Marked by the Possessive Biker (Heat & Ink #1)

1. Boss

1

BOSS

“ W hat the fuck you looking at?”

The boy in his khaki pants and loafers grips the strap of his backpack a little tighter, puts his head down, and speeds past me without another glance.

I crack my knuckles and sit back down on my bike. I shouldn’t be here, and it’s not just because of the looks I’m getting from the people passing by. I don’t belong here. I’m tattooed, almost twice the age of most of the people here, and I’m a member of the Exiled Guardians. Hell, if my club knew I was here, they would rip my ass. We’re supposed to avoid attention, and right now, I’m getting way more of it than they would like.

But even knowing all that, I can’t make myself leave.

Not yet.

I know I should not be trying to track down the woman that has avoided me for the last month.

I cross my arms over my chest and stare up at the window that I know is Lexi’s dorm room. I should be embarrassed by the number of times I’ve driven through campus, hoping to get a glance of her. Months ago, I could have had her bent over the back of my couch, fucked her, and gotten her out of my system.

Instead, I told her that I wasn’t interested in her—hell, I was an asshole to her, hoping she’d get the hint, and she did. Now she won’t even acknowledge me, so I’m not sure what the hell I’m doing here.

I told myself I was going to sit here for five minutes, but five minutes has turned into thirty. I know I don’t have much more time before campus security or even the cops come and try to run me off, but I don’t even attempt to start my bike.

“What? What do you want?”

I look from Lexi’s window to the front door of the dorm, and the woman in question is stalking toward me. Her face is red, and she looks like she’s out of patience as she stops in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest and her toe tapping.

I had it all planned out what I wanted to say to her, but all I get out is “Hey, Lexi.”

She rolls her eyes. “What are you doing here, Ben?”

I sit up a little taller in the saddle. “Boss.”

She blurts out a laugh. “Fine. What are you doing here, Boss?”

Instead of answering her, I ask, “How’d you know I was out here?”

“The guy you yelled obscenities to told me there was a guy out here harassing people, and I knew it was you.”

I stand up and lift my leg over my bike, and the movement brings me closer to her. She takes a step back from me, and I try to act like it doesn’t bother me, but hell, it guts me. “And what? He sent you out here to take care of it? What a pussy. Are you dating him?”

She just measures me with a glare. This staring thing is a game I can win, but I’m not interested in winning right now. I want answers. “Answer me, princess.”

She scrunches her nose up. “Don’t call me that.”

I swear if she tells me she’s dating Mr. Khaki, I’m going to find him and end this right now.

She juts her chin at me. “It’s none of your business who I’m dating. So why are you here? Because you have something to say to me, or are you just preying on innocent girls, looking to break more hearts?”

She gasps when she realizes what she just said to me. I knew I hurt her, but I didn’t realize her heart was involved. Normally, that would have me starting my bike and burning rubber out of here, but instead I plant my feet. “I want you to talk to me.”

Her jaw tightens, but she remains silent. I let my gaze travel down her body, taking in her cut-off hoodie and leggings. Lexi is curvy as fuck, and I’m practically drooling at the way her midriff is bared to me. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. I want to fight this urge, but there’s something about Lexi that makes me want to bury my fingers in her soft hips and hold on to her.

I take a step toward her, and she freezes for a second before taking another step back. She’s on the sidewalk, and even where I’m at on the pavement, I tower over her. Most people are scared of me, and that’s the way I want it to be, but not with her. I hate that she’s backing away from me.

I hold my hands up and take another step toward her. I swear I can smell her honey vanilla scent, and it wraps around me like a hug. “Will you please talk to me?”

She lets her hands drop to her sides. “Fine, if that means you will stop showing up where I am, I’ll talk to you. What do you want?”

“How are you? You okay?”

Her mouth drops. She looks to each side of her down the long sidewalk and then back at me. “What the hell, Boss? You want to chit-chat? What’s going on here?”

I clench my eyes shut. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I want her and I can’t stop thinking of her, but I don’t say any of that. “I just need to know you’re okay, that’s all.”

Her mouth drops, but she recovers quickly. “I’m sorry. You need to know that I’m okay?”

I nod, not even trying to hide the worry on my face.

She crosses her arms again. “So I just want to make sure I understand. We met, we talked, I thought there was something between us. I go to see you, and you told me that I was foolish to think you’d be happy with some virgin and I could never be a woman you would want.” She stops and blows out a rough breath. “And so now, what? You want to make sure I’m okay after all that?” She throws her head back with a fake laugh. “Yeah, Boss, I’m fine. Peachy, in fact.”

“Stop,” I tell her, even though it’s too late. I’ve relived that night a thousand times in my head, and it makes me physically sick every time. I hurt her, and it was the last thing I wanted to do, but at the time, I thought it was what needed done. If only my straightlaced brother hadn’t thought it would be fun to bring his then girlfriend and her best friend to see me at the club.

She holds her hands up. “No, you stop. Obviously you feel guilty for what you said to me, and you shouldn’t. You were only saying what you felt?—”

“Princess,” I plead.

She shakes her head. “Let me finish. You were just telling me the truth, and even though it hurt then, I appreciate it now. I mean, I’m not a virgin?—”

I tense, widening my stance, really wishing I’d beaten down Mr. Khaki now. “What the fuck?”

She rolls her eyes. “Like I was saying, I’m not a virgin, but I understand the sentiment. You want someone with experience, and that I don’t have a lot of. We’re obviously not compatible, so technically you saved me before my heart got too involved.”

She tosses her hair over her shoulder. “So is that what you’re looking for? You want forgiveness?” She shrugs. “You got it. You’re forgiven. Now can I go back in and finish studying?”

“Lexi, please.”

I’m not sure what I’m pleading for, but I hate the indifference that is rolling off her. I’d rather her scream and cuss at me than get this. She claps her hands together. “Please, what?”