Sal (The Ride Series) (16 page)

He was the hottest thing on two legs and he was all mine.

“I’m close. Get there, babe,” he grunted, shifting slightly so he was even deeper than before. I groaned and felt my skin grow hot as the wave started to build. “There it is,” he growled, biting my neck as I cried out in utter astonishment at the power of my orgasm.

“Christ,” he groaned, moving to rapid-fire thrusts before quickly finding his own release.

We stood like that for a few minutes, locked around each other, panting and trying to catch our breath. His forehead was buried in my neck and I wrapped my arms and legs more firmly around him, pulling him close. There had never been an issue with physical intimacy for Sal and me. It was when we put our clothes back
on
that we ran into issues.

He pulled back slightly and looked into my eyes before bending his head for a soft, chaste kiss. “I gotta shower,” he murmured, gently dropping me back to my feet. I immediately felt the loss of him, and he smiled knowing what I was thinking.

I followed him into the bathroom as he showered, looking in dismay at my now disheveled hairdo.

“I like it better down anyway,” Sal said as he winked from behind the shower door.

“Good thing,” I muttered before cracking my own smile.

His mood seemed improved when he got dressed. I’d never seen Sal in anything other than jeans and a tee. When he appeared in black slacks and a white button-down, I was momentarily speechless.

“What?” he asked with a creased brow when apparently I’d been staring too long.

“You look good. I never thought I’d see you in anything other than jeans.”

“And this is probably one of a handful of times you ever will,” he replied while grabbing our room key and, notably, my hand as we made our way out the door.

I bit my lip against asking what those other occasions could be. Sal and I had never talked about the future. I didn’t even know if he ever wanted to get married or have kids. I wasn’t sure myself how I felt about all that. There was plenty of time to figure it out.

We took a cab to the church where the service was being held. “You never mentioned your family was religious,” I commented as we stepped out and I leaned my head back to take in the overwhelming Catholic Church.

“We both know I never mentioned a lot of things,” he returned somewhat gruffly.

Hmm, clearly this wasn’t the time for idle chat.

Sal’s hand held mine in a vise grip as I followed him dutifully into the dimly lit church.

“Sal, you came!” a hushed yet exuberant voice sounded from our right. A beautiful girl came hurdling in our direction and locked Sal in a tight hug.

“Hi, Soph,” he greeted, hugging her back somewhat stiffly. He gave me a small smile over her head before pulling back slightly. He nodded his head toward me. “Sophie, this is my girlfriend, Kat. Kat, my sister, Sophie.”

“Hi,” I smiled warmly, extending my hand.

Sal’s tone had always been laced with regret when he talked about his half-sister. He didn’t see much of her and she clearly missed him.

“Hi!” she said as she beamed, shocking me by wrapping me up in a hug. She was petite with beautiful long brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes framed by thick lashes. Her skin was like porcelain. Sal had never mentioned how beautiful his sister was, but I supposed that wasn’t the kind of thing he thought much about.

“I can’t wait to talk more with you,” she prattled on as Sal again took my hand and led me deeper into the church. “How long are you guys staying?” she asked as she shot a hopeful look in Sal’s direction.

“We fly out tomorrow,” he responded curtly.

I saw her face fall slightly and took her hand in a quick squeeze. “We’ll have some time after the service to catch up,” I assured her, shooting a pointed look at Sal. He needed to soften up a bit with her.

“Well, how nice of you to make it,” a crisp voice sounded from behind us. I felt Sal tense beside me before turning to face the woman behind us. I followed suit, schooling my face in a tense smile, ready as I’d ever be to face Sal’s mother.

She was beautiful, which didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was the elegance and wealth she exuded. She wore her hair in a sleek blonde bob, and a designer ensemble draped her thin frame.

She eyed me with cool indifference before turning her penetrating gaze to Sal. “At least you had the decency to dress properly and cover up those hideous tattoos,” she snapped.

“Not here to see you. Don’t need your bullshit,” Sal bit out, his voice low and angry. “I’m here to pay my respects to the old man and then we’re outta here.”

She sneered, turning her beautiful face into an ugly grimace.

“Mom, please,” Sophie pleaded quietly. “He’s my brother, your son. We haven’t seen him in a long time. Can’t you at least be cordial?” she demanded, her brown eyes pleading.

“You, young lady, are up front with me and your father. Let’s go,” her mother replied, ignoring her daughter’s pleading. She walked away swiftly, her heels clacking on the marble floor.

“Sorry,” Sophie mouthed to both of us, following at a distance behind her mother.

“Wow, Sal. Your mom is a real bitch,” I muttered.

“Told you,” he grumbled.

“At least she didn’t reach out and smite us both down. I was kind of worried about that for a second.” I shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. Though I wasn’t entirely kidding. The woman was a bit terrifying.

He barked out a laugh. “Smite, huh?”

I shrugged again. “I haven’t spent much time in churches. Isn’t that what happens?” I asked with curious eyes.

“You’re a nut, you know that?” He grinned down at me and I felt my heart lighten. I’d made him smile amid all this tension. It felt awesome. Even though I still wanted to learn about that smiting stuff.

The service was long and formal. Sal muttered to me at one point that the old man, as he called him, would have hated every second of it. We sat a few pews back from his mother, Sophie and stepfather, who hadn’t even acknowledged us. A few people had turned to give Sal small waves or smiles of encouragement. I wondered if Sal had distanced himself from his entire family, when really it was just his mother and stepfather who seemed like total assholes.

“Sal, please come back to the house for a little while. Bring your young lady here,” an older woman was asking quietly as we stood outside of the church after the service. Sal had seemed ready to make a break for it, but I’d restrained him.

“I don’t know, Aunt Jenna, you know with Mom and Richard.” He trailed off shoving a hand through his hair.

“Oh, fuck ‘em,” she replied with a wave of a hand, and I couldn’t stifle the giggle that escaped. It was so unexpected coming from this elegant looking older woman. She grinned at me before continuing, “We all want to see you, especially your sister. Just for a little while?”

Sal looked down at me, uncertain.

“We’ll come,” I replied, making the decision for him. He needed a push or, in this case, a shove.

“I guess we’re going then,” Sal muttered and I winked at him.

“Excellent!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

“If it’s totally awful, we’ll just go,” I said as we slid into a cab. “It seems like aside from the ice king and queen everyone else is excited to see you,” I commented while sneaking a glance at him.

He didn’t answer, instead choosing to gaze out the window to the city beyond. I knew he was on edge. The run-in with his mother had bothered him more than he’d ever let on, but shutting out his entire family because of it wasn’t necessarily the answer. I only wanted to push him hard enough to give them a shot. Hopefully, they wouldn’t prove my instincts wrong. I could understand now why the trip to Spain had changed him so much. His father and grandmother welcoming him with open arms must have been life affirming for him after how he’d grown up.

I reached across the seat for his hand, squeezing slightly in silent support, but said no more.

Sal’s aunt’s house was a beautiful brownstone in what looked to be an expensive part of town. Sal had mentioned in the past how his mother’s family came from money; he’d always seemed uncomfortable with it. I guess I hadn’t realized how significant their wealth actually was.

I made sure Sal had a beer in hand as soon as possible. Then we mingled a bit with various relatives, all of whom seemed genuinely happy to see him.

When his mother and stepfather arrived, they stayed on the other side of any room we were in. Sal began to relax some, so when Sophie approached, he was noticeably warmer to her than at the church.

The three of us sat on one of the sofas in the living room, which cost more than my car, and caught up.

“So, how long have you two been together?” she asked, and I realized for the first time I didn’t know how to answer that question.

“Over a year,” Sal answered without hesitation.

I looked over at him clearly confused. We’d dated for six months and he’d been gone for six.

He leaned over to murmur in my ear. “Was always with you, babe,” he said just loud enough for me to hear while squeezing my hand.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned back to Sophie who was now regarding us with a warm look.

“So how’s life under the microscope, Soph?” Sal asked, and though his question sounded harsh, his tone held no menace. “Scratch that, it’s a fucking cage,” he muttered.

She grimaced but nodded in agreement and looked away briefly, clearly understanding exactly what he meant. “I feel like I’ve been in it so long I don’t know how to get out,” she admitted.

“You always have choices,” he said, his eyes narrowing at something or someone across the room. “I didn’t have a clue where I was going when I left. Just that I had to. I found the desert, found the club, my girl.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been happier since I left,” he reiterated, leaning closer to her to drive his point home.

“You didn’t have to leave me, too,” she murmured, and I recognized this moment between siblings, which had no need for a third wheel.

“I’ll go refill my wine,” I said while quietly excusing myself.

I stood by the refreshments table smiling politely at people who made eye contact.

“So you and my son, hmm?” the ice queen asked by way of greeting as she approached from the hallway behind.

I looked around. Damn, no graceful means for escape in sight.

I straightened my shoulders and turned to face her with a smile. If this lady thought she could intimidate me, she had another thing coming.

“Yes, he’s amazing,” I replied blissfully as though she’d meant her comment as a compliment.

She made a slight scoffing sound before assessing me with a judgmental gaze. Obviously, my off-the-rack dress wasn’t to her standards. “How long have you two been seeing each other?” she asked.

“A year,” I nodded, glad we’d gotten that sorted out earlier.

“And what do you do?” she asked.

Oh, this should go over well. “I’m a bartender,” I replied steadily, bracing for impact.

Her eyes widened before falling back into her now familiar glare. “How very interesting,” she replied as though the words burned her tongue on the way out. “And how did you meet my son?” she asked coolly.

“Through my best friend, she’s engaged to Sal’s close friend,” I answered, meeting her gaze head on. This exchange was wearing me out, but I was determined not to back down from her. She was indeed cold and judgmental, but the way she kept referring to Sal as “her son” made me feel like she wanted to assert some sort of claim to him. And, if she didn’t give a shit, she wouldn’t be trying to claim him. She also wouldn’t be asking about him or about us if she didn’t care.

“Listen,” I started, “I know this isn’t my place, and you’ll probably hate me for saying this. But I’ll just give it a go,” I blurted before I could stop myself. “I’m sure there’s a lot about Sal you don’t understand or relate to. I’m sure the same is true for him with you. But, he’s an amazing man. I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s a genius security specialist. Businesses from all over Nevada try to recruit him.”

This was true, but he stayed with the Knights and wouldn’t ever leave as far as I could tell.

“He’s an amazing boyfriend, a loyal friend, and a man who demands respect wherever he goes. You should be proud rather than turning your back on him,” I said firmly. “He doesn’t need me standing up for him. Sal can stand on his own. All I’m saying is by turning your nose up at him you’re missing the chance to know an amazing man who also happens to be your son,” I told her, taking a large drink of my wine while watching her reaction.

She eyed me up and down one more time, turned on her heel, and walked out of the room.

Well, that went well.

I felt a warm presence at my back and turned to find Sal staring after his mother with a narrowed gaze. “What were you and my mother talking about?”

“How amazing you are,” I answered honestly, moving to put my arms around his neck.

“Was she a bitch to you?” he demanded.

I shrugged. “Not really, no. I think the cold demeanor just comes with the territory. I held my own,” I said as I grinned.

He still looked unsure but gave me a crooked smile in return. “I’m sure you did. You ready to get out of here? See a little of the city?”

“I’d love to,” I agreed.

He took my hand giving a chin lift to a few people as he led me out of the house and onto the street beyond.

“Did you work things out with Sophie?” I asked later that night as we were seated at the little Italian place that Sal swore had “the best fuckin’ pizza in the entire world.”

“I don’t know if I can ever work it out,” he grimaced. “I was a shit to bail on her. I put her in the same category as my mother, I guess. I mean, I took her calls at least, but I certainly didn’t reach out,” he admitted while taking a sip of his beer.

“It doesn’t seem like she’s holding a grudge,” I said quietly. “She was absolutely thrilled to see you.”

“Yeah,” he agreed.

Sensing a need for a subject change, I turned my attention to the pizza. “This is awesome,” I said and grinned, taking another big bite.

Despite the events that had brought us here, the quick trip still had fun moments and it had certainly been eye opening. I felt like I now understood Sal better after meeting some of his family and seeing where he came from. We’d also managed to see some of the sights in our short trip. He’d already taken me to Times Square and we’d walked all over the East Village. After dinner, he was taking me to one of his favorite bars.