Without thinking, she slapped him-it was a knee-jerk reaction. "Don't ever talk to me that way."
Rubbing the side of his face, he gritted his teeth. "Don't ever let me find you in here again without me by your side." She nodded, then stroked the cheek she'd just smacked.
He grasped her hand and kissed it. "You look pretty," he breathed, his lips grazing her earlobe; she shivered despite the oppressive heat in the great room.
"Thanks. I thought I'd run into you or Hawk. Is Hawk here?"
"He was here just for an hour, then left. He's got an old lady, so he rarely stays that late anymore. Did you come to see me? You should've just called me. I'd have picked you up."
"I was just feeling restless. I needed to get out, and I wanted to be back in the club. I used to hang out at the Demon Riders' parties a lot." She took another sip of beer.
"Were you a hoodrat?" His voice was tight.
"No, not at all. I was with my ex. Being here reminds me of the good times we shared.
You know, it wasn't all bad. I guess I forgot that."
"What he did to you crosses out all the good shit you're remembering."
"I know, but all I'm saying is that things were good for us for a while."
He grunted, then put his arm around her. "You're showing off some fuckin' nice cleavage." He trailed his finger from her throat down to the hollow between her tits, his touch sending sparks of arousal sizzling through her.
She gazed up into his lustful eyes. "Are you happy I came?" She slowly licked her bottom lip.
His gaze lingered on her mouth. "Yeah, but I'm damn surprised you're here. I never would've thought I'd see you tonight." He leaned in and nipped her bottom lip. "But I'm glad you came."
She pulled away. "Do you guys have any food or do you just drink your dinner?"
Still watching her mouth, he smiled. "We got food. Let's go out back and get some." He hooked his arm around her waist and lifted her off the stool. Then, with her securely tucked close to him, they walked to the yard.
A long table housed mounds of ribs, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and the biggest bowl of coleslaw she'd ever seen. Her stomach grumbled. "Looks good. Did the old ladies prepare it?"
"I think so. That's usually how it works. I was working all day, so by the time I got back the food was done. Let's grab some food and find a place to sit."
Carrying a plate filled with steaming ribs and the fixings, Kimber followed Throttle through the maze of people, tables and chairs, sitting down next to him on the aluminum picnic bench. Anthrax's "Madhouse" crashed through the outside speakers which surrounded the yard.
A burst of tangy, smoky goodness exploded in her mouth as she sank her teeth into the juicy beef ribs. "Yum." She shook her shoulders and danced in her seat while Throttle watched her through heated eyes. She glanced around and saw a couple of the women sizing her up. "I hope I didn't spoil your plans to have fun with some of these women."
He rubbed his shoulder against hers. "You didn't ruin anything."
She licked her fingers, and he watched her every move. "It must be nice to have women at your disposal twenty-four-seven."
"It can be." He bumped into her. "Don't make a face at me. Everyone here knows the score. The club girls like fuckin' just as much as the brothers. It's the lifestyle everyone craves."
"Is it the one you crave?"
His gaze skimmed over her, landing on her cleavage before moving to her eyes. "I used to, but lately not so much." He slinked his hand around her waist and tugged her close. "I crave you."
She swallowed and curled her fingers around her beer bottle, taking a long pull. His touch was like the spark of a match, igniting all her nerve endings, and she had to cool down. Isn't this what you wanted? Why else would you have come? She could kid herself that she wanted a night out, but going to an outlaw biker party was so much more than a night out; it was sheer lunacy if a woman went alone. And she knew she wouldn't be alone. She came for him because she'd missed and wanted him, and she hated her body like hell for its hunger for him.
"Can you get me another beer?" She had every intention of getting sloshed before the night ended. Just looking at his rugged jaw and his black, piercing eyes made her sex throb madly. What was it about this man that had all her best-laid plans all fucked up?
She watched him swagger over to a makeshift bar perpendicular to the buffet table, his firm ass moving oh so right. The minute he stopped at the bar, two women-one of them was the bitchy blonde from the last time she'd been there-wrapped their bony hands around each of his arms, leaning in close and saying something in his ear. Kimber wanted to leap out of her seat and rip the skanks away from him by their hair. He pulled away from them, picked up three bottles of beer, and strode back to the table, setting the beer in front of her.
She looked up at him and that was nearly her undoing; the heated lust in his coal-black eyes nearly melted her panties. She gasped and, in one fluid movement, his fingers were tangled in her hair, pulling her head back. Then he slammed his lips on hers, almost knocking all the breath from her, his tongue pushing into her mouth. She kissed him back, her mouth as hard and demanding as his, and she put her hand on his back, jerking him closer to her. They were a tangle of arms and lips, and each yank of her hair, squeeze on her thigh, and nibble on her lips sent sparks of sensation zinging through her.
"I've missed you, babe," he rasped in her ear as his fingers burned into her tingling skin. "I need to be with you, and you need it too. Are you wet for me?"
"You fucking know I am." She threw her head back, and he showered airy kisses down her throat to the creamy swells that her dress's neckline exposed. Her hardened nipples strained against the thin fabric of her dress and she rubbed them against his muscled chest, burying her moans against his shoulder. Everything about him sent her reeling: his scent, his look, his touch. Her vow not to become involved with him shattered; she wanted him to take her rough and hard and do things to her she'd only dreamed about.
He pulled away slightly and locked his gaze on hers. "You do know what you're doing to me, don't you?" Roughly, he took her hand and placed it on his hard denim-clad dick. It pulsed under her fingertips. "That's right, babe. You did that, and it's all yours."
"What are we waiting for?" She palmed his hard-on and smiled at him, a wicked twinkle in her eyes.
He grabbed her wrist and sprang to his feet, taking her with him. "Let's go," he said huskily, and then he dragged her through the sea of people to the stairway. "My room's on the third floor."
She followed him up the concrete stairs.
Chapter Eighteen
Before he kicked his door closed, he had her up against the wall, his face buried in her cleavage while his hands slid up her legs. He had a feral, almost dangerous air about him, and she couldn't get enough of him. She bit him on his shoulder and neck, her nails scratching his back. He jerked her head up and covered her mouth with his, his tongue dipping in. She closed her lips over it, sucking it in and out of her mouth, his deep groan setting her on fire. Releasing it, their tongues writhed and twined together as their hands roamed over each other's bodies.
"You like it dark and wild?" he breathed against her lips.
"What do you mean?" she panted as she slipped her hands beneath his T-shirt.
"Some tying up and spanking. You got the perfect ass for it." He peppered kisses along her jawline.
Hell yeah! She'd always wanted to explore the more unconventional side of sex, but she'd never trusted Chewy enough. Plus, for a couple of years before she'd left, he had usually been so drunk or drugged out that their coupling consisted of a few hard squeezes to her breasts and him pounding into her until he came. She didn't know Throttle that well, but she trusted him and knew he wouldn't hurt her.
"Bring it on." She scratched him, hard.
"Fuck, baby." He yanked her away from the wall and walked her over to a closed door, all the while squeezing her ass and kissing the side of her neck. He backed her against it and pulled away. His gaze travelled over her, lingering at her crotch and breasts. "Take off your dress," he ordered.
The tone of his voice made a single shiver zing up her spine. She slowly pulled her dress over her head and tossed it on a chair next to them.