That Emerald Vow (The Crimson Creed #2)

5. Chapter Five

T he way the wind whips around me as I ride to pick up Charlie is my favorite feeling. A motorcycle may not be the most functional ride to take on a date—not that this is a date—but something tells me Charlie is going to love it. She has the twinkle in her eye that suggests she wants to live on the wild side. So when I walked to my garage, there was no question whether I was taking my bike or truck. There was one clear winner.

The purr of the engine masks my excitement as I slow down once I reach her street, coming to a halt in front of the white house with green trimmings. There’s something gnawing in the pit of my stomach that I’m not used to. Is that nerves? I haven’t felt nervous since I was a teenager and was worried about surviving day to day.

I get off the bike and place my helmet on the seat as I roll my neck to get rid of those feelings—refusing to let thoughts of the past ruin my night. Looking up towards the front door, I start making my way to knock, even though it’s not a date. I can’t say my mama raised me right, but I learned all the things not to do from her and the people she brought around. The only sound is my boots on the walkway until I hear her front door opening before I even make it halfway.

My breath hitches in my throat as I look up at the beauty in front of me. Charlie is wearing a simple, skintight, deep blue shirt tucked into her skinny jeans and heels that extend her legs for days. She closes her front door and walks towards me, smirking as she puts on the worn leather jacket.

“Good evening, Charlie. You look breathtaking.” I gently grab her hand to kiss the top before offering her my arm.

Her mouth momentarily falls open before she can regain her composure. “I know,” she says, winking before continuing, “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She looks me up and down before taking my arm. Our outfits are pretty similar. I’m in my usual—dark jeans, v-neck and signature leather jacket. Only difference is I opted for my boots. There’s a twinge of something in her eyes as she takes me in, which causes me to graze my bottom lip with my teeth. Something about being near her erupts a fire within me that I didn’t know my body was capable of feeling.

Both of us seem to not know what to do with the underlying tension, so we walk towards where I parked. “Oh my God!” Charlie exclaims as she lets go of my arm to take in my sports bike. “I absolutely love this. You just got this a few weeks ago, right?” .

“Yup,” I say, popping the “p.” “How would you know that?” I can see her cheeks turn crimson at the question. “Stalking me now, are we, gem?”

“Well, I have to make sure you’re not a serial killer, you know? I’m sure you stalked me too.” We both pause at her first comment. It’s such a simple phrase that everyone uses when meeting strangers. But in this case, it’s not . . . I am a killer.

“Oh, I definitely stalked your profile before messaging you. Can never be too careful, right?” I joke back, even if it makes my stomach flip nervously.

Her eyes gloss over before she paints on a fake smile and says, “Yup. Never can. Which is why tonight is gonna be great. Some one-night-no-strings-attached sex is all we need.” I recognize the smile because it’s the one I used all throughout my childhood—the “everything is fine” smile, even though your world is crumbling within you. It makes me wonder who her demons are. A murderous rage fills me at the thought of somebody hurting someone as kind and loyal as her.

“I’m definitely ready for it.” I pull out the extra helmet from the compartment and hand it to her as I say, “I figured we could go downtown and bar-hop until we find our Mister and Miss Perfect-for-Tonight.”

She effortlessly puts on the helmet. “Sounds like a plan,” she says through the open visor.

My chest warms as I look at the adorable yet sexy sight. That warmth goes straight south once her body is perfectly flush against my back. She’s not shy about holding on to me or leaning with me on turns.

How can a ride be both electric and calming all at the same time?

The proximity is doing things to both my heads because I’m only human, but it also feels right—safe. She molds perfectly to my back, and it makes me wonder how well she’d feel in other positions.

I struggle with wanting the ride to last forever and also end so I can see her work her charm. Something about this moment feels right—brings a deep-rooted peace. Which is odd because I have never had anyone share a ride with me. Not even in high school when I fixed up my first ever bike. It was a rule that only someone special would get that opportunity. Then I made a new rule after graduation . . . No one special was allowed to ever exist because it would be too dangerous.

I feel Charlie squeeze me as we make one last turn, pulling me out of my thoughts. Tonight is about having a good time. She is safe here with me, and this is nothing more than what it is—two consenting adults trying to help each other get laid. Nothing more and nothing less.

“We’re here,” I say as I turn off the engine.

Charlie hops off first. “That was amazing. I definitely want to try driving her soon.”

You can hop on me for a drive instead. Woah, that was an intrusive thought. I clearly need to remedy the lack of action I’ve seen in the last few weeks. It was the close proximity and nothing more. Right?

“That can definitely be arranged.” I’m shocked at the words that come out of my mouth. I never let anyone but myself and Adrian ride my baby. It’s probably from the lack of release. We’ve been working overtime with our missions with The Crimson Creed. Another day, another person to help.

We make our way to the bar, deciding to sit there so people know they can approach us, and order beers on tap. “So, Charlie, what exactly is your type?” I ask as I look around the bar, taking in the few potential prospects. There’s a suit who looks like he can potentially be a good pick for her, but he would probably bore her to sleep before they even made it to any action. Then there’s the guy playing pool in the corner with his friend who hasn’t stopped eyeing her . . . but he’s also eyeing every female who walks by. Nothing pisses me off more than a man who doesn’t respect women. I’m all for a good time, not a long time, but I make that clear from the beginning because it should be a mutual decision.

I look back to Charlie, who is also taking in the scene. “Anything goes as long as they can give me an orgasm or two.”

Her bluntness is one of my favorite things about her. I snort before saying, “That’s a low bar to hold them to. Just one or two?”

Charlie raises her right eyebrow at me. “You know, it’s statistically proven that women climax less often during sex? And most of our ‘orgasms’ are faked to stroke the man’s ego.”

“Speaking from experience?” I ask, laughing. There’s a very quick darkness that washes over her face, making my brows furrow with concern. It’s gone as fast as it happened, and she’s smirking at me—making me wonder if I imagined it.

She leans in, her sweet peach scent surrounding me as she places her hand on my chest before saying, “I don’t fake anything. You only get my pleasure if it’s earned.”

My skin singes where her hand is burning through my shirt, and I try to catch my breath. She looks to my eyes, to my lips, down to her hand, and back up. It all happens so painfully slow; the whole bar turns into just white noise. Seems like she’s having trouble catching her own breath as her mouth falls open.

I put my hand over hers, and a small shock erupts through my nerve endings as I lean into her. I’m only a breath away from her face before I say, “I don’t do anything half-assed. If you were mine, you wouldn’t just have as many orgasms as your body could handle, but you’d be begging me for more.”

She exhales as she grazes her bottom lip with her tongue. I want to reach out and bite those perfectly plump, pink lips. But I lean back and pull the hand I’m covering to my lips to kiss it. “But that’s not what we’re here for. Let’s find you someone else, shall we?”

“Good, because I didn’t want to suffer through your attempts,” she fires back at me with a dare in her eyes.

I open my mouth to say something, but the bartender drops another beer in front of her. “This is from the gentlemen playing pool,” he says, nodding in their direction.

Charlie turns to look at them, her back to me. I look up in their direction as well, boring holes into them. There is no way I’m letting her end up with those tools. I know Charlie can handle herself—hell I’ve seen it. But I don’t want her to need to if I can help it. They are all smiles taking Charlie in, who is probably smirking at them. When their eyes meet mine, they quickly think better of it, and I can visibly see their Adam’s apples bob before they direct their focus back to their game.

By the time she turns back, confusion clear on her face, I’m back to facing my beer. “That was weird, right?”

“They looked like morons anyway. Probably expected a threesome or some shit.”

“I mean, that kinda sounds fun.” Lust fills her eyes, but then she takes a quick glance back at them. “But maybe not with them. They look all bark and no bite.”

I laugh. “Aka the dogs of fake orgasm town?” I let the golden liquid of my beer cool me down from the inside as I take another swig.

She grabs her beer and cheers’ my glass. “Now you’re getting it. We don’t go to that town.” As she takes a sip from her own beer, she nods behind me. “How about one of those girls?”

Usually I’m ecstatic at the idea of a prospect, but tonight, all my focus wants to be on her. I still make myself turn around and see there’s a group of sorority girls hanging out by the back of the bar. One in particular keeps looking at me, a raven-haired girl rocking a dark minidress—almost daring me to go talk to her. She looks like one of the usual girls I take home, but I have no interest right now.

I turn back to Charlie, and before I can even say anything, she starts, “You’re probably right. They all seem to have crazy eyes.” The pure disdain in her face and tone of voice is almost comical.

“And we wouldn’t want me to end up with a crazy girl, huh? I hear they’re the best in bed,” I say, winking at her.

Clearly understanding I was talking about her, she turns her head sideways with a fake annoyed look. “Shut up!”

“What? I was talking in general.” I smile so big, my cheeks hurt.

She smiles at me as she rolls her eyes. “Okay, Mr. Dimple-man, I’m sure we’ll find someone who will fall for that boyish charm. But maybe not here. Want to try the bar across the street?”

I nod as I get up and throw some bills at the bar. “Thanks, man,” I say to the bartender so he knows we’re leaving. He salutes in acknowledgment.

As we walk out of the bar, Charlie is facing me as she tells me about the last time she went to the new bar we’re headed to and this girl caught her boyfriend cheating on her, but ironically, she was also cheating on him.

I notice a man on his phone also not paying attention, and they collide before I can finish saying, “Charlie!”

I catch her from behind as the man looks up and instinctively grabs her by her arms to prevent her from falling. She looks at him and starts to say, “Thank y—” but it gets stuck in her throat. “Unc—” she mutters before I feel her whole body weight on me. Fear and confusion flow through me at the sight of her fainting in my arms.

I look up at the man, wondering if he knows her, but he looks equally confused. Something caused her to have this kind of reaction, and I’m not sure what it was.

My heart stops in my chest as I hold my little gem, who looks like someone dulled all her shine. Who hurt you, little gem? I easily pull her into my arms to set her down somewhere safe.