Vexed (4 page)

“You’re gonna kill me. I’m too old to work that hard,” Romeo says with a lazy smirk.

“Sorry.”

He leans over and presses a kiss to my forehead then leaves to clean himself up. I sit and gather my clothes. He probably wants me to leave. I can be dignified about this, right? No way am I planning to be some clingy chick who overstays her welcome. One and done.

The corners of my mouth lift. Or two and done.

Romeo steps out of the bathroom and the fierce expression on his face makes me reconsider. “Where’re you going?”

“I…uh. Well, I figured you didn’t want me to stay over. You don’t have to worry. I’m not gonna be like, some virgin clinger or something now that you deflowered me.”

In three, maybe four steps, he crosses the room and yanks my clothes out of my hands. “Were you listening before?”

“What?”

“I ain’t letting you go. You climbed into my bed willingly, gave me that sweet pussy. You’re not leaving.”

My dream of moving to California keeps beating at the edge of my mind. “Are you serious?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“What about—”

“Athena, I’m tired. You’re staying. Can we do this tomorrow?” He stalks over to his dresser and tosses a T-shirt at me. “Put this on so you don’t wake up with my mouth on your tits.”

“I might like that.”

“You’re my sassy little bitch, aren’t you?”

My jaw drops. “Did you just call me a bitch?”

His mouth twists into one of those sexy smirks that make my girly parts tingle.

“Fuck yeah, I did,” he says, completely unapologetic. “Now. We’re clear. You’re staying.”

Instead of words, I nod, although I don’t know why I bother. He didn’t
ask.

Once we’re settled in bed, my head’s resting on his chest but my mind won’t settle down.

I feel like I just made a promise I can’t keep.

W
aking
with the soft weight of a woman in my bed isn’t a regular occurrence for me, believe it or not. Athena wasn’t wrong last night. Usually, I prefer to sleep alone. Hell, half the time girls don’t even make it through my bedroom door.

I like my space.

Makes it even funnier that the one girl I actually
want
to spend the night, was ready to jet about five seconds after I pulled my dick out of her.

The sensation of being used as her personal body pillow doesn’t fill me with dread.

Interesting
.

Hooking my finger in a tangle of blonde curls, I push her hair off her face so I can get a better look at her. No raccoon eyes or smeared makeup. A fresh-faced sleeping beauty.

What the fuck am I doing with a girl half my age?

Before I have a chance to give it any more thought, Athena stirs. Her breathing changes. Her lashes tickle my skin. Finally, she picks her head up off my chest and blinks a few times.

“Are you staring at me?”

“Yeah. You’re a pretty girl.” Prettiest girl I’ve woken up with in a long time. But I keep that to myself, because I doubt she’ll find it flattering.

Her eyes widen like no one’s ever paid her a compliment before. How is that even possible?

I can’t help stroking my finger across her cheek. “How do you feel?”

“Happy,” she says without thinking it over.

I don’t know what I expected her to say. The directness of that one word has a simple innocence to it. I want her to wake up happy every day. I want to
be
the one who makes her wake up happy every day.

“I meant, are you sore?”

“Oh.” She wrinkles her nose and shifts, which stirs my dick to life—not that he hadn’t been on alert as it was. “A little.”

My thumb traces over her bottom lip. “We can do other things today.”

She nips my finger. “That’s right. You promised to put your mouth all over me last night and never got to it.”

Honest to God laughter rumbles out of me. She grins and pushes herself up, accidentally brushing her hand over my cock.

“Oh.” Curious eyes stare at me. “Morning wood’s a real thing, huh? Not a myth?”

“No myth.” I really wish I hadn’t bothered to give her the T-shirt to sleep in last night. Feeling her warm, satin skin up against me would have made this morning perfect. Tonight she gets no clothes.

I reach down to pull her to me for a kiss, but she shies away. Pink colors her cheeks. “I need to pee.”

Shit, she makes me laugh. “Go. Me and my morning wood will be waiting for you.”

“Cocky motherfucker,” she mumbles as she crawls over me. It only makes me laugh harder.

Couple minutes later she’s standing in my doorway with a face full of confusion and maybe hurt. “Why do you have a girl’s T-shirt on your floor in here?”

Here’s my punishment for being such a slob.

Okay, maybe I don’t encourage a lot of chicks into my personal space. Doesn’t mean some haven’t spent time in here. But after last night, only girl in here is Athena. That I know for certain.

“It’s B.A.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Before Athena,” I explain and run my gaze over her to see if she’s buying it.

“Eww. Tell me you didn’t fuck someone yesterday before I got here.”

I actually have to think about it. “No.”

“So you’re just a pig who doesn’t clean up after himself?”

“Pretty much.”

She grumbles and tosses the shirt back in the bathroom. Then strolls to the side of the bed and stares down at me. “Are you planning to feed me?”

“Yeah, my cock.”

Her jaw drops in a cute, shocked way that’s so hot, it makes me want to say more obnoxious things. “Did you really just say that?”

“Yup.” There’s no point in hiding who I really am if I want her to stick around.

Her mouth twists into a smirk, and I think she’s trying not to laugh. I reach out and run my fingers up her bare thigh, up under her shirt to her hip. “Well, at least you’re direct.”

“Got no time for bullshit.”

“Will you teach me how you like it done?”

I assume she means I need to teach her how to give a blowjob, which is fine by me. “Fuck, yeah.”

Her stomach rumbles and I get a prick of something. A conscience? Concern for someone other than my dick? That’s new. Throwing off the sheet, I sit up and pull her to me. Her arms settle around my neck and she tips her head down. “Guess you’re hungry?”

She nods so vigorously, it makes me laugh. “I think I’ll be a more attentive student if I’m not lightheaded from hunger.”

Christ, she’s cute. “Give me a second.”

When I return from the bathroom, she’s wearing her skirt from last night and my T-shirt. Except, now she’s tied it in a knot at her hip. “Cute.”

Her smile’s bright and beautiful. I could compliment her all day long if that face were the reward. The way she watches me pull on jeans and a shirt has me wanting to say fuck it to the food but I keep it together.

My cock doesn’t control me, as much as it thinks otherwise.

Weird. In my head, I imagined hanging out at the Iron Bulls MC clubhouse would be fun and exciting. Decadent and dirty. And it was. Last night. This morning, it’s a bunch of hungover half-dressed people.

As soon as we enter the main room, one of Romeo’s club brothers calls him over and he drags me along.

“Everything good?” he asks the guy whose leather vest reads “Nero.”

Nero glances at me and I’m about to take that as my cue to get lost when Romeo pulls me into his lap. His arm bands around my waist keeping me tethered to his body. Nero raises an eyebrow before continuing the conversation.

“Yeah. No trouble. All clear.”

Romeo nods as if the vague words have some meaning to him. The nod seems to also dismiss Nero and he ambles away without saying anything else.

“Is there a reason you didn’t introduce me to your friend?”

Romeo stares at me, and I wonder if I offended him or pissed him off.

I don’t get to find out, because Dante and Karina join us. She gives me a pointed stare and I grin back at her. Throwing a thumbs up would probably be childish so I contain myself. Barely.

“There should be breakfast in the kitchen, Shortcake,” Romeo says, giving me a nudge off his lap.

“Do you want anything?”

That sexy smirk that makes me want to rip my clothes off and drag him into the nearest private room twists his mouth. “You know what I want.”

I can’t help but lean over and kiss his cheek which seems to surprise him. “Bring back coffee?” he asks.

“You got it.”

Karina points to the kitchen doors and follows me inside.

As soon as the double doors stop flapping behind us, she grabs my hand. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Her gaze slides to the kitchen doors and she waves a jerky hand in the air. “Romeo? Really?”

“Why not? You’ve got a sexy-ass biker, why can’t I have one?”

She rolls her eyes. “He’s not a Ken doll.”

“You’re telling
me
. Ken wishes he had a—”

“Stop right there. I don’t want to know anything about Romeo’s package.”

I grin like a fool, because my best friend knows exactly how my mind works and what words were about to jump off my tongue. Her face softens. “He seems to really like you. I’ve never seen him so…nice before.”

“Really?”

Instead of answering, she frowns. “Does he know you’re leaving for California?”

“Well, we didn’t really do a lot of talking.”

“Ew.”

I snort. “Why are you being such a prude?”

“I’m not.” She hesitates. Bites her lip. I know my friend well enough to know something’s bothering her. “What’s wrong, Karina?”

“Dante work you over good last night?” one of the girls asks. She looks familiar and I’m about to ask her name, when Karina answers.

“Mind your own business, Melody.”

The girl stomps out of the kitchen and Karina pulls me over to a table in the corner.

“Didn’t she go to our high school?”

“Yeah. Ignore her. She likes to start trouble.”

“Does she—”

“Yes.”

“Has she—”

“Probably.”

Now I’m the one saying, “Ew.”

“Can we talk for a sec before you get all wrapped up with Romeo?”

“Yeah. Sure. What’s wrong?”

She jumps up and grabs a loaf of bread, butter, jars of peanut butter and jelly, a knife, and returns.

“Milk?”

She sniffs the carton in the fridge before bringing it over and setting it on the table with two glasses.

I don’t know much about the Iron Bulls or bikers or hell, men in general really, but I’m starting to get a sense of things. “So, Romeo’s probably banged every chick I see in this clubhouse?”

She shudders and I’m struck with what an awkward question that is for her. Dante’s probably screwed all those girls, too. “How can you stand that?”

“I trust Dante.”

Why? He could do whatever he wants while she’s away at school or whatever. How would she ever know the difference?

“I hope you’re still practicing safe sex.”

She gives me a sharp glare and thrusts the butter knife in her hand at me. “Here, butter your own bread.”

That’s fine, she never uses enough butter anyway.

“What’d you want to talk about?” I ask when she looks a little less pissed.

“Promise not to judge me?”

Oh, shit. I really hope she’s not pregnant.

“I won’t. Spill.”

She fiddles with her sandwich and won’t meet my eyes. “I found out I have a sister.”

“Holy shit. When? How?”

“My father’s a two-timing pig.”

This doesn’t surprise me.

“Well, what’s she like?”

“I don’t know yet. Dante’s going to get her number from my father.”

“Wait, why Dante?”

“He had a talk with my father.”

I almost choke on my sandwich as I picture big scary Dante
talking
to Karina’s weasel of a father. It makes me like Dante even more. I kind of hope his massive fists were a part of their conversation. While my parents kept me in line with a constant stream of criticism and insults, Karina’s father’s parenting style can only be described as absent.

“Do you think you can stick around to go with me to meet her?” Karina asks.

Crapcrapcrap
. I can’t say no to my best friend. But I’m also afraid the longer I stay here with Romeo, the harder it will be to leave.

I have to follow my dream. I
have
to. I’ll die if I repeat my mother’s mistakes. Never leaving the small town where I grew up. Marrying the first man who paid me any attention. Or worse, falling in love with a big, bad biker and then getting my ass kicked to the curb when he’s bored with me. Giving Romeo the power to hurt me that way goes against everything inside me. I might as well slit my wrists now if I’m going to throw my life away.

I almost regret not listening to my parents about applying to college.

“Athena?” Karina’s soft voice pulls me out of the life-choices-freak-out I’m having.

Calm down. You’ve got a plan.

“I have to be there by the twenty-fifth. I’m signed up for a class.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

Heat floods my cheeks and I duck my head. “An acting class. It’s supposed to be a good way to network and get auditions.”

“That’s good. So you have a plan?”

“Sort of.”

She nods as if that makes her happy.

“I’ll be back for Fourth of July.”

“Okay.” She rolls her bottom lip and chews on it for a second. “Shit. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you around.”

“You’ve got Dante to keep you busy.”

She gives me a sad smile. “Yes. But it’s not the same.”