Page 8 of Deviant

It was getting harder to think about dropping her off at her place, rather than convincing her to come home with me.

Then in the early afternoon, I got a call from Fox.

“Get your ass to the club. We got shit to deal with.” He sounded surlier than normal—which was saying a lot since he was generally a grumpy bastard—probably because whatever was happening had dragged him away from his wife and infant twins.

“Be there in twenty.”

“Fifteen,” he snapped before hanging up.

Sighing, I shoved my phone in my pocket, then stepped back into the store where I’d left Alice to take my call.

“Gorgeous,” I called to her, crooking my finger.

She sashayed over to me, and I was momentarily lost in her eyes again. Damn, I was turning into a sap like all the other lovesick bastards I called brother.

“Sorry to cut things short,” I muttered regretfully, “but I need to go to the clubhouse for a meeting.”

Alice smiled sweetly and nodded. “No problem.”

“Really?” My eyebrows shot up, and I watched her skeptically. This was the test I’d been dreading. If she couldn’t accept the place of an old lady and understand that there would always be things I couldn’t tell her, then things would be a fuck of a lot more complicated between us.

Her lips pursed, annoyance flashing across her features for a moment. “Of course. Your job is as important to you as mine is to me.”

“There’s shit I can’t—won’t tell you,” I warned.

Alice shrugged. “Would it be any different if you were back in the military instead of working for your club?”

I blinked, completely stunned at her logic.

Incredible. Perfect. Amazing. None of these words seemed to accurately describe this woman. If she hadn’t already owned me, this would have sealed the deal.

“After you take me home, go to your meeting, then let me know when you’ll have time for another date.” Pink dusts across her cheeks, and she stuttered, “Um, not that we are—if you don’t—I’m not assuming there will be—I just meant?—”

I shut her up by covering her mouth with mine and kissing her stupid.

When we broke apart, I grinned. “There will definitely be more dates, gorgeous. But this one isn’t over yet. I’m taking you to the clubhouse with me.”

4

ALICE

Iwas excited to meet the people important to Grady, but I was also nervous because I had no idea what to expect. As we pulled through the gates of the Iron Rogues compound, I felt a little as though I was being thrown into the deep end since I was totally unfamiliar with how motorcycle clubs worked.

Grady parked his bike in front of a large building and cut the engine. Then he twisted around and directed, “Hop off to the left side, gorgeous. And be careful of the muffler on the right when you swing your leg over.”

I appreciated how careful and patient he’d been with me during our ride. I never expected to be on a motorcycle, but I had enjoyed being on the back of Grady’s so much. And not just because wrapping myself around his muscular body had been one of the best parts of our date.

Gripping his broad shoulders, I did as he instructed. My legs were a little wobbly at first, but he held my hand and waited to dismount until I was steady. After he hung both of our helmets from the handlebars, he grinned at me. “All good?”

“Yup,” I confirmed, my knees feeling weak again for an entirely different reason now. That sexy smile of his was a lethal weapon to my panties. If I’d known how quickly—and often—they would get drenched during our date, I would have tucked an extra pair into my purse. But then I wouldn’t have been able to look him in the eyes when he pulled the bag out of his saddlebag and handed it to me. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He settled his palm on my lower back to guide me into the clubhouse. When the door shut behind us, I blinked my eyes to adjust to the lack of light compared to the bright, sunny day outside. It wasn’t dark inside, but the sharp contrast took me a moment to get used to.

When I found a bunch of people staring at us—mostly me—I kind of wished I was still having problems seeing. I’d never liked being the center of attention, and already feeling like a fish out of water only magnified the feeling. It also didn’t help that the men were almost as hot as Grady, and the women were gorgeous.

“Does your club recruit from a modeling agency?” I mumbled.

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