Page 19 of Viper

I’ll give it to the man, he doesn’t even look her way, instead, just stares at me expectantly, and waits for me to respond. “I’ll have my usual,” I say tightly, still glaring at him, and handing her the menu.

“And I’ll have a burger, medium rare, with the fixin’s,” Viper replies with a smile. “Oh and a few extra fries than standard.”

“Will do,” the waitress says with a nod, before turning and walking away, hips swaying in her tight uniform pants. Again, Viper never once looks her way, instead, focusing on me.

I cross my arms over my chest. “So, what, you’re just going to stalk and harass me now?” I demand. I’m being a bitch. I know it, but right now, I can’t bring myself to care.

“Eden, I’ve never stalked or harassed a woman in my life,” he replies, removing his arm from the booth, and bracing both forearms on the table, before leaning forward, losing his smile. “And if you really want me to leave, then I’ll take my food and go, but I want to tell you something first.” When I don’t reply, he takes that as assent and continues, “I’m a grown ass man, I’ve been married and while it didn’t work out, I got my son out of it and that will forever make me grateful. Since Maggie and I divorced, I’ve been like you and didn’t want a woman in my life. I didn’t need one. I have my club, and I have my son, but now that I’m getting older, and seeing my brothers find their women, I realize I want that too. And this time, I want it to stick. But I’m not going to accept any woman that shows me some interest. I want a woman that’s going to be there for not only me, but my son, and who I connect with in every way. And to be honest, with you, I saw a fucking beautiful woman, and one that made me want her the moment she opened her mouth. And even after a fucking amazing night, she’s been on my mind ever since, and normally, I would ignore that and continue on with my life, but damn if I can.”

Well, I didn’t expect that. Or the way my heart pounds a little harder in my chest at his words. Of course, the man is the kind that knows how to say all the right things and sound sincere instead of saying what he thinks I want to hear. “You don’t know me, Viper,” I say, tired and still a little irritated. I don’t want to be moved by what he’s saying, so I need to remain strong. No men for me. Not right now, other than the odd time I want to get my rocks off. Nothing else.

“No,” he agrees. “But that can change.”

I don’t even try to stop the sigh that comes out. “Viper, trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to date me. I don’t make a good girlfriend, and I know that about myself. I will not meet you with a warm meal when you get home, I won’t drop everything to do whatever you want to do, and I like my privacy and my own space. Not to mention, most guys don’t like staying with me too long because I’m not the kind of woman you bring home to your mother. I don’t have a filter, and I like to have fun. Enough that I don’t need someone judging me for what I like to do.”

“Well, my mother left when I was a kid and haven’t seen her since, so I don’t think you have that to worry about,” he says with a smirk on his face. I narrow my eyes at him and he holds up his hand placatingly. “Sorry, sorry. Eden, none of those things are turn offs for me, and I mean it. I don’t want a woman who is always watching what she says around people. Trust me, I’m surrounded by women just like you, so you’ll fit right in. And as for the rest of it, well, I can cook my own damn meals, nor would I expect you to drop everything the moment I call. I understand that you have your own shit going on. As for privacy and space, I like both those things, so I think I’ll perfectly get it when you tell me to leave you alone.”

Again, all the right things, and I can feel him wearing me down, but I need to remain strong. So again, I decide to be blunt and honest. “Okay, look,” I say seriously as I lean forward. “Let’s be real here. You and I, while it seems like on paper that we’re compatible, I have my doubts. And while normally I would walk away and forget about you completely, I can admit there’s something about you that tells me we have chemistry outside of bed, but right now, I’m not in a good place that I’m ready to do anything about it. You need to focus on your son, and I need to focus on myself for a while. I got out of a relationship not that long ago, so I think that I really need to spend time on myself.”

He doesn’t reply for a moment, watching me, and clearly weighing what I said. It’s interesting watching him, because he never looks away from me once. Like he’s trying to dissect me while he figures out if there is a deeper meaning to what I’ve said. He’s going to be disappointed if that’s what he’s trying to do, because I’m not one to hide behind hidden meanings. I tell it like it is, and that’s it. And that also means I won’t spare his feelings to do it.

The waitress returns with our food, and I dive in without a word, looking away from Viper. Viper doesn’t touch his food as he continues to watch me for another few minutes, and then finally says, “Alright, how about I propose this? You and I, we take the pressure off and we work on getting to know each other. Not dating,” he adds when I narrow my eyes at him. “You want to work on yourself, and you’re right I need to focus on Archer, and some club stuff we’re working on. So we do random shit together or just hang out, and leave it at that. We see if we’re compatible without any emotional investment and if we decide it won’t work, we walk away without worrying that someone is going to be angry or hurt.”

I’m intrigued, but also wary. I mean, I know I’m a cynic, but how many men are going to just spend time with you without wanting something in return. “And does that mean that sex is off the table?” I ask him drily.

He smirks. “If you think you can keep your hands to yourself, then yes,” he drawls, reaching for his burger and taking a large bite of it.

“I’m sure I’ll be just fine.” I roll my eyes for added effect. “And I’m not saying yes. I’m cranky as hell today, and honestly, I need to think about this when I’m not pissed off at everyone and everything.”

“Care to share why you’re feeling so cranky today?” he asks me with a charming smile. “Since you didn’t tell me earlier when I asked.”

“I haven’t slept much in the last few days,” I say calmly. “Which makes me extra bitchy.” He doesn’t need to know he’s the reason I haven’t been sleeping. No doubt he’ll just take that as an invitation.

Viper’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “Sounds to me like you need a little extra something to help you sleep. Wanna know what helps me sleep?”

“A good jerk off session?” I quip.

He lets out a burst of laughter. “No denying that. But I was going to say that doing a hard workout before you go to bed could help.”

“The way I do it, same thing,” I can’t help but blurt out. Shit. I really shouldn’t have said that, because his eyes instantly heat, and that grins turns predatory.

“Spitfire, you’re going to make me forget my offer,” he warns me, which makes me smirk in return. “Good thing I have a lot of patience,” he mutters. Then he clears his throat and adds, “Fine, if an actual workout is off the table, then I suggest a glass of wine and a hot bath.”

“Mmm, both do sound like something I’m going to need tonight,” I agree thoughtfully. “I’m hoping with those, and a quiet night, I’ll be asleep early tonight.” I shovel a few more fries in my mouth and quickly check the time on my phone. I still have half an hour before I have to be back.

“If not, give me a call, and I’m sure I can talk you through some workout routines,” he offers with a salacious wink.

I snort, unable to help myself. “Yeah, I’ll do that,” I say sarcastically. He doesn’t reply, just grins. I roll my eyes. “So besides being a biker, what exactly do you do?” I ask him curiously, purposely changing the subject. Mostly because I know that if I don’t, I’ll be asking for those routines because, damn it, I find him hotter than hell, and I can admit I want that pierced dick inside me again. So yeah, definitely need a change of subject.

He gives me a knowing look, along with another smug smile and replies, “I run a security business with some of my brothers, and I’m the club’s Treasurer,.”

My interest is piqued. “Like bodyguard kind of stuff, or home security systems kind of ones?”

“We do both,” he says as he eats more of his fries. “Though body guarding brings in more income than the systems, but that’s sides growing lately.”

“Do you guard the pompous business people that like to think they have people after them when they really want people to think they are important?”

He chuckles. “More often than not, but it pays well, so we deal with it. We have a few people who do need us for legitimate threats, but those aren’t as often. So do you just watch kids during court proceedings, or do you do anything else at the courthouse?”

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