“I protect him cause he’s your kin.” She brushed her knuckles against his cheek. “I protect him like I’d protect you or your cubs. Although”—she gave that adorable smirk—“your sister is on her own. Because Mitch may or may not be a criminal, but at least he’s nice to me. He gave me yogurt.”
“Yogurt?” he asked to give himself a few seconds to get control of his suddenly exploding emotions. Not over Mitch. Hell, he’d gotten used to these times with his baby brother. But the fact that Ronnie protected him and his family like she would her Pack. Brendon didn’t even know if she realized it yet. Realized how much that simple admission said to him.
“I love yogurt, and he dug it out of the back of that inhumanly large refrigerator you have. He did it for me. Hardened criminals don’t do that unless they’re expecting to get some pussy out of it.”
Brendon took her hand, kissed her knuckles. “That was eloquent, Ronnie.”
She snorted in response and then climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close to his chest.
Ronnie nuzzled his neck and licked his jaw. “Any chance you’re ready to go home, hoss?”
Nibbling her ear, Brendon whispered, “More than ready. What would you like to do when we get there?”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Let’s not worry about family or cops or anything else tonight.” She kissed him and pulled back with a grin. “Tonight I’m a coquettish schoolgirl and you’re the dirty next-door neighbor boy trying to talk me out of my virginity.”
Dez choked on her beer, and Mace had to pound her back to help ease the cough.
Brendon ignored it all, instead staring into Ronnie’s dark hazel eyes. Because of the darkness of the club, they glinted when she moved. “The coquettish schoolgirl?”
“Trust me, darlin’.” She slipped off his lap and stood, grabbing his hand to drag him out of the booth. “I’ve got the perfect skirt.”
Chapter Twelve
She’d practically shoved him into his elevator and told him she’d meet him upstairs in a little while. That had been forty minutes ago and he was starting to get antsy. Something about that female, something that made Brendon insane and wild. Something that made him want to do whatever necessary to make her a part of his life forever. Not just because she was a great time in bed—and Christ, was she ever—but because she had a heart as big as Asia. He loved how Ronnie cared about those in her life and did what she could to take care of them. Protect them.
He loved how she loved life. The woman had done more in her thirty years than most people in their sixties, but still she acted like everything was wonderful and new. She always found something interesting to learn.
Christ…he loved her. He loved her and she was home. They were home. She just hadn’t realized it yet.
The knock on the door surprised him since he’d given her his key. He dropped his beer on the table and headed to the front door. He didn’t need to check the peephole because he could smell her on the other side. He smelled her excitement and anticipation. The scent made him hard and desperate, but when he opened the door he froze.
He thought she’d been kidding. But nope. Not his Ronnie. There she stood in a way-too-short plaid skirt, white blouse, and white Keds. She’d put her hair into a ponytail at the top of her head, and she even had on small wire-rim glasses. She held a notepad and textbook against her chest, and she stared down at the floor.
“I’m…I’m here for your tutoring session,” she stammered out, and all Brendon could do was lean against the door, staring down at her. She glanced up at him. “Ain’t ya gonna let me in? My momma will be real mad if I ain’t back in an hour.” Her accent was thicker, her voice a little higher and insecure sounding.
She wanted to play to get his mind off his brother, and he was more than happy to oblige.
“Guess you better get in here then.” He stepped back from the door and she walked in, doing her best not to brush up against him.
“Wanna beer,” he offered, making sure to slam the door behind her.
She jumped and turned around. “Uh…no. No. That’s okay.”
“You sure? Might loosen you up.”
“I don’t need loosening up, Brendon Shaw. I need to get this trig down your throat, so I can go home for dinner.” She stormed over to the living room and slammed the books down on his coffee table, then sat primly on the edge of his couch. “I’m just doing this cause Coach Wilson asked me to.”
“Makes sense. You being president of the math club and all.”
Brendon sat down on the couch next to her. “So tell me, Ronnie Lee, why don’t you like me?”
“Don’t like you? Who said I didn’t like you?”
“You do, pretty much. You never say hi to me or sit next to me in history class.” He brushed the hair falling from her ponytail off her neck. “You look right through me.”
Her eyes closed when his fingers touched her throat, and a small shudder rippled through her body. “That’s…that’s not true. I just…we don’t…” She shook her head. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”
“Doing what?” he softly demanded as he kissed her neck again. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We need to study.”
“Study later. I need you to reassure me now.”
“Reassure you?”
“Tell me you like me, Ronnie Lee.” He nipped her neck. “Even better…show me.”
Ronnie’s eyes crossed and she clenched her knees together. She thought she’d have to drag Brendon Shaw into this little role-playing thing. Not a lot of males, human or shifter, were real comfortable with it. Or they did it wrong. Diving right for the good stuff and not even bothering with the little scene she’d created.
Not Brendon. She could easily imagine him as head of some Texas high school football team, luring young girls to the death of their virginity. As much as she was ready to straddle him and fuck him into oblivion, she had no problems extending the game a wee bit more. How often would she get someone worthy of the effort?
“You stop that right now, Brendon Shaw! I’m not like those slutty cheerleaders.” She slapped her hand against his face to push him back and squealed when his tongue licked her palm. “I…I’m a good girl.”
“You don’t have to be, Ronnie Lee.” One of his big hands cupped her breast, the thumb teasing her nipple. “Let me show you how much fun it is to be bad every once in a while.”
“I…I can’t. It’s wrong. What if my momma finds out? Or the preacher? They’ll see it on my face. I know they will and I’ll burn in hell.”
With him kissing her neck and massaging her breasts, it took Ronnie a good thirty seconds to realize Shaw had slowly pushed her onto her back.
“No one will know, Ronnie Lee. I promise.”
“You’ll tell everybody.”
“I won’t. I know what your daddy will do to me if he finds out.” He unbuttoned her blouse in record time, slipping it off her shoulders. “It’ll be our little secret, Ronnie Lee. Yours and mine.”
Brendon’s big hands slid under her skirt and took hold of the plain white cotton panties she had to dig through her entire suitcase to find. She always made sure to keep a pair with her, and she’d never been so grateful before.
“But…I’ve never done it before.”
He slid the panties down her legs. “Not ever?”
“No. Not ever.”
“I’ll be your first?”
She gave a shy nod. Amazing, since she’d never been shy a day in her life. Even when she had lost her virginity.