Chrome: With a Heart Forged in Steele (Carolina Bad #4) (20 page)

“Someone feels ignored.” Rayce sighed.

“Not you.” I flicked my fingers against her feet again.

Her entire body shuddered, laughter rippling out of her. “Stop. Stop!” Catching her breath, she curled away from me. “Ass.”

I took a long draw of my whiskey and set down the glass. “C’mere.”

Rayce rolled into me, her face against my chest, her legs resting alongside mine.

The fire crackled, warming the room, warming us.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“What the hell for?”

“I’m such a mess, Boomer.”

“Considering what you’ve been through I think you have good reason to be.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“What about me?” I pulled her farther onto my lap.

She lifted one of my hands, inspecting the cuts. “You hurt him.”

“He deserved it.”

“You don’t.” After dropping a soft kiss to both my bruised fists, she rose from the couch.

I snagged her hand. “Where you going?”

“It’s my turn to take care of you.”

Finding salve in the bathroom cabinet, Rayce massaged it into my knuckles.

She didn’t know it—unless she was following the cock-shaped metronome in my pants—but her caretaking was taking care of me in a
wanna fuck
kind of way.

Her slick hands that I imagined on my erection. The deep massage I would’ve loved even more much, much lower on my body. The tip of her pink tongue tucked against the corner of her mouth as her shirt—
my shirt
—gaped open at the neck.

Honey view.

She looked down at my lap. “
Ohhh
!”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You want me? Like this?” She motioned to the loose sweats and her fluffy, still-damp hair.

I snorted. “Princess. If you walk into a room I’m in, if I hear your voice, if I even think about you, I’m horny for you.”

“But—” Her telling eyes came alight.

Placing a finger at her lips, I silenced her. “
But
, that’s not what I’m about tonight.”

“You’re not?” She quirked her head.

“I’m not.” After dropping a kiss to her lips, I stood up. “We should go to bed though.”

“But you just said—”

“I know what I just said. And now it’s time for bed.”

Rayce recoiled, biting her fingernail. “I’m not sure about this, Boomer.”

“I know.” With her hand in mine, I drew her to her feet. “So I did something for you.”

Upstairs, I opened the door to Brodie’s old bedroom.

“Oh my God.” Rayce took a step inside then turned on me. “What the hell is this?”

“Part of the renovation.”

“I saw this room before. Did you do this for me?” She tucked her fingers into the low-riding waistband of my sweats, causing a thick spear of heat to galvanize my groin.

“Look.” I pulled her hands away from the danger zone of my cock and hooked my thumbs at my V-cut. “It’s just a coat of paint and shit.”

The
shit
being new furniture, curtains, and a couple one-of-a-kind items.

“For
me
?” Disbelief crossed her features. “Are you completely off your rocker, old man?”

Thatta girl
.

My spitfire was back.

“
Uh
. No. Least not the last time I checked.”

Even though her eyes were a little puffy and red-rimmed from all the crying, she continued to glare at me.

“I don’t think?” I said.

A bright smile curved her lips as she twirled around, doing that feminine thing again.

So goddamn beautiful.

I leaned against the doorframe. I’d transformed the room from teen boy to the most hardcore woman. The one house project I hadn’t let Tail in on. Lavendar-grayish walls. A big white fluffy bed.

Rayce halted. “What the fuck are these?”

“Bedside tables?”

“Made to look like tool chests?” She caressed the surface before opening all the drawers of the one she stood near. “These are the shit.”

Yeah. Those slick slate gray bedside bitches were sweet. I wanted a pair of them for myself. Custom-made. Completely for Rayce.

Her gaze swung to mine. “I can’t believe you did all this for me, Boomer. No one’s ever . . .”

I cleared my throat. “So, bed”—
huge
—“dresser, closet, and bathroom.”

“Your bathroom.” One of her eyebrows arched.

“Shared bathroom.” I flipped her onto the bed and hunkered above her.

Rayce wrangled free. “One condition. Hands off. I can’t . . .” She slipped from the bed. “It’s too fast. I’m not ready to be your live-in lover.”

“Kidding me? Do you know how many women I’ve brought home?”

“From what I’ve heard about your rep, a lot.”

“Zero chicks, princess.”

Her eyes flipped up. “What?”

I captured her chin in my hand. “No other girl. Never. Not before you.”

“I still can’t . . .”

“What?” I held her to me, my arms hugged around her waist.

“It’s too much. Too fast. Too good.” Rayce slinked free. “It’s hard to trust.”

“This is
your
room.” I spoke to her taut back.

“Platonic?”

“You honestly think I’d force myself on you?”

“The problem is you wouldn’t have to,” she mumbled.

“Housemates. Until you say otherwise.” No way would I take advantage.

“Agreed.” She turned and shook my hand.

Despite the agreement, I lifted her in my arms and carried her to my bedroom. “We can start the platonic shit tomorrow. Just let me hold you tonight.”

Roomies

RAYCE WAS RIGHT WHERE she needed to be—in my house. She was not however one hundred percent where she belonged—in my bed.

The two of us quickly fell into a routine. A seriously frustrating one. No sex. She hadn’t been kidding, and I wasn’t about to push it. She was here. Away from her fucked up dad. That was enough. For now.

I’d gotten into the habit of dropping Rayce off at Stone’s in the morning and picking her up after work. I liked watching her with the other gearheads—the dudes treated her just like one of the other guys, as she’d said. But they also showed her the respect due both a woman and a highly skilled mechanic, whose advice they weren’t above asking for.

Respect except when I kissed Rayce goodbye or hello. Then all bets were off, and the wolf whistles came out full force.

What? I had to make doubly sure they knew she was mine since I couldn’t hulk around her twenty-four-seven.

Despite the fact I had no probs being her taxi, I knew she was getting antsy about her dirt bikes.

My truck crunched down that long, lonely dirt track in Cainhoy, the trailer bumping along behind. I fully expected a run in with Rayce’s foul-mouthed fucker of a dad maybe toting a double-barreled shotgun this time. All was quiet when I rumbled into the lot, which looked just as much of a neglected junkyard in January as it had back in December the first time I’d been here.

I made short work of loading Rayce’s enduro KTM and the racing TXT bikes on the tow bed and strapping them down. Thankfully it looked like
Le-Roi, King Of Shit,
hadn’t laid a finger on them. Maybe he’d learned his lesson from last time. Break his face with my fists? You bet I would.

I located her helmets and goggles in one of the several sloped-roof ramshackle sheds and sat them on the passenger seat beside me.

Back at home I rolled the dirt bikes off the trailer and into the garage, parking the screaming beauties beside my vintage Vincent motorcycle. Damn, our rides looked good together. The perfect dichotomy. Just like us. Sleek, fast, and lightweight. Huge, dark, and powerful.

I spent a good hour rubbing soft wax into her bikes then I hung her helmets and extra gear beside mine on the wall, her dark visors fucking spick and span, too.

Just like usual, I picked up Rayce at quitting time at Stone’s, letting out a booming laugh when the guys taunted her and me. At this point nothing pissed me off. I had my woman in all ways but one.

Okay, that kind of got under my skin. Considering the amount of time Rayce and I spent together, and the true reality all I had to do was think about her to get a frickin’ towering hard-on, I was hurtin’ for her.

My cock could wait.

Reuniting Rayce with her bikes? I couldn’t
wait
to see her face light up.

When we pulled into the drive, her eyes popped wide, going from gold to light green in that fascinating change in her irises, as she looked from the open garage door to me.

“Your chariots, Princess Phoebe.”

“Boomer!” She slugged me on the shoulder then hauled ass out of the truck.

I followed, chuckling.

She ran ahead of me and squatted down. She smoothed her hands all over the sleek sweptback bodies.

“I missed you girls.” Her eyes shined as she rested her head against the black leather seat of her trial bike.

I lounged against the wall, until, with a last look she strolled toward me.

“I don’t deserve you.” Lifting up on her tiptoes, she wound her arms around my neck.

She didn’t have to know I’d taken the afternoon off to collect and take care of her babies.

I kissed her lips with a hot swipe of my tongue.

Swatting her on the ass, I said. “Sure you do.” Ambling toward the house, I shot back, “Besides, you’re cooking tonight.”

“Takeout?” she asked hopefully.

“Nope. I’m a big man. Need a
big
home-cooked meal.”

“I hate cooking,” she grumbled.

“I know.” I held the door open as she trudged across the porch. “That’s why it’s gonna be so much fun to watch. Just try not to burn the kitchen down?”

She hissed at me the same time Shitlock did because I’d ignored him for two-point-zero seconds.

Needless to say dinner was a freakin’ disaster.

I loved it all.

Smoke rose from the stove, and I flipped on the fan.

Curses rolled from Rayce’s tongue, and I kissed her quiet.

She broke a plate, and it shattered on the floor.

I enjoyed watching her bend over to sweep it up.

She glared at me.

I grinned.

We sat down in the dining room to the scent of scorched mac n’ cheese—from a box—
charred
pork chops—heavy on the char—and a salad that was actually pretty edible.

When all was said and done, Rayce shoved her plate away with a clatter. “That was disgusting.”

“Yeah,” I pushed back my chair, smiling.

“You ate all of it!”

“So did you.”

“I was starving.” Rayce rounded the table and landed in my lap.

“Me too.” My lips dipped greedily to hers.

I held her plump ass in my hands, licking her tongue into my mouth.

She pulled back with a moan and an arch of her back. “Your eyes get darker when you want me.”

“That so?”

“
Mm hmm
.” Rayce nipped my lip. “Like the depths of the ocean.”

“Gettin’ poetic on me?” I squeezed her ass again.

She stood on shaky legs.

I leered.

“And you can wipe that smug look off your face.”

I snorted. “Doubtful.”

Leaning over me—granting me a hot money shot of her tits—she palmed my big spread thighs.

“Huge everywhere, aren’t you Boom?” The sexy woman bit her bottom lip.

“You know it.” I shifted lower, spread my thighs wider.

Traipsing to my side, she whispered in my ear, “I’ll do the dishes then I’m hitting the sack.”

And I’m gonna try to coax my cock to stand-down status from the ever-present boner without touching it. Uh huh.

So that didn’t happen.

Instead I angled my chair in order to get a prime fucking view of Rayce in the kitchen:

All that ass when she loaded the dishwasher.

Bending over to put away the frying pan in the bottom drawer.

Her thin T-shirt getting a little wet from the sink splashing.

“G’night, Boom.” She came at me with a breathy voice and a slight brush of her lips on mine.

Then she did that so-knowing female thing, swishing her hips back and forth so her ass jiggled as she looked over her shoulder and winked at me.

Sometimes I wished I didn’t have a dick.

Not.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs for a last sight, calling up, “Your turn again on Thursday, Betty Crocker.”

“Fuck you.”

Huge laugh.

“I’m waiting.”

****

Chemistry?

Screw that.

We had
fuck now
needs. And I knew Rayce wasn’t immune.

Sharing the bathroom with her was sheer torture. Hell, sharing the washing machine with her almost made me pound one out. The bras, the panties, even her socks and coveralls turned me on.

She bit her lip, staring at me when I worked out in the garage.

I swore when she bent over to flush out her fuel line.

Absolute temptation.

The goodnight kisses and first thing in the morning kisses.

Knowing she slept just two doors away.

Eating together, hanging out, working on our bikes . . .

Together in every sense of the word but one.

S-E-X.

I was jonesing for it.

Brodie might’ve mentioned I looked like I had a TV antenna wedged up my ass but I wasn’t getting any channels. Not to mention the steel rod that wanted to punch right through my pants.

Lucy snickered every time I growled at her, telling me to get laid already.

Tail laughed. “Girl of your dreams in your house, and hands off? Sucks to be you, dude.”

How well I know that.

Tucker threw his arm around my shoulders. “A honey like her is worth the wait.”

How well I know
that.

“Blue balls much, braw?” Even boss hoss Josh Stone was in on it.

One particular goodnight kiss almost ended the sex embargo.

Almost.

Rayce was planted between her bedroom door and me.

She raked her nails down my neck, driving her tongue against mine.

“This is not platonic.” I shivered, holding back with the last ounce of my control.

“No, but we’re not fucking.” She slipped up for another full-blown kiss. “Besides, your fault.”

“My fault?” I angled back.

“Your lips. Fuck. They should be illegal-outlawed-criminal.”

“These lips?” I murmured, nibbling and licking her neck while she shuddered against me.

Reaching behind her, Rayce turned the doorknob and stumbled inside the room.

“I’m . . . I’m going to sleep.”

Taking her chin in my hand, I slanted my mouth against hers. Hard. Deep. Strong.
Wild.

“G’night, princess.” I pivoted on my heel, leaving her shaking.

****

The breaking point came several days into February. Rayce had barely lasted one full week.

I snapped the moment I came upon Rayce exiting the bathroom one morning. The towel, which should’ve been extra large on her, barely held together above her tits. In fact, the damp, clinging terrycloth gaped open at her unbelievable cleavage beneath where her hands closed the knot at the top of her chest.

This woman was big in all the right places. She smelled like exotic spicy shampoo. Her black hair with the blue streaks drifted damply around her vixen fresh face. And her large eyes lifted to mine.

“I’m sorry. I was just—”

Damned if I didn’t just steamroll right over her. “Teasing me some more?”

Wearing only jeans hanging low on my hips, I pushed her back, my muscled body overtaking hers.

“No. I didn’t know you were—”

“Waiting what feels like a lifetime to fuck you again? That you were making me so hard about ten hours out of the day all I can think about is what you felt like on my cock?”

We crashed through the door to her bedroom, and I wrapped an arm around her tiny waist, dragging her to me where her soft heat melded with my muscled hardness.

Rayce gasped, her pink lips parting.

“That’s right.” I captured her hand and brought it palm down on the long thick roll in my jeans. “That’s what you do to me. Now tell me.” My gaze bored into hers.

“Tell you what?” Her voice was shaky. Her grip sure.

“Tell me what I do to you.”

I rolled my hips as her fingers strolled leisurely up to the broad dome at the top of my shaft. I reached for her tits, rasping my thumbs over peaks that strained through the towel, and that gap in the cloth widened each time I circled her nipples.

Her head beat back. “I’m hot and swollen and aching whenever I see you. Want you in me.” Lifting her face, she bit at my neck. “Want your cock, this cock”—she curled her fingertips inside my pants and palmed the tight-packed, straining pole of flesh—“inside me. Want your come in my mouth. All over my body. In my pussy.”

Removing her hand, I felt every ounce of smug male satisfaction combined with savage primal urges as I boxed her against the wall.

“I am all out of control, princess.” Ripping away her towel, I grabbed two handfuls of soft flesh still moist and warm from the shower.

Her body steaming hot and naked, I stopped just short of crashing my lips to hers. “Just roomies?”

“I was wondering how long it would take.” Her eyes flipping up, she laughed in her warm husky voice.

“Not funny.” I growled.

“Just a little bit funny?” Her nose wrinkled, her head cocked. Giving me that rare adorable face.

“I’m about to show you how not funny it is.”

I tossed her wriggling bare body over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Then I swatted the twin mounds of her ass for good measure.

She squealed.

Loved that noise, such an un-Rayce sound.

Carrying her to my room, I all but bounced her off the bed. She spread her legs, dipping a finger inside.

“Yeah,” I snarled. “Fuck yourself for me.”

She drew that wet fingertip around her clit then slid it up the center of her chest. When she went back for more to paint her strawberry pink nipples in her own slickness, I leaned over and sucked every bit of succulent juice from the jiggly orbs, from her stomach, from the top of her mound and all around the tidy tiny triangle her whispery soft nest of curls.