She's All Tied Up: Club 3, Book 2 (36 page)

After the most self-conscious but best shower of her life, which culminated in Jake ordering her to stand still on the bath mat while he dried her off with care, she was allowed to go and dress. She hurried into her closet to don a pair of pink lace panties and bra, khaki shorts that had been too tight but now fit great, a dark pink tank and lighter pink tee splashed with silly flowers embroidered on the front, and pink flip-flops.

Jake dressed by her bed, where she discovered that when he wore underwear, they were dark fitted briefs that looked great on him and outlined his package in a hot way. He pulled on a gray T-shirt with
Marines
across the front in faded navy, the pair of gray plaid shorts she’d seen before and a pair of leather flip-flops, and told her if she didn’t stop looking at him like that she was going to be undressed and on her back again in about a minute.

While this sounded awesome, she heard a low growl. His stomach. She needed to feed him.

He offered to take her out to breakfast, but she told him she had everything they needed. So, they ate granola with fresh blueberries—two bowls for him—and drank coffee on her patio, and then she grabbed her purse and Jake drove her to his house.

Now he stopped his truck in the middle of the wide street that was really more of a country road and cursed under his breath. Carlie looked at him, startled.

He was looking at an old, ratty pickup truck that was parked in the driveway of the big bungalow he’d just pointed out as his. A Craftsman bungalow that Carlie had already begun to fall for, partly because it was Jake’s and partly because it was just plain great.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“My dad’s here,” he said.

Goddamn it to fuckin’ hell. This was not the way Jake planned to show Carlie his house. He’d been thinking more along the lines of a tour, culminating in his bedroom, and then lunch, followed by maybe breaking in his leather couch, if she wasn’t too sore, because he’d already been at her hard last night and this morning, and he was not small.

“Um, I’m okay with meeting your dad,” she said, her arching brows furrowed.

Damn, now she looked hurt. He reached over and grabbed her hand. “Baby, my dad is not like your parents.”

“You haven’t met my parents,” she pointed out.

Amusement cut through his anger. “Don’t need to, to know they raised you, they’re nice people. Classy. In no way can Ray Stone be described as classy.”

Her jaw firmed and she gave his hand a squeeze. “I don’t care. He’s your dad, so I want to meet him.”

He shook his head once, then put his foot on the gas. “Hope you don’t have cause to regret it. He mouths off, I’m puttin’ him out.”

And he meant it. If his father had started drinking already, that would be before Ray even got one foot in his door.

Jake pulled into his driveway, stopped the truck and got out. Carlie climbed down from his truck, and he watched her stare, fascinated as Ray stepped from the deep shadows of Jake’s porch to meet them—sober, thank God.

He tried to see Ray through her eyes. He had Jake’s frame, but not his muscle, and his shoulders were slumped, his skin worn with the look of someone who had spent more than his share of time slouched on a bar stool, drinking and smoking. His gray hair was pulled back in the same ponytail he’d worn as far back as Jake could recall. He wore a T-shirt with a Harley insignia, jeans and boots.

He smiled hesitantly, revealing his gold-capped teeth, one missing on the left side, and the same cheek creases as Jake’s, only deeper. He nodded at Carlie, his gaze going back and forth between her and Jake.

“Hey, sonny,” he said in a cigarette-roughened voice. “Come up to see you. Didn’t know you’d have company.”

And although he had conflicted feelings about his father, who had spent a lifetime being irresponsible, and choosing his vices and his slut of a wife when he should have dumped all that to take his son far away from it, Jake didn’t show this. Instead, he walked forward and put out his arms, giving his father a hug, then a clap on the back. “S’all right, Dad. Good to see you. Got someone for you to meet.”

He turned and held out his hand for Carlie. He froze, drinking in the look in her eyes. They were soft, the blue luminous with emotion, and she was smiling at him with such sweetness he wanted to freeze that look and carry it with him for eternity. He didn’t know what he’d done to put that look there, but please God he didn’t do anything to chase it away.

“C’mere, baby,” he said. It was a command but fuck if it didn’t feel more like a plea.

She came right to him, and warm, possessive pride swelled in his chest as his arm slid around her, pulling her against his side. Damn, she was something special, and she was his, at least for now. He hadn’t had a proud moment like this since he was commissioned in the Marines.

“Carlie, my dad, Ray Stone. Dad, this is Carlie.”

“Hi,” she said sweetly. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone.”

Jake’s father laughed and squeezed her hand before letting it go. “Hell, honey, nobody calls me Mr. Stone. I’m Ray.”

“Ray,” she agreed and leaned into Jake’s side, her arm around his waist.

Ray Stone clocked this and then rocked back on his heels, shaking his head. “Damn, son. Got yourself a keeper.”

Jake’s arm tightened on her waist. “I know, Dad.”

She looked up at him, surprised now and pleased, but he had no time to process this because Ray Stone was speaking again.

“I, uh, got someone for you to meet too, sonny.” He turned back toward the porch. “Charlene, you wanna come out and meet my boy?”

Jake stiffened. Shit. Ray had brought one of his barfly girlfriends here, today?

Then he blinked in pure astonishment, as a small, chesty woman with short blonde hair and freckles, wearing a plaid blouse and denim capris, stepped off the porch and walked to meet them. She wore little makeup and no jewelry, with canvas flats on her feet. She was completely unlike any of Ray’s former women.

“This here’s Charlene,” Ray said proudly. “Charlene, this is my boy, Jake, and his lady. Carlie.”

Charlene nodded at both Jake and Carlie and smiled, comfortable in her own skin. They exchanged greetings, and Charlene looked around. “You have a real nice place here, Jake.”

“Thanks.” It was then he remembered he was the host. “C’mon in, everyone. We’ll have some coffee.”

Inside his living room, Ray pointed out that he and Charlene had been driving for a while, and Jake pointed the way to the main bathroom. Charlene headed that way. Carlie offered to start the coffee.

Jake nodded, told her everything was out on the counter and turned to his father. Ray watched Carlie walk into the kitchen. He was smiling.

“She’s a real classy girl,” he said quietly. “You done good, sonny.” His gaze cut to Jake. “I can tell, the way you look at her, the way she looks at you, this is gonna last.”

Jake’s chest tightened at this. “We’re just getting started,” was all he said. “Ah, Charlene’s nice.”

Ray nodded. “She is. Don’t put up with any shit, though, I’ll tell you. Keeps me walkin’ the line.”

“Thought you two were quits.”

Ray’s cheeks reddened. “First time in a long time, sonny, I realized that I do not want to screw this one up. Went back, apologized for being an asshole. She took me back, on condition I go off on her again, I don’t come back.”

Jake thought about this. It seemed he and his father had both screwed up and been forgiven. Wasn’t that a fuckin’ trip. He and his old man, at the same stage in their respective romances.

“Know what you mean,” he said wryly. “Been learning how to apologize too.”

His father ducked his head and stared at his foot, scuffing the pattern in the carpet with his motorcycle boot. “Sonny…” He shook his head and Jake waited, frowning.

“What, Ray? Spit it out.”

“Just wanna say, your mama… She was hard on us both. Occurred to me lately, watchin’ Charlene with her boy, that I shoulda just taken you and split. Got you away from her.”

Jake shook his head. “Dad, appreciate the thought. But thinkin’ back, that probably wouldn’t have worked. If she’d called the cops on you, your next stint in jail you would’ve had noncustodial kidnapping charges to deal with too.”

Ray’s jaw tightened. “You’re right. She was just bitch enough to do it.” He looked at Jake. “Just to say, though, don’t you let what you saw with me and your mama screw up what you got with Carlie. It don’t have to be like that, all scratchin’ and clawin’.”

“I know. Carlie does too. She comes from class. She’ll also give me hell if I fuck up with her.” Or at least so he hoped, because he wasn’t altogether sure he would always know when he fucked up. He just knew he didn’t want to lose her again.

Ray poked him with an elbow, his eyes twinkling. “Lucky for us, we got what it takes to get ’em purrin’, eh?”

Jake winced. He did not need the image of Charlene and his father purring or anything else.

“Let’s go get a cup of coffee,” he said.

Charlene had to get back to take the afternoon shift at her bar, so after a visit that included two cups of coffee and a brief tour of Jake’s house and yard, Carlie found herself standing with Jake on his porch to wave them off.

“That was nice,” she said when the old truck had roared away, Jake’s street once again quiet. She looked up at him. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Yup. I’m good. Think my dad’s finally found a woman who can keep him out of trouble.”

Then he turned, his other arm sliding around Carlie as he brought her against him. He looked down at her. “You gonna keep me out of trouble?” he asked in a low voice that said he did not mean it.

She shook her head, giving him a teasing look. “Nope. You’re in charge, Sergeant.”

His gaze heated, his hand cupping her ass and squeezing. “That’s right. Glad you remember that. Think I’m ready to show you some of the trouble I got in mind for you.”

She shivered and then frowned. “Dinner with my folks. Can’t get in too much trouble.”

“We’ve got time.”

She shivered as she remembered some of things he’d promised her would happen next time she was restrained. “But the club’s closed on Sundays.”

Jake’s brows went up. “You think I got nothin’ here at my house?”

Her eyes widened with excitement and nerves, and it was his turn to smile wickedly. “My baby likes that idea. She’s hot, she’s sweet, and she’s ready.”

He stepped back, her hand in his, and led her inside and through the quiet house to his bedroom. At the foot of the king-size bed, he turned to her. His face was serious now, his gaze weighted with portent.

“Never brought a woman here before,” he told her. “You’re the first. The only.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She stared up at him, her free hand on his chest for support. “I am?”

He nodded. “And there’s somethin’ you need to know. We do this, here and now…it means somethin’ to me. Lot more than just a scene at the club. Means we’re together. So if you don’t want that, don’t trust me enough to really be with me, you need to tell me now.”

Happiness and fear swelled in equal proportions. But then sweet certainty settled in her, and she smoothed her hand up his chest to cup the wide, smooth, warm angle of his jaw. “I want this. I want you, Jake. And I trust you.”

His eyes blazed. “Good. Then come here.”

He kissed her, hard and deep, then lifted his head, both of them breathing hard. “You gonna be a good girl?”

Her pussy clenched at the hard note in his deep voice, the utter command in his silver gaze. “Yes, Jake.”

He nodded. “Good. Then strip for me.”

He watched as she drew her T-shirt and tank over her head in one motion, and shook her hair back. With his gaze on her, she unzipped her shorts and shimmied out of them.

“Pretty in pink,” he muttered. “Those are nice, though I’d love to see you in a thong again. If I buy you some more, you gonna wear ’em for me?”

“Maybe,” she said daringly.

His gaze narrowed. “Now that’s not my good sub talkin’.” He shook his head slowly. “Wasn’t plannin’ to do this today, but you leave me no choice.”

Alarm tightened her skin into goose bumps. “What? I was only teasing, Jake.”

He lifted his brows at her, and then reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it up, over his head. He tossed it aside and walked over to open a drawer in the large bureau by one wall, then sauntered back to sit on the bench seat of the chest at the end of the bed. He patted his thigh.

“You should know better than to tease your dom, baby. Now come here and take your punishment, and then we can get to the good stuff. Gonna eat your pussy before I fuck you.”

Carlie frowned at him indignantly. “Jake. I don’t—” she began, then bit her lip as he gave her a hard look, his brows coming together. She’d only meant to flirt a little.

But now she’d aroused Jake’s dominant side to full bore, and if she wanted Jake—which she did, desperately—she was going to have to do as he said.

She walked to him.

“Take off your panties,” he commanded quietly. She pushed them down and stepped out of them, standing before him in only her pink lacy bra, her skin so hot she felt as if she might burst into flames there before him.