Pump Two: An Erotic Romance Novella

Riding my bike is a great distraction, and it helps me get over things that would otherwise rest heavy on my mind.

Bad day? I’ll ride my bike. Watching my favorite F1 team lose? No problem, riding my bike will make me feel better.

Making Violet finish on the seat of my bike? Well, I thought riding would distract me…but I was wrong.

I watch the needle on my speedometer skirt past the one hundred miles per hour mark and stop accelerating when I realize that going any faster isn’t going to distract me like it normally does.

I doubt that anything will erase my memory of Violet’s body writhing all over my bike. Every time I close my eyes, the image of her is burned into the back of my eyelids.

When she got off my bike and went inside her house, she didn’t utter a word. Like a true gentleman, I gave her some space. A week has passed since then, and I’m finding it harder to stay away from her.

She haunts me when I’m not around her. And when I’m with her, she possesses me in every sense of the word.

I am done for.

Her words about me being a stranger make me want to prove to her that I’m anything but. I’m genuinely considering whether I should just take off my mask in front of her.

When I placed her hands in front of my face on the bike, she didn’t move them to see my lower face like I expected her to. It was odd. Maybe the pleasure was too much, or she’s just really into me being faceless.

Despite her unwavering belief that I’m a stranger, I’m willing to compromise by sharing some information about myself. I know that she’s going to like what she sees when my face is revealed, but I’ll keep her itching for more of me.

If she’s unsure that she wants to see my face, then I’ll have her begging for her faceless admirer to show just a little of himself—and I’m going to enjoy every second of it whilst it lasts.

I pull up to the gas station and take off my helmet as I walk through the door. Ski mask on, of course.

Violet doesn’t say anything, and I sit in my usual chair. She keeps peering up at me from the price sign she’s designing as if debating what to say. She’s probably aching to talk about what happened that night on the bike. I’m almost tempted to ask her if I’ve been on her mind as much as she’s been on mine.

“Where did you get the name Dynamite Devon?” I’m relieved to hear her voice, but twist my lips at her reference to my childhood nickname. The name lives on into my adult life and still manages to make me cringe.

“Used to compete in races when I was younger. I’d always make an explosive comeback in the last few seconds, hence the dynamite,” I explain. She nods slowly, her pen hovering over the sign.

“Sounds like something my brother would enjoy.”

“You have a brother?” For some reason, I assumed she was an only child—it must’ve been the vibe I got from her when we first met.

“Yeah, he’s thirteen. He loves skateboarding and is a menace to society.” She chuckles.

“Sounds like me at that age.” She ponders over my words, and a more awkward silence ensues.

“So, that Isaac guy got you arrested?” That name coming from her lips is enough to raise the hackles on my back.

“Yeah, aggravated assault. Bailed out by a friend.” Regret paints across her face. Great. “I was defending myself,” I add quickly. Her shoulders sag a little in relief.

“Why were you fighting at all?” she asks, shaking her head in disappointment. I usually don’t give a fuck about fighting someone if it’s deserved, but Violet almost has me rethinking my actions.

“Isaac has always hated me, ever since school. He’s a violent guy and decided that fists were better than words. He hangs out with terrible people too. It seems like the only nice person around him is his girlfriend. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, and I don’t have a problem with her.”

I’ve seen Mari only a couple of times at the races and occasionally around school back in the day when she was on the track team. She always ran past the tree I hunkered under when I’d wait for Kas to finish his wrestling training.

She never snitched on me when I was smoking a joint there, so I owe her for not getting me kicked out of school.

When she’s not at the races, Isaac is constantly flirting with other women. Everybody knows that he cheats on Mari, including Mari. With Isaac noticing Violet at the race, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is on his radar. Though, I doubt he’d sniff around her because he knows how I’d react.

“I see,” Violet hums, her attention back on the sign.

“You gonna stop with the small talk, Sweetness?”

“I actually enjoy small talk. It’s what you do when you get to know someone.” She squints at me in judgment and juts her head forward. There it is, her little angry streak.

“Well, we clearly have different approaches to getting to know someone,” I joke, partly referring to what we did in the forest.

“Yeah, mine usually starts with a date and seeing the person’s face,” Violet counters. I wish I found Violet’s attitude off-putting, but it’s honestly really fucking hot when she talks back to me.

“Fine, since you still seem convinced that I’m a stranger, let’s go on a date tomorrow.” I rest my forearms on my thighs and lean forward in my seat. She remains silent for a moment, her mouth contorted in a suppressed smile.

If I’m not mistaken, there’s a hint of relief on her face. I think Violet is happy that I’ve asked her out. I also think I might be out of the stranger-zone.

“I’m busy, actually. I have a party to attend with a friend because I have friends to spend my nights with.” I notice her little dig at me spending my time coming to the gas station. It doesn’t bother me as much as the sound of her going to a party does.

“Party?” Parties mean gross, horny men. I don’t want Violet mingling with the likes of those disgusting guys. Ironic, considering I licked and sucked on her until she almost passed out in the middle of a forest, and I just admitted to her that I have a criminal record.

“Yeah, I have tomorrow off work and a few days off next week. The party is for a fight or something. My friend’s friend, Micah, is hosting it.” She pauses her drawing as if she’s considering what she’s just said, probably caught herself saying too much again. I am always thankful when she overshares. Always.

I straighten at the sound of two words: fight and Micah. They click together like a puzzle, and a previous conversation with Kas comes to mind. Violet is going to Micah’s party.

“Oh, nice. I’m not familiar, is it local?” The lie slips out of my mouth before I can even attempt to stop it.

“Depends on what you mean by local. Where do you live?”

“Like an hour or so away from here,” I say, and her eyebrows raise in surprise.

“You drive an hour to come here? There must be multiple, nicer gas stations closer to you.”

“Yeah, but the clerk at this one lets me eat her pussy on the back of a bike.” Violet’s breathing hitches and causes her to choke on air. She sips from a mug to regain control of her coughs.

“Let’s just move past what happened, okay?” she says, pressing a hand to her throat.

Move past what happened? I think not.

“You’re seriously asking me to move past that? The hottest thing I’ve ever done with a woman, and you want me to just move past it? You expect me to pretend that I’m not a changed man after that?” Violet turns crimson and buries her face into her hands.

“Stop, Devon,” she mumbles into her palms.

“Fine.” I laugh, itching to taste her on my tongue again.

We sit in painful silence; the only sounds are the buzzing of the overhead lights and refrigerators. I’m not leaving. If we aren’t going on a date tomorrow, then I’ll bring the date to her now.

I stand up and grab several items from around the store: iced tea, some cookies, chips, and a coffee cup. Violet’s dark eyes watch me suspiciously as she moves the sign off the counter to make room for me to dump the food and drinks.

“Devon, what are you doing?” she asks, twisting her hair up into her signature clip.

I open the chips and fold down the edges of the packet to create a makeshift bowl. I then peel open the box of cookies, pour the iced tea into the coffee cup and push it under the plastic barrier. Reaching behind me, I drag my chair closer to the counter.

I don’t intend on eating because of my mask, but I consider this a step forward.

“Let’s meet in the middle. I keep my mask on, and you can ask about anything you want to know about me.” I gesture to the spread I’ve created next to the cash register. “Our first date.”

“I—”

“If your problem is that you don’t know me that well or that we’re strangers, then you’ll get to know me. Eat up.” I maintain eye contact with her, silently encouraging her to ask a question. Distracted by her lips, I watch her take small bites out of a chip and swallow before asking a question.

“How old are you?” We’re starting from the beginning, I see.

“Twenty-four,” I reply. “About to turn twenty-five.”

“I thought you were much older than me, like, pushing thirty. But then again, you are quite immature,” Violet quips and I open my arms in a playful gesture, accepting the joke.

“You haven’t seen my face, and you’re judging my age off my behavior so willingly?”

Violet barks out a laugh and rolls her eyes.

“Okay, what’s your occupation?”

“Racer and mechanic.” Violet looks at me unbelievingly.

“Legal occupation.”

“Mechanic.”

“Favorite food?”

“Baklava.”

Our back and forth starts off snappy until Violet pauses. “Oh my god,” she gasps and leans forward in excitement.

“What?”

“I love Baklava,” she gushes.

“I’ll get you some,” I say instantly. I have no idea where I can get Baklava, I haven’t had it since I ate it at a Turkish restaurant when I visited Micah in LA.

“You bake?! There’s nowhere that sells them locally.” Violet’s face lights up, a drastic change to her emotions earlier. I don’t bake, but her liking the dessert has me wanting to order every piece of baking equipment I can find just to learn.

“No, but I have my sources.” By sources, I mean Kas. Kas can do everything. I have no doubt in my mind that if I pay him enough, he will make some.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” She grabs a cookie from the packet. “You really aren’t going to take off your mask to eat with me on our date?”

“Do you want me to take it off?” I ask, curious to know what her response is.

“Both, but I kind of want to see it off more than on,” she admits, and I get it. Too bad, Sweetness.

Suddenly, an idea springs to mind. I’m so proud of it that I’m surprised a lightbulb isn’t visible over the top of my head.

“I won’t wear a mask the next time we meet. Promise.”

“Seriously?” A flicker of enthusiasm flashes across Violet’s face.

“Seriously.”

I can’t tell if the plan I’m forming will completely freak her out, but this party is going to be a lot more fun now that she’s going.

“If you’re not going to eat then you can help me finish the mural.” Violet swallows the rest of her cookie and grabs a chip, walking toward the other side of the store.

She stops in front of a half-painted wall. The top of it is strikingly bare apart from a sketched outline of a cupcake. “I just need you to hold the paint up for me.” Violet is completely zoned in on the art, and I’m zoned in on her, entranced by the way she talks about it. “It’s such a tiny area, but trying to balance the can while I paint is really difficult.”

Violet starts climbing up the unstable ladder, her arm outstretched as she explains. She wobbles, and I lurch out of my seat just as she catches herself. When she takes another step, she moves unsteadily again. I’m out of my seat and grabbing her by the waist.

“I’ll paint it,” I say whilst holding her steady, her ass directly in my line of sight. She looks down at me, my eyes immediately going to her face.

“I only need you to hold the paint; I can do it myself like I’ve done the rest,” she says pointedly, as if she thinks I’m doubting her ability.

“I love that you paint, and I know that you’re capable of handling yourself, but this is dangerous.” I push the ladder with the tip of my finger which causes it to teeter on unstable legs. “If I’m here, you’re not getting on that ladder.” She attempts to climb higher, and I prevent her by gently holding her still. I make a point of gripping her waist tighter in warning so that she gets down.

“Fine, but only because it’s safer this way. I will call out instructions from below.” We switch places and true to her word, Violet doesn’t just call out instructions—she works me like a dog.

With multiple uneven lines fixed and several color changes later, we complete the mural just as the sun begins to rise.

“You do this for a living?” I ask, my arm aching more than after a sparring session with Kas on one of his bad days.

“Yeah, but I take breaks,” she says, placing lids back on the paint cans.

“I could’ve taken a break?” I grit my teeth in pain, rubbing my shoulder. She’s brutal.

“Duh, it’s tiring work.” Violet grins at me, her face glowing with satisfaction. “But it’s worth it. Look at it.” She gestures toward the wall we’ve just finished. “It’s like the wall is alive, don’t you think?”

It takes me a second to pry my eyes away from her beaming face. I step back to admire the mural in all its glory. The wall is a vibrant explosion of colors and shapes, depicting a collage of food items surrounded by patterns and swirls. The colors are so vivid that they seem to jump off the wall. The details are impressive, and I can’t help but be amazed by the way Violet has brought everything to life.

“Yeah, it really does,” I agree, feeling a surge of pride welling up within me alongside another raw, overwhelming emotion. That’s when I come to a sudden realization: I dislike absolutely nothing about Violet. From her talents and humor to her captivating looks. She is flawless to me.

God, even I’m starting to doubt if it’s possible to like someone this fast—I’m not denying it because it feels so right. I wonder if this is how Violet feels too.

I watch her bend down to pick up a can of paint and carry it to the utility closet. I follow suit, picking up the rest of the cans. She props open the door and places the cans down, staring at my arms when she notices me behind her carrying the rest.

“So, you’re going to take off your mask for me next time we meet?” she asks excitedly.

I nod, a smile tugging at my lips. “I promised, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” she says. She looks at me in conflict like she’s simultaneously thrilled and unhappy that she’s going to see my face. Well, at least that’s what she thinks.

“It’ll be on my terms.”

“Your terms? Okay…whatever. You’re trouble, Devon,” she says, arranging the paints.

“Maybe, but you like it.” I place my paints on the floor and crowd her in the utility closet. Violet looks up at me with lust-filled eyes. “Close your eyes,” I mumble. “Don’t open them until I say so.” She gives me one thorough look before shutting them, long eyelashes resting on her cheeks.

I pull up the bottom half of my mask and press my lips to hers, feeling the usual shockwave surging between us. Violet’s hands wrap around my neck, and I pull her closer by her waist. I suck on her tongue lightly, my lips working with hers. Our teeth clash as we begin to fight for control.

I can feel her body responding to my touch, and I let out a low, throaty noise of desire.

Reaching behind her, I pull her hair loose and massage my fingers against her scalp. She moans in both relief and pleasure, her noises only making me more eager. I don’t hold back when I slam her up against the shelves with a force that makes me glad I had placed my hand behind her head to cushion it.

I can almost feel her need for me growing with each passing second, and with every inhale of her sweet scent, I feel my need for her growing too. I trail my nose down her neck and along her collarbone, working my way down her chest until I’m kissing over her clothed breast. Sucking an erect nipple through her thin top, I plaster my face against her, suctioning hard enough for her to squirm.

She’s so sweet that if I lick and suck on her too much, I’m worried that she’ll dissolve.

“I want to taste you again, you’re so fucking sweet,” I groan, sucking her harder.

“Then taste me, Devon.”

I want to take this further, but not here. I don’t know where else though because I want her so badly. All I know is that a gas station isn’t the place. I doubt there is an ideal place because when it comes down to it, I’d fuck and eat her pussy anywhere.

I need to leave before I lose control completely. I pull away with my chest tight and heaving.

“You’re driving me insane, Violet.” My jaw aches with how hard I’m clenching my teeth. I need to get out of this closet.

In fact, I need to get out of this store before I fuck her in here during her shift. “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, my cock desperate to be inside of her.

I feel her rapid breaths against my lips. With her eyes still closed, she leans forward again. I yank myself away from her when our lips brush once more, shoving my mask over my mouth before I get carried away.

“What the fuck, Devon? You’re such a tease,” she whines. Her forehead creases, and she has yet to open her eyes.

“I’ll see you soon, Sweetness,” I rasp, resting my covered lips on her forehead. I relish the feel of her body against mine, then swiftly exit the enclosed space. The smell of paint burns my nostrils as I walk out of the building.

I honestly don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve quit smoking because of Violet, so I can’t use that as an outlet. I already know that riding does little to keep her out of my head. Now, I just feel guilty for leaving her so abruptly.

I can’t help but feel like I’m being driven insane by Violet. The more time I spend with her, the more I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind completely.

Her kisses will only satiate me for so long, and I know it’s only a matter of time until I’ll want her in every possible way.