Chapter 50

ZEKE

There’s one thing I can say for her: she’s an eager student. Not that I didn’t know that, but what we’re doing now is a little different from what we do without our clothes on. Sure, she was a quick study when it came to learning how to fuck, but this is different. This is grueling, even painful at times.

And it’s not easy for me, either. I wouldn’t admit it to her since I want her to give these lessons everything she’s got, but hearing her groan when she hits the floor or seeing her wince when she aggravates a body part that’s already bruised hurts a little.

If somebody attacks her, they’re not going to be merciful. Hurting her would be the point. I remind myself of this as I extend a hand to help her from the living room floor. “What did you learn that time?”

“Not to get in a fight with you?” She gets up slowly, rolling her shoulders. We’ve been at it for nearly an hour, and the strain is starting to show.

“Seriously. You have to take this seriously.”

At least she’s stopped asking why I’m so serious. “I have to plant my feet better, and I have to pivot with purpose.” She puts her hands on her hips, breathing heavy.

“That’s right. It’s not enough to throw your weight behind your movement. You have to know exactly why you’re doing it and its purpose. That way, you can focus. Otherwise, you’re flailing around like a fish, and you end up hitting the floor.”

“This would all be a lot easier if you would let me do what I want to do.” She stands with her back to my chest, positioning my arm across her as if I grabbed her from

behind. “I call it the sandbag.”

“And what is the sandbag?”

“This.” Suddenly she goes limp, dead weight, dragging me down with her. “See? I knock you off balance. I surprise you, and isn’t the element of surprise half the battle?”

“I never said that. And I never would.” Still, it takes effort not to laugh. “I don’t think we’ll be using the sandbag anytime soon.” I put her back on her feet, and she scowls.

“Whatever. I’m going to patent that move. Or trademark it or something, whatever applies.”

I would laugh it off if the memory of that note wasn’t so clear. You Can’t Protect Her. It’s been more than a week since I found it, and there haven’t been any follow-ups since. A random threat? From whom, though? Considering I was unaware of the boss having any enemies around here in the first place, it’s been a long, sleepless ten days. And I still can’t come up with an answer.

All I can do is prepare her as best I can—but the line between preparation and scaring the shit out of her is thin. I have to be sure I don’t cross it, or I’d run the risk of having her shut down on me.

“So?” She bounces on the balls of her feet, bubbling with excitement.

“So what?”

“You know what.” She scowls before poking me in the chest. “You promised if I did a good enough job today, we would do something cool. Considering I feel sore from head

to toe, I think I did pretty well.”

“Pretty well? I knocked you on your ass.”

“But I tried hard, didn’t I? And you can’t pretend I’m not getting better.” She’s got me there. She might not have a lot of physical strength, she’s quick, and she understands physics. You don’t have to be the strongest so long as you know how to leverage the strength you have.

Still, I pretend to think about it, letting her stew a little. When she’s as close as she’s going to come to boiling over without actually doing it, I give in. “Okay, let’s get

showered up, and we’ll do what I had in mind.”

“It’s not sex, is it?”

“And would that be so bad?”

“I’m just saying, is it something besides that?”

“Yes, and I’m going to try not to take it personally that you’re so concerned.” She only rolls her eyes before following me. I massage her shoulders, letting the hot water loosen them up for me. By the time we’re finished, she’s in considerably better shape.

And I’m considerably hornier, but then she always has that effect on me. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, where we are, the time of day. There’s never a time I don’t want her.

There’s something worse than that, though. I want to make her smile, and I think I might be able to do that today. “We’re going to take a ride on the Harley,” I announce. “There’s a great spot around half an hour from here. I checked it out on the map and looked at the pictures on Google Earth. I think you’ll like it.”

She smiles, happy, but I can still see a touch of uncertainty in her eyes. She doesn’t quite understand what the big deal is. But she will.

It feels too good, riding with her behind me, her arms around my waist. Her weight against my back. I could almost imagine things always being like this—and I know I need to stop. It’s no good, allowing my imagination to run away like that. It’s only going to end up biting me in the ass when the inevitable happens, and she moves on with her life. It’s going to happen someday. Her father’s going to find her a husband.

And every day I let pass without warning her is another day I’ve betrayed her. There’s no question in my mind that’s how she’ll take it. I can’t even say she would be wrong.

We reached the lake around three o’clock, meaning we have a couple of hours before it gets dark. The campground is virtually deserted at this time of year, giving us all the privacy and safety we need.

She gasps when I pull to a stop on the shore. “Wow. It’s gorgeous out here.” And it is. Peaceful, the water still as glass. The sky is the kind of deep blue it can only be at this time of year. I never much thought about it before now.

And when she turns to me with a smile, I’m fairly sure my heart stops. It takes so little to make her happy, unlike the bratty façade she put up to protect herself when she first came to live with her father. “It’s incredible. What made you think to come here?”

“That’s easy.” I put the kickstand in place before swinging a leg over the seat. “I’m teaching you the basics of riding a motorcycle.”

“What?” She’s loud enough to drive a few birds out of the trees, but she doesn’t notice them since she’s busy gaping at me. “You’re going to let me ride your bike?”

“Slow down,” I murmur, chuckling. “I’m going to be behind you the entire time. I would never step back and let you careen off into the water.”

“Thanks for all the faith you have in me.” But she can’t pretend she’s not thrilled.

“I just want you to pay attention. There may come a time when you have to make a quick getaway, and I want to make sure you at least know the basics if the Harley’s all you have at your disposal. Know what I mean?”

I can tell she’s troubled at the way I put that, but I can’t coddle her forever. “Got it. Teach me.”

I do, giving her the rundown of the basics. The intensity of her attention is almost cute. She wants so much to do well. By the time I tell her to get in position, she’s chewing her lip, caught between excitement and apprehension. “I’m not so sure.”

“You’re going to be fine. Remember, I’m right behind you. If you freak out, I’ll help you.” I mount behind her and repeat the instructions on how to use the throttle and brake. “The Harley comes with anti-lock brakes,” I assure her. “Still, take it easy. Don’t twist too hard. You’ll figure out the pressure. And don’t panic and hit the brake too hard.”

“Okay, okay.” I can tell she’s overwhelmed, but I couldn’t be more proud that she still wants to try. We shoot forward, and she squeals.

“Relax,” I remind her. “You’re doing fine.” Still, I’m ready to reach out and take control at any second. “I’m right here. You can do anything. I have faith in you.” “Really?” Her voice is soft, sweet. We pick up speed.

“Focus,” I remind her. This isn’t the time to swoon.

And she does focus, and after an hour, she’s more confident. We ride around the perimeter of the lake, taking our time, and it’s amazing to witness her attitude shift.

She’s not so stiff anymore. She actually laughs a few times. I’m so proud of her. Dammit, what the hell am I doing?

“That was amazing!” We stop at the place where we started, and she’s very careful to cut the engine before lowering the kickstand. “I feel incredible. Like I can do anything.”

She leans back against me with a sigh. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I slide my hands up her thighs before wrapping my arms around her, holding her close to me. We’re looking out over the lake, the sun setting, and I take a deep breath. Soaking it in. Part of me wishes we could stay this way forever. What’s happening to me? I don’t think things like that. I usually laugh at people who do.

Right now, though, the last thing I want to do is laugh.

When she turns her head, her lips grazing my jaw, I get the feeling she feels the same.

I wedge a hand between her thighs, glad she chose leggings today. “What are you doing?” she whispers, shocked.

“Nobody can see us. Nobody is here.” I apply pressure with my fingers, and she gasps softly. “Don’t tell me your blood’s not pumping. Don’t tell me it doesn’t feel good.”

“But we shouldn’t…” Her body’s reaction tells a different story, though. She doesn’t stop me from slipping my hand between her pants and her skin. She’s soaking wet, buzzing from the high of her first ride.

“You know you want to,” I whisper, nibbling her earlobe as I begin to finger her. She angles her hips to give me better access, and I chuckle. “I thought so.”

“What are you doing to me?” I could ask her the same question. Instead, I take my time licking her throat, sucking, scraping my teeth over the place where her pulse flutters. No matter how tight she presses her lips together, she can’t hold back a moan.

“So sweet.” My cock is hard as a rock, and I grind it against her ass, groaning when she pushes back against me. Urging me on. She can pretend all she wants to be a good girl, but deep down inside, she loves this. Loves the side of her only I can bring out. Loves being bad with me.

“Lean forward.” She places her hands on the grips so I can ease her leggings over her ass. She gasps when the cool air hits her warm cheeks, which I massage with both hands. One day I’ll take her ass—but for now, I’m satisfied with the idea of sinking in where it’s wet and warm and so, so tight.

I glance around once before freeing my cock, lining up with her waiting cunt. I drag my head through her wetness before impaling her.

“Oh my God,” she moans, her head falling forward, her hips moving in time with my slow, deep thrusts. “That is so good. So… so good…”

“Yeah, baby.” I place one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip, holding her steady. “Tell me how good it feels. Show me.” She moans, lost, moving faster. I slow down, letting her take what she wants. Letting her feel powerful while I have the pleasure of watching her slide up and down my length. My cock is coated with her juices, glistening in what little sunlight is left.

When her muscles begin rippling, I know she’s close. I reach around, cupping her plump little mound, working my fingers against her clit. “Come for me,” I grunt. “Squeeze my cock. Come on it.” She does as she’s told, barely holding back a broken sob before almost collapsing in a fit of spasms. I hold on, closing my eyes and willing myself not to let go. Not yet.

She makes a surprised sound when I withdraw and swing my leg over the seat to stand beside her. “Suck me off,” I growl, one hand on the back of her head while I feed her my cock with the other. She barely has time to part her lips before I push my way deep into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat hard enough to make her grunt.

But she takes me eagerly once the surprise wears off, tightening her grip around my shaft, her cheeks hollowing out while her head bobs up and down. She knows just how I like it, pressing her tongue along the underside, taking my entire length. “Good girl,” I murmur, groaning when my balls lift, my body tensing in preparation. “You’re so good to my cock.” She moans in response, only heightening the sensation.

My body jerks from the force of my release, and she still takes it, swallowing spurt after spurt of cum as I unload in her mouth. I’ve never met a woman who wasn’t at least hesitant about swallowing, but she does it eagerly. I don’t know whether it’s because she wants to or thinks it will please me. Either way, I’m not complaining.

When I withdraw, she looks up at me with a smile. Like she’s proud of herself. “It’s been a day of firsts, hasn’t it?”

As perverse as it is, the sight of her happy little smile at a moment like this goes further than anything else has toward breaking my heart open.

I am too far gone over this woman.

Yet all I can do when I look into her eyes is remember that note and the threat behind it. It was one thing to protect her when only my job was at stake.

Now? I’m afraid my heart might be in on it, too.