Page 78 of The Biker and the Loner
He drops his pants. “Then you told me you wanted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and made me ride around until we found a gas station that had it. When you finally stopped asking for shit and let me take your spoiled ass home, you jumped off my bike, threw yourself at me, and kissed me.” He walks over to the bed, pressing one knee between my legs. “And do you remember what you said to me, Ley?”
I blink at him. I don’t even know what he’s talking about.
“You said, ‘One day, I’m going to be your woman, Scratch. And I’m going to make you fall in love with me like you've made me fall in love with you.’” He finishes with a wide grin.
Again, I blink at him. Because,what? “Um, I think you’re mixing me up with someone else.”
Parting my legs, he shakes his head. “Never.”
“But I don’t remember any of this! Youhaveto be making it up,” I say. “I mean, I do remember Ranger’s bottle party, and I do remember Grunt yelling at Jewel for…” I frown, trying to remember. “What was he yelling at her for again…? I can’t remember.”
“For giving you absinthe. You took a shot when you were already drunk and were about to take another one before he stopped you.”
“Oh, yeah,” I murmur, only vaguely remembering. I honestly don’t remember anything after Grunt yelling at Jewel.
“If that's all true, then I said that while I was really drunk, so it doesn’t count.”
“It counts,” he presses, “because only when the mind and tongue are loose does the real truth come out.”
“Whatever,” I mutter. But I believe him, because I’ve been in love with him before that night. And if my hazy memory serves me right, I’d taken those shots from Jewel because I was jealous of the two women he was making out with that night. And maybe, subconsciously, I’d tried to keep him from going back to the party to those women on purpose. “That still doesn’t mean I love you now.”
His grin is so smug I want to smack it off his face. “You never stopped, Peach.”
Sliding his hand up under my dress and to the center of my thighs, he brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, “And guess what?”
“W-What?” I gasp out when his fingers dip inside my panties.
“You did exactly what you said you would.” He nips my earlobe as his fingers glide through my heat. “You made me fall in love with you.”
~
Scratch makes love to my body but my mind he thoroughly screws. There’s a lot of lost time to make up for, so we do. We take our time, savoring every touch, every kiss. He whispers how much he misses me. I whimper how much I need him.
After, we lay wrapped around each other like entwined vines, smelling each other’s skin.
“Those marks on your wrist…?” he asks after a long moment of quietude.
I inhale a lungful of hair. In the heat of the moment, I’d forgotten about the marks. “They’re Kathy related. I was cutting. I was messed up.” I breathe out a sigh before adding, “But I’m not anymore. The girls forced me into rehab. I got the help Ineeded. Like I told you earlier, I have a therapy session once a week.”
“The girls?”
“Yeah. Kendra found out, then rallied Cookie and Toni. They ambushed me.”
“Good,” he says firmly. “And you’resureyou’re okay? How can I help? What can I do?”
I trace my fingers along the cut muscles of his biceps. “I’m okay, I promise. My therapist is really good.”
He takes my chin and tilts it upward so our gazes meet. “I’m choosing to believe you, Peach. So you better not be lying to me.”
“I’m not.”
His eyes roam mine, searching for a lie. Seemingly satisfied with what he finds, he lets go of my chin and relaxes. “Okay.”
“Tell me about this new job of yours.” I try to pinch him but barely succeed since there’s no loose skin to be found on this man. “When do you start?”
“Effective immediately. I go in when I’m needed. Which can be at any time—whether it’s three in the afternoon or three in the morning. There are no set hours.”
“Huh? What the hell kind of job is that? Are you a surgeon now or something?”
