15. Bronco
15
brONCO
So I always thought I liked showering alone. I can’t say I’ve ever showered with any of the women I’ve ever been with, but this is spectacular. Smelling her vanilla body wash sends me over the edge. I watch her hand roam her body, and my cock stiffens. It’s not like I can keep it down when she’s around. It’s as if I have no control over it.
I smile to myself as she hums, completely at ease with being naked with me in her tiny shower. It’s definitely not made for two, but that’s where theatrics come in.
I don’t like all the shit she just told me. In fact, I’m enraged. I want to cut this man, and her fucking brother, and bury them out in the bayou. Goddamn assholes. No matter what she says, I’ll get to the bottom of it. What if these bastards are still doing this shit? She was married at sixteen? That’s not even legal. Then when I think of Olive and her future in that damn nut camp, I really see red. Children are innocent, they deserve better than that.
I’m also still upset that she never told me. I don’t want to ruin the mood, so I keep my annoyance on the down low, but I’m glad she’s finally fessed up. Even if it is years after the fact. The whole idea she held all of that from me… I really don’t know what to think.
Still, she’s happy tonight. I don’t want to ruin the mood. I like playful Amber.
“You tryin’ to tease me on purpose?” I muse, leaning back against the shower wall. We were both hot and sticky from our fuck sessions, and while I’m more than fine with her lying in my arms with my cum leaking out of her, I know she’ll feel better after a shower. Not that we’re gonna make it out of here without round three.
“Nope.” She massages her tits, her teeth biting down on her lip as she gazes up at me.
I reach out, but she smacks my hand away. “Show me what you do.”
I cock my head. “With what?”
A little smile creeps across her face. “With that big monster between your legs.”
I glance down, my cock thick and heavy between my legs, and I grin. “He’s a friendly monster.”
“He’s still big.”
I run a hand down my chest and abs teasingly as her eyes follow, then I grip my dick with one palm and work it up and down my length. “Like this.”
She watches me, still playing with herself as my eyes dip to her tits. “He’s ready to play again.”
“Oh, he’s always ready to play around you.” I smile. I almost tell her how hard I’ve been for her for a while now, but that’ll give my secret away, so I hold my tongue on too much of the truth. “Ever since that kiss, my dick’s been hot for you.”
“Jesus, I love that dirty mouth.”
“Touch your pussy.”
She does as I ask, leaning back against the glass, facing me, her legs spread. She rubs her clit, keeping one hand plucking at her nipples, and I’m heady with need. Her eyes are still trained on my hand and I pick up the pace, tugging my balls with the other hand.
“You’re too sexy for words,” she breathes.
I laugh. “I am not.”
“Like you don’t know it.”
“Put your fingers inside, that’s it…” My strokes become faster and I grip my cock harder as I watch her. She fucks her pussy with one finger, then two, moaning softly as I take her in. I need to touch her, but I want to see if she’ll touch me first.
“Bronco,” she whispers. “I’m close.”
“Suck my dick while you finger yourself,” I growl.
Her eyes spring open, and she licks her lips. In two seconds, she’s kneeling on the tiles, my cock in her hand. Spreading her legs, she continues to touch herself as she takes me into her mouth and sucks me deep. I brace a hand on the glass where she was just leaning. “Fuuuuuck.”
She uses that hot tongue to tease me, lave me, nibble at my tip and I’m ready to come down her throat. I move my hips, hitting the back of her throat as she gags. I pull out.
“You okay?”
“Mmm, yes.” She takes me again, sucking the tip like a lollipop. “Fuck my mouth, Bronc.”
I piston my hips, moving in and out as she takes all of me. Her mouth perfect, her eyes wide, she stares up at me and it takes all my might not to spill into the back of her throat. But I need her pussy again.
“Come for me,” I demand. “ Please.”
My words are her undoing as she moves her hips, one hand between her legs, the other one squeezing my dick. Then she comes loudly, and I’m jealous of her hand working between her legs. I want to give her that. She groans, my cock locked between her lips, and I stop my ministrations the second she’s done. I pull her up to standing and my lips find hers.
“Too fuckin’ pretty with my dick in your mouth.”
“It shut me up for a few minutes, didn’t it?”
I laugh against her lips as I spin her around. She braces against the glass with her hands and I line up behind her. I slide my dick in all the way and she cries out in a long moan.
“Too big for you?” I taunt.
“Oh, you fill me so good.” Her panting breath has me gripping her hips as I pull out, then push back in again.
“Wanna be fucked, AJ?”
“Yes, oh, God, yes!”
I can’t keep it slow this time, I’m too pent up, but I also can’t remember the last time I fucked three times in one night. No way. Even the overachiever that I am couldn’t have predicted this.
“How does it feel? Your best friend bangin’ this sweet pussy.”
“About as good as having your cock in my mouth.”
“Fuck.” I love it when she talks dirty back. “Gonna be quick this time, you touchin’ what’s mine got me worked up.”
“Yours?” she pants.
“Yep.”
“You're confident.”
“Always am.” I move my hands to her tits, cupping them greedily, my thumbs pressing against her hard peaks. “Best fuckin’ tits I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh god, I’m coming, Bronc…” She does just that, her head flopping back as I hammer it home. She squeezes my cock as she comes hard.
I can’t hold on. Stilling, I shoot my load thick and fast, my orgasm making me dizzy as she drains my balls, and I make noises I’ve never made before because this woman makes me feral.
We’re panting, and when I pull out, I see my cum dripping down her thighs. I really love how that looks. I hold her wrist with one hand, then move my other hand between her legs.
“Never gonna unsee this,” I mumble into her neck.
“You’re a very bad man.”
“Who knows how to fine tune your body.”
“Touche.”
I kiss the top of her shoulder. Glancing up, I frown. There’s a mark on her wrist… as I lean in closer, I realize it’s the arm that Amber always wears a thick cuff on. It’s not a mark, it’s a tattoo. “What is that?” I brush my thumb over it and she gasps.
Her reaction catches me off guard. I let go of her and she covers the tattoo with her other hand. “It’s— it’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothin’. Why have I never seen this before?”
She pushes off the glass, opening the shower door to leave.
“Amber?”
“Just drop it, Bronc, okay?”
I frown. What in the actual fuck? I run a hand through my hair, watching her wrap a towel around her. She starts to walk out, but then stops. I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but it’s like she’d seen a ghost.
I turn the shower taps off, and follow behind her, grabbing a towel off the rail and drying off quickly.
She moves silently, sitting on the side of the bath. “It’s a tattoo,” she says, her voice so faint I can barely hear her.
“I gathered that. Why the reaction?”
She looks down at it, rubbing it with her thumb. I don’t know whether to move closer or back off, but she looks so hopeless.
I bend down, crouching in front of her. “You don’t ever have to hide things from me, ever.”
She nods. “I usually have it covered with heavy makeup, or my cuff. When I got in the shower… I wasn’t thinking.”
I let her talk, not wanting to fill the silence with words when it’s clear she has things to say.
I do not, however, expect the next words out of her mouth.
“It’s a brand.” She drops her head. “Whatever you want to call it.”
I frown. “A brand?”
“Yes. Vince, he?—”
“He branded you with a tattoo?”
“Yes, it’s the church’s logo. It bound me to him, to the church.”
What in the actual fuck?
I swallow hard. “Why didn’t you have it removed?”
“I wanted to,” she starts. “Then I got scared it would fuck up and look weird.”
“But you know I tattoo people for a livin’.”
“I do. I didn’t want to burden you with it.” It almost sounds like a protest. “And in any case, I was embarrassed.”
“You’re never a burden.” Man, this pains me to say. “So you’ve been coverin’ this up for years?”
She shrugs. “I always planned on getting around to it, but to be honest…” She takes a noticeable intake of breath, which in turn has my blood boiling at the jerk who did this. “I really hate needles.”
I don’t understand, until this moment, the power that this asshole really had over her. He fuckin’ branded her with his own tattoo? I try to keep my cool, but it’s hard for me. The temper boiling inside of me feels nuclear.
“I wish you told me? You can opt for laser removal if you don't want a cover up.”
She shrugs, her eyes daze off into the distance looking lost for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe a part of me was holding onto that old life, ya know? Even though it was toxic, and the worst time in my life, maybe I couldn’t really let go because the pain reminds me how far I’ve come.”
“How can you look at that and not see him?” I don’t want to sound like an ass, but I need to know.
“I’ve been covering it for years, but that’s no excuse. I guess I figured one day I’d pluck up the courage to ask you.”
I pique an eyebrow. “You’d let me?” It brings up that whole ass tattoo thing, and here I was thinking that was cute. Now I know she’d never have done it sober because she hates needles.
“I would.” She swallows hard. “I’m sorry, I’m failing miserably at being a best friend.”
“You’re not,” I say, though the secrets hit hard. “But you’re keepin’ shit from me that you don’t need to. I can lessen the burden if you’d just let me. If you want it removed, I’ll give you the money so you don’t ever have to see it again.”
Her eyes fill with tears and then a sob escapes her. I feel it right down to my toes as her shoulders shake. She garbles something, but I don’t understand the words.
Instead, I pull her into my arms and hug her tight. “Nobody is ever gonna hurt you again,” I assure her. “I promise. Whatever you wanna do with the tattoo is fine. You don’t have to do anythin’, but I think it would be less of a reminder if we covered it up. Do you trust me?”
She bobs her head, her arms around my neck. “Of course I trust you, Bronc, you’re amazing. I think deep down I’m always second guessing myself in case I make someone mad. It’s like a subconscious thing. It didn’t take much to set Vince off?—”
“But I’m not him, and you’d never make me mad. You only make me worry when you don’t tell me shit, and then hide tattoos for years when you should have been healin’.” I feel my throat thickening. How much has this precious angel suffered?
What kind of asshole brands a woman with a fuckin’ cult tattoo? I swear to fuckin’ God if we cross paths, he’s not only a dead man, but I’ll resuscitate him only to kill him all over again until I’m satisfied he’s really learned his fuckin’ lesson. Then the alligators can finish off his pathetic excuse for a body.
“I have healed,” she protests. “Being with the MC, they’ve welcomed me with open arms. And I have you and Lace, Audrina, all the girls. I’ve never had a family like that before. I know I’ve not done everything right, and I feel like I’ve kept things from you, but where I come from, we don’t just blurt out our feelings willy-nilly. We were taught to keep those things inside.”
“It’s not willy-nilly.” I pull back and wipe away her tears. “It’s me. I’m your best friend, and I’ll always be here no matter what, even if it’s just to listen. There’s nothin’ you can say that will make me think any less of you, or what you’ve been through. None of this is your fault. You were a child. You trusted your brother and he let you down.”
She nods, her eyes red and puffy. I can’t deal with it, but I know I have to. I have to be her rock because she’s got no other male figures in her life to take on this role, and I’ll do it gladly. “I know, trust me, it’s taken years of therapy to realize that, and I still have trust issues.”
I stroke her cheeks with my thumbs. “And you can cry all you want, whenever you want. Sometimes I do that, too?—”
“You do not!”
“Hell yeah, I do. Usually it’s a TV commercial, especially if it has a puppy or a kitten in it, a sappy book, even a birthday card?—”
She whacks me on the arm playfully. “Stop it!”
I’m trying to make her laugh; I hate seeing her like this. “What? It’s true. You know I was a mess when I saw that movie about the dog who reincarnates.”
“Everyone cries over dog movies, that doesn’t count.”
“I think I should tuck you back into bed.” A tug of fear hits me in the guts that she’ll regret what we did tonight. That she won’t see me in the same light, and she’ll push me away. She never lets too many people close. It’s a habit of hers and now I know why. The same way she hasn’t ever committed to anyone else. Sure, she’s had dates, but I think she went on those out of obligation to the girls who set them up, or just out of curiosity.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
I take care in drying her off, helping her back to the bedroom as she sits on the bed and I pull on her pajamas. There’s nothing sexual about any of it, but it feels intimate.
When we’re settled back under the comforter, she lays in my arms. “You need anythin’?” I ask.
“No, Bronc, everything’s perfect. Thank you.”
She lies back, her eyes closing as silence falls between us. It only takes a few minutes, and the lull of her soft breathing tells me she’s asleep.
I lay for a while, staring at the ceiling, wondering how the fuck we came to this. Not us, but this whole situation as well as the fucking tattoo she’s been hiding. I didn’t want to upset her, but I’m hurt she didn’t tell me. Hell, she knows all of my secrets, and yet tonight I’ve only just found out two of hers. Pretty major ones. What other things is she hiding? Why did she not feel comfortable enough to share them with me?
I get that she doesn’t have to tell me everything, but this is pretty big. Fucking major, when you think about it. Still, she’s suffered enough trauma reliving it for one night, and after all the sex we’ve had, she’s exhausted. I close my eyes, willing sleep to come so I don’t have to keep picturing all the ways I’m going to hunt down this Vince guy and kill him for touching the woman who has sealed a special place in my heart from the moment I met her.
I don’t know how I thought this was a good idea; friends with benefits? What in the actual fuck was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn’t thinking through the right head. Just the head between my legs. The sex tonight was phenomenal, I’m not gonna deny it, but it’s more than that.
It’s the way Amber tugs at my heart, searing her way into the one place I always keep guarded. I like her more than a friend, but I know how she feels about relationships. And after what she told me tonight, she’ll probably run a mile.
I start to worry I was too rough with her. I’d never hurt her intentionally, but I couldn’t help myself. She’s so damn beautiful, consuming her moans and groans could be my new favorite pastime.
Then I remember the other parts. The evidence that her past isn’t out of her system.
I hated seeing her like that; so upset and vulnerable. Having to relive the ordeal, and having that fucking reminder on her skin every single day. I’m starting to think I’m not a very good friend, but this isn’t about me. I get why she kept things to herself; I understand she’s traumatized, but I thought we had trust between us. I thought she told me everything. Heck, I haven’t held back.
She didn’t trust me enough to tell me any of this shit, only the parts that she thought wouldn’t make me mad. Why is that? Why would she care if I hunted this fucker down and cut his nuts off? It’s what he deserved.
Still, as I glance at her sleeping, she looks so peaceful. I hope I put her mind at ease a little. The simple fact is, I want to tattoo her. Ever since she dropped her pants that time at my shop, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Even with liquid courage, she was never going to let me do it. But this time it’s different.
The need in me to cover that thing up and make it the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen, runs deep. Then she won’t have to cover up anymore. She won’t ever have to see it and be reminded of that place, or what he did. If she really wants laser, I’ll organize it. I just want her to be happy.
Amber stirs, and when I glance down, she snuggles farther into my shoulder. This is how I want her; wrapped up beside me where I know she’s safe. Where the demons can’t find her.
I made a vow a long time ago, back when my dead-beat dad left, and I’m making that same promise to Amber that I did to my mom: I will serve and protect. She deserves a man who can give her everything she wants selflessly, and the more I think about it, the more uneasy I become. I want it to be me, and all of this is only just hitting me now.
I know I’m out of her league. I know that we shouldn’t be doing this because I’m sure as fuck that sex complicates things. I wasn’t lying about any of that. But we’ve crossed a line. A line I’m not sure I ever want to come back from.