Palm to her cheek, feeling the heat from her skin, he traced across the arch of her brow with his thumb, loving the sight of that sweet smile on her face. A soft, secretive look, all for him. “We did spend all night,” he whispered.
“Yeah,” she whispered back, and the longing look on her features now meant he wanted to kiss her so bad he could nearly taste her on his tongue. He lifted her hand, curling his around hers, bringing her knuckles to his lips for a soft kiss. “All night.” When she repeated the phrase he knew how much of the night she recalled, that she remembered his repeated admonishment that they needn’t go fast, that slow would do for them, because they had all the time in the world to discover each other.
Noise from the cab drew his eyes up, and he saw Wrench had turned away. He was slipping on a clean pair of socks before shoving his feet into the boots stored on that side of the truck. When he glanced over his shoulder at them, the pain Twisted saw there made that worm wake again, stretching and leaving poison with each movement. She might not have slept with him, but given half a chance, he knew Wrench would push it. His lust for her almost hidden under the affection, but it was there, raw and hungry. She gave that to me, he thought, glaring at the other man. Not you. Knew you for years, didn’t give that to you.
“Where are you going?” Penny asked Wrench, lifting her head off Twisted’s leg slightly. He slipped a hand around her shoulders but intuitively knew better than to try to restrain her. Instead, he used a light touch to stroke slowly along her back, gratified when she settled back into place. Cuddle puppy. He blew out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, feeling her relax against him. Staying with him, curled beside him even as Wrench retreated to lick wounds she didn’t know had been inflicted.
“Gotta pee. And I’m hungry. I’ll grab a bite to eat and fill the thermos. Be back in an hour, Penny.” He hesitated. “Get some rest, doll.” Without looking towards them a second time, Wrench climbed out of the truck, closing the door with a soft emphasis more telling than a slam.
“He’s mad.” His worm gave a shudder, but he pinched off the movement. Friends, he reminded himself.
“Naw, darlin’.” Bringing her knuckles to his lips again, he brushed them across side-to-side, feather soft, touching more than kissing, a long, lingering caress. “He’s giving us a moment.” With a squeeze, he let her go, scooting down on the mattress until she could put her head on his shoulder. His arm curved around her body, which was curved into him, and he could nearly hear the click in the universe as things aligned, maybe for the first time in his life. Second time. He grinned as he curled a knuckle under her chin, lifting her face to his.
Gently, he kissed her. Exploring and relearning. Remapping known territory. She didn’t make it hard for him, wasn’t holding back, no matter he’d been the one to walk away. “You gonna give me this again?” He didn’t know he’d spoken the words aloud until she responded.
“You want this?” Her tone quavered, uncertainty warring with a frightened desire, and no wonder, the way he’d left things. The way he’d reentered her life. Time to offer reassurances, smooth things over in order to give her a secure landing place.
“Oh, yeah. Found something here I like a lot, Penny. Shiny Penny.” In between words and phrases, he dropped tender kisses to her lips, to her cheek, on the tip of her nose. “My shiny Penny.” The possessive growl in his voice didn’t scare him, not anymore. He’d had weeks to get used to that feeling. “No pretty bunk boys, darlin’.”
Her lips curved under his as she smiled. “Ty isn’t like that. We’re friends.” Fine. I’ll leave her to her ignorance. Tracing across her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, there was a quiet rush of air as she opened her mouth to speak again, but he pushed inside, taking her by surprise. Dueling with her tongue, velvety soft, sweetly addictive, he adjusted them so she was on her back, him leaning over her, leaning into her, holding her in place, anchoring her with his weight. Not lettin’ you go, darlin’.
Pulling back, tracing the slope of her nose with the tip of his, he rained soft kisses on her face, determined to touch every freckle. “More than I remembered,” he murmured, seeing her eyes open partway, then her lids sink back closed as he continued to kiss her. “Head okay?”
Her eyes flew open at his question, wide in shock. This response wasn’t quiet. It was forced from her, quaking voice filled with panic and pain as her body stiffened in fear. “What?”
“Is your head okay, darlin’?” He elaborated quickly and felt her slowly begin to relax into him again, the hesitancy telling him she had been ready to bolt, had forgotten the fact they were in her truck. Well. That was interesting. “Does my baby have a headache?” Give her an out, in case she needs it. Might not let her take it, but he would make the offer. His cock ached, hard and awkwardly bent in his jeans. If she doesn’t want this right now, might as well put me in a cuckold’s cage. Waiting for her response was torture because surely she knew what he was asking, but took her time to respond, eyes tracking back and forth across his face, trying to read something. Then a soft smile, the barest curve of her lips enough to tell him she’d found what she was looking for.
“What head? No aches in mine because it’s woozy. You’re here.” She’d been worried about giving him that much, exposing so much of her feelings, not knowing for sure if his matched. Whatever she’d seen was enough for now. He could work to set those worries aside for good, let her off the hook. No niggling fears to give my cuddle puppy concerns.
“My head’s in the same place, darlin’.” With a gentle brush of lips against lips, the demanding raise of her head to chase his mouth was not only agreeable but felt amazing. “I can’t get you out of it.” Press of his lips to the corner of her mouth. “Taken up residence.” A nibble along her jaw. “Permanent like.” Lips to the soft skin behind her ear, he felt her neck stretch, knew she’d be willing to give him more if he wanted it, so he took the offer, mouthing the strong muscles along that fragile column.
“Can’t get you out of my head.” With his hand on the move, he trailed fingertips up her side until he could brush the swell of her breast with his thumb. A swipe across the nipple timed with when his mouth hit her ear made her shiver, and he smiled as he told her, “You’ve dug in deep, darlin’. And I like it. Like it beaucoup much. Gonna keep you here a while.” He touched his mouth to the skin of her neck, brushed his lips across her ear. “Don’t want to get you out, Penny.” Another swipe across her suddenly hard nipple was followed by another quiet whisper. “Nope. Not out. Want to get you off.”
Titties are a hot spot, he remembered, teeth to the side of her neck as he palmed her breast, pressing into her thigh with his hips, letting her feel his cock. Palming and plumping, his finger and thumb met in a tug at the bud resting on the peak. Mouth moving on her neck, he tasted her skin, savoring the emotions evoked by her surrender to him. “Tell me what you like, Penny.” A kiss. “Pretty Penny.” A gentle bite soothed with his tongue and a tight, sharp pinch that bought him a moan. “My shiny Penny.”
Her hips moved, lifting, chasing sensations not being offered. Fuck yeah, she’s hot. Titty play makes her hot. He slipped his thigh up over her legs, giving her his weight and pinning her in place, thrusting rhythmically against her. Groaning at the combination of pain and pleasure, his dick still bent nearly double in his jeans, he buried his face in her neck, feeling her arch against him. Moving his other arm, Twisted slipped his hand up her back to cup her neck, holding her firmly. Secure. You’re safe with me, darlin’.
Palm to her belly, he sneaked a hand under her shirt, wondering at her bra color, but not giving that first shit right now. Hot skin under his mouth, he nibbled at the side of her neck as his fingertips found the edge of the fabric and tugged firmly. He brought it down and under her tit. Shoving her little shirt up while he was on the move, he brought his head down to where his hand cupped her. Not playing around, Twisted latched on, drawing her deep and pulling a ringing, “Bell!” from her lips as he sucked hard.
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Head moving while his mouth was working her, he made certain to let her feel his hair and his beard as he fed on her titty. Addictive. Everything about her burned into his brain again. Sounds. Scents. The way she moved. How she felt under him like this. Hand sliding across her belly, he wrapped his fingers around the far side of her waist, pulling her tight against him. He thrust his hips and rubbed while he cupped and gripped, his mouth sucking deep. Releasing her waist, Twisted slipped his hand between her legs and pressed firmly. Gracefully, her thighs fell open for him, and he rewarded her with the edge of his teeth across her nipple. Cupping her pussy through her jeans, he ground the heel of his hand in, pressing hard and gripping. She stiffened, the bow in her back arching her titty up into his mouth and her leg muscles tightened and tensed under his thigh as she came. Quiet, she didn't give him a sound, lost in the moment but not so far gone she dropped the tight leash she held on her control, and he didn’t like that, wanting more. She held onto that silence until he set up a steady massage against her clit he knew would carry her up the mountain again. Switching sides with his mouth, working her nipple through the fabric of what he saw was a dark blue bra, he set about teasing and pleasing her until she gave him what he wanted. Acknowledging who was with her. I gave you that, he thought, remembering those were the words in his head the very first time he made her come.
“Bell!”
They lay like that for a time, then with one hand, he unbuckled his belt and worked the waistband fastener on his jeans, giving a silent groan when he finally reached in to adjust himself. She stirred sleepily, and he remembered she’d been in the bunk when he’d approached the truck and had likely driven all day. Never having been selfless where sex was concerned, he wasn’t sure he’d have it in him to turn her down if she offered, so he cut her off by quietly asking, “Did you have dinner?”
Her head moved on the pillow, and he curled himself around her. Who’s the cuddle puppy now? With a mental snort, he angled his head beside hers, pushing close enough to press a kiss to her cheek, capturing her mouth when she turned to face him. Softly, gently, he worked his way across the stretch of her lips, side to side, chuckling when he made her giggle. The sound as sweet and light as he remembered. Everything I remembered is right here.
“Toasty,” she muttered, her legs shifting restlessly. Twisted moved and shoved the blanket off her, then returned to his position. “Bell.” She wasn’t complaining, and he thought her slurring mutter was cute. “I’m gonna get sweaty.”
“I got a sayin’ for that, darlin’.” He waited a moment, and she gave it to him, a soft inquiry of sound, more a whimper at the back of her throat than a word. “Don’t sweat the petty things.” A repeat of the sound, now descending in tone, she evidently thought it was interesting but not funny. “Pet the sweaty things.” It took a second but her body shook with the giggles she gifted him, lyrical and sweet, filling the air around him. Moments later, she was asleep.
If someone asked two months ago if I could be content just watching a woman sleep, I’d have laughed at them. He lay beside Penny, head close to hers, close enough he could dip his chin and brush his lips across her bare shoulder. The thin strap of her camisole lay loose along the planes of her body. From the time Chip told him she had a passenger until he saw who it was, all he felt was anger. In the time since they’d come together, he hadn’t fucked anyone. Hadn’t gotten sucked off. Rosie palm had been his nightly companion, his mind filled with Penny. Asleep or awake, it didn’t matter; she’d been on his mind.
At first, he’d thought maybe he needed to shake it off, count it an oddity in his world, because a man like him didn’t get a taste of sweet and keep it. He’d get sweet and ruin it, but he’d never had anything…never met anyone like Penny. Then, when he couldn’t get her out of his head, he’d found her problem and dealt with it. Fucktard hadn’t died easy, not once he’d shared that Penny was on someone’s menu. He’d died, though, a spray of water from a hose and a splash of bleach removing any trace that anything had happened, but Twisted couldn’t leave it alone. Not after what the man had said.
So he’d started digging deeper. Finding a common thread between Papaw and her uncle. ‘Nam, ’68, the Tet offensive that created a lot of bonds between men as they struggled through swamped fields, village to village, dealing with people who hated them. Found another common thread, this one a surprise, because Leswayne had the same background, as did another man, Fiddler. Bagger and Jimbo seemed cut from the same cloth. Like Whitewall and Dropsie, their goal was a brotherhood. Clean and simple, they wanted to live a life surrounded by people they trusted, and who trusted them. Make a life to be proud of, and then share that with the people you love. Take care of your brother, take care of the club, and take care of your family.
Leswayne and Fiddler had a different agenda, one combining a vicious love of combat and an endless appetite for what they called “the good life.” Their good life always seemed to come at a cost to others, and the clubs they ran shared similar practices. Their dues were high, fines were plenty, runs were constant and mandatory. Support patches came with a fee, lessened by a bounty if the RC or SC lured in another group. Flesh trade, drug trade, gun trade—if it had an illicit attraction, Vicar’s Wrath and the Shield delved deep in those waters.
Leswayne’s son, Ragman, seemed to be breaking away from his old man’s policies. He at least was approachable—reasonable to deal with as long as you could keep things from hitting his old man. Gollum, however, was definitely the fruit of his daddy’s loins. Some of the things Twisted had heard about the man were tough to believe, even when he’d been unfortunate enough to see the aftermath. It looked like the bloodline would be ending with him. Word was he’d gotten castrated in a prison fight inside Angola a couple decades ago. Probably one of the reasons he’s such a mean sumbitch, Twisted thought.
Penny huffed out a breath, her head turning slightly on the pillow, tongue slipping into view momentarily before retreating. God, she’s so fuckin’ good-lookin’. How in the hell did she hold onto everything that’s in her while hanging around a fuckin’ club? He wanted her, wanted to taste her again. His cock had barely stopped aching, but it was thumping back to life in a hurry at the thought of her wrapped around him.
A month, he marveled. After only having her for hours, she’s obsessed me for a month and right now, I’d give my left nut to be fucking her. But I’m just…holding her. She shifted again, and in the next moment, she breathed out his name. “Bell?” Sleeping, questioning, calling his name as she stirred, it seemed his Penny had been wanting, too.
“Right here, Penny. I’m right here, darlin’.” Curving one arm across her chest, he pulled her in, cuddling close until she settled again. Keeping hold of her, but this time, it was for him. When he was confident she was asleep, he whispered, “Thought about you all the fuckin’ time, beautiful. I can’t seem to lose this need for you. Under my skin, in my blood, I can’t leave you behind no matter where I go. Ain’t no replacin’ you. Won’t even start to try.”
Shoulders shifting, she proved his assessment of her sleep wrong by rolling slightly away from him, but then her neck curved, bringing her face up in a clear demand. Eyes closed, lips curving into a gentle, pleased smile, she waited, and he leaned forwards, pressing his mouth to hers. A soft hum resonated from her, and he froze when she pulled away, nestling back into the mattress, head pillowed on his bicep. It wasn’t her mostly-asleep movement that stunned him, but what she said while on the move. “I know, Bell. I love you, too.”
Five minutes later, once he was sure she was out, he was dressed and standing outside at the front bumper of the truck, waiting for Wrench to emerge from the truck stop. Dealing with Wrench and the why of him being here was far easier than trying to decide how he felt about her words.
By the time the shadows moving between the trucks finally resolved into Wrench, Twisted was tired of waiting. Wrench made an impatient noise as, with a muttered, “Lemme set these inside,” he moved to the pas
senger door, opened it and placed the bag and thermos on the floor there, then carefully closed the door. “She sleeping?”
“Yeah. Passed out about half an hour ago.” They stood quietly for a moment, in an unconscious mirror reflection of each other, hands in the front pockets of jeans, heads tipped down. Wrench’s hair was cropped short while Twisted’s swung loose around his face, but their stances were identical.
“Smoke?” Wrench pulled a brand new pack from his jeans and Twisted shook his head. There was the crumple of paper and cellophane, then the pop and hiss of a match striking. The ember threw red shadows on Wrench’s face as he drew hard on the cigarette, the smoke and scent of burning tobacco drifting across the space between them. “She…you really met her by chance?”
This seemed to be digging at the man, and Twisted wondered again about the expression he’d seen on Wrench’s face earlier. He decided to give a little, see where Wrench took the info. “Yeah. She thought I was a lot lizard at first.”
“No shit?” The startled laughter told Twisted that Penny hadn’t talked about him at all, and that fucking stung a little.
“Shit free. I played along, weaseled my way into her cab. Then, like she said, we talked for a good long time.” The emphasis he put on the word “talked” would leave little to the imagination and Wrench reacted, turning his head to the side, looking away, a dark scowl settling on his features. “She’s sweet. Mmhmm. Never met sweeter. Sweet talker.” His words might be innocent, but his tone was not, and Wrench reacted again, lips curling into an involuntary snarl.
Flicking the half-smoked cigarette into the darkness between two trucks, Wrench lifted his chin, staring directly at Twisted. This kind of behavior would usually earn him an ass-whipping, but Twisted let the aggressive move pass, holding the man’s gaze, willing him to talk. It felt like a fishing expedition, but Wrench had a lot of information in his head that Twisted needed if he was going to understand Penny. With what she said? Do I want to know? It had taken a long time before Wrench shook his head, finally looking away. “She needs someone who can protect her. Can you? Do you think you can fill that role for her?”
Neither This Nor That Box Set 1 Page 18
