“I’m going to have to teach you how to ride a bike,” he said.
“You mean by myself?”
“You’re a strange woman. Yes, to ride a bike and by yourself. I can’t wait to see you all in leather.” Forge frowned. “What did your father let you do exactly?”
“Nothing. I wasn’t allowed to do anything, until recently. He, erm…” She felt her cheeks start to heat at the memory of the women who’d come to visit her. “He had some women teach me how to have sex. I’m still a virgin, but they had to show me what a man likes.”
“How?” Forge asked.
“I had to watch dirty movies so I would know what was expected of me. My dad said he’d have gotten me proper training as a slut if my virginity didn’t carry such a high price.” She didn’t want to think about what he had planned for her if Forge ever gave her back.
Forge took her hand. “Your dad isn’t sounding good in my books right now. Come on. I’m hungry.” He led the way into the diner, putting their dialogue to rest.
The place was small, quiet, and she liked it the moment she stepped foot inside. The smell of grease, batter, and bacon filled the air, tempting her. Her mouth watered for whatever they had on offer. She wasn’t picky.
Forge found them a booth. The fabric was faded and torn. It looked like cats had even scratched them at some point, but she didn’t care.
It was so far from what she was used to, growing up with her father and his bubble of false perfection, and she loved the diner’s unique charm. Smiling, she waited to see what Forge would order.
A waitress came to take their order and she listened to Forge order. His voice was deep and gravely, and she swore she could feel the sound all the way to her core. Her excitement started to disappear when she realized he’d only ordered one meal. Was she supposed to watch him and starve herself? This had been too good to be true.
It wouldn’t be the first time—her father had tried to starve her. The curves she’d possessed for as long as she could remember had disgusted her father. She’d been on many diets, but the curves were part of who she was. Some of the kitchen staff would take pity on her and leave her food, but if they ever got caught, their lives wouldn’t have been worth living.
“Well?” Forge asked, bringing her attention back to him.
“What?”
“What do you want to eat?” he asked.
“You want to know what I want to eat?”
He smiled and looked toward the waitress. “Give us a minute, would you?”
Had she done something wrong? She’d been a good girl. It was what she was used to, being the good girl.
“Are you hungry or not?” he asked.
“I’m starving.”
“Then pick something, dammit.” He pointed to the menu.
“I can pick my own food?”
Forge took a deep breath and she winced.
“I don’t mean to piss you off.”
“Your dad again, right? He didn’t allow you to pick your own food or some shit?”
“He, erm, he controlled everything. I wasn’t allowed anything unless he said so.” She looked down at her hands, feeling a wave of shame wash over her. She hadn’t stayed willingly with her father. Many times, she’d tried to get away but it was impossible to leave a monster determined to keep up appearances.
“You’re not with him anymore. Pick up the menu, order something you want to eat, and don’t be worried about what I think, either. Food is food. Fucking enjoy it. I’m not like guys who enjoy watching their women eat a salad. You want a burger, have one, or whatever it is you want.”
“You really mean that?”
“Babe, you’re going to realize when I speak, I say exactly what I mean, because I don’t believe in lying or bullshitting. Now are you going to pick something to eat or watch me? I don’t share my food.”
She smiled and picked up the menu. “What’s good here?”
“Probably nothing. It’s all probably horrible as fuck, but it’s food and it’ll fill a gap. You learn not to be picky. Trust me.”
Beth had no intention of being picky. Staring at the variety of food, she wondered how she was going to pick. There was so much, and she was hungry.
****
Forge had never taken the time to watch a woman eat.
Food was food.
He’d never understood why men and women used it to enhance their sex life. There was no way anyone was drizzling honey over his fucking chest. He didn’t do sticky shit like that. Sex was hard, it was a cock in a pussy, mouth, or ass. It could be dirty without food.
Watching Beth was a whole new experience. Not only did she look full of life just by ordering herself a huge bucket of nacho fries, but when she put the first one in her mouth, she looked like she was having an orgasm.
He didn’t know if he should be jealous of a piece of food.
After she finished her nacho, fully loaded plate of fries, she went for a slice of chocolate cheesecake, and his dick couldn’t take anymore.
He paid for their food and took her around the back of the diner, slamming her up against the side of the building. He sank his fingers in her hair, kissing her hard.
Pulling away, he stared into her eyes. “Touch me.”
“How?”
He took her hands and placed them around his neck. “Like this. You can even touch my head if you want.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to being able to touch,” she said.
“What about kissing?”
“There’s a lot I haven’t been allowed,” she said. “I’m not allowed to touch, kiss, or be near anyone. The nannies I had always had to keep their distance. I was to sit at a desk, learn, and then go to my room.”
“You’ve been denied everything,” he said.
“I don’t know if I’m going to annoy you. Like with the food, I wasn’t allowed to order my own food. It has always been ordered for me. I’m not allowed to have a voice, Forge. I’m to be quiet and have no say in what happens in my life. My dad always said I didn’t know what I wanted and could never be trusted.” Her teeth sank into her lip.
“Do you enjoy being your father’s pet?” he asked.
“No. I wanted to get away so many times, but he knew. There were guards and they’d drag me back. I’ve tried to escape so many times. I hate him. I hate him so much.” She wrapped her arms around him and Forge, he held her close.
Fuck.
She was supposed to only be a toy for him. A woman to carry his baby. But within a matter of hours, Beth had already gotten under his skin and now he couldn’t fucking think without his thoughts being dominated by this woman.
Taking her lips once again, he pressed his dick against her stomach, and he wanted inside her. He wouldn’t do it around the back of the diner for their first time. There was a lot of shit he had to do, and riding out with Beth wasn’t one of them.
He’d already gotten Hound to cancel his appointment with one of his intel guys. He wanted to get some more information on Beth’s father. Mr. Peterson had a couple of deals in high places, one of them being with the cartels bringing drugs into the city. Forge didn’t like anyone going over his head, and he’d been having a few issues when it came to the cartel and turf wars with other clubs.