His hand caressed my cheek, tilting my face toward his. Then it slipped into my hair. I’d bleached it blonde and ever since, he said he hated it, but he’d been lying about that, too.
Snakebite and I were like night and day. Covered in head to toe black, his pale skin shined. Black leather and silver anything, chains, necklaces, studs—his wardrobe of choice. He wore more makeup than me with his dark eyeliner, lips and nails. The room surrounding us was a child’s room, but it still reflected my tastes for bright and soft colors. My new blonde hair went great with my naturally tan complexion. Not an inch of leather on me, I wore simply ripped jeans and a pink tank top, not a speck of jewelry.
My body had changed. Fully developed, I’d been blessed in the boob department. Snakebite had noticed that as well. Across the dinner table I’d caught him staring at them more than once. Part of me wanted him to explore them now and part of me didn’t know if I’d ever let him.
As one hand gripped the back of my head, his other hand settled awkwardly on the small of my back, drawing me into him. My body lined up with his. Would he kiss me again? Longer this time. My cheeks warmed wondering. Tingles of anticipation ran down to my panties.
Snakebite did bend down to find my lips. Slowly this time, he nibbled before parting them. Surprising me, his tongue slithered all the way in. His mouth engulfed mine, like he would devour me. He stood so tall, I felt his erection against my navel—another surprise. As much as I loved the kissing, I wasn’t sure I was ready for the hardness grinding against me.
Thankfully, he retreated.
Too bad it was only to lead me straight to my bed. We sat with his arm around me.
“Star, I want you to be my main girl. But we’ll have to keep this secret.”
“I know.” I played with a frayed hole on my jeans.
Snakebite took my hand and placed it over his leather lap. His dick twitched under my hand. Hell, I didn’t know that was possible. I’d just only had my first kiss. Saying I was appalled would be an understatement. Did he think I was easy? Main girl? Did that mean he had other girls?
Ripping myself away, I shouted, “Get out.”
Snakebite bolted.
He didn’t come back home that night. That was fine. Still shaken, I thought of his words.Main girl.
He didn’t come around the next night.
I cried myself to sleep.
The night after that he wasn’t at the dinner table for the third night in a row.
LuAnn liked to come and brush my hair before I went to bed, as if I were still a little girl. We’d talk about her day mostly, since I had school online and there was nothing exciting going on in my life. No boyfriend. No fun.
“If it’s tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”
She worked at the Wolf Rescue Center. Julian being overrun with visitors in the fall was the only reason anyone had jobs around here.
“Maybe just let them get too close… I can’t wait until I’m sixteen and can get a job.”
I’d love to work with the wolves. The sanctuary and the San Diego Zoo were my two favorite places.
“You have jobs, plenty of them.”
“I’m tired of babysitting on weekends and odd jobs, in general.”
I picked up as much as I could in our biker community, like doing dishes for Ms. Jinks when she’d gotten shot in her arm or feeding B. Bub’s bearded dragon when he went on a mandatory. All these bad ass bikers had some furry or feather baby they’d give their life for—super sweet.
“Believe me, when you get a job, good or bad, it’s just a bunch of odd jobs rolled into one. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up.” She changed our casual subject. “You know I think of you as family, as a daughter, no matter what, right?”
I didn’t know what to say. It’s not that I didn’t love her to pieces. It’s just, her demeanor had shifted just enough to make me nervous.
After an awkward pause, she added, “Snakebite, too.”
My stomach cramped. What was she trying to say? Did she know about me and Snakebite?
LuAnn wasn’t his mother either. She couldn’t have kids on account of her thyroid problems but had raised him from a baby when his mom died and she married Serpentine.
Speaking of the devil, he came to the doorway when he overheard LuAnn mentioning his only son. “He’s not welcome home until he pledges.” LuAnn opened her mouth, but he shut her down, “If you have an opinion, woman, take it to the kitchen and put it in a sandwich.”
