Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jill
“Come with me tonight, the game’s gonna last until tomorrow. I don’t like being away from you that long.” Gage steers the car with one hand, the other resting on my upper thigh as he drives us across town towards the Halfway House. His thumb traces mindless circles in my skin, sending tingles between my legs.
We’re meeting up with a few of Gage’s friends at the bar, and he’s already spent the entire drive trying to convince me to ditch my plans for tonight to join him at The Raven for a big poker game. But I’m not having any of it.
“I have plans with Lana. I’ll be sleeping over at her place tonight,” I remind him.
“You really need another girl’s night?” he counters. I flash him a look of disapproval.
“I’ve been having these girls’ nights for a long time. Don’t think I’ll start ditching Lana for you just because we’re together. I’m not one of those girls who forgets about her friends for some guy.”
“I’m not some guy, little devil. I’m yours.” His grip on my leg tightens, his fingers digging into the ample flesh as his fingertip press closer to my wet pussy. “And you’re mine.”
“Are you gonna hit me over the head with your club and drag me back to your cave next?” I ask flatly, unamused.
“You want my club? I’d like to pound you into submission, and I know just how good your head is.” Turning into the parking lot, he uses one hand on the wheel to whip into a spot. It’s fucking hot.
“I’m going to strangle you.” Irritation mixes with the desire swirling through me.
“Oh yeah?” He grins at me like the devil. “What else?”
I lean closer to him, stopping over the center console. Crooking my finger, I gesture for him to come closer. “Come here,” I murmur. Gage obeys without hesitation, stopping less than an inch from me. I cup his face in my hands and pull him closer until his lips are just barely brushing mine, his facial hair tickling my chin.
“You piss me off,” I say softly, my eyes flickering to his lips.
“You turn me on.” He matches the softness of my tone, his eyes gazing at me deeply.
“We’re going inside the bar now, and I want you on your best behavior.” His brows jump, his expression darkening. “Pretty please.”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He pushes closer to press a soft kiss on my lips. Pulling back, his gaze touches every inch of my face tenderly. “I’m obsessed with you.”
“You’re going to give me space to socialize,” I state expectantly. “Right?” The edges of Gage’s face sharpen, his tender gaze on me turning intense. Predatory.
A thrill runs through me like a hit of dopamine, it’s intoxicating.
“Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Menace. If I can’t have my hands on you, there’s no escaping my eyes.” He stares at me for a long moment, watching my defiance war with my attraction. “Let’s get inside before I turn this car around and take you back home.”
The Halfway House is fairly busy for a Tuesday afternoon. Chained Saints and locals mingle at the bar and around the pool tables. Rock music plays from the old jukebox in the corner. When Gage and I enter, there’s a chorus of greetings, mainly for Gage.
Stevie stands with two other women on the other end of the bar. I recognize them from the barbeque—Alexis and Ruby. Stevie’s smiling and waving me over as soon as she catches my eye. Moving to peel myself away from Gage’s side, I don’t make it more than two steps before he catches me by the belt loop and tows me back in. When I turn around to face him, his hands wrap around me to plant firmly on my ass.
“So quick to run away from me,” he murmurs teasingly with a smirk.
“Best behavior, remember?”
My tone is casual, but my eyes dare him to misbehave. His smirk grows into a grin.
“I’ll let you go socialize,” he promises. “But not before this.” He leans down to kiss me soundly, our lips dancing in a passionate give and take. This kiss is more than a display of affection. It’s public branding—though I’m not sure of whom, him or me.
His tongue slips in to taste mine, making me moan softly.
Definitely both.
Not trusting him to end it before we go further, I pull back. My teeth catch his bottom lip, giving it a sharp tug that pulls a shuttered breath from his chest. When I look up at him, I can feel every set of eyes in the bar on us. On me.
It’s thrilling.
“Go spend some quality time with your brother.” I tilt my head to the left at a table where Rio sits with Orion, Saint, and another Chained Saints member named Gunner.
“I’ll be watching you, little devil.”
“Aren’t you always?” With that, I’m slipping out of his grasp and strutting away. Approaching the trio of girls at the bar, Stevie waves over the bartender when she sees me coming.
“Hi!” She greets me with an excited hug. “Can I get you anything? A martini? A cold shower?” I can’t help but laugh, glancing over my shoulder to where Gage has taken a seat next to his brother against the wall, his eyes trained on me as he accepts a beer from Orion. I don’t let our eyes connect, knowing I’ll be sucked into our connection.
“He’s pretty intense,” I say, biting back a smile as I turn back to the girls. I address the bartender. “I’ll take a bloody mary.”
“You both are,” Stevie comments with a knowing smile. The bartender hands me my drink, and I can’t help but notice that he refuses to look me in the eye. But his glance over my shoulder tells me why. I refrain from the urge to roll my eyes, refusing to look back at the man I know is still craving my attention. He doesn’t get what he wants, not right now.
“So what are we talking about, ladies?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink.
“Ruby was telling us what she heard from one of her clients today,” Alexis says. Ruby is a hair stylist, a job that lets her hear all the hot gossip.
“Her sister’s husband was having an affair with their mom. She just had twins, and she found them in bed together after coming home from visiting the babies in the NICU.”
“That’s crazy,” I say, taking another sip.
“He’d be a dead man walking. I swear,” Alexis states.
“Both of them would be.” I think about the level of betrayal. If someone took advantage of me and broke my trust like that, I’d peel their skin off like an apple and feed it to them. “I don’t think they’d ever walk out of that room again.”
“Tell me about it,” Ruby agrees. “And get this—the husband and the mom moved in together after the wife left. They claim they’re in love, and now the mom insists on co-parenting with her and the ex-husband.”
“Grandma thinks she’s gonna be the step-mom to those babies?” Stevie asks, taken aback.
“Over my dead body,” I state. Ruby nods in agreement.
“Exactly what she said. She’s fighting for sole custody, and I’m ready to start a lawyers fund to help her with the legal fees.”
“Count me in. Where do I send my check?” Alexis comments.
“Why go through all that trouble? We know people who have ways of dealing with worms like that. Nice and quiet.” Stevie’s eyes look pointedly at the table in the back corner where Gage and his friends sit. They’re a ruthless group, each one of them dangerous in their own right.
“I hinted at that,” Ruby says with a shrug, taking a swig of her beer. “She says she’ll see how the court hearing goes first. But I gave her my personal cell number just in case.”
My body perks up, and I can sense Gage’s energy behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the group he was sitting with passing behind us. They move towards the back door that leads to the Saints’ clubhouse. As he passes, Gage leans in close to me, brushing up against my back—his hands skimming the sliver of exposed skin on my back above my jeans. My body comes alive with that simple touch, my heart skipping a beat as butterflies flutter in my stomach.
As fast as it happens, it’s over. He moves past me, following the group out the door. Leaning against the bar, I watch as he walks away. Before he disappears out the door, he turns to meet my eyes. The wink he flashes me has warmth spreading through me like wildfire.
True to his word, Gage keeps his distance while I chat with the girls and make my rounds with Stevie. He’s only out in the clubhouse for twenty minutes before he’s back inside to meet Anders when he comes striding in. After they greet each other and grab some drinks, the two of them settle themselves against the back wall to chat.
My shadow’s eyes follow me for the rest of the afternoon, watching my every move as I talk, smile, and laugh. His attention hums over my skin, fuelling my soul. Before too long, I’m being drawn back to him with our magnetic connection.