Chapter 6 #2
As Jeremiah continued to give accolades and started explaining how things would work tomorrow, Joci brought her attention back to him.
“Finally, the sign-up crew will sign the bikers and riders in when they get here in the morning. Janice, Ricky, and Joci, you’ll be with me at the sign-in table.
Break into your crews and organize yourselves for tomorrow.
Sign-up crew, meet with me in the store, please. ”
Joci stood up to start walking into the store, and Sandi swatted Joci on the ass. “Go get him, Joci.”
Joci shook her head at her friend and opened the service door in the back by the garage.
The store was in the front, but Joci was used to walking through the back.
When she came here, she usually walked through the back way so she could say hello to Gunnar and the guys.
As soon as Joci walked into the shop, she could smell Jeremiah’s aftershave.
It was the most delicious spicy scent that had teased her nostrils for the past few months.
He was leaning against a wall waiting for her. His arms were crossed over his chest.
Joci stopped in her tracks at the sight of him. Jesus, he was breathtaking. He smiled at her, then pushed himself off the wall with his shoulder and walked toward her. With each step, Joci could feel her heart beating faster.
When he stood right in front of her, he reached his hand out and touched her hair. He slid his fingers in her hair at the temple and back until he was cupping her head.
He slowly bent his head down and kissed her lightly on the lips.
She moaned at the feel of his lips on hers.
A shiver ran through her body, her breathing erratic.
He slid his free hand around her waist and pulled her close.
That was the undoing of Joci James. She grabbed his shirt on each side of his waist and fisted it in her hands.
She hung on, trying not to fall, trying not to let this man consume her. That wasn’t going to be easy.
* * *
Jeremiah groaned into her mouth and pulled her closer.
She smelled amazing, a scent unique to only Joci, fresh and clean with a hint of spice.
And she was aroused by him; he could feel her body responding to him.
He couldn’t wait anymore. He had to take this chance and make her see they could be amazing together.
He slid his hand down to the top of her sweet, little ass and pulled her into the hardness behind his zipper. She let out a little sob at the feel of him pushed against her. He deepened the kiss, his hold on her head kept her in place while he seduced her mouth with his lips and his tongue.
Every time she whimpered or moaned, it spurred him on. He could imagine how she would moan and mewl while he was fucking her. That thought alone almost made him blow in his pants.
Jeremiah broke the kiss and put his forehead against Joci’s. Their breathing was ragged and raspy. They were both shaking and hanging on to each other.
Jeremiah said, “We’ll go over things with Ricky and Janice so that tomorrow will run smoothly. Then, we’re leaving…together…and tonight we’re going to be together. No more of you avoiding me. I want you, Joci, and you want me.”
Jeremiah lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She saw the determination there.
She took a deep breath. “Then what, Jeremiah? We go our separate ways? You fuck me, so I’m out of your system and move on? Is that what?”
Jeremiah’s brows furrowed, and his eyes became little slits.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? What kind of man do you think I am? I wouldn’t…fuck. Joci, what the hell?”
He took a deep breath to steady himself. He couldn’t scare her away. He could feel how close he was to getting her to come home with him.
Lowering his voice, he whispered close to her ear.
“I’ve wanted you since the first minute I saw you.
I still remember what you were wearing, what you looked like when you walked in that door.
You were wearing jeans with little shiny things on the back pockets that moved around and sparkled when you walked.
You were wearing a gray t-shirt with rhinestone hearts on it.
I remembered thinking how the gray in the shirt matched your eyes.
God, your eyes. I think about looking into them while I’m in you.
I think about it over and over. I have feelings for you, Joci.
What happens tomorrow is we ride, enjoy the day, meet and greet, and come home. ”
She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah. I’m…I…you…” Joci swallowed. “What I’m trying to say is I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
Joci took another breath and pulled away. Her voice was small and shaky. “I’m scared,” she managed to squeak out.
It was so soft Jeremiah could barely hear it, but he did.
He let out a deep breath, not even realizing he had been holding it.
He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to see her looking at the ground.
He put two fingers under her chin and gently raised it so he could see her eyes.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw the tears.
He placed both of his hands on either side of her face and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. He very gently kissed each tear track on her cheek.
“I know this is hard for you. I won’t hurt you.”
“Hey, there you guys are. Are you ready?”
Ricky and Janice stood in the doorway to the store. Ricky worked at Rolling Thunder in parts sales. His short, spiky, blond hair suited him. He had tattoos on both arms, full sleeves, and a set of red lips tattooed on his neck. His blue eyes sparkled, taking in the scene before him.
Jeremiah looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, we’ll be right there. Why don’t you make sure the computers are booted up so we can run through the software with Joci?”
Ricky looked at Janice and smirked. They turned and walked over to the computers behind the sales counter.
Jeremiah looked back at Joci. “Are you okay?”
Joci gave a weak smile and wiped her eyes with her fingers. Jeremiah grabbed her and hugged her tight. He needed the contact with her. Poor thing, she was scared out of her wits. Those bastards in her past had done a number on her.
“All we can do is try, Joci. Not trying is worse than failing. If we don’t try to see if we have something together, we’ll never know.”
He could feel her shaking and tightened his arms around her, holding her in place so she would feel protected. After a few moments, he loosened his hold on her and whispered, “Ready?”
Joci nodded, and Jeremiah stepped back but held on to her hand. Together, they walked to the counter, where Ricky and Janice were waiting for them.
The four of them spent the next hour going over how the sign-in process would work most efficiently.
Ricky and Janice said their goodbyes, and Jeremiah told them to go on out; he would lock up behind them.
Jeremiah locked the door, then turned to look at Joci.
She looked scared shitless. He didn’t want to scare her; he wanted to make love to her, to hold her, to smell her, to talk to her.
He walked over to stand in front of her and watched her fidget with the little purse in her hands.
He could see them trembling, and she was biting her bottom lip.
He stepped up to her and looked her in the eye. He placed his thumb on her chin and pulled her bottom lip out of her mouth.
“It’s going to be fine, Joci. You look like a scared little lamb heading to slaughter.” She nervously let out a little breath and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Her voice was soft and shaky. “I don’t do casual sex…can’t. With you, I’m afraid it isn’t casual.”
* * *
Joci took a deep breath. Geez, this was harder than she thought.
She was drawn to him, had been from the first moment she laid eyes on him.
But, with all the women always throwing themselves at him, she was so damned afraid.
Her stomach turned over, making it hard to breathe.
Here it was, this moment she had imagined.
But now that it was here, she felt almost paralyzed with fear.
“If you hurt me...I just can’t go through that.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know it seems foolish to you to not even try, but I can’t help myself.”
Her eyes became bright with tears. Her stupid emotions were all over the board right now, and she knew she was rambling. She was sure she looked sexy as hell with watery eyes, a red nose, and that icky face people make when they’re crying. He would be crazy to want her now.
She had thought about Jeremiah for almost a year, dreamed about him, fantasized about him, wanted him, but she held back because of this stupid fear.
If they made love tonight, she knew she would fall hard over that cliff.
If he walked away after that, she would be devastated.
Joci took a step back. She should just go.
In one swift move, Jeremiah grabbed her and pulled her tight to him.
His breathing was ragged, and his heart was beating wildly.
Seeing her this way broke his heart. He held her tight, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head every so often.
Oh, he loved the scent of her, her hair, her cologne, the lotion she used on her skin.
“When I was younger, casual sex was all I wanted. No ties, no entanglements. But you’ve been on my mind so much—I haven’t been with anyone in months. I’ve been waiting for you. It isn’t casual for me, either. I need you; I want you as well, but…God, Joci…”
Joci looked up at him. She wanted to see into his soul like he always seemed to do to her, to see if he was telling her the truth.
They stared at each other for a long time, gauging each other, neither one knowing what to do now.
Joci wanted to be with him so badly. Had she been stupid to wait this long?
She had no idea he had been waiting for her.
Stunned wouldn’t even come close to what Joci was feeling about this revelation.
Jeremiah leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. He licked her lips, and when she didn’t open her mouth to allow him access, he nipped her mouth gently.
“Open up for me, Joci. Let me in.”
She opened with an escaping sigh. Jeremiah caught that sigh in his mouth and groaned.
He turned his head to fit his lips perfectly over hers, pulling her body tightly to his.
His tongue dipped into her and slowly swirled around.
A little mewling sound escaped Joci’s throat, and he nearly came from the sound of it.
Slowly, Joci slid her arms up Jeremiah’s chest to his shoulders as she slipped her arms around his neck. Her hand automatically found its way under his hair at the nape and grabbed a handful of it. She had wanted to touch his hair, to tug on it, feel it run through her fingers.
It was soft and felt so good in her hand. She fisted it, and it tightened against his scalp. He groaned and thrust into her. She felt his growing length push against her body and shivered.
Joci dug her other hand into his hair and held on.
His hands were suddenly everywhere on her.
One hand was on her breast, massaging it.
He pinched her nipple through her bra. At first, it hurt and she moaned, but instantly it turned to pleasure and shot right down to her lower belly and pooled around, landing in her core.
God, she needed relief—badly. She abruptly pulled her mouth away from Jeremiah’s, and he instantly loathed the loss of her sweet lips against his.
* * *
He looked at her, her eyes half-lidded and sexy as hell. She was ready for him. This was the moment, the one he had thought of all day. The time when he needed to get her out of here with him. He needed to be gentle, but firm, without scaring her.
“Okay… Joci…gotta get control, or I’ll end up taking you right here with our kids just outside that door…” His smile stretched across his face. “I’ll make sure to file that away for later.”
He needed to do this right. Nothing was more important than getting this moment right.
“You’re shaking, Joci. I don’t want you driving like this. I’m going to have the boys bring your bike into the garage and keep it here tonight. You can ride home with me.”
He had wanted to pick her up tonight and bring her with him, but when Gunnar asked her to ride with him and have dinner, Jeremiah didn’t want to stand in the way.
Joci opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head no. “Don’t say anything. I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. You’re mine tonight; do you understand? From this point on… You. Are. Mine.”