Chapter Eleven
Amelia
With Gage’s arm around me, holding me close in bed, the last thing I want to do is leave. It’s warm, and I feel strangely safe and protected, and I screw my eyes shut in an attempt to halt those crazy thoughts.
This is just a hookup. He’s gotten what he wanted—well, two out of three, anyway. My face burns, and my insides melt as I recall his dark promise. I totally expected him to follow through after he brought me to bed, but instead he just stroked my hair and kissed my face, as though he thought I needed comforting—nothing like my prejudiced idea of how a big, bad biker behaves with a girl, which I’ve clung onto for so many years.
And now he’s asleep.
It’d be so easy to pretend there’s more between us. Or does he always make a girl feel so special afterward? Somehow I don’t believe that. Don’t want to believe it. Things were so great and perfect, and then I went and mentioned my dad. What the hell is wrong with me?
Gage isn’t a regular guy who one day I’m going to take home to meet my family. He’s never going to find out about my past. There’s no reason why I had to mention Dad to him. Except there’s a twisted part deep inside me that wants him to know who I really am—and not care.
I don’t care who he is anymore. He can’t help who his parents are, and it’s not like I’d ever have to face his father.
No, but I still see my dad’s face every time I make some excuse to see Gage again.
When he talked about his dad, he sounded so normal, nothing like the ugly monster that’s haunted my nightmares for so many years.
Face it, Amy.
But I don’t need to, because deep inside I’ve always known. My dad would’ve done anything for us, and we could wrap him around our little fingers, but he was the enforcer for the Wolves, and rumor has it he was a scary mofo when it came to business.
Looks like Gage’s dad was the same.
I let out a shaky breath. I’m falling for this bad boy, hard. I knew the danger from the second I met him, but it didn’t stop me. All these years of only dating nice guys, guys who’d shit themselves if they knew who my dad was, and not one of them came close to making me feel the things Gage does.
Tough. I came into this with my eyes wide open. I’ve had my fling. He won’t care that it’s over. He’ll probably be relieved that I don’t expect another date from him.
For a minute, I hesitate. If all that’s true, then why did he cuddle me in the living room and make me laugh with his crazy comments? If all he wants is sex, he wouldn’t waste his time flirting. Not when I’m a sure thing.
Or maybe I’m reading more into everything he does, because deep inside that’s what I want.
Stealthily I slide out of bed and pull the discarded blanket around me since my clothes are still in the other room. A faint glow from the street lamp outside the window is just enough to illuminate his face, and for a few seconds I can only gaze at him as crazy disjointed thoughts tumble through my head.
Does this have to be the end?
My gaze slips, and his magnificent bald eagle tattoo pins me to the spot, and my heart aches.
Of course, it’s the end. This is just a one-night stand that was two weeks in the making.
It’s over, all right.
…
“Hey, are you okay?” My sister Ava’s voice penetrates my black-fogged mind, and I groan and bury my face in my pillow. I’ve only just crawled into bed. Except the light’s all wrong, and I force one eye open to check my cell.
“Aw, shit.” It’s gone ten. I’m due at the diner in an hour, but I’m too damn exhausted to move. And not just because I’ve only been in bed for five hours. My whole body tingles from the aftereffects of being with Gage, and all I want to do is wallow in it.
Ava sits on the edge of my bed. “I heard you sneak in earlier. I hope your boss is paying you good overtime.”
Groggy, I sit up and push my hand through my tangled hair. “Huh?”
My sister sucks in a dramatic breath. “Fuck me sideways. Is he a vampire or something?”
My neck stings, and I press my fingers against my sore flesh as heat washes over my face. I haven’t looked in a mirror since yesterday, but I guess I don’t need to. Ava’s snigger tells me everything I need to know.
I hug my knees and lean back against the wall. “How bad is it?”
She tilts her head and narrows her eyes. “They are very impressive. Better not let Mom see them.”
I haven’t had hickeys since I was a teen, and Mom always went apeshit. Sure, I’m twenty-three, but her words still rattle about inside my head. What would your dad say?
Guilt churns through me. I don’t even want to imagine what he’d say about this clusterfuck.
“Anyway, never mind that.” Ava scowls and pokes my chest. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were hooking up with your boss? That is who you’re seeing, isn’t it? Must be—it’s not like you ever go out anywhere to meet hot guys.”
“Are you dating someone, Amy?” Our youngest sister Abby wanders into my room and leans her butt against my desk. “Whoa. Did he try and eat you last night?”
I get the sudden vision of Gage going down on me and give a defeated whimper. Just thinking about him, even after a night of mind-bending sex, and I’m wet and needy. How can I go back to Odin’s and behave like nothing’s changed between us?
That’s assuming I still have a job to go back to. I’m under no illusions about how these things work.
“Yeah, he’s my boss.” I’ve wanted to confide in my sisters for the last two weeks, but how could I? Then again, it’s not like I have to tell them who he really is. And obviously, I have to tell them something now. “A crazy one-night stand. I wasn’t drunk, either.”
“You don’t do one-night stands.” Abby looks vaguely shocked.
“For real?” Ava sounds intrigued. “Just the one night? Where’s this place again? I might come see you at work tonight.”
“Good luck with that.” She’s not twenty-one yet, and while we’ve both done fake IDs in the past, there’s no way I want her anywhere near Odin’s.
“What’s he like?” Abby’s clearly gotten over her shock that her boring eldest sister has done something exciting for once. “Got a photo?”
“Hmm. No.” Taking selfies with Gage never even occurred to me. I ignore the stab of regret. Besides, I have the sinking feeling I’ll never forget his face, even without a picture to remind me.
“So, are you having another one-night stand with him tonight?” Ava sits cross-legged at the end of my bed. “Keep him going for another few days, at least. You might get a Christmas gift from him.”
“I don’t think you understand the meaning of one-night stand.” My voice is sharper than I intend, and she raises her eyebrows at me. Great. I’ve just given myself away. And although I would’ve shared how I feel about my mystery lover sooner or later, right now I’m late for work and it’s all still too raw.
My cell rings. I stare at the ID and my face heats again.
“Hey.” I sound bored, as though I haven’t just been obsessing over him. Shit, maybe he’s only calling to tell me not to bother coming back to work. Just one of the perils of being a casual worker and sleeping with your boss when he’s a member of an MC. Then again, I can’t say I’m looking forward to going back to Odin’s and watching him take a succession of girls out into the alley in any case.
“Hey.” His smoky voice wraps around me, and I clutch my cell tighter so I don’t I drop the damn thing. “Woke up and you’re not here.”
I gulp and shoot a desperate glance at my enthralled sisters, neither of whom possesses the good manners to leave the room while I embarrass myself.
“Didn’t think you’d notice.” Jesus, did I say that? What a dork.
His sinfully sexy laugh warms me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and everywhere in between. I try not to wriggle and fail.
“You want to know what I’m doing right now?” His voice drops an octave and need quivers between my thighs. This time I don’t dare catch my sisters’ interested gazes.
“Uh, having breakfast.” I squeeze my eyes shut. If I was alone, I’d play along, but no matter how close the three of us are, there’s no way I’m talking dirty to him in front of them.
“Ah-me-li-ah.” He drags out my name as though he’s tasting every syllable and loving it. I swallow, my throat dry. He’s not said anything even remotely smutty, and yet my skin’s prickling with frustrated need. “You can do better than that.”
I give a nervous giggle. Sure I can, but not with an audience. “I don’t want to corrupt my little sisters.”
Ava and Abby make disgusted noises, and Gage chokes. “Okay. I’ll put my dick away then.”
I snort with laughter. “Is that the only reason you called?”
“Nah. Wanted to make sure you got home safe.”
My stupid heart leaps at his concern. Maybe it’s more than just sex. More than a drawn out one-night stand…
“And let you know I haven’t forgotten we’ve some unfinished business.”
Right. My ass gives an involuntarily twitch, and I’m back to avoiding my sisters’ eyes. But despite the spark of lust, disappointment burns through me.
Of course he’s still interested. He said I owed him, and he wants full satisfaction. That’s fine by me. It’s not like I’ve never wondered what doing that would be like, and Gage is the only guy I’ve met who’s told me he wants it.
One more night together, and that’ll be it. Over. And when I say over I mean the whole mess of plotting the Viking Bastards downfall in the dead of night…
“You still there?” He sounds on the point of laughing, as though he thinks he’s freaked me out.
“Sure.” My voice is breezy even though I have the terrible fear my heart’s cracking. “You didn’t think I’d back out, did you?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you, did you?” He turns my words back on me, and I stifle a sigh. Christmas or not, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay at Odin’s once we’re done. “Before I forget. You’re not working tonight. We’re going clubbing. And tell your mom not to wait up for you, because you’re not going home tonight.”