Rome's Chance (Reapers MC #6.6)(5)
But Rome was the real deal.
My heart started beating faster, and suddenly the scoop-necked blouse I wore was way too warm in the heat. Was I having a hot flash?
No, fuckwit. You’re just in lust.
Fair enough. I wanted to lick him all over. The thought sent a shiver of joy-slash-terror through me. Some of it was physical—the guy was just a solid wall of hard, male muscle—but there was something else, too. Something intangible. Something that made the space between my legs clench, and wish we were naked and alone, despite the fact that I knew almost nothing of what kind of person he’d become.
Chemistry.
This was pure chemistry, and we’d had it from the very first. Our eyes had met across that keg and it was all over… Now Rome’s eyes found mine again, and that same spark I was feeling flared in their depths.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said, his face softening. I blinked, every bit as mesmerized as I’d felt at the grocery store. He leaned forward, still sitting on the bike, and caught my hand, pulling me toward him. “I’m gonna kiss you.”
“Yes, please,” I whispered, brain fully disengaged. His hand came up and caught the back of my head, then our lips met and I died a little.
He’d kissed me twice before, years ago. Those kisses had been soft. Devastating and intense, but very gentle. Sweet.
This was totally different. This came hard and fast, his mouth overwhelming mine with a powerful, masculine hunger I hadn’t expected. His tongue thrust against the seam of my lips, and when I didn’t immediately open, his teeth followed, nipping just enough to startle me. I gasped, and then he was inside.
There was nothing sweet about him right now.
Rome’s hand twisted in my hair, holding my head captive as his tongue pushed inside my mouth. Fire exploded through me, a deep well of heat settling between my legs. My hands reached up to catch his shoulders and then I was all in, giving as good as he gave me.
His other arm came around my waist, crushing me against him. This wasn’t nearly as awkward as it should’ve been, considering he was still on the bike. Maybe we could just skip dinner. Go straight to the fun part of the date…
A loud honking and the sound of someone screaming “Wooohooo!” from a passing car jolted me out of the moment. I pushed against his shoulders. Rome let me step back, although he kept his arm around my body. His eyes were smoky with lust, and I thought I saw the hint of a flush showing underneath the tan of his cheeks.
Yup, the feeling was definitely mutual.
Then he shot a glance toward the apartment and smiled. “Let’s get out of here. Your family is enjoying this show a little more than I’d like.”
My head jerked around to find Kayden and Lexi watching from the window. Kayden started waving frantically. Rome raised a hand, returning my brother’s wave. I turned back to her, sheepish.
“I’m used to living on my own,” I said. “I’d forgotten what it’s like to be around the kids.”
“I get it,” he said. “My people can be a little overwhelming, too. No worries. Now let’s get a helmet on you and get out of here. You know, before they decide they want to follow us.”
Chapter Two
If kissing Rome had sent my pulse racing, wrapping my arms and legs around his strong body to ride across Loup Loup Pass was enough to elevate it to near aerobic levels.
Aside from the fact that I was currently snuggled up with a sexy, hunky guy, just being on the bike kicked ass. I’d forgotten how much I loved the wind rushing by, and the way the road opened up in front of us. It felt like freedom—the chance to experience something new and undiscovered.
Something exciting.
I’d only ridden on a motorcycle twice in my life. The first time, my brother Aiden’s dad had taken me out when I was five years old. I’d never liked the guy—he seemed to think my mom was his personal servant—but I’d loved that ride. It’d felt like flying, and I’d found myself laughing and singing with the thrill of it.
The second time had been eight years ago, with Rome. That’d felt like flying, too, but with an added thrill because he’d been the first real man I’d ever dated. Everything else had been high school stuff. You know, fooling around with boys who might one day be men, but certainly weren’t in that category yet. I remembered holding Rome tight, excited by the ride, by the man, and by the whole idea of us together.
In that moment, it’d felt like anything was possible.
Then the fires came, and my whole family—me, Mom, the kids, and my grandparents—had been forced to evacuate. Grandma and Grandpa’s place had burned, and they decided they were too old to rebuild. We landed in Missoula, and I still lived there.
Except now I was back in Hallies Falls for at least a few days—maybe longer—and my arms were wrapped tight around Rome again. That first date hadn’t ended with us naked and sweaty in his sheets, but after the kiss we’d just shared, I was seriously considering the possibility of it happening tonight.
On the surface, sleeping with him was a bad idea.
For one thing, I usually wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl, and I had the feeling he wasn’t a relationship kind of guy. At least, that’d been his reputation the first time we met. And that was before he’d joined a motorcycle club, which wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement when evaluating his potential manwhore status. To be fair, my old boss, Tinker, had managed to settle down with a biker. But for the most part, the Reapers seemed to prefer living wild and free.