Taming Crow (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) (10 page)

Liar
, she said to herself.

Then because Crow honestly seemed bothered by the conversation she added, “You’ve been so great with Jett. It's not a stretch at all to think of you with a child of your own. It's just that I would have thought you would have said something by now… if you had one, that's all.”

Crow ran his hand through his hair and visibly relaxed.

“Well, I don’t, but you do. Pick out something for Jett.”

“What?” Melissa wasn’t sure she heard him right.

“Pick out something for Jett’s room.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not? The cottage was supposed to come furnished. Based on the shit you have in there now, I guess that didn't happen.”

Melissa reddened with embarrassment for the second time in the conversation. Granted there were no leather couches or long beautiful rustic tables, but she thought she had done okay.

“It did. I mean, it came with a few things, but I had to throw them out. They were musty. I can't have Jett around that kind of stuff.” She picked up most of her current furniture at yard sales.

“Pick out some things today and I’ll take care of it. Forget next month’s rent too.” Crow nodded in the direction of the furniture.

“You know I won’t agree to that,” Melissa told him.

“Yeah, I know. That's why I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. The contract says furnished house. You got shit for that. A couple of musty old couches and mattresses that you had to toss. I know you had to pay to have that shit taken away. Now your son is sleeping on what I guess is a budget mattress and God only knows what else you dug up to throw in that room. I'm making good on the lease, that’s all.”

“I did my best with what I had at the time, Crow.” She hoped the humiliation didn’t show on her face.

“I’m not saying you didn’t. I’m saying that you got the shaft and I’m trying to make it right.” Crow turned his attention fully on her now.

Melissa thought for a minute. He was right. If Crow were willing to stand by the lease and do better for her in his role of new landlord, then she would be a fool not to let him.

Melissa gave in. “Okay, you do have a point. And I think it’s important that Jett has a nice mattress. If you want to spring for that, I‘d appreciate it. And maybe a chest for his clothes or a desk. Either one is fine. I see a clearance sign in the back...”

“We are not getting clearance shit from the back.” Crow growled at the insult.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the nicer furniture in the front showroom. When Melissa hesitated and hemmed and hawed, carefully comparing prices and searching for the best value, Crow finally ran out of patience and took matters into his own hands. He picked out a high-end twin mattress and box spring set. At that, Melissa crossed her arms in front of her, remaining stubbornly resistant to the idea of spending more of his money. Crow took his revenge by purchasing a child-sized desk, a mirrored dresser and a bed frame that had drawers of storage on the bottom perfect for holding the gathered treasures of a little boy.

At the thought of how excited Jett was going to be, Melissa’s heart swelled and she quickly let go of her snit. But still she really didn’t know what to say or how to thank Crow and her awkward attempts at expressing her gratitude were met with scowls from Crow. So she just smiled at the saleswoman as she rung up the additional purchases.

When they were all done, Melissa glanced at the wall clock. It was early afternoon. The day stretched long before her. She let out a small sigh. She hadn't realized until now what a prison the house had become. Not yet. She did not want to go back yet.

“Ready?” Crow asked her.

“Can we take the long way home?” she surprised him by asking.

“We aren’t going home,” he said looking pleased with himself.

“We aren’t going home?” Melissa echoed.

“Thought we’d head up the coast for a while. Maybe catch some lunch? You good with that?” Crow asked.

Like he’d read her mind. Melissa nodded.

The rain had held out, but the sky was still cloudy and it had turned a bit cooler. The fresh, clean scent of warm rain lingered and mixed with the salty sea air. As they drove along the interstate Melissa let herself be taken away by the thrust of six hundred pounds of raw power and chrome rumbling beneath her.

It seemed like only minutes before they left the busy highway for the much narrower coastal country route. The sound of the engine roared in her ears and coupled with the misty spray of the ocean as it pounded up and over the close sea wall. The sights and sounds of the ride held Melissa captive in a way nothing had in a long time. The route had only two lanes, which made riding tricky on a tight curve. Melissa had to shift her weight, hold Crow close and lean in hard. With every balanced move, Melissa felt a kind of freedom that she had all but forgotten existed. Her life was in another person's hands and instead of feeling a crippling fear at the thought of that loss of control she reveled in it.

On one particular tight curve something happened. Melissa felt her last bit of fear join the outgoing tide. In its place the seeds of growing trust sprouted and blossomed. For the first time in a very, very long time Melissa felt safe and protected in the hands of someone else.

In Crow’s hands.

At the exact moment, he hit a long stretch of straight road and went full throttle. The abrupt increase of speed spiraled Melissa even further into a feeling of pure and utter exhilaration. She tightened her hold on Crow and rested her head easily against the soft worn leather of his jacket.

The sea wall gave way to a wind fence now. Melissa knew that one hard sandy gust across the road would have the same effect as an oil slick and send them into a jagged glide to certain death. But there was no wind today and she could see that the road ahead was clear. Still a measure of relief coursed through her body when Crow geared down. When the scream of the wind became a low howl and the blur of the white line came into focus, Melissa realized that Crow had pushed it to the limit before he pulled back.

She knew exactly how he felt.

It had been a great day. A perfect day.

And within the perimeter of that great, perfect day, Melissa had not missed the stir that Cro
w’
s presence caused. Even without his colors on,Cro
w’
s long dark hair, chiseled good looks, and inked body screamed
beautiful bad man
.

He turned heads wherever he went, no doubt about it.

Melissa was not sure what people expected when they saw her behind him, but she was pretty sure she did not measure up. Nor had she cared.

Until lunch.

At the restaurant, Melissa was surprised to find herself wishing that she had applied that extra layer of mascara and had thrown on the red lace push-up bra.

And it was all because of the waitress—“Kitten,” per her name badge, who looked at Crow like he was something to eat and at Melissa like she was something to step on.

Kitten.

Kitten had on a lot of make-up, a shirt and skirt that looked like they were painted on her and stiletto heels that must have had her feet screaming
help
me
about five minutes into her shift. Kitten unfastened two more buttons on her shirt before she even approached the table.

Melissa saw her do it and when their eyes met, the waitress issued Melissa a challenging smile.

As Melissa watched Kitten work the cleaning rag she had no doubt at all that slinging hash at the Checkerboard Lunch Counter was the waitress’s second and much less lucrative job. Melissa watched on with a sort of awe while Kitten concentrated on dipping, arching and reaching past Crow to wipe off the already clean table. When the little performance was over, the waitress was actually panting at him. When Kitten’s eyes finally settled on Crow, they held such a look of intense promise that it made Melissa blush scarlet.

Self-conscious now, Melissa’s hands reached up on their very own to smooth the imagined wrinkles in her demure sweater. Crow’s eyes caught the subtle movement and swept over Melissa. He looked like he was about to say something when the waitress took the opportunity to dip low and get in between their line of vision. Melissa watched on incredulously as Kitten leaned a hand on the back of the booth behind Crow, moved in closer and asked in a sultry voice “What’s your pleasure?”

Crow turned all his attention to the waitress then. He pushed her hand out of the way and stood up, leaning in to say something that only she could hear. As Melissa watched on in mute fascination, the waitress’s smug come-hither look turned into something else entirely. Whatever Crow said to her must have made Kitten rethink her performance because suddenly she gasped, pursed her lips together and quickly began to button up her shirt. Then she turned wide eyes to Melissa, murmured something that sounded like an apology and then off she went.

At a dead run. Out the door.

Melissa watched on in absolute silence while the three remaining waitresses high-fived each other at their co-worker's hasty retreat. Crow ordered a couple of burgers and beers from a smiling young girl who looked at Melissa like she was a demigod. The rest of the time passed smoothly and by the end of the meal Melissa had almost forgotten the incident with Kitten had happened.

Almost. But not quite. She smiled all the way home.

Melissa sighed as she got off the bike, handed the helmet to Crow and vowed silently to have many more of this kind of day. She needed to get out more. She needed to take Jett out more. It was time. Maybe even past time, but better late than never.

“Thanks for a really lovely afternoon. And for the furniture. Jett is going to be so excited. I'm afraid you're not going to hear the end of it.” Melissa smiled at him.

Crow nodded, looked into her eyes and smiled back.

A silence that was at once both awkward and comfortable filled the space between them. Crow was first to break it.

“I’ll walk you back to the cottage. I just want to check that measurement again before they deliver the flooring. I don’t like the feel of that soft spot in the kitchen and I want to get going on that as soon as I can.” Crow explained.

They paused in the yard just outside the kitchen door while Melissa fumbled for her keys. He stopped her with his hand just as she was about to unlock the door and step inside.

“Melissa? Too many dark corners? Too many walls separating one life from another? Was it like that for you with Jesse?” Crow asked.

“I should go…” She stepped away from him.

“Wait.”

Melissa felt her heart race and realized she was holding her breath. Crow hesitated and appeared to choose his words carefully.

“Are you ever gonna tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About the life you had before you came here.”

“Why? What does it matter?” Melissa asked.

“I’m curious.” Crow answered.

“I don’t really like talking about myself,” Melissa shook her head slowly.

“Probably why I’m so fucking interested,” he said.

Melissa smiled a bit then and she moved to open the door.

“Come on in and get those measurements.”

Once they were inside Melissa turned to Crow who was watching her carefully and did not look in the least bit interested in measuring anything. He seemed to expect her to say something, so she did.

“There’s really not much to tell. Jesse died, Jett got sick and we wound up here. See? Like I said, pretty simple story and I don’t really want to talk about this anymore.” Melissa said.

“I don’t want to talk any more either.” Crow’s eyes darkened. Then he moved towards her. He held her eyes as his hand lightly trailed her collar bone. It lingered on the pulse on her neck before it moved upward and his thumb settled and grazed on the soft fullness of her lower lip. Then Crow shifted and his fist tugged on the mass of soft curls. He pulled on her hair just hard enough on to tilt her face up to him. His breath blew hot against her cheek. He moved his hand from her hair and pressed firmly against her spine. Then with one quick hard motion, Crow plastered Melissa’s body against him. Melissa shivered and tensed at the full frontal contact. She let out a long low questioning sigh and pulled slightly away from him.

“Easy, baby,” he growled low to her.

Time stood still for her. Every cell in her body cried out to him, but still he waited. When Melissa made a slight shift towards him, Crow was ready. He held her tightly while she arched her back and pushed her breasts against him. He buried his hands deeper inside her hair and began to place soft wet kisses on her neck.

“I should…,” she whispered.

She felt his hand leave her hair and move to her waist. Then he slipped another palm upward to cup her swollen breasts.

“I…need…,” she whimpered.

“I know what you need,” he said against her lips.

At his words Melissa found herself caught in a swirling dizzy kaleidoscope of sensation.

She almost stopped breathing.

She definitely stopped thinking.

Crow’s callused hands and full bruising mouth seemed to touch her everywhere, leaving a wet burning trail on her skin. Her breasts swelled in a soft welcome against Crow’s hard chest while her mouth met his in a dance that went from gentle to demanding and back again. Melissa whimpered when she felt his teeth bite softly into her bottom lip.

As if on their own, her arms moved up and cupped the back of Crow’s head. She pulled him down and closer as her tongue sought his out again and again. When he lifted her with easy strength and pressed her back against the wall, Melissa wrapped her legs around his waist.

She gave herself to Crow with all the yearning of a woman who had gone without the touch of a man for far too long. He stilled with surprise as he whispered her name in the form of a question against her mouth. She answered by deepening her kiss, widening her legs and pressing her heat against him. Melissa’s hips ground out invitation after invitation, freeing herself from any thought but the way her body felt against his. She gave in to every throbbing need, every heated thought, every lustful pleasure her body yearned for. She became someone else in the arms of this beautiful outlaw man. It had been so long that she’d lived under that heavy blanket of loneliness. She was suddenly unleashed and determined to recover some of what she had lost.

“Gonna take you to bed now, baby,” Crow whispered low into her ear.

Melissa buried her head into his shoulder as he carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He placed her down on the mattress and pulled away just long enough to pull his shirt over his head. Melissa caught a too-quick glance of Crow's bronze muscled stomach before he was back on her. His strong hands grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it up over her head. The motion took her arms with it. They remained captive in the tangled sweater and left Melissa at Crow's mercy. He held her two small tangled wrists in one big hand and unbuttoned her pants with the other one.

In one fluid motion, Crow slid Melissa's jeans quickly down her hips, tossed them aside and settled himself against her the lacy silk of her panties. She twisted and arched her back against the hand imprisoning her and moaned his name when he took her nipple roughly in his mouth. When he released her to stand and tug off his jeans off, she pulled her arms out of the sweater and reached back to unfasten her bra, letting her breasts bounce free.

Melissa knelt on top of the bed next to where Crow stood against it and began to explore him with her mouth. She moved from side to side working her way up his gloriously hard stomach until her lips touched his chest. Crow let out a soft growl as Melissa captured his strong hands into her smaller ones. When she sucked on his nipple and bit it gently in an imitation of what he had done to her, Crow lost all restraint and threw her on her back. Melissa felt the weight of his body cover her and the pressure of his cock push against the soft silk of her panties.

“You ready for me, baby?” His fingers slipped inside the soft lace. Through a haze of yearnings and aches and an emptiness that was waiting to be filled, Melissa felt the cool air hit her hot center.

Crow had slipped off her panties.

She moaned when he pulled away from her and bit her lip to keep from screaming out in frustration of losing the heavy heated promise of his body. When Melissa heard the crinkle of a condom package being ripped open, the sound wrenched her from the whirling sensations of blinding pleasure and sent her spiraling back to earth.

Crashing back to earth.

Back. To. Earth.

Where Melissa landed so hard in a tailspin of emotion that it brought tears to her eyes.

And that is when she began to cry.