Chapter 13
13
BLOOD
Fifteen minutes later, Hector and his bodyguard leave the building and head around the corner. I wait a few more minutes to get my head back in the game, then I cross the street and climb the stairs to the second-floor apartment in the front of the building as Bolt indicated.
I put on my game face, raise my fist and knock on the door. Shuffling of feet, then the release of locks filters into the hallway.
The door swings open, and Maxine’s eyes widen, then narrow. “What . . . what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you.” She continues to block the door, so I add, “Can I come in?”
Her brow furrows like she’s trying to figure out my request, then she bites her lower lip. A tell I’ve noticed when she is uncertain or about to spit out sass. Another few seconds pass before she opens the door wider and steps to the side.
I enter the single room serving as a living area and small kitchen with seating at the counter. Off to the side, I spy a separate room, probably the bedroom. The outlaw biker in me always locates all the exits.
Her silence forces me to speak first, but I expected her skepticism.
“I wanted to tell you this Saturday we’re planning on a big turnout. We got the guys fighting first, then the women. We figured we’d save the best for last.” I throw her my trademark smirk. “I don’t know if you were right about the women being better fighters than the men, but they sure do bring in the big crowds.”
“Hmmm.”
I expect some wiseass crack. Actually, I was hoping for some sass since it seems to amp her up, and to work my plan I have to get her into bed.
“I figured you’d have something to add.” This time I smile full out.
“So, you came here to tell me two things I already know.” Her hand goes on her hip, drawing my eyes to her bare midriff where her tank top separates from her very sexy booty shorts. Not quite as short as the ones she wears in the cage, but still hot as fuck.
“Look, you’ve got a great record. You’ve won every fight, and I think, regardless of what happened between us, we should at least have a working relationship.”
“A working relationship?” She cocks her head, and her braid falls over her shoulder. “Did Diesel put you up to this?”
“No.” Interesting she should mention Diesel. Maybe this would work. “You and I are in the gym most days together, and it’s stupid not to get along just ‘cause we had some . . .”
“Some what?” Her light eyes bore into me, but I stay strong.
“Let’s face it, we had some smoking-hot sex that night, but, like you said, it was a one-off. I get it. It’s probably for the best, seeing you do work for the club, and I’m an officer. It would just end up getting messy.” I shrug. “It’s a definite bad idea, a hard no.”
Her expression changes. Yup, Maxine isn’t a woman who likes to hear the word “no.”
“I already said that, so I still don’t understand why you’re here.”
I pause like I’m trying to think about my next words. Playing this last part out is crucial.
“I guess just to tell you that you’re doin’ great in the cage . . . and we should move forward as friends or at least as employer-employee. You were right about us not getting together again. Huge fuckin’ mistake.”
Maxine slowly nods, but her brain is working overtime. I can almost smell the smoke.
“I wouldn’t necessarily go that far. I mean, we did . . .”
“Did what?” Okay, she took the bait, but a woman like Maxine has to be reeled in slowly.
She edges a half-step closer to me. “We did enjoy it.”
I shrug again. “Yeah, it was good.”
Her eyes widen right on cue. “Good? I think your words that night were ‘fuckin’ amazing.’”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Ahhh, no, that’s exactly what you said. You also said I liked it as rough as you, and you wanted to see me sprawled out on a bed the next time.”
“But we’ve already decided there won’t be a next time, right?”
Ohhh yeah, this is going exactly as I planned. In another minute, I’d have her stretched out across her bed screaming and moaning as I pump into her. Then, when the time is right, I’ll pump her for information about Hector’s plans in Tijuana. Talk about fuckin’ the enemy. Yeah, this is working out perfectly.
MAXINE
“Right.” I move toward the still open door, and his gaze rakes over me as he swaggers forward. What the hell kind of game is he playing?
“Shame though.” He positions himself between me and the door. So close I can smell his scent of leather, musk and . . . desire.
“Yeah, a real shame.” This couldn’t be working out any better. I thought I’d have to wait until tomorrow to work my magic, but here he is in living color, hitting on me like a dog in heat.
Even his banter has sexy vibes, but instead of playing word games with the biker, I would lure him into bed. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. I’d pry information out of him and feed it to Hector to keep him happy. Then take it up another level and tell Blood I desperately need his help. Nothing an alpha male likes better than helping the damsel in distress. While Hector is worried about the outlaw bikers, I can make my escape.
Blood lowers his head, and his lips touch mine. Soft and lingering, like he has all the time in the world. My back arches, pressing my hips forward as his hand settles on the small of my back. He increases the force of the kiss, and my disloyal body tingles with pleasure until Hector’s threats echo through my brain.
I angle my head and release his lips. “I don’t think you want to leave.”
“I don’t think you want me to leave.”
Oh yeah, he’s good at this, but I’m better. No longer am I the shy, timid girl afraid of her shadow. No, the cruelties of my life have made me the perfect match for an outlaw biker on a mission. I’d let him think he’s getting to me, playing me, when in reality it’s the exact opposite.
His large hands grip my shoulders, pinning me against the door until it slams behind me. He angles his mouth over mine, taking his fill, and I let him. I snake my hands under his cut, then his t-shirt, relishing the warm, firm skin of his abs.
His abs twitch, and when I dip my hand lower, I laugh. “Flinching already?”
His one hand palms my ass as his other one slides up my back. He grips my ponytail and tugs. “I’m just getting started, babe.”
I grin up at him, liking his rough touch. Liking the way he commands my body. So different and intriguing. Power and force, but not malicious and devious like Hector.
I pull at his leather belt, suddenly impatient to feel all of him, to have him inside me again. Just the thought makes me tremble. He tightens his grip on my hip, sensing my anticipation.
“I wanna make it to the bed this time,” he growls in my ear, then he easily hoists me up. My legs automatically wrap around his waist as he stumbles us into the bedroom.
The air conditioner in the window whines in the background, drowning out the sound of us shedding our clothes. I easily peel off my booty shorts and tank while he toes off his boots and removes his cut and t-shirt. I notice he folds his cut and lays it carefully on the only chair in my bedroom. Apparently, bikers are very particular about their club colors.
I lie back on the bed as he slowly lowers the zipper of his jeans, knowing my eyes are zeroed in on him. An erotic striptease just for me. He lets them fall to the floor, then kicks them away. He stands naked at the foot of the bed for a few seconds like he wants me to admire him.
Good move because there is plenty to feast on. His scrolling tats over his muscled chest and arms accentuate his golden tan from the Tijuana sun. This man’s perfection has me licking my lips. He leans in, bracing his bulging biceps on the mattress as he crawls up the bed, then hovers over me.
When we did it in the alley, the only light came from the security halogens, and I didn’t get much of a chance to see Blood’s body, but now . . . he crawls higher onto the mattress, and my eyes widen. Yes, we had sex, and, yes, I felt him inside me, but I never actually saw him—the man is freakin’ huge.
He follows my gaze. “You like what you see?”
“Ahhh . . . yes.” I clamp my mouth shut, embarrassed by my stuttered reaction.
His shoulders shake as he huffs out a laugh. “Don’t worry. I got you.”
Exactly what I’m worried about. He does have me, and unless I keep my mind and body detached, I’m in for a world of trouble with this very roughed-up biker.
He licks his lower lip, then grips my thighs, hauling me closer to him. “Can’t wait to fuckin’ taste you.”
All logical thoughts vanish when he lowers his head and sucks at the sensitive skin on my inner thigh, leaving a mark, just high enough it would be covered by my booty shorts.
He raises his head slightly. “When you fight tomorrow night, only you and I will know where I marked you.”
My legs spread wider, and he sucks and bites the other thigh as I melt into the mattress, pushing him toward my center. I need him there; I want him there.
He grins up at me for a split second, then dives in, driving his tongue deep as his thumb works my clit. I moan out, my head thrashes against the pillow, and he increases the pressure and the tongue-flicking. All the tension from Hector’s threatening visit slips away. I concentrate on only Blood teasing my body into a frenzy. He increases his pace, and my hips arch off the mattress. I scream, my body rigid with pleasure and humming with satisfaction, then collapse against the bed.
He plants little kisses on my thighs as the aftershocks buzz through me. My choppy breathing fills the room, and when I open my eyes, he leans back on his knees, gazing down at me.
“This is just the way I wanted to see you.” His palms slowly stroke my thighs. “All sprawled out for me, every inch of you in full view.”
His scrutiny makes me shiver, but there is something else. His eyes have lost their hard edge. They seem to soften, so different than the attitude he maintains at the gym. Even his voice takes on a mellow, seductive tone. Is this the same man who regularly barks orders at the fighters and trainers, and walks around with a permanent scowl etched on his face? Is there more to this man than a street-savvy biker who runs underground cage fights?
Or is he playing his own angle? Working me the way I’m working him?