Cash grabbed her hands, twisting them behind her back and holding her in place with his strength. “What I did was force you to admit you were attracted to me. Even if we had started seeing each other, you would have dreaded telling them and put it off, worrying about their reactions. I took that pressure away from you, like pulling a band-aid off a sore.”

“Did you see how they freaked out? Tate said some hateful things to me.”

Cash’s face tightened. “What did he say to you?”

“Never mind,” Rachel said haughtily. “You threw me under the bus then weren’t there to protect me from the consequences. Thanks for nothing, Cash. Can we go back to shore now?”

He didn’t release her. “They are your crazy-ass brothers, Rachel. If I had planned to keep you away from them, then I would have handled it differently. I knew you would want to maintain your relationship with them, though, so only you could handle them, and you did. They’re afraid, if they say anything to you now, you’ll run off again.”

She bit her lip. He was right. If he hadn’t interfered, it would have driven a wedge between her and her brothers. This way, they had learned she could stand on her own two feet without them.

“Of course, if I never saw them again, it wouldn’t break my heart.” His mouth returned to her breasts, tugging down the top of the swimsuit before nuzzling her.

She felt a rush of warmth between her legs as she began to get aroused, her hips unconsciously pressing against his. The feel of his hardened cock against her stomach had reality storming back as his hand released hers, going between her thighs and slipping under the material to rub her clitoris.

“I’m not going to do this again, Cash… never again…never ever again…” While her head shook back and forth, tendrils of her damp hair clinging to her cheeks, his finger began stroking her. “Do that again,” she begged.

His mouth covered hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth, taking control of her mind and body in one motion as he began to manipulate her body toward an orgasm.

“Cash, there are people around.” Rachel tried to clamp down on the rising tide of arousal that was threatening to gain control.

“No one’s paying attention.”

She arched as a finger entered her, thrusting in firm strokes that had her breath deepening and her body twisting closer to his. The cold water enveloping her no longer seemed so frigid.

Cash’s hand cupped her ass, pulling her closer to him as his finger thrust harder and his thumb swirled in the wetness of the bud of her clit. A sudden pleasure had her screaming into his mouth as she felt her pussy spasm, coming on his hand.

When she finished, Cash kissed her mouth again, dragging the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. Rachel was embarrassed, uncertain of how to act.

Cash didn’t release her, still rubbing her bud and extending her orgasm. She felt his hand at her waist as he lifted her slightly out of the water before lowering her back down. She felt the brush of his cock at her opening.

“Wait, you’re not wearing a condom.”

“You can’t get pregnant if you fuck in the water,” Cash stated, thrusting inside her.

Rachel shuddered at his hard thrust, giving herself over to his demands. His hands on her ass lifted her higher so his mouth could latch onto a beaded nipple. She could only hold on to his hard body, afraid if she let go, she would drown in more ways than one. The water surrounding them muted the sound of his body slamming into hers, driving her to another climax.

This time, when she came, she felt Cash groan as he joined her, crushing her mouth underneath his as he jerked inside her, arousing primitive emotions Rachel had no idea she could experience.

“Are you all right?” Cash’s hand slid to her jaw, raising her eyes to his scrutiny.

“Yes.” Her strangled reply brought a tender smile to his face, which had her pulling away from his controlling touch.

When he let her go, she could tell he was adjusting himself back into his shorts. She was relieved the dark shadows hid her embarrassment at losing control to him twice.

“Rachel…”

“Don’t worry, Cash.” Her voice was unintentionally harsh. “I’m not going to make more out of it than there was, so you can spare me that speech. Can I go home now?” While Rachel was unaware of the hurt her words provided, Cash swam by her side as she headed back to the bank.

As soon as her feet touched the grass, she picked up her clothes and went into the trees to change. When she came out, she was startled to see that The Last Riders were all mounted on their bikes.

Cash was sitting grim-faced on his bike. Something about his expression sent a warning signal through her body.

As she drew closer, he handed her the helmet. Rachel scanned The Last Riders. None of them wore helmets, even the women members, but Winter and Beth were sitting with them on their heads. A spark of warmth began to bloom in her chest, which she ruthlessly smothered as she climbed on behind him.

Viper started his bike and Cash moved his forward, going directly behind him. Rachel’s heart pumped hard as they all pulled out onto the road in twos. The bikes flew through the night in a roar of noise and excitement, even if they were just driving down the dark road.

Rachel could only guess at the adrenaline rush of actually driving the machine. Maybe she would learn to drive one. The thought of buying such an expensive motorcycle disappeared. She didn’t think she would achieve the same thrill of sitting behind Cash, gripping his waist, and leaving the skill to handle the monster between their legs to him.

Lily waved when she turned to look behind her. She was sitting next to Shade, who was driving Rider’s truck. Razer rode with Beth behind him at the end of the pack. He looked fierce with his hair pulled back with a do-rag and his leather jacket.

Her attention was jerked forward as they rounded a sharp curve, coming to a straightaway. The Last Riders’ compound was ahead. As the men cut their speed, pulling into the parking lot, Rachel expected Cash to keep going. Instead, he pulled in alongside Viper, turning off his machine.

Rachel stared at the clubhouse sitting on the hill with the large flight of steps leading up. She had been inside a couple of times: once to help Lily during one of her panic attacks and another to celebrate the baptism of Beth’s sons. Tonight, it looked different, as if a den of inequity was just waiting for her to step inside.

The question remained, was she brave enough to take that step?

Chapter 28

“Why are we stopping here?”

Cash climbed off his bike, staring down at Rachel. He reached out, taking off her helmet. “I thought I would show you my bedroom.”

He deliberately let his eyes run over her shirt where the damp material showed the outline of her breasts. He wasn’t surprised when she stiffened, gripping his bike with her thighs and refusing to get off the machine.

“I’m ready to go home. I’m working the church store in the morning.”

“Lily is going to open for you,” Cash stated casually, leaning down to lift her, despite her attempts to smack him away.

“But it’s my turn,” Rachel argued.

“Lily is paying back a punishment; she’s opening for the next week.” He took her hand, leading her up the steps. Rachel didn’t try to jerk away; in spite of herself, she wanted to spend more time with him before returning to reality. She damn sure didn’t want him to come to the realization he could make her want him despite herself.