Okay, now I’m slightly pissed off with her. “Most of the guys you date aren’t exactly Ivy League types.”
“I don’t bring them back here, either.”
“Zach isn’t just a one-night stand. We’ve been seeing each other for almost a month.”
“So you’re saying he’s your significant other, and he hasn’t been screwing around behind your back?”
I stomp into the kitchen, which leads directly from the living room, and switch on the coffee machine. When she doesn’t follow up with any more snarky comments, I flatten my palms on the granite counter top that separates the two areas and glare at her.
“No, he isn’t my S.O., but he might be.”
The admission hangs in the air between us, like an ax ready to fall. I groan and bury my face in my hands. It’s something I’ve been trying not to face, but now I’ve put the words out there, the unlikelihood of Zach and I ever having something serious between us is magnified a thousandfold.
“Okay.” Charity heaves a long-suffering sigh. “I guess I should reserve judgment until I’ve met him. Maybe there’s more to him than big biceps, hot tattoos, and a huge dick.”
I raise my head just enough to give her a withering glare. “If you say that to him, I’ll kill you.”
“So he doesn’t have a huge dick?”
I might’ve said something like that to her soon after I first met him, but it’s not the only part of him I can’t get enough of. My irritation with her fades, and I give her a filthy smile.
“Yes, he does. And he knows what to do with it.”
Chapter Twelve
Zach
It’s nearly eight thirty when I arrive at the address Grace gave me. The street’s wide with plenty of streetlights, there’re palm trees along the sidewalks, and no cars are parked in the road. It’s a million light-years from where I grew up, even if it only takes half an hour to get here on the bike.
Her apartment building is classy, guarded, and has massive wraparound balconies on each of the six stories. She told me to text when I arrived and she’d come down, but as I lean my forearms on the handlebars, I’m in no hurry.
Why did I agree to come here tonight? This isn’t part of our deal. I’m fine with her staying at my place on a casual, no-strings basis, and if any other chick had invited me over I wouldn’t have hesitated to say no.
I nearly said no to Grace, but there was a strange look on her face, as though this really meant a lot to her. What’s one night, anyway. I’m not ready for this to end with her yet, and it’s not like she wants me to meet her parents which really would be a deal breaker.
It’s still too personal. I don’t do this kind of shit. But before I can figure out why the hell I keep breaking all my rules when it comes to Grace, she’s on the sidewalk next to me.
“Hi.” She puts her hand on my arm, and her smile reminds me of all the reasons why my rules go to hell around her. “You can use the underground parking lot. We have a spare space.”
Once I’ve parked, and the guy on guard duty has given me a filthy look that anywhere else would cost him the use of his legs, we take an elevator to her floor. The hallway is wider than my living room, with a large window at one end and works of art on the walls. And we aren’t even in her apartment yet.
Her front door swings open, and a blond chick’s standing there, one hand on her hip, watching us make our way toward her.
“Charity, this is Zach. Zach, my sister, Charity.”
It’s obvious by the way her gaze rakes over me that her sister doesn’t approve, and while I don’t give a fuck what she thinks about me, I don’t want Grace getting all flustered over nothing.
“Hey.” It’s a reasonable greeting given the chilly reception, and usually I’d leave it at that. But somehow, this time, I don’t. “How you doing?” I even manage to give her what I hope’s a non-threatening smile.
“Hi.” Inexplicably Charity gives me a far warmer smile than I expected. “It’s great to finally meet you.”
“Charity.” My girl’s voice is strained, although I don’t know why, since her sister seems okay after all, and my tense muscles relax. Shit, maybe I was more wired about meeting her sister than I realized.
“Same.” Feels kinda weird saying that, but I’ve never been in this situation before. Obviously Charity is off-limits, so I guess the only way to handle it is to treat her the way I do Ty’s kid sister Savannah.
I follow them into the apartment. It’s all open plan, and with furniture that looks like it came off a movie set.
“Do you want to put your things in the bedroom?” Grace glances at my empty hands, and a strange expression flickers over her face.
“Sure.”
“Oh. Right.” She sounds surprised, which doesn’t make any sense, and takes my hand and leads me into a hallway with three doors. “That’s the bathroom.” She nods to the middle door. “And this is my room.”
She opens the door, and although her bedroom isn’t much bigger than mine, it’s the most girly room I’ve ever seen, with a dozen cushions piled up on the queen-size bed, white furniture, and long, lacy drapes at the glass doors, which I assume lead onto a balcony.
“So, you are still staying the night?”
I drag my attention back to her. “Yeah. Why? Changed your mind?” I tug her closer and loop my arms around her waist. All I want to do right now is pull her down onto that bed, but I’m guessing she has other plans.
“No. But you haven’t got an overnight bag or anything, so I wondered…” Her voice trails away.
“I’ve got condoms and a toothbrush. What more do I need?” I grin at the look on her face. “I travel light, princess.”
“I’m impressed.” She goes onto her toes and gives me a soft kiss. If she does that again there’s no way we’re leaving this room until I’ve had her. “I thought we could go to a local bar for an hour or so. Is that okay with you?”
“You think they’d let me through the door?” I doubt I’m the type they’re used to around here, and I’m not taking off my cut just to fit in.
“Of course they will.” She strokes my leather, as though she guessed my thoughts. “I never thought you were the insecure type.”
I tighten my grip around her waist and pull her hard against my body. “Do you know what I’d do if anyone else said that to me?”
She tilts her head and pouts her lips. She’s pushing all my buttons tonight and she knows it. Any more of her sass and I’ll throw her on the bed and screw her until she forgets how to talk at all. “Cut out their tongue?”
She doesn’t know how close to the truth that is. “Something like that.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” She sounds so sure of herself that I laugh.
“Keep telling yourself that.” It’s a novelty having a girl think I’m not a total badass, and I’m not sure why I like it. Not that it’s something I’d ever admit. My life as I know it would be shot to hell.
“I don’t need to.” She winds her arms around my neck. “I know you’re tough, but you’re not a jerk.”
“You sure about that?” I grin down at her. There are plenty of chicks in my past who’d disagree with her on that point, but I don’t care about any of them.
“Yes. I was engaged to one for two years, remember?”
It’s the first time she’s mentioned her ex in weeks, and it manages to kill the moment. “You see much of him at work?”
“Not really. We’re in different departments.”
I know it’s over between them, and she’d never go back to him, but it burns that they’re still working together.
Is she dating other guys? It hits me from nowhere. When we first hooked up it didn’t matter, and then I never thought about it, but now the image of her with other men is clawing through my brain like rusty spikes.
I don’t like it.
“You seeing anyone else?” My voice is rough. Where the hell am I going with this? I don’t date, so my question doesn’t even make any sense.
“Uh, no.” She sounds taken aback. “Are you?”
No, I’m not. The words thunder through my head. I’ve never said them before, never even thought them, but with Grace it just feels right. I want her to know she’s more than a casual lay. Hell, even thinking that makes me crazy. She’s my girl. I suck in a deep breath. Just tell her.
Before I manage to get my shit together, Charity’s voice interrupts the silence that’s sprung up between Grace and me.
“Are we going out, or do you want me to leave you two alone?”
I grin at my girl. There’s no need to say anything. She knows what she means to me.
…
The bar’s within walking distance of the apartment, and I sling my arm around Grace’s shoulders. It feels real good, knowing for sure she’s not sleeping with anyone but me.
“At least we don’t need to worry about getting mugged.” Charity nudges my girl before throwing me a smile. “Zach’d scare the crap out of anyone idiotic enough to try.”
Grace agrees, and a weird feeling snakes through my chest. “Usually, I’m the one in a line-up, not the hero.” Okay, so I’ve only been in a line-up once, but I doubt her ex ever has.
Why do I keep thinking about that asshole?
“Aww.” Grace snuggles into me. “You’ll always be my hero.”
I’m relieved no one I know is around to hear her say that, even though I like it. “Never been accused of that before.”
The bar is everything I expected, which means it’s so far removed from Odin’s they might as well be on different planets. I pull open the door for the girls to go in first, and Charity shoots me a shocked look as though she thought I’d let it slam in her face. Just because I’m not from the right side of town doesn’t mean I’m a total Neanderthal, and I smother my grin as I remember how Grace once called me that.
I get plenty of sideways glances from the trust-fund kids who make up the majority of customers, and as we make our way across the floor people step back as though they think I’m going to start ripping heads off.
We find a table out on the terrace, with uninterrupted views of the ocean. Everything is scrubbed clean, and there’s no smoke or lingering smell of weed in the air, just the faint scent of the sea on the breeze.
I sit back with a beer while the girls sip their cocktails. Unsurprisingly, Grace tried to insist on paying for the drinks, but I’m not having that, even if everything is majorly overpriced.
“Always knew you were a cocktail girl.”
She pulls the straw from her mouth in a slow, sexy slide. “Only on special occasions. I prefer whiskey.”
“You told me vodka.”
“Of course I did. I couldn’t let you have everything your own way, could I?”
If her sister wasn’t sitting right next to her, I’d give a smart retort to that, but much as I like the way Grace blushes when she gets embarrassed, I’ve discovered she hates it.
I glance around. The bar and terrace is all white and glass and secluded lighting. “This your local?”
“One of them,” Charity says. “We mix it up. But this is one of our favorites.”
“Don’t you like it?” Grace leans into me and takes my hand. “We don’t have to stay.”
I squeeze her fingers. It’s cute she thinks she needs to tell me that. “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have agreed to come tonight.”
“That’s so adorable.” Her sister gives a loud sigh, and we both turn to frown at her. Is she taking the piss? “You make a lovely couple.”
“I know we do.” Grace glances at me with an apologetic smile. “You’ll have to excuse my sister. You’re not what she was expecting.”
“Is that right?” I can guess what she thought, but I’m not calling her out on it for the single reason she’s Grace’s sister.
“Viking Bastards.” Her sister looks enthralled, and combined with the fact she isn’t trying to change the subject, it makes me laugh. “I was expecting an ax-wielding berserker at the very least.”
“You would,” Grace retorts, but she’s trying not to laugh.
“I only berserk on Sundays.”
Charity chokes on her cocktail, and Grace leans over and pats her back.
“You don’t berserk at all.” She gives me one of her smiles that make me forget everything, and I dig my fingers through her hair and roughly pull her close for a lingering kiss.
“And that’s my cue to leave.”
Grace pulls back, her hair messed up and face flushed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. A group of our friends have just walked in, and if I stay here you’ll never get them to leave you alone.”
Grace glances over her shoulder, and gives a strangled groan. “Did you tell them we were coming here tonight?”
“I might’ve mentioned it.” Her sister doesn’t look at all sorry when Grace throws her cocktail umbrella at her. “I didn’t know if we’d need backup or not.”
Five girls come out onto the terrace and there’s a load of hugging and air kissing between them and the sisters. After Grace introduces her friends, I’m the subject of varying degrees of scrutiny from barely disguised horror to downright dirty interest. They’re all hot and classy and if any one of them had strolled into Odin’s the night Grace did, I would’ve been interested.
But would I still be with any of them, nearly a month later?
I catch her eye, and she gives me a faint smile.
No, I wouldn’t. I thread my fingers through hers. I’ve had enough of socializing.
“Okay, girls,” Charity says. “Let’s leave the lovebirds alone.”
Lovebirds gives me gas, but at least she got my unspoken message and herds them away. Grace sighs and shakes her head.
“Sorry about that.”
I shrug. “No need.”
“You didn’t mind?”
“Why would I?”
“No reason.” But she smiles as though my answer pleases her. “They can be a little enthusiastic sometimes.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Any other time—with anyone else—I’d play on that double entendre, but tonight I just don’t feel the need. I have everything I want right now in front of me.
“I shouldn’t think there’s much you can’t handle.”
I finish my beer before I answer her. “You’d be right.”
Her thumb’s stroking mine, and I know she wants to ask me something but isn’t sure how I’ll react. “What is it?”
“I’m just wondering…” Her voice trails away, and then she takes a deep breath. “Well, what it is you do at your club.”
Club business is never discussed with outsiders, and officially, even old ladies are kept in the dark, although I know my dad could never keep much from my mom. The girls that hang around at the club are for one thing only and casual hookups are told nothing. Women who ask shit that has nothing to do with them are soon put in their place.
Grace doesn’t fit into any tidy little niche of my life, and I sure as hell won’t tell her to mind her own business when she has no idea what’s she asking.
“I drink. And it’s a lot cheaper than doing it here.”
I hope that’ll shut her up on the subject, but somehow know it won’t.
“So you don’t do anything sort of, well, illegal? Like drug running?”
She’s biting her lip and her blue eyes are filled with worry, and it’s a combination I can’t resist. Sure, she has no right to question me, and if my brothers discovered she had, and that I hadn’t shut her down, there’d be hell to pay.
My brothers aren’t here. They’ll never know. And the truth isn’t so bad, anyway.
“Nah.”
It’s worth breaking all the rules when she gives a relieved sigh and squeezes my fingers. I lean in close and whisper in her ear. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Thirteen
Grace
It’s late Sunday morning and I’m drying my hair after Zach and I shared a l
eisurely shower together. I’m still tingling all over, and can’t take my gaze off his reflection as he pulls on his jeans and tee. Any fears I’d had that he and Charity would lock horns were completely unfounded. My sister now knows he isn’t a two-headed monster, and not only did they get along well, but he also managed to charm half of our friends without even trying.
I’m sure he’s coming around to the possibility we might have a real relationship rather than just frequent hookups for sex. Otherwise why would he have asked me that random question last night about whether I was seeing anyone else?
But he didn’t answer me when I asked him the same thing. Only because we were interrupted, though. I’m not going to worry about it.
I drop the towel and reach for my underwear, fully aware his hot gaze is raking over me as though he wants me all over again.
“Leave them off.”
“What?” I turn to face him, my panties dangling from one finger. I know exactly what he means, but want to hear him say it.
He plucks my underwear from me and tosses them onto the floor. “Go naked under your dress.”
“I guess that’s fair, seeing as you’ve gone commando.” I give him a breezy smile as though I’m used to abandoning my underwear at a moment’s notice, but I don’t think he’s fooled.
“Yeah. Gives me easier access.” His leer is certifiable, and I laugh and slap his hand away from my ass.
“Don’t you want to taste my muffins?”
“You know how dirty that sounds, right?”
“Only if you have a sewer for a mind.” I slip into my dress and give him a sweet smile. “My muffins have won an award.” Admittedly it was only for being the best in that particular bakery course I’d taken, but I’m still insanely proud of it.
“I’ll bet they have.” He cups my breasts through my dress and teases my nipples into hard peaks. “How long until they’re ready? I’m starving.”
…
An hour later I take the plate of warm blueberry muffins out onto the balcony, where Zach’s sprawled on a chair taking in the view. Charity follows me with a glass bowl of fresh fruit salad and we place everything on the table. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee permeates the air, and I curl up on the chair next to Zach feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzy. Not to mention decadent, with the whole no-underwear thing.
Hooked (Viking Bastards MC) Page 10