Chapter Six
Vwas definitely jealous, and that was good, because the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted her to see me as more than just a dick who didn’t know how to look after a dog.
She’d gone out of her way to help me out, and I had a feeling that was because she wanted to spend time with me, as much as she wanted to help out my new baby, Nixie.
She’d been right about giving her a real name, and I loved it already.
“She was just some girl, V. I wasn’t into her.”
Her jaw tightened and she wouldn’t look at me, and seriously why is it that I was finding this aggressive, wounded woman so hot?
If she even decided to give me a chance, she’d probably break me in half.
Still, since I was half hard just at the thought of that, clearly that was something I was willing to risk.
“V? I’m not that guy. I don’t go picking up chicks everywhere. Most times women don’t even look twice at me anyway.”
“Oh great. So you think not getting off with masses of women is impressive when you just admitted they don’t go for you?”
“You said yourself I’m just some prick, right? Who’d want me? Are you saying you do? You want me?”
She growled something under her breath, and I grinned. I was definitely getting under her skin, and why was that such fun?
“You been picturing me naked, baby? Naked and inside you?”
“Stop. It.”
Oh yeah, someone was getting all moist, and since she hated that word, I should definitely point it out.
“Getting moist picturing me fucking you slow and deep, V? I’d fuck you into an orgasm-coma.”
“My god! What is with you all of a sudden? When did we go from, well not friendly, but at least civil, to you being a fucking sex-pest?”
That grin on my face wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. When was the last time a woman had challenged me like this? It was exhilarating.
“You were getting all jealous and bitchy, and that’s hot as fuck. Head to the clubhouse instead of the shop, and I’ll ride you ’til you beg me to give you a break.”
She swallowed hard, and shook her head once, muttering to herself.
She didn’t change direction though, pulling up outside the shop.
Maybe I’d pushed too hard too fast, but I wasn’t about to give up trying.
Not to be a ‘sex-pest’ as she called it, but because we clearly ticked some kind of boxes for each other, and it’d be crazy not to give it a go.
Hell, it’d probably be the most aggressive, borderline abusive sex of my life, but didn’t that sound fun?
“V?”
“Stop it, just stop it. Please.” Her voice was soft, and a little ragged. Because of arousal? Or was I upsetting her?
“I’ll stop if you want me to. I don’t want to though. I want to keep pushing you until you give in, V. You and me? We’d be explosive. We’d be fucking incredible.”
“We’d be destructive. Toxic. Bad for each other. Trust me, I’m not… I don’t even know who I am anymore, Rocket. I don’t… without my ex, I’m just fucking floundering.”
I unfastened my seatbelt, and rested Nixie in my lap, reaching over to stroke V’s long hair away from her face, threading the silken strands through my fingers.
“V, look at me.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, her shoulders hunching in on themselves.
“Can’t what? I’m not so bad to look at. I’m not a pretty boy, I’m afraid, if that’s what you’re into?
I’m not a lot of things, but I’ll tell you what I am.
I’m fucking good in bed. I’m strong. I have stamina.
I’d ride you in ways you can’t even imagine.
I’d fuck every thought, and trouble, and fear from your mind, until all you can do is breathe, and sleep. Trouble free, at least for a while.”
She moved so fast I didn’t see it coming.
Unlocking her seatbelt as she moved, her lips crashed against mine, and I experienced the most aggressive kiss of my life.
There was so much desperation and anger in that one kiss.
So much need and dominance, like she had to be in charge if she wanted to give me a chance.
Nixie yapped in my lap, and we pulled apart, both of us breathing hard, and staring at each other, like one fucking move would make things implode.
I wasn’t sure what imploding would look like though.
Would it be us coming together again, more need and fire taking over, or would she shut down completely?
Someone tapped on the window on V’s side, and she went for the shutting down option, dragging a hand over her mouth as she turned to push the button for the window.
“Are you okay? You seemed to be taking a while to come in.”
Fuck’s sake. Cockblocked by my VP’s old lady.
“Fuck it. You make a decision about what you want, you know where to find me.” I practically stomped out of the car like a pissed off teenager, and grabbed my shit from the back, Nixie tucked safely against my chest.
“Are you okay, Rocket?”
“Yeah, just fucking peachy,” I snapped, my guilt following my words instantly, and as I opened my mouth to apologise to Caroline, I caught sight of my demise right in front of me.
Harley, pissed off, and glaring right at me.
He jabbed two fingers at me, and jerked his head to the shop, stepping inside and waiting for me.
“I was about to apologise, VP, I’m sorry.”
He shut the door pretty sharply, and snatched my bags from my hand, marching over to set them on the counter.
“Put the pup down in her corner.”
Fucking hell. “Come on, man. I said I’m sorry. She just… she fucking cockblocked me, okay?”
“Don’t be a pussy, man. You have this coming.” He balled his fist and raised his eyebrows at me, and I groaned.
“Fuck’s sake, hang on.” I kissed the top of Nixie’s little head and set her in her corner, and straightened up again.
“Just remember one thing, VP. I’d never intentionally hurt Caroline, but you’re about to deliberately hurt me. Who’s the bigger man here?” His fist slammed into my face, making my teeth grind together as pain blossomed across my jaw, and I fell back half a step.
“Fucker!”
“Who’s the bigger man? It’s me, Rocket. It’s never fucking you.”
“What the hell?” V charged into the shop, shoving Harley aside as she came to my side, forcibly lifting my face with both hands to look me over. She was literally only an inch or two shorter than me, so we were pretty well matched height-wise.
“What’s the matter with you?!” She snapped at Harley, as she dragged me into the small bathroom and wet a wad of tissue, using it to press against the bruising I could feel forming against my jaw. It was too cold, and I hissed in a sharp breath.
V
These men were a nightmare! Punching each other for every little thing, then being babies after the fact.
“Don’t be a baby, Rocket. It’s just cold.”
“I’m okay, woman, seriously. I don’t need nursing.” I snatched the wet compress from his face and tossed it in the sink.
“Fine. Nurse yourself then, dipshit. And for the record, I’m a fucking vet, not a nurse!”
He went from frustrated to angry, and then just as quickly he barked out a laugh, shaking his head at me.
“Fuck me, you’re like a cactus, woman. A man needs a fucking suit of armour just to have a conversation with you.”
Most men would have been angry, as he’d briefly looked, but I was starting to love the fact that he decided to see humour in my attitude, which I knew was crappy, but I was forgetting how to be anything else.
“Must be your charm, Rocket. You bring out the best in me.”
He grinned, checking his face in the mirror, poking at his jaw tentatively.
“Fucker’s gonna bruise.”
“Maybe don’t wind Harley up then, or is this just a regular day for you guys?”
Rocket sighed, shaking his head. “It was my fault. I snapped at his old lady. You don’t do that shit without getting smacked down. I didn’t mean to though, it’s just that…” He stepped closer, backing me up to the wall, as we moved in sync, without conscious thought or reason.
“What?” I practically breathed as he stared me down, his dark eyes penetrating mine in an almost predatory manner. Not unsexy though, not at all.
“I was enjoying what we were doing, until we were interrupted.” Oh god. He meant the kissing! I’d kissed him, and I still couldn’t believe I’d had the balls to do that, but I suddenly really wanted to do it again.
“The… the kissing?”
“You guys kissed?!”
“Fuck’s sake, does nobody have boundaries, VP?”
“You’re trying to make out in my bathroom, in the middle of the fucking shop, so no, apparently not.”
The moment was lost. We were so close, so close I could smell his cologne, something spicy and already familiar to me. Already a smell that I enjoyed, because it brought good associations. Yes, all the arguing and picking on each other had been fun so far, hadn’t it?
We moved out of the bathroom reluctantly, and as my hip brushed against Rocket’s I felt a tingling wave of need for him.
Need I hadn’t felt in a long time. Everything in my past relationship had devolved into one thing.
Trying to procreate. It became about cycles and timing, and it became a chore.
It was a necessary process to create what we wanted, but it stopped being fun.
Being around Rocket had awakened parts of me that I thought were forever trapped in that cycle of boredom that came from doing something that should be pleasurable and intense, as if it’s a housekeeping exercise.
Something to fit into a certain timeslot on set days. Like a monotonous production line.
“Seems Nixie really likes you, Caroline.” My cousin was snuggled in the puppy’s corner with her again, and lifted her head as Rocket spoke.
“Nixie? Aw I like that, when did you name her?”
Rocket crouched beside the little cordoned off area, careful not to crowd Caroline, as he unpacked some of the bits he’d bought, and Nixie’s little ears twitched at the rustling of the bags.
“V was bitching at me in the car about her not having a proper name,” he commented lightly, shooting a wicked look in my direction as he ripped the tag off the cosy bed he’d bought, and tucked it in the corner with satisfaction.
I still thought he’d struggle to get her out of it, but that’d be his problem, wouldn’t it?
“Nixie?” Harley was standing beside me, watching carefully as his woman held her new best friend.
“Nix, Nixie,” I said glibly, because he was a smart guy, he’d get it.
“Oh. That’s cute. How’d you get him to listen? I’ve been trying that ever since I met him.”
“Prick,” Rocket muttered, getting up with one of the bowls, to fill it with water from the tap.
“Is that water safe to drink?” I asked Harley when Rocket disappeared, and he hesitated.
“I have no idea, I’ve never tried.”
“Rocket?”
His face appeared around the door frame. “What now?”
“Bottled water might be safer for her.”
“Shit. Okay, good point.”
We watched as he emptied and wiped the bowl.
“Have we got any?”
Harley groaned, and fetched one from under his counter, but I wandered over to join Caroline, kneeling outside the enclosure to watch her with Nixie.
“You know that area’s for the dog, and not you, right, C?”
She shrugged, kissing Nixie’s head. “She likes cuddles.”
My cousin had her issues, in particular relating to being touched by pretty much anyone, except Harley, for some reason.
Apparently those issues didn’t extend to furbabies, although she didn’t get on with my cat either.
I wondered idly if Rocket was a cat person too, although even if he was, my cat was not a fan of men in general.
Smart animals, cats. I should have taken a leaf out of her book, and spent my time hissing and biting them instead of falling for them.
“Hey, ladies, why don’t you let me treat you to lunch?” Harley grinned widely at us, and Caroline giggled, struggling to her feet while still holding Nixie.
“Can I take Nixie with me?”
“Why don’t you let her settle in to her new home, baby?
Here, take this, and get whatever you both want.
” I watched as he handed her his bank card.
Wow, they were at the shared finances stage of their relationship already?
Suddenly I was worried again about my cousin, and how she just might be getting in over her head.