Tattered on My Sleeve Read online

  Why did I care so damn much?

  As I watched her work, I admired the way she’d pulled all her beautiful golden hair into a high ponytail, displaying her neck. I didn’t think she realized she had a faint hickey on the left side. My mark.

  Suddenly, I was rock hard and didn’t dare move from the bar. I prayed it was another early night for her.

  When things slowed down, she made her way to my end of the bar. “Hey, handsome.”

  My lips twitched. “Hey, gorgeous. You done soon?”

  “Maybe. Why? You got plans for me?”

  I risked a glance into her honey eyes. “Depends. Who you all dressed up for tonight?” Fuck. I didn’t mean for her to hear all that jealous come out of me.

  Her head tipped down to inspect her outfit, and she looked back up at me, eyebrows drawn in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  My shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “You look really pretty.”

  She blinked twice, then beamed at me. At least I finally said something useful. “I’m done at ten. If Storm gets her butt here on time.”

  I wish I knew where Storm lived ‘cause I’d haul her ass in here at 9:59.

  Storm was only five minutes late, but it was five too many for my brain. As soon as Trin stepped out from behind the bar, I grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.

  “What do you have planned?” she asked.

  What a loaded question. I wanted to sprint to her apartment and fuck the living hell out of her. She’d probably be fine with that, but for some reason I couldn’t identify, I wanted more.

  “We can catch the second movie at the Jericho,” I suggested.

  “The drive-in? I’ve never been.”

  I cocked my head at her. “How can you live in Empire and not go?”

  She shrugged. “Never had anyone I wanted to go with before.”

  “Wanna go with me?” Was I really asking like some high school fuckwad?

  The corners of her mouth tilted up in a soft smile. “Yeah, I do.”

  The drive there was cool, and I was happy I remembered to pack a blanket. The guy in the ticket booth recognized me and waved us in. We timed it just right to hit intermission, so I pulled us up sort of close but all the way to the left side of the field where it looked like we’d have a good view of the big, white screen and a little privacy.

  Just in case.

  I almost fell out of my heels when Wrath walked into the bar for the third night in a row. As soon as he spotted me, his hardened touch-me-and-I’ll-kill-you glare lit up in a smile. Not some cocky throwaway smirk, either. No, he flashed me a genuine smile, as if he were pleased to see me.

  For the third night in a row.

  I didn’t know what to make of it.

  For an arrogant, sexy-as-sin biker, Wrath seemed to have one hell of a romantic streak. Or maybe I just didn’t know the difference.

  The fact that he knew he had an all-access pass to get in my panties but still wanted to take me out? It woke something up in me I’d sworn had died a long time ago.

  He slowed the bike and tucked us into a nice, dark spot where we still had a good view of the screen. I jumped off and almost snapped one of my heels in the soft grass.

  “Fuck, babe. I’m sorry. You okay?”

  “Yeah, figures the one time I wear heels it’s totally inappropriate.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up in the cocky grin I’m sure he used to signal to most women it was time to drop their panties.

  It almost worked on me right there in the middle of the field.

  An old-time dancing hot dog cartoon silently played across the screen, and I couldn’t help laughing. Wrath glanced at the screen and chuckled, then leaned over to pull a blanket out of one of his saddlebags. After spreading it over the grass, he offered me his hand. Once my feet touched the blanket, I kicked off my shoes.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yup.”

  “Are you okay if I run and grab some snacks?”

  “Yeah, I’ll watch your bike,” I teased.

  He snorted, and I knew why. Anyone would have to be insane to mess with a motorcycle that belonged to a Lost King. Especially this mountain of muscle who was probably the most dangerous man at the drive-in.

  He was gone for a while. When the dancing hot dogs started to bore me, I checked out the surrounding vehicles.

  “I’m back.” His deep voice startled me, and I tipped my head back until he came into view.

  “Oh my God. Did you leave anything for anyone else?” He handed me a container of nachos and a giant tub of popcorn, then an equally large soda. His hand disappeared into his pocket and he pulled out a chocolate bar.

  “For you.”

  “That’s all I get?”

  He smirked and, for a big guy, folded himself onto the ground rather gracefully next to me.

  “No, I’ll share.”

  The countdown on the screen sent a hush through the crowd. We were close enough to the projector building that we didn’t need to turn Wrath’s radio on to hear.

  The movie turned out to be a creepy, haunted-house type horror movie. Not too gory, but with plenty of scares purposely designed to make us jump.

  The second time I squeaked and jerked, popcorn went flying everywhere. Behind me, Wrath chuckled, taking the container out of my hands. He pulled me against his rock-hard chest and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

  “Nothing to be scared of, sweetheart. I got you. I’ll fucking massacre anyone who tries to touch you—even a ghost.”

  It was so silly I giggled and leaned into him.

  We watched the movie snuggled together for a bit. Behind me, I sensed Wrath getting restless. It didn’t surprise me he was the type of guy who couldn’t sit still long.

  I shifted and turned to face him, then pushed him on his back. He seemed amused, and I knew damn well he was only on his back because he wanted to be. “Whatcha doin’?”

  “I want a kiss.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  I nodded.

  Threading his hand into my hair, he pulled me down. Even with him on the bottom, nothing about his kiss was gentle. It was consuming, carnal, and wiped my mind clear of everything that wasn’t us.

  There was no way we were staying until the end of the movie. After a few kisses, Trinity moaned and my dick said it was time to go. We got the hell out of the drive-in and went straight to her apartment.

  She stumbled a little on the sidewalk. Pressing my hands against her hips to steady her, I took a deep breath. “You’ve been a naughty girl.”

  She pouted and spun away from me.

  I caught up to her easily. She stared up at me with a knowing smile.

  “You got me seriously worked up tonight, Angel Face.”

  Her smile widened and she looped her arms around my neck to pull me down for a kiss. There on the sidewalk outside her apartment, I lost myself in her sugary scent and hungry kisses. My hands slid down to cup her ass, pulling her against me. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  Her arms strained against my shoulders, but I placed my hands under her ass and lifted her at the same time. She pressed her thighs into my hips.

  Fucking awesome.

  Her eyes were closed and she kept kissing me, even though I was trying to focus on walking us to her apartment.

  “Keys?”

  Keeping one arm hooked around my neck, she searched through her purse and finally pulled out keys. I bent toward the door so she could get it open and kicked it closed behind me once we were inside. She squirmed in my arms.

  “Let me down. You can’t carry me up the stairs.”

  Insulted, I glanced down at her. She was completely serious.

  “Babe, you wound me.” With that, I gripped her tighter and got us up the stairs, barely out of breath.

  “Impressive,” she said in a husky voice that made my brain fuzz.

  We fumbled into the apartment, and I finally set her down. Up went her shirt. Off went mine.


  “Turn around,” I ordered.

  She blinked up at me, confusion in her pretty eyes.

  Taking her by the shoulders, I spun her. “Put your hands on the back of the couch,” I whispered against her neck.

  A shiver worked through her as she complied.

  The position gave me a nice view of her sinful curves. “Arch your back.” I sucked in air through my teeth as she pressed her ass higher. My hands explored every inch. “Were you trying to drive me nuts with these painted-on jeans tonight?”

  “No.”

  “Well, you did.”

  She wiggled her butt at me, bumping my thigh. I slid my hands to the front of her jeans, unbuttoned them, and slowly eased the zipper down. Peeling the skintight material down her legs took a minute. Especially since I paused to sink my teeth into one round little ass cheek.

  A sharp intake of breath above and more wriggling. Leaving the jeans around her knees, I smoothed my hand over the soft skin of her thighs.

  “Wrath.”

  “Yes?”

  “Please.”

  Oh, fuck yeah. I loved the sound of her sweet begging.

  My hands returned to her pants as I stripped them off. She kicked her shoes to the side, and I helped her step out of her jeans, leaving them on the floor.

  “Put the shoes back on, angel face.”

  She searched for them with her toes and finally slid into them.

  I ran my hands up and down her legs, admiring her sleek muscles. “Very nice. What made you wear those to work tonight?”

  She shrugged.

  “Weren’t you uncomfortable?”

  “It was a short shift.”

  “Were you trying to look sexy for someone?”

  She froze, and I paused. Had she been waiting for another guy?

  “You,” she finally whispered.

  A relieved breath pushed out of my lungs.

  “Although, I had no idea we’d be doing outdoor activities tonight,” she added with a giggle.

  “Babe, you’re crazy sexy no matter what you do. And you should always be prepared for the unexpected with me.”

  “I like that,” she whispered.

  Good, because I fucking liked every damn thing about her.

  I traced my fingers over the delicate peacock feather tattooed down her spine. It curled to the right around her shoulder blade and was the only ink on her body. The vibrant colors were beautiful against her pale skin. This was the first time I’d stopped to take a good look at it.

  “This is pretty.”

  Her whole body quivered under my touch. “Thank you.”

  I was torn. I wanted to take her hard and rough from behind while she gripped the back of the couch. But I also wanted to make love to her slow and steady while looking in her eyes.

  That’s new.

  No reason we couldn’t do both.

  Sliding my hand over her belly and down to her mound, I cupped her soaking wet pussy. “You want this bad, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  The sheer blue thong she had on didn’t do a damn thing to cover her, so I pulled it aside. My fingers slipped against her slick flesh, and I groaned. She bucked her hips against me. Arching, stretching, circling her lower body. My cock was in my hand, and I rolled down a condom in no time. Even in her heels, I needed to bend down to get the right angle. Once I sank inside her, everything around us faded to nothing.

  “Hold on,” I cautioned when she started to move.

  Squeezing the curves of her hips, I thrust in deep once and almost lost it.

  “Ohhh, fuck.”

  “Take every inch of me like a good girl.”

  “There’s a lot of them.” The laughter following her words was low and throaty.

  Fuck me. A girl who not only complimented my dick size, but did it with a giggle while I was buried to the hilt inside her? I wanted to switch my road name from “Wrath” to “Lucky Bastard” then and there.

  She pressed back against me harder, into it as much as me. I took a few deep breaths. Instead of slamming into her, I thrust with a slow, tortuous rhythm intended to drive us both crazy.

  The more she writhed under me, the tighter I pinned her. Kept giving her steady strokes until she clenched tight around me. I paused, then adjusted my angle and started pounding into her.

  “Don’t stop,” she cried.

  “No way.”

  So slick and hot, moving under me, making the sexiest noises.

  It was my turn to do some begging. “Come for me.” I couldn’t take much more.

  My fingers worked over her clit, and a second later, she went off. Pulsing, throbbing, gripping my cock so hard I thought I would drown. She screamed so loud I hoped the neighbors wouldn’t call the cops. Didn’t matter. I kept hammering at her, white lightning seized me, and I came with a shout.

  Out of breath, sweat dripping in my eyes, I rested my forehead against her shoulder. “You okay?”

  I felt her nod, and then she melted onto the floor at my feet.

  “That good, huh?” I teased, struggling with my natural inclination to cover up any real emotion with a joke. “I’ll be right back.” I needed a minute. For some reason, I felt oddly exposed—which annoyed me. I disposed of the condom and buttoned my jeans back up.

  Returning to the living room, I found her still slumped on the floor. I toed off my boots and squatted down next to her.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she rasped.

  My hand reached out to smooth some hair off her face that escaped her ponytail.

  Her lips trembled into a hesitant smile. The thought that she might be feeling as exposed and unsure as I was snapped me out of my fog.

  “Come here.” I reached out and tucked one arm under her knees and the other behind her back and plucked her off the floor.

  She giggled as I raised her in the air. “All those weights you must lift are worth it.”

  I kissed her cheek for the compliment and carried her into the bedroom. As I set her down next to the bed, she threw back the covers, slid off her soaked thong, unhooked her bra, and crawled into bed.

  Naked Trinity. Nice.

  Once I gathered her all snug in my arms, my agitation eased.

  “What’s your real name?” she asked while running her hand over my chest.

  “Wyatt,” I answered without thinking. Couldn’t remember the last time I told anyone my real name. Couldn’t remember the last woman who even bothered to ask.

  “Wyatt, Wyatt, Wyatt.” She rolled my name around in her mouth. “I like it.”

  “I always hated it.”

  She pressed her hand against my chest and sat up a little. “Why? It’s a good name. Strong. Haven’t you ever heard of the fearless sheriff Wyatt Earp? Crack shot, but usually kept order with his fists. Kinda like you I bet.”

  Stunned, I didn’t know what to say. No one had ever had so much to say about my name. Not even my worthless parents who gave it to me. No one had ever nailed me so well either. And here Trinity and I barely knew each other. Or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. Because I was starting to think we knew each other a whole hell of a lot better than either of us realized.

  I was falling in love with this woman. “Trinity, I have to tell you something.”

  “Uh-oh. Don’t tell me you’re married.”

  Her even suggesting I’d be a two-timing asshole, bugged the shit outta me. “Fuck, no. I’m leaving to go on a run tomorrow. Gonna be gone for three weeks at least.”

  This run had been planned forever. It was important to the club. I didn’t have much of a choice. Rock needed to be here to finish the MC deal. Zero and the Irish prospect were coming with me. After all the bad shit our club just went through, this run needed to happen.

  Suddenly, I didn’t want to go. I’d never hesitated to go on a run before. I’d do anything for my club. I loved the freedom of being out on the open road.

  “Oh. Club business?”

  “Yeah.”


  “I understand.”

  And I realized she was telling the truth. She understood. She also didn’t expect anything from me. Any other time, or with any other woman, I would have been thrilled.

  “I’ll call you when I can.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’ll talk when I get back?”

  “Sure,” she answered.

  I felt less and less reassured with every word out of her mouth.

  “Are you going alone?”

  “No, Z, you met him the other night, and one of our prospects are going too.”

  “Rock isn’t going?”

  There she was asking about my best friend again. Fucking weird and it irritated the shit out of me for a number of reasons. “No, he’s got stuff to take care of here.”

  “Well, you know where to find me when you get back.”

  With that, she turned over and went to sleep.

  The next morning, I decided I wasn’t leaving again without saying good-bye. I snuggled up behind her, slid her hair off her face, and sucked at her neck. My lips made their way down her shoulder, and she turned toward me. “Wrath,” she moaned.

  I filled my mouth with her nipple while cupping her other breast and running my thumb over the tight peak. I wanted to make sure this good-bye was memorable. It needed to last us both three weeks. Kissing my way down her stomach, I glanced up to find her watching me.

  “Spread for me, Angel Face.”

  She planted her heels in the mattress and dropped her knees to the side.

  “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

  Leaning in, I pressed a soft kiss to her mound. Her breath was nothing but short little pants. My fingers slid through her slick folds, my tongue flicked over her clit, and she arched up. I dipped two fingers deep inside her hot pussy.

  Above me, she let out a moan.

  Stroking up, I spread her wetness, flicking my thumb over her clit. Her hips shot off the bed.

  “Not yet.” I thrust two fingers in again, angling them to hit her sensitive spot. Her breathing turned into whining. Her legs shook, and my hand was drenched. I leaned down and sucked her clit into my mouth.

  “Oh, fuck!” she screamed.

  I intended to draw this out, but I couldn’t wait another second to be inside her. After digging a condom out of her nightstand and squeezing into it, I wrapped my hands around her thighs and pulled her to me. I eased her legs around my hips and slid into her.