Until the rumble of a familiar engine somehow breaks through the fog of my lust.
Shit.
I don’t know how I manage to pull away from her, but I do. Ember’s eyes open, her swollen lips parting slightly as she gazes up at me, disappointment and confusion etched in her features.
Then she hears it, too. She turns and glances toward the front window.
“Oh,” she says softly.
“Yeah. Jude.”
How it got to be midnight, I have no idea. But I guess I should be fucking thankful to be stopped before I did anything stupid. I’m not, though. Not by a long shot.
“This, uh… wasn’t something I planned,” I tell Ember, my voice thick.
She’s flustered, maybe embarrassed. “Do you regret it?”
“Depends on what you mean by regret.” My cock is still throbbing. I struggle to ignore it. “I’m supposed to be guarding you.”
“Well, I mean…” She sucks her bottom lip. “I’m not in any danger with you around, so technically you’re doing your job.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” I retort, tearing my eyes away from that plump fucking mouth of hers. “Look, I’m gonna get out of here,” I say, standing up. “I need to cool off.”
Ember walks me to the door, eyes cast downward. The whole time, my dick is yelling at me to send Jude away. To spend the night here, fucking Ember into next week. But I gotta stop. I gotta get hold of myself.
Before I open the door, I can’t resist bending down and kissing her one final time. It leaves us both breathless. I stroke her cheek with my thumb, and it reminds me of the first time I touched her.
“I’ll see you later,” I tell her.
“Okay,” she whispers. Her eyes are huge and dark with desire. Jesus, I’d give anything to take her upstairs right now.
But instead, I go home, take my dick in my hands, and come so hard I see stars — calling out Ember’s name as I do.
19
Striker
Sunday night into Monday, I get Jude to pull a double shift watching Ember so I can get some club business and other shit done during the day.
And yeah, it’s also so I can put a little distance between Ember and me. I’m hoping I can get a handle on my feelings if I just give myself some time. But it doesn’t help that every time I close my eyes, I think about how soft her lips were when I kissed her. Or what she might look like naked, with my cock buried deep inside her. Or what that plump, kiss-bruised mouth would feel like wrapped around my dick.
Fuck. It’s a problem.
On Monday morning, once I confirm with Jude that Ember made it safely to work, I call Twisted Pipes, the MC’s auto and motorcycle shop in Tanner Springs. I need to give the Tahoe an oil change, and it’s easier to do there in the shop. Hawk picks up, confirms they can keep a bay free for me, and I head on over.
When I pull into the garage, Tank is there, too. I find him leaning over a huge box of donuts that’s sitting on a rolling utility cart in one of the bays. A steaming to-go cup of coffee is in his hand as he selects a raised glaze. I immediately recognize the logo on the open lid of the donut box: The Golden Cup, the coffee shop and bakery owned by Brick’s old lady, Sydney.
“Sydney’s gonna give us all the diabeetus,” I joke as I walk up to him. “How the hell doesn’t Brick weigh four-hundred pounds by now?”
“You ever see how much time he spends in the clubhouse gym?” Tank snickers. “He works out like a man tryin’ to outrun the demons of middle age.” He slaps his gut for emphasis.
“What about you?” I ask. “I ain’t seein’ you refuse that sweet, sweet sugar whenever Brick brings it in.”
“Me?” Tank bites into the donut, then talks around it. “I get enough workouts with Cady, if you know what I mean. Better than doing calisthenics any day. More fun, too.”
Of course, the image that flashes through my mind at his words is Ember. Specifically, me and Ember getting all sweaty and nasty with her on top of the kitchen island.
Fuck. I’d do some horizontal aerobics with her.
I turn away before Tank can see the growing bulge in my jeans.
“I’m gonna give the Tahoe an oil change,” I call over my shoulder. “I got Jude watching over Ember at her office, FYI.”
“He doin’ okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You doin’ okay?”
What the fuck does he mean by that?
“Yeah,” I say simply, my back turned to him.
I get to work on the oil change. Tank takes his coffee and goes into the main office. I can hear him in there, shooting the shit with Hawk and Brick. A few minutes later, he comes back out, empty handed now, and comes over to where I’m working.
“Hey, brother,” he says. “Just to let you know, Cady’s ex called her last night. And her stepdad called afterwards. They got the letter Ember sent. They’re fuckin’ pissed about the divorce filing. Pissed enough that Cady’s stepdad told her they’re disowning her. She’s dead to them, out of the will, et cetera, et cetera. I guess her ex threatened to come find her. Said, and I quote, ‘You better be careful, baby girl. Now I know where you live.’”
“Shit. That don’t sound good. Is Cady upset?”
Tank’s jaw ticks. “No. She fuckin’ laughed, actually. Thinks it’s just bluster and wounded pride. She said, ‘What does he have to gain by coming after me? I’m walking away from everything and leaving it to them.’ I ain’t so sure, though. From what she’s told me about this asshole, he’s a vindictive motherfucker. I still got eyes on the whole family over in North Carolina, though, so if they make a move, I’ll know.”
“Yeah,” I grunt. “Unless they hire out muscle to do it for them.”
Tank nods. “That’s the question. I told Cady she had to agree to having protection, given what her ex and stepdad said. She admitted it was a good idea, so at least I don’t have to hide that I’m having her guarded anymore. Gunner’s with her now.”
“I’ll let Jude know about it. Make sure he’s aware the family might get a wild hair and come down here. We’ll keep an extra close eye on Ember until we see how things play out.”
A week ago, I would’ve been pissed that this meant I had to keep guarding Ember. I’d be frustrated and irritated at being asked to do a job that amounts to just sitting on my ass, protecting some tight-ass lawyer chick from a boogeyman that probably doesn’t have the balls to show his face here.
But as it stands right now, my reaction is the exact opposite. I’m relieved Tank wants me to keep watching Ember. Whether or not Cady’s ex is a credible threat, I’ll feel better if her protection is something I’m in charge of.
It’s a messed-up situation. I haven’t fucked her, though Christ knows I wanted to last night. But somehow, Ember’s different. I mean, yeah, I wanna hit that. But I like her, too. Genuinely. I care about the shit she has to say. She’s not the rich bitch I thought she was. Hell, turns out she’s not even rich. She’s tough, though. Smart and determined. And a hell of a lot more down to earth than I thought she’d be. Shit, if I’m honest with myself, I’m not looking forward to what it’ll be like when all this is over and I don’t have an excuse to hang out with her anymore.