The man staggers back and falls to the floor out cold.
Keno shakes out his hand, and suddenly Royal Bastards and Iron Death club members are squaring off until Rock whistles sharply.
“Knock it off. You two take it outside.”
Ox is still lying on the floor, shaking his head like he’s wondering what happened.
Keno’s dark eyes land on me, and he grabs my hand. “Come on.”
And then we’re moving through the crowd toward the front door.
CHAPTER TEN
Maggie—
Once we’re outside, Keno keeps moving, leading me around the side of the log structure, then stopping in the dark shadows away from the porch lights. jerked
I’m afraid to hope what this means. Are we just friends? Lately it seems like so much more. My heart lifts whenever he’s around, and when he’s not, I feel like a part of me is missing. He’s got the power to hurt me, and tonight he did just that. I refuse to be jerked around and treated less than I deserve.
I yank free, and my hands go to my hips. “What the hell, Keno?”
“Are you kidding me with that shit in there?” He gestures toward the building.
“What?” I bite back.
“What the hell were you doing drinking shots with that guy?”
“I was having a good time,just like you,” I throw back at him, leaning closer to emphasize the last three words.
“Oh, is that what that was all about? You’re jealous?”
“Does it matter?”
One thing I know about Keno in all the years I’ve known him is he’s more about action than words. He proves it again by grabbing my hand and leading me farther into the darkness, near the rear of the building. I pull my hand free again.
“I’m not some sweet-butt you can jerk around like your personal property.”
He totally ignores that and circles back to my question. “What do you mean why does it matter?”
“You and I.” I gesture my hand between us. “It can’t happen; besides, you were occupied.” I lift a shoulder. “So I might as well go have fun with some other guy.”
“The hell you will.” He crowds me against the building. “We both know I’m the only one for you.”
“I don’t—” Before I can finish my thought, he grabs my face and pulls me to him, his mouth coming down on mine. This kiss is filled with need and desire and sexual frustration, all tangled together. It has me losing myself, and I kiss him back just as ferociously. I’m desperate for this, for any sign he feels what I feel, just as deeply and strongly as I do. Sometimes he makes it seem like it’s so easy to walk away, and I hate that. I want him to want me with the same desperation.
But deep down, I know there’s something Keno needs more than me—his club. My heart breaks at the thought. I want what I can’t have, and a part of me hates him for it.
We break apart for air, and he leans his forehead against mine, his chest heaving. “Don’t tell me you want to have fun with anyone else.”
I sigh, trying to catch my breath. “Keno, you never—”
Someone walks out to their bike and whistles. “Get a room.”
Keno drags a hand through his hair. “It’s times like these I wish I wasn’t a nomad. I wish I had a room in this clubhouse like the rest of them.”
“And what would you do if you did?”
He grabs my face in his hands and stares into my eyes. “I’d take you there.”
