Protected Pt. 06

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. 2:58. We'd gotten a late start this morning, it was over an hour drive back to home, plus we had to pack, and then we still had the five-hour drive to Houston. We probably should have gotten moving earlier this morning, but I didn't regret our late start in the least.

After the funerals yesterday, I was a mess. I couldn't think and felt numb. The only thing I wanted to do was to hold Willow, and she'd obliged me. She must have been bored out of her mind as we sat on the couch while I stared at nothing, lost in my memories and grief, but she hadn't complained. After a light dinner, I felt drained, exhausted even, and guilty for ignoring her all evening, but I couldn't seem to pull myself together. When I muttered that I was tired and was going to bed, she hadn't hesitated and followed me into my room. There we'd snuggled for another long moment as I stared at the ceiling. Then she'd kissed me softly on the lips. There was no heat in the kiss, only comfort, but it'd switched something on inside me. I was lost, adrift in the shadows of my sorrow, but with that kiss, she became a beacon in the darkness.

I pulled her lips to mine for another kiss and the spot of light became brighter, giving me direction. With every kiss her beacon became brighter, illuminating a path out of my sadness. She'd responded, and her light became brighter still. I'd taken her slowly, her touch, her caress, her closeness, her soft sounds of pleasure soothing my raw emotions. As we cuddled in the afterglow of our passion, I'd realized again what a precious gift my brothers had given me, a gift they'd paid for with their lives. The grief I'd been holding inside since their deaths overwhelmed me. I wanted to cry, and scream, and rage, and hold Willow and never let her go.

I had to have her again. I needed to feel her closeness and to bask in her light. She'd given herself to me a second time, and I held her tight as grief and pleasure, sadness and joy, swirled and mixed inside me in a way that made me want to scream with both elation and sorrow. She'd held me tight, her legs and arms wrapped around me as I thrust slowly into her, crying out in erotic pain, sensual pleasure, and heart wrenching sadness, unwilling to stop but unable to continue. Each thrust of my hips sent searing pleasure skittering through me to collide with my anguish in a heady mixture of emotion. Sorrow over the loss of my brothers warred with the joy of having Willow because of their sacrifice. I was being torn apart. Loss had given me something precious. Conflicting sentiments ripped and tore at me as I cried out again and again in physical and emotional torment until my orgasm collapsed over me like an avalanche.

She held me, saying nothing as all my fear and pain came pouring out of me. I clutched her, unable to let her go, her touch as necessary to me in that moment as breathing. I clung to her, unable to stop my tears as I began mourning the loss of my brothers and friends, something I hadn't allowed myself to do, her touch shattering the walls I'd build around my misery, lancing the anguish and allowing it to spill forth.

Finally, after a many long moments, a type of peace began settling over me. I hadn't pulled out or gone soft as I held her, shaking and gasping as I thought of my brothers. I needed her. I needed her like I'd never needed anyone before. I couldn't explain my feelings for her, and I knew once the danger to her was past, life could force us to go our separate ways, but for now, I needed her. I'd taken her again. I'd never been able to make love to a woman three times in so short a period, but with Willow I could do anything.

"Colt?" she asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Thinking." My attention refocused on my phone's display. Still 2:58. I tucked the device away. "We need to rock. It's going to be almost midnight before we get to Houston as it is."

She nodded as she started to the driver's door. "Waiting on you."

-oOo-

I tossed my suitcase into the passenger seat of the pickup. "I don't expect any trouble, but if something happens, you floor this bastard and run like hell, you got it?"

"Got it," Willow said from behind the steering wheel.

"I mean it, Willow. There's not a lot I can do on my bike, so you run, and don't stop for anything."

"I got it!" she said with a small smile.

I shut the door as she started the truck. I sauntered around to her side as she began rolling her window down, pausing at her door to reach through the window to pull her lips to mine. It was after six, and we were finally packed and ready to roll. I was going to follow her on my bike since loading it into the truck would make us later leaving still, and trying to fit it around the core samples would have been a pain in the ass, if it were even possible.

"Okay. I'll have to stop once for gas, so just follow me off. We'll grab dinner at the same time."

"Okay, but let's get on with it. I'm already getting hungry."

-oOo-

I rumbled along the interstate, following the Ford's taillamps just far enough back so I wasn't battered by the turbulence it created, but close enough that I could keep an eye on passing cars. There was dick all I could do on my bike if someone intended to hurt her, but maybe I could buy her enough time to realize the danger and run before they got their first shot at her. As the triple headlamps on my Heritage Classic peeled away the darkness, my mind wandered as it sometimes did when I rode. Riding was always a good way for me to clear away the bullshit in my head.

I was again thinking of how Willow had made me feel last night. I'd loved Britt, or at least I thought I had, but now I wondered. The feelings I had for Willow were the same as those I'd had for Britt, yet different. There was no questioning that I was attracted to her. Willow was a beautiful and sexy woman, and I'd have gladly fucked her the moment I met her, but now there was more than that. A lot more. I still wanted her physically, but I also wanted her presence. That was how I'd felt with Britt. I'd also enjoyed Britt's company, and I wanted her with me, even when she wasn't riding my cock.

While I had those same feeling for Willow, there was something more there, something I couldn't put to words, something I didn't understand, but something certainly felt. I enjoyed having Britt with me, but I wanted Willow. Not only did I want her in my bed, and in my arms, but I simply wanted her at my side. It was almost as if I was no longer complete with her.

Was that love? I had no idea. I loved my parents, but I damn sure didn't feel about them the way I was starting to feel about Willow. The feeling I had for Willow were more like those I had for Britt, yet they were also different. Could the difference be because I'd been with Britt longer? That didn't make much sense because the desire to be with Willow was stronger than it'd been for Britt. Stronger, but in less time?

Could it be I was starting for fall for her already? We'd only been sleeping together for a few days, but we'd been together much longer. I'd never been with a woman so long before fucking her. Could that explain the difference? I didn't know.

I smiled into the darkness. The big, bad-ass biker falling the nerdy geologist? It sounded like the plot for some sappy romance movie. The difference was, this wasn't some sappy romance movie, Willow was anything but nerdy, and I didn't consider myself to be a big, bad-ass biker. Still, I wondered if it was possible. Could it be that I was falling for her? Could she be feeling the attraction too? She seemed to enjoy my company just as much as I enjoyed hers. Could we be falling for each other?

A thrill raced through me that had nothing to do with riding and I smiled with the thought. Was it possible that our attraction to each other was more than physical? Last night, especially the second time, had been an amazingly intense sexual experience, but the morning of the funeral, even though I'd only held her, she had comforted me just as much. Was that love? Did drawing strength and comfort from the other simply because of who they were mean someone was in love?

I didn't know, and I wasn't sure how to find out. Maybe I couldn't find out. Maybe the reason there were so many words trying to describe love was because no words could. That was certainly how I felt. I couldn't articulate it, or describe it, but I damn sure felt it... and I liked it.

I glanced at the trip odometer. I was going to need gas soon. I checked my mirror to make sure the lane was clear before rolling on the throttle. The ride was clearing up a few things, but muddling others. I roared past the Ford before settling into the lane in front of Willow. I clearly had some things I needed to work out, and that was going to require more research. A faint smile appeared. I'd never been one to worry a problem. I tended to take my best guess and then work it out from there, adjusting as I went along. This time, however, I was looking forward to throwing myself into some deep and extensive research on the matter.

-oOo-

Mafic was waiting inside the door to greet us, and she picked her cat up and nuzzled him, talking to him like he was a baby.

"Jesus, I'm beat," I muttered as I turned and began trudging up the steps to Willow's bedroom, wearing nothing but my underwear, with our suitcases in hand. It was still raining, and I'd taken my wet clothes off in the garage, leaving them on my bike, so I didn't drip all over her house. I'd deal with them in the morning.

"Me too," she muttered as she shut the door to the garage behind me while still cuddling her cat.

Leaving her with Mafic, I climbed the steps and then began unpacking my suitcase. I was almost done when I heard her come up the steps before turning into the laundry room. Moment later I heard the rustle and scrape of her cleaning the cat's box. I didn't mind cats, and Mafic was better than most, but if I were going to have a cat of my own, he'd have to learn to go outside to do his business, like a dog, or live outside.

We'd originally planned to drop the cores at the Larke Oil building tonight, but we ran into rain about two hours outside of Houston, and I'd ridden in it the rest of way. That slowed us down, and then because idiots around Houston were playing bumper cars in the rain, we'd sat on the interstate, inching along, for what felt like hours. If I'd been alone, I'd have used the bike's maneuverability to work my way through the traffic, but I wasn't leaving Willow behind, so I sat behind her in the rain. When I could see the emergency vehicle lights ahead, I rode up beside her door and we'd had a shouted, low-speed conversation where we decided to go straight to her house and worry with the rest in the morning.

She trudged back down the steps, I heard the door into her backyard open and close, before she slowly thumped her way back up the steps. I'd heard that rustle, down the steps, into the backyard, and then back up the steps when I was here last, and I knew she was tossing out Mafic's dirty litter. I was in bed when she appeared in the room, looking slightly rumbled and bleary eyed, but still sexy as hell.

"Dammit..." she muttered as she started toward the bathroom.

"What?" I called.

"You."

"What about me?"

"Laying there, looking sexy as hell... and I'm too damned tired to do anything about it."

I smiled to myself. "Would it make you feel better if I said I wouldn't mind waiting until morning myself?"

She appeared in the door as she brushed her hair. "No."

She disappeared back into the bathroom and then a moment later I heard her brushing her teeth before the light snapped out. She was little more than a ghost, but I could tell she wasn't wearing anything to sleep in. I instantly began to harden, and suddenly waiting until morning didn't seem like a particularly good idea. She tumbled into the bed with a groan before tucking herself into me warm and close.

"You sure you don't mind?" she murmured.

"Will you let me hold you?" She nodded slowly as she yawned. "Then I don't mind."

"Good," she mumbled as she stretched for a kiss.

I sighed deeply as I adjusted her position slightly. Whether because I was exhausted, or because Willow was in my arms again, I couldn't say, but tranquility settled over me. She was caressing my chest, her fingers tracing a lazy pattern, before they stopped and her breathing became slow and deep. I sighed again, and moments later, I followed her into a deep, peaceful, sleep.

.

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WILLOW

"No..." I groaned as my phone chimed, a disgustingly cheerful dinging that demanding my attention. I reached over and swatted at the noisemaker until it went silent.

"No is right," Colt grumbled behind me.

I sighed as he pulled me more snuggly into him, tucking my back into his chest with his knees behind mine, his big, strong hands cupping and supporting my breasts as his hard cock pressed against my ass cheek. It was absolutely the best possible way to wake up, but I didn't want to wake up. It'd take only moments before his warm embrace and soft breathing on my neck lulled me back to sleep. As much as I'd enjoy going back to sleep in his arms, I knew I had to get up.

I lay unmoving with my eyes closed. "I can't spend all day in bed," I murmured, wanting to do just that.

"Just until lunch, then," he whispered before kissing me in my shoulder and briefly tightening his embrace.

I groaned again as I stretched. "Stop. You're not making this any easier."

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Six."

He made a sound like a wheezing bear. "Four hours of sleep."

I could feel sleep encroaching again, so I threw the linens back and squirmed out his arms before sitting up on the edge of the bed. "I need to get my shower. You, too."

He rolled over and stretched with a growling groan. "Fine," he sighed as he relaxed. "Eggs for breakfast?"

I didn't care. What I really wanted was another three- or four-hours sleep, then have him for breakfast in bed. I forced the thoughts away before I gave in to the temptation. I twisted around and leaned over to kiss him quickly on the lips, pulling away when he tried to draw me into the kiss. If I let him do that, we'd definitely be late.

"That's fine," I muttered as I forced myself roll to my feet and plod into the bathroom.

I stood under the shower, scrubbing my hair and thinking. The long drive alone last night had given me time to examine my feeling. I hadn't reached a conclusion, but a few things were becoming clear. First, despite what I thought I knew about motorcycle clubs, the BDMC wasn't anything like I thought they'd be. I knew it wasn't all Colt, but as their president, he clearly set an example that many men should aspire too. I trusted the BDMC, and the men in it, like I trusted no other men in the world.

Secondly, Colt was, without question, the best lover I'd ever taken. He was tender and gentle when I wanted him to be, and a beast when I wanted a good hard fucking. I smiled to myself as I rinsed out my hair. Some day he was going to give me such a hard an orgasm I was going to have an aneurysm, but if or when he did, I was going to die with a smile on my face. More than the fucking, though, was how he made me feel when he wasn't fucking my brains out.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I wanted him. I wanted his body, his cock, but most of all, I wanted to be with him. I didn't care what we were doing, so long as we were doing it together. I didn't think I felt this way because he, and the rest of the BDMC, had kept me safe, or because he fucked me to nirvana nearly every night, but I wasn't sure. I knew I wasn't in love with him, but there was something unique in my attraction to him. It wasn't anything I'd ever experience before, and I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. While I might not be willing to confess undying love for him, there was something special about him, something I couldn't define or describe, but could feel.

I smiled as I soaped my body, imagining it was his hands gliding over me instead of my own. When he returned to me after zoning out for a moment, those times when I knew he was thinking of friends lost, the way he often looked at me gave me chills. I could describe it no other way than to say the look contained joy, spiced with hunger, and sprinkled with tenderness. In my imagination, it was how lovers looked at each other after a long absence. It was those looks that made me feel so special, and valuable, and wanted in a way I'd never had before.

As I rinsed the soap from my body, I brushed a finger across my womanhood, my touch causing me to shiver and gasp silently. There was something happening between us, I was certain of it. I reminded myself this growing connection between us might be based on our shared danger and might wither and die when that danger was past. While it may come to nothing, so long as it lasted, I was going to nurture these feelings and allow them to grow and mature. Hopefully, he felt the same way, but if he didn't... I smiled to myself again. Without question I'd be disappointed... maybe even hurt, but if nothing came from our time together, I was still having best sex of my life and I'd enjoy the fucking, and how he made me feel, for as long as it lasted.

As I dried myself, the wonderful smell of eggs and coffee wafted into the room. I quickly dressed then followed my nose downstairs. I didn't spend a lot of time or effort on makeup, and I'd worry with that while he was showering. When I stepped into the kitchen, feeling mostly human, he was sliding four eggs onto two plates, two large mugs of coffee sitting on the table, one of which was creamed just the way I liked it. I smiled as I sat and picked up the mug and took a sip. Perfect... just like him.

I took another sip from the mug so I wouldn't groan in desire when he turned toward the table with the plates in his hands. Having Colt prepare me breakfast wearing nothing but his stretchy briefs, black this time, was something I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning. He wasn't hard, but I still had a hard time not staring at his package. He was a shower, not a grower, and holy Christ could he fill a pair of underwear.

"What's the plan for today?" he asked as he slid a plate in front of me and sat down across from me.

"Start by taking the cores to the lab. I'd like to prep them, then I need to go and get a replacement for my Jeep. Then, after that, I don't know. Dinner, I guess."

He nodded as he forked a bite of egg into his mouth. "Sounds dreadfully dull," he muttered after swallowing.

"Are you complaining?"

He looked at me, a tiny smile on his lips. "Not a bit. Dreadfully dull sounds perfectly wonderful after the last few weeks."

I sipped my coffee as I peeked over the rim of the mug at him. "Yeah... I know how you feel."

We finished eating and then spent a few silent moments staring at each other over our mugs. I wondered if he was thinking what I was thinking, and I further wondered if I'd have the strength to shut him down if he tried to take me back to bed. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he didn't put me to the test, and I loaded the dishwasher while he went to bathe.

I'd already brushed my teeth, and was applying my usual dusting of makeup, when he stepped out of the shower. I again wanted to groan with desire. His head was covered with the towel as he dried his hair, so he didn't see me staring at his semi-erect manhood in the mirror. As he dressed, I made our bed. Our bed? When did I start thinking of it as our bed? I wondered as I tossed the decorative pillows into a semi-neat pile. We finished at almost the same time, and as he stood, I wondered how any man could make jeans and a stretchy grey shirt look so damned sexy.