Читать книгу The Marked Men Series Books 1–6: Rule, Jet, Rome, Nash, Rowdy, Asa - Jay Crownover - Страница 16

The club was packed. Enmity was a pretty big local draw for metal heads and punk rockers, plus Jet had been in the scene since he was just a kid so he had a solid local following from just being around for so long. Some crappy wannabe Slayer band was opening up for them and already doing their warm-up. They were going to be followed by an all-girl punk band so the show was supposed to run late, which was good because it was well past eleven, and I couldn’t stop looking at the display on my phone to check the time. Every time I did it Nash rolled his eyes and Jet laughed at me; granted, they were doing a bang-up job of polishing off a bottle of Patrón between them so I didn’t take it personally. I had sent Shaw a text more than an hour ago to verify she was going to be here and I hadn’t heard a thing back.

I was antsy and ill-tempered partly because I was navigating uncharted territory and, undeniably, because this whole monogamy thing was new to me. I was used to scratching an itch when I felt it, used to appealing to baser needs and letting my carnal instinct drive me. Behaving not because someone asked me to but because I wanted to was entirely new to me, and the side effects sucked—I was horny and irritable, plus I was sick of playing phone tag with her. I’d had no idea how busy Shaw’s life was. The girl was bouncing from class, to work, to volunteer stuff all day long. When I saw her before on the weekends I had just assumed she had free time and was choosing to spend Sundays with my folks, but clearly that wasn’t the case. Every minute of the girl’s day was carefully planned and I was starting to see how much she had sacrificed to care for our fucked-up family. “Chill out. If she said she was coming, then she’s coming.”

Nash shoved an elbow in my ribs, making me jostle the phone I was glaring holes into. I shoved it back into my pocket and picked up the beer I had been nursing for more than an hour. I caught the eye of a smoking-hot blonde who had been scoping me out under the radar since we walked into the bar and had to do a quick mental rundown of why I thought spending time with Shaw and figuring out how she had gotten my head all twisted and turned was a good idea when easy as pie was right in front of me. The blonde gave me a smile that all but screamed “I want you to take my pants off with your teeth,” and I almost choked when beer went down the wrong tube.

Jet snickered and rubbed a hand through his messy black hair. The guy looked like a rock star; he was lanky and had that permanent, freshly laid and right-outta-bed look that made girls stupid and dreamy-eyed with zero effort. He also had an awesome voice and could sing, like, really sing, which made the fact he chose to be in a heavy metal band ironic because most of his stuff with Enmity was screaming and loud. The guy was a consummate musician and could write a killer song as well as play pretty much any instrument he picked up. One night after a particularly nasty bout of beer pong, he had confessed that he liked metal because he couldn’t deal with the fame and adulation of more popular styles of music. The guy wanted to be in a band, but for reasons that made sense only to him, had no interest in being a full-blown rock star—even though he had the look and the vocal chops to do it.

“I swear you pull more tail than me and I’m in a freaking band. All you have to do is blink and you have broads falling all over themselves to have at it.”

I cleared my throat and set the beer down on the table. “Yeah, well, I told you guys I need to cut that shit out for a while.”

Jet looked over his shoulder at the blonde, then back at me with a smirk. “Good luck with that.”

Nash tossed back a shot and hissed out a breath through his teeth. “Cut him some slack, dude. He’s got a good thing working.”

“I’m just saying—he doesn’t have to even work at it.”

I pulled out my phone and checked the time for the hundredth time. “Something tells me that is about to be completely untrue.”

Jet and Nash both did another shot and Jet gave a howl. “The first band is getting ready to start so I gotta go make sure the guys are ready to kick some ass. We’re getting ready to finish the album we’ve been working on so we need to kill it tonight.” A round of fist-banging went back and forth and I sighed as the blonde gave me another pointed look. I didn’t mean to keep looking in her direction, but I guess old habits die hard.

“This blows.”

“Seriously, chill. Shaw is awesome. She’s a total babe, she’s got enough balls to give you your shit right back, and she knows you and still is willing to give you a shot. She’ll be here, so just calm down and tell your junk to freaking relax.”

My hair was still up in the crazy Mohawk, so I couldn’t run my hands through it; instead I rubbed the back of my neck and tapped my fingers on the edge of the table.

“Why do you think she wants to give this a shot? I mean, logically she knows I’m a bad bet. She knows what my history is like and generally we don’t have anything in common. I know I can’t get her out of my head, but what do you think her reasons are for seeing what this is all about?”

“I think she’s a superbright chick and, whatever her motivation is, she’s thought a lot about it. I don’t think she went to bed with you just because and I seriously doubt she agreed to kick it with you simply because you asked. I think if you can keep your head on straight and your dick in your pants you’ll eventually find out why she’s doing what she’s doing, and I’m pretty sure the reasons will knock you on your ass.”

“I think I’m certifiable for even thinking I’m going to be able to do this.” I liked girls, no-strings-attached sex, going where I wanted when I wanted, and not having to answer to anyone but myself—hooking up with Shaw put all those things on ice. I sighed again and let my eyes wander back over to the blonde. She was still looking at me, only now her very pretty face was scrunched up into a scowl. Her mouth was pulled in like she had tasted something sour and I couldn’t figure out what had changed in the minute since I had last caught her eye until I heard Nash mutter, “Damn,” and realized that every guy seated around us had turned to watch Shaw and Ayden as they made their way past the bar and toward where we were seated.

They made a striking pair—by far the classiest girls in the place. It was clear neither one had ventured down to Cerberus before. Shaw’s blond hair was loose and long, falling over shoulders that were bared in a black halter top. She had on skinny jeans that were so tight they looked like they would need to be surgically removed, and a pair of bright blue heels that should have looked ridiculous at a show like this, but instead had even old-school head bangers drooling in their pints. Ayden had her dark hair spiked up and sexy and was wearing a tiny little skirt and billowy purple top that completely fell off one shoulder. She was rocking a pair of black cowboy boots that had clearly seen some better days, but that didn’t stop the two of them from turning every single head, male and female, as they slid up to our table.

I didn’t know what to do so I just stared at Shaw while she stared back at me. I was pretty sure all the blood in my brain had been diverted south so I just blinked at her like an idiot while Nash chuckled and told both of them hello.

“Hey. Sorry we’re late, we had a bachelor party run over and it took us longer to get out of there than we thought it would.”

“I sent you a couple of texts to see what was going on.” I should be asking her if she wanted a drink, doing something to let her know I was happy she was here, but instead I was being surly and weird.

She frowned. “My phone is off.”

Ayden propped her elbows on the table and took the shot Nash offered her up. She glared at Shaw and pointed a finger at her. “Tell him why it’s off.” There was accusation there and I saw, even in the dim light of the bar, the way Shaw flushed.

I put a hand on her lower back and bent down so that my lips were touching her ear. I felt her tense but she leaned her hip into mine. “Why is your phone off, Casper?”

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Because Gabe is blowing it up. My mom invited his parents to Brookside Country Club for dinner next weekend and they expect us both to be there. He has it in his head that we should ride up there together and won’t leave me alone about it, so I turned my phone off because he’s making me crazy and I don’t even want to go in the first place.”

A cocktail waitress chose that moment to walk by so the girls ordered drinks and I got another beer. I pressed Shaw closer to my side and turned so that we were facing each other.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

She flattened a palm on the center of my chest right over my heart and looked up at me with sad, green eyes. “I don’t know. I have to go or my mom will make my life hell, but I don’t want to be anywhere near Gabe. I’m trying to just ignore the entire thing.”

“That’s not going to work for long.” I liked the way she fit next to me, like she was custom-made to be right there.

“I know.” The waitress dropped off drinks, and Ayden grimaced as the first band started. I laughed and poured her another shot.

“Just power through the first two; I promise Jet’s band is really good.”

She made a face. “I like stuff with a little more twang and a lot more banjo.”

We all laughed a little. “Just help Nash finish the tequila, that’ll get you through it and if it gets too bad I bet Jet has earplugs we can go snag for ya.” She said something I didn’t catch but made Nash laugh hysterically, so I turned back to Shaw. I gave an internal shiver when I noticed she was having some kind of girly stare down with the blonde from earlier. I curled my hand all the way around her waist and yanked until she was pressed full body against me.

“Hey, don’t.”

“It’s not like she has to be so obvious about it.”

“Shaw, look around. There are at least ten guys sitting no less than five feet away I can actually see undressing you with their eyes. It’s cool. I’m hanging with you, not her, and you’re here because of me, not them. That’s what matters, right?”

She made a face at me, which made me want to suck on her bottom lip. I reached up and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. It felt like satin and immediately slipped back out. “I’ve never waited around for a week to spend time with a girl I’m into before; frankly it blows, and I want to spend time with you.”

“I really am sorry we ran late. I had to do some work to get Ayden to agree to come. This really isn’t her scene; mine either for that matter, but I’m glad we’re here.”

She ran her index finger over the tattoo of the phoenix that was sticking out of the sleeve of my T-shirt on my biceps. “I want to spend time with you, too, Rule. I’m sorry my life is so hectic.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I slid my hand under the heavy fall of her hair and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “So, are you going to come home with me tonight or what?” If she said no there was a good chance I was going to have to take a cold shower before I could get my jeans off. Her green eyes were brilliant as they gazed back up at me. Never had a girl, especially a girl I had known for so long, been able to keep me guessing as to what she was thinking. Shaw was a hard one to read; her eyes just seemed to be reflecting back what I was feeling instead.

“We took a cab so as long as I make sure Ayden is cool that can definitely be an option.” Her voice had dropped to an even huskier octave and I thought it was possible I had never heard anything sexier. I grunted in approval like the Neanderthal I was and let my hand fall from her waist to the curve of her ass.

The four of us chatted and had a couple more rounds while we all suffered through the first and second band. The second one would have been all right if the lead singer had focused more on trying to sing than looking a part, but mostly they just hollered and jumped around for an hour until Ayden was ready to jump onstage and wrestle the microphone from the poor girl. I was surprised how fun it was to just hang out. Ayden was funny and sarcastic and she and Nash bounced barbs back and forth like they had been friends for years. By the time Enmity was setting up, the Patrón was gone and the two of them were loaded.

Shaw was quieter and was watching everyone and everything around her. She asked questions and responded when engaged in conversation, but for the most part she just kept an eye on what was going on rather than fully participating in it. At one point I almost started a brawl. I had gone to the bathroom and Nash had slipped out to smoke. We were only gone for a minute, but by the time I got back to the table some sweaty metal head was trying to press up on Shaw.

I wasn’t the type that got jealous. I mean I’d lived my entire life not being as good as my twin, so I couldn’t understand the murderous rage that was suddenly flowing through me, the sudden need to claim something, to announce to the world that she was mine. Luckily, Nash got to the table first and sent the guy on his way in no uncertain terms, because chances are I would have pulverized him and ended up spending the night in jail. Still, when I got back to the table I yanked Shaw up to the tips of her fancy-ass blue shoes and planted a kiss on her pretty, pink mouth hard enough that my lip ring stung. I thought maybe she would pull back, maybe give me crap for acting like an idiot, but she just gripped my shirt in her tiny hands and let me do what I had to do. When I finally set her back down her eyes looked glassy and she was flushed. She slicked her tongue over her bottom lip and settled back into my side.

“Gotta tell you, Rule, I’m a fan of kissing with all that metal in your face. I never thought that was something I would be into, but you sure make it work.”

Oh man, that was the hottest thing I had ever heard, ever. I hooked an arm around her shoulder.

I chuckled at her dry remark but didn’t bother to deny what the overt action had been about. We continued to chat and have a great time, but by the time the house lights went down and Jet was ready to hit the stage, I had had enough of friend time and wanted alone time with just her. Unfortunately, Jet knew how to put on a good show and even though Ayden claimed that the racket the band was making could in no way be called music, it only took two songs to have her dragging Shaw up to the front of the stage with her.

The band was loud and aggressive and blazed from song to song, but Jet was a good-looking guy and knew how to work a crowd, so it didn’t surprise me that when the girls ran off there had been a drunkenly interested gleam in Ayden’s eyes. Unfortunately, it also left me alone to deal with my plastered best friend.

“You gonna make it?”

Nash’s violet eyes were at half-mast and I was pretty sure that if the table wasn’t available to hold him up he would be face-first down on the floor. This is what I normally looked like after a night of hard drinking, and it was slightly startling to see it from the other side.

“Huh?” His words were mumbled and unfocused and I saw visions of sexy time going up in smoke and replaced with the reality that I was going to have to manhandle him back to the apartment and get him in a bathroom, like, right now.

“Bro, you better not yak in my truck. Let me go find the girls and let them know we have to go.”

“Smhhh …” Okay, it was mission critical to get him out of here before the tequila came back up. I sighed and started toward the stage only to be intercepted before I got there by the blonde from earlier. Now that Shaw was here and my head—not what was in my pants—was in control I could clearly see there was no comparison between the two. Shaw was flawless and pretty in a way that didn’t require five pounds of makeup and clothes that exposed more than they covered. She was also charmingly unaware of the effect she had on the opposite sex, where this girl was here to be seen and appreciated. She put a finger on the center of my chest and blinked heavily lashed eyes at me.

“Hey.”

“Uh … hi.” I would have just stepped around her, but the bar was packed and the band was making the crowd go crazy. People were jumping up and down and banging their heads all around, so unless I walked right over her I wasn’t going to be able to get by. Because I was so tall I had a clear sight of one dark head and one light bouncing along to the music right up front. While I was stoked that Shaw seemed to be having fun, I was also bummed she was practically impossible to get to.

“So I saw you earlier, you’re friends with the band.”

“Yep.” Normally this was the kind of girl I sought out—easy, no strings, aware of where the night was going and what the morning was going to hold.

“So, do you maybe wanna get out of here, go somewhere quieter where we can … talk?”

My eyebrows shot up. When I was drunk maybe that sounded smoother, but now that I was sober it just seemed kind of sleazy and desperate. “Thanks, but I’m here with somebody.”

Her bright red mouth pulled into a frown and she took a step back. “Yeah I saw that, and I also saw that there is no way that she’s going to be with you for long.”

I was used to judgment, used to hearing that I wasn’t up to par or good enough for whatever reason, but coming from a boozed-up barfly who had just tried to talk me into taking her to bed made me reel back a little.

“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say to that.

The girl snorted and flipped her overprocessed hair over her shoulder. “That girl has money and status written all over her, you have ink and nothing but a good time spelled out bright and clear all over you. How long do you think she’s going to think you’ve got more going on than that?”

I frowned, done with social courtesy. I physically moved her out of my way and called over my shoulder, “I don’t know, but I’d be an idiot not to stick around until she figures it out.”

Sweaty bodies got nudged and prodded until I got to the girls. Jet was right in front of them on both of his knees, his head was thrown back, his shirt was torn off and the massive angel of death I had tattooed across his torso was on full display. He was wailing like a true rock god and while Shaw looked fascinated, Ayden looked like she was about to melt into a pile of orgasmic goo. Looked like my buddy had turned the country mouse rock-and-roll for the night. I put a hand on Shaw’s hip and bent low to tell her, “I gotta get Nash out of here, he’s done for.”

She looked at me with big eyes and nodded with no argument. She leaned over to holler something at Ayden, who hollered something back. The brunette wiggled her fingers at me in a wave, and the next thing I knew, Shaw’s tiny frame was pulling me back through the crowd. Nash was now almost fully draped over the table and I didn’t miss the bouncer giving him the eye.

“What about Ayden? You said we needed to make sure she got home okay.”

“She promised to call when she was leaving. She said she would just get a cab.”

“She’ll be all right here by herself?”

“Yeah, she’s a big girl and can take care of herself, plus I think she danced most of the booze out. I think she’s sticking around to tell your friend how much she enjoyed the show.”

“Jet has that effect on women.”

“I can see why.”

I wrestled Nash up and marched him out of the bar with an arm around his waist. He was solid, and maneuvering his sturdy bulk was difficult.

“You gonna change your mind and drop me for a rock star?”

She snorted and took the keys I tossed her to get the cab doors open so that I could shove Nash sideways across the backseat. “You better not get sick in here, dude,” I warned.

There was no response, so I helped Shaw climb in and it occurred to me that she hadn’t even hesitated to leave with me. That made something in the center of my chest get all slippery and warm.

“I’m just saying that he’s pretty charismatic and even though I didn’t understand half of what he was singing, it was still pretty powerful. He had that entire bar eating out of the palm of his hand; that kind of draw is impressive.”

“Yeah, Jet was born to be a rock star. He just has a problem with the spotlight and recognition. He always has.”

“You’ve known him a long time?”

“We used to go see him play when we were kids, back when he was into punk. Nash, Jet, and Rowdy have been my inner circle for a long time. Rowdy we met later, when he started working at the shop, but we all kick it like we are brothers from other mothers.”

She settled in the leather seat and I adjusted the heat when I noticed she was rubbing goose bumps on her arms. “It must be nice to have a lot of good friends. I was never like that.”

I looked out of the corner of my eye at her. “What do you mean?”

“I’m shy and awkward. I never know how to just make friends like that. I was picked on a lot in high school. Remy was my only real friend and now only Ayden really. I have a hard time letting people in. I guess because I’ve seen how painful it is when the people who are the closest to you are the ones constantly disappointing you.”

“What about me and Rome?”

“What about you?”

Nash groaned from the back and I looked over my shoulder apprehensively. He didn’t sound good. “What about us? We were there, too. Weren’t we your friends?”

She made a little humming noise that immediately made vital parts of my anatomy take notice.

“Rome has always been like a big brother. He looks out for me, he picks on me, he tries to keep things that hurt me and cause pain at bay. You, well, you were always something else, not a friend, not a brother, just something else.”

“Is that bad, the something else?”

I felt rather than saw her shrug. “It has been, and then sometimes it’s not.” I didn’t know what to make of that so I let the subject drop. I drove the rest of the way, keeping one eye on the road and one eye on Nash, who was making increasingly loud noises of distress in the back. When we got to the apartment I looked across the cab at Shaw but she was bent over the back of the seat rubbing Nash’s bald head and uttering soothing words to him.

“Hey, I don’t know how long it’ll take to get him squared away, so you can just hang out and if you want me to run you home or whatever I will.”

She looked at me over her shoulder and raised a pale brow. “Rule, it’s fine. It’s not like I don’t know how you end up in the state you’re normally in on Sunday morning. Like I told you, I just have to be at work on Sunday around ten. As long as you make that happen, we’re good.”

At a loss for words I just stared at her for a moment before Nash’s gurgling made me move. “Have you always been this awesome?”

She shut all the doors behind us and helped me haul Nash up the steps. I noticed she didn’t answer my question, but she did get Nash a huge glass of water and fished around in my bathroom until she found some painkillers. She left both on the bathroom sink in the hall that Nash used and gave me a pointed look. “Come find me when you’re done.”

I swore in a long litany under my breath as I helped Nash battle his thermal and jeans off. I was contemplating shoving his ass in a cold shower when the tequila started to take its revenge. His tattooed head disappeared inside the toilet and I spent the next hour making sure he didn’t pass out and alternately cramming liquids down his throat and jumping out of the way as they came back up. When I was finally sure he wasn’t going to get sick anymore I hauled him to his bed and made sure he was facedown before I did a quick cleanup of the bathroom and myself and then went to find Shaw.

The door to my room was cracked open and she had my TV on. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, the dirtier part of my imagination had all kinds of interesting scenarios laid out, but what awaited me wasn’t one of them. She had my California king stripped to the mattress pad and was making short work of changing all the bedding. Her crazy blue shoes were in the center of the floor looking totally out of place next to my discarded T-shirts and jeans, and as I propped myself up in the doorway all I could do was watch her. She seemed to be having some kind of conversation with herself but she was muttering too low for me to hear what she was saying. I waited a full five minutes for her to look up at me and notice me watching her but she never did, so I asked, “What are you doing?” which made her jump about a foot in the air.

She put a hand on her chest and had the good grace to look a little bit guilty.

“Changing your sheets.”

“Why?”

“Uh … Why?”

“Yes, Shaw, why are you changing my sheets at nearly three o’clock in the morning?”

She was saved from answering when a Garth Brooks song rang from her pocket. I was starting to see she liked to pick songs for ringtones that fit the person calling. She had a brief conversation with someone I assumed was Ayden and left the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. She picked up the edge of my comforter and started to smooth it back over the big bed.

“Ayden got a ride home. I guess your friend in the band remembered her from the Goal Line and offered to take her.”

“That’s cool, though Jet isn’t exactly known for being a one-girl kinda guy, so I hope she isn’t reading anything into it.”

“Like I said, she can take care of herself and honestly you aren’t really known for that, either”—she waved a hand over the bed—“so I’ll be damned if I’m going to sleep, let alone do anything else in a bed that has had more visitors than DIA without changing the sheets first.” Her bottom lip stuck out and she sounded slightly defiant.

“Shaw.” I moved out of the doorway, making sure to shut it and turn the lock on my way to her. “No one has been in that bed since you. I told you I knew on that Saturday that something was happening between us that was different.”

She shivered a little as I got close and I could see raw vulnerability in her eyes. It was scary to know how easily I could hurt this girl and how desperately I didn’t want that to happen.

“I don’t know how to do this with you, Rule. I drunkenly threw myself at you and was lucky you were willing to catch me, but sober it’s hard to look at that bed and not see every single other girl who was there before me—sometimes more than one at a time.”

She tried to make light of it but I could hear the genuine melancholy coloring her tone. I put both my hands on her face and tilted her head back so that we were eye to eye.

“I can’t change the past, Casper, not any of it. I can’t make any of those girls or the fact you walked in on them on Sunday mornings time and time again disappear. I can’t bring Remy back or go back in time and not call him for a ride that night. There are probably a million and one regrets I have, and if they are going to be between us here or in bed, then let’s just stop it now, because I’m not going to do combat over my past when my future is finally starting to be something I want to invest in.”

She lifted her hands up and grasped my wrists; at first I thought she was going to push me away but she didn’t. She leaned forward and let her forehead hit the center of my chest. “Rule, if this goes bad it’s gonna be so, so bad.” Her voice was just a husky whisper against my chest.

“True, but if it’s good, it’s going to be so very, very good.” I tunneled my fingers through her hair and she let her hands fall to my shoulders. We weren’t a perfect match; she was a lot shorter than me, and I had to admit that I knew logically we made an odd pair physically, but there was just something about her. Something about the way she curved into me, the way she sighed my name like a prayer, the way she smelled like sunshine and sweetness and everything yummy all wrapped into one bite that made none of that matter. It made her the only girl I could ever remember wanting to hold on to for more than a fleeting minute of time.

She started to pull my shirt over my head and I laughed a little when she got mad when it got stuck on my spiky hair. She made a face at me and tossed it over her shoulder onto the floor. She used a finger to poke the front tip of the spiked-up hawk and lifted an eyebrow. “You look hot with a Mohawk, Rule, but I gotta say this hair is more trouble than it’s worth.”

She trailed her hands over my ribs and stopped to look at the artwork imprinted there. On one side was a grim reaper that ran from under my armpit to the top of my thigh. On the other side was a beautiful angel and in between them on my back was a massive Gothic cross that went from shoulder blade to shoulder blade and ended at my tailbone, scrolling from shoulder to shoulder and on an elegant banner was “Remy” in bold script. I had more inked skin than not and although I normally didn’t think anything about it, being naked next to her in all her pale, perfect-skinned glory it seemed slightly overwhelming. Her hands moved lower and before I had even kissed her she was messing with my belt buckle.

“Remy would have loved that piece, you know? He always used to tell me he was so glad when you started getting tattooed. He said someone having the same face as him was always too weird, but then you started looking so different. He was glad it was you because there was no way he could tolerate sitting still long enough to get anything done.”

It was true. Remy was always moving, always fidgeting and twitching. He would have never been able to sit long enough for a session, and every time I had come home with a new piece I wanted to show off, he had been the first to see it. He had promised to let me draw up something for him once I completed my apprenticeship, but he died before I finished. It was one of those million regrets I had mentioned earlier.

Shaw was making short work of my pants and I had the sudden need to slow her down, so I picked her up like she was a little doll and tossed her onto the center of my bed. She bounced and ended up sprawled on her back spread-eagle. I toed off my boots and let my pants fall the rest of the way off, since I typically just went commando. When I crawled up over her I was naked and she was still fully dressed. Her eyes got big because I put my hands under her shirt and dropped down to plant a bunch of kisses along her throat.

“You’re like good whiskey, Shaw. You go to a guy’s head quick and smooth. Last time we blazed through a bunch of the good stuff. Why don’t we slow it down a little this time?” I let my fingers brush over the halter top and felt her body get tight. She bent her legs so that I was cradled in between and, despite our size difference, we fit together just fine. She let her hands roam all across my back and I felt the edge of her nails bite into my skin and the press of her heels into the curve of my ass—it was awesome.

“I was afraid last time that if we slowed down to think you would stop and I felt like I would die if you stopped.”

I had my hands under her top now and she was making little gasping noises that made me harder than I already was. I got her shirt off by untying the laces and letting it fall around her waist in a pool of fabric and sealed her mouth shut with mine. She didn’t hesitate to kiss me back and I decided then and there that kissing Shaw was probably as close to heaven as I was ever going to get. There was just the right amount of give and take, just the right amount of tongue and teeth, just the right amount of breathless pull that made me see stars and want to tear her pants off and forge ahead like a marauder. She wasn’t kidding about liking the jewelry in my mouth. She rubbed her tongue across the barbell and rubbed her bottom lip across the hoop in a way that had my eyes drifting closed and almost making me forget that I was supposed to be showing her that there were lots of good stuff we had flashed past last time.

“See, I don’t think we spent any time here.” I ran my thumb over her nipple and watched as it puckered instantly at my touch. “You are so pretty and pink, Shaw, and I don’t think you even know the half of it.” I let my tongue run across the base of her throat and down until I had one peak in my mouth. She tasted as sweet as she smelled, and the idea that I was the only one who got to do this to her, that she was mine, just mine, made it all even better. She muttered my name and arched up as I worked her over pretty good with my mouth on her breasts. She was undulating under me, pulling me closer to her with greedy hands and rubbing against the part of me that was fully agreeing with her that I was moving too slowly. I let go of the flesh I was torturing with a soft pop and kissed her breastbone. “See, good stuff.”

She sighed. “Totally.” I propped my weight up on an elbow and traced a path from her throat to her belly button. The taut skin on her belly quivered a little when I traced a pattern around the small indent. I liked the way my tattooed skin looked against her much clearer canvas. I also got a little kick out of the fact that when I flattened my palm against her belly that my name went from one side to the other, claiming what I was quickly starting to consider my very own. I let my thumb hook under the top of her jeans and rubbed a pattern that made her wiggle enticingly against me.

“Rule.” There was a hitch in her voice. “What are you waiting for?”

“Nothing.” I kissed her again and took my time about it. I wanted her to know that she affected me just as much as I seemed to be affecting her. Normally, when I was with a girl, I was all about instant gratification. There was no buildup, no anticipation. I mean, I liked to think that I had developed some pretty good moves over the years, but I was also a big fan of getting to the finish line in as little time as possible. I wasn’t there to create memories; I was there for a mind-numbing orgasm and a minute of peace. But Shaw was different. With her I was different, and this thing happening between us was most definitely different.

I got under her supertight jeans and was surprised to find that she hadn’t bothered with anything underneath. I pulled my head up and grinned down at her. “Commando?”

She shrugged and shifted a little when my fingers brushed over all her soft and warm parts. “What? These jeans are practically painted on and no matter how tiny the panties are, they show, so no underwear was the only option.”

“I would never have pegged you for the type.” She gasped my name out as I made my way into her damp heat. Her whole body bowed up against mine and I caught her across her back to keep her there under my ministrations. The friction between what I was doing and her tight jeans was making her quake in my arms and I knew it was only a matter of time before she came apart in my hands. “You’re always so proper and put together, who knew underneath was such a naughty girl?” She was slick and fluttery, all the things I wanted a girl to be right before she made a sweet noise of surprise and flared her eyes open at me. Her hands clamped down on my neck and she tugged me down for another mind-bending kiss right before I felt her melt. I smiled against her mouth and shifted so that I could help her pull her jeans off, even though she was moving a lot slower than me. Once she was as naked as I was I took a minute to appreciate the view because a naked Shaw was something to appreciate, but a naked, luminously satisfied Shaw was something master artists would kill to capture on canvas.

She leaned over me to dig a condom out of the drawer. I settled on my back and let her crawl over the top of me. I stacked my hands behind my head and just watched as she tore the packet open with her teeth and set about suiting me up. She was gentle about it and I think afraid she might hurt me, but it was a good thing she took her time with it because the jewelry down there sometimes made getting protection on tricky.

Once everything was set and I was hard enough to pound nails she looked at me a little apprehensively and settled over my lap. “I don’t think I know how to do it this way.”

And wasn’t that just amazing? I got to teach this beautiful, amazing, kick-ass girl all about sex and all about the great shit in between. I moved so that she was where she needed to be and helped her figure out how to slide down and glide back up. I gritted my teeth and let out some swear words because nothing had prepared me for her trying to find her rhythm. As she moved up and down, rocked back and forth, and pretty much turned my mind to mush I tried to keep some modicum of control but it was to no avail. When I felt her start to come apart again, I flipped her over on her back and drove into her like I was trying to bury myself inside her to live forever. She didn’t seem to mind the manhandling too much; her nails scraped across the shaved part of my head and her tiny little teeth nipped into my shoulder. It only took another breath before I followed her over the edge, then lay in an annihilated heap on top of her. I felt her hands flow over my shoulders and her husky voice ask in my ear, “Have you always been this awesome?”