Page 68 of Trick
“We need to eat before he decides to help himself to the sandwiches.”
I felt remarkably better after I ate and made the mistake of telling Trick that.
“I told you so,” was his smug response. I threw a potato chip at him, which the cat promptly pounced on the moment it missed the target and landed onto the carpeted floor.
Trick laughed and grabbed me around the waist, lifting me so that I was straddling his thighs. He cupped my jaw and his laughter faded as he stared into my eyes.
“Are we OK now?”
My brows rose at the vulnerability in his question. I nodded, then pressed a kiss to his lips. I draped my arms over his shoulders as the kiss deepened. His hands dropped to my hips, pulling me closer. He released my lips, then trailed a string of tiny kisses across my jaw and down my neck.
He reached up to grasp my hair in one hand, then used his grip to angle my head so he had better access. I cupped the back of his neck, holding him close as I rolled my hips, seeking even closer contact with his body.
Whipping his T-shirt off, he tossed it across the room, then captured my mouth in a searing kiss. I scraped my nails lightly down over his chest, flicking over his nipples then circling them with my fingertips.
“That feels so good, darlin’,” he praised.
I bent my head to kiss my way down his neck, but he jerked away with a curse.
“Dammit, I didn’t even make it ten fuckin’ minutes,” he muttered half-under his breath as he flopped back against the cushions of the couch. “I’m sorry, Lauren, it just slipped out.”
I was confused for a moment as I replayed his words, then understanding dawned.
“I don’t mind it when you call medarlin’,it’s the other word I can’t stand,” I assured him.
He studied my face carefully, then nodded. “I just don’t ever want you to feel that you aren’t special.”
His simple, heartfelt statement brought tears to my eyes. In seconds, I was a sobbing mess, clinging to Trick as all of the anxiety and fear from the last few days, combined with the guilt from learning about Dustin, hit me in a tidal wave of emotion.
In the aftermath of my breakdown, he continued to hold me, offering silent support that helped heal my wounded spirit.
Eventually, I shifted off his lap and curled up next to him on the couch. I traced my fingertips over his chest, then down his arm, lightly circling the small tattoo on his forearm. It was a skull with flames coming out of the eyes, and I recognized it as the same image on the back of their MC’s cuts.
“I’m surprised you don’t have more tattoos,” I commented idly. “I think most of your club brothers have more ink showing than they do skin.”
He grimaced. “I’m not a fan of needles, but the club bylaws require all patched members to have the skull insignia and top and bottom rockers inked on either the chest, back, or arm.”
“That must have been tough on you.”
His chest vibrated as he chuckled softly. “Not really. Sinner’s wife, Grandma Frankie, took pity on me and got me a Valium from one of her friends. It calmed my ass down long enough to get the tat done.”
I fell silent again, then hugged him around the waist.
“Thank you, Jase,” I whispered. He responded by kissing the top of my head, then wrapping his arm more tightly around me.
“I like hearing my real name from you, Lauren darlin’,” he admitted, and I smiled at the new nickname. “You can use it anytime you want to.”
I lifted my head to look at him. “I thought only family was supposed to do that?”
He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “It’s usually reserved for someone special, so yeah, you can call me Jase.”
Tears welled in my eyes again, and I blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. Wanting to lighten the mood before I freaked him out by blurting my feelings for him, I asked, “How did you get your road name?”
Chapter 21
Trick/Jase
I accepted her change of subject gratefully. I’d been trying so damned hard to keep things casual like she wanted, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could manage it. Her tears had gutted me, even more than her anger over the situation with DD.
