Cole (The Ride Series) (9 page)

I scowled up at him but most of the
fight had gone out of me.

“I’ll give you this and then I’m
done,” he said quietly. “No one has ever made me feel the way you do. You don’t
have anything to worry about,” he said, his tone nearly pained in its honesty.

I sighed feeling somewhat relieved,
but I still needed to get one thing out in the open. “If I’m sleeping with you,
I’m the only one sleeping with you,” I emphasized meeting his blue-eyed gaze.

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” he
said softly, his hand coming up to cup my chin.

His fingers twisted firmly into my
hair as he pulled his mouth to mine. He groaned low and deep into my mouth as
his hands gripped my ass. I hopped up, twisting my legs around his waist as he
held my weight easily and pressed my back into the wall. He pushed himself into
me and I could feel his excitement through both of our jeans. I moaned softly,
beyond ready to have him inside of me.

“Take me to bed,” I demanded, my voice
hoarse.

He immediately shifted away from the
wall and carried me to my bedroom and threw me on the bed. I’d never been more
turned on in my life as he kicked my door shut with his boot.

We were soon tearing at each other’s
clothes with a passion I’d never experienced. My teeth raked his neck and my
nails found his back as my heels dug into his bare ass trying to push him
inside.

“You ready for me already, babe?” he
growled.

“God, yes.” I breathed.

He sunk all the way into me, making me
cry out loudly. It felt so amazing. I allowed him a few thrusts before I rolled
us, taking the top and riding him with everything I had.

“Christ you are so fucking sexy,” he
groaned, watching me with hooded eyes as I took him. His hands gripped my hips
firmly, guiding me as I threw my head back. He moved slightly so he was sitting
up and pulled the back of my neck toward him so he could take my mouth in a
deep kiss.

“Shit you’re so deep,” I whimpered,
feeling heat spread over my entire body.

“Tell me your mine,” he growled, his
eyes locked on mine.

“I’m yours,” I answered immediately
before I pushed him onto his back, my hand on his chest. “Now, tell me your
mine
,” I repeated his demand with a
smile.

He grinned back up at me, “I’m yours,
baby,” he said while rolling so that he was on top and thrusting hard into me. It
was only moments after that with him hitting just the right spot that I cried
out as ecstasy washed over me.

Seconds later I heard him groan his
release as I continued to shudder around him. He propped himself up on his
elbows, still inside of me, and kissed me deeply. His hand came up to tenderly
stroke my temple as he looked down at me and I knew in that instant that I
loved him.

God, I was so screwed.

“Are you staying?” I asked quietly.

He snorted as though the question was
ridiculous. “Yeah, babe.”

“I’m absolutely starving, you want
something?” I asked quietly as he shifted off of me.

“I could eat,” he said with a grin, watching
me as I threw on his T-shirt and my pajama shorts.

“What if I was
gonna
use that?” he asked with a raised brow.

I looked down at the shirt and then
back up at him with a slow smile. “Then I’d say you’re out of luck,” I said and
shrugged, squealing as he swatted my ass. He threw his jeans back on and
followed me out to the kitchen and sat at the counter as I whipped us up some
sandwiches.

“Were you always this feisty?” he
asked, trying to suppress a laugh as I handed him his food.

I bit my lip thinking that over and he
burst out laughing. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said as he chuckled.

“Well, it depends on who you ask,” I
answered defensively. “If you could have asked my dad, he would have said yes.”
I smiled fondly. “But with any guys I dated, then no,” I shook my head.

Cole’s brows rose incredulously. “So
I’m the lucky one then, huh?” he teased.

I blushed furiously and his expression
warmed. “What?” he asked gently. “What’s with the blushing?”

I shrugged. “I guess with everyone
else I just didn’t care enough or something,” I muttered feeling embarrassed.
“I only ever threw attitude around my family or the guys in the club. People who
I knew would be around for a while,” I gulped, unable to believe I’d just
admitted that.

I prepared myself for him to freak out
and run as quickly as possible out the front door.

Instead he smiled at me from across
the bar. “Well then I really am the lucky one aren’t I?” he winked.

God, was he for real?

“What was your dad like?” he asked as
I remained across from him, eating my sandwich standing up.

There were so many ways to answer that
question I didn’t know how to start. “He was strong, loyal, and really fucking
strict,” I said as I laughed. “Which is probably why I didn’t date much. I
think the only reason he let Jake near me is that we’d known each other since
we were in diapers,” I said thoughtfully. “When my mom died he took his
position as a solo parent extremely seriously. He was really involved in
everything I did. Whenever I had a school play or a ballet recital he and most
of the guys from the club would show up.” I laughed again. “It was quite a
picture, bikers and little ballerinas.”

“But I put him through his paces to be
sure. I had my own mind from a young age. He would holler at me that I was
making him prematurely gray,” I continued with a smile. I hadn’t talked about my
dad in a while, and it felt nice even though it was sad. “He always said at
least he’d had plenty of practice because I’d learned from the master, my
mother.”

“She was a feisty one too, huh?” he
asked gently. He’d stopped eating and was watching me with great interest.

“Yeah, I don’t remember her well,” I
swallowed audibly. “Sorry, I don’t talk about this stuff much,” I apologized
for my obvious emotion.

“Don’t apologize,” he said as he shook
his head, his eyes warm with compassion.

I visibly shook it off and continued. “I
was just nine when she died. I remember bits and pieces. But mostly I remember
her hair. It was red and wild like mine, and it would fall all around me when
she tucked me in,” I recalled, unable to stop tears from filling my eyes.

He stood immediately and came around
the bar, stopping in front of me and taking me in his arms.

“I just…I had a family, not just my
parents but the club, too,” I whispered hoarsely. “I don’t think I’ll ever get
used to the loss of it all,” I choked.

“You might not, but you have me,” he
decreed.

“We’ve known each other for a very
short time Cole,” I reminded him.

“You have me,” he stated again,
pulling me tighter.

I sighed and allowed myself to
consider the possibility that it might be true.
 
I didn’t have a great history of luck and
I wasn’t ready to consider that my luck might be changing since I’d met Cole.

After a few moments, I gently pushed
him away to collect myself and he went to sit back down, sensing that I needed
my space.

“Sal and Kat must be hitting it off,”
I surmised, changing the subject. It was getting pretty late and I hadn’t heard
from her.

“Must be,” he agreed.

“Is he someone I should be okay with
my best friend having a crush on?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied simply.

“Good,” I sighed.

I cleaned up the dishes while he took
a call on his cell. I got ready for bed and climbed under the covers listening
to his deep voice unable to hear his conversation as he sat in the living room
talking.

“Everything okay?” I asked when he
came in, as he divested himself of his jeans and climbed into bed.

“Yeah,” he replied,
laying
on his back with his hand thrown behind his head, appearing deep in thought.

It occurred to me then that I had no
idea what his club was into. My dad always ensured that the Sinners stayed
clear of drug running and prostitution, but I assumed that had all gone by the
wayside with him gone.

“What are the Knights into?” I asked
quietly, unsure what type of response he’d give me, if any.

He turned his head toward me and
regarded me for a few minutes.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,
not yet anyway,” I assured him when I saw hesitation in his eyes. “And I don’t
need to know the details. But if I’m
gonna
have to
bail you out of jail anytime soon, I’d like to know what for,” I said dryly,
earning myself a small smile.

“I don’t plan on getting locked up
darlin
’. But good to know you’d bail me out,” he answered,
still smiling.

“That’s good,” I sighed, flopping onto
my back.

“We own a couple of bars in town--including
the one I took you to the other night, along with some property and a mechanic
shop. I take care of the books,” he said and shrugged casually.

I tried not to insult him by looking
too shocked. “You’re good with numbers then?”

“Very. Always have been,” he said. “We
keep our noses pretty clean, babe,” he assured me. “That’s not to say there
isn’t the occasional bullshit and reason to be vigilant, but we can leave it at
that for now.”

“Okay.” I nodded as I looked up at the
ceiling. He’d actually told me more than I’d expected.

“You
gonna
take your pop’s place someday?” I asked curiously.

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

I nodded. It wasn’t my place to weigh
in on such matters, not yet anyway. I left it at that, not wanting to push him.

“We good?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, we’re good.” I nodded as he
pulled me into his body, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I felt him kiss my
hair and I smiled.

“You set the alarm?” I mumbled, close
to drifting off.

“Yeah,” he replied before I fell
asleep.

Chapter Seven

I woke up abruptly to pounding at the
front door.

“What the fuck?” I heard Cole rumble
in the darkness as he got up and pulled on his jeans.

I sat up in bed and pulled the covers
across my chest. Somewhere in the night I’d gotten hot and taken off his T-shirt.

“Stay there,” he ordered before stalking
out of my room.

I soon heard heated voices, but I
didn’t sense any real danger so I threw his T-shirt back on and crept into the
living room, curious who was out there.

I was shocked to find Henry, my
father’s former right hand man in a standoff with Cole.

“Henry?” I asked incredulously.

“Dammit babe, I told you to stay in
there,” Cole growled.

“What are you doing here?” I asked
Henry, ignoring Cole.

“If this asshole would let me in I’d
tell you,” Henry replied irritably.

“Cole, let him in, it’s okay,” I said
softly. Henry had always been good to me and I believed he’d been loyal to my
father. Despite everything that had happened, I trusted him.

He’d always been a large man. He was
as tall as Cole but much heavier around the middle than I remembered. Years of
beer drinking had finally caught up with him from the looks of it. I was
surprised to see that his brown beard now had flecks of gray. They were
sprinkled in his long hair as well, which was tied back in his ever-present
ponytail. He definitely looked older and a bit tired, and I wondered if the
stress of losing my dad accounted for most of that.

Cole swore under his breath and pulled
the door open to let Henry in. I went over and gave Henry a hug, feeling
nostalgic for one of the few comforts I’d had of home. He embraced me tightly.

“Hi, Rosie,” he said, tenderly using
the nickname he and my father had always called me.

“Hi Henry,” I smiled, feeling tears
fill my eyes. “Good to see you,” I whispered thickly.

“Wish it was under better circumstances,”
he muttered as we broke apart.

“And what would those circumstances
be?” Cole interrupted, standing behind me, a formidable presence with his arms
crossed over his bare chest.

“I came to talk to Rosie. Do us a
favor son and give us some privacy,” Henry requested.

I winced, knowing Cole wouldn’t take
too kindly to being called “son.” But that was just Henry. He didn’t mean
anything by it.

“Henry, Cole’s my man,” I explained.
“He takes good care of me. Anything you have to say to me you can say in front
of him,” I assured him as I sat on the couch and encouraged Henry to do the
same. “I trust him Henry,” I emphasized when he still seemed unsure.

He blew out a frustrated breath.
“Fine. Didn’t think I’d be divulging anything of consequence in front of no
Knight, but it’s crazy days,” he muttered.

I looked at him expectantly ready for
him to begin, feeling assured by Cole’s presence at my back.

“I know things with the Sinners went
to shit a while ago, you had a good sense for that and didn’t delay in getting
outta there,” he began. “I hope you know I was always loyal to your father and
to you.”

“I do,” I said.

“I never knew for sure who killed Ray,
but I suspected the same thing we all did. Jake was always a bad apple. Him and
that fucking Victor Cross,” he swore. “I know you’ve always watched your back
honey, but Jake is on a fucking tear. We voted him out as
Prez
a while back. He was a fucked up leader, never did the job right. He’s somehow
convinced that if he can get you back that he’ll improve his position. I think
that mother fucker has lost his god damned mind.”

I sucked in my breath at this news.

“And I know that he’s gotten wind that
you’ve set up with the Knights. He’s already made moves against the club,”
Henry stated, his eyes shifting to Cole’s. “The combination honey, it’s not
good,” he said, blowing out a breath.

Cole grasped the back of my neck and
squeezed. “He’s not going to touch a single fucking hair on your head,” he swore.

Henry sighed, looking tired. “Honestly
I don’t know what he’ll do. But I came to warn you. I was worried,” he
admitted. “All I know is that you need to be careful--as in way fucking
careful.” Then he turned his eyes to Cole. “The moves being made against the
Knights don’t speak for my club. I need you to know that. I’d like a meet with
your pop,” he requested. “Clearly, we’ve got a few outliers that need to be
dealt with,” he bit out angrily. The club as a whole still wants to maintain
the partnership we’ve had for the past twenty years.”

“I’ll set it up,” Cole agreed, his hand
on my shoulder.

“I appreciate you looking out for our
girl. Something we should have been doing, things just got fucked up,” he said,
his tone laced with guilt.

Cole simply nodded. “Appreciate the
heads up.”

Henry rose to stand and I stood with
him. “I’ll be in town for a few more days, you call me if you need me okay?” he
asked me.

I nodded.

“You’re a good girl Rosie, you always
were,” he said quietly, his expression tender and fatherly. “I want you safe.”

“I will be,” I assured him, though I
wasn’t at all sure if that was true.

“It’s taken care of,” Cole assured
him. “I’ll be in touch,” he added.

Henry nodded and headed for the door
with a parting flick of the wrist. A gesture I hadn’t seen in eight years. It
was so simple, and yet, it made my heart clench.

I stood silently for a few moments
after he shut the door behind him, a bit shocked and overwhelmed.

“Babe,” Cole said gently after a few
minutes.

“Hmm?” I asked absently.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” he coaxed,
holding a hand out to me. I took it without thought and followed him to my
room. He tucked me in and soon joined me, pulling me into his side “It’s
gonna
be okay,” he said softly.

I didn’t reply. I had nothing to say. He
didn’t know that, he couldn’t.

I woke up earlier than I would have
liked and heard Cole’s deep voice on the phone out in the living room. I looked
at my phone to make sure Kat had texted me back. She’d never come home and I
had reached out to make sure she was okay. Sure enough, there was a text saying
she’d stayed with Sal. There was definitely a story to be told there and I was
looking forward to the distraction.

I lay in bed trying to collect myself
for a few minutes when Cole returned, already showered and dressed. He leaned
over me with a hand on either side of me, kissing me soundly. He smelled like
soap and Cole. I breathed him in.

“I
gotta
go
babe, shit to do,” he explained.

“Okay, I’ll call you after work,” I
said sleepily.

His brow wrinkled for a moment and
something flashed in his eyes before he sighed. “Call your boss, take some time
off,” he directed in that bossy way of his that drove me crazy.

“What? No,” I said as I shook my head,
suddenly more awake.

“Were you not here last night?” he
demanded. “Until this fucker is dealt with you’re not going to give him an invitation
to get near you,” he said, his voice low and intense.

“Well I couldn’t be around many more
people than when I’m at work,” I retorted. We stared at each other for a few
minutes and I softened when I saw how worried he was. “I have bills to pay,
honey,” I explained. “I’m not going to hide away for God knows how long. I
promise to be careful, but I still have to live my life,” I said, putting a
hand on his cheek and grazing it gently down to his neck where I could feel his
pulse. “I’m going to go to the gym, too. I’ll go stir crazy otherwise,” I
explained.

“If I can’t take you home, promise me
you’ll wait until somebody from the club collects you,” he ordered. “From anywhere
you go,” he added.

I was tempted to quip that I really
couldn’t picture Wes or Sal jogging next to me on a treadmill, but I decided to
bite my tongue.

“Cole!” I protested.

“No,
darlin
’.”
He shook his head. “Even that’s less than I’m comfortable with. You agree to
that or you get chained to the bed.”

Something about those words sent an
unexpected thrill through me. “Chained to the bed?” I smiled seductively. “That
sounds fun,” I said, biting my lower lip.

His eyes dilated in response and he
groaned. “Shit, I really have to go. Otherwise I’d stay and play, baby.”

“Damn,” I muttered.

He leaned in and kissed me, closed
mouth. If he let it become more we both knew he’d never leave. And with that,
he shoved off the bed and stalked from the room. I heard him set the alarm and
soon after his bike roared off.

Kat came home as I was finishing up in
the shower.

“Spill!” I exclaimed after I’d thrown
some clothes on and she was flopped on my bed.

“Oh God, Scar, I am in trouble,” she
groaned.

I laughed knowing the feeling all too
well.

“I take it you had fun?” I asked and
cocked a brow at her.

“He’s so fucking hot,” she sighed. “I
didn’t plan on spending the night at his place, but Cole called and said it
probably wasn’t a good idea for me to come home. Which I want to hear about, by
the way,” she noted.

“Later,” I said dismissively. I was so
tired of my shit. I wanted to talk about someone else. “So what happened?”

“We stayed at the bar for another
drink and we just hit it off,” she sighed dreamily. “Then after he talked to
Cole he took me to his place and we watched movies and made out,” she said as
she giggled.

I smiled, happy for her.

“He was a perfect gentleman, until I
forced him not to be,” she said.

“Good for you,” I said.

“He is amazing in bed, Scar. Like
AMA-zing,” she emphasized.

I nodded knowing all too well what she
meant.

“He’s having a thing at his house
tonight, you’re coming,” she said, pointing a finger at me.

“I’ll see if the warden will allow
it,” I muttered.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

I sighed and gave her a brief recap of
Henry’s visit.

“God, Cole must want to kill that
bastard,” she said when I was done.

“He’s not pleased,” I agreed.

“What about you, how are you?” she
asked, concerned.

“I’ve been better,” I admitted. “All
the more reason for you to distract me with Sal stories and for us to go have
some fun tonight,” I said as I grinned, lightening the mood.

“Sounds good to me,” she said as she smiled.
Then she reached over and grasped my hand. “I like this new Scarlet.”

I had to admit despite all the rest of
the bullshit, I did too.

Kat joined me at the gym and we had a
good workout. Wes picked us up without muttering a word of complaint, despite
both Kat and I feeling a bit awkward about it. I’d been getting to know Connie
even better over the last few weeks and I had begun to consider her a good
friend. It felt odd to have my friend’s boyfriend playing bodyguard. He
basically told us to can it after we thanked him for the ride the third time.

I fired off a text to Cole before I
headed to work. He said he’d pick me up after work and we’d head to Sal’s
together. I was looking forward to it.

Connie and I got ready in the bathroom
together after work, laughing and gossiping. I decided to walk on the wild side
a bit and wear fairly short black shorts, a very tight fitting and low cut tank
top, and my kick ass ankle boots. I dressed it up a bit with a chunky necklace
and tamed my hair into a French braid of sorts that I was wearing over my
shoulder. Wes was picking Connie up and we were all meeting Kat there. When we
emerged, Cole and Wes were posted at the bar with beers.

“We thought you might be a while,”
Cole surmised correctly as I ducked under his arm and kissed his neck.

“Good thinking,” I said as I smiled
against his neck.

“You look hot,” he whispered in my
ear.

I grinned, pleased.

“You about ready?” he wanted to know.

I nodded and we headed out. There was
something so thrilling about roaring off on the back of Cole’s bike with Wes
and Connie behind us. In that moment I felt so strongly that I belonged right
where I was, something I hadn’t felt in my entire life. I squeezed Cole’s torso
in a silent thank you for being such a large part of creating that feeling for
me.

Sal lived in a little bungalow not far
from Cole’s. I saw quite a few bikes parked out front as we pulled up behind
Kat’s Corolla. Cole grasped my hand and led me
inside,
lifting his chin to almost everyone we passed through the crowded house filled
with music. The house was so full I could barely take in what the place was
like, aside from the fact that it was sparse. He grabbed us beers from the
fridge and led us outside to a folding chair where he promptly pulled me into
his lap.