Clutch_A Rock Bottom Novel Page 4

  She’s fucking cute. “Something like that, yeah,” I say. From behind me, I hear Dex snort and know I’m in for a week straight of bitching if this is the one she chooses.

  She glances up at me, her eyes shining. “Can I afford this one?” she asks so earnestly I feel something akin to pity.

  Can she afford this one? Hell no. Am I going to sell it to her anyway? Fuck yes. And I’ll tell Dex it’s his god damned fault for hounding me over the fucking thing since I hauled the mangled corpse of the bike into the shop.

  “Is this the one you want?” I ask, placing both hands on the bike. Easy come, easy go, I guess. Her pitiful savings won’t even cover the cost of the thing, much less the hauling, parts or even the damned man hours I put into it. But something tells me she needs this more than I need the fucking money. I’ve got money. I’m not a fucking billionaire, but I’ve got enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

  She nods, her face breaking into a smile that warms the whole fucking garage.

  “Then it’s yours,” I say.

  A little squeal leaves her and she bounces a little bit. It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her. And the most pissed I’ve heard Dex sound in all our adult years. He’s fucking fuming. And that’s just icing on the fucking cake.

  She’d asked me to hold onto her money, and I take it out of its hiding spot and hand it to her. She looks at me, confused. “I have to pay for this,” she says, worrying her lower lip.

  I nod. “So hand it back. Make it official. Buy the damn bike.”

  She hands me back the cash and I take it, counting it. When she signs all the paperwork, I hold out the key. She opens her hand, her face alight. A smile still clings to the corners of her lips as I drop the key into her palm.

  “You’ll teach me to ride, right?” she asks.

  And my cock is at attention. I’d fucking love to teach her to ride. “Sure,” I say, reminding myself that she means the bike and not my dick.

  With that, she spins around with a new bounce in her step. She makes it only a few steps before turning back to me. Her voice is shy as she studies my face. “Could you…” she begins, then hesitates, looking down at the key in her hand. Her eyes rise to meet mine. “Could you hold on to this for me?” she asks in a thin voice that instantly sets off alarm bells in my head.

  “Of course,” I say, motioning her to follow me. I turn and head into my office, knowing she’s right behind me. While she watches, I hang the key up on a hook and turn to face her again. “It’s here when you’re ready for it. Want my number in case you need it in the middle of the night?” I ask, mostly probing. Getting information out of her is like trying to get water from a stone.

  She shakes her head. “If-” she stops, her cheeks turning pink at her slip. “When I come for it, it’ll be between four and ten pm on a weekday.”

  I want to ask if that’s the time she’s at work. But I’m not close enough to her to push. I think I know what’s going on, but I don’t know for sure. And if I’m wrong, I run the risk of alienating her. I don’t want to do that, even though I couldn’t fucking explain why I don’t want to alienate her if someone held a gun to my head and demanded answers.

  After the door closes behind her, I feel Dex seething. “What the fuck, man?” he says, lifting his arms out to the sides like he’s telling me to come at him.

  “Don’t you have shit to do?” I ask.

  “Fuck you, man. That was an expensive bike you just paid her to fucking take. There are less expensive ways to get in a bitch’s pants.”

  I’ve got him by the throat and propel him back across the room and up into the air before he can blink. Slamming him into the wall, I snarl up at him. “Fucking talk about her like that again and I’ll cut your balls off with a rusty screwdriver.”

  He chokes, glaring spitefully at me. “Good to know you’re capable of loving someone,” he says and I drop him. Fuck. I played right into his god damned game.

  “I don’t love her. I don’t fucking know her.”

  But he’s like a fucking dog with a bone. A stupid dog. “She reminds me of mom.”

  “Fuck you,” I spit.

  “No, she does. She’s frail like mom was.” He sounds almost thoughtful and I wonder what the odds are that I could hold him down and cut his balls off without someone walking in. Not good. But I’ve done more with worse odds.

  “I fucking wanted that bike,” he grumbles and I want to shove his face in the oil pan he’s moving out of the way. I could hold the back of his head in it until the bubbles stopped coming up. Dex whistles sharply and I glance at him. “Stop killing me in your head,” he says. “I’m not just an object for you to murder.”

  Into my office for some fucking peace and quiet. But once I’m there, I can’t help but look at the key hanging on the wall and wondering what the little sparrow is running from.

  Chapter Eleven

  Caitlin

  I know. What the heck kind of response is that? I spilled my dirty little secret and he just says I know? Under the hot water, I stare at the wall, mouthing the words. I’m at a loss. I pretty much just told him I want to sleep with him. And he said I know.

  What the heck am I supposed to do with that?

  With a frustrated sigh, I turn off the water and step out of the shower onto the bath mat. He hands me a towel without even turning my direction. I take it with a quiet thank you, still trying to figure out what to do now.

  Wrapping the towel around myself, I secure it well enough and step toward the sink. And my foot slips out from under me. A shocked squeal rips painfully from my throat. I don’t even see him move, but suddenly I’m in his arms, cradled safely and no longer falling.

  And the towel is no longer wrapped around my body.

  I freeze, unable to even breathe as his eyes blaze white-hot on my skin. My nipples harden under his scrutiny and goose bumps pepper my skin. His muscles tighten, his whole body tense and steely. Arousal screams through every nerve ending I have and I swallow hard.

  He’s looking at my body like he wants to devour me and I can feel my heartbeat slamming in my chest. His heat beats back the cooler air and I know I’m making his clothes damp. But he’s still gripping me tightly. He’s still staring at me, his eyes appraising every inch of my body slowly, sensuously.

  Tingling heat floods my core and spreads outward toward my fingers and toes. Nobody’s ever looked at me like this. With reverence. With hunger.

  I’ve never been so turned on in my life. Struggling to pull in a breath, I manage to inhale. Too late, I realize this looks bad. This single, deep breath pushes my chest out. His eyes tick to mine and I see his cheek ripple. He growls, a primal sound that sends a shiver down my spine.

  And he lowers his lips to mine.

  Heat explodes through my body and I wrap an arm around his shoulders. Like I weigh nothing, he picks me up and carries me out to the bed. His weight presses down between my hips excitingly as he lowers me to the bed. I feel the roughness of his pants against my naked flesh. I feel how hard he is under them. But I’m not afraid. I’m excited. I want more.

  My hips tilt and I feel his tongue flick over my lip. Opening my mouth to him, I enjoy the way he takes control. The way he demands more while his body promises I’ll love every second. It feels so deliciously wicked to be naked like this with him pinning me down on the bed while he’s dressed.

  I can’t seem to breathe normally. Every breath is ragged and uneven as his hand skims up my side and presses to my breast. I whimper as his thumb runs over my nipple. The jolt of pleasure and my inhale seems to break him and he growls again. His lips leave mine and his teeth scrape along my jawline.

  It’s all I can do not to moan. To buck my hips and demand more. This is exquisite torture. Pressing my head back into the bed, I enjoy his lips trailing down the skin of my throat and along my breastbone. A shiver tickles down my back as his tongue traces the divot at the base of my throat with aggravating slowness, like he’s happy taking his time. I
want him to move faster. My back arches up into him as he drags his teeth along my collar bone.

  I watch him rear up and rip his shirt off. His muscles bounce and ripple as he balls it up and throws it to the ground before shoving his pants away. Even the thought of lifting my head and actually looking at him makes my cheeks burn. So I don’t. His eyes are locked on mine as he drops on me like a great jungle cat falling on prey. His hot skin covers mine and I whimper in sheer pleasure at the sensation.

  “Axl,” I whimper.

  His lips meet mine again and I feel the hot tip of him brush my inner thigh. I can’t help but moan as he breaks the kiss to do something between us. I realize he’s using a condom and tears well up in my eyes. He’s being careful. Maybe for selfish reasons, but I appreciate it.

  Suddenly, his lips brush mine again and I feel him fill me with one powerful thrust.

  I cry out, but the pain is overcome by pleasure as he picks up a rhythm and holds onto me with strong, gentle arms.

  “You’re so wet,” he growls in my ear. The words send my heart into overdrive and I feel faint with the onslaught of stimuli.

  I whimper an agreement, unable to even process words. I should be ashamed of his rough words, but I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been. With that, he lifts me and suddenly, we’re moving. He turns and sits on the edge of the bed, holding our bodies together through sheer will and brute force.

  With my legs outside his, I’m straddling his hips like a bike. Chest to chest with him, I look deep in his dark eyes. My whole body is screaming at me to move, to grind on him, to relieve this ache I’m feeling in my core.

  And my hips buck. His hands find my waist and he’s moving me, guiding the pace. The shock of him leaning into me and his searing hot skin meeting mine wrings a gasp from my lips. Pleasure bolts from my nipples to my core as my breasts bounce against his chest and his teeth sink into my neck. Somehow he’s perfected the right amount of teeth and pleasure to balance me out.

  I hold onto his shoulders, gripping for dear life as I ride him hard.

  “So sweet,” he grows in my ear and I shiver.

  Goose bumps pepper my flesh and I feel his fingertips dig in as if he knows I’m on the cusp of something great. Something incredible. Something foreign.

  “You’re there,” he murmurs, his lips on my earlobe, “I feel it.” His tongue traces the curve of my neck while my body shakes and gathers. The pleasure between my legs is too great. Too incredible. Like a light that’s too bright to look at, it’s burning bright and demanding.

  “Just come,” he demands, his teeth capturing my lower lip and pulling it into his mouth.

  I moan, lost in the feeling of him deep within me, the grinding pressure on my clit, the way his growling voice makes every hair on my body stand on end. The tingling heat in my core is molten and it feels like he’s trying to split me in two with his body.

  “Look at me,” he demands and I open my eyes to look at him. There’s a cruel curve to his lips, a sexy little almost smile that makes my heart flutter. “Good girl,” he says, brushing a damp lock of hair off my forehead before his eyes sweep back to my own. “I want to see you come.”

  Nobody has ever said something so inflammatory to me. My heart pounds painfully and the sensory overload culminates. Pleasure explodes through my core and ripples quickly follow. Warmth and tingling flood every nerve ending and I’m vaguely aware of him holding onto me and speaking against my flesh.

  “Good girl. So fucking beautiful.”

  Gasping, I feel the rippling sensations in my core tightening around him. And he only grows harder.

  “Shh.” He quiets me, his lips meeting mine. His hands grip my face like he had that night outside the diner when he’d calmed me down. “You’re okay, Sparrow. Ride it out.” His voice is so low it’s like a dream where a whisper brings you out of sleep and into the real world. Everything clicks into place and I feel so drained I slump into him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Axl

  Her little gasping breaths are enough to destroy me. She’s clinging to me, holding onto my body as the last spasms ripple through her and milk my rock hard cock. It’s taking every last bit of self-control I have not to throw her down and fuck her hard. But she’s so damn tight I know that would hurt her. As it is, I should have been gentler.

  So I grit my teeth and hold her as her orgasm begins to die down. When she’s still, her breaths coming quick and shallow, I pick her up and turn her again. Pressing her down onto the bed on her back, I enjoy the way her breasts flatten out. Her stiff nipples beg for my mouth and I suckle one.

  She cries out, her back arching up into me as I sample the stiff peak. Fuck, she’s so god damned sexy. I can’t hold back anymore. Pushing home in her, I feel her whole body rock. Her hands tangle in my hair, the heels of her palms pressing tight to my temples as I pull back and ram home in her again.

  The muscles deep within her tighten around me and she presses her head back into the bed. Releasing her nipple with a satisfying pop, I watch her as I settle into a punishing rhythm. I’m not making love to her; I’m fucking her.

  Her voice is rising, her moans ringing in my ears and making me harder. I feel her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling a little as she grips me for dear life. The slick sheen of her skin is overwhelming. She smells as sweet as she tastes and I run my tongue along the line between her perfect tits all the way up to the hollow at the base of her throat. I can feel her heartbeat on my tongue and taste the salty sweetness on her skin.

  Her fingertips dig into my back and I growl at the sting. “Stop,” I demand and she lifts her head, looking at me with passion-glazed eyes. Her hands drop on either side of her head and I gather them both up and hold them captive over her head.

  Warning bells warn me I’m pushing her too hard as she stiffens up a little bit. But just as quickly, she melts and cries out as I press home in her. The tight walls of her pussy pulls me in as I draw back. She’s open to me, her knees wide and her body accommodating.

  “Fucking incredible,” I growl and her pussy twitches around me, confirming what I already knew; she likes it when I talk to her. Dirty girl.

  “Axl,” she moans.

  If I hear her say my name one more time, I’d done.

  Pressing my lips to hers, I feel her hips tilt into me and heat courses though my body. Her lips part, allowing me deep. And I take everything she’s willing to give. With her hands still pinned over her head, my lips on hers, my tongue plundering her mouth, and my cock buried deep within her, I feel whole.

  Her lower back arches and her hips tilt in a way that presses down on my cock, and I growl and bite down on her lower lip. She cries out, pleasure rich in the sound.

  “You’re so…” she can’t finish the thought, but even her voice makes me harder. Makes me thrust deeper within her. Fuck. I let her lip go and sink my teeth into the soft skin of her shoulder. Her belly snaps taut and I know she’s building again. The sweet spot within her is being stretched and pressured by my cock and she’s whimpering like she’s never been fucked like this before.

  The thought of anyone else bringing her pleasure sends jealous rage through me and I growl. She’s fucking mine.

  “Axl, I’m…” she trials off, but I know what she’s trying to say.

  Letting her hands go, I inhale her scent. I taste her damp skin. I let her overwhelm every sense I have. I invite it in. And when she explodes in my arms, I feel her hold me tightly, her gasps the only sound I can hear. She comes so quietly I focus on her and only her.

  And my whole body feels her relax as her walls ripple around my aching cock. I bury my face in her neck, ready to fill her up, but holding back to let her pleasure be fully realized. Her fingertips are soft on my back, gentle and kind.

  I feel her hips still bucking into me, feel her body begging me for mine. The primal motions of her are as innocent as driven snow and I doubt she’s ever enjoyed sex once in her life. There’s too much shock in her motions, too mu
ch surprise when she comes. I feel it. Feel her unsure movements as her orgasm fades and her brain tries to take over.

  And I can’t hold back any more. Plunging deep within her, I feel myself gather and explode deep inside her sweet depths. And for a second, I feel her stiffen. Then she’s melting into me, her voice rising a little as I ram home in her without mercy. I feel her dig her fingernails into me and back off instantly at my warning growl.

  Pleasure rips through every fiber of my being and washes away just as quickly. In its place is contentment. And I realize what I’ve done. I’m a fucking asshole.

  Backing off her, I stumble into the bathroom. I clean up and place both hands on either side of the mirror. I see my scars. My tats. My sins. My evil.

  She’s fucking innocent. Pure. Hurting. She’s in a bad place and she trusts me. And the first chance I got, I took advantage of that trust. Guess I’m not fucking reformed after all. I’m still a god damned monster.

  And don’t you forget it.

  Fighting the urge to put my fist through the mirror, I notice the door edging open. She steps into the bathroom and we stare each other down like a mad bull and a delicate maiden. As her hand reaches out to touch my face, I grab her wrist, ready to push her away.

  But something deep in her eyes persuades me to let her go instead. I do and her eyes trace the line of my face and her fingertips gently part the hair at my temple. She says nothing, but her eyes and the little satisfied curl at the corner of her lips tell me everything.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caitlin

  I open my eyes as the tickle on my cheek brings me out of sleep and into awareness. I feel his heat and the brush of his knuckle on my cheek as his eyes meet mine. The sun is spilling between us and dust dances in its rays. His features are illuminated, still harsh in the light of morning, but handsome too.

  There’s murder in his eyes and a shiver tickles down my spine.