Chapter 9
Savage
I can’t sleep.
Smiling, I typed out a reply.
Me
Try warm milk.
Savage
Fucking vile.
Three dots appeared on the screen and a moment later another text appeared.
Savage
Did I wake you up?
Me
No. I’ve been awake.
Savage
Are you wearing that cute little nightgown you were wearing this morning?
Me
Yes
Savage
Are you going to invite me over?
I stared at my screen, biting my lip. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Savage all day. Brielle probably wanted to hit me for my inattention at various times.
Savage
Evie, are you going to make me beg?
I loved the idea of him begging. Savage didn’t have to plead for a woman’s attention, ever.
But he was begging for me.
He’s impossible to ignore.
If I invited him over, that implied he would sleep here.
Next to me.
My heart stumbled with nerves, but a delicious coiling of desire swirled through me, too. Savage was irresistible.
Me
Come over.
A moment later, I heard a knock. I climbed out of bed and went to the front door. I peered through the peephole to see Savage standing at the threshold. I undid the chain and lock.
“Were you—were you standing outside my door this entire time?”
“Yup.”
“How did you know I was going to let you in?” I demanded.
He lifted a paper bag. “I didn’t want to take any chances, so I brought you a bribe.”
My smile softened. “I don’t need a bribe. You’re enough.”
His expression froze for a moment and then his grin deepened. “Wait ‘til you see what I brought.”
I stepped away from the door frame and stood back to let him inside. His gaze skated down my body in appreciation.
“Fuzzy socks,” he commented.
“My feet get cold.”
“Adorable.”
He set the bag onto the counter and reached into it. “I brought you tacos.”
“Tacos? At ten o’clock at night?”
“Why not? I got them from our spot.”
“Our spot, huh?” I asked, unable to hold back my grin. Bubbles of happiness ballooned in my chest, making me feel light and carefree for the first time in years. “So, that reminds me, Brielle asked me how we met today. I sort of lied and told her it was at the taco truck. I remembered what you said about people not knowing about the fighting.”
He pushed a wrapped taco toward me. “You’re right about that. I told Roman the truth, though. That we met at the illegal ring.”
“ What? ” I gasped. “You did? Why?”
“Relax,” he said. “Roman won’t tell anyone. And that includes his brothers.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell them?”
“Because I asked him not to.”
“But won’t Homer and Virgil be curious?”
“Well, sure. You’re basically a stray. But the club helps a lot of strays.”
“Stray?” I repeated. “You pity me.”
“What?”
“This is charity work for you, isn’t it? What am I to you?” I asked, a wave of anger rushing through my veins. “Am I just part of a motorcycle club charity outreach program or something?”
His eyes widened. “Evie, no, I didn’t mean?—”
“You kissed me because you feel sorry for me, don’t you?”
“ Hang the fuck on ,” he growled. “I wanted to kiss you the first night we met, but you ran.”
“Yeah, because you nodded at me like a—like a—king summoning one of his mistresses!” I began to pace across the kitchen. “Don’t do me any favors, Savage. I won’t be a conquest. And I won’t be your stray. Thanks for the tacos. You can go now.”
He raised his brows. His black eye was slowly fading; it was turning purple. It only reminded me that he was a fighter, a biker; a man I had no business getting involved with. I’d let my guard down and Savage had wasted no time at all worming his way into my life.
I hadn’t been careful. I hadn’t kept the promise I’d made to myself—stay unattached. Stay uninvolved.
“You’re not a conquest,” he said, jarring me out of my thoughts. “And if anyone feels like a stray, it’s me. Showing up on your doorstep with a taco bribe so you’ll let me sleep next to you because I—I don’t sleep, Evie. Not for more than a few hours at a time, and never deeply. But that night you were next to me . . . waking up with you . . . no bullshit. It was—my mind was quiet. Do you know what that’s like?”
I pondered his words, felt them deep inside all the way down to my marrow. “Yes. Because I don’t have a quiet mind either.”
We both fell silent.
I reached for the taco and unwrapped it. I squeezed a lime wedge over the top of it and then took a huge bite. I moaned in delight.
“For the love of Christ,” Savage muttered.
“What?”
“What? What do you mean what ? The noises you make when you enjoy food are downright pornographic.”
My eyes widened.
His gaze was steady, bright, and fixated on me. “You’re peace and chaos wrapped in a gorgeous package and I don’t know what to do with you.”
It seemed Savage was just as confused about our connection as I was.
I picked up the tin foil covered plate that rested on the counter and placed it near him. “I made brownies.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I left a plate for Cozy earlier. But I made extra.”
He unwrapped the plate. He picked up a brownie and took a bite, his eyes closing in enjoyment.
“Good?” I asked with a knowing smile.
His eyes flipped open. “Better than good. You’re hot and you bake. I’m in so much fucking trouble.”
I bit my lip. “Savage, I’m not ready to—if you sleep in my bed, it’s just to sleep. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said easily.
My exhale was shaky.
“The idea of having sex with me terrifies you,” he murmured.
“I’ve—I’ve heard some things about you . . . in the bedroom.”
“My reputation precedes me?” He grimaced. “What did you hear?”
“Let’s see; in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve already heard you’re an animal and maniac .”
“I’d never hurt you,” he said softly.
I swallowed; my throat suddenly parched. “It’s not that . It’s—I don’t have a lot of experience, Savage. And from the sound of it, you do.”
“I do,” he admitted. “I won’t shy away from that. Tell me about your past.”
“What?”
“How many men have you been with?”
I nibbled my lip which drew his attention. “One.”
“One,” he repeated.
I nodded, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.
“Is your hesitation because of your lack of experience or because the experience was terrible?”
My eyes widened in shock.
“It all makes sense,” he said slowly. “The motel, the cash job under the table, your skittishness at getting too close to me—or anyone, really. You’re on the run from your ex, aren’t you?”
I shook my head in negation.
“You can be honest with me,” he urged.
“He’s not my ex.”
His brows slashed together in confusion. “You mean you’re still with him?”
“No, I mean—” I took a deep breath, “—he died, Savage. It was a bad marriage, and I was left with nothing. I’m not running from anyone. I’m just trying to start over.”
Savage took a step toward me tentatively, like he was afraid I’d bolt if he approached too quickly. “Fuck, Evie. I’m sorry.”
Tears, unwelcome and unbidden came to my eyes. I hastily turned away from him so he wouldn’t see, but it was too late. He set a hand on my shoulder and gently turned me toward him, pushing me into the wall of his chest. I pressed my cheek against his shirt and breathed him in, my breaths rickety, the tears falling even though I didn’t want them to.
“I’ll help you start over,” he whispered gruffly. “Whatever you need. You need time? I can give you time.”
But my worry was that I didn’t want time. That I was suddenly hurling myself toward him like a comet toward the Earth. And I worried that I wasn’t making a good decision, and I was afraid of the fallout.
But there was this man—this strong, beautiful man—who protected me, found me a safe place to live and a job where my heart didn’t beat in fear every time a large man stepped toward me.
“Maybe I am a stray,” I admitted softly.
His fingers drove through my hair, and he gently tugged my head back so he could stare into my eyes.
I got lost in his gaze. Pools of brightness banished the darkness of my past.
“Maybe we can be strays together.”