Page 128 of XOXO

My strides are confident, and I watch her watching me, taking me in. I don’t miss when her eyes trail from my boots to my dick. I don’t miss the flare and heat in her eyes when she sees how hard she is making me. Nor the way she bites down on her lower lip, which has me smirking. Yeah, baby girl, two can play this game. When I reach her, my hands rest on her bike on either side of her, boxing her in. My eyes bore into hers; my lips lift in the corner, and her breath hitches. Leaning forward slightly, my face so close, our lips nearly touching.

“Since you wanted to be a hardass at your place.” Her eyes flare. “I guess now is the time for introductions and to make some shit clear. This was neither of our ideas. And I know we are both feeling whatever the fuck this is…” I shift, leaning forward so my lips are next to her ear. “I’m not like the little fuck boys you toy with. You want to be an alpha female, sweetheart? You go right ahead. But be prepared because I’m not a man to be played with.” I lean back, not missing the shiver that runs through her. I lean back so I can look into her eyes, eyes that are now narrowed on me.

“This can go one of two ways. We can make the best of the night, or you can keep playing these little games, and we can end this shit here and now with no hard feelings.” Then I pull away from her so that I can see her entire face. She shifts her lower half forward, pushing against my dick, and she stares into my eyes. It is quick, but I see the moment she realizes exactly what I mean. Her eyes flash with a hint of frustration, which makes me chuckle as I turn away from her.

Instead of giving her a chance to respond because I do not need whatever smart-ass retort she plans on spewing, I take confident strides toward the restaurant, never turning around to see if she is following. While still in earshot, I stop, unwilling to turn around. “By the way, I’m Dekker, and I’m fucking starving. So let's eat.”

DALIA

“He is supposed to be a troll.”

Cock sucking motherfucking son of a bitch that man is too fucking hot for his own damn good. Fucking dimples. My body vibrates with need as I watch him walk away. I felt how hard he was even after what he said to me. Him making it clear his intention isn’t completely unexpected. I expected little from him. Regardless, the moment I saw him, I knew he was the kind of man who could have me on my knees without saying much. His words were like a bucket of water. Reality slaps me in the face. One night, that’s it.

My eyes stay on him as I try to get my muddled brain to cooperate. Arousal, anger, curiosity, annoyance, need. How in the hell am I supposed to deny what we both know? Then again, I don’t have much of a choice.

This is a pity date for him, something I’m sure he had to be convinced to do. He isn’t the only one that needed convincing, so I’m not holding shit against him. Danika can be very persuasive when she wants to be. And with what I know of his past, he probably isn’t looking for what my sister believes to be some earth-shattering love story. Dekker is making the best of being tasked to take out the crazy, wild, uncontrollable sister. It makes sense that he would do this and wouldn’t want to make waves with Nitro by denying what Danika wants. I smile because it is nothing new for Danika to get what she wants. It makes sense that he would end them before things even got started. I respect that. Because he could have told Nitro and Danika and whoever else to fuck off.

When he pulled into the lot, my eyes never left him. And when he got off his bike, I did not show my outward response to him. Dekker is not a small man. He’s a little over six feet, two hundred pounds, and has a body of solid muscle. He has dark brown hair that is faded on the sides and longer at the top. He has it braided in a single plat that falls nearly to his mid-back.

My mouth watered when he leaned into me and spoke. My breath hitched, and my heart raced at his words. When those soulful brown eyes looked into my own, the depths behind them nearly had my knees buckling. I’m not an idiot. I recognize that this man could wreck me in ways I may never recover from, which has me strengthening my resolve not to take things too far with him. A little banter and flirting is as far as this can or will go.

“You coming or what?”

I’m jerked out of my thoughts and realize he is using my earlier words against me. Fucker.

Chapter Six

DEKKER

“You can’t hide who you are.”

Taking a sip of my beer, I’m not surprised that Dalia and I seem to have a lot in common–we both served. It impressed me she was a Master-at-Arms, the Navy’s version of military police. She was mainly stationed in the States and aboard a few ships while I was overseas serving in the Seals. More than once, I thought during our dinner, what would have happened if we had crossed paths naturally? Because from where I’m sitting, she’s someone I would have pursued. That realization has made it more challenging to keep an emotional distance. She’s beautiful and a little spitfire, that much I already knew. I have to keep reminding myself that isn’t all. Her history is a reminder that I can’t go there. I have to stay the course. Knowing who and how she was, I still wavered.

“So, a fucking love triangle. That shit’s fucked. How the hell did they figure the shit out? The easiest way to eliminate the evidence is to chuck the chit overboard, and wham bam, all clear.” I say with amusement.

Her eyes glitter with laughter while telling me about her time in the Navy. I’ve tried and failed to keep my eyes from straying from hers to her full lips as she speaks. But fuck me. All I want to do is lean across the table and devour them.

“Oh no, the dumb fuck wiped off the blade and put it back and tried to act like nothing happened. Come to find out, it wasn’t even a love triangle. The guy whose face got sliced only flirted with the chick and told his buddies he wanted to fuck her. And shit went down heel from there. After being found out, the guy who did the deed told us that, and I quote, no little E-2 would disrespect him or his girl. He said it as if it was normal to sneak a lick on someone while they slept in their bunk. That’s not even the craziest shit that happened while I was deployed.” She says, shaking her head, amusement in her eyes.

“So, what happened to them?” I say, leaning forward because I am interested in every word.

She smiles. “They returned him to the States on court-martial, charged, and dishonorably discharged. The fucked up thing is the guy he cut and the girl are now happily married with a few kids.” She chuckles, taking a drink of her wine.

“Well, shit. These bitches ain't loyal.” I say offhandedly, causing her to laugh and me to chuckle.

The sound of her laughter does something to me, and I fucking try damn hard to ignore it. This is one night, one date, nothing more. It can’t be more. I don’t want or need more. I still have shit to deal with in Vegas, and it wouldn’t be fair to pull anyone into my shit; it’s bad enough that the club has to deal with Veronica and her fucked up brother.

“Is there anything else I can get for you tonight?” My head snaps up, and my eyes narrow on the waitress. She stands beside our table, pushing out her chest and biting her lip suggestively. Her eyes focused on me as they had been all night. The bitch is obvious in what she wants from me, and she isn’t getting it. I’m not that much of a dick to be on a date and act as if I’m not. Any other time, maybe I would go there if I were here with my brothers or anyone else, but I’m not.

Dalia’s stare burns into the side of my head. She hasn’t hidden her annoyance every time our conversation has been interrupted. This waitress can’t seem to get the fucking hint; she has stopped at our table far more than needed. A few times, she had the nerve to touch me. Of course, I shut that shit down and have been doing my best to ignore her–fuck me eyes. It’s clear the bitch has no sense of boundaries, and I may not want more from Dalia after tonight, but I sure as shit will not allow her to be disrespected in my presence.

I stare up at the waitress, my head cocking to the side.

“If I wanted something else, I would have asked for it the five times you’ve come over here and interrupted my date with the beautiful woman sitting across from me. I don’t know how they train you, but you need a few lessons. I've made it very clear that I’m not interested in anything you’re offering. So, when we are ready for the check, I will let you know. Until then, stay your ass from over here.” My words were firm, and my eyes bore into hers, letting her know I was not impressed or interested. Wide-eyed, mouth open and closing like a fish; her cheeks turn redder the longer her eyes bounce between Dalia and me. Raising a brow at her, her eyes widen comically, and she turns without a word and stalks off.

“Well, that’s one way of putting the bitch in her place. She’s been pissing me off since we sat down fluttering those caterpillars, but I refused not to make a scene.” I look back at her when I hear her sigh. She’s slumped a little in her seat, her face looking pensive. “I have no doubt the guys have told you about me and shit I get up to and have done,” Dalia says. Something in the way she spoke makes me think she may not like what the club feels about her, but she leans into it because it’s easier than trying to correct them.

Her small, humorless chuckle makes my brows furrow as I look at her. Really, look at her. I say nothing as I take another pull of my beer, leaning back in my chair. And what I see, what Mamma V said, is starting to make sense. Aww fuck, those sneaky motherfuckers.

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