She fumbled with the phone in her hand, trying to lock it. I saw that her hands were shaking.What the hell?
Reaching out, I placed both of my hands over her own, stilling them. Erica looked up into my eyes, and I was sure that I saw fear there. Something strange was going on here, and she was clearly rattled. I didn’t understand what had triggered it, but I wanted to somehow soothe her.
“Then I didn’t see it,” I said. “Forget it even happened.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I know it’s weird, but I just… I didn’t like my hair like that.”
She was a bad liar. Not only did her reasoning make no sense, but she dropped her eyes and fidgeted. I wasn’t going to call her out on it, not yet. But I promised myself that I would get the bottom of whatever Erica was hiding.
“Okay, Swole kicked my ass,” Tammy said, reappearing at the table with Swole at her side. I mentally cursed them for interrupting our moment.
“And now you owe me twenty bucks,” Swole added with a smirk.
“We have a joint bank account,” Tammy said. “Taking out the money just to hand it to you would only be symbolic.”
“It would symbolize that I’m the Queen of the Pool Table.”
“You’re so arrogant.”
“But you love it,” Swole said, throwing an arm over Tammy’s shoulders.
“Think one of you can dethrone her majesty here?” Tammy asked.
“I’ll try,” Erica said.
So, we went to the pool table, and I got to enjoy the view for half an hour as Erica bent at the waist, over and over again. By the time Swole had won the game, I was as hard as a diamond and ready to beg her to wear this damn dress every day.
“Well, it’s probably for the best,” Erica said as she replaced her pool stick in the holder on the wall. “It’s getting late, and I have to go pick up Dominic.”
“You sure?” Tammy asked. “Because Heather can keep him longer if you want to stay.”
“No, really. He’s not used to me going out like this, so I don’t want to be gone too long this first time.”
“First time?” Tammy smiled. “So, we can expect you to join us again sometime.”
“I think so,” Erica agreed. She glanced at me before looking back at Tammy. “I had a good time.”
“I’ll walk you out to your car,” I said. We were in Outlaw Souls territory, so she’d probably be fine, but I still didn’t like the idea of her walking across the dark parking lot alone.
I grabbed my jacket from my barstool while Erica pulled on her own. I was glad that she had brought one because it was strictly against the rules to let anyone else wear your patch, the only exception being during a ride. If a woman was on the back of your bike, it was acceptable for her to wear it so that your patch, and therefore your membership in the club, could be displayed.
I opened the door for Erica as she waved goodbye to Swole and Tammy. She pointed out where her car was, and the two of us walked side-by-side toward it. I slipped my arm around her waist, letting my fingers curl around her hip. She was so soft pressed against my side.
Erica leaned into me, and we fit together perfectly. When we reached her little red sedan, I stood with my hands in my pockets, waiting for her to dig her keys out of her purse and unlock it. She pushed the button on her key fob, but instead of getting in the car, she hesitated, looking up at me through her eyelashes.
The only light came from a streetlight to the right, which cast half her face in shadow, but I could see exactly what she wanted. One small step closed the distance between us, and I didn’t hold back. Taking a fistful of her soft hair, I gave it a small tug, not enough to hurt, but it did make her tilt her head back. I claimed her mouth in a hard kiss, pouring every ounce of desire I had into it as I licked my way into her mouth.
If Erica thought I was being too forward, she didn’t show it. In fact, her hands came up to my shoulders, pulling on me until I was even closer, our bodies pressed together. She was intoxicating, so sweet and hot.
I wanted to take this so much further, but I knew that this wasn’t the time. We didn’t know each other well, and while I had hopped into bed with women while barely knowing their name, Erica didn’t seem like the type to be down with that. She also had her kid to take care of.
I pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss. Letting out a sigh, I rested my forehead against hers. “We’ll finish this another time.”
“You promise?”
I cupped her cheek, running my thumb over her kiss-bitten lips. “Baby, that’s a guarantee.”
Eight
