Rough Edges (14 page)

He fisted the blanket with his hand. He should send her back now. Buy her a ticket and send her home. Never talk to her again. The thought tore him apart.

He got up and paced, unable to sit still. What the hell was he going to do now? She must think him the biggest asshole to ignore her like he was, but he had to figure what the hell was going on in his head. Like that was ever going to happen.

Unable to contain himself, he stripped and pulled on some loose shorts then left his room. Luckily he didn’t see her, so he went to his garage. Turning on the music, he dealt with his emotions the only way he knew how.

He beat the hell out of his punching bag.

Mindless, he swung, punching and kicking the bag. Over and over. Sweat poured into his eyes and down his chest. When he finally glanced up, he stopped.

78

Rough Edges

She stood in the doorway, her hair mussed and wearing nothing but his t-shirt that hung to her knees. The shirt had been missing since Virginia Beach. Worry etched her face and her eyes looked puffy, like she had been crying.

It ripped his heart out.

She licked her lips and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She dropped her chin and turned to walk away.

“No. It’s okay,” he said, desperate for her to stay.

She seemed hesitant but stopped and looked at him with a hopeful expression. The look stomped what was left of his heart. He was the cause of the pain behind her eyes.

She walked up to him and placed a hand on his punching bag. “I couldn’t sleep, then heard you out here. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.”

The look on her face told him she was talking about more than just being in his garage. “I want you here,” he said and meant every word. Yeah, he might be confused about what he felt for her, but her not being here would be worse.

“Are you sure? Because I get the feeling you don’t want me here. And at Magoo’s—

”

“Magoo’s was a mistake. I should never have taken you there. I’m sorry.” He fisted his hand. She jerked back like he had hit her.

“Why? Because you didn’t want your friends to know me? Or that I might ruin your other little flings? Don’t worry, because when I’m gone I don’t think any of them will remember my name.”

Anger rolled off of her in waves and it sparked his own.

“No. It was mistake because you shouldn’t have been exposed to what type of person I really am. Hell, Bec, I don’t give a rat’s ass what they think about me, but I do care what they think about you. You deserve better than that.”

“The type of person you really are? I know what type of person you are, Jake. Just because everyone else only sees what you let them, doesn’t mean that’s who you are.”

“They know the truth. You are the one who sees something that’s not here.” And in some ways maybe it was good that she saw what he was about. Maybe then she wouldn’t have unrealistic expectations of him.

“Really? Because I think it’s all an act. An act to keep people away.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I’m not stupid. I know why those girls were staring at you.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t think you do. They were a mindless fuck,” he said harshly. “That’s what they were!”

She lifted her chin. “I knew that, Jake. Like I said, I’m not stupid. But there’s one thing you haven’t figured out yet—I’m not a mindless fuck, am I?”

Then she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down. Her mouth slammed on his and her tongue ran along the seam of his lips. Surprised at her actions, he shuddered and clamped his arms around her, dragging her against him. Her nails dug 79

Ashlynn Pearce

into his shoulders and for once he thought she really did want to hurt him. He hoped she did. He deserved it.

Mouths fused together, he cupped her ass and she locked her legs about his waist.

He carried her to his workbench, perching her on the edge—a perfect level, his dick nestled between her thighs against her wet panties.

Her hand dove into his shorts and gripped him tight. He throbbed in her palm as she stroked him. He broke the kiss, yanked the shirt over her head and gazed at her sitting prettily on his bench. She wore nothing but light pink lacy boy shorts and looked damn fine in them. Her bare breasts were full, her nipples hard and he leaned down to trail his tongue over one. Her instant response was what he couldn’t get enough of. She arched, shoving the nipple deeper into his mouth. He tweaked it with his teeth.

“Yes,” she hissed.

Her hands slid into his hair and clung as he took a taste of each breast. Small yet perfect. Just like her. Perfect. Hunger roared in his veins as she rotated her hips against his cock, rocking back and forth, her pants heavy in his ear. Her fresh scent and the smell of sex hung in the air.

He slid one finger inside her and he groaned in unison with her moan.

“God, you’re wet.”

He jerked on the lace band of her panties, annoyed, wanting them gone. Muttering under his breath he glanced over his workbench, spotted a pair of wire snips and grabbed them.

“Jake, what are you doing?” she asked with a little bit of alarm in her voice.

“I’m getting rid of something.” He smiled at her then cut her panties at the seam.

“Dammit! Those were my favorite.”

“I’ll buy you more.”

Dropping the tool, he parted her pussy lips. He could see all of her. Her light pink slit glistened with wetness. Her legs were spread and dangled over the side of his workbench, a sight he would never forget. He looked up into her face, her eyes were dark, her teeth worried her lower lip.

Then he lowered his head and suckled the nub of her clit into his mouth. Her hips bucked under him as she screamed out his name, flooding his mouth instantly with her tangy taste.

“Jake, please. Fuck me,” she said in a way he couldn’t refuse.

“Oh hell,” he said when he realized condoms were in the house. “Don’t. Move.”

Becca could only manage a little nod. Her body shook with the aftershocks of her orgasm, her need and want so powerful it hurt.

When he walked back in he was naked and rolling on a condom. He looked so good, and she craved him. Any way she could have him. At this moment she didn’t 80

Rough Edges

care if it was only for this weekend. She didn’t care how many women he’d had or how many he might have after her. Right now, he was hers.

He gripped her hips and she whimpered when he stared directly into her face, the tip of his erection pressing against the core of her. “You’re right, Bec. You’re no mindless fuck.”

Then he drove in, filling her over and over. His lips suckled at the skin just beneath her ear and his words crawled directly into her heart. Gentle wasn’t part of the game, and she didn’t want gentle.

Every time he growled her name, she lost a little more of herself. And right now she didn’t care. All she wanted was him and what he could make her feel. A tense ache wound tighter and tighter, until it exploded.

“Jake!” Her nails dug into his back as he drove her even higher before he tensed and pulsed within her. She clung to him, her body shaking, her toes curling, unable to catch her breath. His head fell against her shoulder as he slowly slipped out.

She wasn’t sure how she got there, but the next thing she knew, she was in a soft bed. His large body spooned behind her, his arm encircling her waist and holding her tightly. Releasing a sigh, she drifted off to sleep.

She woke with a start and sat straight up in bed. The bright sunshine filtering through the blinds caused her to blink when she realized she was in Jake’s room and he wasn’t there. Curious about his private space, she glanced around. One small dresser sat at the foot of the bed with a TV perched on top, clothes were tossed into one corner and on his lone night stand sat a clock, a lamp and a biker magazine. The walls were white and only one picture adorned them, a poster of a motorcycle. Of course. What surprised her most about his home was the lack of personal touches like pictures of friends or family. The only thing you could tell about the place was that a man lived here and he liked bikes.

She smiled when she spotted her suitcase sitting atop a chair. He must have brought it in, because she had put it in the tiny guest room after it looked like he didn’t want her in his own room. Her heart light, she grabbed some clothes and went into his bathroom.

While in the shower, she couldn’t help but think of his words last night.
You’re no
mindless fuck.
To anyone else they might have seemed crass, but she knew the meaning behind them. She meant something to him. At this point it was all she could ask for and she hoped they had crossed some milestone.

Shoving her wet hair from her face she let the hot water stream over her. She hadn’t planned this, and was pretty sure it was a bad idea, but she was falling for him. Hard.

How could she not? He made her feel alive. Just looking at him made her melt. It wasn’t just his good looks, although it helped. It was the way he looked at her. With such intensity he made her feel like the only woman on the planet. He made her feel beautiful and powerful.

If only she could make him feel the same.

81

Ashlynn Pearce

Dressed, she hurried out of his room and into the kitchen. He stood there in front of the stove frying an egg, his back to her, wearing nothing but baggy shorts. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

“I heard you up, so I thought I’d fix you some breakfast.”

“Thanks. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s no problem.”

Two plates sat on the counter, each with a few slices of bacon, a piece of toast and he added the eggs. She sat at the round table as he placed it in front of her.

“Do you want coffee or orange juice? I have both,” he said.

“Coffee would be great.”

He nodded and as he poured them both a cup, she realized he had retreated into himself again. He wouldn’t really look at her, and he had nothing to say. The buoyant feeling that carried her into the kitchen evaporated.

Setting the steaming cups down, he put the creamer and packages of sweetener in the center of the table, then he sat and started eating.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” she asked as she picked at her food.

He sipped his coffee, black she noticed, and looked up at her. “Nothing.” Then he went right back to eating.

Right.

Nerves wound her stomach into knots and she ate only half her food then got up and scraped the rest into the trash. Setting the dishes in the sink, she stared out the window into his backyard. It was small and enclosed with a chain-link fence. A huge oak tree shaded the entire yard. It was nice being able to look out a window and see greenery instead of concrete and another building.

“Hope you don’t mind, but we’ve been invited to Mom’s,” he said as he set his dishes in the sink on top of hers.

“You mean Maria, right? Tony’s mom?” she asked as she turned around to look at him.

“Yeah. Guess it was planned, but I just got the phone call. We need to be there in about an hour. If you want,” he said and finally looked her in the eye.

“Do you not want to go?” This had to be what was wrong.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Yeah. It’s fine.”

She burst out laughing, she couldn’t help it and he stared at her like she had lost her mind. “Gee, you’re a terrible liar. If you don’t want to go, then don’t. And if it’s me, I’ll stay here and you can go. Don’t let me put you out.” Swiveling on her heel, she stalked from the kitchen. He might have admitted that she was more than a mindless fuck, but he had a lot more to learn.

“Wait a minute,” he said and grabbed her arm. “You don’t put me out. I just didn’t know about this, and if she says to be there, you better be there. Whether you want to 82

Rough Edges

be or not. She’s stubborn and well, it’s just easier to do what she says. If we didn’t show up, she would just come get us.”

“Evidently that’s nothing new to you. So why are you pissy?” Crossing her arms over her chest she watched his mouth open and close like a fish. It was almost funny the way he struggled for an answer. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I know the answer to this one. It’s because I’m here and you don’t know how to handle it. Me being around your family and friends.”

His nod was slow in coming and barely discernable, but he remained silent and even took a step back. It reminded her of when she had first arrived here yesterday. He was scared. Shitless.

She reached up and took his hand in hers. He gripped her hand tight and then pulled her into an embrace. His arm went around her waist and the other tangled in her hair. His shuddering breath seeped into her bones. There was nothing sexual about it, and once again she felt needed. She hugged him back and he brushed his lips over the top of her head.

“I thought I would take my dirt bike. There’s a track out there. So I need to get it loaded up.” He released her and moved toward his garage, but not before he turned his head to give her a faint smile.

* * * * *

It was incredibly hot, so she stayed inside and looked out the window as Jake and Tony tried to outdo each other on the dirt track. They reminded her of little kids as they whipped around a turn, neck and neck, dust rising around them like a cloud. When they first took off, hit the first jump and flew into the air, her heart leapt to her throat.

She didn’t know how many feet off the ground they were, but it scared the hell out of her.

They both wore helmets, so after the twentieth lap around and they were still upright, she relaxed a bit.

Maria handed her a glass of sweet iced tea and smiled. “Don’t worry. Really. They always act like juveniles.”

She took the glass. “Thanks. And yeah, I’ve figured that out about them.”

Reluctantly she moved away from the window and sat on the plush sofa. Maria had made her feel welcome instantly and she couldn’t help but like her. She had salt-and-pepper hair and Tony’s bright blue eyes. Carl, Tony’s dad, had wrapped her in a bear hug like she was someone he knew and hadn’t seen in a while.

Their home was cozy. Pictures lined the walls and every table. It was so obvious they loved their family. Such a stark contrast to the house Jake lived in. This one was filled with personal touches.