Hard (16 page)

She stepped in close and rose to kiss him, but he pushed her away. The push wasn’t hard, not even enough to upset her balance, but it was a clear and aggressive move that reminded her Stiles was a man who didn’t put up with any shit and that his calm and reasonable exterior was the result of him having nothing to prove, not his unwillingness to act. She shoved him in the chest as hard as she could, causing him to take a stumbling step backwards before regaining his balance.

“Don’t you
ever
fucking push me again,” she snarled, goading him on, the game suddenly become much more exciting. She knew Stiles had some darkness in his soul, darkness that made him the strong and powerful lover she craved, but watching his face darken sent a chill of fear through her.
Did I go too far?

The dark monster rose within him, blotting out everything except Bridget. Having her stand there, bare ass naked, as she challenged him, refusing to back down, made his monster roar. Woman or not, she wasn’t going to push him around either, and he was going to show her who the fuck was in charge.

He stepped toward her so quickly she felt the rush of impending doom. He was going to beat the shit out of her for what she did, but before she could react to defend herself, she grabbed her by the back of her head and jerked her forward. His kiss was torrid, holding her almost painfully hard in the kiss. She fought him for a moment until she realized that he wasn’t actually going to hurt her, except maybe by fucking her so hard she wouldn’t be able to walk the next day, but that was a pounding she would gladly accept.

She twisted out of his grip and threw herself away, smiling at him in challenge. “You going to come get some? Huh? Well, come on!” she sneered, flicking two fingers on each hand in the universal ‘come on’ motion.

His cock was aching, tightly bound against his pants. He jerked his shirt over his head then began to open his pants as she slowly backed away.
She has no place to go and nowhere to run,
he snarled to himself as he followed her down the hall, stepping out of boots, pants, socks and underwear as he moved.
And when I catch her, I’m going to fuck her like she has never been fucked before.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

On the ride to Lindy’s apartment, Treble made up his mind that he wasn’t going to put up with a lot of shit from her. If she got bitchy or teary, he was out of there. He rapped on the door and waited.

“Thanks for coming,” Lindy murmured as she opened the door. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“You got a beer?” he asked as he stepped into the pin neat apartment.

“No, sorry. I have pop and juice, or water. You saw what happens when I drink,” she said with a small smile.

“Nothing, then. What did you want to see me about?”

She settled onto couch and tucked her feet under her. “I felt like we ended on a bad note earlier, and I felt terrible about it. I just wanted to see you and make sure things are okay.”

He softened slightly, settling on the couch beside her. “You could have asked that on the phone.”

“I know, but it’s so hard to read someone on the phone. I felt like you were mad at me, and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what I had done to upset you.”

Treble paused, unsure of what to do. This wasn’t what he was expecting. He expected her to throw herself at him, or be pissy, but not this matter of fact statement with a tentative willingness to accept blame. “I don’t know what to make of you. I can’t tell if you want to be with me or were just using me for the weekend.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” she objected.

“Calm down. I don’t mean anything by it. Women use me all the time, just like I use them. It’s part of the game.”

“You used me?” she asked, her voice icing over.

“Not like you mean.”

“What do you mean, then?”

“Why did you come back to the coach with me?”

“What?” she asked, her brow crinkling. “Because you asked me to.”

“That’s bullshit. You go home with every guy that asks you?”

“No!”

“So why did you go with me?”

The question gave her pause. “Because I wanted to. But I didn’t use you!”

“No? Were you planning on having a long term relationship with me?”

“Well, no, I guess not. But that doesn’t mean I was using you!”

“Yes it does. You had an itch you wanted me to scratch.”

“It does not!”

“Why are you ashamed of that? I enjoyed myself, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Is that so wrong?” he interrupted. “What’s wrong with what we did?”

“Nothing. But I don’t like being used. It’s not right.”

“Okay. Maybe used isn’t the right word. But the fact is, we spent the weekend together because we wanted to, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“No, I did, but I…”

“What?”

“I don’t know! I’m so confused! I want to be with you, but at the same time it seems wrong.”

“Wrong? What do you mean,
wrong?”
he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I don’t know!
That’s the problem! I don’t know what I want anymore! I should be focusing on my job, and school, and…and…” She waved her hands around, unable to put into words how she felt.

“And you can’t do those things with me around, is that it? Mom and Dad wouldn’t approve?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“What are you saying, then?”

“What I’m saying is that I want to fuck you all the time, okay?” she yelled, her hands curling into fists. “Is that what you want to hear? That I feel like I’m nothing but a fucking slut that can’t keep her legs closed! Then you hang up on me because I have work to do, and I wonder if there is anything here at all, if I mean anything more to you than a place for you to bury your cock.”

“Is that what you think?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

Did you tell here you wanted to spend time with her?
Stiles voice asked him. “Look, Lindy, I’m sorry I hung up on you. That wasn’t right. I was just, well, to be honest, pissed off because I felt like you were stringing me along. Am I wrong about that? I’m a big boy, Lindy; I can take it. If you don’t want to see me anymore, just tell me. If you do, tell me that, too.”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled as she looked at her hands.

“I want to see you.”

“Why? Can’t you find someone else to fuck?”

“Yes. But that’s not the reason.”

“What is the reason then, Treble?”

He smiled. “You think you’re confused. Not three hours ago I was getting advice about my love life from a fucking monk.” His smile broadened as she looked at him in confusion. “Stiles. He’s sworn off women, for whatever reason. He asked me the same question you just did, why do I want to see you again.”

“What did you tell him?”

“To cut to the chase, I told him it was because I liked you. Because you were different than most…hell…all of the other women I have been with.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said that I should tell you that and to not be stupid. He said that people don’t fall in love right away, that it is a process and takes time, but that it had to start somewhere. He suggested that maybe it started when someone realized that another person was special in some way.”

She smiled slightly. “Sounds like Stiles is a smart man.”

Treble smiled with her. “Yeah. He’s hard to understand sometimes, especially when he starts talking like some oriental kung-fu master. Sometimes it’s like he’s Shifu and I’m Po.”

“Kung-Fu Panda,” she said with a crooked smile.

Treble grinned. “That’s right. I have it on Blu-ray.”

Lindy began to giggle. “So, are we okay?”

“I don’t know. Are we?”

“I think so. But you are going to have to be patient with me. Feeling like this is all new to me.”

“Shifu said that, too.”

They stared at each other a moment. “Are you going to take me to bed or not?” she finally asked, looking down with a smile

He smiled, the innocence of her showing through again as she looked away demurely. “I thought you had too much to do.”

“Fuck it.”

He barked out a short life as the tiger peeked out. “I’d rather fuck you.”

“Then do it.” He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it and rose, stepping in close. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“It’s okay. I’ve heard you get louder.”

She smiled, ducking her head in embarrassment. “We’re not alone on a mountain top tonight.”

“No,” he said, tipping his head forward to rest on hers.

She looked up and found his lips waiting for hers. They kissed, slow and easy, and the stresses of the week melted away from her.
Why the hell did I think I didn’t want this?
she asked herself as she oozed into his body.

He pulled slowly back from the kiss, licking his lips slowly to taste her again. She tasted of oranges and something sweet, so unlike the cigarette and booze taste of most of the women he’d kissed. His fingers moved slowly to the buttons on her shirt, slowly but nimbly opening them as they stood close, his head once again resting on hers.

When her blouse puddled into the floor she stepped slowly back, leaving the top in place as she pulled him slowly into her bedroom. There he held her for a long moment, his intense dark eyes making her feel like he was peeling back layer after layer to peer deep into her soul.

He looked into her eyes, surprised that he cared why she wanted him. In the past, the reason didn’t matter, only the act, but not with Lindy. He wanted to be sure she wasn’t doing this because she thought she had to. Her eyes met his and held his gaze until she smiled slightly and rose on her tiptoes as she pulled his head down.

With much kissing and touching, they slowly undressed each other until she lowered herself to her bed, pulling him down with her as she rolled to her back. He began to kiss down her body, wanting to please her, but she pulled softly at his arms.

“No. Not tonight,” she whispered as she pulled him gently upwards. He moved between her legs and slowly entered her, her soft intake of breath like a bellows on his furnace. He moved slowly, gently, watching her face as he did, the soft smile and look of pleasure on her face making his blood run hot.

She moved her hands to his face. He had been slowly making love to her for many long minutes and her orgasm was beginning to close in around her. “Come with me,” she whispered softly as she caressed his face.

He began to plunge into her harder, faster, wanting to push her, and himself, over the edge into sweet rapture. As he watched, her eyes opened wide, then closed as she pulled his face hard down, kissing him as she came with a soft whimper. The kiss at her peak of pleasure pushed him over the edge and he tumbled into his own orgasm. As his release burned through him he returned her kiss, holding her face as she held his, until they relaxed together, their sighs mingling as their orgasms wash away.

They didn’t move for some time, saying nothing as they kissed, their lips never far from each other’s. Finally Treble slid off of her and tucked in tight behind, pulling her in close. She sighed again, content at a very deep level as she wrapped her arms around his. Her life was about to get messy, but as her eyes slowly drifted closed, she decided that for tonight, at least, she didn’t care, and tomorrow would take care of itself.