Innocent Ride Read online

  “On a transport right now.” I can hear the radio inside his truck click off.

  “That’s nice.”

  “Ha, nice isn’t the word I would use. It’s a job, Lux, just a job. Doesn’t keep me warm at night. So, what’s keeping you warm tonight since you aren’t on the road?” I can hear the smile in his voice.

  “My blanket,” I reply with as much sarcasm as I can.

  “Oh, to have been born that blanket. I would’ve been a lucky motherfucker.”

  “Aren’t you just so sweet? Let me swoon.”

  “I don’t wanna make you swoon, sweetheart. I wanna make your panties wet.”

  I can’t stop the laugh that escapes as my tension eases. If he only knew what he does to me. There is something about him that takes all my fears away.

  Shutting all the doors in my apartment, I snuggle down on the couch, finding security in his voice. Two hours later, I am still on the phone with Rex, not checking my window every five minutes like a neurotic fool.

  Who knows, maybe Delilah took the album for some silly gift. She has done that in the past. I shrug off the remaining worry and push down my fears, simply giving my attention to Rex. Sure, he has made everything into some sort of sexual innuendo, but I have learned a lot about him tonight. His family history and the bond he has with Tripp makes more sense now.

  Lying against the throw pillow on my couch, wrapped in my favorite blanket, I have the funniest, sexiest, and most intriguing man on the phone. If it wasn’t for the black cloud I feel hanging over me, I could almost say life is good.

  “Lux, you should go to your door.” Rex’s voice comes through the phone, taking me out of my safe place.

  Getting up means moving.

  Moving means someone could see my shadow if they are watching.

  Stop it! I tell myself. Stop the crazy thoughts. No one is following you. No one is waiting in the shadows like the damn boogie man.

  “Why would I go to my door this late, Rex? In fact, I should probably get off the phone. You need to focus on driving. I’m sure you shouldn’t have been on the phone with me this long. Have a goodnight. Thanks for listening tonight.” I try to stop rambling yet can’t help myself. The thought of hanging up has me back on edge. “I need to charge my phone, anyway. I’m sure yours isn’t comfortable having it plugged into the car charger while driving and talking. I mean, I know you put me on speaker, but still—”

  “Lux,” he interrupts, “it’s fuckin’ late, and I need a damn shower. Please open the door.”

  I drop my phone and go to the door. My brain doesn’t register what he has been saying until I turn the locks and pull open the door.

  Standing in front of me with a phone to his ear, duffle bag in hand, ripped jeans, black shirt, and everything badass sexy is Drexel Crews.

  I gasp in surprise as he winks at me, pulling his phone down and ending our call. He steps inside while I stand unmoving.

  “Lux, you gotta move outta the way.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Come on, Lux. Because you’re uneasy. I’ve been on the road for two days, and I need to shower and sleep. But I’d rather do it here knowing you’re okay and knowing you’re sleepin’ easy. I’ll even crash on the couch. Just friends. Innocent enough?”

  “On the couch and just friends,” I reiterate, still in shock that he came here from his job to make sure I am comfortable.

  He moves past me, stopping to drop a chaste kiss on my cheek before making his way to my bedroom and bathroom as if he owns the place.

  Twenty minutes later, my mind is still trying to handle that Rex is indeed here, in my home, to keep me safe. When he emerges from my room in only loose sweats, I want nothing more than to run and stick my head in the freezer as the temperature sure did rise more than a few degrees.

  He is shirtless, his abs flexing with every move he makes. The roses on his chest draw my attention to his ink. The barbed wire circling around them makes me want to trace it with my tongue, knowing the only sharp edges I would feel would be that of his rejection later on.

  He is drying his longish hair, raising his arm and making my attention go straight to the ‘v’ of his hips. The pants fall low, making it known that, yet again, Rex is not wearing underwear. Which means only the cotton fabric separates me from the beautifully pierced beast that is his penis.

  I lick my lips, wanting nothing more than to wrap them around the head of his dick while my hand strokes the thick shaft. Normally, I wouldn’t want to give a man a blow job, but Rex has a penis that should be a mold for a dildo factory. It is so perfect. Length, girth, smooth, and the added hoop at the end that rubs the inside of my vagina make it the sort of penis I read about in romance novels.

  Innocent my ass. My body is on fire at his mere presence.

  ~Rex~

  For such a nice couch, it sleeps for shit. Maybe it isn’t the couch, but rather the company. Lux is just feet away from me, sleeping in that big ass bed that I would love to make more memories in.

  I am a complete dick. Selfish pride kept me away from her when she needed me. I could have stopped to explain my life to her, but no. When she made assumptions, I allowed her judgment to cloud my thoughts rather than slow down and put myself in her position.

  She is not from my world. She was just told the man who has been making her working life miserable was found dead, and she may have been the last person to see him alive. Then, instead of standing by her, I got pissed at her accusation and left.

  Memories fishing with Pops hit me. Sitting in the boat Rex, Pops, and me. Open water and times to reflect, Pops always used this as his opportunity to give us lessons in life.

  Don’t give your word to a woman, boys, unless you plan to back it up all the way. Women aren’t fragile, so don’t ever underestimate the strength found under those beautiful curves. They should know, however, that their man has their back. When you tell your women something, you stand by it.

  I gave Lux my word that one call is all it would take. I told her I would be there for her, and I wasn’t. She has called a couple of times because of the cops, so she said. It doesn’t matter why she called, though; she did and I ignored it. I am fucking up again.

  She is a friend of Doll’s, a friend of the club, and she is, in her own way, a friend to me. She keeps it real when no one else will. She called, and I didn’t answer because I was hurting. Like a pansy, I blew her off.

  You know your grams hasn’t been feeling so well. I made a vow of in sickness and in health, boys. Times aren’t always easy, and sometimes it hurts, but you always stand by your word. When the thought of losing a woman makes you hurt; you know it’s right.

  The thought of anything happening to Lux hurts. Not just losing her, but her comfort matters.

  When I heard her whisper on my voicemail, I thought I would have a heart attack from the pain in my chest. Lux was upset. She was bothered, afraid, uneasy, and she reached out to me. Yes, I spent hours on the phone rushing to get home to her.

  Home.

  I have never felt a need to be somewhere as much as I felt the pull to get to her as quickly as possible tonight. I don’t spend much time at home. Between regular business and club business, I am not someone to be tied down, which only furthers my feeling that this shit with her is far from innocent. We are far from being just friends. She owns a piece of me, and she doesn’t even know it.

  Ever the tough one, I still don’t know what put her so on edge. Will she ever trust me enough to depend on me? Will she ever feel safe enough to share her secrets with me?

  I hear the beeping of her alarm, letting me know I can get up and make some coffee. After a sleepless night of my mind racing, I need all the caffeine I can get. Once I figure out the fancy ass machine, I make her a cup.

  Stopping at her partially opened bedroom door, I knock on the frame before entering. Her bed sits unmade as I hear the shower running in her bathroom. I set the coffee down on the nightstand then begin to make my exit when whimpering
stops me by her bathroom door. At first I listen because I think she is sad. The more I listen, the more I realize she isn’t sad.

  No, my woman is getting off. Not only is she getting off, when the whimpering gets louder and ends on my name escaping her mouth, I am instantly hard with no release in sight.

  As I adjust my dick in my jeans and make my way to the kitchen, I want to fuck her hard, fast, and furious. I want to make her scream, not whimper. I want to take the serious, put together woman and make her go wild with abandon and need.

  Tame it, Rex. Tripp would tell me to tame it.

  I blow out a breath and try to calm my raging hard-on before she comes out of her bedroom.

  A little bit later, she emerges in her work suit, her hair tightly secured in a fancy bun, and her fuck me heels ready for those delicate feet to slide into as she carries them in her hand. The blush to her cheeks is that of a satisfied woman.

  For some reason, that bothers me. I have watched women get themselves off multiple times. I have had more barflies tell me they get off to visions of me than I can count. Yet, the beauty before me gets off to the idea of me, and I am pissed she is satisfied because it didn’t come directly from me.

  I shuffle around behind her, securing the place before we both make our way outside. At her car, I open her door, but just as she is about to climb in, I reach up and squeeze the back of her neck before bringing my forehead to rest on hers.

  “Lux, next time you get off because of me, it won’t be solo. The fingers plunging in and out of your tight heat will be mine. When you cry out my name, it will be as you ride my face and I roll the ball of my tongue piercing over your clit. When you pant, whimper, and even whine, it will be because I am balls deep in that perfect pussy of yours. Fingers, face, and dick, sweetheart, take your pick, take all three, but when you’re comin’, I’ll be an active participant. You want toys, I’m man enough to use those, too. Just remember this isn’t a solo. Balls come in pairs for a reason. Two is much better than one.”

  She gasps as I lean in and run my tongue ring over the seam of her lips.

  “Yeah, I heard you, and I could get off on the sounds you made. Remember, sweetheart, I know exactly what noises you make when you come. Next time, I’ll be there to feel you. I’ll watch you come undone by me, for me, and with me, not just thoughts of me. Hold tight, Lux, you’re in for one hell of a ride.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Calm in the Chaos

  ~Caroline~

  Oh, my God. He heard me. He just said all this stuff about the orgasms he would give me in the future and then walked away like it was nothing. I know I must be red from head to toe.

  With my body shaking from nerves, I climb in my car. Starting the engine, my belly tickles with butterflies. Will there be a next time with Rex?

  My body sure hopes so.

  The rumble of his motorcycle surrounds me all the way to work. I pull into the parking garage with the echoes soothing my anxiety, and when I climb out of my car, he gives me a half salute off his helmet. As I make my way inside the door to my office building, I hear the rev of his engine as he pulls away.

  Safe.

  Rex is doing what he thinks I need to feel safe, and strangely enough, I do. The badass biker, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, the true hellion, is going out of his way to ease my fears. With the chaos surrounding me, Rex calms me. I can’t help smiling, genuinely smiling, for the first time in days.

  Kenna arrives to work not long after me, and we busy ourselves adjusting things so she can balance her usual client list plus the clients I personally worked with Chad on. When you handle large amounts of money for people’s businesses, they tend to want to keep with the original people they’ve put their trust in.

  I am lost in numbers when my phone pings, alerting me to a new text.

  Gonna take my kid to the pizza place with the games. Wanna come? Rex

  Something pulls at me, realizing he wants to take me with him for his first real memory with his son. Am I reading too much into this? Isn’t meeting his son a big step? We aren’t in a relationship. I don’t know what we are, but he is not merely my friend.

  No place I’d rather be. Lux

  Ur always so ready to agree to come with me, Lux. Rex

  I can’t help but laugh. Only Rex would turn an invitation to dinner with his kid into an invitation to an orgasm.

  I’ve been informed that u have to be involved in all my comings. Just following my instructions. Lux

  Face, fingers, or dick … I don’t care which you pick. I’ll be there, tho, mark my words. Rex

  Before I can type a reply, my phone pings again.

  And it’s good to know u can follow instructions. Rex

  Heat flushes me. What am I doing? How do I reply?

  Kenna comes out of her office before I can respond.

  “Everything okay, Caroline?” she asks with a smile.

  I know I am blushing like crazy. Who wouldn’t be after getting that?

  “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “Rex?”

  I laugh that she could figure it out so easily. Knowing she is my friend and my boss, I bite my lip in embarrassment.

  “That good, huh?” she laughs.

  I only bite my lip harder in response.

  “With those boys on bikes—the rush, the life, the freedom, and the sex—no girl can resist.”

  “Kenna, we’re at work,” I chastise, unsure if I want to discuss this with my new boss.

  “Oh, please, have you seen my husband? He didn’t patch to the Hellions because of his Army Reserves career, not because he doesn’t believe in the club. But he rides with Tripp and Rex. Even though Ryder and the boys at the shop patched in to the Haywood’s Landing Charter because of Dina’s dad, Jake is going to patch Catawba when he retires.”

  He is actually going to patch in eventually? They believe in the club? My mind races. Kenna is where I want to be in my career.

  “Rex, oh my goodness, that man is sex walking. I’ve seen him enough times to know he could melt the panties off a nun.”

  “Kenna Thompson!”

  “What! Next ‘Girls Gone Drunk’ night we have, you are so coming along. Dina, Maggie, Tiff, Doll, and I go out and leave the kids with the men. One of the guys is our designated driver, and he gets the luxury of returning all of us to our men. Doll talks,” she adds with a wink.

  “Well, if that’s the case, help me reply to his messages.” I eagerly hand her the phone, wanting a reply that will shake up his game a little bit.

  She reads the messages and laughs then types away on my phone before handing it back to me.

  “Lunch in an hour. We’re leaving here and going out to eat so we can actually talk,” she informs before walking back into her office.

  I glance at my phone and gasp.

  The position of my teacher is open if u know anyone who is up to the job. Lux

  I attempt to turn my attention back to work when my phone immediately pings in response.

  I’m always UP for anything involving u, Lux. Rex

  Fanning myself, I decide to put my phone in my purse and lock it in a file cabinet, so I cannot be further distracted by the temptation to text him.

  Lunch time comes, and Kenna laughs when she sees I placed my phone inside my purse.

  Deciding to go to the sandwich shop two blocks from the office, we walk. I rub the back of my neck, trying to shake off the feeling of being followed again as we settle into our seats by the shop front.

  Out of the window, I can see the same blue car I keep seeing out at the street parking. The car that seems to pop up everywhere I am lately. I try to watch for the driver to get out and put money into the parking meter, only they don’t. When the parking patrol comes by, the car quickly pulls off. Shaking off my fears, I focus my attention on lunch with Kenna.

  “Okay, off the record, away from the office, I need to be frank with you. What happened with Chad? When you first started, there was an exuberance that r
adiated off you. Then, within two days of you landing and truly managing your first client, you changed.”

  I sigh. I want to crawl under the table and hide. “I did something stupid, that’s all.”

  “Not to speak ill of the dead, but Chad was a bastard, and I hope he is rotting in hell.”

  “Way to not hold back. Damn, Kenna.”

  She looks at me sadly. “There was a time”—she pauses, trying to keep her emotions at bay—“Jake and I, we were… Well, we were having problems. Chad was a friend, or so I thought. Anyhow, long story short, he was pressuring me at work. Then, one night, I was out helping Dina with an event, and Chad showed up when he wasn’t invited and kissed me in front of Jake.”

  “How did I not know this?”

  “It was while you were still in college with Doll and Sass. It was my fault. I was having problems with Jake, and in some ways, I sort of sought out his attention. I thought Chad was safe because he had a girlfriend and we worked together. He wasn’t. Afterwards, he harassed me at work for a while. Jake eventually stepped in and handled it, but it was a very hard time for me personally and professionally.”

  Something inside me opens up. “We finalized the account and I was excited. When he invited me to dinner, I thought it was a group thing, but it wasn’t. The night ended with me kneeing him in the nuts and taking off. Only, that didn’t end his infatuation with me. It was almost as if I challenged him. Long story short, he got so desperate he was trying to blackmail me into sleeping with him with some stuff from my past.”

  “Insert Rex?”

  “Huh?” I question.

  “Rex has stepped in to protect you?”

  “Sort of, but he doesn’t know about my past or the blackmail. The night Chad took me out, I panicked and went to Doll’s house. She told Tripp, who told Rex, and that’s how Rex came into the picture. No one knows, Kenna. No one knows my past or that Chad was blackmailing me.” I blow out a breath, having shared more with her in this lunch than I have with one of my closest friends ever—Doll.