Rock Chick 04 Renegade (25 page)

The room had gone wired. Lee had tensed beside me, waves of something, emotion, disbelief, whatever, were coming off him and bouncing off me. I felt it at my back from Vance too.

I understood what it meant. It meant this was huge.

“You al right with that?” Shirleen asked me (as if I’d say no).

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded.

“It’l take time. You should know we don’t speak for the others. You take on the street, you don’t have no protection from us. We’re Switzerland when it comes to you. And this deal does not leave this room. Word hits the street before we pul out, it’s war. Got me?” Shirleen went on, her eyes were no longer kind, they were hard and they were sharp.

I just nodded again. She stared at me a beat then it turned into two.

Then the sharpness went out of her eyes and she said quietly, “Thank you for takin’ care of Tye.” Oh my God.

She’d known al along it was me who got Tye off the street. I felt something hit my chest, a weight I hadn’t felt in a long time, not since Auntie Reba died.

I knew what it was. It was tears.

I swal owed and quickly pul ed myself together. “Tye’s a good kid,” I said softly.

“They al are,” she replied just as softly.

Then abruptly she put her hand on Darius’s shoulder and stood. “I need a drink. Who needs a drink?” No one said anything. “Suit yourselves. Shirleen’s gettin’ a drink.” Then she was gone.

We al stayed where we were and were silent.

Final y Lee, his eyes on Darius, asked from beside me,

“She speak for you?”

Darius shook his head, not in the negative, instead, partial y amused, partial y beleaguered.

“You know Aunt Shirleen,” was al he said.

“You told Eddie?” Lee asked.

“We’ve set up a meet after this one,” Darius replied.

“This gonna go wel for you?” Lee went on and Darius’s eyes changed, went hard, scary.

“I had to guess? No,” Darius answered.

More waves of something I didn’t get started pounding around the room.

“You know –?” Lee started but Darius interrupted him.

“I know.”

Lee nodded then his eyes cut to me. “Let’s go.” I got up and fol owed Vance in order to leave the room, Lee fol owed me.

Before we got to the door, Darius addressed me for the first time and cal ed, “Law.”

I turned and looked at him. He stared at me, his face blank. I stared at him the same way.

Then he said, “Tye’s my nephew.”

This news hit me like a physical blow. It was a miracle I didn’t stagger back but somehow I found the internal strength and kept myself under control.

Again, I just nodded but didn’t say a word.

Lee’s hand went to my back and with a gentle push, he moved me forward.

Without a word, we left the bar. Vance and I got on his bike and Lee got in his Crossfire.

Vance flicked two fingers at Lee, I put my arms around Vance’s middle and we shot off.

* * * * *

When he turned his eyes to me, I realized I was trembling.

“What just happened?” I whispered.

“We’l talk inside.”

“It was important, wasn’t it?”

“Jules,” Vance said softly, “let’s get inside.” Then he tensed and his head swung to the side of the house, his eyes narrowing. Lee materialized out of the darkness. I stared at him as he walked to us, straight to us, straight
to me
.

My body went solid, my hand tightened in Vance’s but Lee stopped, close, leaned in, wrapped a hand around the back of my head and pul ed me to him. He kissed my forehead, let me go and then just as fast as he got there, he was gone.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath and I let it out in a rush.

“It was important,” I whispered to the darkness.

I let us in. Vance locked the door behind us and unarmed the beeping alarm then rearmed it for windows and doors.

Throughout this he never let go of my hand.

Boo pranced into the kitchen, took one look at us and let loose with news of his day and his dissatisfaction at the wait to get his treats.

Vance murmured, “Quiet, cat.”

Boo, surprisingly, ceased meowing (though, he did it with a kitty pouty face).

Vance curled me into his body and his arms went around me tight.

I didn’t resist this. I told my Rottweiler to hush because I needed this just this once, just this time.

I put my arms around him, pressed my face into his neck and held him back. Slowly, I felt his strong, warm body absorb my trembles until they were gone.

Vance’s phone rang. He ignored it and kept hold of me.

His phone quit ringing and he said quietly, “You did wel .” I nodded against his neck. Vance saying that meant a lot, more than I wanted it to mean, but I sure as hel wasn’t going to let it show.

He kept hold of me as the minutes ticked by and Boo started swirling his kitty body around our ankles.

Then Vance’s phone rang again. I pul ed back but Vance’s arms stayed around me.

I looked at him and whispered, “I’m okay. Get your phone.”

He watched me a few beats and read on my face that I wasn’t fibbing so he let me go.

While I got Boo his treats, Vance pul ed out his phone, flipped it open and said, “Yeah?”

Boo came with me into the bathroom and watched while I brushed my teeth, washed my face, slathered on my night cream that smel ed of oranges and changed into my blue nightgown. I wrapped my fleecy, dove gray robe around me, walked into the living room, lit some candles and a soft lamp and lay on my side on my lilac couch, Boo tucked into the crook of my lap.

I stroked him, he purred and I thought about what a funny world it was.

I may not have saved Park but I saved Tye and with him I may have helped to save Darius and maybe even Shirleen.

I listened vaguely to Vance talking on the phone in the kitchen and then listened when he stopped talking. Without him making a sound al of a sudden he was there, his thighs in my line of vision. I fol owed them up and just when my eyes hit his face he leaned over, gently gathered up Boo, dropped him in the armchair and turned back around.

Then he gathered
me
.

Picking me up, Vance turned, sat, twisted then settled back, lying ful -length on the couch with me on top of him. I put my elbow into the seat cushion between him and the back of the couch, lifted up my torso and looked down at him.

“Anything important on the phone?” I asked.

“It’l wait,” he said, eyes on my face, the fingers of one hand spreading open my robe then sliding from my hip and up my side.

“I like Shirleen. She’s funny,” I told Vance, ignoring his movements even as his hand went from my side to move forward across my ribcage.

“Everyone likes Shirleen,” he replied.

“Are they going to be able to get out of the business without getting hurt?” I asked and his fingers curled, his knuckles stroked feather light against the underside of my breast and my bel y fluttered in what I was classifying as a Grade Three flutter (yes, I could classify them now, Grade Ten was an orgasm).

“Don’t know,” he answered.

I swal owed. “We need to talk,” I informed him, deciding it was time. Definitely time. Way passed time. My emotional Rottweiler was growling warningly tel ing me if I didn’t do something soon, it would be too late.

“Al right,” Vance agreed, his hand moving away from my body but it came up then pul ed my robe down my shoulder.

“Crowe, seriously,” I shrugged my shoulder to try to keep the robe in place but he already had it down my arm and then it was off on one side.

His hand slid around my waist to my back and he pul ed me to him, his mouth going to my neck. “Talk,” he said there and I admitted to myself that I liked it when he spoke against my neck, it felt good.

“You have to listen,” I said to him, feeling Grade Three rise to Grade Four and being unable to do anything about it when his lips hit my ear and he traced the outer edges with his tongue.

“I’m listening,” he murmured in my ear when he was done.

A shiver went through me.

Okay, whatever. I had to move on before I lost the wil to move on.

He wanted it this way, fine.

“We have to stop seeing each other,” I announced.

I’d lost track of his hand, what with his mouth at my ear, but now I felt it pul my nightgown to my waist and then his hand slid down inside my underwear and cupped my ass.

Oh crap.

That felt good too.

“How about we stop seein’ each other tomorrow?” Vance suggested.

“Crowe…” I started, getting the distinct impression he wasn’t taking me seriously but he stopped me speaking by kissing me. He pul ed out my ponytail holder and my hair fel around us.

When his mouth disengaged from mine, I was breathing heavily and his lips slid back to my neck.

“How’re you feelin’?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. At that point, with his hand at my ass and his lips at my neck, I was feeling
fine
.

His head came back and he looked at me. His eyes were warm, his face soft and sexy and his hand at my behind moved to the smal of my back. He started stroking me lightly there with his fingertips and tingles were sliding across my skin.

“Are you tender?” he went on and I realized what he was asking.

I shook my head.

One of his hands pul ed back my hair and wrapped it around his fist, the other hand went from the smal of my back, sliding across my side to cup my breast.

When his thumb stroked my nipple I shot to Grade Five.

He kissed me again, deep and lots of tongue then soft, sweet, light, quick kisses then lots of tongue again, the whole time his thumb stroked my nipple and his hand was fisted in my hair.

By the time he stopped kissing me, I was firmly established at Grade Six.

I completely forgot about not seeing him anymore, shrugged off the other side of my robe and threw it over the back of the couch. Then I yanked his t-shirt out of his jeans, he let go of my hair, did an ab curl and I pul ed the tee over his head and tossed it aside. My mouth went to his col arbone, down his chest, exploring, watching the muscles contract, fascinated and so turned on I took myself to Grade Seven.

When I made it to his stomach and was sliding lower, using my lips and my tongue, he pul ed me up and kissed me again, hot and to the edge of control.

“I want you to ride me,” he murmured against my mouth and just those words shot me to Grade Eight. His eyes looked into mine. “You think you could do that?” he asked.

I bit my lip and nodded. I was pretty sure I could do that, if not I was a quick learner.

His hand went back into my panties, sliding them part the way down my behind and he whispered, lips stil against my mouth, “Take off your underwear.”

My heart was beating so hard, I thought he had to be able to feel it. I swung my hips and legs up to the side, pul ed off my underwear and tossed them to the floor. When I finished, to hide the fact that I felt somewhat embarrassed by what I’d just done, I put my mouth on his and kissed him.

One of his hands was at my ass, the other one between us working at his belt and fly, his mouth and tongue went to my neck, my tingles turned to shivers, the shivers to trembles. I was teetering on the edge of Grade Nine and he wasn’t even inside me yet.

“You sat there, facin’ a drug dealer across the table, total y in control. Like you were made of ice,” Vance whispered against my neck. “I was so fucking proud of you.” Oh my
God
.

He did
not
just say that.

“Vance,” I breathed, my heart racing for a new reason, a different kind of warmth spreading through me.

His fingers curled around my wrist, pul ed my hand between us and wrapped it around him. My head shot around and I stared at him. I’d never touched a man like that before, nowhere near that.

“Sit up,” he ordered softly before I could freak out.

He kept my hand where it was, I positioned myself to sit astride him, pul ing up my knees on the couch, lifting up my torso and as I did our hands together guiding him, he slid inside me and then gently Vance pul ed our hands away.

Then I was up and he had fil ed me.

It was
nice
. Grade Nine nice.

“Wow,” I whispered.

His hands came to my hips and he coaxed me to move.

It didn’t take a lot of coaxing, it came natural y. I moved, found my rhythm, one of Vance’s hands at my waist, one cupping my ass. It was great to be in control. It was unbelievable.

I watched him as I moved. His eyes were locked on mine, that intense, possessive “mine” look in them. If anything, it made me breathe faster, my heart tripping in my chest, the trembles gathering, joining forces, gaining momentum and then shooting between my legs.

“Come closer,” Vance demanded and without hesitation I leaned into him. “Hold on to me,” he ordered and I put my hands on his shoulders and he again looked me in the eyes.

That’s when he bucked, slamming inside me. I moaned. I couldn’t help it, it felt so good. He did it again and again and I learned what he meant by riding him and if I thought it was unbelievable before, I was mistaken,
this
was unbelievable.

His hand went between us. He touched me at the exact right spot and my hips jerked. I moved with his hand and his bucking hips. I bent closer, my chest against his, my lips against his and he kissed me.