Free SMITH (The Beckett Boys, Book One) by Olivia Chase Page B

take the back road up to the small lake in the park. A good place to be alone with my thoughts.
    Think about what it is I want and how to get it.
    When I get to the parking lot, there are a few other cars there. I hear a couple of kids playing in the playground at the far end of the park. The air is warm but not humid tonight. I park my bike and head right to the water’s edge.
    There are a few ducks swimming on the surface; the sun has already set, so it’s dark over here, lit by a couple of ambient lights around the park. The sky is an explosion of stars above me. I work my way around the perimeter of the water to my favorite thinking spot, a small grassy patch in the back.
    Been a long time since I’ve come here. This used to be one of my retreats from the world, where I’d lie on the grass and not worry about anything.
    I bet Aubrey would like it here.
    The thought stops me right in my tracks.
    I’ve never brought a woman to this place. Not because it’s that big of a secret or anything—it is in a fucking public park, after all. But something about doing a thing as regular as going with a woman to a park seems like real dating.
    When the fuck have I last gone on a real date, not just a one-night stand? And why does Aubrey make me think about these things? That’s not what I’m interested in.
    I’ve been telling myself that very thing all week, that I don’t want more than just fucking. And the entire time, I’ve known I’m lying to myself. Because dating Aubrey would give me a chance to hear more of her laugh, make her smile. Give us the chance to tease until we’re so sexually aroused we can’t see straight.
    Maybe trying a date wouldn’t be so bad. Just one.
    If she’ll even have me. I did creep out of her place without a goodbye. Shit move for sure. Jax, the king of one-night stands, would even kick my ass for that.
    Is she pissed at me? Regretting what we did?
    Guilt sinks my stomach hard, and I sigh. This week has fucking sucked because I’ve been running from the truth, and I know it. I want to know Aubrey more. Maybe take her out to dinner or whatever.
    One date couldn’t hurt, could it?
    Fuck me, I want to see her again. Feeling that tight cunt wrapped around my cock was one of the hottest moments in my life. Her innocence, mingled with that dirty curiosity, that eagerness…I need it right now.
    Aubrey could drive away the shithole this week became.
    I just have to get her to give it a chance.
    I go back to my bike and hop on it. Get back on the roads and weave my way to her apartment. I’ll convince her to see me. I know she feels our sexual connection too. That look in her eyes wasn’t manufactured. That pussy was drenched for me, her body craving my hands, mouth, dick.
    Aubrey’s name is a pulse in my head as I ride to her place, pull into the open spot in front of her building. Stroll to the door. The front light is on—good indicator she’s home. Which means she is avoiding Outlaws, that I pushed her away.
    I can make it up to her though.
    I refuse to acknowledge the small flutter in my gut and push that shit right aside. Knock on her door with a firm rap.
    After a moment, the door cracks open. Aubrey’s wearing a pair of faded jeans and short-sleeved pink shirt. Her breasts are molded by the fabric; it’s hard to fight the way my mouth waters at the sight. Holy fuck, her tits are gorgeous.
    I look up into her eyes and see wariness. “You can’t possibly be this desperate for customers,” she says in an airy tone, contradicting the tension I see around her eyes, her mouth.
    “Not for customers,” I tell her. “Let me in, Aubrey.”
    “No, thanks. I already met my quota for guys running off in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping.” She moves to close the door, but I block it with my foot.
    “It wasn’t night. It was morning.”
    She huffs a frustrated breath. “Oh, awesome. Thanks for the correction. That’s good to know.”
    “Come out with me tonight.” I