ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (50 page)

"Yeah," she whispered back, trying to hard not to let her voice waver. "We can keep seeing each other like that."

Why had she agreed when her heart mourned already? If she had emotionally invested in Gabriel now, over time the bonds would intensify. If she were smart, she'd end things now and maintain their professional relationship, but the smile that spread his lips was worth the pain. He was so handsome when he smiled, and she knew he smiled for her.

"On Thursday there is a poetry reading at Java Lav, another seven o'clock affair. Come with me?"

It was the first time in years she'd been asked on a second date, but Gabriel's reluctance to commit made it feel useless. Anna's lips moved as though on autopilot.

"I'll be there."

Gabriel smiled at her once more. The finger dropped from her chin, and instead he leaned forward and brought their lips together. The kiss was short and sweet, and had Anna not felt like garbage she would have melted beneath it.

"Goodnight, Anna," Gabriel whispered, his lips brushing against hers. Then he pulled away and started down the street towards where he'd parked.

Alone and wounded, Anna made her way back to her car and sank down into the driver's seat. What had started as a fantasy had soured and lost its sparkle. The reality was that Gabriel was just like any other man — interested in sex and not anything more.

"Ugh," she breathed in frustration, letting her head flop back against the headrest. "Figures."

And yet she'd agreed to keep seeing him. The misery she'd suffer was misery she'd invited. There was no one to blame for any bruised feelings but herself; Gabriel had been very respectful and communicative about his motives.

There was no use dwelling on it. Anna jammed the keys into the ignition and turned them. The engine failed to catch.

"Not now," she muttered, turning the keys again to the same results. Over and over the keys turned, until at last the engine caught. Anna breathed out a sigh of relief and started on her way home.

Her luck only lasted another fifteen minutes. Freshly turned off of the highway, the Camry's engine misfired and died. Had she not been on a quiet street, Anna was sure she would have been hit. There was enough juice in it to coast down the street and turn into a small parking lot before the car stopped. Anna clenched her fists around the steering wheel and set her forehead against the top, breathing hard. It was the first time her ride had ever misfired, and the fear of losing control still coursed through her veins. The night really had taken a turn for the worst.

Light rose across the rusted hood of her car and cut through her windshield to bath her dash in light. Anna lifted her head to find the garage door in front of her opening. She looked towards the commercial building next to it and read the name above the doors.

"JJK Auto Repair".

When she looked back towards the garage door, a man stood there. A pair of loose jeans, ripped around the knees and at the sides, clung to his hips. A t-shirt streaked with grease stretched across his toned chest, the arms rolled up to reveal just how muscular the mechanic was. Big biceps rolled and bulged, and Anna could see that his thighs and chest were just as impressive. A white rag hung from his back pocket, but his hands were covered in grime regardless. The dark hair atop his head was untameable, and the gruff expression on his face suggested that the man was equally as wild. One arm was covered in tattoos, decorated from his palm to his shoulder.

"Hey," he called out to her through the night. It had to be close to midnight, so what was he still doing in the shop? "You know we're closed, right?"

Anna's hands remained clenched around the steering wheel, but no longer from fear. The chances that she'd glide right into a mechanic's shop were slim, but the chances that the mechanic would be there well after conventional working hours was so much less likely. That the man who stood a short distance from her gave Gabriel a run for his money in the looks department and left her feeling confident that what had just happened had happened for a reason. He was a reason to forget her bad night and discard the idea of Gabriel. Anna took a deep breath, then exited the car.

"Yeah. I just managed to guide her in before she died on me. I was just looking for a safe place to stop; I wasn't planning on finding someone to service my car."

"Yeah, well," he took a few steps forward, entering the night from the light of the garage. Anna could see his eyes on her, glued to her breasts and the curve of her hips. There was hunger there, primitive and feral. "You coasted to the right place. I'm probably the only mechanic in the city who works through the night so self-important jack-offs can pick up their rides for work the next morning. Maybe I can fit you in."

Anna had considered Gabriel dominant, but the control he had over her did not compare to this man. Just a little bit older, likely somewhere in his early thirties, the very way he moved commanded respect. Anna found she could not look away.

"She wouldn't start the first four or five times, and then the engine misfired and died after it started." The stranger continued to approach until he stood within arm's reach, eyes lifting from her breasts to look into her eyes.

"Sounds like you've got some faulty spark plugs," he uttered. There was nothing faulty with the sparks that flew between them. Anna felt her lower lip trembling just slightly, the air between them thick with an unspoken desire. She knew nothing of this man, not even his name, and yet heat spread through her deep and low. When he reached out to run a hand down her waist and pull her close, Anna wasn't alarmed. It was only natural that such a dominant man would lay his marks on her. "When's the last time you got her serviced?"

"I don't remember," she mumbled, gazing up into his eyes. They reminded her of Gabriel's as dark as they were, but the mechanic's eyes were flaked with warm amber undertones.

"Well, if you've got time, I'll look her over for you."

Why was she so okay with this? Anna lifted a hand and ran it across the mechanic's cheek, careful of the streaked grease on his skin. His skin was rough and leathered by time, his stubble catching against her soft fingers. The touch was all the invitation the mechanic needed. He caught her lips with his own, the kiss crushing. Anna moaned in the back of her throat and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, letting herself sink into it. There was an undeniable attraction between them she could not hope to explain away that would only be sated with physical contact. In that moment even the big details didn't matter; all she wanted was to feel him dominate her and show her what a real man was.

His hard lips broke from her long enough to say, "Name's Nate. I want to hear you cry it out before the night is through," before they claimed hers again.

The kiss did not degenerate. From time to time it broke so one of them could gasp for breath, but Nate did not want to give her up. His mouth tasted like smoke, so contrary to the lingering menthol that tingled on her tongue. Anna didn't like smokers, but in Nate it was right. Edgy, masculine, and so
bad
. Gabriel, the talented, sculpted artist, was too righteous to do something like smoke. Nate was the distraction she needed from the hurt Gabriel had inflicted, even if he hadn't meant it.

He drew her from the parking lot to the garage, the door closing behind them. Several vehicles were parked inside in varying stages of repair, but Nate paid them no attention. Instead he pulled Anna towards one and tossed her upon the hood, pinning her hands above her head as he lowered himself upon her and ravaged her lips with his own. Pressed as close as they were, Anna could feel the hardened bulge beneath his jeans. There was no question that he found her attractive despite her weight. Anna found herself wanting him just as much.

Nate let their lips part.

"I'm Anna," she breathed in reply. Nate's chest was heaving, although he did he best to keep his appearance cool and unaffected.

"I want you, Anna," he told her. The words were plain and uncomplicated. They'd known each other for such a short time, but already Anna felt as though she understood him. Black and white, right and wrong, a man of wants and needs and nothing more. To Nate she was an object he desired, and when he wanted something, he went for it. She could respect that. Such a simple way to operate, free of the pretenses and politeness most society cherished. Nate trusted his instincts, and right now his instincts told him to take her as his own. Anna's instincts told her to let him.

"I want you, too."

Even in her wilder years during college, Anna had never done something so reckless. Nate was wild, and he brought the animal out from inside of her. Before she realized what was happening one of his hands had left her wrists to cup her breast, squeezing and exploring. Anna gasped, eyes closing.

"Tonight," Nate told her, voice heavy with his arousal, "I'm going to show you a real good time, and in the morning, when I'm done fixing your car, then if you want to you can go. I'm not convinced you'll ever want to part ways, though. Not when you see what I can do to you."

A whole night spent chasing orgasms with a stranger. Anna's heart throbbed just a little harder to send desire rushing through her. If Gabriel didn't want to be exclusive, she didn't have to be, either.

Nate's hand moved from her breast to her thigh. Rounded fingernails sank into the nylons she wore and tore them down. His calloused palms traced across the soft skin beneath them and moved slowly inward. Anna turned her head to the side and moaned as his fingers dipped against her sex, teasing. She was drenched from the prospect of such a careless coupling.

"Naughty little vixen," he purred, the sound deep and rumbling. Anna's hips rose just slightly to meet his fingers, and Nate obliged her. His index finger traced along her and teased her clit, sending pulsing pleasure through her core. More than ever she wanted to explore the bulge beneath his jeans.

The finger moved in skillful circles, grazing against her with varying pressures. Thoughts of Gabriel faded from her mind as Nate worked her body over, drowning her in sensation. Soon Anna couldn't keep still, and she twisted against the hood of the car with need. Had Nate not been holding her wrists down with one hand, she would have tried to pull him atop her.

"I can't take it," Anna breathed. Nate's fingers played with her, driving her past desire and into need. "I need you. I want it so badly."

Nate smirked and drew her up by her wrists until she stood on both feet. The shredded nylon's he'd pulled down to her knees bound her, and the skirt of her dress fell back into place to preserve her modesty. Anna felt dizzy and weightless, but more than anything she felt alive.

"When I'm through with you," Nate boasted, "you're not going to be able to walk."

He turned her around and laid her back against the hood of the car again, this time so that she was on her stomach. His hands pulled back her skirt, and she felt the heavier ruffling of jeans and the clack of a descending zipper. Moments later Nate's thick shaft trailed across her slick sex, coating itself in her secretions. All Anna could do was tense and lift her ass for him, desperate for it.

Nate didn't waste time. He took her rough, the swollen head of his cock burying itself inside of her and pushing deep. Anna cried out, both hands flat against the hood of the car. Nate's thick member was too big for her tight slit, and it felt like he was tearing her in two.

"Oh my god," Anna cried, too stuffed to try to move back against him.

"You're tight," Nate grunted, his hips pulling back for the first time. The traction between their bodies forced a moan from Anna's lips. Nate felt fantastic; with a cock as big as his, he didn't have to try very hard to hit her in the right spot.

The rhythm increased in speed until he was driving himself into her with abandon. Anna breathed hard, letting her cheek press against the painted hood. Behind her she heard Nate's uneven inhalations and the occasional grunt. The smell of grease and sweat and sex filled the garage.

"I'm going to cum inside of you, Anna," Nate warned her. His thrusts were wild and insistent, each one burying him deep inside of her to flirt with her cervix. "I want to make your sweet little body mine."

So many rules were being broken tonight. Anna had never been boy crazy, and had never had sex for the thrill of it. Now here she was, in a garage she'd happened to coast into, bent over the hood of a car by a complete stranger. Granted, he was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen, but it was no excuse. She used to be so much more dependable than this.