I felt his lips smile before his mouth took mine in a deep, hot kiss.

He rolled to his back, pulling me on top of him and he stopped kissing me to invite on a murmur, “Knock yourself out, Ace.”

I grinned in the dark. Then I took my time moving down his chest. Then I took my time doing other things to him.

I’d stopped sucking and started licking when I heard Tate growl, “Stop f**kin’ around, babe.”

“Mm,” I mumbled against the head of his c**k and his hands, already in my hair to pull it away from my face, fisted.

“Ace,” he called as I kept licking.

I didn’t reply, I took him in my mouth, his h*ps bucked up, I pulled him deep, heard his groan and then slid him out and glided my tongue from tip to base.

“Babe, seriously,” Tate warned.

My hand was wrapped around him, holding him so my mouth could work him, I swirled the tip and then stated, “I’m enjoying myself.”

“You’re makin’ a point,” he returned.

I opened my mouth over him and sucked him deep again. His big hands cupped my head and held it down so I gave him what he wanted until I heard him groan again then I pulled him out.

“Dammit, Laurie,” he growled.

“Patience, Tate,” I told him but he was done.

I knew this because he knifed up, I found my body pulled from between his legs and positioned at his side, my head still facing his lap. My knees were in the bed, he pushed them apart, yanked my panties down my behind and his hand was between my legs. He didn’t tease, he wasn’t playing, he was serious and it was my turn to groan, which I did, pushing my h*ps into his hand.

“Suck me off, babe,” he demanded.

“Okay, baby,” I gave in and immediately did as I was told.

It took some concentrated effort, considering he was working me, fast and hard while I was working him, fast and hard. But he kept giving it to me while I gave it to him so I had to return the favor.

Luckily, we both succeeded in bringing it home and it was unbelievably hot.

Tate righted my panties on my h*ps and my body in his bed and threw the covers over me before he went to the bathroom to clean up. When he came back, he took me in his arms and held me close.

Then he said, “We’ll talk about that shit in the morning.”

He didn’t sound angry. He sounded tired, satisfied but mildly disgruntled.

“What shit?” I asked, sounding much the same, except the disgruntled part.

“I get to play, babe,” he answered and my head came up.

“I don’t?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“You just don’t.”

I felt my chest seize and I whispered, “You didn’t like it?”

His body went still a moment then he burst out laughing and rolled into me so he was mostly on me.

“Tate –”

He cut me off. “It seem like I didn’t like it?”

“Well… no, you were, um… groaning and –”

“Clue in, Laurie, I’m gonna tease you and I’m not just gonna tease you in bed.”

“You were teasing?”

“Partly, yeah,” he answered.

“What’s the other part?”

“No woman has taken that kinda time with me.”

“So you liked it,” I stated hopefully.

His lips touched mine then slid to my ear where he said, “Yeah, baby, I liked it. And you can do it again. But, I’m just sayin’, I like to be the one who plays.”

“Oh… kay,” I said hesitantly because I didn’t get it.

“I like making you catch fire,” he went on.

“Okay.”

“And I like control.”

“Okay.”

“And I don’t like losin’ it.”

“So you didn’t like it.”

“Babe, I liked it.”

“But Tate, I don’t get it.”

He rolled us to our sides again and stated decisively, “You will.”

“I will?”

“Once you come fully into your biker babe, Ace, you’ll get it.”

I still didn’t get it but now he sounded amused so I knew he wasn’t angry and I was too sleepy to try.

I snuggled into him and muttered, “Well, I liked it.”

“I got that,” he muttered back.

I felt my brows draw together, “You did?”

“Babe, you were drippin’ wet when I got my hand between your legs.”

“Oh.” Well that explained that.

His hand slid into my hair and he gently ordered, “Sleep for me, Laurie.”

“Okay, Tate.”

“Sweet dreams, baby.”

I closed my eyes and snuggled closer. “You too, Captain.”

For some reason, his hand suddenly twisted in my hair, it didn’t hurt at all but there was something intense about it and my eyes opened.

“You’ll have sweet dreams?” he asked quietly and sounding like he cared, a lot.

God but I loved this man.

I felt my mouth smile and I pressed even closer.

“I’m a good girl, I always do what I’m told.”

His hand left my hair so both his arms could wrap tight around me.

“Love you, Ace,” he murmured and my stomach melted.

He said it. Right out.

He said it.

“Love you too, Captain.”

He kissed the top of my head and, in return, I kissed his chest.

Then I fell asleep and had sweet dreams.

Just like I was told.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Unpack

For a month and a half, nothing big happened.

Well, big things happened. I should say nothing mammoth happened.

* * * * *

The first big thing to happen was that Tate didn’t take Jonas back to Neeta.

This pissed Neeta off. She also blamed me for it. I knew it three days later when Tate had been called to go round up a fugitive from justice and therefore was out of town.

Even with more information, nothing had moved in the May-December case. Tambo told Tate that all the residents in the neck of the woods where Sunny was attacked didn’t fit the profile and every last one (not that there were many) had alibis.

This didn’t make Tate feel elated he had to go out and hunt down a fugitive. He didn’t like leaving me and his son when a murderer was on the loose. But he also had bills to pay and mouths to feed so he set up a posse of semi-bodyguards who drove me to work, took me home, stayed with Jonas when I wasn’t around and only left when they knew that I’d set the alarm. This posse included Pop, Dalton, Jim-Billy, Ned and even Wood. Once Tate set this up, away he went.