Page 154 of Rags's Awakening
She licked her lips, a small smile forming. “We have a good time.”
“It’s more than that. It’s not just fucking. It’s deeper. I know you feel it. You’re just scared.”
Casey looked away, and resumed sliding her fingers over his arm. “It feels like it’s moving too fast.”
“What? The way you feel about me? The way we are together?”
“Both. I know how the beginning stage goes—all wrapped up on the newness of getting to know each other, the lust and pleasure, the thrill of it all. It fades. You know that.”
“It can if that’s all there is. But we’ve got more. You know that.”
“Do I? What about tonight?”
“That didn’t mean anything. If it did, I wouldn’t have chased after you.” He pulled her closer. “We’ve got something real.”
“Everyone says that.”
“But we’re not everyone.” Rags smiled faintly. “That first day at the nursey, you didn’t back down to me. You didn’t drop at my feet, pull your top down lower for me to see your tits, or make me feel like I was right. Hell, you pissed me off when you kept arguing about mulch, then smirked when I bought what you told me to. I couldn’t get that outta my head.”
She traced the edge of his skull tattoo. “Your stubborn, know-it-all attitude pissed me off. But you intrigued me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you, which pissed me off.”
He laughed. “We’re two of a kind.” He ran a finger across her cheek. “I respect you. You’re strong, independent, and you don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. That means something to me.”
“But what about six months from now, or a year. What then?”
“We’ll be closer, share more, care more.” Rags pushed up, and leaned against the headboard. “When I met Julie, we were both young, and I was horny as all hell.”
Casey punched his side softly. “You’re still horny.”
He laughed. “Guilty, but only with you.”
“All men say that.”
“Case, I’m not all men, and I’m sure as hell not Saber. He would be the same jerk whether he was an outlaw or a citizen. It’s the person, not the patch.”
Casey scooted up and sat facing him, her legs crossed. “But the temptation is stronger in the outlaw world. There are club girls available twenty-four hours a day. And then the party girls and hangarounds are ready to spread their legs just to say they fucked an outlaw. They’re drawn to the wild lifestyle, and they’ll sleep with any biker regardless if the guy is married or not.”
“That’s true, but it’s on the guy for screwing around behind his old lady’s back. I agree with you, it’s easy to get laid by a citizen who wants a taste of the dangerous life, and club girls are there to please and serve the members, but it’s the dude who decides to cross the line. You gotta get over the club girls thing. It’s not like we’re all fucking non-stop during our waking hours.”
“Are you denying that you’ve been with a lot of women?”
“No, I’m not. But when I was with Julie, the club girls were around and I never cheated. I didn’t want to. After she betrayed me, I shut that part of myself down. I fucked a lot, drank even more, and partied my ass off, but it didn’t get rid of the bitter taste Julie had left. The only thing that filled it was riding. That’s always been my go-to when life throws me shit. You gotta find your special place to get out of your head.”
“Work does it for me.”
“Nah. Work is a substitute, not a solution.”
“I hear you, but I’ve been burned and disappointed most of my life.”
“I know.” He grasped her hands. “It sucks that you had a tough upbringing.”
She shrugged. “A lot of people do.”
“Don’t dismiss it. You’re strong and you made it through. That matters, Case.”
“Sometimes I don’t feel strong.”
“You don’t have to be all the time. Lean on me when you need to. You’ve got me now.”
