Page 6

Gianna

A jackhammer drills into my head continuously as I struggle to open my eyes.

A vibrating sound fills my ears. There’s a heavy body pinning me to the bed.

I search my memory trying to remember the night before.

Rubbing my eyes, I clear the sleep from them, glance down seeing a tattooed arm strung across my stomach and a thick thigh thrown over mine.

“Stop squirming,” furry lips whisper against my neck. That’s when I realize I’m only in my underwear, and I have no clue where I am.

Shoving hard against his chest gets me nowhere. “Get off me.”

“Babe, its early. I’m tired. Shut up and go back to sleep. I’ll give you a ride home and get your car when the roads clear if Dutch and Ace weren’t able to. ”

My car. I blink and now I remember. The ice, the deer, and the ditch. The smart assed mechanic. Oh God.

“Um…about last night.”

“Nothing happened. Stop your mental freak out. You passed out before I could get any clothes on you. It’s cold. The electric went out sometime in the middle of the night. You were cold and so was I.”

At this I relax. “Oh. Okay, but I need the bathroom and to brush my teeth.”

Stud groans and rolls away from me. I stare up at him as he leaves the bed in his birthday suit. Holy shit he’s naked, but the man has a great ass. I sit up and appreciate the view through my splitting headache.

I watch with great fascination while his muscles flex as he moves about the room pulling on a pair of jeans and shoving a cigarette between his lips. Most of his back is bare of any ink save a cross on the back of his neck and I wonder if he’s religious.

Caught in the act of gawking at him I don’t even try to hide it as heat shoots up the back of my neck and my belly burns. I totally didn’t expect him to be so damn good looking this morning.

Stud takes a drag off his cigarette and snatches something off the floor. “Here. This should fit. Tried to put you in them last night but failed.” His pretty green eyes glitter with specks of gold.

“I bet you tried real hard.” He shrugs, and I yank the sheet up over my chest knowing it’s no use.

He’s already had an up close and personal gander at my tits being we slept cuddled up to each other all night.

I should be embarrassed but I’m not. He’s such a stupid jerk, yet at the same time he’s confident. I find the trait sexy .

I quickly slip into the flannel, the musky scent of cologne washes over me and takes hold with a hint of smoke. When I get out of the bed the shirt falls to my knees and Stud appraises me.

“Like my shirt on you.”

I don’t reply because I don’t have one. Instead I focus on pulling the waist of the sweatpants he loaned me tight enough they don’t drop to my ankles. “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare toothbrush, would you?”

“What’s it worth to ya?”

“Add it to my tab.”

“How about you cook me dinner, and we’ll take it from there.”

I try and fail to stop my lips from stretching into a smirk. “Maybe I can’t cook. ”

Stud roots around in a drawer and pulls out a new toothbrush still in the pack. “I’ll take my chances.”

“I live with Chaser and from the looks of things…you live here.”

“If I get a kitchen, you gonna cook for me?”

“Trust me, my cooking isn’t that great.”

Stud crosses the room in three heavy steps. He drops the toothbrush. One hand goes to my hip and the other caresses my jaw. “I don’t think you’re hearing me. I like you, Gianna. Love that sassy mouth and them pretty lips that come with it.”

I gape at him. “You don’t even know me.”

“No, but so far I’m liking what I’m seeing.” He dips his head in an attempt to kiss me, and I pull back.

“So let’s say I cook for you. What happens when a woman who makes better meatloaf comes along? You gonna kick me out of your bed the way you did that chick last night?”

“Babe, you make meatloaf as good as you run that mouth, I’ll put a ring on that finger.”

“Okay. What have you been smoking?” I try to back away, but he has me cornered by the bed.

“You’re cute.”

I try to go around him, but he pins me to the wall. “I’m not cute. I’m a grown woman. Trash pandas are cute.”

He snorts and his eyes soften before he sucks his bottom lip in and rolls it back out. “Stop trying to put me off you, darlin'.”

“I’m—” the rest of my sentence dies on his lips because Stud’s mouth is on mine and now, I think I know why they call him Stud.

Mercy me can the man kiss. He works fast because my panties are already ready to drop, and I’ve not even had his tongue in my mouth yet.

He changes that quickly. Sliding his tongue between my lips he kisses me hard, wet, and deep.

Stud kisses me breathless and senseless. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed so sexily before and when he breaks away, I fight the urge to ask for another.

“You feel that, Gianna?” Stud holds my gaze, fingers biting into my hip with need.

“Hmm?”

“Yeah you feel it.” He grins. “Go brush your teeth then we’ll attempt to find some coffee and breakfast downstairs.”

“Right…I’m just going to go…” I grab the toothbrush and scurry out the room.

Out in the hall I take a deep breath. Shit .

I didn’t ask him where the bathroom is. All the doors are closed, and I don’t notice a sign.

There aren’t any lights on. The sunlight spilling in from the window at the other end of the hall isn’t giving me much help.

“Two doors to your left,” his husky voice booms behind me. “The generators are up and running so the lights and hot water should be operational.”

I nod and close the door behind me once I flip the light on. My pulse continues to race after the epic kiss we shared.

I make use of the toilet then get on with cleansing my face and brushing my teeth once I’ve washed my hands.

I swore I was done with men but when a man kisses you stupid like Stud did moments ago a girl finds herself changing her mind.

I go back to the room and attempt to put some distance between us. “Sit.” He orders me to the couch that takes up half the room. “Wanna look at that ankle. ”

“It’s fine. Only a little stiff.”

“Then you won’t mind letting me look.” The moment his hand goes to my bare foot a tingle shoots up and down my spine. Sweet lord he has a magic touch. I guess I’m forever doomed to be attracted to bad boys.

**

Downstairs there’s a lot more people around this morning including the chick Stud kicked out of his bed.

I don’t miss the daggered stare she’s shooting at me as we enter the bar hand in hand.

I can’t blame her, but he says she was a random hookup.

I can’t fault him for it with the name Stud.

I mean we aren’t together. He’s merely a guy who kisses like a freaking God who did me a favor.

“Another one bites the dust,” she sneers to her friend when we pass by their table.

“Cool it, Maxi,” he snaps at her. The bitchy woman visibly jerks as if his words whipped across her face like a slap. “Gianna here is Chaser’s sister, and if I’m lucky she’s gonna be my woman so wipe that cunt look off your face and play nice or I’ll let Prez know you need cut loose.”

Holy shit. Did he actually say that to her in front of everyone? What the hell? His woman? What does that mean?

“Got it,” she huffs, and I observe the unshed tears burning in her eyes. That must’ve cut her deep, but I get the feeling she’s gone and caught feelings for a man who only sees her as an easy piece of ass and that has to suck.

Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

Stud keeps tugging me along, pulling me so quickly to the kitchen I don’t have time to take in the crowd starting to fill up the bar and tables.

“How many people live here? ”

“There’s eight clubgirls and about fifteen brothers on any given night.”

“Clubgirls?”

“Whores like Maxi who hang around and take care of the members.” I stop at his words.

“Prostitutes?”

“Don’t look at me like that. They know what they signed on for and most of them enjoy it. Sometimes we get a girl take Maxi for example who thinks a brother will take her on as his Old Lady. And it happens. Rarely. No man wants to put his claim on a woman all his brothers has fucked, feel me?”

“You’re saying Chaser, my brother has fucked those women?” I think I’m going to be sick. Does Jelissa know any of this? And if she does, how does she put up with it?

“No. I’m saying that they know what they are getting. As far as what your brother does that’s between him and his dick.” Stud pulls me in close. “And before you go getting it in your head you’re gonna go running that smart mouth to his Old Lady don’t. Leave shit alone.”

“You aren’t the boss of me. If I wanna have words with my brother about his fucking some skank behind Jelissa’s back I will.”

“Babe. Shut up.”

“Don’t tell me to shut up. You shut up. And I’m not your babe.” I stab my finger into his chest. “Nor do I think I wanna be if you think it’s cool to fuck around on your Old Lady or whatever.”

“So you’ve thought about it.”

“No.”

“Liar.” He flicks the tip of my nose. “Yup totally fucking cute and mine.” Cupping my left ass cheek with his hand he pulls me flush against him, and the tent of his erection in his grey sweatpants presses against me.

“Let go of me.”

He squeezes my ass harder as he dips his head, rubbing his facial scruff against my cheek. “I’m claiming you and that sassy assed mouth.” Simultaneously, he grabs my hip and jerks me against his hard on and pecks me on the lips.

When he prods at the seam of my lips with his tongue, I know I am completely fucked because all I want is to wrap my legs around him while demanding he takes me back to his bed.

But before I can do that, I hear my brother say my name and the moment is ruined.

“Gianna?” I turn my head and realize Jelissa’s standing here holding my nephew gawking at us and Chaser has his arm firmly gripping her shoulder. How much did they hear?

Guessing by the frown on Jelissa’s face they heard plenty.