Chapter 4

JoeJoe

My eyes flutter open as an exquisite feeling runs through me. Riff is between my legs, feasting away. Again. The man wasn't kidding about setting up shop. He can't seem to get enough of me. Not that you'll ever hear me complaining. He definitely knows what he's doing with his tongue.

I feel two fingers sink inside my body and crook to the spot that has me gushing down his wrist. And when his lips suction my clit at the same time as he presses on my G-spot, I go off. I plunge right into the depths of the sea of absolute ecstasy and drown in the sensations hitting me wave after wave. I never want to come back afloat. I want to sink in the pleasure.

He gives me one last slow sensual kiss before sliding back up my body with a sexy grin.

"Morning, babe."

They're just two benign words uttered in his raspy, sleepy voice, yet they do something to me. They especially do something to the muscle inside my chest, which has been pounding hard ever since he kissed me last night. I knew I'd be in trouble if I ever let things get this far, and I was right to think that. Although, I have no regrets right now, not with the way he's smiling down at me.

"Mmm… You're spoiling me," I tease. "A girl could get used to being woken up like that."

He swoops in and steals another kiss from my lips, melting me to the core again.

"Well, you better get used to it, angel, because I found my new favorite breakfast."

I shake my head at the ridiculous man, who looks ridiculously sexy for this early in the morning. He props himself up on his arms, moving above me, and then I feel him sink inside my entrance. Ever so slowly. And… mmm… it's so good. He keeps pushing forward until he's fully seated and filling me to the brim.

Damn, he's spoiling me with his big cock, too. Honestly, he's more like ruining me for all other men. Because after experiencing Riff, I don't think anyone else will ever compare. I definitely know anyone from my past has never even come close to making me feel as good as he does.

"God, baby. I'm never going to get over how incredible this little pussy of yours feels," he groans as his hips begin giving me slow, hard pumps, always making sure his pelvis brushes over my swollen clit each time he rocks forward, and making it feel just as good for me as I can tell it does for him. "You're so damn sexy." His eyes stare right into mine, never budging. Never releasing me from their desire. "So damn sexy, and so damn sweet."

He tilts himself to hit my G-spot on his next thrust in, and my back arches off the bed. I'm so close to the edge now. The delicious tension is winding tighter.

"That's it, baby. Come for me. Come all over my cock and let me know exactly who owns this hot little pussy."

His thrusts grow faster. His pumps harder. Each stroke of his elicits incredible sensations. And as he continues to pound into me, I fall right over the cliff. Once again, feeling as though my world has been rocked by this man. He follows right after me, and when he pumps his seed into me, the hope for a happy accident crashes into my thoughts.

What the hell am I thinking?I shake the absurdity away before I let any part of it take root in my mind or heart because that's never gonna happen.

Riff drops to my side, flipping onto his back and taking me with him. His satisfied smile makes my chest feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I like knowing the man who's haunted by so many demons is at peace right now because of me. I quickly prop myself up and start studying all the tattoos painted across his chest, needing a distraction from the unwelcome emotion trying to take hold.

I look at his Savage Knight tattoo which all the men of the club have in one place or another, then I begin studying the other intricately webbed designs running over his shoulder and chest. The most prominent one is the demon who's squeezing a heart in its hands. A heart that is bleeding black tears over an infant baby boy drowning in a puddle of those tears. Within the waves of the black water is a set of Roman numerals, something written in Latin, and finally, the name Bronson.

Judging by the details of the picture, I'm guessing it wasn't just some tattoo he picked from a book or a random design from an artist. I'm guessing that everything on his body has a meaning. I wonder what this one in particular means.

"Why this, Riff?" I run my fingers over the image, trailing them over every detail of the intricate design. I look up when the silence grows long. There's a look in his eyes I don't recognize, and it's making my chest tighten. Finally, he breaks the intense stare and I can take a breath again.

"My parents met when they were in high school. They married after graduation and decided to stay local and start a family right away. My mom always swore my dad was her soul mate and that she knew from the moment she laid eyes on him he was the one." He softly tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, looking caught in his past."When she became pregnant with me, he ended up having an affair on her."

I shake my head. Why are all men the same? Well, most. There are still some good ones out there who believe in being faithful, but they're definitely hard to come by.

"When she found out it was happening, she confronted him. Apparently, well, according to my grandmother, my dad told my mom it was because she was having such a hard pregnancy, and his affair had just been about the sex. Nothing more."

My blood boils just listening to him speak of his father's infidelity. It's obvious by Riff's tone that he has a distaste for the man and disagrees with his actions as well, which gives me hope that maybe Riff is one of the good ones and didn't get passed the cheating gene.

"She forgave him, and things went back to normal," he continues. "But then I came along, and once again, he stepped out on her."

God, that's horrible. The poor woman had just had a baby. I can't even fathom. I'm hoping this time she finally learned her lesson and left the cheating bastard.

"This time, he told her it was because she was always so tired and he didn't want to ask more of her. Since I was such a difficult baby, he didn't want to add more stress to her plate, so he went elsewhere for his needs." Riff's voice is becoming more strained as he continues to share his past, and I'm starting to understand. I'm beginning to see where his demons may stem from.

"She forgave him a second time, and once again, they were acting like the happy couple. But my grandma noticed how my mom was starting to pull away from me. Mom wouldn't pick me up if I cried. She'd leave me in a play pen all day long, and my grandmother was getting worried. She started coming over more to make sure I was fed and changed because she could see my mom was depressed."

I'm sure she was, given that the man she loved was breaking her heart over and over again. Not that it was right what she did to Riff, but she was probably struggling to get out of bed every morning and could barely take care of herself, let alone another human being.

"Anyway, time passed, and eventually, it became a routine. He'd cheat, blame me, and mom would forgive him. But as it kept happening, she began to resent me. And on the day he left, she told me she hated me because I was the one who drove him away from her. She never physically abused me, but she ignored my entire existence after that."

My heart splinters for the beautiful man before me. How could his mother do that to him? How could she blame him, a child, over an adult's actions?

"My grandparents tried to help, but they had no legal rights, and it wasn't like I had scars on my body. Mine were all on the inside, so there was nothing they could do other than spend as much time with me as the woman allowed. And to hurt me as much as she could, there were times Mom wouldn't allow them to see me. That's why I became so good at reading people. I needed to know what she was thinking and feeling at all times so I knew how to navigate in her world."

And there it is. The reason he's so in tune with others.

God, it pains me that he suffered like that. I hate that a poor innocent child was blamed for someone else's selfish actions. And I hate that even today, the mark left on his soul by the two people who brought him into this world is still there. Now, I get it. The tattoo. The demon represents his father, who was squeezing the life and love out his wife. The bleeding black heart. She was hurt so bad, she drowned her baby in her pain. Riff is the infant in the picture. I just wonder what the rest of it means.

"And what do the roman numerals stand for?" I ask, planting a kiss over the numbers, wishing I could kiss away his childhood pain.

"It's the date of the day he left."

I swallow hard as it all settles in, and my eyes suddenly feel like they're burning.

"And this?" I run my finger over the words written in Latin.

"To lie is to act as a coward. The truth is the path to salvation."

Wow, no truer words have ever been spoken. A tear slips down my cheek, and he wipes it away with the swipe of his thumb. If only the men in both of our lives could have been honest with themselves and with the ones they cared about, then the pain of their actions wouldn't have been so devastating.

"And Bronson?" I look up at the man who has not only captured my attention but has also captured my heart at this very moment. The man who in spite of his past, and in spite of being hated by the people who are supposed to love him unconditionally, gives of himself freely. He's kind, generous, loyal, and a good friend to everyone.

"It was my given name. That boy is long gone now. He died the day I joined the club and was named by my true family."

I lean down and kiss the word. He may think he's gone, but that boy is who made him the incredible man he is today.

"Why did you join the club, Riff?" I wonder if his reason for wanting to be a part of the Savage Knights is the same as mine.

He reaches out and cups my cheek, pulling me down to his mouth. He plants his lips on mine for a soft kiss, making my heart race before he pulls back. "This is the last question you're allowed for now, babe, and then I want to stop talking and start listening to those sexy screams of yours."

I playfully nip at his lip and kiss him again before sitting up.

"I joined the club once my grandmother died. I wanted a family. A real one. I wanted to have a purpose and to be respected. And I wanted to fight for all those other kids in the world like me who have been abandoned by the ones they love. I want to help right the wrongs, babe, and fix the injustices, and that's what we do."

My heart's pounding in my chest. Every time he opens his mouth to speak, the man surprises me. He's not just a good friend, he's a great man. My stomach twists up, knowing that the one thing I was trying to avoid is happening. I always knew it was inevitable, and I was right. I'm falling in love with him.

"You know you're pretty great, right?" I smile down at the gorgeous man who's looking at me as though he's memorizing every feature on my face.

His eyes flick to mine, and I see the humor in them now, which eases the heaviness trying to weigh me down. "Just great? Not amazing? Sexy as hell? Incredible?" His teasing has me reaching for the pillow next to his head and hitting him with it. I only get in one free hit before he's armed and getting me back. The next thing I know, we're in a full-on pillow fight, laughing and goofing around. Until the laughter turns into moans as he disarms me of my plush weapon, and our tongues start dueling for dominance. Then he's making sweet love to me, and the world fades away.