Tempted (5 page)

Oh, well, it’s his choice. I definitely want
kids someday. Someday far, far away, though.

I change into the sweatpants, drop it on my
hips, and tie the strings to keep it in place. The T-shirt, I throw
on over my bandeau and tie a knot in the back. I just hope he
doesn’t get mad over me showing my belly button. I head back out,
holding up the too-long legs of the pants. Chrissy’s in a corner
cuddled up with Ron and smoking a joint, so I seek out Gage. He
turns to me as I approach the bar where he’s sitting and drinking a
beer.

“Better?” I ask, with a bit of attitude.

“Better.”

I wedge myself between his legs, lean against
him, and drape his arm over my shoulder. He curls it around me,
pulling me closer as I settle in and survey the room. These men are
not at all what I thought they were. Crow, Motor, and Tek are off
in a corner sharing a joint. Crow is so-named because he’s good at
“clean-up”. You want to get rid of a body, he’s your man. He’s a
big dude, with a buzz cut and a jagged scar running down his cheek.
Motor, apparently, is an automotive wiz. He’s a little on the
skinny side and has shaggy, blond hair. Tek looks more Goth than
biker, complete with the black lipstick and eyeliner. He’s the
club’s secretary and way better version of the Geek Squad. I’ve
been told he can hack his way into anything.

Booker (that’s actually his real name), the
prospect, is huge…and I’m not talking about muscles. He’s like a
three hundred pound, grown-up version of Ham from
The
Sandlot
—red hair, freckles and all. He and Ron don’t seem to
have road names, but I’m sure that’s coming soon. Razor, I haven’t
spoken to yet but he scares me a little. He pulls a disposable
razor from his pocket and starts shaving. I guess that explains his
name. Then there’s Rico, the road captain. He’s from Honduras and
thinks he’s some kind of
Rico
Suave
. I remember him
hitting on me at the barbecue. He said I called him an asshole, but
he had called me a bitch so we both decided we were even. He’s
short and stocky with greasy, slicked-back hair.

Allah, he’s like the resident DJ or
something. He won’t let anyone near his equipment. He’s really
quiet, always bopping his head to music no one else can hear. Now,
his nickname is just a bit scandalous, if I’m to believe Rico’s
version. It started out pretty harmless. He would go around rapping
Fabolous’ “Young’n” so much, they started calling him Holla Back.
When that became too tedious, it was shortened to Holla. It all
changed when a new Hound, who didn’t quite get it, kept screaming
out “Allah!” while they were fucking. Needless to say, it stuck.
He’s proud of it, too, smirking all the time Rico was telling the
story. He’s a bit of milk chocolate with a close cut, wavy hair,
teardrop tattoos, and platinum grills. I smile at him, playing away
in the DJ booth.

He winks and points to me. “This one’s for
you, li’l shawty.”

Rihanna’s “Hard” comes on and I throw my head
back, laughing. I pop my collar for him and he scratches the record
then plays it again. Yeah. I think he and I are going to be great
friends.

Venom. He has a thing for snakes. He told me
he has a dozen of them at his house.
A dozen
. Just thinking
about it sends shivers up my spine. His house is one place I’ll
never be visiting. He’s hot, though – shoulder-length black hair
and muscles you get from lifting weights every day. He’s the club’s
treasurer. Chopper, I absolutely adore. Physically, he’s like all
the pictures I’ve seen of my dad’s father, only not Mexican. He’s
doted on me all day, cooking for me and making sure I was
comfortable. I don’t care what Gage says; Chopper
is
sweet.
A few of the guys’ old ladies stopped by for a while and they were
really cool, too. Everyone seems so different from what I thought.
The old adage has never been truer – don’t judge a book by its
cover.

I don’t know if it’s the man behind me or if
I’m getting a contact high from all the weed smoke, but I’m feeling
extremely relaxed. Better than I’ve felt in a long time, given the
circumstances. With Chrissy being here and texting Toni all day, my
mood improved as the day went by. Now, all Toni wants to talk about
is Gage and when I’m going to fuck him.
Like I haven’t been
trying
. I take a selfie with his arm around me and send it to
her. She replies instantly.

T: Bitch! You gonna show me his face or
nah?

R: Nope. Not yet.

T: Whatever. You need fi send on di pussy and
stop hitch.

Toni’s parents are Jamaican. I know things
are getting serious when she starts speaking Patois. At first, when
she used to slip into the dialect, I couldn’t understand a word,
but I pretty much have it down now. She thinks I’m the one
stalling. Short of tying him up and taking what I want, I don’t
know what else to do.

R: I’ve tried! He won’t do it until I turn
18.

T: You found the last man on Earth with
morals? Sounds like a keeper.

R: We’ll see.

She sends me a song but I can’t listen to it
now, so I leave it for later. I lay my head on Gage’s shoulder and
he kisses my neck softly. The light touch of his lips on my skin
makes me quiver. I close my eyes and let out a barely audible
moan.

“You’re stayin’ with me tonight.”

I snap out of my lusty haze and turn my head,
regarding him carefully. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Yes, I heard you. I just can’t believe
what
I heard
. “I have to go home…and I have work
tomorrow.”

“Millie won’t mind.”

“I can’t leave her shorthanded on a Sunday.
Not with the church crowd.”

“Fine. I can take you to work in the
morning.”

I turn around to face him and drape my arms
around his neck. “You really want me to stay, don’t you?”

“I want you in my bed.”

“Aww…Mr. I-Don’t-Sleep-With-Anyone wants to
cuddle?”

He scrunches his brows together as if the
ramifications of me staying just occurred to him. He stares at me,
and I can see the wheels turning in his head. Once he’s come to a
conclusion, his face relaxes.

“I liked waking up with you next to me.”

Oh, damn.
Fuck the world. If that’s
what he wants, that’s what he’ll get. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

***Gage***

I’ll
stay
.

I never thought two simple words could make
me so happy or that a woman could both infuriate and calm me to
such degrees. I was about to explode when I walked in here and saw
her bent over the pool table, her ass on display. I can’t believe
she erased all that anger with just a touch.

She’s leaning against me once more, observing
everyone. It’s a calm night—by our standards, anyways. With no
Hounds around, the boys are pretty tame, but they’re still having a
good time. They don’t seem to mind the girls. In fact, they look
like they’re fitting right in. Rico yells something in Spanish and
the girls burst out laughing. I have no idea what’s so funny, but
the three of them start going back and forth. What I
do
know
is that Rico’s enjoying having people around who speak his
language.

E walks in and slowly takes in the scene.
Once his gaze lands on me, his lips curl up in a smirk, and he
heads our way.
Asshole
.

“Hi, Raven. How do you feel?”

“Great, Dr. E! Whatever you gave me last
night, it knocked me right out.”

He looks up at me with a grin. Fucker knows I
stayed with her last night, and I know I won’t hear the end of
it.

“And you? How’d you sleep?”

“Just fine,
Dr. E
.”

I’m smiling, but he knows the “fuck off” look
I’m giving him all too well. He chuckles, unable to hide his
amusement.

“Do you still want me to do that thing for
her?”

Shit. I totally forgot. “Yeah, yeah. Go with
E, babe. He’s going to take care of you.”

“’Kay.”

She takes his hand as they walk away and
jealousy rages inside me once again. I take deep breaths, reminding
myself that this is my best friend. A man I’ve known all my life.
My anger doesn’t dissipate until they return, though. She talks
with Chrissy and they hug before her friend starts saying her
goodbyes.

“Bye, Gage!” She waves at me.

“See ya, Chrissy. Ron, get Allah to go with
you.”

I smile as Raven walks back to me, trying
hard not to trip over my pant legs. Why do I feel so good seeing
her in my clothes?

“I’m a little tired. I’m going to take a
shower and lie down.”

“Okay, doll. I’ll be in soon.”

“’Kay. ’Night, boys!”

I’m surprised to hear a few disappointed
groans and pleas for her to stay. Damn girl has bewitched my entire
club. She giggles and waves them off as she leaves.

“She’s a good girl,” E states, taking the bar
stool next to me.

I turn to him as I take a pull of my beer. “I
know that.” He hands me a piece of paper that I unfold and see it’s
Raven’s prescription. Finally, an advantage of having a
gynecologist for a best friend. “Thanks. I’ll take care of it.”

“Take care of
her
.”

“Why the fuck are you talking like I’m
getting married or some shit?”

He pats me on the back as he pushes the stool
away from the bar.

“You’ll figure it out soon, brother. I’m out.
Got a hot nurse to examine,” he says, waggling his brows.

“Yeah, you need to go fuck a pussy and stop
being one.”

He gives me the finger and waves Booker over
as he walks backwards out of the clubhouse.

“Come on, Booker. You’re with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

He leaves, but his words stay with me. I know
she’s a good girl and I have no intention of hurting her. That’s
why I’ve always been honest with her. I won’t let anyone else hurt
her, either. Not as long as I’m breathing. As I grab another beer
from behind the bar, I realize I care about her more than I
thought. She’s slowly working her way under my skin, and I’m
powerless to stop it. Do I want to? I don’t have a fucking
clue.

I give Tek the card with the phone number I
got from Cassidy. He nods and heads toward the rooms.

“I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“Tek…tomorrow, yeah?”

“Got it, boss.”

Razor winks at me as he leaves, jerking his
head at Rico to follow. I hope that fucker knows what he’s doing.
Cassidy is a real piece of work. With everyone else gone, Crow and
Motor start grumbling about their old ladies. After they leave, I
lock up and head to my room.

She’s in my bed, wearing one of my T-shirts
with the club logo. Her knees are drawn up to her chest, those
thick, juicy thighs taunting me. The only thing I can think is that
she fits. She fits me, my club…she just fucking fits. She’s reading
something on her phone and singing that Bonnie and Clyde song by
Jigga, but stops and smiles up at me as I enter. I swear it’s the
most beautiful sight in the world.

“Hey,” she greets me.

“Hey. What you doin’?”

“Trolling Amazon for free books.”

“Free? They can’t be very good.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and lean on the
headboard. Like it’s the most natural thing in the world, she moves
over right next to me. I drape my arm around her shoulders and she
leans in to my side.

“Not really. Sometimes it’s promotional…or
maybe the first in a series. They give that one away, and then you
have to buy the others to finish the story.”

“I see.” I hand her my credit card and she
gives me that big, beautiful smile again. I know, without a doubt,
I would do anything to keep her smiling like that. “Get whatever
you want.”

She launches at me, throwing her arms around
my neck and squeezing tightly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Fuck. All this over a few books?
Not
that I’m complaining. Trust me. “Doesn’t take much to please you,
does it?”

“Nope. I just need your billing address
please,” she says in a sweet voice, batting her lids.

Fucking cute. I give her my driver’s license
and she looks down at it with a grin.

“Your middle name is Harley?”

“Yeah. Blame Chopper. If he had his way, it
would have been my first name.”

“It’s cute...
Harley
.”

“I don’t do ‘cute’, baby doll.”

“Okay, Harley. Whatever you say.”

“What’s
your
middle name,
smartass?”

“Selena.”

“Selena. I like that.”

“Thank you. Now, go away.”

She goes back to her phone and it’s like I
don’t exist anymore. I leave her there and head into the shower.
Yup, under my skin, all right.

I feel like a kid in the candy shop…on
Christmas and my birthday rolled into one. I got a couple books I
wanted
and
I didn’t have to pay for them.
Sweet
. He
just found the way to my heart. No. Not heart. What he’s after is a
little farther south. Although lately, he seems different. The
jealousy, the way he talks…
he wouldn’t be like this if he didn’t
care, right? Could he possibly want something more?
No. I can’t
think like this. That’s how I’ll end up getting hurt. He likes me
and I like him. Let’s just leave it at that.

He walks back in, wearing those sexy-as-sin
boxer shorts that don’t leave much to the imagination. I lick my
lips and watch as he climbs into bed.

“Put away the phone. Book time is over.”

“Oh? What time is it?”

“Gage time.”

I burst out laughing, and he raises a curious
brow.

“What’s so funny?”

“I just got this image in my head of you
saying that while doing the ‘Hammer-time’ dance.”

I gasp as he grabs me by the waist and pulls
me to him. Nothing is funny anymore. In fact, I don’t even remember
why I was laughing. He takes my phone and places it next to his on
the nightstand.