Page 29 of What He Wants

“Sure.”

“We’ll bring the salad out first,” Allie chirped in, straining one of many colanders of spaghetti in a different sink on the other side of the room next to the stove. “Otherwise they’ll fall on the spaghetti like vultures and the salad will go to waste.”

Several laughs echoed through the huge kitchen. I was getting good at learning who the main women of the club were. Carol, whose only connection to the club was that she was Audra’s friend, had already taken out the bowls, plates, and silverware. Then there were Trish, Michelle, and Robin, who were wives of some of the club members. All of the ladies were sweet and easy going, the complete opposites of their spouses. Jasmine and I had already been invited to one of their girls’ nights out and a spa day. Michelle had suggested that it be at my salon, but I didn’t offer all the amenities they were looking for. Besides, who wanted spa day in their own place of work? I could do that anytime.

“Drinks are all set up.” Trish breezed through the swinging door from the restaurant.

“So are all the kids,” Robin added coming in right behind her. “Babies are strapped and locked into their highchairs, sippy cups in place.”

“Oh, and Clay and Big John have returned.” Trish shot me a wink.

Why did she give me a wink? Why not Jasmine? Jasmine and Clay were an item. I glanced at Jasmine, who was quickly exiting the kitchen with a kind of girlish excitement that made me smile in spite of it. Well, I wasn’t about to go out there running to Big John. I may have caught my breath at the sound of his name, my heart may have thumped a little harder in my chest, but not enough for me to make a fool of myself over that man. It was too soon for that.

The stupidity of that last thought wasn’t lost on me.

“Ready for the salad to go out?” I asked no one in particular.

“Yep.” Audra was the one who answered. “We’ll come back for the rest of the food when it’s time.”

One by one we filed out of the kitchen, and I brought up the rear with the huge bowl. I went directly to where the food was going to be set up. The ladies had done a nice job of fixing up a buffet style display, which seemed to work best for the amount of people present. As I made my way to the table I spied Jasmine and Clay, hand in hand, leaving the restaurant towards the direction of the bar. Their expressions revealed how captivated they were with each other, and it was clear that they were in a hurry to find a private corner somewhere for a more private welcome. Without being too obvious, I scanned the restaurant in search of Big John.

I tried not to feel hurt that he had not sought me out. After all, I was staying in his room. But I didn’t expect anything from the moody enforcer. I set the bowl down and turned to head back to the kitchen, halting abruptly when I pushed through the door to see Big John leaning against the counter, ankles crossed, looking all big and dangerous as he chugged down a beer. My heart jolted as our eyes clashed, and I felt a welcoming smile spread across my lips.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

“Hi.”

He lowered the bottle. “Hi.”

He always wore such an intense expression. I swallowed. He appeared worn and dusty, as if he’d just come home from a hard day’s work. His hair was tussled, the sun lines on the weathered skin of his face appeared deeper than they had before he’d left. It was a look that was sexy as hell on him. “Thirsty?”

Without looking, he reached behind him and set the bottle of beer down onto the counter and then straightened. I didn’t miss the way that his gaze moved over me in a lazy way that made my pulse jump. I caught my breath, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by his presence. He reminded me of a predator sizing up his next meal.

Or a lion picking up on the scent of a mate in heat.

He nodded at my question, and then slowly made his way toward me. “And hungry.” Before I knew what was happening, his hands were sinking deep into my hair and he was jerking me against him until we were flush. “Been thinking about this,” he growled, lowering his head and covering my mouth with his.

What began as a soft touch of the lips quickly turned into a deeper connection that signaled the intensity of our feelings for each other. It wasn’t love, no, it was physical. Something basic and raw, all-consuming. I came alive the instant our tongues thrust against each other and danced in an age-old battle that fueled other wants and needs within our cores. Big John was already hard, and he was grinding his cock against my lower belly as if he were a randy teenager trying to get off. I moaned low, welcoming the wildfire that was surging through me, hoping that my submission would encourage him to do whatever he wanted. He responded to our increasing arousal with a deep groan, letting his hands slide down my back to cup my butt.

I dropped my hands to his bulging biceps, clenching into the unyielding muscle. His large hands squeezed my ass, lifting me up until his cock was level with my pussy. I wrapped my legs around him and instantly arched into his huge erection, remembering how he had filled me, suddenly wanting nothing more than for him to be inside of me again. I’d never reached this level of need so quickly before with any other man, and from just a single kiss. It frightened me.

It took my breath away.

I finally had to pull away so that I could catch my breath. But Big John didn’t let me go far, keeping me up against him. I was aware of his arousal as we panted harshly against each other, our mouths just inches apart. I met the intense need in his dark eyes and saw the rough stamp of desire that was controlling his expression. My heart was pounding, my blood racing. It would have been so easy to forget where we were, but the bright lights of the kitchen prevented me from doing that.

“I think we’d better slow down,” I said unnecessarily, and, if I were being honest, reluctantly.

“This is slow for me,” he growled. “And don’t think where we are will stop me from fucking you.” I raised my brows at his explicit admission. “Just a warning, baby. For the future.”

The future? That sounded encouraging, yet caused immediate doubts to enter in my head. What each of us wanted for our futures might be very different. I’d heard talk about him, some of the old ladies had carefully offered up tidbits to me, and I was sure that they’d meant them as a warning. Big John had always been a loner unless he was spending time with one of his brothers or being entertained by one of the sweetbutts, and he’d preferred it that way. So his fascination with me, a civilian, had come as a surprise to everyone in the club.

Before I could comment, he was brushing my mouth lightly with his again, drawing a whimper of need from me. Our pelvises were still grinding against each other and I shivered as his cock rubbed over my clit mercilessly. I leaned back. The smirk on Big John’s face revealed that he knew how he was affecting me. He was torturing me with a promise that he knew he couldn’t possibly deliver considering that anyone could walk in on us at any time.

In retaliation of pure frustration, I leaned forward and buried my teeth into the area where his neck and shoulder met. I didn’t break skin, but I knew it was hard enough to hurt. His grunt sounded loudly throughout the kitchen, and he pulled away sharply to meet my eyes. Eyes dilated, nostrils flaring, teeth bared, he sucked in a breath. It was not the reaction I’d been expecting. His expression looked positively feral, and in a move that seemed too quick for a man his size, he crowded me back against the fridge.

“Oh, little girl, that was a big mistake.” Unexplainably I laughed at his rumbling threat. “You think this is funny?” My amusement fled instantly when I felt Big John’s hand at the front of my jeans. What was he going to do? “You don’t know me yet, but you’re going to learn who I am fast.” He expertly undid the snap and zipper. “You’re going to learn what I like. And I like pain, baby.” My eyes rounded when he parted the material and slipped his hand down into the front of my pants. “Pain is a sure-fire way of getting me to attack this pussy.” Without warning, his finger parted my folds and slipped inside.

“Oh!” I cried out, burying my face against his shoulder to drown out the sound. Big John didn’t play around. His finger went in deep, pulled out to the tip, and then sank back inside. His thumb stroked against my swollen clit, and not softly, either. It was clear that his roughness was a sort of punishment for my biting him, but it was a chastisement that electrified me. I’d never associated pleasure with pain, but the sharp sting of his fingers made me wet and hot between my legs.

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