23. Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three

Jake

If I couldn't have Clara wrapped around me on the back of my bike, I was content to eat her dust as she flew past me on hers. Nothing sexier than a woman who knew how to handle the powerful machine between her legs and wasn't afraid to show off.

Since the first time I met her for lunch at her office, we'd gone riding together once and had had a few more lunches when our schedules allowed. Mine was a hell of a lot more flexible than hers, but it was by design. I didn't thrive under rigid routines, but I understood Clara lived and died by her calendar. No one worked their way as high as she had, family business or not, by not being dedicated.

Now, it was Sunday, and after having Sage home for a week, she'd gone back to her mom's. Clara and I had the rest of the day and night to play on the road and whatever else we decided to get into.

This wasn't a date, though. She hadn't planned it, so I wasn't counting it.

It was just a day out with my girl, letting the fresh air and sunshine soak into my bones while drinking my fill of her. The sips I'd gotten over the past two weeks had been delicious, but they hadn't been enough to sustain a man.

We rode on back roads, twisting and winding until we found the biker bar we'd been aiming for. I pulled into the spot beside Clara and paused to watch her climb off her bike.

The helmet came first. She tugged it off and tousled her hair like she was in a shampoo commercial, letting it swish around her shoulders. Then she shrugged off her leather jacket and raised her arms over her head, giving her back a long, thorough stretch. A swath of soft ivory belly peeked from between her jeans and top, and her tits strained the thin cotton fabric. Once she was done, she turned toward me, finding me watching. A grin as wide as a mile stretched across her pretty face.

"Are you going to get off or stare at me all day?" she teased.

"I was hoping to do both."

She circled around her bike and sidled up beside mine, taking my hand in hers. "Get your ass off that bike and flirt with me then. We'll see what happens."

I climbed off and wound my arms around her waist, pulling her against me. "I've been watching that glorious ass of yours all spread out on your seat for the last hour and a half, mama. I'm barely standing. If you think I have enough brain cells left to flirt smoothly, you obviously haven't taken a look at your ass lately."

"You're right, I haven't. But I must say, that was very smooth, Jake Hayes." She tapped my chest and flashed a sassy little grin. "Keep it up. For now, I'm parched and could use a drink."

"Then by all means, lead the way. Can't have my girl going thirsty."

The bar was little more than a shack with three open sides. All types of bikers, from grizzled and old to fresh hobby riders, were scattered around, having a drink and shooting the shit with like-minded folks. Most of their heads would probably explode if they knew they were now in the company of motorcycle royalty.

Clara leaned her middle against the bar, and I lowered my mouth to her ear. "The queen of Rossi is in their presence, and they have no idea."

She tipped her head back and lowered her lashes. "The queen, huh? I think I prefer being the king's advisor. We both know they have the real power."

"Are you saying you have power over Luca?"

She chuffed. "Not quite. But he respects what I have to say and is always open to listening to me."

"Love that for you, sweetness."

The bartender slid two cold ones in front of Clara, and she turned around to pass me mine.

"Jeremy doesn't listen to you?"

I clinked my bottle against hers. "We don't have the kind of relationship you and Luca do. I'm at MZ to pick up the pieces Jer can't juggle and support him when he needs another voice on his side. Make no mistake, one person is the head of MZ—and it's not me."

"Hmmm." She sipped her beer and said nothing else, even though it was obvious there were a hundred things on the tip of her tongue.

"You can say anything to me. I don't get offended easily."

She waved me off. "Nothing. It's just…I don't see you as a support-and-be-quiet man. You're smart; you know your way around your product and your shops. It seems to me your insight would be invaluable."

She was treading into uncomfortable territory—a place I didn't like to think about existing because, at this stage, there was nothing I could do about it.

"Thank you for your confidence in me." I dipped my head to trace my lips along the side of her graceful neck. "It is what it is. It's not forever, but it is where I need to be right now. Get me?"

She leaned into me, fisting my shirt. "I get you. I don't know how you and Jer work, but if you say it's how it needs to be, I'll believe you." Her palm flattened, settling over my heart. "I want you to be happy, Jake."

I slid my hand down, squeezing her plump ass. "I'm happy as a clam right now. Can't think of anywhere I'd rather be."

That was the god's honest truth. I'd been sinking fast for this woman, thinking about her more often than not, wondering what she was doing when we weren't together, wishing she was beside me in my bed when I went to sleep.

I would never resent my daughter, and I was still steadfast in my resolve to keep my relationship with Clara away from her. My resentment toward Andrea, on the other hand, had been renewed. If Sage hadn't been hurt, devastated, destroyed…if we hadn't gone through what we had, I might've been able to bend—to have the kind of time with Clara I craved, where it didn't feel so much like getting away with a crime.

We drank our beers and moved over to the jukebox, picking a few tunes we surprisingly agreed on. Clara swayed her rounded hips to the easy beat of the first song she'd chosen, her focus solely on me.

"Come here, Jacob. Dance with me for a minute or two."

I glanced toward the open space in front of the jukebox. It might've been intended as a dance floor but more likely served as standing space for when this place got crowded. That might've been due to the fact that Clara was one of four women in the bar and these men weren't the type to dance with each other.

If I didn't dance with her right now, she wouldn't have to look far for someone else to partner with her. The little shit who'd been checking her out by the bar. The grandpa with the white beard down to his chest and gleam in his eye as he watched her. The table of yuppie city boys who must've recognized Clara for the fine, upper-class woman she was and wanted a piece.

The kicker was, she had no idea. Clara was all about me. Smiling at me. Holding her hands out to me. Swaying those sexy hips in my direction. Her laser-focused attention was a powerful thing. It filled me with confidence in her feelings for me and fed my ego just the right amount. To have a woman like her all about me meant I was doing something right, and I fully intended on continuing so I could have more of this.

Hand around her waist, the other holding hers, I staked my claim. Our boots touched, side to side, as I slid my thigh between hers. She let me lead, giving it to me naturally. I wasn't an experienced dancer, but I could wind my girl around the dance floor so long as I had her soft body moving against mine.

The warmth of her core seeped through her jeans into mine. Knowing her pussy was resting on me was enough to thicken my cock, but that was all I'd allow. There were too many eyes on her—on us —for me to touch her how I wanted. No one else got to see what she gave me. That would come later. For now, it was about closeness and our rhythm.

She laughed in my ear, and lightness filled my chest like helium. Then we were singing along together, moving our lips in time to the lyrics, smiling as I rocked her, turned her, took her with me. This was our first, second, third dance together, but it easily could have been our hundredth for as in sync we were. That might've been because she trusted me enough to follow me, and I knew the movements of this woman's body well.

When our songs ran out, we didn't have to discuss whether it was time to go. We just walked hand in hand out of the bar. I held Clara's leather jacket out for her, and she slipped her arms into it, then I zipped it to the top.

"You look good in leather, mama." I ran my hands down her arms and my nose along hers. Her lips tempted me more than anything ever had, but if I kissed her now, I wouldn't be able to stop. "Need to find someplace to be with you."

She nodded, our noses bumping more. "I need that too."

"I'm going to lead."

"Okay," she whispered. "Take me where you want me."

Oh, I will, sweetness. I will.