Road to Desire (7 page)

“Austin?”

“Mmm?”

“We need to stop,” I said, my breath coming in short bursts.

“Fuck.” He dropped his hand, lowered my shirt, and nodded.

I cupped his face and grimaced. “Sorry.”

“I get it, babe. It’s just gonna take me a minute.”

Austin got himself together and then lifted me off the counter. I couldn’t seem to stop yawning, but didn’t want the night to end, so covered it as best I could.

“I should go,” he said. “You’re exhausted.”

“I was hoping I could hide that better.”

He stroked my cheek. “I’ll take you to dinner tomorrow night.”

I grinned. “Okay.”

“Plan on Saturday nights to be our thing, yeah?”

“That all sounds amazing, but next week’s out.”

“Why?”

“Girls’ night with Kim.”

Austin frowned. “Blow her off.”

“Um, no way. I only get one Saturday every other month when she blows off working at her very lucrative bartending gig to spend more than an hour here and there with me.”

He shook his head. “Babe, I can’t see you over the next few Sundays. I might be able to break away for a bit on Wednesday, but if I can’t, I’m not waitin’ an entire week to see you.”

I grimaced.

“What?”

“I can’t do Sundays either.”

“Why the hell not?”

“It’s dinner at my parents’ place.” I bit my lip. “It’s a standing date for all of us every week.”

“Shit!” He dragged his hands over his face. “Work with me here, Dani.”

I giggled. “Austin.”

He cocked his head. “You think this is funny?”

I bit my lip and shook my head, but couldn’t hold back a snort at his expression of incredulity. “Okay, it’s a little bit funny.”

He smiled slowly and I realized I’d possibly pushed him a little further than I was prepared for. I backed out of the kitchen, him stalking me. I turned and made a run for my bedroom, attempting to close the door before he reached me, but failing miserably.

He bent at the waist and gently shoved his shoulder into my middle, tackling me onto the bed, and tickling me until I was sure I would pee. “Stop,” I squealed.

“You gonna make it up to me?” he asked.

“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

He kissed my neck. “I can think of a few ways,” he whispered.

I had no idea what the hell was wrong with me, but this struck me as funny and I chortled, trying to squirm away from him as he gripped my hips and held me to the bed.

“That’s funny to you?” he asked.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and shook my head, but it was useless, I couldn’t stop giggling. Chalk it up to my lack of sleep, but I totally lost it. What I wasn’t entirely expecting was him to laugh as well. He didn’t stop tickling me, but he did laugh while he was doing it.

“Stop, stop,” I said, breathless. “I’m going to pee.”

He kept going.

“Stop, honey. Please.”

He did. Immediately. “What did you say?”

“Stop, I’m going to pee?”

Austin shook his head. “No after that.”

“Please?”

He squeezed my sides again and I squeaked in surprised, giggling again. I bit my lip and reached up to stroke his cheek. “Honey,” I whispered.

“Fuck,” he rasped, leaning down to kiss me. “I love that.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, baby. I do.” He rolled onto his back and groaned. “I need to go. If I don’t, I won’t.”

I slid off the bed. “I’m free on Monday.”

“Can’t do Monday, baby.”

“Okay. Well, I’m sure we’ll find another night that works.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna go now.”

“Okay.”

He rose to his feet and kissed me again before heading back out to the living room and grabbing his leather jacket. I felt somewhat dejected that he was leaving, but I knew that if he stayed we’d go further than I was ready to, and lucky for me, he seemed to understand that. I don’t know what it was about him, but I was falling fast, and that was new to me. I couldn’t quite decide if I liked the feeling or not, but when he smiled his sexy smile and leaned down to kiss me again, I decided I didn’t really care. He was delicious.

“Talk to you tomorrow,” he said.

I nodded and pulled open the door again, but when he made to walk out, I grabbed his hand. “One more kiss?”

He grinned and left me with a kiss that made me want more as I closed the door and leaned against it. There was no way in hell I was going to manage sleeping when all I wanted was him to keep me occupied for the night. I forced myself not to call him back inside and headed to bed, my overwhelming exhaustion replaced with a kind of desire that no one but one Austin “Booker” Carver would be able to satisfy.

I was in big, big trouble.

S
ATURDAY NIGHT, AUSTIN
arrived just before six and settled himself on my sofa. Although my makeup was applied, my hair was still in a towel, I was in a robe, and I had no idea what I was going to wear. We’d talked for less than five minutes during the day and he hadn’t given me any details of the date.

“You haven’t told me what we’re doing.”

“Get together at the club,” he said.

“I thought we were going to dinner.”

He smiled up at me from his position on the couch. “We are. Club’s grillin’.”

“So, we’re not actually going out? Like on a real date.”

“It’s a real date, baby. And we’re leaving your apartment, so it’s ‘out.’”

“What am I supposed to wear?” I asked.

Austin gave me a lascivious grin. “Jeans, tighter the better, low-cut top… somethin’ like that.”

“I don’t own anything biker slut, Austin.”

He frowned and studied me. “Babe, it’s family. Wear whatever the fuck you wanna wear.”

“Well, that’s so freaking helpful,
honey
. Thanks.”

I stomped back to my room and into my closet. In the last thirty seconds or so, Austin had informed me that I would be meeting his “family.” He’d also not denied my need to wear something slutty. I didn’t own anything slutty. I could maybe wear something a little low cut, or wear one of the two little black dresses I owned, but he was in his “uniform” of jeans, tee, and cut, so I’d be way overdressed if I did.

I should probably bow out. If it was at the club, then it was probably going to be filled with criminals, and that would look really bad for my family. I sat on the floor of my closet and dropped my face in my hands. God, I was such an idiot. Why the hell did I even entertain the thought that this could work out?

“Babe,” Austin said with a sigh.

I glanced up at him standing in the doorway. “What?”

“You’re way over thinking this.”

“I can’t go with you tonight, Austin. I think it would be best for you to go alone.”

He hunkered down beside me and smiled. “No.”

“I think it’s too soon.”

“For what?”

“For me to meet your club.” I frowned. “I hardly know you.”

“Babe, it’s a casual get together. No pressure.”

“And just how many women have you taken to meet your club?” I asked.

“You’re jealous?”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m just wondering if we should wait to see if this goes anywhere before we start dragging our friends and family into it.”

“Stop fuckin’ around, Dani, and get dressed.”

“No.” I rose to my feet. “I’m not going.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“No, I’m not. It’s a bad idea and you know it.”

“How’s it a bad idea?” he demanded.

“You’re going to bring a kindergarten teacher who happens to be the daughter of a cop to a place that is filled with criminals! They’re going to see me coming from a mile away and they will hate me just because I’m not like you.”

His eyes widened. “Well, fuck me, baby. Thanks for puttin’ words in their mouths and judging them before they can judge you.”

“You’re welcome,” I retorted, and moved past him, but he caught my arm.

“Dani, the club’s clean and no one’ll hate you.”

“You can’t know that.”

He smiled. “Babe, I
can
know that. We’re not one percenters.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“I’ll explain it to you one day. I promise.”

“I’m not good with crowds,” I confessed.

Austin gave me a sexy grin. “We can go to my room anytime you want to. Just say the word.”

“You live there?”

“No. But I have a room there should I need it.”

“See? I don’t even know where you live,” I said.

“I’ll take you home sometime, baby. We’re gettin’ to know each other. It’ll happen.” He cupped my neck and thumbed my pulse. “What’s really goin’ on inside your head, Dani?”

“It’s just that I know nothing about you and you’re taking me to a place with people who know everything about you and with whom I have nothing in common with. What will I talk about?”

“Whatever the fuck you wanna talk about.”

“Well, that’s helpful. Thank you.”

“Babe. Get dressed. It’s gonna be fine.”

I drew my eyebrows together. “What if I follow you?”

“What?”

I bit my lip. “I’ll follow you to the party. That way, you can stay if you want to, but I can leave if it’s too much.”

“Hell no.”

“Why not?”

“My woman is not driving herself to a fuckin’ family get together, Dani. That’s why.”

“I’m
not
your woman!”

“What the fuck?”

“We’ve known each other for less than a week,” I continued. “I’m not your woman. We’re not anything yet.”

His mouth landed on mine with an intensity I wasn’t prepared for. He tugged the towel from my head and slid open my robe, cupping my breast and rolling my nipple between his fingers. Guiding me to the bed, he pushed me down, placing one hand on my chest to keep me planted where he wanted me, while his mouth moved from my lips to my neck.

“Austin?” I rasped.

He didn’t reply as he drew a nipple into his mouth and bit gently. I gasped at the sensation. Austin pushed open my knees, sliding my thighs over his shoulders and began a delicious assault on my clit. I whimpered as he sucked, licked, and kissed his way around my most private area.

He slid one finger inside of me, and then two, and as much as I tried to resist the fire burning inside of me, it was useless. I cried out as my orgasm hit and he kissed my inner thighs before releasing my shaking legs and climbing back up my body. “You are absolutely my fuckin’ woman, Dani. Got me?”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Dani,” he pressed. “Do you get me?”

“No, Austin, I don’t,” I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. “You confuse me.”

He leaned up on his elbow and raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Like you care.”

“Oh, I do care, baby,” he droned. “Please tell me all the ways I confuse you so that I can clarify things for you.”

“Screw you, Austin.”

He laughed and sat up. “I was just tryin’ to do that, baby. You stopped it.”

“You are such a jerk!”

“I’m not tryin’ to be, Dani.” He dragged his hands down his face. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

I sighed. “You’re everything my parents warned me against. You’re secretive, but you’re also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I’ve ever known. You’re a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don’t get you because you’re not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I’ve ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I’m feeling things I don’t quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don’t want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don’t want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he’s super pretty and makes me come.”

He shrugged, his nonchalance back in place. “I did tell you I would.”

“You also promised you’d do it more than once.”

“Happy to oblige, baby.”

I tied my robe with an angry swoosh. “I’m pouring my heart out to you and talking about making me come again?”

He sighed and dragged his hands down his face. “Dani.”

“What, Austin? I don’t know what kinds of women you’ve dated in the past, but I’m not one who can be manipulated with your ability to be really good at oral sex, or kissing, or… well, anything oral,” I said, lamely. “I deserve to be treated with respect and if you’re not willing to do that, then see you later.”

“Pain in my ass,” he grumbled.

“Then
leave
!” I stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door.

My tirade had completely counteracted my body’s sated state just moments before and that made me mad. I wanted to go back to my post-climax glow. I stared in the mirror and scowled at myself. I shouldn’t look this way. My eyes were bright, my skin was flushed, and I looked more alive than I had in a long time. Despite my tirade, I felt happy. Austin did that for me. I knew that I could be totally honest with him. Show him one hundred percent of myself, even if it wasn’t pretty. The door opened and I caught Austin’s eye in the mirror. “I thought you were leaving.”

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulled my hair to the side, and kissed my neck. “You show me that and expect me to leave?” he challenged.

“Yeah, kinda. It’s been three days and I’m showing you everything.” I sighed. “So much for wanting to be sexy and mysterious.”

He turned me to face him. “You couldn’t be more beautiful to me, Dani.”

“I think there’s something psychologically wrong with you.”

“You could be onto something.” Austin chuckled. “Meeting my brothers is a big deal, baby, but I’ve been trying to downplay it so you don’t panic on me.”

“Maybe it’s too soon, then.”

He shook his head, cupping my neck. “They need to know who you are to me.”

“Who am I to you?”

“Everything, baby,” he said. “Everything.”

“How can you say that?” I asked. “It’s been less than a week.”

Austin smiled. “You’re what I want, Dani.”

“Well that explains
everything
.”

“You want out at any point in the night, you tell me. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

I bit my lip. “I want you glued to me all night.”

Austin chuckled. “’Cause that’s gonna be so hard for me.”