Page 21 of Patch's Bride
“Sounds great if you’re sober enough to get us home at the end of the night, I’m not sure I’m up for crashing on a sofa,” she says with a smile.
“Brothers usually spend the night at the end of their patching party. We get the best suite in the house. You up for that?”
She nods enthusiastically. “I never got to party like this before. My mom thought drinking parties were sinful.”
Helping her up, I ask, “What do you think about drinking parties?”
“I think everything is good in moderation. And if I drink too much, I trust you to look out for me.”
When we make it back to the main room, the bar is full of brothers and their old ladies, prospects, and club girls. Rick is behind the bar, wearing his prospect’s vest, and drinks are flowing. Music thumps through the speakers, and everyone seems to be having a wonderful time. I keep Beth at my side, with her arm looped through mine. I don’t want to let her out of my sight, even for a moment.
When the brothers keep coming to shake my hand and congratulate me, I introduce Beth. “This is my old lady, Beth.”
They take a look at my Beth and start telling me how fuckin’ lucky I am. The single brothers are envious. I can see it in their faces, and I don’t blame them. I used to be envious of Siege, Rigs, Rider, and the others who’d all found their old ladies. I have to remind myself that she’s not really my old lady and that it’s just an arrangement.
Sharon beams, giving Beth’s shoulder a little squeeze. Beth seems happy while she’s at my side, so I guess I fixed whatever had made her anxious before. The knowledge that I made things better made me proud.
Rigs climbs onto a chair and lifts his glass high, his voice booming across the room. “A toast to Patch. A brother we all know and respect.”
The room erupts in shouts, and beer bottles clink together. Tank brings two shots—one for me and one for Beth—pressing them into our hands. We clank the glasses together and down them in one go. I practically choke on the sweet liquor. “What the hell was that?” I ask.
“Amaretto,” Tank replies, standing beside his much younger wife. “Thought your old lady might like it better than whiskey.”
I glance over to find Beth running her finger around the glass before licking it clean. She catches me watching her and puts the glass down. “It’s really delicious.”
“That’s because it’s made from sweetened almonds.” Holding out my hand, I ask, “Do you want to dance with me, sweetheart?”
She blushes but slips her hand into mine. I love everything about my patching party. But the best part is holding Beth close. I enjoy her soft body brushing against mine so much that I feel like I’m edging into dirty old man territory. As we dance, I watch Tank across the dance floor with his old lady. Ivy is probably a decade or more younger than him, but they seem to be doing fine. Seeing them together makes me want things I have no business even considering.
Every time I look down at her, I see her awe-inspired expression and realize being with me is very different from anything she’s known before. This is her experiencing the world for the first time. I bet she’s never even been kissed before.
We move together, our movements match the slow beats of the music. Her body burrows closer to mine. Her head is resting on my chest. When she tilts her head back and her eyes find mine again, everything drops away. There is no loud laughter,pool sticks clacking against balls, people shouting about an inside straight, or even music filling my ears. It’s just Beth and her pretty blue eyes. Beth and her soft skin. The way she looks at me, like I saved her from a fate worse than death.
Without thinking, I dip my head and ghost my lips across hers in the tenderest kiss I’ve ever given. She freezes in place for a second as though she was caught off guard. Then her arms come up and circle around my neck, and she pulls me closer. The kiss deepens until we’re tangling tongues, hot and heavy.
We break apart to the sound of whistles and voices booming with approval. Of course, they are, because they think we’re newlyweds.
Beth’s cheeks are pink. She doesn’t turn away, though. She drags me back down for another kiss. And I let her, reveling in this attention she’s giving me on my special day. There’s a little warning bell going off in the back of my head, but I don’t pay it any attention. I’m stranded in the moment, unable to think clearly.
I keep one arm wrapped around her waist, while the other slips up to cup the back of her head. It gives me the control I need to plunder her mouth until we’re both breathless. When she breaks the kiss, she looks up at me wide eyed. Her lips are parted and she’s breathless.
Jolting back to my senses, I turn my head to look around the room. I catch Roxy, throwing us the dirtiest dirty look for no reason in the world. Everyone is happy and enjoying the party, their attention already moving past mine and Beth’s kiss.
Beth turns to see what I’m looking at just in time to see it too. I tighten my grip on her waist, anchoring her against me. I don’t know what Roxy is up in arms about, but I want her to know that Beth is mine and she should stay far away from her with allthe negative crap she normally spews at new women we bring around.
The music rolls into another slow song, so we keep moving. Beth’s arms go up around my neck again and her body drifts closer to mine as we move. The sound of her laughter is like music when I dip her backward unexpectedly. I want this night to last forever, but the brothers begin drifting off in the wee hours of the morning. Eventually, it’s just the two of us having one last, lingering slow dance. It feels like we’re the last couple at prom and trapped in our own bubble. Someone dimmed the lights on the way out, leaving a couple of wall sconces and the light from a large aquarium to light our steps.
By now, we’ve both drunk more than is advisable. Our dance is less coordinated and more like just cuddling on the dance floor. We’ve kissed a dozen times, each better than the one before.
Chapter 8
Beth
When I wake up the next morning, my head is pounding and my mouth is dry. I’m also covered only in a sheet and am hot. Then I realize that there’s a big, solid, warm body beneath me. Holy shit, how did I end up lying on top of another human being? It takes me a second to realize both our warm bodies are totally naked. Opening my eyes, I realize I’m on Patch and he’s still sound asleep. Oh, my God. What did we do?
That’s when I start to panic for real. I grab the sheet and drag it up around my body and scramble off him. My legs tangle in the covers, and I flail for a second, falling back down on him. Because of course I do, being graceless and desperate to put distance between us is not a great combination. To keep from hyperventilating, I throw a blanket over his naked body so I don’t have to stare at his enormous cock while I try to gather my wits about me.
Of course, my awkward movements wake him. He stirs under the blanket, letting out a deep, rough groan. Thankfully, he flops back over and puts his pillow over his head. It gives me a moment to think without having to deal with him.
