He grimaced. People outside the club culture always made it sound so much worse than it was.
They stood there for a few moments, watching each other, the air thick with steam and something he refused to look too closely at. Chloe wouldn’t want a biker long term. Hell, she’d had a near violent reaction to finding out he was in the MC. She was stuck with him now, and willing to sleep with him because she, at the very least, trusted him not to hurt her, but that’s as far as it could go. His life was too fucking messy and hers was just beginning again.
The disappointment was a new feeling. His entanglements with women were limited to short term flings. In the Marines, his frequent deployment schedule made meeting someone difficult. Afterward, working as a hired gun for a private defense contractor kept him living a very solo life. He hadn’t been willing to bring a woman into the world he’d existed in. A world full of lies, danger, and the very real possibility he wouldn’t come back from one of his many missions.
By the time he joined the MC, he’d grown accustomed to living and being alone. Becoming close with his brothers had been a struggle. Hell, he still wasn’t known for hanging out much and definitely not for being any kind of conversationalist.
He’d had a number of women throughout the years, what single man didn’t? But it never lasted more than a few encounters. Once they started asking questions about his life he tended to flee. Unlike many of his brothers, he wasn’t much for one-night stands, and wasn’t into any of the Honeys. Sure, he’d accepted a blow job or two over the years, but the club girls never held his interest much beyond that.
Now Chloe was in his life and he had no idea what he wanted from her. The only certainty was the gut-punch he felt at the thought of her walking away right now. For Christ’s sake, he was willing to be tied up and fucked just to keep her close.
“Think that’s enough water,” she said, humor in her voice.
“Shit.” He’d been totally lost in his head. Not something that ever happened. Years as a paid assassin had honed his ability to be aware of his surroundings at all times. And now he’d nearly overflowed the bathtub, fucking daydreaming. He released the drain and once the water was at an appropriate level, stopped it back up again. “All set. I’ll leave you to it,” he said as he started past her.
“Wait.” She reached out and curled her slender fingers around his arm. “Maybe…um…would you mind staying in here?”
His cock jerked at the thought of her soaking naked within touching distance. He balled his fists. He’d have to sit on the damn things to keep from reaching for her gorgeous body. This was going to take willpower of epic proportions. But he couldn’t fucking say no to her. “Hmm, watch a gorgeous woman take a bath or go play pool with a bunch of smelly bikers?” He winked. “No contest.”
Her smile grew. “You’re different here. More relaxed. Chattier.”
His brothers would lose their fucking heads over that one. It wasn’t the club that made him different, it was her. He talked more around her than he had anyone in ages. “You gonna hop in?”
“Yeah.” She bit her bottom lip as she worked the sports bra over her head. Rocket almost swallowed his tongue. Had she been any other woman, he’d wonder if the little strip tease was some kind of manipulation, but with Chloe he had no doubt it wasn’t. She was nervous as a drenched cat.
And so damn brave. Baring her body before a man who could overpower her in the blink of an eye.
Her hands trembled slightly as she dropped them to her panties. To help set her mind at ease, Rocket sat on the edge of the tub and rested his hands on his thighs in plain sight. Two seconds later she was naked. She straightened; uncertainty clear on her face.
“Jesus,” he said, feeling like he’d swallowed a mug of sand. “Your body is out of control, woman.”
She smiled. “Thank you.” She walked toward him then braced a hand on his shoulder as she stepped into the tub. The smell of her, something subtle and fruity combined with clean sweat from her workout hit his nostrils. All her smooth, pale skin was so close. Wouldn’t take more than a lift of a hand to feel her flesh sliding beneath his palm. But Chloe needed to know she could trust him completely, so he swallowed his desire and kept his paws to himself.
Inch by inch, she sank into the tub until she was covered to her neck. Being a guy who hadn’t taken a bath since he was probably six, he didn’t have any bubbly shit for her to use, so there was nothing to hide her tits from his view.