Chapter Eleven
I had more orgasms in three days than I’d had in the previous three years .
And I was on the brink of another one.
We were on our sides, Jed at my back as he thrust in and out of me.
He had hold of my left thigh, keeping it elevated, just because he could.
I arched my back, angling my hips so he hit me in the exact right spot—over and over and over again.
Magic .
My left arm was bent over my head, my fingers buried in his hair, which meant he was close, so close his lips grazed the back of my jaw.
I really liked this position. Like— a lot .
I was sure he could tell, as I couldn’t catch my breath for the life of me.
“Yes,” I panted. “Oh, my—wow— Jed, ” I moaned.
He chuckled, and I couldn’t even feel embarrassed.
I was too busy feeling the promise of yet another orgasm.
My. Goodness. Each. Return. Thrust. Was. Amazing .
“Gettin’ close, gorgeous. You there yet?” he mumbled softly into my ear.
His voice was still lower and gravelier than normal with the new day, and it was sexy. So very sexy.
“Mmmm,” was all I could manage as the passion within me began its crescendo.
He jerked his hips harder, penetrating me just right, and I lost all semblance of control.
“ Papi! ” I cried, my grip in his hair tightening as I trembled with my release.
He squeezed my thigh, ramming into me faster, grunting softly before he thrust deep and stilled. I was still trembling when he pulled out slowly, only to bury himself once more before releasing my leg. Then he wrapped his arm around me and held me tight against him as I worked to catch my breath.
“Note to self,” he mumbled, his lips grazing my temple. “Lex likes mornin’ sex.”
I laughed, a bit relieved he couldn’t see my face, and maybe a little self-conscious it was that obvious.
His arm held me even tighter as he whispered, “So fuckin’ cute.”
“If you don’t stop embarrassing me, you might not get breakfast,” I teased.
He lifted his head, took hold of my chin, and turned mine until he was looking me directly in the eyes. “What’s embarrassin’ about likin’ my dick inside you before coffee?”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he brought his mouth to mine. Only, rather than kiss me, he muttered, “And darlin’, you can call me papi any time.”
His words ignited a full body shiver, and I felt his smile against my lips before his tongue was tangled with mine.
I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but if I was, I would have gladly given it up for the rest of my life if it meant I got to start every morning like this.
We made-out until he slipped out of me, and then he got up to deal with his condom. I luxuriated in a full-body stretch in bed then moved to get up myself. Still in the nightshirt I slept in, I slipped into a fresh pair of panties, ran my fingers through my hair and headed for the kitchen. While I washed my hands, I tried to think fast about what it was I wanted to make Jed for breakfast. It only took me a couple seconds to decide on crepes. I had what I needed to serve them sweet or savory, so I decided to get started on the crepes themselves and let him decide the rest.
When Jed appeared at the mouth of my small, galley kitchen, he was in his jeans, but the rest of him was still pleasantly bare. I stopped what I was doing for a second in order to admire him. It felt surreal, him standing shirtless three feet away from me in my apartment, his bedhead still unbearably sexy. It was like we were getting our do-over from the previous morning.
Do-overs were such a rarity, and I was so happy to be gifted with this one.
He looked around my kitchen, scanning the meager countertops before his eyes settled on me. “No coffee machine.”
I flashed him a guilty smile. “I don’t really drink coffee. I’m more of a tea kind of girl. I could put the kettle on if you want some.”
“I’ll pass,” he said with a smirk.
“Sorry.”
He chuckled as he made his way toward me then pressed a kiss on top of my head where he mumbled, “Lex, I’ll take your sweet body over coffee any mornin’. I’ll have some water, though.”
Speaking through a smile, I told him, “Glasses are in the cabinet to the right of the sink. I keep a pitcher in the fridge if you like it really cold.”
He moved to fetch a glass and asked, “Am I dick if I don’t offer to help with breakfast?”
“No,” I laughed. “I do need your input, though. Savory or sweet?”
“Savory,” he replied, with not a hint of hesitation.
“Savory it is,” I said before preheating the oven.
Glass of water in hand, he stood leaning his backside against the counter next to the sink, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle as he watched me mix together ingredients by my electric stove.
“What have you got goin’ on today?” he asked me.
I took out my skillet and placed it on the front burner, switching it on to pre-heat the surface.
“I need to check in on my family, make sure they’re alright after the whole Alejo incident, and deliver the gift you helped me procure yesterday. You?”
“It’s my week with the kids. I’ll go pick them up around two.”
“Oh, right. Of course,” I murmured, looking back at him.
It wasn’t that I forgot he had kids. His kids were the entire reason we knew each other. I’d just been so wrapped up in what turned out to be our weekend together, I forgot what I had experienced up until that moment was only half of Jed.
“So, I guess, um—I guess I won’t see you for a few days.”
As I spoke the words, I turned my back toward him, wishing to focus on pouring my first crepe, instead.
“Yeah, we’ll figure somethin’ out.”
That happy feeling I’d been clinging to since I woke up was damped a little as reality started to sink in. I thought back on our time at Steel Mustang and the way I gushed to the women attached to Jed’s friends. They all seemed to think my being there with Jed was kind of a big deal. In truth, we hadn’t defined what we were doing.
And the trouble was, I wanted him so badly, I was afraid to ask.
“So, um…” I cleared my throat nervously. “How do you normally, you know, do this? I mean, with your kids?”
“Never have.”
“What?” I muttered, my gaze snapping in his direction.
“Haven’t dated anyone since Nicole and I split.”
I frowned. “You—you broke up, like, six years ago.”
He grinned. “Yeah, darlin’. I know. I was there.”
I shifted my attention back to the crepe, aware it would burn if I didn’t flip it, but still reeling with this new bit of information.
Surely a man who looked like him hadn’t been celibate for the last six years. There was just no way. But if he hadn’t dated anyone since Nicole, that meant even if he’d found a woman he liked to screw, she hadn’t been significant enough for him to navigate the nuances of combining their relationship with the one he had with his children.
Was I that significant?
I grabbed a plate from the cabinet beside me then slid the finished crepe on the plate and set it aside. I was getting ready to pour another bit of batter when I stopped, turned and blurted, “Is that what we’re doing? Dating?”
He raised his eyebrows and replied, “I sure as hell hope so.”
It was exactly what I wanted to hear, but it still somehow took me by surprise.
My breath caught as my insides jumped with glee.
“So, we’ll—we’ll figure it out. With the kids, we’ll figure it out,” I stammered.
“Yeah, gorgeous. We’ll figure it out.”
“Right. Okay.”
I nodded and then turned back toward the stove, yanking my bottom lip between my teeth in an attempt to hold back a grin. Then I heard his quiet chuckle, and there was no containing it. Still, I kept it to myself as I poured the batter into the pan.
After I finished five crepes, it was time to start multitasking. While I continued cooking the rest of the batter, I pieced together five ham and cheese filled crepe nests, complete with an egg in the middle. I stuck them in the oven to melt the cheese and cook the egg while I finished the last of the batter and rinsed the empty bowl. All the while, Jed watched me work, and I relished in the reality that Tess was right—we were totally a thing.
I wasn’t sure if getting involved with Jed and striving for the role of the Wild Stallions’ general counsel was the greatest idea, but it was too late. I wanted both. It might have made me greedy, but I’d sacrificed plenty in my life. For once, I wanted to treat myself.
Thinking about the employee agreement written for himself by the current Stallions attorney, I considered that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing Jed would be occupied for the week. That left plenty of time for me to do my day job and prove myself to Bull.
When our crepes were ready, I plated three for Jed and two for me, sprinkling a bit of freshly chopped chives on top. We sat together at my four-seater table, and he stared at his plate for a moment without picking up his fork.
“Is something wrong?”
“Lex, this is some real gourmet shit.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I replied, quite flattered by the comment. “I’m only a home cook. It’s—well, it’s kind of the only hobby I have, if cooking can be a hobby.”
“I’m gonna tell you right now, I can man a grill, and that’s about as far as my talents go. Ask my kids, they’ll tell you,” he said, finally picking up his fork.
I laughed then watched as he took his first bite.
He chewed twice then paused and mumbled, “Shit.” He looked over at me, finished his bite, and added, “Darlin’, you weren’t lyin’. You can cook.”
I grinned. “Told you. Great sex and breakfast.”
“Lookin’ forward to more of both,” he replied as he cut his next bite.
It was nearly noon by the time we finished eating and my kitchen was back in order. Jed got dressed, and even though we both had places to be, I was disappointed goodbye had come so soon. Disappointed enough that I found an excuse to stall him for a couple more minutes.
“Can I ask you a question?”
He was sitting on the couch, tugging on his second boot, while I stood at the mouth of my kitchen, my hip propped against the edge of the counter.
“Yup.”
“What did Fred Hoffman do? Why does Bull want him out?”
In retrospect, I probably should have asked during my quasi-interview, but it hadn’t occurred to me then. From the sound of things, trust had been broken, but not in such a way that there was an obvious breach of contract.
“He’s involved with the drug cartel, somehow. Borrero is one of his clients, but we don’t know why. And the timing is suspect. We had a bit of trouble last year with the cartel, and Hoffman was indirectly involved.”
“How do you mean?”
He finished lacing his boot, then sat up and looked at me.
“Long story short—our former president is currently behind bars. We put him there to get him out of our way, and he still managed to stir up shit. He reached out to Hoffman, Hoffman decided to be his messenger boy, deliverin’ orders to whoever was dumb enough to listen. Those orders created conflict with the cartel.
“Hoffman should have known better. Scorpion still has Stallion ink on his arm, but he has no authority. None. Hoffman answers to Bull. His loyalty should be to the club, but his actions have proven he can’t be trusted. Now his involvement with Borrero makes two strikes.”
“So, wouldn’t that be a simple case of conflict of interest?”
“We’re not in the drug business, darlin’. They stay in their lane, and we stay in ours. Technically, he can sign Borrero as a client if he wants.”
I knit my eyebrows together as I considered his response. It was possible it was as simple as he said—but it still didn’t make sense to me why Hoffman would consider it good business practice to take on Rocco as a client. I was a bit biased, but it seemed like an incredibly wise decision to steer clear of the drug cartel altogether.
“Okay, well, hopefully I’ll find something in his contract to justify his dismissal.”
“My money’s on you, Lex,” he said as he stood. “Hoffman’s no joke, but he’s greedier than he is prudent.”
I appreciated the vote of confidence, but I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task.
Jed closed the distance between us, then pulled me into his arms, completely eradicating any thought of Hoffman or contracts or anything that wasn’t directly related to Jed Barker . I grabbed hold of his shoulders, going up on tiptoe as he held me close.
“You got my number, I got yours.”
I nodded at his implied invitation.
“Not tryin’ to go a whole week without layin’ eyes on this face, so I’ll see what I can figure out.”
“Okay,” I murmured through a smile.
“Alright. I gotta go.”
“Me, too.”
When he didn’t let me go, I didn’t let him go either, and I felt my smile stretch into a grin.
“Fuck,” he whispered, before bringing his lips to mine.
He kissed me just enough to whet my appetite, and then he reached underneath my shirt and squeezed one side of my bum, eliciting a giggle. He winked, let me go, and headed for the door.
“Bye, darlin’.”
“Bye, papi,” I replied.
This stopped him dead in his tracks, and he looked at me with an expression that would have made any woman’s panties melt.
“I lied,” he practically growled, prowling back my way. “Don’t call me that when I’m walkin’ out the door, Lex.”
“Sorry,” I said, not entirely sure I meant it.
I barely got the word out before he had a handful of my hair in his grasp, his mouth descending on mine in a hard, relentless kiss that did a whole lot more than whet my appetite.
This kiss wasn’t magic.
It was witchcraft.
When he was done, he didn’t bother saying goodbye. He merely nipped my bottom lip with his teeth, and then he was gone.
I stood where he left me, lost in a daze as I replayed the last five minutes in slow motion. When I heard the rumble of his motorcycle, I glanced toward the sliding glass door in my living room. I couldn’t see him from my kitchen as he took off, but it was enough of a reminder that I, too, needed to get moving.
It was nearly an hour later when I pulled up behind mami’s minivan.
A part of me wished I could go back in time. I wanted to relive my morning with Jed more than I wanted to get out of my car and head inside the house.
Much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’d been avoiding my family for longer than a day.
I hadn’t come home since before my initial fight with Alejandro. Bella and I had exchanged a few texts prior to her last call, but that didn’t make my avoidance any less real. I couldn’t stay away forever. Complicated as we were, we were family. And even when it was hard, family came first.
It was time I stepped up and do what I always did—cover for my twin.
With my bag of laundry in one arm, and a highland cow full of coins and cash in my other, I headed for the door and plastered on a smile.