Page 53 of Idaho

It made me feel special. And even though I knew better, I let myself enjoy his, and his family's, company. Just for now. Soon enough we'd find out who's after me and this would all come to an end, but for now, I got the privilege of spending the holidays with amazing people, because of him. I owed him for that, at the very least.

Lockout had paid a restaurant to cater the meal, then paid double—according to Jenny—for them to leave just the food and send the workers home, so the food was delicious.

"I'm going to be sick," Sloane said, her eyes wide as she looked down at her plate. "I ate too much."

"You're eating for two," Riptide told her with a grin.

I sat back in my chair, listening to everyone chatting. The two glasses of wine had me in a little bit of a fog, a lovely buzz that was keeping me relaxed. It was nice to not worry about anything for a while.

A hand landed on my thigh and I looked over at Idaho. He gave me a smile and squeezed gently before letting go. "You ready to call it a night?"

The evening was winding down. Dex was passed out on the floor next to his chair, and most of the kids looked as sleepy as I felt.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go upstairs."

He nodded and stood up. "Night, all," he called out as he pulled out my chair and helped me stand.

"Night," I said softly.

"Night, Eva," Jordan said with a wave.

I waved back at her, then let Idaho lead me out of the room. He didn't touch me again until we got to the stairs, but when we did his hand went to my lower back. It was such a simple thing, yet it made me feel special. Let's be honest, it made me feel sexy and desirable.

"You're quiet," Idaho remarked as we walked down the hall.

"Just tired."

We reached my door and he opened it for me, then followed me inside. I turned to watch him, wondering what the rest of the night would hold, but he shut the door behind us and pressed me up against it. His mouth landed on mine and he kissed me like I was his last breath of air. I moaned into his mouth as he leaned his weight into me, pinning me in place.

His hands were everywhere as he kissed me senseless. He cupped my breasts, then slid them down to grip my ass. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as I opened my mouth for him. Our tongues tangled together as he ground his hips into mine. My dress was thin enough to feel his hardness pressing against me.

"You're too fucking perfect," he told me as he trailed kisses down my neck. "I can't keep my damn hands off you."

I gasped as he sucked on the sensitive skin of my neck, then nipped at it with his teeth. His hand moved up under my dress and he groaned when he felt the bare flesh of my thigh.

The pleasure and wine were making my mind fuzzy, but something deep inside sent off a warning bell. As much as I wanted to continue this, I wasn't going to sleep with a man who didn't care about me. Who only wanted me for my money, or my father's connections. My hands were as heavy as concrete as I lifted them to push against his chest. "Wait."

He froze instantly, then lifted his head to look down at me. He didn't say anything, just shook his head, as though clearing it. "Shit." He stepped away and studied me. His eyes fell to my neck and he cursed under his breath again. "Go to bed, Duchess."

"What if I'm not tired?" I asked, a little breathless from the kisses.

"You're right to stop this," he said, voice flat. "It's not something we should do."

He was right. I knew he was right, but I was feeling so damn needy. The fact that he was showing self control and stopping this before he could hurt me, made me just want it more. Nodding, I moved away from him and toward my bedroom. I stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder at him. He was standing there, desire and regret raging in his eyes. "Thank you for letting me spend time with your family. They're wonderful."

"They're already in love with you, Duchess. They'd happily swap me for you if they could."

I scoffed. "Lockout would never allow that."

Sadness flashed across his face for a brief moment before it was gone. "I wish that was true. Goodnight."

I wanted to ask him more, but knew full well that this stubborn man would only tell me what he wanted and nothing more. "Goodnight." Stepping into my room, I shut the door then leaned back against it, closing my eyes. I could still feel his mouth on me. His hands touching my skin. I wanted more of it so badly, but it wasn't smart. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and stared in surprise at the mark on my neck. He'd left a hickey. Grinning, I touched it with my finger. I'd never had one before and for some reason, I liked having the reminder that the strong sexy biker had left it there.

CHAPTER 19

Idaho

Groaning, I reached out and grabbed my vibrating cell phone off the nightstand. "What?"

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