Red Ink (Mad Jackals Brotherhood MC Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter Nine

Mia shakes her head, smiling at the memory of that night. “I guess I was too busy thinking about how nervous I was. You were my best friend. I was terrified that we were making a huge mistake, that we were putting our friendship in danger. The last thing I’d wanted was for things not to work out and then for it to be awkward between us; that would have been too hard.”

“Do you remember that kiss?” Ray’s voice is a whisper against her ear, sounding so sensual she can hardly stand it. Mia nods, not trusting herself to speak. But Ray barely hears her; it seems more like he’s talking to himself, his mind stretching back to that night a decade ago. Mia lets her thoughts drift back to the same time.

Ray had been sixteen; she was fifteen. It was two years before he would disappear. Over the past few months something had changed between them. They would laugh and joke together just like they had before, but there was an undercurrent of something else, something exciting. Mia couldn’t put her finger on when it had started; it had been a slow burn, but once it had begun, there was no stopping it.

The hormones flying between them had become impossible to ignore. She remembered the way her skin would tingle at any touch between them, no matter how innocent or accidental. As if by some unspoken agreement they had spent less and less time alone, just the two of them. It was as if they thought having Eli as a chaperone would put a stop to whatever was blossoming between them.

All that had changed the day a play fight in Ray’s garage had turned into their first kiss. It had made Mia feel alive in a way she’d never experienced before. It had been as if she’d spent her whole life waiting for that one kiss. It had been perfect. She’d worried what would happen afterwards, if Ray would act as if it had never happened, if that was the best thing to do.

But he’d surprised her. He hadn’t wasted any time asking her out on a date, a real date. Dinner and a movie – the most sacred of all American date nights. And Mia was nervous as all hell.

They’d had dinner together any number of times, at her place with her dad showing off his dubious culinary skills, at the diner, one of their favorite haunts. They’d been to any number of movies together. Eli had never been all that interested in films, but it was a passion with Ray and his interest had been contagious.

Mia had wondered if his love of film had come from his crappy home life. He used films to escape from the harsh reality of his life – a mom that didn’t care about him who was usually too high or strung out to even realize he was even there, a dad who had been killed in a hit and run accident. Ray would watch anything and everything; he’d even started working his way through the foreign film section of the video store. She’d poked fun at him for getting all artistic on her, watching Fellini and Truffaut. But she’d found herself drawn to those worlds just as much as Ray was. They were something so different, something so much more beautiful than the drab world around them.

But that night had been different. There had been an intensity, an awkwardness during their meal at the diner. There was an unspoken undercurrent of tension that neither of them seemed to know how to break. Ray hadn’t even held her hand as they walked to the movie theater.

“I didn’t want you to notice how nervous I was!” He laughs as she points that out to him.

The movie had been scary, but she had barely been able to concentrate on the plot. When the too-stupid-to-live blonde heroine on the screen had decided to go down the steps into the dark basement when there was a psycho killer on the loose, she’d jumped – not because of what was playing out in front of her, but because Ray had chosen that moment to wrap his arm around her shoulder. Automatically, she’d leaned into him, but hadn’t looked his way, wanting him to think she was absorbed in the film, not that she could have thought about anything other than the way her whole body buzzed with the contact from him.

“Up until that point, I’d thought that you had changed your mind, that you had realized we should just be friends.” Mia bites her lip as she remembers how disappointed she had been when she’d thought she and Ray were just going to carry on as they had been, best friends and nothing more.

“What?” Ray looks down at her, genuinely shocked. “I thought you’d figured out how I felt after that day in the garage. I thought it was pretty clear that I wasn’t interested in just being friends with you, Mia.”

“Well, it’s not like you were the shy and retiring type in high school.” She frowns at him, reminding him of just how many girlfriends he had been through over the years she’d known him. “I figured you weren’t lacking for other, better offers.” She shrugs, remembering how she had felt like the black sheep amongst the perfect blonde cheerleaders Ray seemed to go after.

“There wasn’t anyone better. There never has been.” The certainty in Ray’s voice sends a little thrill through her. He gets that nostalgic look in his eye and she can tell he’s gone back to that first date. “I’m glad your dad wasn’t home when I dropped you off that night.”

“Really?” Mia raises a questioning eyebrow.

“I think if he’d seen the way I kissed you, he may not have been so willing to invite me over for taco night again.” Ray’s expression is rueful, almost boyish and Mia can’t help but remember how he had looked that night, standing on her porch.

It had started to rain as they’d left the movie theater and they’d virtually run back to her house, seeking shelter in the covered porch. They were breathless and soaked to the bone. Mia didn’t have to see her hair to know that it looked wild, like it hadn’t seen a brush in years. But she hadn’t cared. All she’d cared about was the fizzle of electricity that shot between the two of them.

Ray’s t-shirt had clung to the body that only hinted at the man that he would grow into. His blonde hair had turned dark in the rain. He looked good enough to eat. But it was the way that he was looking at her that made her feel like she was no longer in control of her own body. He’d licked his lips, his gaze trailing up from her soaked jeans that plastered themselves to her long legs like a second skin, up to the white tank top that was probably showing far more of her breasts than was considered even halfway decent.

He’d taken one step towards her and then another, intensity burning in his eyes, looking at her as if she was the only thing that he ever wanted to see. Mia had been nervous, backing up as he’d moved towards her, without even realizing what she was doing until her back came up against the hard door of her house.

Ray had leaned towards her, so close that they were exchanging air. “I’m going to kiss you now.” There had been no question in his words. He was just telling her what was going to happen – it was inevitable and Mia had no plans to do anything to stop him.

“Taco night was pretty sacred.” Mia looks up at him in mock-seriousness, her mind flipping back to the present. “But I have to say, I don’t really remember that kiss. Was it any good?” She smiles innocently at him from behind her dark lashes and she watches as a sexy grin spreads across his face, giving him dimples that had been the stuff of her daydreams for years.

“Oh, really? You need me to refresh your memory?” He raises an eyebrow at her, knowing exactly what she’s doing and playing along.

“If you think you can.” She shrugs, letting the challenge fall between them, knowing Ray won’t be able to resist.

“Well, let’s see.” He rubs his chin that’s just starting to show traces of a shadow again despite having shaved just that morning. “I guess first we’d need to set the scene.” He grabs hold of her waist and lifts her easily, as if she didn’t weigh anything, kicking her bedroom door closed and setting her down against it.

He leans down, planting his hands on either side of her head, trapping her. Mia feels like a lamb being cornered by a lion, the difference being that she can hardly wait to be consumed.

“And then?” Her words come out breathless, her pulse fluttering at her throat.

Ray’s eyes sparkle as he takes in her aroused state. He knows exactly what he’s doing to her and he’s enjoying the show. “And then I’d need to get a little closer.” He shuffles forward, his body gently pressing against hers. She tries to push against him, but she can’t move. He’s in complete control. She bites her lip and watches as desire flares in his eyes. Well, perhaps not in complete control, she thinks to herself.

That’s when all rational thought is driven out of her head by Ray’s hot mouth on hers. He kisses her softly, exploring her, testing how far he can go, and he takes her back to that kiss on the porch of her house. She was hungry for something that she’d never even really knew existed. Ray’s mouth had consumed her, making it impossible to think of anything other than how much she wanted him.

She closes her eyes, luxuriating in the kiss, feeling light enough to fly away. Her hands go up to his hair, threading her fingers through and scraping her nails against his scalp, making him groan against her mouth. Then his hands are skimming down her body, lifting her leg so he can grind his hardness against her, making her moan.

He slips his other hand underneath her top, yanking her bra down hard and twisting her nipple in that expert way of his. She pushes her hips against him in answer, wanting to feel the bulge in his jeans where it will do some good. Ray kisses her harder, not giving her a chance to catch her breath. Oxygen is overrated anyway, she thinks to herself.

He busies himself with her shorts, unbuttoning and unzipping her in a frenzy of movement, without once lifting his mouth from hers. She shimmies out of her shorts, letting them fall to the floor and then Ray’s hand is there, stroking her through her panties. She gasps in pleasure and feels him smile against her lips.

She reaches into his jeans and grasps his shaft, feeling how hard and swollen he is already. She looks up at him, smiling, telling him with her eyes what she wants to do to him. “I want to taste you.”

She watches as the heat flares in his eyes and he smiles sexily at her. She doesn’t need any more encouragement, unbuttoning his jeans, her fingers working fast, impatiently pushing them down. His cock springs to attention, hard as rock. Mia looks up at him and licks her lips in anticipation before kneeling in front of him and taking hold of his shaft.

A strangled groan escapes him as she circles his tip with her tongue, tasting the saltiness she finds there. She takes more of him into her mouth, her tongue caressing the smoothness of his shaft, exploring his hardness. Ray makes a low hum in his chest as she sucks on him, her hot mouth taking him in as deep as he can go and then taking him farther. His hands fly to her head, encouraging her to move faster. Emboldened she bobs up and down on his cock, enjoying the control that comes with knowing she’s blowing his mind.

“Baby, stop.” His voice is a strangled gasp as he steadies her. “I want to come inside of you.”

Mia smiles up at him, nodding, desire rendering her mute. Never had a blowjob turned her on so much. She’s so wet between her legs that she can hardly stand it. Ray pulls off her panties, frantic to touch her sweet spot. He sees the lust in her eyes and takes hold of her hips, lifting her up to sit on the dresser. She hooks her legs around him, as he brings her right to the edge.

“This is going to be quick, Mimi.” He shoots her a look that’s so filled with carnality she almost comes right then and there.

She shuffles closer to him, rubbing her slickness against the trembling tip of his cock and watches as he fights for control of his instincts. It’s a losing battle. “Fuck.” He grabs hold of her hips and enters her in one stroke. Mia’s eyes widen in surprise and pleasure as he fills her up. She’s so wet and tight, around his cock, he has to close his eyes not to shoot his load in the first few seconds.

“I’m close, baby.” Her words come in thready breaths and he leans back to look at her, seeing the flush on her cheeks and the deep darkness of her eyes. Silently, she tells him to take her, that he doesn’t have to go slow, that she’s as desperate for her release as he is for his.

He doesn’t need to know anything else; his hips start to pump and Mia lets out a cry as she moves against him. He slams into her, filling her up again and again, sending pleasure ripping through her. He leans down and kisses the sensitive spot he’d discovered at the base of her neck, the place that’s all his own. He nips her lightly and that’s what sends her over the edge. Warmth spreads from her belly to her brain and she sees flashing lights behind her eyes.

“Mia, fuck!” She hears Ray’s guttural groan as he comes with her. They reach their climax together and the collapse against each other, utterly spent.