Chapter Fourteen
Cheshire
The first rays of dawn sliced through the blinds. I rolled onto my back, the sheets tangling around my legs -- a poor man’s embrace compared to Eliza’s touch. Would she be in bed with me right now if we hadn’t been interrupted? Or would I have found the strength to hold back once more?
I slung my arm over my eyes, blocking out the light but not the images of Eliza playing in my mind. Flashes of her smile, the curve of her hip, the innocent look in her eyes -- they played on repeat, a damn film reel I couldn’t shut off.
Frustration built inside me. Her image was burned into my mind, seared onto every damn thought. It was more than wanting. It was a hunger, clawing from the inside out. Even now, my cock was hard as a fucking rock.
I shoved my hand down inside my boxers and started stroking. The mere thought of her lying under me, legs splayed, my name on her lips, was nearly enough to make me come. I pumped my cock in quick, short strokes, biting back a groan as I came all over my hand. I hadn’t been that quick since high school.
I threw the covers off, my skin prickling. The air was cool, but it didn’t touch the burn under my skin. Each breath was heavier, thick with desire for her, and I knew -- I was done fighting this. But first I needed to clean myself up.
Eliza. Her name was a bullet, shot straight through the armor I’d built. She was the wrench in my plans, the unexpected twist in my road -- my road that had always been clear and straight.
I ran a hand through my hair. The club, my brothers, relied on me to be sharp, to think ahead. But now, it was like I was wading through mud, her pull dragging me down, deeper and darker.
“Damn woman,” I whispered, half-curse and half-plea. There was no choice left. I had to have her, had to claim what was mine.
I went into the bathroom and ran the shower. After I stripped off my boxers, I tossed them into the hamper in the corner and stepped under the spray. A quick scrub was enough to clean away the evidence of what I’d done and clear the cobwebs in my brain. More awake and alert, I was ready to find the woman haunting me day and night.
I threw on a clean pair of boxers and tugged on a T-shirt. Hatter would probably lose his shit if he saw me leave my room like this. I had a feeling he and Jo were still asleep. I was counting on it. If not, I’d get my ass handed to me.
The floor was cold as hell under my bare feet. I stalked toward the door, yanking it open with a force that made the hinges protest. Now that I’d decided what I would do, there was no point waiting.
Eliza was under my skin, a fever I couldn’t sweat out.
I stepped into the hallway, the dim light throwing shadows across the walls. They were like ghosts, whispering her name, echoing the throb in my veins. The clubhouse was quiet, most of the brothers still knocked out or passed out, resting up for whatever chaos we were diving into next.
But there was no rest for the wicked, and right now a devil was sitting on my shoulder, whispering Eliza’s name, urging me to snatch her and run.
She was the itch I had to scratch, the storm I had to chase. The tension coiled tighter inside me with each step. Every sound was too loud in my ears -- the soft snoring from one of the rooms, the rustle of sheets as someone turned over in their sleep.
But none of that mattered. It was all background noise. Static.
Where was she? Still in her room? I made my way to the common area, just in case she’d had a sleepless night. If she wanted me anywhere near as much as I wanted her, then she wouldn’t have been able to sleep well.
The common area was dim, with only a few slivers of light cutting through the blinds. And then I saw her. Eliza. She sat on the worn-out couch like she was part of the shadows herself.
Her gaze lifted, catching mine. “Cheshire,” she whispered.
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. One step after another, I drew closer to her. Eliza watched me, her breath hitching just enough that I noticed. Good. It meant she was every bit as affected by me as I was by her.
I was close now, could almost feel the heat coming off her skin. I reached out, my hand wrapping around hers. It was a lifeline, pulling her into my world, into the chaos that had been building inside me since the second I laid eyes on her.
I helped her off the couch without a word and started leading her to my room. I could tell she was trying to keep up, her slight frame swaying slightly.
The hallway stretched out, seeming endless. Anticipation coiled tight in my gut with each step. It was a hunger, gnawing at me, desperate to be sated.
“Where are we --” she started, but I cut her off with a look.
“Shh,” I said, finger pressed against her lips, silencing the question she didn’t need answered. She nodded, understanding the unspoken promise hanging heavy between us. The door loomed ahead, and I knew what waited on the other side -- heat, desire, release. It was a collision course we’d been on since the moment our eyes locked. And I was ready for the impact.
The door clicked shut, the sound echoing like a final note to a prelude. My hand rested on the knob for a second longer than necessary, a barrier between us and the rest of the club. The world outside ceased to exist. It was just me and Eliza, enclosed in the sanctity of dim shadows. I twisted the lock just to make sure we wouldn’t be interrupted.
The room’s low light wrapped around us, turning everything velvety and soft. It felt like we were standing at the center of a storm, electricity crackling in the silence between us.
Her wide, innocent eyes anchored me. Shadows played across her face, but they couldn’t hide the flush I knew was there.
Her presence in my sanctuary was a fire that warmed the chill of my bones, chased away the edge that always lingered in my gut. Here, in this room, the world’s noise was muffled, replaced by the thrumming in my veins, the rush in my ears. Every breath I took was heavy with her scent, sweet and spicy.
We stood there, two lost souls drawn together, a magnetic pull too strong to resist. I saw it in her gaze -- the same wildfire that was burning through my restraint. I didn’t feel words were needed. Not now. Her lips parted, as if begging to be kissed.
I stepped in, closing the gap. I placed my hands, rough from years of wrenching on bikes and throwing punches, on the curve of her waist. They fit there like they were molded for this very purpose -- to pull her into me, to claim the space between us as ours alone.
The distance was gone. Her body’s heat seeped into mine, set my blood on fire. The room’s shadows wrapped around us like a shroud, and in this dim light, we were all that existed. The rest of the world could burn, and I wouldn’t give a damn. She was here with me, and I was about to cross a line I couldn’t come back from. Not that I wanted to.
Her lips crashed against mine, fierce and demanding. The world narrowed down to the pressure of her mouth. I reached up to tangle my hand in her hair, pulling her closer, kissing her deeper. Eliza’s fingers clawed at my back, desperate, as if she wanted to pull me into her very soul.
“Cheshire,” she gasped between kisses, her voice ragged and desperate. I tasted the need on her tongue, a hunger to match my own. Every kiss was a battle, every touch a claim staked.
We stripped out of our clothes with reckless abandon. Her shirt hit the floor, then mine, the chill of the air nothing against the heat we generated. I watched hungrily as she unfastened her bra and let it drop. I bit my lip to keep myself from leaning in and tasting her pretty nipples. As she shimmied out of her jeans, dragging her panties down too, I had to fight back a groan. My cock was so fucking hard right now! I made quick work ditching boxers, not wanting so much as a thread between us. I needed to feel her skin against mine.
“God, Cheshire,” she whimpered, and it was like throwing gasoline on the blaze. I couldn’t think of anything sweeter than the way she said my name.
Skin against skin, we collided -- a dance as old as time, frenzied and fervent. There was no room for thought, only instinct. I tried to tell myself to slow down, to take it easy. I knew it was her first time, and yet, I no longer had control over myself.
“Mine,” I said, my voice ringing with the possession I felt to my very bones. She answered with a moan, her nails digging into my shoulders, branding me as surely as any ink that had ever touched my skin.
“I need you,” she murmured.
“You know what I want. What I need.” I kissed her again, my lips devouring hers. “And I’m going to take it. So, if this is too much, if you’ve changed your mind, now is the time to tell me.”
She shook her head. “I’m yours. I always was.”
Our bodies were pressed tightly together, and I took a small step back so I could look at her beauty. Reaching out, I lightly ran my fingers between her breasts, watching as her nipples puckered. In that moment, I knew what she needed. Someone to take charge, someone who would make her feel safe, yet desired.
I claimed her lips in a passionate kiss that left us both panting. Pressing her against the door, I slid my hand up her thigh. As I nipped at her bottom lip, I trailed my fingers over her sensitive skin, teasing her.
She arched her back, pushing herself farther into my touch. “You like that, don’t you?”
Tracing the lips of her wet pussy, I groaned at the scent of her arousal and delved deeper, rubbing her clit in small circles. Her hips bucked against my hand, and she gasped out my name.
“You’re so fucking tight,” I whispered against her ear, licking the lobe, as I eased a finger inside her.
She whimpered, unable to resist any longer. “Charlie, please!”
I withdrew my hand, leaving her aching with anticipation. Then, without warning, I lifted her up and carried her to the bed. Her legs splayed and I settled between them. Eliza shuddered as I lapped at her sweet nectar like a starving man. My tongue explored every inch of her. I teased her swollen clit, and I pushed my tongue inside her.
She cried out, her fingers tangling in my hair. “Oh, God, right there!”
I flicked her clit with my tongue, watching as she buckled under the intense pleasure. I thrust my finger into her again, using slow, shallow thrusts. Her pussy clenched as she came undone. My cock throbbed, aching to be inside her.
“Turn over,” I commanded, my voice rough with desire. I knew I should be gentle. Should take her facing me, but I needed to see if she could handle all of me.
She obeyed without question, presenting her ass to me. I smacked her plump cheeks, leaving a red imprint of my hand. She yelped and gripped the sheets, but I saw a flush on her face that told me she’d enjoyed it.
“Such a good girl,” I murmured, positioning myself at her entrance. She trembled as I entered her slowly, feeling every inch of my thickness stretching her tight pussy. I bit back a groan at how incredible she felt. “Am I hurting you?”
She shook her head and buried her face in the bedding. I started slowly, giving her time to adjust. Even if I wanted to see if she could take me, I also didn’t want to cause her pain. The next time she clenched, I knew I couldn’t hold back.
I slammed into her, claiming her body as my own with frantic thrusts. Her cries of pleasure only fueled my passion, and I slid in and out of her pussy with long, deep strokes. She begged for more as we lost ourselves in the heat of the moment.
I felt my release building inside me. Refusing to come before she did, I eased my hand between her legs and played with her clit. The moment she came, calling out my name, I grabbed her hips tightly and pounded into her. It only took a few strokes before I filled her up with my cum.
And that’s when I realized how badly I’d just fucked up. Shit !
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. “Eliza, I’m so damn sorry.”
She blinked at me as she rolled to her side. “It didn’t hurt. I mean, I’m sore, but…”
I shook my head. “Not that. I didn’t use a condom. I stopped before because I didn’t have one, but just now… I didn’t even think about it. I was going to stop by the store and grab some, but something came up and I never made it.”
She stared at me, her eyes wide. With a shaky hand, she reached for her belly, pressing her palm against it. Yeah. I could have very well knocked her up without meaning to. And I’d already told her if that happened, I’d never let her go. Fucking hell. If she thought about that, it would probably freak her out.
“I’m an idiot. I never would have…” I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Too late now. “Look, I’m only saying this because it should have been your choice. After everything you’ve been through, the last thing I’d want to do is force a pregnancy on you. I seem to lose my head around you.”
“But you aren’t sorry because you regret being with me?” she asked.
“What? Fuck no!” I stretched out beside her, pulling her into my arms. “Eliza, I could never regret claiming you as my own. But we haven’t talked about kids, or what our future might look like. I may have just robbed you of the chance to decide all that for yourself. When I told you before that a baby would change things, I meant it.”
She cupped my cheek. “The fact you’re worried about it is enough. We can always use protection next time. If it turns out later that I’m pregnant, then maybe it was meant to happen. As for me being yours… I thought we already decided I was.”
I wanted to argue the point, but I couldn’t. If we didn’t have a tie like a kid, then I’d never make her stay if she was miserable. Hell, even with a kid, I wasn’t sure I could do that to her. Her happiness meant everything to me, especially after all she’d been through. Then her words really hit me…
“Are you saying you don’t believe in coincidences? That your father was destined to beat the hell out of you? Because you can’t justify this and not that.” The mere thought of it infuriated me.
“If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have run away. And if I hadn’t run, then I wouldn’t have met you. So yeah, I think everything happens for a reason.”
I couldn’t understand her. If we were supposed to be together, then I had to believe fate would have found a way… without her having to endure so much pain all her life.
“I’m yours now, right?” Eliza asked.
“Yeah, doll. You’re mine.” I kissed her temple. “Not ever letting you go.”
“Good.” She snuggled against me.
“If someone had asked me if I’d ever get caught by a woman, fall for her and want to keep her by my side, I’d have said no fucking way. But you caught me, Eliza. From the moment I first saw you, I was yours.”
“You caught me too,” she whispered back, and those simple words slammed into me harder than any fist ever could.
“Love you.” The confession took me by surprise. Even though I may have thought the words, I hadn’t intended to say them. I glanced at her, wondering if she’d heard me.
Her eyes glowed in the dim light.
“Charlie…” I could hear the wonderment in her voice, a softness I had never known I wanted until now.
“Every damn inch, Eliza. Love every damn inch of you.”
“I love you too,” she said, as she reached for me. She pressed her hand to my cheek. For a guy who was always a step ahead, this moment was uncharted territory -- a place where the cunning Cheshire faded into the background, and Charlie Collins, the man who’d found something worth holding onto, had emerged. Until now, I hadn’t realized there were two sides of me.
This woman was more than I deserved, but I’d be damned if I’d let anyone take her from me.