Chapter Eleven
THE SECOND MELODY touched him, Saint knew tonight was the night he’d fuck up in a colossal way. But not in a way that had anything to do with the woman hanging all over him.
Beth’s gaze had stayed on him while Melody tried her hardest to seduce him, morphing from hot and needy to something darker, laced with jealousy and possession.
He liked it. That angry fire in her eyes, the quick hint of potential violence and hatred as she’d watched Melody practically sit in his lap.
He liked thinking Beth was imagining ripping Melody off him and taking her place, sliding one of those toned legs across his lap, and settling her pert ass on his thighs while forgetting Melody existed.
Yes, he was fucked up. His view on love and relationships bordered on obsessive, but he’d come to grips with that part of himself long ago. It was others who might not accept his intense need, but maybe Beth could.
Unfortunately, she was the one woman completely off-limits, as her father made extra clear tonight. Still, Saint found himself compelled to follow her outside and offer her a reprieve after Copper pissed her off.
They rode for about forty-five minutes before he pulled over at one of his favorite scenic overlooks.
The off-the-beaten-path location was a favorite of the locals but not well known to tourists.
That tended to mean peace and quiet rather than wide-eyed visitors taking pictures of every mountain peak and every tree leaf in sight.
Being summer, the day had reached scorching temperatures, but now that the sun had set hours ago, the air held a slight chill.
Beth must have been cold, dressed only in shorts and a fitted tank top.
She snuggled up against his back the entire ride, and while he probably should have pulled over long ago, he didn’t want to break the comfortable spell that riding wove over them, and she hadn’t asked him to stop.
As soon as he killed the engine, she released him, straightening away from his back. He immediately missed her soft weight and the way she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Oh, I love this spot. God, I haven’t been here in years.
” She inhaled the fresh mountain air, and he caught her unrestrained grin as he dismounted the bike.
Beth stayed astride his motorcycle, watching as he climbed off.
“Thank you. I needed this.” Her gaze drifted to the gorgeous moonlit mountain view before returning to him. “How pissed do you think my dad is?”
He shrugged. Copper loved her unconditionally. She and Shell were the only two who could get away with putting the MC president in his place without worry of repercussions. “Babe, you could probably commit murder in front of Copper, and he’ll still think you can do no wrong.”
Her soft huff of laughter felt weighted with sadness.
“Well, I fucked up, unloading on him like that. It wasn’t even about him getting on Gator for kissing my cheek.
Well, not just that. With everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, I haven’t really had a…
release. Tonight, I let the stress get the better of me, and I snapped at my dad over something stupid.
” She shook her head as she sighed. “I’ll apologize to him in the morning.
Anyway, thanks for whisking me away on your chrome steed. ”
He chuckled and offered her a hand to help her off the bike.
“Oh. Thanks.” Her cheeks flushed as she grabbed his hand and came to stand beside him.
He refused to acknowledge how nice her smaller, softer hand felt in his. Or how he couldn’t think of anything but how it would feel wrapped around his cock, stroking him.
“Cold?” he asked as she rubbed her arms.
“Actually, I am a little. Suppose I should have thought of that before hopping on the back of your bike.”
“Nah, my fault. Shoulda grabbed a jacket for you before we left. Come here.” He tugged her close, settling her back against his front as he wrapped his arms around her and tried to share as much of his body heat as he could.
Her denim-covered ass settled against his thighs, and she sank against him, soaking up the warmth he offered.
“T-thanks,” she said, slightly breathless. “That’s better.”
It was. So much better. Too much better.
His cock certainly thought so, thickening in his jeans.
He tried to adjust his hips so she couldn’t feel the hardness against her back, but squirming only made it worse.
Even thinking of the murderous way Copper looked at Gator for a simple brotherly cheek kiss didn’t deflate his desire. Being close to her felt that damn good.
He was fucked.
They stood that way, locked together, taking in the scenery for a while before his mouth acted of its own volition. “So… no release, huh?”
“Oh my God.” She laughed and shook her head against his chest. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yep.”
“I meant… emotional release. You know, like I haven’t let my stress out in a healthy way, so I flipped on my poor dad.” She chuckled. “Not the other type of release. I’ve got that covered.” She gasped. “I mean…”
He laughed. “Do you, now?”
“Oh, fuck off, you know what I mean.”
“Got someone helping you out since you’ve been home, Beth?” He asked the question in a teasing tone, keeping in line with the mood, but the thought of her getting off with some guy had ice sliding through his veins.
“What?” She half huffed, half snorted. “No! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”
Shit. The image of her lying on a bed, legs spread, while she worked herself over with a toy exploded through his mind.
“Well… that’s a hot thought,” he managed in a strained voice.
“I mean… shit, why am I even explaining myself to you?” She laughed again, but this time it sounded strained, breathy.
“I imagine it’s hard to go from a live-in boyfriend to minimal privacy at your parents’ house.”
“Oh, yeah, because Jason and I had such an amazing sex life.” If that wasn’t heavy sarcasm, he didn’t think he knew the definition of the word.
“No?” Fuck, why couldn’t he shut his mouth? This road led nowhere but to extreme disaster.
“Ah, no. It was very… let’s say… one-sided.”
“He didn’t make you come?”
“Jesus, Saint, why are we talking about this?”
Because I need to know.
“Answer the question.”
Beth sighed. For a moment, he thought she’d tell him to fuck himself, but then she said, “Not very often, okay? Jason was a selfish asshole who only cared about one person, and that wasn’t me. Happy?”
“How long?”
“What?”
He grabbed her chin and turned her head so she was looking up at him. Wary desire swirled in her gorgeous green eyes. “How long has it been since a man made you come?”
Her eyes flared, and she sucked in a breath. “Saint…”
“How fucking long?”
“Um…” Her cheeks flushed, and she tried to avert her gaze, but he held her in place.
“Maybe like a year. Things were bad with Jason for a while. It wasn’t all his fault.
I should have left. When things got bad, I wasn’t attracted to him anymore, so it was hard to relax with him and let it happen.
I, uh, faked it for a while, but when it seemed like he didn’t care if I got there or not, I just…
didn’t bother anymore. God, Saint, this is so embarrassing. ”
“Beth, it’s one hundred percent all that motherfucker’s fault.
The second you felt uncomfortable, it became his fault.
Your man’s job is to make you feel loved, cherished, protected, and like a goddamn-fucking-queen.
You spend one second feeling anything other than those things, then he failed you. ”
“Saint…”
He no longer bothered trying to conceal his erection from her, letting it press into her back. Her breathing picked up, and she stared at his mouth as she licked her lips.
Unconscious? Or was she telling him she wanted him as much as he wanted her?
With each passing second, his desire to kiss her, to touch her, to give her the pleasure she’d been denied, and take some for himself grew exponentially.
Crossing that line would have life-altering repercussions for him more than her, and there, with the mountains in the backdrop and the moon lighting their way, he found himself not caring.
He wanted a taste.
Needed a taste of Beth.
Fuck it. He’d never been the type of man to play it safe. If he hadn’t broken the rules, he’d still be living a life of misery serving a psychotic cult leader. He leaned in, bringing their lips a breath away.
“Don’t,” she whispered, pleading in her voice. “This is a terrible idea.”
“But you want it?”
“Saint… we can’t.”
“But…”
Her breath drifted across his lips, sweet and soft. “Fuck. I can’t do this to you. You—”
“I’m a big boy, Beth. My eyes are wide open. I wanted this from the moment I beat the fuck outta that piece of shit in your apartment. Tell me you don’t want it too.”
“I can’t.” She swallowed, and he nearly licked up her throat.
“Yes or no?” he whispered, lips brushing hers.
“Shit.” Her eyes fluttered closed. “Yes. Yes, Saint… fuck, the answer is yes.”
He barely waited for the words to finish falling from her mouth before he crushed their mouths together.
Beth whimpered, and he swallowed the delicious sound of submission as her lips parted, allowing him entry.
He slipped his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers as the warm, intoxicating flavor of Beth hit his senses with a brutal punch.
His cock throbbed painfully against his zipper, desperate to be buried inside her.