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I shifted blindly in the dark room, then jerked completely awake when I felt a soft, chilled hand. Heart pounding, I found the button on the bed rail that would turn on the overhead light. Blinking against the dim, yet harsh to my sensitive eyes light, I looked for the source of the hand.
Seeing the mop of blond curls on my blanket, I reached out, shifting Jos’s hair back from her face. She had dark circles under her eyes, but she wasn’t as pale as she’d been when I last saw her in the Eureka hospital.
A soft snore left her, and her mouth opened ever so slightly, letting out a sigh in her sleep. I brushed my thumb down her cheek, over her chin, then her full bottom lip. A tiny smile lifted at her lips, and she pressed a kiss to my thumb.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
The way I felt about her was like an obsession, one I’d tried to deny for many years. She’d been way too fucking young the first time I’d started feeling this for her. I was ten years older than her, a grown-ass man craving a girl.
I fought it—hard.
The thought of touching Jos back then made me break out in a cold sweat. Sixteen was too goddamn young for me to even contemplate looking at, let alone touching. So I stayed far, far away. I only fucked older women, scared what I was feeling for her was a sickness that would take root and become something more dangerous.
But when she turned eighteen and surprised her dad with a visit, I couldn’t fight what I felt for her any longer. I gave in, promising myself it was just going to be one time.
That first time with her had rocked me to my core, and I knew I was only fooling myself. I wanted that girl for a hell of a lot longer than one night. Forever wouldn’t have been long enough.
But she deserved more than I could give her. Jos was sweet and innocent. I wouldn’t be the one responsible for killing that in her.
It nearly destroyed me, but I made her leave after that first morning.
She was stubborn, though, and spent the next week flirting and going out with any brother who would give her the time of day. In a blind rage, I’d dragged her back to my house and fucked her until she couldn’t remember anyone but me…
Two years ago
Matt took his shot before lifting his beer. After swallowing half of it in a few gulps, he slammed down the brown glass bottle on the end of the pool table, causing the preppy college boy on the other side of the table to flinch.
Grinning over at me, my little brother lined up his next shot, sinking the ball easily before moving on to the next one.
“This is how it’s done, bitch.”
Bored out of my mind, I leaned back against the wall, watching Matt have all the fun. Without my taking a single shot, Matt finished the game and then grinned wickedly, counting the money he’d just won.
Show-off.
I yawned, debating calling it a night. This place was mostly dead anyway, and I had to be up early to help Uncle Chaz pour a foundation for some guy’s new detached garage. Not everyone on his crew was an MC brother. I worked whenever I wasn’t on a run, and lately, I’d been staying close to home. With Matt’s head still not on straight after Rory leaving him, I was needed around to keep my little bro out of trouble.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blond curls and froze. Seconds later, I heard a giggle that went straight to my cock. Holding my breath, praying it wasn’t her, I turned slowly.
Motherfucker.
At the bar, Jos stood dressed in next to nothing. The jean shorts she wore left her ass cheeks hanging out, putting that perfect derriere on display for the entire bar to see as she bent forward, whispering into some douchebag’s ear. The shirt she wore couldn’t even be called that. It was shredded and knotted at her ribs, showing off the black bra she wore underneath.
All week she’d been showing up at the bar dressed like that, flirting and teasing any guy who looked twice at her.
Trying to grab my attention. Force my hand. Driving me so fucking crazy, I was about to implode from the pressure in my balls. Or explode with rage. Either would have caused a mess I wasn’t sure could ever be fully cleaned up.
Somehow, I’d kept my distance, not allowing myself to take even a step in her direction because I fucking knew if I so much as smelled her perfume, I would drag her away and fuck her until neither one of us could walk. But goddamn, it had been hard. I wanted her even more than before I’d taken her home the previous week. One night with her hadn’t cured me of this hunger that seemed to gnaw at my insides night and day.
The guy she was talking to put his hand at her waist, touching the skin I’d spent hours tasting and worshiping. His thumb skimmed under the top of her shorts, stayed there, and I knew I needed to leave before I ended killing the sonofabitch.
“I’m out of here,” I told my brother without looking in his direction. My gaze was locked on Jos, and from the tilt of her lips in that smug little smile, I knew she could feel me watching her. This was all a show, one for my benefit. “This place is a total sausage fest anyway. I’m going home. Got shit to do in the morning.”
“I’m headed to the clubhouse,” Matt told me. “Pay the tab.”
Muttering a curse, I pulled out my wallet as I walked toward the bar where Colt was washing glasses.
As I drew closer, Jos turned her head, her eyes rolling over me. The guy said something close to her ear and she bit her lip, but I could read everything she was thinking—and her thoughts weren’t on the little pussy-assed bitch standing in her personal space. I saw a flash of the hurt I’d already inflicted the week before, along with the same, never-ending hunger that lived inside of me like a parasite.
I clenched my fingers around the bills in my hand and tried to pull my eyes away from Jos as I reached the bar. Unsuccessfully.
“You leaving?” Colt’s voice didn’t have the power to pull my gaze from the way Jos’s eyes were begging me to come take her away from the guy she was with.
“Yeah,” I muttered, dropping the cash on the bar top.
Colt followed my gaze. “Don’t worry, I’m not letting her drink. She’s just having a little fun.”
“She’s getting herself into trouble is what she’s doing. She doesn’t have to be drinking to do that.”
Jos turned away, having heard what I’d just said, and pressed her hands to the guy’s chest. One hand started playing with the buttons on his shirt, while the other slid south teasingly, her fingertips tracing over the obvious hard-on in the guy’s jeans.
Mine.
A red haze washed over my eyes, and I was at the other end of the bar before I could even draw another breath. Grabbing her hand in a tight hold, I jerked her away from her friend and started dragging her toward the door.
“She’s with me, asshole,” the guy yelled behind us.
“Fuck off. I’m taking her home before she gets herself in trouble.”
“I don’t want to go home,” Jos said with a pout as I slammed through the door and out into the parking lot, stomping toward my bike. At least she wasn’t putting up a struggle, telling me she was getting exactly what she wanted from me.
“Too fucking bad,” I snarled, stopping only when we reached the motorcycle, and I thrust my helmet into her hands. “Get on the fucking bike, Jos.”
I tossed my leg over, waiting for her to climb on behind me. Without hesitating, she did, her arms locking around my abdomen, her cheek pressed to my back.
And just like that, most of the rage clouding my vision dissipated.
It left me feeling weak—and hard as fuck. I wanted her so goddamn bad I couldn’t breathe without it physically hurting.
Now what the fuck am I going to do?
I needed to take her home. Pound on Butch’s door until he opened up and promised me he wouldn’t let his little girl out of the house again until she was fifty.
That was the rational thing to do. The one that wouldn’t let me commit more sins than I already had with this female. But my cock was drilling into my zipper, begging for freedom. The feel of her hands on my stomach, her fingers sliding under my T-shirt and skimming along the top of my jeans, was driving me fucking crazy.
One more night.
That was all I needed. Just one more night and then I’d send her packing.