by Hope Stone
“Hey, I gotta run,” Moves muttered.
He wasn’t speaking so only Pin could hear, but he also wasn’t shouting out the news. The Enforcer, I remembered. Moves was the enforcer. What needed enforcing?
“Trouble?” Pin asked.
“Just some bullets that need to be put back on their shelf,” Moves said with a dark look.
I furrowed my brow and stared at the ground. What did that mean? It didn’t sound good.
Moves disappeared, and I contemplated whether to say anything. I decided it was normal to ask. A normal girl would ask a guy on a second date why his friend was muttering about bullets and trouble. “What was that about?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Pin said.
I pursed my lips at his words, even though his tone was gentle. He wasn’t shutting me out, he just didn’t want me to fret. Even so, I didn’t appreciate being kept in the dark.
“It’s just territory issues,” Pin said. “We’re in charge of this side of La Playa, in a way, so we like to keep it as clean as possible.”
It wasn’t terribly enlightening, but I could tell it was all I was going to get. I nodded and tried to think of a different topic. I could search the news tomorrow to see if anything went down tonight.
“So do brothers usually bring second dates to this kind of thing?” I asked.
It was a genuine question. Over the course of the barbecue, it had become clear that it was pretty exclusive. Members and serious girlfriends or wives only. It was strange that Pin had invited me, but also flattering in a way.
I also wanted to try and steer the conversation towards dates in general. Maybe Pin would let it slip that a brother had shown up with a much younger – some might even guess high school age – date about six months ago. Maybe it would be a brother that Pin didn’t know very well. Maybe Pin wouldn’t be aware of any dirt I uncovered. A girl could dream.
“Not really,” Pin said. “I guess I kinda threw you to the wolves.”
“No, no,” I said. “Everyone was really nice. I just get the idea that it means something to take someone to this.”
“It does,” Pin said.
He led me to a bench outside the main circle of people, and we sat down. The fire pit’s glow barely reached us, so half of Pin’s face was darkened by the shadows of night.
“Have you ever taken a date to a barbecue before?” I asked.
I didn’t know why I asked. This line of inquiry wasn’t getting me closer to Zoe or Hector, but I wanted to know. The way the other bikers had greeted me implied that Pin did not often, if ever, show up with a significant other. I was desperate to know why.
“No,” Pin said. “You’re the first.”
I was silent as I took that in. I sensed that Pin had more to say, so I gave him space and waited.
“I haven’t been in a serious relationship since I was fifteen,” Pin said. “If you can even call a high school relationship serious.”
“You can,” I said. “Studies actually show that because the teenage brain is still developing, high school relationships may shape and affect us more than later ones.”
“Yeah, well, I can probably attest to that,” Pin said, leaning forward until his elbows rested on his knees. “She fucked me up. Actually, it wasn’t just her. First, it was my parents, she was just the nail in the coffin.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
I was desperate for more details, but I didn’t want to ask too many aggressive questions and cause him to clam up. I knew how hard it was to open up about the past sometimes.
“I hate blaming my mom because I know she did her best,” Pin said. “But I had to watch her fall in love with guys who screwed her over again and again. And then I went and fell for the same type of person.”
I didn’t even breathe as Pin stared into space; as he looked back in time.
“She cheated on me,” Pin said. “Which really isn’t a big deal, it happens all the time, but that just proves what I always suspected. People will usually betray you if given the chance.”
My eyes widened at his bleak outlook. My heart broke for the pain lurking beneath Pin’s calm and pulled-together surface.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I guess that doesn’t really make anything better, but I am.”
“I just haven’t wanted to even try with anyone since,” Pin said. “Because why bother?”
I recognized something in his tone. Hadn’t I thought the same thing to myself more times than I could count over the last few years? All my relationships ended, so why bother?
“But with you,” Pin said. “I want to try again.”
He looked over at me, and his expression took my breath away. It was not lost on me what this meant. This was not just a casual hook-up, nor was it even dating at this point. This was something else. Something big and terrifying and thrilling.
I hadn’t intended to share too much with Pin. I had wanted to stay coy and subdued. But I couldn’t just sit there after his admission. Without even realizing it, I opened my mouth.
“It’s hard for me too,” I said. “To try.”
Pin just looked at me as I cleared my throat and tried to clear my head. Somewhere deep inside, I knew I should be focused on the case. I should deflect Pin’s desire to have a heavy conversation and get back to mining his friends for information. That knowledge was buried, however, beneath a surge of emotion that surprised me with its intensity.
“My whole life, I’ve always wanted more,” I said. “Something more exciting or different than what I had. And I’m not ashamed of the life I want.”
Pin nodded, and I felt safe with him. I felt I could trust him to not judge me.
“I am ashamed by how I’ve come up with excuses,” I said. “Every time I start to get close to someone, I get scared they’re just going to hold me back or tie me down, so as soon as I’m a little bit bored, I drop them.”
I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t even known what I was going to say. I had barely been able to admit as much to myself. I knew I got bored with nearly every guy, and I knew my boredom had something to do with my fear of being held down in one place. But it was hard to come face to face with your own fears.
Somehow Pin had made it easier.
“I can’t promise you much,” I said. “But I can promise you that I’ll try.”
“Good.” Pin smiled, and it was like the sun was rising on a new chapter of my life. “I promise I’ll try too.”
He reached over and took my hand in his. Somehow that small point of contact felt far more intimate than anything else we had done. It was physical touch with the added knowledge of each other. Perhaps it had only been for a moment, but we had each bore a part of ourselves.
Without another word, we stood up. Pin waved goodbye to the people remaining by the fire before leading me out to the front of the Blue Dog Saloon so we could wait for a car.
During the ride back to my place, we talked about the barbecue and laughed over the funny moments. By the time we reached my apartment, I didn’t even pretend that he wasn’t invited up. I wasn’t even thinking about the case anymore. I couldn’t think about it just then.
I hadn’t figured anything out in regards to the Outlaw Souls involvement in any sort of illicit drug ring. All I knew was that I needed to be with Pin that night.
And that I really, really hoped he wasn’t involved with anything bad.
Nineteen
Pin
After our talk at the barbecue, I felt as if I was floating on a cloud. I had entered an alternate reality. Someplace I never thought I would gain entrance to. I wasn’t supposed to find this kind of connection with someone. I was too cynical, too rough, too poor.
Yet somehow I was there with Claire.
I had been scared to tell her about my past at the barbecue, but I’d known if I didn’t, I would feel like I was lying. Claire deserved to know that she was different from other women I had been involved with. She also deserved to know what she was getting into with me, so she could
back out if she decided she didn’t want a damaged commitment-phobe.
Only she hadn’t backed out. Instead, she had met me halfway. And it only made me fall harder for her. I understood her fear of being tied down. I was determined to make sure Claire always knew that I wasn’t a weight around her neck or something holding her back. I wanted her to have her freedom to chase any adventure she picked.
She was quiet as she once again let me into her apartment. As soon as we were through the door, she kicked off her black boots. They hadn’t been very high heels, but she looked much smaller with them off.
She fixed me with a look that turned my insides to molten fire. The other night had been cozy and comfortable. We had been feeling out the waters, getting to know each other. This night was different. This time we wanted more from each other.
I stepped forward and pulled Claire against me like I had wanted to all night. Her torso was warm and alive under my hands. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me, gently at first, but her mouth grew more and more urgent.
She pulled away and started to run her fingers over the light scruff on my cheeks while she plastered my neck with kisses.
“Claire,” I murmured. “I’ve wanted you all day.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
I couldn’t hold back. In a flash, I leaned down, put one arm beneath her knees and the other at her back, then scooped her into my arms.
Claire let out a delighted yelp. She wrapped her arms around my neck as if I had lifted her up a hundred times and continued to kiss me.
I walked over to the couch and sat down. Claire was a compelling weight upon my lap. She wiggled to get comfortable, and with each squirm, she sent lightning bolts of desire coursing through me.
I held her as tight as I could against my chest and kissed her soft lips. I started by flicking my tongue along her lower lip and then gradually thrust my tongue deeper into her mouth. Claire responded like clay, her petal-soft skin turning pink and flushed.
I willed myself to focus on the feel of her in my arms. I wanted to remember all the details with clarity, so I could take this memory out later and relive it. I was obsessed with how her body was simultaneously firm and soft. She had muscles lining her arms, back and abs, but nothing bulging with her every muscle coated in a delightful layer of tender flesh.
I could tell she was lithe and strong, but it was almost as if her body was spun out of a finer material than mine. The very fibers of her being were more complex and delicate.
Her hand suddenly fluttered across my chest as she moved her fingers to the button on her dress. The hem of her skirt was already hitched up around her thighs as I grasped her hands, stopping her from continuing to undress. I held her wrists with one hand and reached for her collar with my other.
“Let me,” I said. “I want to take my time, if that’s alright?”
Claire nodded as if in a daze. “Yes. I want that too.”
I unbuttoned her dress, but paused between each button to kiss her mouth or cheeks or neck. Claire sighed with pleasure and ran her own hands up and down my shoulders. I pulled her dress aside to reveal inch by inch of her creamy skin. The buttons ran all the way down her outfit, so soon the entire front was open. Claire’s pert breasts were encased in a lacy black bra with the silvery-white of her stomach exposed.
I leaned back against the couch so I could take her in. I wanted to remember the sight of her in addition to the feel of her body.
Claire didn’t let me look for long. She snuck her hands beneath my cotton T-shirt and ran searching fingers over my torso before lifting the clothing over my head. Once the shirt was discarded, she leaned over and started licking and nipping at my chest. I sucked in my breath and let her have her fun. I wanted us to explore each other. I wanted us to delight in one another.
I hissed in pleasure as Claire adjusted her legs so that she was straddling me. Now she was pressed up against my erection, and I liked knowing that she could feel how much she turned me on. I could feel the warmth of her as well, and I couldn’t resist slipping a finger beneath the hem of her panties.
I ran a teasing touch along the top of her thatch of curls before sliding it lower and just lightly touching her sensitive clitoris. I was rewarded by Claire whimpering in response and kissing me with renewed fervor.
She pressed herself against my hand with an eagerness that made me want to rush to the finish line. Something about her made me feel like a teenager again, desperate to hurry through sex to reach my satisfaction. I took a breath and regained control.
I could tell she wanted me to touch her more down there, so instead, I teased her by running my hands everywhere else on her body. I kneaded her ass and felt her shiver as I ran my hand up her side. Then I slipped my hand beneath one bra and cupped her breast. I pinched her nipple between two fingers until I felt it harden.
Claire was making little mewling sounds of pleasure with every move I made, and it was the hottest thing in the world. She tugged a strap of her bra over one shoulder so that her nipple was exposed. Without hesitating, I took the hard nipple in my mouth and began sucking her. She dug her fingers into my shoulders and began moving her hips against mine.
The motion drove me crazy with desire. I had never been so hard, my entire cock burned with a need to be inside her. Soon. Soon, I would be satisfied, but I wanted to take Claire to the brink first.
Without pausing in my attention to her breast, I slipped my hand back underneath her panty, but this time I wasn’t as timid. I ran my fingers across her folds, just feeling how wet she was for me made my erection throb. I began to tease and touch her clitoris, making Claire move atop my hand with increasing urgency.
“That feels so good, Pin,” she murmured. “Oh, it feels so good.”
I was about to take things further when all of a sudden, Claire leaned back and vacated my lap. I gasped at how cold I felt without her, and I blinked in concern that I had done something wrong.
“What?” Before I could finish my question, I realized what Claire was doing. She had kneeled between my legs, her dress still half on, and her fingers prying at the zipper of my jeans.
“No, Claire,” I said. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” Claire said, tugging my pants down to reveal the evidence of my own desires. “I want to make you feel good.”
Then she raised one playful brow and leaned closer, her mouth a pink little O above the tip of my erection.“But if you don’t want me to continue, I’ll stop.”
A smile tugged at my lips. I adored that she was so playful in bed. I should have known she would be up to wrestle the control from me. I liked it. It made us feel like equals.
Before I could dwell anymore on how much I appreciated Claire, she took me in her mouth, and I lost all powers of rational thought. She licked and sucked and massaged me with her hand, all while giving me the most sensual look with her big blue eyes.
“Oh God.” I leaned back with a cry. “Oh God.”
When Claire had driven me almost to the edge, I knew I needed to stop her. I loved what she was doing, but I didn’t want to come yet. Not until she was fully satisfied. I sat up and Claire raised her head. Before she could ask me what was going on, I pulled her against my chest and was rising from the couch.
She squealed once again as I carried her to the bedroom. I sat her on the bed and just stood in front of her for a moment, taking her in from her tousled blonde hair to her swollen lips to her little feet, dangling above the floor.
Then I stepped forward and pushed the dress off her. I disposed of her bra and panties in quick succession. Claire had already tugged my pants down, and I removed my boxer shorts, so that we were both naked, totally exposed to each other.
I approached the bed and she squirmed back until I was propped horizontally on my elbows while she was beneath me. I kissed her slowly and passionately, relishing the feel of her hands on my back that pulled me closer.
Then I began to touch her again, flicking and massaging her cl
itoris until she was whimpering with sensation. When I knew she couldn’t take it anymore, I slid one finger inside her. The feel of her warm, tight pussy was enough to almost make me come early.
I clenched my teeth and bit her lip before growling in her ear. “Claire, I want to be inside you.”
“I want that too,” Claire gasped. “Please, Pin.”
I wanted her a million different ways. I wanted her from behind on her hands and knees. I wanted her on top and I wanted her on bottom. I wanted to make love to her on the beach, in a car, on the floor, wherever. I wanted to do everything with her.
But for now, I knew I could only hold onto my self-control for so long. Claire was on the brink of losing control as well.
So I slid into her and cried out as I realized that my memory from last time hadn’t even done her justice. She felt even better than I remembered. The warmth of her clenching around me was even more satisfying than I had imagined. And I had been doing a lot of imagining.
I thrust into her again and again, and in answer, Claire wrapped her legs around my waist to pull me closer. She matched my rhythm as I reached down to work her clitoris with my fingers, eliciting little screams from Claire’s mouth.
I expected her to close her eyes as the waves of her orgasm started to build, but instead, she kept her eyes wide open and fixed upon me. I held her gaze and watched with joy as her eyes widened as her climax began to grow.
“Oh, Pin,” she cried. “Pin!”
I thrust even harder and she went flying over the edge, her pussy flexing around me as the courses of pleasure took her. I exploded only a moment after, letting out a primal yell as my own body was overtaken with a wave of ecstasy.
As our cries mingled between us, the whole room faded into a blur. All I could see was the blue of Claire’s eyes, and all I could feel was the slickness of her dewy skin.
When we had both exhausted the final jolts of our climaxes, I tumbled onto my back beside her. In a heartbeat, Claire had hitched one leg over my thigh and put her head on my chest.
“Is this ok?” she asked.
