31. Poking the bear
Poking the bear
Wade
Her dark lashes flutter over her cheeks as I enjoy a moment to just take in her beauty.
Maybe there was something purposeful about me bringing her here. Almost as if I’m forcing her hand.
But I needed her to fall off this cliff with me, no more dancing along the edge to dip a toe over the precipice.
Because I tumbled over weeks ago, I realize it now.
I can’t imagine another day of coming home and not seeing her. Or feeling the warmth of her idle touch, and watching her genuinely laugh without care.
If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll die keeping that spark alive in her.
My fingers tighten behind her neck as I pull her closer. Tilting my hat to the side, fire sears through me as my mouth meets hers.
She squeezes my thigh, then parts her full lips to let our tongues dance in a heated battle.
Her soft moan signals her submission and she melts against me.
When I finally pull away, she blinks rapidly to look up with a dreamy distant gaze. “I didn’t know how badly I needed that.” She leans close enough to drop her forehead onto my chest.
“You and me, both.” Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I tug her, chair and all, so she can nestle against me. “This is where you’ll be from now on,” I murmur into her silky hair.
“So I still won’t be seeing much of you?” Val laughs, depositing our two plates of food on the table. “I wasn’t expecting to.” She winks again before turning away.
I owe her a big tip.
Elena raises her head, then presses a kiss to the hollow below my jaw before grabbing a fry off her plate.
She pauses, looking past me to flash her teeth in an exaggerated smile, then waves the thin potato wedge like she’s wiggling it for a toddler.
All at Paige.
“You’re poking the bear,” I chuckle, patting Elena’s hip.
Her shoulders rise and fall. “I don’t care. She can’t have what’s mine.” She shifts her hand still clinging to my leg higher, fully cupping my hard cock through my jeans.
I can’t fight the groan that escapes with her touch. My nuts ache every time she strokes the seam of the denim.
“Keep doing that, I’ll give you a taste of what’s yours.” Clenching the swell of her ass, I’m tempted to drag her on me for a little more friction.
Maybe she’s not wearing any panties?There are far too few people in here for me to get away with fucking her in the middle of the bar.
That thought is stifled when Paige appears by my elbow. “I knew you were fucking her,” she spits, jabbing her finger at Elena.
“You need to sit back down before you cause a scene,” I say calmly.
This isn’t the first outburst from her.
As if Elena was reading my mind, she shuffles across to climb onto my lap. “You should listen to him.” She rolls her pelvis, burying my engorged crotch against her hot pussy.
Jesus, she’s killing me.
“You should be in jail.” Paige’s nose wrinkles as she turns to me. “She’s manipulating you, Wade. She doesn’t love you—”
Elena tilts her chin and raises her voice. “Just because he doesn’t want to fuck you anymore—”
Paige’s cheeks pale. “Don’t you dare.”
My ego should fill the room having two women arguing over me.
But I know the only reason Paige is making a stink about it is because she can’t handle rejection. It’s why she chose to work in a small field office versus the job in Helena she applied for first and lost.
She only wants what she can’t have.
“Why don’t you go have lunch with Oliver. I’m sure you’d be more welcome at his table.” I shoot a glance in his direction.
It’s no surprise that he’s watching us with a sour expression.
“That’s not the point,” Paige grits through her teeth. “As a friend, I’m trying to tell you this woman is using you.” Her hand waves between us.
“I know.” I can feel Elena freeze against me.
“She’s using me to be her protector against the people who kidnapped her sister.
She’s using me to find comfort from the hellish life she was raised in.
” I lean forward, wrapping Elena in a firm embrace which she relaxes into.
“Most of all, she uses me to show her how to be loved with patience. Now, can you really say that any of that is wrong?”
Paige’s lower lip trembles making me almost feel bad for her. “That’s not fair,” she whines, dropping her arms to her sides.
“I think it’s not fair,” a deep voice from behind her bellows. “Seeing my soon to be ex-wife jealous because her ex-lover found someone.” Oliver appears, his face red and mottled.
Oh shit, is he going to hit me?
“It’s not like that!” Paige protests, turning to put herself between him and us.
“Bullshit. I had a feeling you were fucking around on me, but never in a million years thought you’d be trying to win him back right in front of me!” Oliver clenches his fists.
But, to his credit, he keeps them down.
Instead, he spins on his heel and stomps out.
Paige stands in shock watching him.
Then she takes a ragged breath and turns to us. “You ruined everything!” she shouts, banging her palm hard enough on the table to make our plates jump.
Elena erupts in a fit of laughter, shaking against me as she gasps for air.
Paige rushes away, causing the tiny bell over the door to rattle loose and droop from its hinge.
“Well, that was entertaining. See, Wade? This is why you’re welcome here, you bring the drama.” Val makes a u-turn back into the kitchen with a tray of food.
I’m guessing it was for Paige and Ollie.
“Hey Val?” I call, hopefully loud enough for her to hear.
She pops her head through the swinging access. “Yup?”
“I’ll cover their food. No sense in you eating the loss. If you wanna toss it in a to-go, I’ll bring it home to Dad.” I’ve been picking at my own, but the only meal I’m interested in is wiggling on my dick.
Val’s thumb sticks up replacing her head, then it disappears into the back.
Elena twists in my arms, wrapping her wrists behind my neck. “Did you really mean all of that?”
She has the shine of unshed tears rimming her eyes as she bites her bottom lip hard enough to make it ripple with pink and white.
Damn if I don’t want to kiss away her pain.
“I did. I know exactly what I’m getting into. You’re my little felon.” And I don’t want to let her go.
She flattens her cool palm against my cheek. “Thank you for standing up for me. I just don’t understand why she would make a fool of herself like that.”
“She’s jealous. But she’ll never care about anyone more than herself. Paige doesn’t want me, she just wants the attention she isn’t getting anymore.” I glance over her head to Val sliding a plastic bag onto the adjoining table, then reach out to sign the receipt.
Handy being a small enough place I can keep a credit card on file.
After a hefty tip, I pat Elena’s hip. “Time to go.”
Her body clings to me as we stand. “Where are we going next?”
My thumb threads under the gap between her blouse and skirt to rub the bare skin. “The first wide spot in the road I can find.”