Through The Weeds (Nightshade MC Book 2) (6 page)

“They could,” Train admitted, “but more likely this is just someone that they pissed off looking for revenge.”

“Even so, we need to keep our eyes open. Be smart.” Buster looked around. “We should also start thinking about taking on some prospects of our own.” He'd given the matter some thought, but Manuel mentioning it had brought it to the forefront of his mind. Under his rule, he didn't want Nightshade to just survive, he wanted them to thrive. “We'll talk about who to bring up at our next meeting.”

“Can I ask something?” It was Caroline who spoke. Her expression suggested that she wasn't sure if someone was going to yell at her for speaking up.

“Of course you can,” Amelia answered.

“Who died from The Street Kings? Do you know?”

“It was Hector, Franklin, Nathan and a prospect they were calling Lucy,” Buster replied.

“Shit.” Ace shifted in his chair. “They were actually pretty good guys. I liked Nathan. He was a tough son of a bitch.”

“They all were. They all had families and people who loved them, people who are going to miss them. Let's see if we can't help Manuel figure out who did this and stop the before anyone else gets hurt. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink.”

He wasn't alone in that. There was a rush to the bar. Buster walked over to where Caroline sat. As he got closer, he realized that she was crying. There were no sobs, just streaks of tears on her cheeks. She wiped them as she saw him coming.

“I'm okay. It's just... I saw Hector just the other day. He was really a nice guy. Before Wayne, I never knew anyone who was killed, and now they're just piling up on me.” She let out a shaky laugh. “And you've got bigger things to worry about than this.”

“Come on.” Buster held out his hand to her. “Let's go outside. Get some air and some quiet.” She took his hand and rose to her feet. She was steadier, a lot steadier than she had been. Enough time had passed that she was starting to sober up. “This isn't exactly how I saw our evening ending.”

“Me either,” she replied. “I thought my toes would be curled by now.”

It took Buster a beat to realize what she meant. He laughed. “You really get sex on the mind when you drink tequila. I'm going to have to remember that.”

“I'm sorry. Am I being obnoxious about it? I do that. I'll try and keep my mouth shut.”

“Why in the world would you do that?” Buster opened the door and they stepped outside. It was warmer than he'd thought it would be. The air was heavy, as if it was about to start raining. “And you're far from obnoxious, Caroline. Far from it.”

“I used to embarrass my ex. He said I got crass when I drank. I didn't drink much around him.”

“Well, I can say with some certainty that he was an asshole.” Buster led her over to the bench in front of the bar, sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “I think it's really sexy.” She relaxed against him. Buster stroked his hand up and down her outer thigh. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did.” She turned on his lap, nuzzled her face against his chest. “Did you?”

“Yes.” There was no doubt in his mind about that. “I like spending time with you, but I think you've figured that out already.”

“I had a little clue, well actually, it wasn't so little.” She shifted on his lap again.

“You've really got a one track mind right now, huh?” Buster let his hand slide to her inner thigh. He felt her tense. “And don't you dare apologize for it. Maybe there's something I can do to help you out with that.”

“Oh?” Caroline let him move her so that her back was against his chest. “Oh!” She hissed in a sharp breath as his hand slid beneath her shirt. She leaned back, arched her back as his fingers teased the bud of her nipple through the lace of her bra. “Buster, people can see!” She hissed the words even as her body moved softly against him.

“Do you see any people, Caroline?” Buster moved his other hand to the button of her jeans. “If you want me to stop, you just say it.” He slid her zipper down and gave her a chance to object but she didn't. His fingers felt lace under the denim. “Pretty panties.”

“You can't even see them.”

“I can feel them. I can feel you. You're burning up.” Buster pinched down on her nipple, felt her body jerk. “You like that, huh?” She moaned in response, moved her hips against him. He stroked his finger over the lace, over her clit and she moaned again.

He hadn't expected her to be so responsive, so ready when he'd barely touched her. “Maybe I should just pull your pants down, bend you over and fuck you right here.” She whimpered at that suggestion. “You'd like that, wouldn't you?” He pushed her hair to the side so that he could nip down on her neck.

“Buster!” She gasped. A whimpering sob followed as she spread her legs wider. “Please.” Buster shoved the lace of her panties to the side and touched her without the barrier of the lace. She went wild as his finger traced a slow circle over her clit.

“Come on, keep your legs open for me. That's good. Just like that.” Buster reached down deep for all of his self control, he'd need it. He slid two fingers inside of her and groaned. “Jesus Christ.” He should have started with one because she whimpered. “Easy. Easy.” He moved them slowly, gave her a chance to adjust.

“Please. Please. Fuck!” Caroline's head slammed back against his shoulder. “Oh!”

Buster yanked her bra down, freeing her breast. He squeezed and increased the pace of his fingers. “Fuck my fingers, Caroline.” He let his thumb rub over her clit each time that his hand slid home. She began to match his pace, her breathing becoming more erratic.

“Pinch me again, please. Please.”

Buster did better than pinch. He released her breast and brought his hand down in a sharp slap against her now rock hard nipple. She whimpered and began to move her hips faster. “You like that? You want more?”

“Yes.” She chanted the word over and over. Her words trailed off to a sharp scream as he added another finger to her. “Oh, I'm going to come. I'm going to come!” Buster continued to fuck her with his fingers, hard and fast as he rolled her nipple roughly between his fingers.

She went completely silent as she came, her body going rigid as she hit her peak. He felt her body flood, warm wetness flowing over his fingers. It wouldn't surprise him if his jeans were wet beneath her. Caroline collapsed back against him.

“Oh shit.” She let out a weak laugh. “That was... that was fucking great. I've never done anything like that before.”

“But you liked it.” Buster slid his fingers out of her.

Caroline grabbed his wrist. “Let me show you how much.” Buster groaned and tried to remember the most boring thing he knew as she brought his fingers to her mouth. She closed her lips around them, sucked them clean. She jolted a second later when voices could be heard, and popped off of his lap like she'd been shot at.

“We're going to take off,” Danny announced as he walked over. “Oh shit, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt.” He made no attempt to hide the grin on his face even when Amelia smacked him in the arm.

“We'll see the two of you tomorrow. Good night.” Amelia shoved Danny towards where his bike was parked with a laugh.

“I am so embarrassed.” Caroline sighed as she sat back down. “If they'd have come out a minute earlier. Oh, God.”

Buster chuckled, draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Don't get shy on me now, Caroline. You want to go back in, or do you want me to take you home?”

“I am suddenly really tired, so I wouldn't mind going home. And I'll talk to Jillian, see if I can get her to come around about not helping Nightshade anymore, but I'm not hopeful.”

Buster wasn't hopeful either. “Do you know what happened?” he asked. Caroline hesitated just long enough for him to know that she did.

“Ace was at the house the other night. They had a fight. He left. I don't know what it was about. I was asleep.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I guess it was the breaking point for both of them. Ace doesn't seem to be losing any sleep over it, there was a blonde all over him.”

Buster had seen him with the blonde as well, and honestly, he'd been surprised by it. The man wasn't a monk by any means of the imagination, but normally he got his action a little more discreetly. “The choice is hers. If she doesn't want to help, there's nothing compelling her to. Talk to her, but don't press. Don't let it get in the middle of your friendship.”

“I won't,” she promised with a yawn.

“Come on, let's get you home.”

Chapter Six

“I'm heading home for the day, Caroline. You should too.” Ryan Richards popped his head into her office. “Seriously, consider it an order. You've been here since eight, and it's nearly six now.”

Caroline looked at the clock. He was right. It was nearly six. It seemed like she'd just sat down a few minutes before. “I'll head out just as soon as I'm done with this stack of invoices. You do know that tossing them all into boxes isn't a practical organizational system, don't you?”

Ryan laughed. “And here I was thinking I was being efficient. Finish that stack if you have to, but come in at ten tomorrow. Sleep late.”

“I've got no problem with that.” Caroline listened to him leave and went back to the stack of papers. She'd been working at RBS for a nearly a week and was finally starting to feel like she was getting a handle on things. At first, she'd been a little overwhelmed. Ryan had handed her keys and given her alarm codes and basically told her what he wanted done with no suggestion as to how he wanted it to be done. She'd quickly figured out he didn't care how it was done, as long as it was done.

Caroline picked up her phone, called Jillian and left her roommate a message asking if she wanted to have dinner or a drink. She hung up the phone without really expecting to get an answer in return. Even though they shared the same roof, she'd seen little of Jillian. The woman had gotten a second job as a bartender somewhere, she hadn't mentioned where. She was barely home, and when she was, she was in her room.

The longest conversation they'd had was when Caroline asked her to reconsider helping Nightshade when it came to medical things. Jillian had told her in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't be reconsidering anything, and if she didn't change the subject, she could reconsider their living arrangement. They were friends, she didn't want that to change, and it wouldn't if Nightshade was left out of the equation. Caroline hadn't pushed. Part of her had wanted to, but she found herself unwilling to risk where she lived or her friendship with Jillian. So they'd agreed. There would be no mention of Nightshade between them.

She'd told Buster what happened. She found herself telling him just about everything that happened and kept waiting for him to tell her to shut the hell up. When she was excited about something, she could ramble. He told her about his day, too, or at least he told her about the jobs the construction company worked. Nightshade still wasn't a topic of conversation. It had been a rough week for Buster and the rest of the guys. She hadn't seen much of him, just Tuesday night after he'd attended the funerals for The Street Kings. He'd been distracted, on edge, and she'd not known what to do to make it better for him.

Caroline finished the stack of invoices and made it to the bus stop just in time. If she'd have missed the bus she'd have needed to wait another hour for one or make the walk home, which would have taken just about the same amount of time. That hour was one she needed to start the dinner that she'd promised Buster.

Jillian was home when she got there which was something she hadn't counted on. “Hey. I thought you were working tonight.”

“I called out. I'm not feeling so hot.”

“I invited Buster over for dinner, I hope that's not a problem.”

“You live here, too. And I'll be in my room, so it doesn't matter much to me,” Jillian replied. “I wondered why there was so much stuff in the fridge.”

“It's been a rough week for him, I figured that he could use a nice home-cooked meal. You can join us if you'd like, there's plenty of food.”

“No thanks.” Jillian shook her head. “I'm not hungry. I'm going to get some rest. I'll see you later.” Caroline had no doubt that Jillian wouldn't leave the bedroom for the rest of the night.

<#<#<#<#

“Sorry. Something came up. I'm not going to make dinner.” Caroline got the text message an hour after Buster was supposed to be there. She set her phone down on the table with a sigh. “Great.” She was disappointed, there was no reason to deny it. After all, she'd had an ulterior motive for cooking this dinner for the two of them. She'd figured that after they'd eaten, they could have dessert in the bedroom. She'd even picked up a couple of cans of whipped cream to sweeten the deal.

The truth was, she couldn't stop thinking about the way he'd gotten her off outside of the bar. Caroline had never come that hard; not during sex, head or her own efforts. She hadn't thought it was possible, but when she came home, she realized her jeans were as soaked as her panties. Just thinking about that night made her horny.

The door to Jillian's room opened and the woman came out dressed in actual clothes, not the pajamas that she preferred when she was home. Hey, where's Buster?”

“Something came up. Care to join me?” Caroline motioned to the perfectly set table. “Seems a shame to let all this go to waste.”

“Actually, I've got someone coming over.” Jillian looked a little nervous. “His name is Jake. I met him at my bartending job. We're going to watch a movie.”

Caroline couldn't have been more surprised if Jillian announced that she was having a unicorn with a rainbow tail over for tea. “Oh, well there's plenty of food. You both could join me, or I could make myself scarce and the two of you have a nice meal together.”

“I don't want to put you out,” Jillian told her. “We're just going to hang out in my room.”

“You never mentioned anything about Jake. Are you holding out on me?” Caroline smiled, hoped that she could put Jillian at ease, because she was on edge.

“I just met him a few days ago. We've been texting.” Jillian shrugged her shoulders. “He wanted to hang out. I figured why not.”

“What's he like?”

“He's funny. Not at all bad on the eyes. Tall, blonde, and he's got a nice body. Great laugh. Killer smile.” Jillian blushed a little. “He's a smooth talker, too.” Caroline wondered if Jillian realized she'd also exactly described Ace. It would seem that the woman had a type. “Anyway, it's just a movie. It's not that big of a deal.” The doorbell rang and Jillian jumped. “Oh shit, he's here.”

“I'll get it,” Caroline offered and headed to the door. She opened it to find a familiar face on the other side. She didn't know him by name but by order. He came into the bakery frequently for the cheese danish. “You must be Jake.”

“Hello, Caroline.” He smiled. “It's very nice to see you again. Hey, Jillian.” Jake looked past Caroline. “You look really pretty tonight.” Caroline looked over in time to see Jillian blush. An unsettled feeling took hold in her stomach, but she couldn't put her finger on why. She stepped aside and Jake entered. Almost immediately it was like she wasn't even in the room, and only a moment later,  Jillian's bedroom door shut.

Caroline cleaned up the small dining room, put the food away. She wasn't upset that Buster missed dinner, not mad at him for it. The beef stew would be just as good, if not better, the following day. She snagged one of the cans of whipped cream from the fridge and headed to her room. She could hear the sound of Jillian's television through the wall.

It was just after eleven o'clock when her phone rang. Caroline answered it and knew immediately that it was Buster. He was the only one who ever called her. “Hey.” She smiled and lowered the volume on the movie she was watching.

“Open the door.”

“What?” She sat up on the bed.

“I'm at the door. Figured a late dinner was better than no dinner.”

Caroline smirked, swung her legs off the bed and headed out of the room.“I just had dinner. Whipped cream. It was delicious.”

“You had whipped cream for dinner?” he asked.

“It was supposed to be dessert.” Caroline unlocked the front door and pulled it open. She hung up her phone at the sight of him. “Come in. I'll warm the food up.”

“What am I going to have for dessert if you ate all the whipped cream?” he demanded as he shut the door behind him. Without waiting for a response, he leaned in and kissed her until her toes curled in her slippers.

“I've got another can of whipped cream. And me.” Caroline pulled back from him with a smile. “I didn't think that I'd see you tonight.”

“I think that we need to skip dinner, head straight to dessert. Where exactly is that other can of whipped cream?”

“In the fridge. Are you sure that you don't want to eat?” Caroline struggled to keep a straight face and found that she couldn't, especially when he grabbed her and pulled her close.

“Oh, I want to eat, alright. It's on a long list of things that I want to do to you right now.”

“Guess it'd be rude to keep you waiting, right?”

“Right,” he replied with a laugh. “Get your ass in that bedroom, now.” Playfully he swatted her ass, and when she looked up at him, he did it again but harder.

“And if I don't?” Caroline felt herself blush. She couldn't believe the things that she let slip out of her mouth with Buster. It was almost like being drunk all the time. Maybe she was. Maybe she was drunk on him.

“If you don't, I'm going to...” He trailed off at the sound of laughter from Jillian's room. “Who's in there with Jillian?”

“Some guy she met at work. His name is Jake.” Caroline leaned in, lowered her voice to a whisper. “He reminds me a lot of Ace but...” she paused. There was no real reason for her to be uncomfortable about Jake, but she was. “I don't know. He just rubbed me wrong.”

“Maybe I should go and knock, introduce myself.”

“Buster, no. She will lose her shit. And I'll probably lose my place to stay.” Caroline grabbed his arms, squeezed. “Besides, aren't you supposed to be getting the whipped cream?” She stretched up so that she could nip down on his bottom lip.

“Don't rush me.” He smacked her ass again, a little harder this time. Caroline nearly swallowed her tongue. “Too much?” He reached out and stroked his fingers over the spot he'd just smacked.

“No. Not too much.” Caroline had liked it. She'd liked it more than she'd expected she would. There wasn't anything she could think of that she'd done with Buster that she hadn't liked. There wasn't anything about Buster that she didn't like. At times, it scared her, but right now, there was nothing more that she wanted in the world than him.

“Go in the room. Get naked,” he told her. Something must have flickered over her face, because he grew serious. “What is it, Caroline?”

“You've never actually seen me naked. Well, bits and pieces but...”

“You're getting shy on me now?” he asked.

“I just...” She sighed. Her face was bright red. She could feel it. Buster grabbed her hand, and she looked up at him. He was smiling.

“Relax.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I've seen enough bits and pieces of you to put together a pretty good picture of what you look like naked. I'm positive that the real thing is going to be even better. Screw the whipped cream. I don't want any distractions. I just want you.” Caroline didn't quite know what to say to that, but she followed him to her room. He shut and locked the door behind them. “Cute pajamas.”

Caroline looked down at her capri-length pants. They were gray and patterned with brightly colored lip prints. “I didn't think that I was going to see anyone tonight.”

“Like I said, they're cute.” Buster reached out and hooked his fingers in the elastic waist of the pants. “Doesn't feel like you're wearing anything underneath them.”

“That would be because I'm not. Just the shirt and the pants.”

“Not much to take off. I like that. I like that a lot.” He moved his hands up, gripped the hem of her shirt. “Lift your arms.”

Caroline did, even though her nerves danced beneath her skin. She opened her eyes when he pulled the shirt off, shook her head to hopefully make her hair look halfway decent. Buster let the shirt drop to the floor and said nothing. He just stared.

She went to cover herself with her arms, but he stopped her. “None of that. Let me look at you. Fuck me, you're beautiful. So beautiful.”

“Buster...”

“Shh. I'm enjoying myself here. Relax, Caroline. Relax. It's just you and me. No need to get shy.” He pressed his lips against hers. “No need to be scared. We'll take this just as slow as you need to. Okay?”

Caroline realized that he meant every word. Warmth spread through her, not just from his touch but from him. She was falling for him. Falling hard and fast. No matter how scared she was, it wouldn't stop her. It couldn't. “I don't need slow,” she told him and swallowed hard. “I just need you.”

There was no further need to say anything as his mouth covered hers. His hands moved to slide down her pants, and they weren't gentle. Caroline felt tingles rush through her just from the feeling of his calloused fingertips against her soft skin. She lifted her feet to kick off the pants.

She was fully naked and he was fully dressed when he lowered her onto the bed. Caroline tried to tug at his shirt with no result. He had her pinned to the bed, his full weight on her, and it felt amazing. “Buster.” She ran her hands into his hair, held on. His mouth was bruising hers, she was sure of it, but she'd look at her swollen lips the next day and feel smug. His hands slid between them, his knees edged her legs apart.

She pouted when his lips left hers but then they were on her skin. He nipped a trail over her neck, down to her collar bone. Caroline tightened her grip on his hair as he reached her breasts. Buster knew what she liked; he sucked her nipple into his mouth until small screams were building in her throat. Only then did he bite down just hard enough to make pain shoot through her.