“The old man won’t cause any more trouble. He’s out in a big way.”
Dane gripped my shoulder. “Long time coming.”
He knew more than anyone how big this was. I’d shared more with him than with anyone. “She know I’m here?”
Dane shook his head, and turned back to the living room door. “Eves! I need your help with something.”
She walked out a few seconds later and her eyes locked on me and narrowed. Dane grabbed her hand and tugged her closer. “It’s okay.”
Her eyes spat fire. “No, I’m not letting him ambush her.”
“She’ll want him to,” Dane said. “Come on, I’ll explain.”
Eves looked like she was about to put up a fight, loyal to the end. I could appreciate that. But right then I didn’t care about her feelings. Dane could handle it.
Nothing was going to stop me from getting to Lila.
Dane towed Eves away as I strode down the hall and rounded the corner.
Lila’s head jerked up, her eyes widening. “What are you doing here?”
I took her in and my heart seized. “Why are you crying, Bambi?”
She motioned to the TV, to some chick flick playing, and blushed.
“Fuck, I love you.” It just came out, there was no stopping it. I didn’t want to.
Her entire body jolted, then she froze like a startled rabbit.
I moved then, pushing the coffee table out of the way and dropping down in front of her. I wrapped my arms around her hips and tugged her forward so I was tucked between her spread thighs. Back in my favorite place. Her scent filled my head, and I breathed in deep, needing more.
She stared down at me, lips parted. Another tear streaked down her cheek. “Jesse, you can’t… What are you doing?” Her lips quivered. “You can’t be here.”
I cupped her face. “I know, Lila.”
Her whole body started to tremble. “What do you know?”
“That my father threatened you, threatened me. It’s over. He’s gone. I’m safe. We’re all safe.”
“He’s gone? But how? He said…he said he was going to kill you, that if I told you…”
“It’s over, Bambi. That’s all you need to know.”
Her hand lifted, shaking, tentative, and she cupped the side of my face. “Did you…did you hurt him?”
“Yeah, I fucking hurt him. But I didn’t kill him, Lila. I wanted to. You have no idea how much. But taking his colors, taking the club from him, is the worst thing we could do.”
Her hands clutched at me. “The thought of anything happening to you…I had to do what he said.”
“I know. I know that now. You were trying to protect me.”
She nodded, her eyes swimming with more tears. “He hurt you, didn’t he? When you were a little boy. And he hurt your mom?”
I leaned in and pressed my face against her throat, wrapping my arms tight around her, needing her to ground me. “Yeah. Yeah, he did.” I looked up at her, taking in her beautiful face. “I didn’t want you to know that, I was ashamed of that darkness, the ugliness of my past. He told you, didn’t he, what I do for the club?”
Her lips trembled. “Yes.”
“I learned to cut off my emotions, to shut it down when I was young. I closed off to protect myself. I tried to do that again when you left me, but I couldn’t. I can’t change who I am, what I am…what I’ve done, but you…you made me feel again, Lila. I love you. Fuck, I love you so much. Losing you almost killed me. I’ll never hurt you. I’m not him, baby, I’m not like him.”
“I know you’re not.”
How could I convince this sweet girl to accept me, to have me in her life after the shit I’d put her through? I had to try. I couldn’t lose her again. “The club, they’re my family, but I…”
She brushed her thumb over my lips, stopping me. “I’ve lived most of my life pretending to be someone else. Thinking that who I was wasn’t good enough.”
“Lila…”
“I didn’t mean the things I said when I left you. I didn’t mean them, Jesse. I don’t want to change you,” she whispered as more tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you exactly as you are.”
“You do?”
She nodded, crying and smiling at the same time.
“Then kiss me,” I rasped.
She leaned in and I thrust my fingers into her dark hair, holding her tight, the way we both liked, and I kissed her deep, pushing my tongue into the heat of her mouth. Her taste made me dizzy, hungry.
I kissed her until we were both breathless, then stood, pulling her up with me. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“My apartment.”
She grabbed her coat as I led her from the living room and out the door. I opened the passenger side door of my truck for her and she climbed in.
It began to snow lightly as we hit the road, and I reached out, taking her hand as we drove the fifteen minutes to Rocktown.
Lila
I glanced at Jesse beside me, positive I was dreaming. But he sat beside me, tall and strong and so beautiful I couldn’t look away.
I had him back.
He glanced at me, and the look in his eyes stole my breath. Tension radiated from his big body, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Jesse wanted me. Badly. Had missed me like I’d missed him.
I made myself look away. If I didn’t, I’d climb into his lap while he drove and cause an accident.
We finally drove into Rocktown, and as soon as he pulled up outside his apartment, we were out of the truck. Jesse came around, took my hand, and led me to the tattoo shop, quickly unlocking the door and letting us in. Then he had my hand again and was leading me upstairs.
As soon as we walked into his apartment, Jesse kicked the door closed behind us and pulled me in close, kissing me like only he could. My hands roamed, sliding up under his shirt, needing to feel his warmth, his taut skin under my hands.
He gripped my shirt and tugged it off over my head, flinging it aside, and his hands slid up my sides to the outsides of my breasts. He squeezed them together and leaned in, pressing his face against them and groaned.
His whiskers tickled my skin, and I chuckled as he reached around me and undid my bra, tugging it down my arms. He flung that aside and my chuckles died as he caught a nipple in his mouth, sucking, as he tightened his hold around my waist and lifted me off the ground, all before my next breath.
He moved across the room and pressed me against the narrow bit of wall between the large windows there.
“Missed you so much, Bambi,” he said against my lips as his fingers worked open my jeans.
I did the same, popping the button and tearing down the zipper. “I missed you, too.”
He shoved his hand down the front of my underwear. “And this tight little pussy, did you miss me here as well, Lila?”
I whimpered. “Yes. God, Jesse, so much.”
“So wet. Fuck, baby, so wet. Need you naked.”
Two minutes later we were both completely naked and Jesse had a condom in his hand. I watched, breathing hard as he rolled it on, my body quivering, aching, desperate to have him inside me again. Then he was lifting me, pressing me into the narrow wall at my back and sliding inside me.