Slade Read online

  “No kissing.” I freeze as I hold her up against the wall angry with myself. I still have the taste of Aspen on my lips and I’m being a greedy fucking bastard. I don’t want to share her taste with anyone.

  What. The. Fuck.

  “You know what. Never mind.” I release her thighs and she slides down my body, landing hard on her feet. “I’ll take care of myself. I’m pretty fucking good at it.”

  She gives me a stunned look before fixing her dress and combing the knots out of her hair. “Are you fucking serious?”

  “Yeah. I’m fucking serious.” I push away from the wall and head for the door. When I look over at Hemy, he’s standing there with his fucking hard dick swinging everywhere. We don’t usually get fully nude, but on occasion if no one else is paying much attention, we end up baring it all. He does it the most. He has the bad ass biker look down so when women see him stripping, they go crazy over it. Shit, one of the girls is practically sucking his dick right now. They seem to love the hard steel of his piercings almost as much as his dick itself.

  Heading back over to the bar, I take a seat in front of Cale and grip the bar. I really need to get my shit together. “Three shots of Jack,” I say stiffly. “Actually, make it four.”

  Cale reaches for the shot glasses and lines them up in front of me. “I’m guessing I’ll be giving you a ride home.”

  “Yeah. Your guess is fucking right.”

  Yeah, and as soon as I get home, I’ll be taking a fucking shower to wash this day away.

  “So what is Aspen doing then? She didn’t want to come hang out here?” He looks up from pouring the shots. “She doesn’t get pissed off easily. It must be a Slade thing.”

  Not really caring to hear what he has to say, I grab the first shot and slam it back before wiping my mouth off with my arm. “How do you know this chick anyways? She’s not even from around here.”

  Now it looks like he’s battling a demon of his own. I know that look well. I wear it with pride. “I was best friends with her sister, Riley, growing up. Riley Raines. They used to live here back when we were all kids.”

  Okay. I’ve heard him mention that name before. I can’t remember for shit why, though. There must be something about these sisters that make a man go fucking nuts.

  Aspen fucking Raines. What a sexy name.

  Chapter Eight

  Aspen

  Stupid, piece of crap, no good vibrator . . .

  I toss what I thought was my handy dandy vibrator down beside me and roll over on my stomach, shoving my face into the pillow. I’m so frustrated, I could scream. This cannot be happening. Gripping the plush pillow, I smother my face deeper and curse my damn vagina.

  Is it broken? Seriously. I mean my vagina. Not the vibrator. The vibrator definitely had some kicking power left in it. I think that cocky, sexy, asshole broke it. Obviously, my vagina has decided it wants the best and has gone on strike until it gets it. I’ve never had this problem before him. Why now?

  Rolling back over, I sit up and grab my panties, pulling them on with a sigh. A very frustrated sigh. After the orgasm I had yesterday, I’m ruined. No other orgasm I’ll ever have will compare to it and it makes me so angry. It seems I’ve lost the control over my vagina. I’ve spent the last hour just trying to have a small orgasm; any orgasm and nothing. Trust me, I’ve tried both ways and what were the results? Nada . . . it’s completely numb now.

  It’s definitely time to throw in the towel. It’s not happening. Maybe I just need to make some breakfast, relax and try again later. I think I just have too much on my mind.

  Yeah. That’s it. I’m just mentally frustrated.

  I stand from the messy confinements of the bed and grab my t-shirt from the wad of clothes on the floor, pulling it on. Exiting the room, I walk past Cale snoring on the couch and dodge my way into the kitchen. The boys didn’t get in until at least two a.m. There’s no way they will be waking up anytime soon. I’m surprised that I’m even up to be honest. I didn’t sleep for crap. It was an endless night and a part of me wants to just crawl back in bed and force myself to sleep.

  One minute I was checking my phone and the next minute I was checking the driveway. Not sure why I cared so much about when they were getting back but it seemed to drive me nuts. I haven’t even gotten to spend any time with Cale and I’ve been here for three days. So far Slade has been my only real entertainment.

  Lucky me . . .

  My stomach starts growling as I begin to search through the fridge for something to cook for breakfast. Digging through the contents, I end up with a roll of sausage, a pack of bacon and some bagels. My mouth is practically watering just anticipating the taste. At least there’s something in this house to look forward to.

  Half way through cooking, everything starts to go horribly wrong. If I thought I was flustered before, this just confirms it. The bacon is popping grease everywhere and the stupid sausage is stuck to the bottom of the pan. The whole kitchen is full of smoke. It would be really embarrassing if the smoke detector went off right now. It’s pathetic. I just can’t seem to concentrate. . .on anything.

  “Ow, damn!” I jump back when I get popped with bacon grease again. That shit really hurts.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  I turn around to the sound of Slade’s deep, raspy voice. He’s standing there shirtless in a pair of low hanging jeans, showing off the muscles right above his . . . penis. His body is slightly damp as if he’s just taken a shower, but I know he hasn’t. I would’ve heard the water . . . I think. What is it about a wet man that is so sexy?

  His eyes are dark and intense; looking at me as if he wants to either strangle me or just fuck me really hard. I can’t really tell. I get a rush of excitement from both. That’s really fucking messed up.

  Clearing my throat, I turn back around and start scraping the sausage off the bottom of the pan as if it’s not a big deal. I just pretend I didn’t mess breakfast all up. The last thing I want to do is see him standing there half naked, looking disturbingly delicious while judging my cooking skills. He looks tastier than this damn food. That’s not what I need right now. “What does it look like I’m doing?” I ask, not bothering to hide my irritation.

  When he speaks again his voice is right behind me, sending chills up my spine. His body is now pressed against mine, but not in a sexual way; in a way that makes my heart jump a little. Just a little. “Burning down the damn house. I hate to tell you this, but I left my fireman suit at work. I’m not prepared for this shit this early in the morning.” He reaches for the spatula and hisses in my ear. “Now move out of the way.”

  Not budging, I reach for the spatula but he pulls it out of my reach. “I can handle it. Shouldn’t you be sleeping or I don’t know . . . kicking some skank out of your bed. I’m pretty sure you had a late night.”

  Giving me a stern look, he grabs me by the hips, picks me up and sets me on the counter. His lips are brushing my ear when he says, “I kicked her out last night. No girl sleeps in my bed. Ever.” My heart sinks from his harsh words. He turns around and turns off the stove before throwing the spatula down. “If you needed my help then you should have asked. Is there anything you can do on your own?”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I get ready to jump down from the counter, but he steps right in front of me and stands between my legs blocking me. “What kind of a question is that? Is there something else you assume I can’t do on my own?”

  Running his hands up my thighs, he looks me dead in the eyes and smirks. “Yeah. Get off. I do believe you needed my help there as well.”

  “Fuck off, Slade. I don’t need you to get off. Trust me.” I place my hands on his chest and give him a little shove. Damn him; his body is pure muscle. “I can do it fine by myself. Now move.”

  He slides his hands up my shirt, lifts my body up and grips my ass in his hands. The skin on skin contact causes my breathing to slightly pick up. “Is that right?” Pulling me closer to him, he squeezes my ass and runs his lips
up my neck. “Not from the frustrated sounds I heard coming from Cale’s bedroom this morning. Those were definitely moans of frustration and not pleasure. Trust me. I know the difference.” He slides his finger under the fabric of my panties and instantly I can feel the need for him to be inside me. He isn’t even touching anything but the crevice between my leg and vagina.

  What the fuck?

  Gaining my composure, I pull my neck away from him and shove him until he’s out of my way. “You are so infuriating. Why are you such an ass?” I hop down from the counter and start walking away. “I’ll clean this mess up later. I’m not in the mood to eat-”

  “Get dressed and meet me outside in ten minutes,” he says trampling over my words.

  I stop when I get to the doorway and turn around to face him. “And why the hell would I do that?”

  “So we can eat breakfast.” He pushes the pan across the stove and picks up the spatula, tossing it in the sink. “Be ready by the time I’m dressed.”

  “Yeah. You’re funny,” I huff. “I’m good. I’m going back to bed.”

  “Suit yourself, but I can hear your stomach growling from over here. Stay if you want. I just want to satisfy your . . . hunger.”

  He walks past me and then jogs up the stairs. The muscles in his back flex and the deep scratches in his skin stand out, making me hate my damn body again for the reaction it gets from him.

  Son of a bitch . . .

  * * *

  Against my better judgment, I’m sitting across a booth from Slade with a piece of bacon hanging from my mouth. We both just sit here in silence eating breakfast and I’m thankful for that. I really don’t feel like chatting with him. Not that he seems like the chatty type person. Actually, he’s pretty far from it.

  “Are you going to sit there and play with that bacon all fucking day?” He takes a bite of his hash browns and then leans against the back of his booth. “It has to taste better than that crap you were catching on fire when I walked in.”

  Rolling my eyes, I point my bacon at him and start waving it as I speak. “I wasn’t catching it on fire, dammit. Why are you-”

  The bacon slips out of my hand and hits him on the cheek, causing me to stop and cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

  Watching me stifle my laughter, he grabs for the piece of bacon, smiles and takes a bite out of it. “You think that’s funny, huh?”

  I nod my head and laugh. “Yeah. You should have seen the way your eye twitched when it hit you. It was pretty damn hilarious.”

  “I bet,” he replies before shoving the remainder of it in his mouth. “Now eat. I have things I have to do today.”

  “Yeah. Like what?”

  He takes a drink of his coffee and then holds the mug under his lips. “Lots of things. Some of them include: work out, run, grocery shopping, clean the house and then go to work tonight. The things that adults do. In between, I plan to just ride and get away. Get out of my fucking head and breathe a little. That’s what I have to do.”

  I look at him a little stunned. For some crazy reason I just didn’t take him as the responsible type. I expected that Cale took care of the things around the house. I have to admit, it’s pretty sexy. I almost like this side of him.

  “I’m done anyways.” I reach for my purse and get ready to pull out my wallet, but he reaches over and snatches my purse away. “Umm . . . my purse.”

  Shaking his head, he sets my purse down and pulls out his wallet. “Never expect to pay when I ask you to eat with me. I asked you because I wanted to treat you to breakfast.” He pulls out two twenties and sets them on the table. “Let’s go then.”

  He stands up right as the waitress walks over. She’s a young woman, maybe in her early thirties. She looks a bit stressed out as she keeps looking back at the counter. “You guys are all set?” She picks up the money and her eyes go wide when she looks at the tab. “Sir, it’s only fourteen dollars. Let me get your change.”

  Looking over at the counter, he watches the two kids that our waitress has been sitting with in between her running around like crazy. “No, ma’am. Keep the change.” He pulls out another twenty, drops it down and grabs my hand. “Have a nice day.”

  I don’t even get to see the woman’s reaction because he pulls me out of the diner too quickly and then jumps into his truck without another word.

  I keep wanting to say something, to maybe get a reaction out of him, but I can’t think of what to say. I’m still stunned speechless by his generosity back at the diner. He did seem distracted while we were there. I noticed he kept looking away from the table as if something was catching his attention. Now, I know why.

  “Slade,” I say softly. “That was a really nice thing you did for that lady back at the diner.”

  He looks away from the road with a distraught look on his face. He looks like he’s beating himself up over something. “Yeah, well she needed it more than me. Those kids shouldn’t have to be at the diner while she works her ass off for three dollar tips. It’s not fucking right.”

  I sit here and watch him as he drives. He seems a little worked up and I can’t help but want to comfort him. I don’t even know why. The urge just comes out of nowhere. His side profile is strikingly beautiful and the act of kindness that I just witnessed makes him even more beautiful.

  Without thinking, I reach out and grip his knee, running my hand up and down his leg for comfort. He stiffens at first and glances down at my hand with a surprised look, but doesn’t say a word. He just drives in silence, keeping his eyes on the road. For some reason, I keep my hand there the whole way home.

  I rub and massage his leg while looking down at my small hand on his muscular thigh. It feels good under my touch; natural. It isn’t until we get back to the house that I feel his muscles fully relax.

  When he stops the truck and pulls the key out the ignition, he looks over at me and then down at my hand. He’s silent for a moment, his body still.

  “I need to get ready to go running. I think Cale has the day planned for just the two of you.” He lifts my hand off his knee and sets it on my own lap. “I’ll see you later.”

  I nod my head as I watch him jump out of his truck and walk over to the door. Why is a part of me feeling down for him? Maybe it’s because I feel there’s something more to him than I thought. That maybe he is a real human being after all.

  Hopefully Cale keeps my mind busy today. I think I need the distraction.

  Chapter Nine

  Aspen

  It’s been two days since I let Slade go down on me in the rain and I’ve been working hard to avoid him. Well, besides yesterday morning at least. The only interaction between us has been heated stares from across the room. When I say heated, I mean hot enough to scorch me; to heat me straight to my core.

  The thought alone is almost enough for me to get off. He’s so intense, I’m not sure I can handle being in the same room with him for longer than five minutes without getting wet; panties soaked kind of wetness. I’m not used to that kind of want and need. It scares me. Not to mention, I’m still a little shaken up from our diner experience. I can’t quite figure him out. It’s eating at me.

  “. . . Aspen. Hey! Are you even listening?”

  “Huh?” I look up from the pile of makeup in front of me to see Kayla hovering above me. I give her a forced smile and reach for the mascara. I’ve never had a problem with paying attention before. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.”

  She leans over my shoulder and grabs for my red lipstick. “See. Now that’s your problem. You think too much. You better not be thinking about-”

  “I’m not,” I cut her off. I don’t even want to think about it. I’ve been in Chicago for four days now and haven’t spoken to Jay since the first night. The only thing I’m missing back home right now is cutting people’s hair and interacting with my clients. Other than that, I don’t even want to think about my life back home. “I’m not worried about him. It’s something else,” I mutter. “Someone just makes me
so angry and I don’t understand why I am letting it get to me so much.”

  She gives me a knowing look and yanks my hair to the side. “Tell me all about it. Did you fuck someone? Was it Cale or that sexy hunk, Slade?” She drops down beside me and watches as I coat my lashes with mascara. “I want details before we get to the club. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Cale. Hell, you could melt butter off the both of them. If I was single I’d take both on at the same time.”

  I roll my eyes at her and push her out of my space. “Neither one. I haven’t slept with anyone.” I look up at her and my eye starts twitching. My stupid nerves are getting to me and giving me away. “What?” I say as her eyes widen as if she’s just figured something out.

  Shit.

  “You may not have had sex, but you did something sexual.” She shoots to her feet and yells, “You, dirty little slut. You better start talking.”

  I stand up and adjust my short red dress. The material is so thin, it makes me feel naked. It barely covers my breasts and hangs just a few inches below my ass. I can’t even wear a bra with this dress. Kayla picked the dress out this afternoon when we went shopping. It’s the first real time we’ve had to spend together since I’ve been here. Her job and family life keep her too busy. I envy her. I want that in my life.

  “Maybe I did,” I mumble embarrassed. “That’s all you’re getting because I’m not having you embarrass me tonight.” I look around Cale’s room until I spot my black, leather strapped stilettos. I grab them, buckle my feet in and head for the door. “Ready?”

  She takes a bite of her jerky stick and grabs for her purse. “More than ever. Alex is letting me cut lose tonight. Don’t be surprised if you see my hands all over that biker looking stripper. Hot damn, he is fine. I swear he looks more like he belongs in a motorcycle club than a strip club. Lucky for us, he’s in the strip club. Now, let’s go.”

  I must not have paid much attention last time I was there because I don’t remember seeing him. The only one that got my attention was Slade. My mind was too clouded that night and I was working hard to keep to myself. Well, not tonight, dammit. I’m out to have a little fun.