Page 36 of Loving Smoke

He dipped his head and covered my lips with his, then his tongue explored my lips until both of us were in a heated kiss. Just like last night his mere touch set off a fire within me which settled at my core.

“I hope this beach you got in mind is real secluded.”

“It is.” Except my father’s villa overlooks it on the cliff above.

“Good, cause I have a feeling we’re gonna need all the privacy we can get.”

He broke away from my lips and when he stepped back I gripped a nearby chair for balance.

He smiled the same sly smile from last night when he caught me checking out his shapely, firm ass. Ohhh, this was not good. Not good at all.

Smoke grabbed up my hand. “Let’s get outta here before I bend you over this barstool and take you from behind again.”

Yup, my research was right—bikers took what they wanted when and where they wanted it. I just had to stay in character and remind myself this was all an act and meant nothing.

He led me to the back of the club, then out the door and into the lot where his motorcycle awaited us. He reached into the compartment on the side, pulled out a helmet and handed it to me. I fumbled with the strap until he pushed away my hands, adjusted it, then climbed on the huge beast.

“Get on,” he ordered, then lifted the kickstand and kicked the machine to life. “Hold on like last time and move with me.”

I nodded and he throttled the handlebar, steered us out of the back lot and onto the street. Our last ride only lasted a few blocks, but I knew the ride back to the beach would take us at least a half hour. A good thing because I actually enjoyed riding, but a bad thing because the combination of being plastered to his back and the vibration of the bike already had me aroused. By the time we reached our destination I might not be able to control myself.

I noted how Smoke obeyed all the traffic laws and I didn’t feel afraid at all. Seems although he dealt in all kinds of nefarious deeds, driving recklessly wasn’t one of them. Probably because bikers held their bikes in the highest esteem. Higher even than their women. More endless research.

The Baja Coast mixed high cliffs overlooking the beaches with flat coastlines way below sea level. Smoke rested his hand on my thigh as the magnificent view spread before us. I yelled directions to him over the rumbling of the Harley and we made our way down a winding road cut into the cliffs. Then we ventured off the road to a narrower path leading to the beach.

Smoke pulled off the road and onto a small paved area where he could park his bike a few feet from the beach. He cut the engine then jerked his chin at me to dismount. When I did, I faltered and he caught me around the waist.

“Sorry.” I laughed, not quite sure if it was the almost orgasm I had on the bike or being hugged up against this man for the last hour.

“Happens when you’re not used to riding.”

Okay, so it had nothing to do with my out of control body or the roughed up biker pulling me against his rock hard body. Right.

Smoke stored our helmets, grabbed my beach bag and a bag he’d stored in the cooler side of the bike’s compartment. Seems one could fit quite a few things in a motorcycle.

We made our way over the sand and settled on the side of a small rock formation a few feet from the breaking waves. He spread out a huge blanket, then toed off his boots, removed his cut and folded it placing it on the blanket. I’d noticed the same reverence regarding his cut last night even in the heat of passion. When he pulled his t-shirt over his head I was once again face to chest with his scrolling tats and taut muscles. He seemed totally comfortable in his own skin and I envied him. Like many women I worried about every imagined flaw on my body.

“Love the beach.” He drew in the salt air and exhaled. “Nothing like it.”

“I agree. It’s such a force of nature. I could watch the waves all day long.” Many days I did just that from the terrace surrounding my room. The same terrace we could see if we walked a few more yards down the beach.

Smoke sat down on the blanket totally at ease, as my insides tightened to the point of pain. Playing a role was one thing, and concocting this scheme on paper seemed like the perfect scenario when I’d texted him this afternoon—now the reality of what would probably happen again filled me with anxiety. I wanted it to happen because it was the best sex I’d ever experienced and it played into the scam. On the other hand, guilt twisted inside me even when I reminded myself who Smoke was and what was at stake.

Manny would’ve been much better for this job. Since he was little he’d figured out ways to get extra candy from their nanny, extend his bedtime, and make anyone believe the most outrageous stories.

I, on the other hand, never cheated on a test and graduated with honors. I followed the rules, and respected authority. Sounded strange with my background, but my upbringing was actually very chaste. The boarding schools I attended based their foundation on trust and honesty . . .

Smoke brushed his lips over mine and it jolted me back to the present.

I had to get out of my head because concentrating on the end game would be a matter of life or death.

14

Istretched out my legs and leaned back on my hands studying Marisol out of the corner of my eye. I couldn’t quite figure her out. Last night she fell into my arms and then fell into my bed with absolutely no reservations. We’d taken and given to each other and not once did she protest. Then today she texted me and made this date, yet now she seemed tentative like maybe she’d made a mistake.

I unzipped the canvas cooler I kept in my saddlebag and pulled out two bottles of beer. I flipped both the caps and handed one to her. I wasn’t the guy who needed to get a girl drunk, but she looked like she needed this more than me.

She took the beer but didn’t drink it.

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