Take Me, Outlaw(23)

Maybe that should have scared me or made me want to run, but strangely, it actually made me trust him even more. Knowing that he was really just a guy who was doing his best from moment to moment to keep me safe was comforting. It made him seem more human and easier for me to relate to, instead of just a scary biker dragging me from one danger to another while purposefully keeping me in the dark.



I rinsed out the bleach and mixed up the dye, shampooing my hair with it thoroughly. As I did, I kept listening for someone at the door, but I didn't hear anything until Rafe's key card slid into the lock and he opened the door. I peeked out of the bathroom to make sure it was him, and saw that he was carrying two red-and-white-striped bags from the burger place.



I wrapped the towel around myself and stepped out, revealing my new copper-colored hair. “Ta-da! What do you think?”



Rafe's eyebrows shot up. “What the...? How come you got to dye your hair an actual color, and I had to stick with bleached blonde? That's not fair!”



“Well, we couldn't both be the same shade of blonde, could we?” I asked, giggling and pouring myself more wine. “That would be kind of attention-grabbing.”



Rafe grinned in spite of himself and laid out the burgers. “Yeah, but I could've been the redhead instead. We should have drawn straws or flipped a coin or something. Anyway, here's your burger. I got both fries and onion rings, since I didn't know which one you'd want. Although now that I see the choice you denied me, well...”



“I'll take the fries, smartass,” I said, grabbing them and eating a few. The grease and salt immediately perked up my appetite and made me realize how empty my stomach had felt. I dug into the burger hungrily.



“Hey, hey, slow down!” Rafe laughed. “Remember to chew it once or twice so you don't make yourself sick.”



“Lectured on table manners by a biker,” I groaned, finishing the burger with one more big bite. “Is there no end to my shame?”



“Well, at least you look goddamn foxy as a redhead,” Rafe pointed out.



“You really think so?” I asked.



“Uh-huh,” Rafe nodded. The way he was looking at me was making my insides tingle, and I could feel myself getting wet.



I suddenly realized I was still only wearing the towel and I blushed. “Hang on, let me get some clothes on,” I murmured, turning to head back to the bathroom. But I must have been a bit drunker on wine than I realized, because I spun around too fast and got light-headed, losing my balance. Before I could fall, I felt Rafe's arms around my waist, steadying me.



I felt the strength and power in his arms as they wrapped around me and before I knew what I was doing, I turned around to face him and pressed my lips against his. We stood for a long moment, our mouths parted, our tongues exploring each other's mouths. I could still smell the bleach from his hair, mingling with the manly musk of his body.



Rafe pulled away after a minute. I could tell he wanted to keep going, but something was stopping him. “You've had a lot to drink,” he said. “You should probably try to get some sleep. I'll take the floor.”



“Okay,” I said. I climbed into bed and got under the covers, then took off the towel and let it drop to the floor in a heap. Rafe switched off the light, then kicked off his boots and gathered up the heavy blanket from the bed and one of the pillows, arranging them on the floor. I watched his large silhouette sink to the floor next to me.



I stared up at the ceiling, and realized that despite the wine, I had never felt more awake in my life. My whole body felt hot and tense and jittery. All I could think about was how it felt to be pressed up against Rafe, savoring his scent and tasting his breath on my lips.



In that moment I wanted him, needed him, more than I'd ever needed anyone. I didn't know if it was the wine, and I didn't care. I had to feel Rafe's damp hair between my fingers and stare into his eyes. Without that, I doubted I would ever be able to sleep again.



Slowly, I pulled back the sheets and slipped out of bed, lowering my naked body to the floor next to him. I put my hands on his body, caressing it as I kissed his neck.



“What are you doing?” he whispered. It sounded like he was holding back a moan of pleasure.



“I never thanked you for saving my life,” I said, biting his earlobe gently.



“Sure you did,” he answered. His hands were still at his sides, but I could feel how tense his body was. I could sense the desire there, barely restrained.



“Not properly,” I breathed, my hand sliding down over his abs until it reached his pants. I undid the top button and slid the zipper down, feeling his cock strain against the fabric. I slipped my hand inside and wrapped it around his warm, quivering shaft, squeezing it firmly.



Rafe couldn't hold back any longer. As I stroked him slowly from base to tip, his arms enveloped me and we kissed again. His hand slid over my breast, his thumb rubbing my nipple roughly. I cried out with delight and kept kneading him, feeling him get harder and harder in my palm.



He did let out a moan then—from the back of his throat, ragged and wild. “Oh God, that's it,” he said. “Fuck, just like that. Don't stop.”



His hand moved down urgently, finding the slick lips of my pussy and sliding two fingers inside of me. Our bodies moved together in rhythm as we touched each other, letting out short gasps of pleasure. His cock throbbed in my grasp as his hand moved between my legs, his fingertips pushing against my G-spot insistently.



“Do you like that?” he whispered in my ear.



I nodded, moaning with pleasure.



“Then say it,” he said.



I opened my mouth, my breath coming in sharp gasps.



“Say it or I'll stop,” he hissed.



“Ohhh, God, yes,” I purred. “I love it so much. Please, don't stop.”



His hand slowed, his fingers pausing at my lips, tantalizing me. “Beg me,” he commanded.



No one had ever made me beg before. Still, I didn't even hesitate. “Please,” I moaned, lifting my pelvis toward him desperately. “Please, please, Rafe, don't stop. I need more. Please.”



He made a gruff, satisfied sound and began thrusting his fingers inside me again, harder, deeper.



My heart felt like it was bouncing around in my ribcage like a rubber ball. All of my fear and suspicion had melted away, replaced with a golden glow of lust that filled me right down to the tips of my toes.



I felt his back arch and his warm fluid jetting over my fingers a half-second before my own body was rocked with a sublime explosion, my orgasm causing every inch of me to shudder with passion. The blanket under my body was damp with sweat and my own moisture.



I don't remember how long we held each other on the floor after that, or how I got back into bed.





Chapter 23




Jewel



The infinite darkness of the gun's massive barrel filled my whole world again. The muffled voice was teasing me just behind it.



“Where is it?”



I instinctively knew that my own gun was oceans away, whole continents away, and that even if I could somehow reach across that distance to wrap my hand around it, it would be swallowed up by the maw of the cannon pointed at me.



“Where is it, Jewel?”



I opened my lips as wide as I could to scream for Rafe and in that moment, every corner of my mouth was filled with oily black metal. I saw Jester's leering mask and heard his breath rasping behind the painted red porcelain smile. I suddenly knew the last breath I'd ever inhale would smell like urine and taste like charcoal.



“Where is it?” the voice droned, and before I could even think of an answer, a finger squeezed the trigger and my mouth was filled with fiery sulfur, and in the flash of gunfire I saw a gleam sparkle from the golden hand holding the gun...



No.



Not a golden hand.



And not a golden gun in the hand.



A gold ring on the hand. On the finger next to the trigger finger. The right middle finger.



I woke up from the nightmare and sat up in bed, my mind racing. On the floor next to the bed, Rafe sat up too. “You all right?” he mumbled sleepily. “Bad dream?”



It took a moment for his words to travel from my ears to my brain. I was staring into the dark corner of the motel room, rummaging through my memories. Had it just been a dream? Had I made up the gold ring?



No. Definitely not. I'd been panicked when I saw the shooting in the alley and my brain had quickly gathered a lot of detailed input and stuffed it into its pocket, to be sorted through later. But now that I'd had a couple of days to subconsciously digest the data overload, I'd managed to remember something.



“Jewel?” Rafe said. He had gotten up and he was shaking my shoulder gently. His voice sounded worried. “You're not gonna freak out on me again, are you?”



“No, nothing like that,” I answered. “I'm okay. But I remembered something. It's probably nothing that can help you, but...”



Rafe sat on the bed in front of me, leaning in eagerly. “No, hey, whatever it is, let's hear it.”



I had a flash of memory from our drunken night of pawing each other, and I knew that I should feel strange about that, or get a flush of pleasure from how close he was to my naked body now. But my mind was too busy squeezing itself for answers.