The Bachelor: a one-night stand boss romance

Chapter 5

What madeAvery so appealing was that she had no clue how sensual she was, or how damn dirty her words sounded. She seemed apologetic. As though she felt guilty forcing him to spend time with her. As if hanging out with a beautiful woman was some kind of hardship for him. He was honest enough with himself to know that he wasn’t doing this for purely altruistic reasons. It had started out that way. And he did want to make sure Avery was safe and sound.

But now there was a selfish side to it all. He wanted to spend more time with her. She had him more intrigued and curious than he had been in a dog’s year. Maybe that was part of why he had grown restless to the point of not seeing the same woman more than once or twice. None of them held his attention. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with any of the women he had been with. But they all felt the same. A parade of attractive women working in the industry, or sexy hairstylists, or busty waitresses. Financiers, real estate agents, teachers. He had met and made out with them all and none of them stood out because Shane hadn’t really been looking.

He supposed he still wasn’t. But there was just something about Avery. Maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was his mixed emotions about his sister’s upcoming wedding. Maybe it was pure nostalgia and homesickness for a place he had gladly left but that still defined him. Or it was Avery herself, with her big light eyes and her lashes wet with unshed tears.

He didn’t know. He just knew that he was wide awake and having a good time. It was only a block to his bike and Avery was keeping up with his stride. When they reached his bike a few minutes later, he stopped. “Sure you don’t just want me to drive you to your hotel? Or do you really want a ride?”

She paused, looking at first the bike, then him. “Is that what you want? To drop me off?”

There was uncertainty radiating off her. Ben’s betrayal had dented her confidence, which was completely understandable and expected. As far as he knew, he’d never been cheated on, but he was pretty sure if it happened to him, he would be really damn angry. Avery was holding it together better than most people would. So he had no problem bolstering her. “No,” he said firmly. “That’s not what I want. But I want you to be comfortable with me.”

“I am.” She lifted her hand, like she was going to touch him, then dropped it quickly. “You’re a nice guy, you know that? But I bet you hear that all the time.”

“Not really.” He wasn’t sure he was anything special in that regard. He was polite, well-mannered. Determined to not be an asshole. But he wasn’t sure he was really nice. If anything, he had residual anger that simmered under the surface. He hid it with work and the thin veneer of casual charm. It was also part of the reason he never let women get close to him. If he tapped into one emotion like love, would the floodgates open, allowing a shitload of anger to spill out? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to find out.

Avery put her purse over her head cross-ways so she didn’t have to hold it. The strap pressed down between her breasts, forcing the lace to cling to her curves. It brought all manner of visuals to his mind. He cleared his throat and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Do you need help?” he asked.

It was a big bike and she was a small woman. Then again, she rode horses.

“Nope. Though this short dress isn’t ideal.” Without hesitation though, she hiked the skirt up and swung her leg over the seat.

Shane caught the briefest glimpse of firm thighs and white panties before it was gone and she was seated. He had seen plenty of panties and thighs and hiked-up skirts in his lifetime, but for whatever reason that tantalizing tease, that wasn’t intended to be a tease, made his mouth water. If Avery knew what he was thinking right now, she would hop right off that bike.

Because his thoughts were running along the lines of his fingers gripping those pale thighs and holding them apart so he could bury his mouth in her softness, sliding the panties over with his teeth and letting his tongue fully taste her.

Or maybe she would prove to him that she was ready to be a little wilder, as she claimed. The thought made his dick harden and his nostrils flare. He liked a little naughty with his nice.

“You ready?” she asked with a smile.

That was an understatement. He was standing there just staring at her while envisioning going down on her. He could only imagine what he looked like, though if he had to guess, fierce and hungry. He had an erection too, and he almost hoped she would notice. But she was looking at his face, not his dick. Obviously.

He cleared his throat. “I’m ready.” Really fucking ready.

He climbed onto his bike, painfully so, given his hard cock, and handed Avery his helmet. “You need to wear this.” He wanted her safe.

“Okay, thanks.” She put on the helmet, then snuggled right up behind him, her arms slipping around his middle, her hands pressing against his abs.

It felt oddly satisfying to have her trust him. He didn’t generally let women on his motorcycle. Most nights when he went out or to industry parties, he didn’t drive it for that reason. The bike was for him. For his own personal sense of freedom. It allowed him to shut down his thoughts and just feel the road, breathe the air. So he totally understood what Avery was seeking because he reached for it every time he climbed on his bike. He’d ridden tonight because he had known he was going to be heading home alone.

It was a new sensation to have a woman behind him. He felt proprietary of her and her safety and he pulled her hands in closer, firmer. “Hold on really tight,” he said over his shoulder. “Grip with your thighs like you do on your horse.” He mentally groaned as he said the words. He didn’t need to imagine Avery gripping anything with her thighs.

“Got it.”

He couldn’t see the upper half of her legs. Just the smooth expanse of creamy flesh on either side of him from just above her knee to where it suddenly disappeared into the leather of her boots. If she’d been in heels, he wasn’t sure he would have taken her more than the two blocks to the hotel, but with the boots, he felt like she had more stability. Sexy and stable. That might be a decent label for Avery herself.

She pressed her chest and shoulder against him, her grip tight around his waist. If she hadn’t been wearing the helmet, he might have been able to feel her cheek against his back, but instead he felt the hard press of the plastic. He took off, no particular destination in mind. He wasn’t going to head out of the city because he didn’t think it would make her feel comfortable to be out in the sticks in total darkness with a man she had just met. Or maybe she was feeling reckless and didn’t care, but he didn’t want to be that guy. The one who took advantage of her emotional distress and lured her out of her dress in a field.

Not that he didn’t want to.

So he just drove around the city, letting the night air cool his warm skin and clear his head. He had a busy week coming up and all his days were fully scheduled. This might be his only real opportunity to just relax, away from the chaos. He really needed to do this more often.

Avery shifted and her hand accidentally brushed over his dick. He wasn’t expecting it, but he couldn’t say he minded. At all. But she snatched her hand back quickly, and as she did, he had a momentary panic that she was going to throw herself off balance. His heart leapt into his throat.

He was glad she couldn’t see his face as she settled back, perfectly fine. For a minute, he had felt real, genuine, down-into-his-soul fear. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had felt scared. Life had been clipping along, easy. There had been nothing wrong, but also nothing to inspire him, jar him, rattle his chains. No challenge.

An ache he didn’t understand and wasn’t expecting settled into his chest. Fuck. Why did fear always have to be followed by a rush of adrenaline? He couldn’t do anything to cool the hot blood pumping through him right now. Avery’s fingers tickled across his gut as she shifted a little.

Or could he?