Rome's Chance (Reapers MC #6.6)(28)

Wow. He’d talked about his family last night, but I hadn’t realized the McGuires were original settlers. Somehow I’d never considered him the settling down type. I wondered if he planned to live on this land someday, too.

Catching my hand, he pulled me toward the big sliding door, which was padlocked. It didn’t take long for him to unlock and then he was pushing it to the side. He reached for a cord, turning on a series of shop lights.

The whole place was full of motorcycles.

Or rather, it was full of parts of motorcycles, all in different stages of restoration and repair. There was a trailer, too, and a big hoist hanging up high on the cathedral-like ceiling. A second level ran around the sides of the barn, open in the middle. A loft. In the back corner I saw something that looked almost like a giant shower curtain, mounted on metal tracks.

“What is all this?” I asked.

“It’s my shop,” he said, pulling me in close. I fit under his arm perfectly. “This is what I do when I’m not working EMS. My dad taught me. He’s got arthritis now, so it’s all mine. Motorcycles, fighting fire, jumping out of planes… McGuire men are adrenaline junkies.”

“So it’s your hobby?” I asked, although the minute I said it, I felt stupid. Clearly this wasn’t a hobby—this was a passion.

“No, it’s actually how I make most of my money,” he replied, looking pleased with himself. “I love the work, and people pay top dollar for a good restoration.”

“Wow,” I said, impressed. “I had no idea. Have you ever considered leaving fire and rescue to do it full time?”

“No fuckin’ way. I love my job,” he said, then his face sobered. “Well, I love it most of the time. Not the accidents.”

We fell silent, and I thought about the kinds of things he must see as a first responder. Children in who’d been in car crashes. I knew there’d been a real bad one about six months back. One of the boys in Lexi’s class had been killed, along with his dad and little brother. She’d called me that night, crying. I wondered if he’d been working that night… Reaching up, I rubbed Rome’s back, feeling the tension wound up inside.

“Want to see the hayloft?” he finally asked.

“Sure. Are we planning to talk up there, or…?”

He answered my question with a hard kiss. I opened for him, hoping to distract him from whatever dark memory had just run through his head. The kiss deepened quickly, growing almost desperate in its intensity. Then he pulled away, panting, and whispered in a low, throaty voice, “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this, Randi.”

His hands came down, catching my ass and lifting me up and into his hips. The move put me off balance, and I’d have fallen over if he wasn’t holding me. He nipped the side of my neck before opening his mouth, sucking and kissing like he planned to eat me alive. His dick was hard and ready against my stomach. It pulsed, reminding me that while I’d gotten off at the Starkwood, he’d never finished.

“I’m gonna fuck you so deep you’ll have trouble walking tonight.”

His intensity startled me, and I felt suddenly nervous. Rome’s body surrounded me, keeping me from finding my balance. It felt like his hands were everywhere and his cock demanded attention. I had no doubt he was telling the truth about the walking thing. That shouldn’t have been a problem. I wanted to do this. There were condoms in my purse—I’d come here planning to have sex.

But this was moving really fast.

Grinding against a guy in a dark bar while half drunk was one thing. Taking off your clothes in broad daylight for someone who’d just declared you wouldn’t be able to walk afterward was another.

“Rome—”

“Don’t worry, babe. I may be a horny bastard, but I’ll take care of you first.”

“Rome, slow down,” I gasped, closing my eyes. “You’re scaring me.” Would he be mad? I wasn’t trying to tease him, but this was happening too fast.

His entire body stiffened, and his arms tightened around me. I realized how alone we were. How easy it would be for him to take what he wanted.

What I’d already made clear he could have.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, hoping I wouldn’t do something stupid, like cry. “I’m not trying to tease you. I just got a little overwhelmed.”

He shuddered, then lowered me, letting me find my balance. For a minute we stood there, both of us breathing hard, and as I studied his face, I wondered what happened next. I really did like him. I wanted to kiss him and pet him, and then I wanted to let him inside me. But not until I was ready.

“You shouldn’t be sorry,” he said finally, taking a step back. “I’m a fuckin’ asshole.”

But he wasn’t, and the fact that he’d stopped was the proof. For a moment, he’d gotten caught up in something dark. Then I’d offered him a distraction, and he’d taken it.

Sort of like I’d been planning to do with him. I’d come here with him because I wanted to get away from the apartment and the problems I’d found there.

If Rome was an asshole, he wasn’t the only one.

“Can we start over?” I asked. He reached out, catching my hair and tucking it behind my ear. Then his finger traced the edge of my black eye.