Chapter One #2
I shook my head. “Never. But something tells me you’re trustworthy.”
“Then show me your place, sweetheart.” He bent down to retrieve my items and started walking. Thankfully, he was heading in the right direction, since he hadn’t bothered asking for my address. I raced to catch up and hooked my arm through his, leading him to my small apartment.
I stopped in front of the house someone had turned into four efficiencies and unlatched the gate. Charming followed me up the walkway to the front porch. After I unlocked the door, I pushed it open and ushered him inside.
“Home sweet home,” I said. “Or nearly. My door is the one on the right.”
I let us in, and he set my things down on the little bistro table I kept inside the apartment. The space was tiny, but clean. I’d scrubbed it with lemon cleanser the night before, and the air still held a hint of the citrus scent.
“For someone who has an overprotective brother, you sure live simply,” he said.
“I’m on the run,” I said. “I realize he means well, but he drives me crazy. So when I found out he planned to marry me off to an associate, I decided I’d had enough.”
“He’s friends with men like me, arranged a marriage for you, thinks you need protection… sounds like your brother leads a dangerous life.”
Even as he said the words, he seemed to only be making an observation and not going on a fishing expedition. He hadn’t asked for my brother’s name. Hadn’t tried digging into my personal life more. It was a refreshing change.
“You have no idea,” I muttered. “He’s technically my half-brother. We have the same dad, but different moms. I’m younger by a lot of years.”
Actually, I was closer to my niece’s age.
Or would be if she were still alive. She’d been such a sweet girl.
I missed her all the time, and I knew Specter did too.
He hadn’t been the same since her death.
And I’d now given him way more information than I should have.
I seriously needed to keep my mouth shut about my family.
Charming smiled a little. “That right? Lots younger, huh? Since you work in a bar, I’m guessing you’re legal.”
“I’m twenty-five,” I said. “And yes, I’m aware that’s a little old for my brother to be dictating my life still. He thinks I’m helpless.”
Shut up, Dakota! I needed to smack myself because I was being stupid.
He rubbed at his jaw, his fingers rasping against the shadow of whisker there. “Damn. I knew you were young, but I didn’t… Um. I’m a lot older than you. That a problem?”
Now that he’d mentioned it, I noticed what I thought were lighter blond strands in his hair actually had a hint of silver to them.
I didn’t care. He was still the sexiest man I’d ever seen.
As long as he didn’t want me to call him daddy, then I was still down for a night of fun.
It wasn’t like the man was proposing. He’d said he might be persuaded to stick around longer, which told me he wasn’t local.
A night or two of hot sex? I’d be stupid to pass up the chance.
It might not come along again soon -- or ever.
I moved closer and cupped his cock, sliding my palm up and down the hard length. “I’m not asking you for a happily ever after. You seem well-equipped to handle what I need right now.”
He fisted my hair and yanked my head back. “Oh, I’m more than up for whatever you want, sweetheart. Just making sure you weren’t going to bail on me.”
“Nope. I want this --” I said, giving his cock a squeeze, “-- buried deep inside me. Think you can make me scream your name, Charming?”
He hesitated only a moment, and I saw something flicker in his eyes. “For tonight, I’m not Charming. You’re not some club whore I’ll forget before I’ve even pulled out. Call me Halden.”
I knew it was a big deal he’d shared his name with me.
Not one member of the Devil’s Fury had done the same while I’d stayed with them.
I reached up to cup his cheek and went on tiptoe to kiss him.
This man… He wasn’t anything like I’d expected.
I thought he’d be like the other bikers I’d met.
The Devil’s Fury weren’t bad men. They were… a little rough around the edges.
I understood now why this man was called Charming.
“Halden,” I whispered. “Thank you for trusting me with your name.”
“What do you usually do when you get home?” he asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “Shower, so I don’t smell like the bar.”
He rubbed my lower lip with his thumb. “Want company? I could be quite handy reaching those hard-to-get places.”
“I bet you are.” I kissed him. “Think we’re both wearing too many clothes. Race you to the bathroom?”
I drew back and started stripping off my clothes as I rushed across the apartment. I ran inside the bathroom and started the shower, hoping like hell we actually fit in there together. It was a relatively tiny stall.
I stepped under the spray and groaned when I turned to face Charming.
The man had removed all his clothes, and if I’d thought he looked good before?
Now my mouth was watering. What had he said about being too old for me?
The guy had abs for days, and just enough hair on his chest that I wanted to pet him.
His cock… Jesus. To say the man was packing some heat below the belt was an understatement.
He smirked and tapped his chin. “Think you have a little drool right about here.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, then reached out and yanked him into the shower. Or rather, I yanked… and he stepped in on his own, because there was no damn way I was moving him unless he let me.
He pressed against me and my back met the tiled wall. I hissed in a breath at how cold it felt. Charming shut the shower door, and I’d been right… there wasn’t enough room for both of us in here. I wasn’t about to kick him out, though. I rather liked him being this close.
Charming put a pump of shampoo into his hands and worked it into my hair.
His fingers felt incredible, digging into my scalp and easing the tension from working at the bar.
He rinsed my hair before conditioning it.
I wanted to ask how he knew so much about a woman’s hair.
Most of the men I’d known might put some effort into their beards, but for the hair on their heads, they used generic shampoo.
But decided I didn’t want to know. At his age, it wasn’t likely he’d never had a serious relationship. Unlike me.
Thanks to my brother, no one would dare touch me.
At least, not anyone I’d been interested in.
I’d had to take my own virginity with a decent-size vibrator.
It had also been my only companion in bed until it stopped working.
When I’d gone to buy a new one, I’d gone a teensy bit overboard.
Now I owned three dildos, four different vibrators, and even a vibrating anal plug.
I hadn’t worked up the courage to use the last one yet.
While my conditioner set, he soaped my body. His hands were just rough enough that his palms sliding over my nipples made me shiver -- in a good way. He took his time exploring my body. By the time he’d washed me and helped me rinse, I was one big, needy, aching mess.
“Ready to get dirty again?” he asked.
“I haven’t washed you yet.”
He kissed me, then nibbled the side of my neck. “Later. Right now, I need to be inside you. I swear I’ll make it better next time.”
“Next time?” I closed my eyes as my voice squeaked like a little mouse. Great. Now he’s going to think you’re some virginal young girl. Of course, he wouldn’t entirely be wrong. I’d never been with anyone before. Just my toys.
I felt his fingers stroke my pussy, and I gasped, my eyes going wide. I stared at him as he sank a finger inside me, pumping it in and out.
“Already so wet for me,” he murmured. “You have no idea what a turn-on that is. You want me as much as I want you.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
He added a second finger, working me slowly, stretching me.
I whimpered and shifted, wanting more. Charming pulled his fingers free and lifted me.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt his cock press against my pussy.
Soon, he was sliding in a little at a time.
When I’d taken all of him, I finally took a breath.
“You feel fucking amazing,” he said. “Hold on tight, sweetheart. This first time is going to be fast and hard.”
I gripped his shoulders as he pumped into me.
His hips smacked against me as he took what he wanted.
As pleasure sparked along my nerve endings, some distant part of my brain realized we hadn’t discussed the important things -- like STDs and birth control.
Then he shifted the angle on his next stroke, and I saw stars.
After that, nothing mattered but how incredible it felt to have him inside me.
Charming pounded into me and I came so hard I could barely catch my breath. He roared out his release, filling me with his cum. His chest heaved, and he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Damn. That was…” He gave his head a slight shake. “Never in all my life have I felt anything like that.”
And that was the beginning of the end for me. It wouldn’t matter if he stayed a day, a week, or a year. He’d already taken a piece of my heart, and I knew I wouldn’t get it back.