Page 13 of Viper

Why am I letting this man consume me like this? I saw him for all of five minutes and now I can’t stop thinking about him. A man that, admittedly, has been on my mind for the past month. Mostly when I’m getting myself off late at night in bed, and all I can see is the way he looked at me. The way he gripped my hair and growled in my ear. The way he said my name. It’s hot as fuck, but that’s all it can be. A memory. I don’t have time for him to be in my life in any other way.

Determined with that, I eventually manage to fall asleep, but when I wake up the next morning, I’m cranky and tired from a night full of steamy dreams. Which is never good for anyone around me because I know when I’m cranky I’m a bitch. Still, I try to pour some coffee down my throat and tell myself I can’t take anyone’s head off today.

I get to the courthouse and no surprise, I’m the first one there. I swear people around here don’t know the concept of time management, or the fact that they really should be here long enough before the start of the day to get their shit together, but what do I know?

I go through the security and up to my office, turning on lights as I go and unlocking the proper doors. When I finally sit behind my desk, I stare at my computer with a hatred I know is fuelled by my lack of sleep. I huff out a sigh and get started, hoping that if I finish early enough, I can go home and get some extra sleep.

Of course, that’s not my luck, and instead, I’m running to and from different courtrooms when one of the other court reporters calls in sick and I need to do all her cases, along with some of my own. And knowing it’s Suzie that called out, she’s probably sleeping off a hangover after a night out at the bar with her husband and their friends. They’re all social butterflies, but they clearly don’t know how to handle themselves during a work week, or just staying the hell home. But I’ll be making sure she makes it up to me. I usually set the schedule for the reporters so they know when and where they have to be, and I’ll make sure Suzie covers for me the next time I’m busy or out.

Petty? Yes, but I damn well don’t care. I have no time for people who don’t respect other people’s time.

When I finally get back to my office at the end of the day, I collapse into my chair with a groan, slipping off my heels and rubbing at my aching feet. I knew I should have worn my comfy pumps, but clearly my brain wasn’t working on all cylinders due to my lack of sleep.

There’s a sharp knock on my door, and I call out, “If you’re coming in here, you better damn well be bringing me coffee or I’ll kick your ass,” fully expecting it to be Linda, one of the other court reporters that likes to come into my office and tell me all about the juicy cases she sat on for the day. Probably not the most professional, but around here, with everything we see and hear, we make jokes and gossip to cope, I swear.

“I’m afraid I’m not, but I’ll let you kick my ass if it makes you feel better about it,” a dark amused voice says. I freeze, and look up and over to see the one man I was hoping I wouldn’t have to face again today.

Why the hell does he have to look so damn delicious? My brain short-circuits when my eyes land on him, and all I want to do is run over, and climb that big bastard like a tree. Fuck, I need to get a grip. Today, instead of a suit, he’s wearing a pair of dark jeans, and a black t-shirt with a logo that looks an awful lot like the one on his cut, but with slightly different colors and the words Devil’s Soldiers Security across the front. The shirt shows off his large biceps, and the ink decorating them, along with his broad shoulders and chest. And on his head are a pair of dark shades, but it’s the sparkle of amusement in his eyes that brings my attention back to him.

“I’m not interested in dating,” I tell him bluntly. He doesn’t react to my words, and he doesn’t lose his smile. No, I swear it only grows bigger. I narrow my eyes at him, too tired to care if I’m being rude. “We had a really fun night together, but I was only looking for one night, and I don’t want anything else. I have no time for a man, dating, or your fragile ego when things eventually won’t work out. So, I’m sorry if you’ve come here hoping I’ll change my mind, but that’s the way it is.”

He leans against the door frame, and again never losing his smile, and says, “I like a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it like it is. Let’s me know where I stand.”

I pause at that, unsure of what he’s trying to get at. “That wasn’t a challenge. I’m not playing hard to get.”

“Not intentionally,” he agrees, smile widening even more. I glare at him. “Have to say it was a surprise to see you yesterday with my son. He told me all about how nice Ms. Eden was to him and how she gave him some chocolate bars to make his day better, even though he knew he shouldn’t have any. So thank you for making my son’s day better than it could have been with this current situation between his mother and I.”

“Oh, ah, you’re welcome,” I reply awkwardly. “Just doing my job. Though now that I know he’s your son, I can see the resemblance. He’s a really sweet kid, and I have a feeling he’s going to be a heartbreaker when he’s all grown up.”

Viper chuckles. “Right now he’s got his heart set on one girl in particular, and I’ll hope she doesn’t break it, but if she does, he’s a strong kid and he’ll bounce back.”

“Ah, yes, Arya, wasn’t it?” I say, thinking back to our conversation yesterday. “She must be a special girl to keep his attention and make him be willing to wait that long for her.”

“The heart knows what it wants I guess,” Viper says with a shrug. “And if it teaches him to be patient and respectful of a woman, I’m not going to dissuade him.”

I smile now. “He said something about learning to be patient and that his father said women sometimes take a while to make up their minds.” I give him an arched brow at that. “But if you think that you’re going to apply that logic here, you’re mistaken.”

He straightens from against the door frame and moves further into the room. I should probably be nervous with a giant man coming toward me, but instead, I drop my foot and look up at him. He stops a few feet away and says in that deep rumbling voice of his, “Maybe not, but I think you had just as good a time as I did that night, and I’ve been itching to find you ever since. Can you honestly say you haven’t thought about me at all in the past month?”

You’re the exact reason why I’m cranky today, so yeah I think I can say that I’ve thought of you.

“Sure, I have,” I say easily. “The sex was fantastic, but that was all it was. Besides, I thought bikers were all about having a one-night stand and then moving on to the next willing woman.”

Viper doesn’t take offense to my lame attempt to stereotype him. Instead he says, “Some are, sure, but I’m not a kid that wants to fuck everything that moves. I’m edging toward forty, and I don’t like playing those kinds of games. And I have a son at home and I want to set a good example and that means practicing what I preach. I’m no saint, so I’ve slept with my fair share of women in the past, but lately, the only woman that interests me is a one with deep green eyes and a full head of hair that feels damn good around my fist while I fuck her mouth. Or when I hold her head back as I fuck her from behind.”

Those exact images flash in my mind, and my body starts to burn, but I manage to keep my eyes on his. Damn it all to hell, I really need to get him out of here before I do something stupid. You know, like jump him or agree to whatever he wants. But I manage to say instead, “If that’s all it takes is green eyes, dark hair, and someone who will take your dick in different holes, then I’m sure I can find someone for you. I have a few friends that fit the description more or less, and they’d take you on in a heartbeat.”

He edges closer, watching me. “Mmm, but none of them have a wicked mouth and quick wit that really makes me pay attention,” he murmurs, and that surprises me. Most guys hate how I talk and my lack of filter. They want to be the funny or charming ones, and when I do it, it takes away from them or some other bullshit.

“If that’s all it takes to get your motor running, then you must always sport a stiffy at comedy shows,” I quip.

He chuckles. “Spitfire, the only one I’ve gotten hard for in the last month is you. And considering the amount of shit that happens at the clubhouse that I laugh at, I think that’s saying something.” He reaches out and gently cups my chin before I realize what he’s doing and can pull away. “But I can be patient for you to realize it. Just know that now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to give up. I’ll be as patient as you need me to be until you realize we have something between us.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time,” I tell him, holding his gaze. God, those blue eyes are captivating, and I can’t bring myself to look away.

“Mmm, they say the things worth having are the ones you need to work hard for and wait for, so I guess we’ll see who wins, spitfire,” he replies. But then he completely cuts me off at the knees when he leans down to murmur in my ear, “Daddy will be waiting for you, Eden.”

Oh fuck. Pretty sure I’m going to need to change my underwear in a second, because hot damn.

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