Exquisite Redemption (Iron Horse MC Book 3) (14 page)

But now that I was leaving that world behind and starting my career as an interior designer, I no longer had to worry about how my abs looked in a string bikini.

Instead of forcing down another salad, I could have anything I wanted.

I could even have dessert.

Awesome.

With this new truth settling into my mind, I looked up from the bags of food Beach was carrying and sucked in a quick breath as his gaze met mine. I was kind of hoping he wouldn’t be as hot as I remembered, with his golden-blond hair and deep navy blue eyes, would be easier to resist, but fuck he was so good-looking I could feel my breasts swell in a painful rush. As if my chest had some kind of secret ESP with him, his gaze zoomed in on my erect, thick nipples, which pushed against the thin fabric.

Crossing my arms, I glared at him. “Hey, buddy, my eyes are up here.”

From behind Beach came an unfamiliar man’s voice. “Don’t get fuckin’ lippy with the Prez, you stupid cu—”

Whatever he was going to say ended abruptly when Beach, without looking back, said, “You talk about my old lady that way again and I guarantee you’ll be breathin’ outta tube before sundown.”

A hard tingle zapped my clit at the possessive way he said “my old lady” and I inwardly berated myself for being a moron attracted to violent criminals. Beach kicked the door shut behind him with his foot, and I couldn’t help but notice how long his legs were, and how he had really nicely muscled…well—everything. The package he was packing behind his jeans was not small by any stretch of the imagination and my body wanted him inside of me, bad. My gaze drifted to his face as he set the bags down on the dresser, taking in the lines around his eyes, the self-assured way he moved.

“Hungry,
mi nina linda
?”

I frowned at him, not sure if I dug him calling me his “pretty little girl”. “Yes.”

“See you’re wearin my clothes instead of the ones left for you. Been goin’ through my stuff?”

He said it like I was snooping on him and I gave him a frosty glare. “Look, I’m not wearing some strange hooker’s clothes.”

“What?”

I pointed to the bed, not touching the items lying there. “I have no idea who wore these, or what kind of personal hygiene they had.”

A dimple popped in his cheek as he smiled. “But you’ll wear my clothes?”

He looked strangely pleased by that and I marched over to his side, as best I could with no bra and barefoot, then grabbed a paper bag and let out a little moan when I opened it and found thick French fries and what smelled like cheeseburgers. Snatching the fries out, I also grabbed one of the cold bottled waters he’d brought with the meal. The first bite of the golden fried potato goodness was so divine that I sighed and closed my eyes, savoring the greasy, salty nummyness.

“Oh man, yum.”

Amusement rang clear in Beach’s voice. “That good, huh?”

“You have no idea.” I shoved another one in my mouth, not caring they were almost too hot and burned my tongue. “What else did you get?”

“Bacon cheeseburgers with the works.”

“Awesome.”

Focusing on eating was one way to delay any inevitable conversations, so I scarfed my food down like a starving woman. The cheeseburger was even better than the fries and I had to admit, diet mayo tasted nothing like the real stuff. Swan, my twin sister, ate junk food all the time and I often stared on with longing while she dug into sour-cream-laden mashed potatoes and I had my steamed vegetables. I laughed to myself as I thought about how shocked she was going to be when we did lunch again and I ordered fried cheese sticks for an appetizer.

A pang hit me low in the gut as a I realized how much I missed her and I really wished I hadn’t fucked up with her.

While Swan and I are, in theory, identical twins, we are vastly different. See, when we were born, Swan was the weaker twin. I hogged up all the resources in the womb and she was smaller than me. My mom said I starved Swan while sharing a womb and that’s why she’s autistic. Of course I didn’t believe her, but she’d planted that evil seed of self-doubt inside of me that had taken root despite my best efforts to weed it out.

Shit…Swan.

“My sister.”

Beach put his food down. “What’s that?”

“My sister, she’s alone in Houston. You need to send someone to watch over her. She’s my identical twin and I don’t want someone thinking she’s me.”

“You give me her information and I’ll put some boys on her.”

I hesitated, knowing she’d hate for me to reveal her weaknesses to a stranger, but needing Beach to understand. “She’s a high-functioning autistic, so whoever keeps an eye on her needs to understand she is to be left completely alone. Do not approach her unless she’s in real danger. This is the first time she’s left my parents’ house and I don’t want anything to make her run back there. I’m afraid if she does, she’ll never leave the safety of their home, and that’s not a bullshit fear. She…she doesn’t process things the same way most people do, but she can be incredibly dangerous thanks to my dad’s batshit crazy training. If she finds out I have people watching over her, she will freak out that I betrayed her privacy, and our relationship is already shaky, so whoever goes will have to be skilled.”

“Why is your relationship shaky? Sounds like you love her to death.”

“I do. I…well, I fucked up, bad, and I’m still trying to win my way back into her life. If she knew about any of this shit,” I circled my hand in the air, gesturing to our surroundings, “she’d flip out so I need to keep everything that happened on the down low. Tell your guys if she spots them to say you and I met in Austin when I was checking into a design school there. Keep it simple but believable.”

“Not sure I like lyin’ like this.”

“I’ll tell her the truth, eventually, but I don’t want her worrying about shit she can’t fix right now.”

He frowned then took a drink from his soda. “Won’t your parents clue her in?”

“No. She’d overreact and want to come rescue me, guns blazing, then she’d retreat back into her shell and any hope she had of a normal life would be gone. Beach, she deserves to be happy, without my family’s shit spilling over into her life. She deserves to be able to be the person she wants to be without having to pay for my sins. Just make sure whoever watches over her knows what to say.” I put my almost-finished burger down and met his gaze, willing him to understand how important this is to me.

Reaching out, he threaded his fingers through my hair, gently working out any tangles he encountered with a soft touch. I could only sigh as he pulled me into his arms and rested his head atop mine. The scent of his delicious cologne filled me, cloves and some kind of earthy spice that reminded me of the smell of autumn. Beneath that lay his unique scent and it calmed me to breathe him in.

“I’ll put some guys on her, men who know how to stay hidden and to watch from a distance. Won’t be 24/7 guard, but I’ll have Smoke set it up.”

“Thanks,” I said before gently pushing out of his arms and returning to my meal, my heart and head lighter.

By the time I was done, I was feeling really mellow and appreciative of the fact that Beach had allowed me to eat in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. He’d spent the time staring at me while I avoided his gaze. In a way, I liked him staring at me. No matter how screwed up, the truth was I enjoyed having a man think I was beautiful. I know it’s a leftover thing from my pageant days when I’d been objectified to the point of being a living doll, but just because I was aware of a character flaw didn’t mean I could change it. I had to survive so my mind adapted in a way that kept me sane. Or should I say, sane-ish.

That sanity was being questioned as I sat back against the headboard and crossed my legs, meeting Beach’s gaze as he cleared off the bed before returning to my side. He didn’t try to grab me, but he did lay down next to me with about a foot of space between our bodies. The soft material of his grey t-shirt clung to his well-built chest and I couldn’t help but reach out and run a finger over one big pectoral muscle, testing to see if the fabric was as smooth as I imagined.

A low rumbling sound came from him and he wrapped his big hand around the back of my neck, urging me closer.

Stupidly I asked, “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you.”

“We shouldn’t do this,” I whispered.

“Yeah, we should.”

“I need to call my dad.”

“You can call him in a little bit,” he breathed against my mouth and I softened into his touch.

“No, really—I don’t think we…”

My voice trailed off as he ever so gently brushed his firm lips over mine, a slow rub that sent my hormones into overdrive with electrical sparks. A whimper escaped me when I opened to his soft mouth and rubbed my tongue along his, tasting him and relishing the way his grip on my head tightened. Shit, he really knew how to kiss, and I was no slouch in that department. His tongue slowly stroked along mine and I groaned at the taste of him, my skin growing sensitive to his every touch. He held me gently as we kissed, his hand rubbing along my back slowly, taking his time exploring me.

It took a monumental effort on my part, but I managed to jerk my head away from his dangerous lips. The feel of him echoed through my pussy in a burning wave of heat that had my body hating me for stopping the fun. Denying my sexual needs has never been one of my strong points. When his big hand cupped my ass and jerked me closer, he took the opportunity to roll partially on top of me, his expression serious even as his long cock pressed into my pelvis.

“So pretty,” he murmured while stroking my face. “So fuckin’ pretty. Know if I have you to look at for the rest of my life I’d be a happy man.”

“Beach.”

It was a protest, but I wasn’t sure what I was even arguing with, totally thrown by the way he made my entire body light up.

I couldn’t help but notice the beginning of a colorful tattoo on his inner biceps that I couldn’t quite make out. His thick, golden hair gleamed in the light coming in from around the edges of the curtains, and motorcycles revved outside. I could also hear the occasional laughter of women mixed with the loud shouts of men. Oddly enough, everything happening outside held no importance at the moment. My gaze had been captured by his and I struggled to remain strong against his magnetic pull.

“I need to call my dad, then I need to get back to Vegas.”

“Not safe, you’re comin’ with me to Austin.”

“Umm, no.” I put my hands against his chest, telling myself I was pushing him away instead of groping him. “While this has been fun, I have a life there I need to get back to.”

“Not anymore. It’s common knowledge you saved me, and baby, you are not inconspicuous. Can’t say I was surprised to learn your gorgeous ass was a showgirl and a
Playboy
bunny. The people who lost out on takin’ me will target you. We both know it, and while I know you can handle yourself, the thought of harm coming to you in a brief unguarded moment is not good. You’re coming back to Austin with me, end of story. Now call your dad and tell him you’re
my
responsibility now, my woman, so he can relax.”

End of story?

What a dick.

The arrogant tone of his voice made my hackles rise. No one, absolutely no on, told me what to do. It was why my relationships—if you could call having regular fuck buddies relationships—ended quickly, when the men I’d been having sex with realized they couldn’t control me and they couldn’t win my heart.

My stomach, unused to such greasy food, churned uneasily as I realized Beach was entirely serious about keeping me with him.

“I don’t know what kind of La La Land you live in, but I’m leaving and if you try to stop me, you will be a very sorry man.”

His gaze narrowed and I glared right back at him, not intimidated in the least.

After a long moment of this, during which neither of us backed down, Beach finally smiled then began to chuckle as a soft look that took my breath lightened his deep blue eyes just a bit, like hints of sky blue shining in the depths of a sapphire.

A dimple popped out in his cheek as he smiled wider and I knew his boxers that I was wearing were growing damp from my arousal. “Fearless little thing, aren’t you.
Mi reina
, I have a feeling life with you is never gonna be boring.”

“I want boring!” I glared harder. “There is no us and I’m not your queen.”

A laugh escaped him before he was able to control himself. “You are so wrong about that. Know you and I are new, but you need to understand that I’m gonna treat you like my queen,
mi reina
. Don’t fight it, let me take care of you and I promise I’ll make you happy. You’ve got a temper on you so I’m sure we’ll have spats, but we’ll fight and then fuck each other’s brains out and shit’ll work itself out.”

I was a little panicked at how smoothly he said that, like it was a forgone conclusion, and I tried to slip out from beneath him. Unfortunately, this time he was ready for me and easily pulled me back against his body with a good grip. I could probably get out of it, but I wasn’t in the mood for a wrestling match. Especially when he bit the tender spot where my shoulder and neck meet, making my nipples painfully hard and my clit pulse. It was so fucking unfair that I had to have this kind of intense chemistry with a man who was a delusional misogynist.