He set his glass down with a deliberate clink.“You tell me.”
I reached for my drink, but he caught my wrist gently.His fingers were rough, warm, and callused from years working with his hands.And yeah, the double meaning wasn’t lost on me.I let him hold me there, my gaze not leaving his.
“Thought about you,” I said, surprised at my own honesty.
He smiled, not like before but slow and proud.“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”I wanted to look away, but didn’t.“I tried to talk myself out of answering you.Didn’t work.”
His hand slid up to the inside of my elbow, fingers resting just above the tattoo of an intricately created monarch butterfly with bright, multi-colored wings I’d gotten when I was seventeen, right after Ghost had taken me in.To me, that tattoo represented my new beginning.And I’d wanted it to be bright and colorful instead of drab and gray like my old life.
“Is that a problem?”he asked, voice barely above a whisper as he leaned in to me.
I grinned.“The problem is, you’re a question I can’t answer.I hate not being able to solve shit right in front of me.”
He leaned in, so close his breath ghosted against my cheek.“What if you didn’t have to solve me?”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.The urge to kiss him was almost painful.Instead, I let my hand drift up his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his T-shirt.
He covered my hand and squeezed gently, then stood, pulling me up with him.“Come on.Booth’s more private.”
He guided me to the corner booth, his hand never leaving my lower back.The touch was proprietary, but not demanding.I let him, more curious than annoyed.When we sat, he shifted so he could watch the room but also so he could watch me.
We didn’t bother with small talk this time.I leaned in, my voice dropping to a low register.“What are you really doing in here?In this city?”
He didn’t flinch.“I told you.Needed a fresh start.”
“Bullshit,” I said, but there was no heat behind it.“No one starts over in this town unless they’re hiding from something worse.And you don’t strike me as a Lone Wolf.”
He nodded, as if agreeing with me.“Maybe I just like the roads here.Always been a man who liked curves.”His grin held a wicked gleam I couldn’t combat.I doubt any woman across three townships could resist this man when he smiled.
I let the silence stretch between us, testing him.He didn’t fill it.After a few seconds, I said, “You ever think about leaving it all behind?The clubs, the bullshit, all of it?”
His expression softened for a second, so quick I almost missed it.“Every Goddamned day.”
It was the first completely honest thing he’d said since I met him.I tucked it away, turning it over in my mind.I didn’t delude myself into thinking I had this guy pegged.I knew he could absolutely manipulate me if he chose.But I knew in my heart, regarding this, he meant what he’d said.
He finished his drink in a single gulp, then set the glass down and met my eyes.“You want to get out of here?”
The question was simple, but loaded.I nodded.“You have no idea.”
We stood at the same time.He let me go first, then put his hand on my hip as we moved toward the door.Outside, the night was cool, the breeze chilling my skin slightly.I could smell the city, the gas and smoke and summer sweat.
We didn’t talk.He walked me to my bike, then stopped.“My place?”he asked, like he knew the answer.
I smiled, letting my hair fall over my eyes.“Thought you’d never ask.”
He leaned in and kissed me, hard and sure, his tongue thrusting between my lips to stake his claim.I could have saved him the trouble because I was pretty sure he’d made his claim loud and fucking clear that first night.When we broke apart, I could see the hunger in his eyes.
“Get on your fuckin’ bike, woman.Or I’m gonna fuck you right here.”
“If that’s supposed to be a threat you missed the mark completely.”
Rocky barked out a laugh.“You fucking fascinate me, Wren.”His eyes gleamed in the darkness as he grinned down at me.He leaned in until his lips brushed my ear.“Race you there?”
The challenge in his words sent a shiver down my spine.This was one challenge I absolutely could not pass up.“Hope you can keep up, old man.”
I swung my leg over my bike and started her up.The vibration between my thighs didn’t help my current situation.Heat pooled in my pussy, making my clit throb and ache.Well.That problem could be fixed easily enough.
