“Are you visiting Seattle, or do you live here?” I ask, making conversation for a few minutes before they go back down.
“From Denver,” Charlie says, running her fingers through her fiery red hair.
She’s gorgeous, no doubt.
“Well, when you get home, look us up. We’d happily have a few beers with you.”
She glances at me. I’m not wearing my jacket tonight after the chaos I caused today on the street, so I realize she’s probably confused.
“Iron Fury MC.”
Her eyes get big, and she grins. “No shit.”
“Shit.”
Her grin gets bigger. “We’ll definitely do that, biker boy. Now go and get your girl.”
I nod, and then to Cherry. “Thank you, ladies. And don’t let that security guard see you going back out or he’ll wonder what you did with me.”
They both laugh, and with a wave and a “later” they’re gone.
I start making my way toward room 1007, where I know Scarlett is.
I’m a mixture of pissed off and regretful. Mostly pissed off.
Because for all I know, she could be using me to fuck around with whatever show her ex-boyfriend is running.
And she had no fucking right to run off and act like I cheated on her.
We’re not together.
Fuck.
My head is a god damned mess, and my rage is pent up from the day’s events.
And Scarlett Belle is about to see the biker side she’s asked about so many times.
Because I’m pissed. And I want her. And fuck her. And fuck this.
I can only fucking pray she’s alone.
And that she’ll open the damned door.
I don’t want to have to kick it down.
But I will.
Oh.
I will.
-14-
SCARLETT
Jerk.
Fucking jerk.
I just had to convince security that I just went out with Amalie to grab something to eat and not to wake Susan and tell her because she’d get upset. Then I had to sit through a twenty-minute lecture on how dangerous it was, and how I needed to inform them. I then had to be an absolute asshole, and say to them, that if they were watching properly, they would have seen me go out. That was enough to make them close their mouths and accept it.
They weren’t happy.
I basically blackmailed them into saying nothing.
So not only am I a terrible, disgusting human being, but I’m hurt and jealous and pissed off, too.
I can’t stop the ache in my heart. And I have absolutely no reason for it.
He’s not with me. He owes me nothing. That’s just the fact of the matter. We’re friends and this, this right here, is exactly why we should have never kissed and simply stayed that way. Because whatever fire burns between us, it’s intense and it’s all consuming. Every intimate second we spend together only makes it stronger. We should have never allowed it to go any further.
Maybe then I wouldn’t be hurting so much right now.
Over nothing.
Nothing.
I close my eyes and press my hands over my face, trying to push back the images of his cock driving into that woman, of the look on her face, of the way his big hands grabbed her ass. Jealousy floods me, it burns like a fire in the pit of my belly and I make a loud, angry noise in my throat.
Damn him.
And damn me for being so fucking pathetic.
A knock sounds at my door, and my head jerks up. I blink a few times, and look around. Shit. Did security end up telling Susan? God, I hope not. I’ll never be able to explain that one away. Or is it Amalie? Maybe she’s checking in on me. In that case, I better answer it. I walk over, and without looking, open the door.
I freeze.
Maverick is standing, hands by his sides balled into fists, eyes intense and on fire, penetrating right through me.
I blink.
I open my mouth.
Nothing comes out.
It takes a moment, but finally my pathetic jealousy and anger all bubbles to the surface and I snap, “I don’t allow pigs into my room. You might want to try another one. Perhaps there is a girl somewhere in this building you can delve your dick into. That seems to be your thing. Why not go for two in one night?”
Wrong thing to say.
He steps in, putting a hand on my chest and pushing me backward. He kicks the door closed behind him and keeps pushing me until my back hits a wall. Then he leans down, panting, breath tickling my face, and growls, “When I call out to you, you stop.”
Beg your pardon?
He did not just drop that after what I just saw? What I just said?
I raise my hands and I shove at his chest. He doesn’t even flinch. Frustrated, I shove again and again. “Fuck you, Maverick. Get out of my room, you jerk!”
He grabs both of my hands in one of his and slams them above my head and against the wall, then he leans closer, so close his lips nearly touch mine.
“If you kiss me, I will bite you,” I warn, eyes flaring, anger bubbling to the surface.
“We’re not together.”
“Fuck. You.”
“Which means—” he squeezes my hands tighter “—that I can fuck whoever the hell I want.”
That hurts. It burns right to my core. And I can’t hide it. My face scrunches and I bite my tongue so hard blood bursts to the surface. God damn him. The pig.
“Why the fuck did you storm off like a scorned lover?”
I shake my head, jerking at my hands. “Let me go!”
“You will answer me or I will stand here for the entire night. Doesn’t bother me, babe. I am a big man and I’ve done a whole lot worse.”
“I will scream, Maverick. Do not doubt it. I will scream so loud you’ll be hauled out of here in a second.”
“You even open that pretty mouth to scream and I will shove something in it, don’t tempt me.”
“Fuck you!” I spit.
“You’re goin’ to answer my questions, and I have a few for you. You lie to me, you’re goin’ to see a side you do not like.”
“Are you threatening me?” I gasp, looking up at him.
His eyes burn into mine. “Absolutely.”
“Let me go,” I growl.
“First question,” he says, ignoring my warning. “Why the fuck did you get so upset when you saw me fuckin’ that woman?”
I flinch.
He smirks.
“I want to hit you so hard right now,” I hiss. “I hate you. I wish to God I never met you.”
“What did I say about lyin’?”
I swallow and try to keep my scowl, but there is no point, he isn’t letting me go. Fine, he wants answers, he can have them. I’m done with it.
“Another question first, I’ll answer that one last,” I say, my voice steady, but hard.
“Fine, we’ll dive right in, shall we? You in on your ex-boyfriend’s operations?”
I blink, and then my mouth drops open and hurt floods me. “Please, for the love of God, tell me you did not just ask me that?”
“Gotta know, babe, because his shit is followin’ you, he wants you, for some reason, and I gotta wonder if you’re playin’ me for a fool.”
I start squirming again, this time using my legs and stomping at his feet. “You piece of ... I can’t believe you’d ask me that, after everything I told you. I can’t believe you think I’d help that ... that monster with anything. Let me go!”
“Calm down.”
“Let me go!” I screech.
“Calm down, Scarlett.”
“I could have you locked away in a damned second. Let me go.”
“Three seconds to calm down or I will fuckin’ make you calm down.”
“You jerk! You jerk! You jerk! I confided in you. I told you that story, because I thought you believed in me, but you don’t, just like everyone else. I can’t believe I trusted you!”
He moves quickly, pulling me o
ff the wall and grabbing my shoulders, twisting me and shoving me toward the bed, there he pushes and I go flying backward, landing on my back. I don’t get the chance to scurry away because he flattens me with his body, pinning my hands again, big legs on either side of my hips, chest holding me down, face close to mine. “It was a yes or no question.”
“It shouldn’t have been a question,” I whisper, so hurt my heart aches.
He studies me. “Had to ask.”
“Get off me.”
“You know I had to ask.”
“I trusted you.”
“Babe,” he murmurs. “Had to ask.”
“Fuck you, Maverick.”
“Gettin' there. Next question.”
“I’m not answering any one of your questions, not now. Get off me.”
“Is there anythin’ you aren’t tellin’ me about Treyton?”
I squirm. “Off!”
“Is there anythin’ you aren’t tellin’ me about Treyton?”
“There’s something wrong with you ... you ... savage!”
“Is there anythin’ you aren’t tellin’ me about Treyton?”
“God dammit!” I yell. “No. No there isn’t. I told you all I know.”
He nods. “Last question. Why did you freak out when you saw me fuckin’ that other woman?”
“I didn’t. Now get off me.”
“My dick is hard, baby, and I will shove it in your mouth if you lie to me again, because fuck knows I’ve been thinkin’ about it since I first met you and my control is very fuckin’ weak right now.”
I gape at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Got the most beautiful girl in the world beneath me, squirmin’, makin’ my dick throb, and she’s lyin’ to me which makes me angry. A hard dick and an angry heart is not a good combination. Now, I’ll ask you again, why did you freak out?”
“I was just shocked, that’s all.”
“Another lie. Last chance, Scarlett.”
I close my mouth and glare at him.
He reaches down and unzips his jeans. God damn him. Fire erupts between my legs, and I hate that, because I’m supposed to be angry at him.
“Three,” he murmurs, and I can feel his hand between us, shuffling.
“It was nothing.”
“Two,” he continues, and the sound of the zip is heard a little more.
Dammit.
“I didn’t ... It was ... nothing,” I rasp, squirming again.
“One.”
Dammit.
“I was jealous!” I cry just as he pulls the hard length from his jeans. I can feel it pressing between us now, throbbing, big, thick, long. But I’m angry. And damn him. I’m so fucking angry. “I was so jealous. I don’t know why. It makes no sense to me. I know this, whatever it is, can never be anything more than a friendship. Our worlds will never mesh well and I am tired of living in hurt. I don’t want that risk. But god dammit, Maverick, when I saw that, I wanted to claw my own heart out. Over a stranger, a fucking stran—”
His mouth slams against mine and my words disappear behind a gasp as his tongue delves into my mouth, hard and angry. He doesn’t kiss me like he did in the lake, he kisses me with a force that takes my breath away. He releases my hands and tangles them into my hair, jerking my head back and making me gasp as he takes the kiss deeper. My head spins, and my lips burn, and his cock is wedged between us, hot and heavy.
And dammit, I want him.
But not tonight. Not after he was just with someone else.
That thought is like a bucket of cold water being splashed over my body, and I jerk my head away, panting, nipples rock hard, sex wet and so damned hot I could nearly come just being this close to him.
“No. Not after you just had you dick in another woman.”
His hold loosens in my hair and suddenly, he’s running his fingers over it. “You’re beautiful when you’re jealous, babe.”
“I’m not trying to be beautiful, I’m serious.”
His lips graze my cheek, and then roll over to my ear. “I know, darlin’.”
“Stop.”
“Soon.”
He nips my earlobe and keeps moving, kissing down my neck. I want to do something, anything but enjoy this. Maybe kick him in the balls, once or a hundred times. Anything else. Any-fricking-thing else. Damn you, body, for betraying me, you’re supposed to be on my side, you’re supposed to hate him with me. And fuck you, vagina. Don’t get me started on you.
His lips trail over my collar bone and back up my neck, kissing along my jaw until he reaches my lips, where he coaxes me with soft kisses at first, fluttering them along my lips, gently persuading me to respond. My heart is racing and he tastes so damned good.
“Stubborn little thing, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want sloppy seconds.”
He chuckles, and the sound vibrates through me. “Well, I’ll just keep kissin’ you until you get over it then, shall I?”
“I’m not getting over it.”
“You’ll get over it when I kiss you where I know you’re achin’ for me right now.”
“You’re not putting that nasty mouth on me.”
“That nasty mouth hasn’t kissed another woman for over a year. First lips I’ve touched are yours.”
I blink. Is he lying? Telling me what I want to hear? Or is he serious? I can’t tell. I look into his eyes and he stares at me.
“So, my mouth is clean. And you aren’t goin’ to be sloppy seconds. Now shut your pretty mouth and let me kiss you.”
I have nothing to say, nothing at all. He just floored me with that sentence and suddenly I’m wondering why I’m angry at him to begin with. Right. Another woman. Dammit. I can’t bring myself to care when his mouth drops to my collar bone again and he starts dragging it down my skin until he reaches the top of my shirt. “Won’t fuck you,” he murmurs against my skin. “Just my mouth. Nothin’ else. This shirt is comin’ off.”
He grabs hold of it, pulling it up and over my head, and then his lips continue their fiery path down my body, kissing the swell of my breasts. He bites my nipple through my bra and I gasp, arching up. It’s been a long time, and dammit. I’m ready. So incredibly ready, to feel the touch of a man again. Especially this man.
Yes.
Especially this man.
~*~*~*~
His fingers trail lightly down my neck, grazing my skin, and then he reaches around behind me and unclips my bra. Nerves flitter through my chest as he exposes me. It’s been a long time since I’ve just been open and vulnerable in front of a man. I swallow and meet his eyes. He holds them for a second, and then they drop down to my hard, aching nipples.
“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful.”
He lowers down and closes his mouth over one hard little nub and I gasp, hands slamming down by my sides, fingers curling into the sheets. His rough lips suck and his tongue flicks, and I swear to god I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. Pleasure burns through my body, and I arch my body up, wanting more, not wanting more, I’m honestly not sure.
He releases one nipple, making a pleased, throaty sound, and moves to the other, giving it the same, slow, torturous attention he gave the first. Then he releases it, moving to the skin around it, and starts feathering soft little kisses. My breasts ache for more, but it’s the fire between my legs that’s truly getting to me. I curl my toes and arch up again. Dammit. I need more.
“Like that, do you?” he murmurs, grinning as he looks down at me. He looks like a wild animal, unpredictable and dangerous.
And it only turns me on more.
“Yes,” I whimper.
“Let’s see if you like this, then.”
He shuffles backward, and when he does, I catch sight of his cock still poking out of his jeans. My eyes fall on it and my mouth drops open. It’s as big as it felt against me. Thick, long, and so hard it’s gone an angry shade of red. I bite my bottom lip as it disappears from sight and lose my concentration when his fingers hook int
o my jeans and he peels them off my legs, taking my panties with them.
Cool air hits my pussy and I squirm. It feels as though a fire has been lit between my legs, burning deep, flaring outward until my whole body can barely keep from launching off this bed and attacking him, taking everything I need. He runs his hands up my legs, kneeling between them, and when he reaches my knees, he pushes them apart.
I swallow.
His eyes drop to my core, and he growls.
Low.
Feral.
A sound I’ve never heard but I want to hear again, over and over.
“Most beautiful fuckin’ sight I’ve ever had the pleasure of layin’ my eyes on.”
I bite my lip again or I’m going to cry out in desperation and he will know how urgently I want him between my legs. As if sensing it, he slides down until his face is hovering just above my pussy. Pleasure explodes, the anticipation almost as thrilling as the act itself. He hasn’t touched me yet, but the ache between my legs is very real.
He leans down and presses a kiss to my pubic bone. I whimper and squirm. He chuckles, and the sound vibrates through me. He continues the feather-light kisses around my pussy, down the sides, over my thighs, anywhere but where I need him to kiss me. I clutch the sheets, crying out, begging in whispered breaths for him to put his mouth on me.
Finally.
He does.
His lips close over my clit and his tongue flicks it in rapid succession, and then with a pop, he lets it go. Blood rushes to the already aching nub and I don’t know what he just did, but holy fuck it felt good. He does it again and again, sucking my clit into his mouth and then letting it go with a pop. I’m so wound up, panting and pulling at the sheets, whimpering his name, begging for more.
“Just warmin’ you up, baby,” he murmurs.
Warming me up?
Warming me up?
I’m so hot I could melt ice. And he’s only warming me up?
I gasp out a ragged “please” and with another chuckle, he drops down and he licks. He licks deep and he licks hard, he delves his face between my legs, tongue devouring me, lips sucking. I gasp, then moan, and then a scream threatens to escape as he pushes his tongue low, thrusting it inside of me and fucking me with it. He’s fucking me with his tongue.