while Hayes wore an expression of pure male pride.
“Gypsy, what’s sex hair?” Holly asked, looking up at me with big inquisitive eyes as Rhodes did his best to choke down a laugh.
“It’s nothing, doodlebug. Watch the parade. Look, pretty floats!” Once I had her good and distracted, I shot another killing glare at Tempie. “You should be ashamed of yourself. Look what you started.”
“Ooh, they’re coming!” Eden cried, drawing our attention back to the parade as it slowly passed.
I spotted my sister in the crowd easily, her brown hair streaked with red, just like Rhodes’s, shining almost as bright as her smile.
Wrong Side of the Tracks: a Hope Valley novel Page 11
