Ridin' Dirty: An Outlaw Author Anthology (OAMC Book 1) (13 page)

Raven

“Papi” comes through my phone’s speaker as I make breakfast. I let Gage sleep in because he looked so peaceful. Besides, after the night I had, that man definitely deserves breakfast in bed. My skin tingles with the memories. I can’t believe I squirted. Holy shit, it felt amazing. Embarrassing, but amazing nonetheless. Just when I think we’ve covered everything in the bedroom, he surprises me.

I sing along with J. Lo, rocking my hips as I add eggs to his plate. With a twirl, I head to the fridge to get the orange juice, but freeze in my tracks when I find Gage watching me from the doorway. The man still sends my heart racing when I see him shirtless. His body is so
tight—
lean muscles, flat stomach, the little “V” at his hips. And the tattoos?
Dios
. Add in the fact that he still looks at me the way he did when we met at that barbecue a year ago—like he can’t wait to get into my pants—and he does me in every time.

“Why’d you stop?” he asks.

Biting into my bottom lip, I dance my way over to him. He takes my hand, turns me around, and pulls me against him. I press my ass into his crotch, switching my hips. He reaches under my T-shirt, groaning in disappointment when he meets the crotch of the panties I put on this morning.

“You know I don’t like to wake up without you.”

“I wanted to make you breakfast.” I turn to him with a pout. “I was going to bring it up to you.”

He drops a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’d love that, doll but I gotta go. Pack it up for me?”

“’Kay.”

He leaves me with a smack on my ass, and I set to packing up his breakfast. By the time he comes back downstairs, I’ve already eaten. He’s not wearing his colors, so I know he’s handling legit business today.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

I grab the paper bag I packed his food in, and follow him out. “You’ll have to re-heat it.”

“I will.”

He places his breakfast on the passenger seat, but before climbing in to the Bimmer, he pulls me against him.

“You know, I still don’t get it,” he says as he stares down at me.

“Get what?”

“Why you’re with me.”

“Gage….”

Where is this coming from?
I thought we were past this long ago. I tell him every chance I get, so why can’t he see how much I love him?

“I mean it. I’m almost twice your age, you tell me all the time how bossy I am —”

“You’re a man,” I interrupt him. “That’s what I need. And in case you haven’t noticed, I can handle your ‘bossy’.”

“I’m a man, but I’m not a
good
man.”

“We’ve been through this. Look,” I take a deep breath. “I know there are things you can’t tell me, but you’ve never lied to me. You take care of me, your family, your brothers,
and
your employees. I trust you. I trusted you in a time when I didn’t trust myself. So believe me when I tell you you’re a good man, Gage.”

“Yeah?” He raises a brow, tightening his arm around me.

“Yeah. You told me once that I’m perfect for you. Of course, you were balls deep in me at the time so you may have been a little biased.”

That gets a chuckle out of him.

“I’m not perfect, Gage… and neither are you. But we’re perfect for each other. We’re perfect
together
.” I slide my palms up his chest, cradling his face. “I love you. Don’t you
ever
forget that.”

“I won’t,” he mumbles against my lips before taking them in a fierce kiss.

I part them for him, and his tongue barges in, claiming what’s his. No cut, ring, or tattoo can bind him to me more than the way he looks at me, the way he touches me. I’m his in every possible way. Like he always does, he reaches down and grabs my ass, squeezing a cheek. And like we always do, we forget where we are, only being pulled back to reality when the neighbor’s car starts up. He breaks away, staring down at me with fire in his eyes. He doesn’t say it back. There are only rare moments when he says the words, but I know he loves me. Unlike him, I don’t need the constant reassurance.

“See you later,” I whisper.

“Yeah. Remember I got my flying lesson today. And don’t forget to take your pre-natal shit.”

After a kiss on my forehead, he slides into the driver’s seat, and backs out of the driveway. When I turn to head inside, I notice Vivica—our neighbor to the left—watching me. She blushes and averts her gaze.

“Morning, Vivica,” I greet her as I walk to the fence.

“Good morning, Raven. Sorry, didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s okay. I know we’re quite a spectacle.” I give her a comforting smile.

“It’s just… you guys are so
open
with your love. The first time I saw him, I never expected that kind of thing from Gage. I wish my husband was like that.”

“Does he tell you that he loves you?”

“He does. All the time.”

“See, that’s the difference between James and Gage. I know he loves me; he shows me every day, but he’s really stingy with the words.”

She nods in understanding.

“I
am
grateful to you two for one thing, though.” She leans in closer. “With all the sex you guys have, James thinks he needs to keep up.”

We both burst out laughing.

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly. After being married twenty years, we needed a little boost in that department. Who knew all it would take is a biker and his woman moving in next door?”

“Well, shit. You’re welcome!”

While we’re laughing, a man from down the street walks by with his dog.

“Good morning, ladies!” he says in a chirpy voice.

“Good morning, Pete,” Vivica answers.

I wave to him as he passes, but he’s staring at me and isn’t watching where he’s going. He ends up walking right into a stop sign. Vivica and I muffle our laughter and look away, sparing him additional embarrassment.

“I think you better get inside.” Vivica giggles.

“I think so, too. I’ll see you later.”

We part ways and I make my way into the house. After a shower, I grab the bottle of pre-natal vitamins and remove a tablet. Gage has been at me non-stop for months. He wants this baby. He won’t come anywhere but inside me, and has been reading all kinds of material on how to get pregnant. He must have been pissed last night when he had to come on my stomach. His frustration kills me. The dejected look on his face each month when I get my period is the dirt on my coffin. I stare down at the little object in my palm and my hand begins to shake. I clench it in a fist, closing my eyes as tears begin to form. This is all my fault. When he finds out he’ll leave me for sure. Why would he want me then? As the tears spill onto my cheeks, I shake my head, trying to pull myself together. I place the tablet on my tongue and wash it down with a glass of water. Turning away from my reflection in the mirror, I head downstairs to the bedroom Gage converted into an art room for me. I have a project due for school and I need to get started on it.

***

“Babe?”

I look up from the drawing on my tablet, surprised to see Gage standing in the doorway. “What are you doing home so early?”

“Early?” He raises a brow as he approaches. “It’s after six.”

“What?”

I check my phone in confusion. 6:17 p.m.
What the fuck?

“Have you even left this spot today?” he asks after he kisses me.

“I don’t know. I must have.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

He pulls up a chair, sitting across from me with a concerned stare.
Could I have been that absorbed in my work that I’ve been sitting here for nine hours?

“Have you eaten anything, babe?”

Fuck. He’s home and I haven’t made dinner! I quickly put my tablet aside and jump to my feet.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the time. I’ll make you something —”

He grabs my hand, stopping me before I can hurry out of the room.

“Sit. I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

“’Kay.” I drop back down in my seat and pick up my tablet, calling after him as he walks out, “Get Chinese.”

I’m getting absorbed in my project once more, when strange but wonderful smells start coming from the kitchen. I check the time and it’s 6:40. There’s no way the food got here that fast. Taking my tablet with me, I follow my nose. I walk into the kitchen and my mouth drops open in shock. I’m pretty sure my heart skips a few beats, too. Gage Harley Hunter is standing in front of the stove, wearing sweatpants and a tank, and… he’s cooking.

“Umm… what’s going on?” I ask.

He looks back at me with a grin.

“What does it look like?”

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

“Chopper’s not the only one who knows his way around the kitchen.”

I approach him, noting the ingredients scattered on the counter. There’s the leftover rice and chicken from yesterday, and a bunch of veggies laid out. I hop up on the counter and watch him with growing curiosity. Just when I thought I knew everything there was to know about this man, he proves me wrong. Cooking. Gage. Gage Hunter.
Wow
.

“Are you done with your project?” he asks as he adds rice to the onion and scallions in the pan.

Snapping out of my haze, I turn my tablet to him, showing him my progress. He smirks, turning back to his task.

“Aren’t your teachers tired of my face by now?”

“They asked me to draw a representation of the most important thing in my life. That’s you.”

He freezes, losing the smirk as he looks up at me. He removes the pan from the heat and walks over to me, stepping between my legs. I put my tablet aside, sliding my hands around his neck as his go around my waist.

“Me?”

I nod, holding his stare. Leaning in, he presses a gentle kiss to my lips.

“Love you, babe.”

I close my eyes, letting his words wash over me. I don’t hear them often so when I do, it makes them even more special.

“Love you, too.”

After a kiss on my forehead, he moves back to the stove. I watch him work, realizing what he’s cooking. I wanted Chinese, so my man is making fried rice.

“You know, I have the best old man in the world.”

“Yeah? I’m open to accepting sexual favors as gratitude.”

“If you get any more sexual favors, I’ll have more miles on my pussy than an 8th Street hooker.”

“A what?” He laughs.

“In Miami, there’s a section of 8th Street that’s just motels on both sides. Lots of hooker traffic.”

“And how do you know so much about it?” He raises a brow.

“Everyone knows about
Calle
Ocho
.” I shrug.

“Well, I don’t care how many miles you got as long as I’m the one racking them up.”

“
Claro, papi. Sólo tu
.”

“Good.”

“You don’t even know what I said!” I giggle.

“Of course I do. You said my dick game is so strong, you’d never even think of fucking anyone else.”

I burst out laughing and he gives me a lopsided grin.

“Am I right?”

“Totally. Has Rico been giving you Spanish lessons?”

“I’ve picked up a few things here and there.”

He divides the rice between two plates, then lifts me down from the counter, smacking my ass. With a smile, I stick it out toward him. It’s been a while since I got a spanking.

“One more?”

Biting into his bottom lip, he spanks the other cheek and whispers in my ear, “Later.”

A shiver runs down my spine.
Yes!
I head to the fridge and grab us two sodas, then meet him at the table.

“Eat up,” he encourages me.

I’m hooked from the first bite. “This is delicious!”

He answers with a smirk.

“I’m serious. It’s better than what we get from the Chinese place.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely. Maybe you should be in charge of meals from now on.”

“Nice try.”

I giggle. “Hey, I had to.”

While we eat, he tells me about his day. I really have nothing to contribute so I listen, pitching in every now and then.

“How was your lesson?” I ask.

“Amazing, babe.” His face lights up. “I should have done this a long time ago.”

“I can’t wait to go flying with you.”

“You’ll be the first one I take up there. I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for you.”

Reaching over, I take his hand, gently squeezing it. “I’m just glad you’re doing something you love.”