Yet, my parents were here, the echoes of their anger and disgust, ringing in my mind, trying to steal my joy.
I didn’t want them here with me.
Then shut them out.
I did.
And I slammed the door.
I was exactly where I wanted to be.
Jesse was stretched out on his back and I was tucked into his side. I lifted to my elbow and looked down at him. His dark blond hair had grown out a bit and was starting to curl at the ends. His thick lashes rested against his tanned skin, hiding the most exquisite green eyes I’d ever seen.
The covers were low, and I took my time looking at his body, lean and strong, admiring all the tattoos covering his skin. He was a walking canvas from his throat all the way down to his feet. So much going on it would take weeks for me to see everything. I wanted the chance to do that.
I wanted to get to know Jesse, all of him.
My gaze slid up to his cheek, the bruise marring his perfection. How had he gotten it? Was it a fight like last night or something else? He was right, his world wasn’t like mine, and honestly, I didn’t know where I would fit into it, or if I even could. But I wanted to try. I wanted to make this work.
I slid my finger over the bruise, leaned in, and kissed it.
His arm curled around me, pulling me down, and his mouth went to my ear. “I was scared last night hadn’t actually happened.”
His voice was gritty, sexy, and I shivered against him.
“It definitely happened.”
He growled and nipped my earlobe, making me squeal, then grabbed my hand, pushing it under the covers and onto his cock. “Dreamed I was eating your pussy all night. This is your fault.”
I laughed and gave him a squeeze. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
“It does now,” he said and cupped my face, looking up at me, giving me that devastating grin of his. “Morning, Bambi.”
“Morning, Jesse,” I said, grinning back.
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “How do you look even more beautiful in the morning?”
My face heated. “I know how I look in the morning. You need your eyes checked.”
He tapped my nose. “Shut it, baby. You’re fucking hot like this. You’re always hot.”
“Shut it?”
“Yep. Now, I gotta get to Rocktown early, so we need to be efficient. Option one: You stroke my dick and I finger your pussy. Option two: Sixty-nine. Option three: Hard and fast fuck.” He gave my butt a squeeze. “Lady’s choice.”
My face heated and a pulse between my thighs started instantly. How was that possible? How was it he could turn me on so easily? “Um…”
Someone banged on the door. “Riff! Stones wants to see you. Now.”
Jesse stiffened and growled.
He did not look happy.
“Everything okay?” I asked, snuggling closer.
He let out a long breath. “Yeah.” He kissed me hard and fast and rolled out of bed. “Sorry, babe.”
I frowned. “You’re going, now?”
My gaze moved over his gorgeous naked body as he scooped up his jeans and tugged them on. “Promise I’ll make it up to you.” His gaze darkened. “Won’t be long, then we’ll head home.”
I didn’t know how motorcycle clubs worked, but obviously when the president called, you went, even if you were in bed with your girlfriend. “Okay.”
He shoved his feet in his boots and came back. He put a hand to the bed, leaned in, kissed me again, then sauntered out shirtless.
I felt weird just lying here and quickly got up and dressed. I was pulling on my boots when the door opened. I turned, expecting Jesse, but it was Sofia.
His sister-in-law who’d tried to get between Jesse and me.
She smiled. “Riff told me to come keep you company. I think he’s scared you’ll leave this room and walk into something that might shock you for life…or at least make you think twice about coming back.” She glanced at my feet. “Nice boots.”
“Thanks.” I smiled back but remained wary. Right now, she was being nice, so could I. “And what would I walk into if I left this room?”
She sat on the bed beside me. “Well, I just came across the aftermath of a threesome in the clubhouse.”
She chuckled at my obviously shocked expression.
My belly squirmed. “Does that kind of thing happen a lot?”
“People in the club are free and easy. You can screw who you like. As long as a girl hasn’t been claimed and she’s into it, she’s fair game.”
“Has Jesse, did he ever…” I slammed my mouth shut. Did I really want to know the answer to that?
“Has he had group sex?” She winced, which was answer enough. “People don’t have hang-ups about sex here. We don’t judge, you know?”
Unlike me.
The old you, I reminded myself, even as I worried that I could never be enough for Jesse. He was used to free and easy, zero inhibitions.
“Riff really likes you. I wouldn’t worry.”
I nodded, feeling weird, my happy glow washing away with the image in my head of Jesse and a bunch of women in this bed with him.
“Hey…um, I wanted to apologize to you.”
I took Sofia in. She was nervous. “You don’t need to do that…”
“No, I do. When you called…when we were on the road, I made it seem like Riff and I were together. It was a dick move.” She stared down at her feet. “I was messed up, getting out of a bad situation, and I guess…I felt threatened by you, scared Riff would get sick of dealing with me and my shit, leave me to go to you and forget all about me.” She glanced at me. “Dumb, I know. Riff’s not like that.”
No. He wasn’t. “How are you doing? Jesse mentioned…he didn’t share much, but enough.”
Sofia’s smile was wobbly. “It’s been hard.”
“You miss him, don’t you?” I said gently.
Her gaze shot to me.
I didn’t know Sofia that well, at all, really, but I reached out and covered her hand resting on the mattress, with mine. “My situation was nothing like yours. Nothing compared to what you’ve been through. But getting away, breaking free, from any kind of abuse, it can mess with your head.”
“Yeah, yeah it can,” Sofia choked.
Her hand turned under mine and she wrapped her fingers around mine. “It sucks.”
“Big-time,” I said and held her gaze. “It does get easier.” I was still working on a couple of things, trusting myself for one, my own judgement, and my confusing feelings when it came to sex. Yes, my parents, my mom especially, was in my head, but even a few months ago, the thought of having sex again made me feel so wracked with guilt and humiliation, my stomach had churned.
So I’d definitely made progress.
“I hope you’re right,” Sofia said.
“I haven’t been through what you have, but I’m here if you ever need to talk, okay?”
She blinked rapidly, then finally looked at me, a small smile curling her lips. “I like you, Lila.”
“I like you too, Sofia.”
There was a thump by the door and Jesse walked in, his expression unreadable. “You ready, Bambi?” He glanced at the woman beside me and his expression softened. “You need anything before I take off, Soph?”