Chapter 11
REBEL
Clara’s apartment had its charms, including the feminine details I’d grown damn attached to over the past week.
But that fucking double bed was a nightly test of my patience and my ability to keep us both from rolling off the edge during the hottest moments.
A man my size just wasn’t built for a mattress that small.
Even if Clara’s lush curves were pressed flush against me all night, I’d reached the point where I was craving enough space to spread her thighs wide, pin her to the mattress, and fuck her exactly how we both wanted.
Late afternoon sunlight spilled through the windows of the store and caught the copper highlights in Clara’s chestnut hair.
It was pulled back into a messy ponytail, a few stubborn strands escaping to curl gently around her cheeks.
My gaze tracked her every move as she bent over to straighten the stack of orchard flyers scattered across the counter, lingering shamelessly on the swell of her full tits beneath a faded blue T-shirt and drifting lower to admire how her denim shorts hugged the generous curve of her ass.
She was so fucking gorgeous. My cock stirred to life just from the sight, and I didn’t even bother hiding my hungry stare as she glanced up and caught me watching.
“Almost done, baby?” I asked, my voice edged with an undercurrent of desire I wasn’t trying to disguise.
Clara’s cheeks flushed instantly under my heated scrutiny, but she lifted her chin and shot me a playful glare that did absolutely nothing to hide the way she shivered slightly beneath my intense gaze. “You’re not impatient to get away from me, are you?”
I prowled toward her slowly, backing her down an aisle until we were in a corner, mostly out of sight.
Her eyes were dark, and I knew she could feel every inch of the possessiveness rolling off me as I closed the distance, stopping only when I had her pressed against the wall and caged by my body.
“Baby, the only impatience I’m feeling right now is to get you into bed tonight.
Except this time, I’m taking you back to my place, where we can stretch out in a bed that actually fits.
But first, I’m gonna take you to dinner. ”
“You know, you don’t have to keep working so hard to impress me. You’ve already gotten me in bed.” Her amber orbs flashed with amusement, but there was something else behind it. A sliver of uncertainty.
I had a feeling she still wasn’t fully confident in us as a couple. She was trying to keep those doubts hidden beneath sass and teasing, but I caught glimpses of them.
My hands found her hips, gripping her firmly and letting her feel my fingers flex possessively against the curves I’d been dreaming about since the moment we’d first met.
I leaned in close, my breath stirring the sensitive spot below her ear.
“I’m not the kind of man who stops wanting you just because I’ve had you.
You’re mine now, and I’m gonna spend every fucking day showing you exactly how much I still want you.
In bed, out of bed, any damn place I can get you. ”
“Oh,” she gasped.
“We’re going on a date. Gonna show off my woman and make it damn clear to the whole fucking town who you belong to.” A lascivious smile curved my lips. “And I’m gonna feed you so you have plenty of strength for what I have planned later.”
“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” she sassed, even though the soft blush that crept down her neck betrayed how much she wanted me to make good on my intentions.
I raised a brow and pulled her into me so the hard bulge in my jeans pressed against her center. “Am I wrong?”
She sucked in a shaky breath, her pulse hammering beneath my fingertips, but she met my gaze again, her eyes wide with heat.
Then she placed her palm lightly against my chest, the warmth of her skin sending a fresh surge of need through me.
“No. I mean, I would. But my family needs me at the orchard right now. I can’t just take off—”
Her mom’s laughter drifted from somewhere nearby, interrupting Clara’s protests as she turned the corner so she could see us, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, please. Clara, sweetheart, I’m positive the orchard won’t fall apart if you let Rebel whisk you away for the evening.”
Clara’s cheeks turned crimson, and she backed up as her gaze swung toward her mother. But I only let her get more than a couple of inches away from me.
Kathy leaned casually against the nearby shelving, her teasing smile warm and knowing. She glanced from Clara’s flustered expression to my obvious possessiveness, clearly thrilled by what she was seeing.
“In fact,” Kathy continued, a cheeky grin splitting across her face, “take tomorrow off too. After all your hard work this week, you deserve a little break. Maybe two full days of uninterrupted relaxation and”—she cleared her throat delicately, but a mischievous lilt colored her voice as she gave Clara a pointed, suggestive look—“fun.”
Clara let out a mortified groan, her head dropping forward against my chest. I couldn’t hide my grin at Kathy’s open encouragement. Clearly, Clara’s mom had no illusions about how we’d be spending the next twenty-four hours, and she approved completely.
Kathy chuckled softly again as she turned back toward the front of the store.
“Have a great night, you two. And don’t worry, honey, we’ve got the orchard covered.
Ben and Hilary will be here today, anyway,” she added, referring to their part-time help.
“We won’t need you back until at least noon tomorrow. ”
Once Kathy was out of sight and we heard the bell on the door jingle, Clara lifted her face from my chest and shook her head. Her amber eyes were filled with equal parts embarrassment and amused resignation. “My family loves you way too much. It’s kind of disturbing.”
I smirked, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her flushed cheek. “They just want you happy, and it seems they’ve realized I’m the guy who's gonna make that happen.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved into a teasing smile. “You do seem to fit into my family ridiculously well, biker boy. It’s actually a little suspicious.”
I leaned in again, brushing my lips lightly across her mouth. “I’m just that good, baby.”
Clara giggled and shook her head, then relaxed into me fully, her body molding perfectly against mine. “Fine. Mom’s orders. I guess I have no choice but to go with you.”
I tightened my hold on her waist, and my voice dropped low. “You know I’ll make it worth it, baby. After we eat, I’m gonna lay you down in my bed, spread you wide, and show you exactly how good it feels when I’ve got all the space I need to take you the way I want.”
She inhaled sharply, her lips parting softly, and color deepening in her cheeks as she looked up at me through her lashes. “When you put it like that, there’s definitely no way I could say no.”
My cock hardened painfully behind my zipper at the heat in her eyes, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to push her back against the wall and fuck her right then and there. But I wouldn’t take the chance of anyone seeing or hearing things that were for my eyes and ears only.
“Then let’s go,” I murmured, my voice edged with need. “Before I lose my fucking self-control.”
Clara shivered, her eyes wide with anticipation. Reluctantly, I let her go so she could grab her things. She moved quickly, and minutes later, we were walking to my bike, my hand possessively at her lower back, already anticipating exactly how the night would unfold.
At dinner, Clara and I settled into a back booth at The Fuel & Flame Diner, the low hum of conversations around us creating a comfortable background noise.
The lighting was dim, casting the interior in a warm glow that deepened the copper highlights in Clara’s hair.
My gaze moved over her slowly, the hunger that always burned beneath the surface was there, but so was a sense of contentment as I watched her absentmindedly tuck a loose curl behind her ear.
She was dressed simply in faded jeans hugging her hips just right and a fitted T-shirt that drew my attention to the gentle rise and fall of her tits.
She was so damn beautiful, there were times when I still couldn’t believe she was mine.
We’d ordered burgers again, and the conversation had been easy as we ate.
But eventually, Clara was just picking at her fries as glanced up at me occasionally through her long lashes as if trying to read my mood.
One of the things I admired about her was that she was very intuitive, and I could tell she’d picked up on the tension I was carrying.
My shoulders were knotted with stress from the shit with this unknown threat, and it had me wound tighter than I’d wanted to be while I was with her.
“You’ve seemed a little more tense the past couple of days.
” The concern was clear in her voice. “I know you’ve got…
um, club business or whatever…that you can’t share, and that’s okay.
” She hesitated for a moment, her amber eyes searching my face with curiosity.
“I realize you’ve got your brothers, but, if you ever want to talk about anything to someone else I’m happy to listen and help in any way that I can with stuff I’m allowed to know about. ”
Her quiet acceptance and the unspoken trust she placed in me even when she didn’t know the details hit me harder than I expected.
She’d learned that there were secrets I had to keep and was respecting those boundaries.
She wasn’t pushing for details or trying to coax me into revealing things that would break the club’s trust in me.
Instead, she was offering simple trust and support without conditions.