Exquisite Redemption (Iron Horse MC Book 3) (17 page)

“You’re so good at this,” I moaned in shameless delight.

“Had a lot of practice with my mom,” Beach said in a low voice. “After my dad died there were some…legal issues with my family. Basically my uncle believed that more should have come to him than did, and lots of other family members felt the same, so my inheritance was caught up in legal battles. See, my dad had been aware of their scheming bullshit to get their hands on his money. And even though I was in and out of trouble with the law, and had firmly entrenched myself in the world of the Iron Horse MC, my dad knew I wasn’t a dumbass.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “How the hell did you end up President of Iron Horse?”

“Prez,” Smoke said in a low voice. “Our lawyer has some questions for you.”

Pushing myself into a fully upright position, I turned to Smoke. “Lawyer?”

“Just a precaution, baby,” Beach said as he stroked my calf. “Gotta make sure you’re legally covered. Also called and talked to Marley. A couple brothers from an affiliate club out in Vegas are gonna watch over her and her boy. Also talked to your neighbors while you slept and they’re aware you’re gonna be outta town for a while and to keep an eye on your girl. Marley’s packing some of your things up and sendin’ them to me.”

“What the fuck?” I tried to jerk my leg from his lap, but he gripped my ankle as my patience snapped. “Stop trying to take my life over!”

His lips thinned and Smoke gave me an incredulous look. Awareness filled me as I realized everyone on the plane had stopped talking and were staring at me, but fuck them. I wasn’t going to let any man steamroll over me. I didn’t care if Mr. Carlos Rodriguez was the President of the Known Universe, I was tired of his heavy-handed bullshit.

“Yesterday two Los Diablos members tried to abduct Marley on her way home. If my guys wouldn’t have been there, she would have been in a world of hurt.” He glared at me. “So swallow your pride and let me help you.”

“Help me? While I totally appreciate what you did for Marley, I feel like you’re trying to take away every bit of control I have over my life. I will not allow you, or any man, to do that to me. I can handle this bullshit, stop treating me like I’m some fucking moron. Remember, I saved
your
ass and this isn’t my first rodeo, dick, and I don’t need your bullshit complicating my already fucked-up life. So leave me the fuck alone or I will vanish first chance I get.”

Thunder rumbled through his rough features and I glared at him as he said, “That ain’t gonna happen.”

“Oh yes it will,” I hissed, edging into the analytical space my brain slid into when I felt really threatened, my fear driving my anger. “I’m gonna walk out that door and be gone from your life so fast I’ll be dust in the wind before you blink.”

My face heated as my temper strained to get free and I tried to fight it, but oh, the temptation was there to really fight with him. I’m cursed with anger management issues that I’d inherited from both my parents and when I say I know how to fight dirty, I mean I
know
how to fight dirty. So bad that by the time the argument was over, I’d have said some hurtful shit I didn’t mean but could never take back. Memories of my mother making men cry with her bitter words flashed through my head and I found the strength to calm myself.

Beach must have seen something that alarmed him in my face because he abruptly unbuckled, then stood and hauled me to my feet. “Right, see it’s time we have a conversation. Wanted to wait until we got home, but you’re forcin’ my hand.”

A bolt of apprehension went through me, memories of men beating my mother flooding me even as I tried desperately not to think about them. Deny, deny, avoid, avoid, that was my emotional motto. Probably not a healthy one, but when Beach jerked me into a rather large and plush bathroom with an actual shower and wide countertop, I was still tense enough that I ripped my arm from his grip and put as much space between us as possible. He frowned at me, pushing more of my triggers with his angry look, and I took in a shuddering breath, trying get a grip on my instinctive panic. The overwhelming urge to fight Beach making my body heat with adrenaline.

I was so busy trying to keep my shit together that when he touched my hand, I yelped and jerked away, going into a defensive stance.

He studied my raised arms, my spread legs, then my face for a long, long time. Seemingly of their own accord, my arms lowered and my heart began to slow. His gaze was so intense I had no choice but to fully live in the moment with him. Never before had anyone been able to drag me from my obsessive negative thoughts this quickly and I found myself looking at him with something close to wonder.

“Baby, I know you have a lot to deal with right now, and I promise you that as soon as we get to Austin things’ll calm down, but you can’t act like a bitch to me in front of other people.” He held up a hand, cutting off my protest. “Not sayin’ you can’t yell at me in private when you got a concern, but you gotta keep your temper until we’re not around people that’ll see you running your mouth as a sign of weakness on my part. Considering I’m keeping you alive it would be in both our best interests if I don’t appear vulnerable.”

What I wanted to say was fuck you, but instead I muttered, “I understand.”

Sighing, I moved past him to the sink, spying a black lacquered basket filled with toiletries.

He waited, watching me set about brushing my teeth with a puzzled expression. “That’s it? You understand?”

I handed him the first toothbrush I’d prepared, noting the bemused quirk to his lips as he took it. “Yeah. In your world your reputation is a big deal, it keeps you alive. I’m more than familiar with living with badasses and their often erratic and nonsensical behavior. My dad and his friends are into that macho bullshit. Which it is, by the way, bullshit. I’ll mind my tongue over stupid shit, but life and death situations I’m not going to play damsel in distress. I think we can both agree that isn’t anything unreasonable.”

He couldn’t argue with that so he just stared at me.

I got another toothbrush and loaded it up with toothpaste as he scrubbed his teeth. Shit, he even looked sexy brushing. There had to be something wrong with me if I found toothpaste foam on his lips attractive. Bet he tasted all minty and fresh now.

He rinsed and spit, then gave me a considering look. “We good?”

“I’m tired. We can have more drama tomorrow, but right now I need to rest.”

“We will, but first we need to clear the air a little bit between us ’bout how me and you work.”

“We can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Nope, we’re gonna talk about it now, then crash.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Too bad.”

“See, and that’s another thing. You keep bossing me around behind closed doors and we’re going to have problems.”

He washed his hands while looking at me in the mirror. “I’m willin’ to compromise with you, Sarah. I want you to be able to stand strong on your own two feet, but also to have everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Why? Why would you be so nice to me and suddenly become my leather-clad fairy godfather?”

His lips twitched like he wanted to laugh, but his voice was serious as his said, “You don’t get it. Taking care of a strong woman like yourself is a privilege a man has to earn. And once we get to our place in Austin, I’m gonna spank your ass for that fairy godfather bullshit.”

“Ha,” I squeaked. “Good luck with that one. And what do you mean ‘our’ place. I don’t remember looking at real estate with you in Austin. If ‘we’ had a house it would be one that I picked out. You have a home, I have a home, and they are different buildings in different states.”

Reaching past me, the heat of his body scorching against mine, he grabbed a towel and dried his hands. “Why you fightin’ me so hard on this?”

The truth slipped past my tired lips. “Because I’m afraid to trust you.”

His rough hands cupped my face, his skin still slightly damp and smelling of citrus soap. “Don’t be. Whoever hurt you so bad in the past, I’m not them. My word is my bond and I swear to you that I want nothin’ but the best for you.”

“That doesn’t make one ounce of sense.”

“Hurts my heart to see you believe that,
mi corazón
.”

Blinking fast, I looked away and huffed out a breath. “Whatever. None of this makes sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. The way I feel about you makes no sense at all, never felt it before in my life, but I like it.” He brushed his thumb along my throat, drawing my gaze back to him in time to see his eyes going half-lidded. “Haven’t had more than a taste of you yet, but I know it’s gonna be so fuckin’ good between us.”

A needy pulse flared to life between my legs even as I crossed my arms and gave him a good glare. “That is
so
not happening.”

In a bold move that left me gasping, he pressed his fingers between my legs, then rubbed, making my knees weak.

“Warm and wet,” he groaned out. “Sarah, it’s gonna happen with us, but I’m not in the mood to share any part of you with anyone. Not even the noises you’re gonna make when I fuck you, so we’re gonna have to wait.”

One of those noises escaped from me when his long finger rubbed through my slit, grazing my clit again and again. I wanted more, needed more, and tilted my hips to get it. Soon I was riding his hand, just the soaked fabric of his boxer briefs separating our skin. I wrapped my arms around his thick neck and pulled his mouth down to mine, raining soft kisses on his lips. My clit was so engorged and sensitive that the press of his finger through his boxers was almost enough to get me off.

Almost.

He must have sensed my growing need because his fingers slipped through the handy-dandy front flap of the boxer briefs, the sensation of his rough skin grazing through my wet folds enough to have me shuddering, then whimpering against his throat.

“Shhh, baby,” he whispered. “Be quiet for
Papi
. I’m gonna make you come, but you have to control yourself for me. Be a good girl.”

Those words went straight from my ears to my clit, which throbbed as he rubbed his thumb over the stiff nub. I choked back a cry, desperate for his fingers inside of me. If he’d give me some penetration I’d climax in a heartbeat. The more turned on I got, the more wanton I became, until I was whispering into his ear about how much I wanted his cock.

“Beg for my fingers.” Beach teased me with the tip of one pressing against my entrance. “Beg your
Papi
to make you come.”

Once again that naughty phrase aroused me something fierce, to the point where I was blushing hard, equal parts embarrassed and out of my mind crazy with lust as I said, “Please,
Papi
, make me come.”

He began to rub his thumb faster on my clit, hard enough to rocket me to my orgasm. It happened so fast and fierce that my cry of delight at the tension finally breaking inside of me came out loud, echoing in the bathroom. With a growl, Beach shoved my face into his neck, muffling me. A ribbon of pleasure so intense it hurt tore through me as he continued to finger fuck me through my orgasm, praising me for how beautifully I released for him. It was all too much and I had to bite down on the muscled column of his neck to mute my cries.

Instead of bending me over and fucking me like I hoped he would, Beach held me close and whispered to me about how much he enjoyed giving that to me while he showered me with super-soft kisses.

As I came down, I became all too aware of my battered physical state. My body needed some serious rest and the little bit I’d gotten at the hotel didn’t put a dent in my injuries. Right now said body was telling me it was time to find a bed, floor, or chair to sleep on while my stomach argued I needed food. My internal clock was all thrown off and I could feel the weight of the day trying to grind my spirit into dust.

Beach pulled back with a soft laugh. “You are dead on your feet,
mi riena
. Much as my dick hates me, I gotta give you time to heal before I take you. Your growlin’ belly is tellin’ me you burn through food like nobody’s business. So I’m gonna take care of you and you’re gonna let me do it because it is something that brings me great pleasure, yeah?”

I wanted to put up a brave front, but that orgasm had knocked the fight out of me. “Okay.”

The word kind of slipped out, but I was beginning to see that behind closed doors, life with Beach was going to be interesting. In my relaxed and weary state, having someone to take care of me was nirvana. I can still remember when I got sick at my dad’s for the first time and how it had changed my perception of my other family. I had the flu and all three of them, Mimi, Swan, and my dad, all took care of me without any complaint. In fact, I think they were happy I was allowing them to help me. I think I scared Swan when I broke into hysterical tears after throwing up, overwhelmed that she’d cleaned both myself and the toilet after I was done, then helped me rinse my mouth out. My fever had been raging at that point and I was terribly weak, which made caring for me a not-so-fun chore.

Most people would have thrown me in the shower and hosed me off, but she actually helped me take care of my long hair, exactly like her own. As she’d put conditioner in it, she’d chatted about how we needed to trade haircare tips because mine was so soft. That was it, the first time she’d spoken to me like the sister I’d always imagined, conversing away happily. I found out later she’d been scared by how sick I was, and what I thought was gossip was instead worried babble. Either way, I fell more in love with her that day than I ever had with another human being and I mourned the loss of our friendship.