Breaking Away [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles] (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

BOOK: Breaking Away [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles] (Siren Publishing Classic)
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“Willa, look at me.” His voice was hard, and she realized it was an order. She had to crane her neck back because he was so tall. Maybe the extra four inches wasn’t so bad. She gulped a little at his intense stare. His eyes held hers, as he continued. “Do I look like most men to you?”

“Well, of course not, but…”

“No buts. You are not too tall. You are not too big. You are perfect for me, and that’s what matters. I like the fact that I can be myself with you and not feel like I’m going to break you. Some men may like tiny women, but not me. I want a real woman.” He threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair and hauled her to him. His other hand found the curve of her bottom. “And if I ever hear you talk like that about yourself again, I will put you over my knee and show you just how little you are compared to me.” He emphasized his point by firmly squeezing the cheek he was holding. Then his kissed her soundly.

Willa was panting and breathless when he finally drew back. She figured she should probably be shocked, pissed, or both at his high-handed behavior, but instead, she felt like she was melting. She knew she was falling for him hard, and he’d just pulled her in a little deeper. She wasn’t sure about the idea of the promised spanking. Part of her wanted to protest that she was an adult and didn’t need to be corrected, but another part found the idea of being over his knee thrilling. She was pretty sure that made her a twisted pervert, oh how she loved it. She felt the smile spread across her face and wanted to moan when he returned it with a wicked grin. Somehow she knew he had read her mind.

“I’m serious, little girl, don’t push me just to see if I’ll do it. You won’t be happy at the results. That glorious round ass of yours would turn a pretty shade of pink, so don’t tempt me.” He stepped back, as if he was, even now, struggling to resist the temptation. “Now quit baiting me. I wanted to take you out. You keep looking at me like that, and I’m going to end up backing you against the barn wall. You’re too sore for that. Even I’m not that much of a Neanderthal.”

Turning from her, he swung his long leg over the bike and settled into the seat. Holding out his hand, he helped her on behind him. She settled onto the p-pad and snuggled up against him. He reached back into the saddlebag and brought out a shiny black helmet with sexy red roses airbrushed on it.

She eyed it suspiciously. Did he always carry around a lady’s helmet in case he got lucky? He must have sensed her suspicion because he chuckled and explained. “I stopped at Smokey’s and bought it for you this morning while I was on my way to the hardware store, so don’t worry. I do kind of like the idea that you’re jealous though.” His grin was wide as he said the last, and she couldn’t resist smacking him playfully across his shoulder.

“Behave. You’re already larger than life. You don’t need an ego to match it.” She took the helmet, though, studying it. “Smokey’s is Gabe’s dad’s motorcycle shop, right?”

“Yep! And don’t think they didn’t give me a hard time about buying it, so thank me properly and make it worth my suffering.”

“How about I thank you later tonight?” She winked as she slid the helmet on. She struggled a little getting the strap on but soon was suited up and ready to go.

He reached between his legs and fiddled with something on the side of the machine then hit a switch on the handles. She gave a little squeak as the bike roared to life. It felt alive between her legs, like a vibrating tiger. She shivered as the feeling of the bike and man washed over her. He was big, warm, and strong in front of her. The bike was hard and massive under her, and both felt electric between her legs.

“Oh man, I’m in trouble,” she mumbled, and he laughed.

“Scared?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you in trouble?”

“Is it possible to die from overstimulation?”

She felt his body shake and knew he was laughing. He leaned back and said in a husky voice, “Darling, if that was possible, I’d have keeled over the minute I saw your gorgeous ass dancing near the flower bed.”

She felt his left leg move and looked down to see him use the toe of his big boot to put the bike into gear. They sprang forward into the blazing late-day sun. It was amazing how the massive machine and man became one. She snuggled into him, melting into his broad back. He smelled heavenly. No wonder Danny loved this. It was beyond anything she could have imagined, accept actually having sex with him. Nothing was better than that.

The bike glided smoothly through the curving mountain roads, and she let herself float on a haze of sweet pleasure.

 

* * * *

 

They pulled into the gravel parking lot behind Big Daddy’s BBQ. Jake had debated where to take Willa for dinner. He didn’t know a lot about her. That’s what this date was about, getting to know each other. He did know she came from money. That was obvious in every word she said, every move she made. She screamed class. He had considered taking her somewhere expensive. Despite how it seemed, he did own a suit and tie, but that wasn’t the real him. Big Daddy’s was his favorite place to eat. Their barbeque was perfect, tangy but sweet, moist but not soupy. The restaurant itself was simple but clean, and local bands played on their battered stage every weekend. He could already hear the soft thump of base from the parking lot and smell the divine scent of roasting pork.

He pulled the bike into one of the narrow spaces reserved for motorcycles and shut off the fuel and then the ignition. Rocking it back, he engaged the kickstand, steadying the big machine. He was surprisingly nervous as he turned to gage her reaction. He shouldn’t have worried about his sweet Willa.

She had a huge grin spreading across her beautiful face. “Oh yes! I’ve wanted to try their barbeque. I’ve heard it’s the best in the entire state. This is awesome!” She was practically bouncing as she unlaced the strap on her helmet.

Jake returned her smile as he took her helmet and tucked it into his saddlebag with his own. “Well, let’s go then.” He caught her hand in his as he helped her off the bike. She kept his hand tucked into hers as they followed the tantalizing smell toward the restaurant’s entrance. “They also have hush puppies that are to die for,” he said as he held the door for her. He spotted the hostess just to the inside of the door and called out to her. “Hey, Rosie, you got room for two?” The place was always busy on the weekends, especially when the bands were good, and from what he could hear, they weren’t going to be disappointed tonight.

“Sure thing, darlin’,” the pretty redhead answered. “You know you always have a seat here. Now that rotten, no-good cousin of yours better not show hisself anywhere near here. I got a shotgun full of buckshot with his name on it.”

Jake put his hands up in a placating gesture. “If I know Bo, he probably deserves it, but try not to do it when I’m around. I’d hate to have to haul you in.” Rosie didn’t seem the least bit worried to Jake, which was just as well. Rosie was a good kid, and knowing his cousin, she probably had cause to want a little of his ass, so he decided to let it go. “Rosie, this is Willa, my girlfriend. Willa, this is Rosie, an old friend of the family. Don’t let her scare you off. If I know my cousin Bo, he earned ever bit of her fire.”

Rosie sent a big smile in Willa’s direction. “Well, hello, Willa, if you are the one who put that happy look on his face then thank you. Jake here takes life way too seriously.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Willa returned the woman’s warm greeting, a look of relief on her face. Jake realized she’d been nervous, and it occurred to him that she might be as worried about fitting into his world as he was of fitting into hers.

Rosie shook Willa’s hand enthusiastically before grabbing two laminated menus and escorting them to their table. “Y’all want to be up near the band, right? I’ve got two perfect seats, just to the right of the bass player, so you should have good seats but not be right in the middle of everything.”

They took their seats at a small round table just as the band started on a new song. Jake mainly preferred southern rock, and this band sounded more country, but he could appreciate their talent, especially when they started singing about a sexy country girl shaking what God gave her. He could definitely appreciate that as the image of Willa shaking her luscious bottom filled his mind. That was an image he’d always treasure. Talk about lasting first impressions.

“This is so cool!” Willa enthused as she began to bounce in her seat to the song’s strong beat. “I’ve never been anywhere like this before.” He almost expected her to clap her hands together in excitement. He felt his chest puff up with pride as he realized how good he felt that he’d been the one to put that look of joy on her face. He’d known he could please her in the bedroom, but there was more to a relationship than sex. And he wanted a relationship. She was his warm, safe place. Being with her made him feel like a better man. If bringing her to Big Daddy’s made her this happy then he’d bring her here every damn day!

The waitress wound her way to their table, and they ordered two beers and a basket of hush puppies to get them started. “Just about everything’s good here, but their barbeque sandwich is what they are best known for. Their tater wedges are pretty good, too.”

Willa was scanning the plastic-coated menu intently, and Jake felt a moment of apprehension. Hell, she was a gourmet chef, and he’d brought her to a barbeque joint, but then she looked up, and there was no mistaking the eagerness in her eyes. “Everything sounds good. But I think I’ll go with the sandwich, like you said. Next time I might try the ribs though.”

The waitress was back with their drinks and steaming pups within a few minutes. Once their order was placed, they dug into the hush puppies.

Jake watched as she popped the fried cornmeal treat into her mouth and moaned. “Oh my! That is so good,” she mumbled as she chewed.

He laughed and took a sip of his beer, enjoying her delight for several moments before he decided to take the plunge and ask her about a few things.

“Tell me about your late husband.”

She froze, midchew. Gulping the bite down, she seemed at a loss. “You want to know about Reggie? Why?”

“I’m not trying to be overbearing, but I’m just a little confused. Was he gay or really old or something?”

“Huh?”

“Well, last night you said you’d never come like that before, and then this afternoon you admitted that no one had ever gone down on you. I’m just not sure how any man could have such an incredibly hot wife and not be all over her. Shit, I didn’t even last a day.”

She wiped her mouth, and Jake sensed that she was stalling, deliberating. Finally, she gave a simple answer. “Not everyone looks for the same things in a wife. No, he wasn’t gay or old. He just wasn’t interested in being married.”

“Then why did he ask you to marry him?”

She shrugged. “I guess for the same reason I said yes. It’s what we were expected to do. We grew up together, our families were old friends, and we were practically betrothed at birth. We were always told that one day we would marry and join the families, unite the empires, my father-in-law used to always say.”

“That doesn’t seem very fair to either of you.”

“It wasn’t, but it’s what was expected. Reggie wasn’t really ready to be married, but once he graduated from college, it became clear if he wanted to keep his trust fund flowing, he’d do what he was expected to. I was eighteen, and they didn’t figure I needed college. So we got married. I didn’t really mind as much as you might think. It got me out from under my mother’s thumb. My father always let her have her way as long as she left him alone with his mistresses, so she ruled the house like her own little kingdom, much like my father-in-law. My mother-in-law is a delicate woman, prone to headaches, so Reggie pretty much always did what he wanted. After we were married, he went back to doing that. And I did what I’d always wanted to. I went to culinary school. It was just a local community college program, but everyone left me alone to do what I wanted. Oh, we made an effort to make the marriage work at first, but Reggie thought a wife should be like his mother. His father didn’t go to her for his pleasure. When I tried to spice things up, he let me know that he had mistresses for that type of thing. I should just be happy with the nice high-end condo we lived in and the fact that he didn’t bother me for his ‘baser needs.’ That’s the term he actually used.”

“He sounds like a selfish bastard. What about your needs?” Jake knew his knuckles were white from his grip on his beer, but he’d asked, and he’d be damned if he’d let her see how much her answer pissed him off.

Again, she shrugged. “He didn’t know any better. He’d been mostly raised by nannies who spoiled him rotten to keep their jobs. He had no real ambition and an endless supply of money. His job was only a figurehead job at his father’s company. He practically majored in partying in college, and I guess he wasn’t going to let a little thing like being married stop him. Like I said, I didn’t mind as much as you’d think. I got to go to college and study what I’d always wanted to. I guess it worked, even if I was a bit lonely.”

“How did he die?” He was fairly certain it had to do with partying, and she confirmed it.

“The tree never stood a chance, and neither did Reggie’s little Porsche.”

“How did you end up with the bed-and-breakfast though? If his father is as meddlesome as he seems, didn’t he try and get control of the money?”

“Oh, he did get control of the money. I didn’t see a dime of the money Reggie left. It’s ok though. My father-in-law might be able to control a lot of things, he couldn’t control fate. A month after Reggie’s death, the crazy aunt I was never allowed to meet left me her old bed-and-breakfast and a small life insurance policy. They’d practically kept me prisoner, but I was an adult, and they couldn’t hold me forever. I walked out to go to a hair appointment and never went back. They show up at the bed-and-breakfast from time to time.” She smiled wickedly. “Last time they showed up, Gabe was there and he went all lawyer on them. Told them if they continued to harass me, he was going to get a restraining order on them, and while he was at it, he was going to get his friends in law enforcement to look into their finances and see what they could find.” She paused as if suddenly realizing something. “He was talking about you, wasn’t he?”

BOOK: Breaking Away [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles] (Siren Publishing Classic)
5.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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