“Just working stuff out.”

“What stuff?”

“You.”

“What about me?”

“You were right,” he answers. “He cares about you and doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

“What did he say?”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

He climbs onto his bike and extends his hand to me, but I hesitate. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden with him. Based on what Marlowe and Renae have told me, being on the back of his bike is a big thing. I’ve been there before – twice – but it just seems different now. It seems…more serious.

“Come on, doll.”

I take his hand and climb on behind him. He waits until I’ve secured my helmet and then he fires up the engine. Vibrations thrum through my body. He grabs my thighs and pulls me even closer to him.

“Hold on tight, babe.”

CHAPTER 19

***Gage***

I’ve always thought the best feeling in the world is being on the open road on my Harley. Just man and machine. Then, Raven happened. I haven’t been the same since that first day she sat on the back of my bike. Now, with her soft body pressed against me and her arms tightly wound around my waist, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I roll into the clubhouse and park in the garage. She hops down and hands me her backpack. When we walk inside, the men practically lose their minds. You’d think she was their woman. Rico starts talking a mile a minute in Spanish before Razor picks her up in a bear hug then passes her off to the others one by one. They each give her a variation of ‘welcome back’, all while she giggles and soaks up the attention.

“Get ya’ll’s filthy hands off my woman,” I growl.

“Your woman ain’t complaining, though, Prez,” Tek says, laughing.

“That’s ’cause she’s nice. I’m not.”

I grab her hand and pull her along to our room, giving my brothers the finger when they start laughing and calling me pussy-whipped. Fuck that shit. It’s been a week and that’s exactly where I’m itching to be right now, so deep she’ll feel like I’m trying to crawl inside her. She laughs when I slam the door and push her down on the bed. Immediately, I start tearing at my clothes.

“Clothes. Off,” I command.

She giggles and pulls her top over her head. Fuck me. She’s not wearing a bra. The sight of her breasts makes my dick throb. She kicks off her shorts, but I stop her when she hooks her thumbs into her panties.

“Leave it. That’s mine.”

She lies back on her elbows, breathing hard through her mouth. I drink her in, becoming more intoxicated by the second.

“You’re fuckin’ beautiful.”

I step between her legs and grab the back of her neck, pulling her lips to mine. She moans and I realize just how much I missed the sound. She’d only been gone a few days. Jesus. I’m well and truly fucked.

“Are you?”

What the…? I didn’t say that out loud, did I? “Am I what?”

“Pussy-whipped.”

“Call me anything you want to, babe. Just as long as you scream my name when I’m fucking you.”

I sink my teeth into her nipple, making her cry out. “Gage!”

“Just like that.” I slip my hand into her panties and find her soaking wet. So slippery, my fingers are sliding all over. “Fuck.”

I can’t wait to get inside her. I drag her panties over her hips and down her legs, then place a pillow at the edge of the bed. Wrapping my arms around her thighs, I pull her to me and lift her so her ass rests on the pillow. She bites into a corner of her bottom lip and stares up at me. My balls tighten at the sight.

“Fuck. This might be quick.” The moment I reach into my boxers, someone has the fucking nerve to knock on the door. “You knock again, you’re fucking dead!”

There’s a pause and then sure enough, they knock again. I throw the blanket over Raven, grab my gun, and storm to the door. Throwing it open, I settle my Glock between the man’s eyes. Tek. He throws his hands up in a gesture of surrender then slowly pushes the gun out of his face. I return it to its original position.

“Sorry for the interruption, Prez, but we got a problem.”

“You can’t handle it without me?”

“Sorry. It’s the, uh...” he glances nervously at Raven then back to me, “...site.”

“Fuck!”

The ‘site’ can only be my warehouse. The place is like a fortress and there are surveillance cameras everywhere. It’s isolated and no one really knows about it. Him coming to get me means someone either found a way in or is trying to get in. Fuck!

He slowly backs away then leaves. I slam the door, frustration taking hold as I turn to Raven. She’s already moved from the position I put her in, looking resigned because she knows I have to leave. Maybe I can be quick. Then again, once I start, I know I won’t be able to stop.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

She sees my indecision and smirks, throwing off the blanket. Turning on her side, she strikes a seductive pose and bites into her lip. Fuck it. Just a little taste. I grab her ankles and pull her to the edge of the bed then fall to my knees. I lick my lips in anticipation as I spread her legs. I missed her taste. She grabs a handful of my hair and pushes my face into her soaked pussy. I slide my tongue between her lips, licking up as much of her juices as I can. She moans, pulling hard on my hair.

“Fuck, woman. You taste amazing.”

I swear I could eat her for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Why did I start this? It’s only that much harder to leave now. She yelps as I bite down gently on her clit. I pull away and reluctantly get to my feet.

“I gotta go, doll.”

“Seriously?” she asks in wide-eyed incredulity. “You’re going to get me started and leave?”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t touch yourself.”

“Why the fuck not?”

I lean over her, my face inches from hers. “It’s been a week since I made you come, Raven. The next orgasm you have, my dick will be buried inside that tight pussy of yours. Got it?”

She swallows hard and nods. “Got it.”

“Good. Be in this bed when I get back.”

“Yes, Daddy.” She gives me attitude, rolling her eyes.

I drag my clothes back on and give her a quick kiss before I leave. I can’t wait to come back and finish what I started.

***Raven***

As soon as he walks out the door, I reach between my legs and start rubbing my clit. He’s crazy if he thinks he’s going to leave me hanging. Maybe it’s payback for all the times he ended up with blue balls. I snicker at the thought. I wonder if he jacked off on those nights. Ugh! I stop touching myself and put my panties and top on. The man has ruined masturbation for me. Now that I know what the real thing is like, it just doesn’t feel the same.

I grab my sketch pad and colored pencils, and then climb back into bed. As I try to choose a color, I realize I haven’t used them since he got them for me. Everything I’ve drawn since then has been so…dark. Despite that, I reach for the black. I know I’m going to draw Gage, and you can’t draw the Reaper without black, right? This time, though, I also grab a few shades of blue to make sure I get the color of his eyes right. No more red eyes.

I put my MP3 player on shuffle, and let my fingers glide over the blank sheet before I start. I rarely plan what to draw; I just clear my mind and let my hands roam free. By the time I’m done, I have a portrait of us – as the Grim Reaper and Lady Death. Instead of a cape, I have wings. I’m standing before him in a very Superman-esque pose, wings spread. The arm holding his scythe is draped over my shoulder and we’re both wearing fierce expressions – not evil, just ones that say we can handle anything thrown at us. I stencil in “Rage” at the top in big, bold letters, surrounded by blue flames. I hold it out in front of me to get a better look and decide I’m definitely framing it. I think I’ll hang it above our bed. In the house. I hope he was serious because I cannot wait to move.