Chapter Seventeen
BETH SAT ON the edge of the queen-size bed with fresh sheets and blankets, staring at the white ceiling above her.
“Why do you do this shit?” she muttered.
When no voice from above answered, she stood and paced the length of the small, minimalistic clubhouse room.
Back in the day, they had one bunk room with ten or so beds.
As the club expanded, opening a chapter in Florida, Copper renovated the clubhouse, adding six private rooms, each with a small, attached bathroom for guests who might require more privacy.
Currently, club members and prospects occupied three of them and would continue to do so until they found a more permanent living situation.
The rooms weren’t luxurious by any means, but they were clean, had a bed, a small dresser, and an easy chair. A few black-and-white pictures hung on the wall, Smoky Mountain scenery, and motorcycles, all shot by a local photographer.
She’d planned on having a quiet, family-free night to herself, where she could stew and stress about what Saint got up to all afternoon, but then he showed up.
And they hung out the entire evening into the night. Beth learned something during that time, and now she felt as if the ground beneath her had fractured, and if she didn’t watch her step, she’d fall through a crack into a deep crevasse.
She liked Saint.
A lot.
Liked the way his mind worked. Liked his dry wit.
Liked his intensity, especially when he stared at her as though he could see every one of her thoughts.
Sure, she’d been attracted to him all along.
He was a gorgeous man, tall with tattoos and muscles for days.
He had dark eyes she easily lost herself in, and the perfect length of hair to tangle her fingers in.
But tonight, she realized her attraction went deeper than his very appealing physical attributes. She wanted to know him. To crack him open and have him tell her everything he’d kept hidden from others.
He wasn’t nearly as talkative as the rest of them, but she found that charming as well. He didn’t need to fill every second with conversation and seemed totally at ease just being in a space.
Had she ruined the fragile bond they’d forged by hinting he should join her in this room? Or maybe she hadn’t hinted well enough, and he didn’t get it. For all she knew, he’d gone straight to his bike and ridden home while she, an anxious mess, waited to see if he’d show up.
That’d be humiliating.
The light knock on the door jolted her so hard she whacked her hip on the dresser.
He’d come.
That was him, right?
She stood frozen, heart hammering, staring at the door when another knock sounded, louder than the first. The sound propelled her into action. She hurried across the room, unlocked, and opened the door to find Saint, arms up and propped against the doorframe.
“Hey,” she whispered.
God, he looked so good, tall, dark, and dangerous in his jeans and T-shirt that stretched across his chest and thick arms. Heat and desire reflected in his eyes, warming her from head to toe. He represented everything she wanted, but she should shut the door on him.
Bad decisions and ecstasy rolled into one tempting package.
Unfortunately, they’d already crossed the line, so she knew what waited for her on the other side. And she wanted it more than anything in the world.
“Gonna let me in?”
She blinked out of her Saint-induced trance. “Yes. Of course. Sorry. Come on in.” She stepped to the side, giving him plenty of space, yet he still chose to brush against her as he strode into the room like a sleek, prowling animal.
She shut the door behind him, then locked it. The click reverberated through the room like a gunshot. Guess she’d just made her intentions known. Why lock the door if she planned to say goodnight and send him on his way?
“Are there a lot of people out there?” she asked as she suddenly had no idea what to do with her hands.
Saint didn’t seem to suffer from the same affliction.
He leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his firm chest. The one she’d imagined falling asleep on more than once.
“Some. Not many. No one paid any attention to me, though. Most are wasted by now, and Rizz is too busy trying to get in some chick’s pants to notice anything else. ”
Beth chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll succeed. They don’t call him Rizz for nothing.”
His eyebrows shot into his forehead. “Got a thing for Rizz, do you?”
“Uh, no.” She shuddered. “I’m pretty sure he’s slept with six different women, including Lindsey, since I’ve been back. He’s probably a walking petri dish.”
“You might be right.”
Neither spoke for the next few moments. Beth couldn’t take her eyes off him, though.
She wanted him. Not a quick blowjob or grope session.
She wanted to peel every stitch of clothing off him and have him do the same to her.
Then she wanted to spend the rest of the night horizontal in that bed, exploring the fascinating man before her.
But her feet stuck. She couldn’t make the first move. “Um…”
Saint arched off her wall. He dropped his arms and walked toward her in what felt like a slow-motion clip. His eyes blazed with so much heat that a bead of sweat trickled down the center of her back.
When he reached her, he grabbed the back of her neck, drawing her to him in a move she’d come to crave. Saint slid his arm around her waist, anchoring her against him. There was no hiding the erection that nestled against her stomach.
“Saint,” she whispered.
His lips hovered inches from hers. The whiskey on his breath intoxicated her more than anything she’d consumed earlier. Though she hadn’t taken a drink in hours, she no longer felt the effects of the alcohol.
“This is such a bad idea.”
He nodded. “It is. But I’m willing to risk it.”
“If the club finds out, you’ll…”
“I know, Beth. And I don’t give a fuck.”
He kissed her with a hunger she’d never experienced.
A claiming kiss that made her knees weak and had her clinging to him to keep from melting into a puddle on the floor.
One hand stayed at the back of her head and neck, controlling the kiss, while the other went to her ass.
He squeezed and rocked her against him, making her moan into his mouth.
His tongue stole into her mouth, demanding attention she happily gave it. He tasted of the whiskey and a hint of mint, but mostly Saint. Something about his flavor tempted her more than the sweetest treat, and she was helpless to resist.
After long minutes, he broke from the kiss.
Beth tried to follow his mouth as it moved to her neck, sucking and biting.
She whimpered and let her head fall back, giving him more surface area to attack.
The way his stubble scraped skin and the suction of his lips had her rocking against him.
He slipped a leg between hers, and she immediately took advantage, grinding against him for the friction she desperately needed.
“I know the risks,” he whispered after trailing his lips to her ear. He grazed her jaw with his teeth, then her earlobe before sucking it.
“Ah, Saint…”
“And I still want you.”
“Please…”
“Please, what?”
She was completely shameless in her need for him, head back, body arched, and hips fucking humping his leg. Anything he wanted, she’d give him, including begging. “Please touch me. Touch me, fuck me. Saint, I want it all.”
“Yeah?” His dark gaze studied her eyes as though searching for the truth in her words.
“Yes. So much.” She smiled. “You have full consent.”
“If that changes…”
“It won’t.” Her heart surged at the care in his words. “But I know.” She pushed onto her tiptoes, kissing him again. This time, she slid her hands under his shirt, getting a feel of all that warm skin hiding beneath his tee.
Saint stepped back, crossed his arms by his waist, and pulled the shirt over his head in one swift move. Before he’d had the chance to discard it, Beth smoothed her palms up his flat stomach. She stepped close and kissed the center of his chest.
He grunted, pushing his erection into her as he grabbed the hem of her shirt and began to work it up and off her body. Beth raised her arms, allowing him to remove the garment and deposit it wherever he pleased.
She’d worn a simple, pale pink cotton bra, not anticipating where the day would end up when she’d dressed that morning.
Saint sure didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
He shoved her pants over her hips, revealing her matching light pink bikini panties.
At least she’d gone as far as to wear a matching set.
“Beth,” he whispered, staring at her as though she were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “You’re fucking stunning.”
Fucking stunning. What a statement. And the reverence in his voice matched the words. Her insides melted. Unfortunately for her, this was never going to be just sex. Chances were high she’d be left with a broken and battered heart, but she could worry about that when it happened.
She kicked the pants away, having removed her shoes when she’d arrived. Saint kissed her shoulder, then her neck, as he reached around and unclasped her bra with ease, dropping it to the floor. Then he stepped back, taking her in.
Her nipples pebbled under his awed scrutiny. She couldn’t wait to have his hands and mouth on them. Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed the backs of her thighs and hoisted her off her feet into his strong arms.
She squeaked, then took advantage of being mouth-to-mouth and kissed him.
As they made out, the room spun, the world flipped, and she landed on her back on a surprisingly comfortable mattress.
Not once did their mouths break contact, and as soon as they were on the bed, Saint’s weight pressed down on her.
Her eyes rolled back behind her closed lids. Was there anything better than the heavy feel of a sexy man along her entire body?
Nope. Not a thing.