Page 24 of The Other Princess

“Wait,” I almost yelped out while tugging on his arm. “Aren’t we a little underdressed for a place like this?”

He glanced at me then, eyes seeming to darken as he did so. His pink tongue poked out to swipe at his lower lip before he spoke again, but his hand also moved from my arm to my waist and wrapped around my middle while pulling me close to him. “We are as dressed up as we need to be, babe, but I will gladly bring you back here another time all decked out so you can play dress up.”

I scoffed at that. “I don’t even have anything to play dress up in, so that’s a moot point,” I told him as I waved off the idea as ludicrous. I’d once had a dress and shoes ready for a prom I dreamed of going to, but never ended up attending. After everything happened in my life to ruin that moment for me I never bought another nice piece of clothing again. I thought planning ahead for something that was never going to happen was silly. Deck gave me an odd look, almost as if he could see that explanation written in my features even though it was no more than a thought.

“I’m going to make it happen one day, Princess.” I sucked in a breath at the endearment he chose to use. I’d never been called that before other than in the derogatory way the other men of the club used it to basically call me the unwanted redheaded stepchild of the MC. The Other Princess. Deck seemed to know what my sudden intake of breath meant though, and he just hugged me closer as he started shuffling us closer to the door of Gallantry where there was an honest to goodness red carpet and a man in a suit befitting the most formal of occasions there to open the ornate arched front door for us. My nerves caused my stomach to do a little flip as I took in the fact that the front door was far too fancy for my riding leathers, so no doubt the inside of this place would be far more luxurious. Deck had told me not to worry about it though, so I followed along as he guided me, hand in hand, into the candle-lit dining area.

The carpet beneath our feet was a plush burgundy color that appeared to be perfectly clean, which was surprising since this was a restaurant. It kind of made me feel sorry for any of the servers who might accidentally drop a dish at some point. There didn’t actually appear to be any electric lighting in the place, although I was sure it was just cleverly hidden for when the romantic ambiance wasn’t necessary. The ornate iron wall sconces that were placed between each table and booth lit the shadowy areas while tiny little iron chandeliers hung above each table casting gorgeous soft candlelight around the diners. It was a breathtaking sight to see for the first time, and it definitely made me feel like I should have my old prom dress on to be here, because it had been the most fancy dress I had owned in my life. This place deserved that at the very least. I blushed thinking about how out of place my jeans and leather jacket were.

It didn’t seem to matter to Deck though. He strolled through Gallantry like he owned the place, his clothing and the attitude that matched only making what should have seemed wrong appear so right together instead. We were seated at a cute little table for two near the back of the restaurant. The table itself was made out of the same sturdy, dark wood as the rest of them, but the high back upholstered wooden chairs were a work of art with their burgundy, velvet seat cushions and backs that were so tall they gave off an overwhelming air of privacy. Deck pulled my chair out for me and slid it back in to a comfortable position before taking his own seat across from me.

I watched him for clues that might fill me in on what this dinner was all about, because this seemed like too fancy of a place to take a person to drop bad news on their shoulders. It also seemed a bit unlikely that this was a date, even though my heart sped up and battered my ribs at the thought. I supposed he could just be trying to make up for all the hurt his biological and biker family had caused me by doing something nice.

“What are you thinking about?” He finally asked after a few moments of watching me trying to figure him out.

I shrugged my shoulders, and thankfully, the waiter who arrived to take our orders cut off my answer. I never did get up the guts to ask what this was all about as we sat and ate the most scrumptious food I’d ever put inside my mouth. Every bite was a taste explosion, and desert was a dive into chocolate decadence that I would probably not survive a second time. This was definitely something I would compare future dates too, even if this hadn’t actually been a date, because it was still perfect in its own way.

As we left the restaurant the sun was setting, leaving a warm orange-pink glow in the sky. The night had cooled a little, but just so that I was not uncomfortable in my jeans now as opposed to how I had felt earlier when I first stepped out of the shop in them.

“I was going to take us on the sunset sail, but I’m pretty sure we missed it,” Deck informed me as he tossed a leg over his bike, straddling the thing as if it were a second skin he was putting on. It was such an effortless task that I was suddenly in awe, because now I knew what it felt like to have to situate my body just so. I placed my hand on his solid shoulder, and repeated the motion, throwing my leg over the bike. It took me a minute longer to get sorted, and when I thought I was doing just fine, I learned I was so very wrong. Deck took hold of both of my thighs with his hands and pulled me forward so that our bodies were molded to one another, my front to his back.

“Oh!” I called out in surprise, thinking back to our ride over here where I definitely hadn’t gotten this close until the speed of the bike sort of forced me to settle in a bit more than when I had originally gotten on.

“Now we don’t have to worry about you sliding around. You can hold on to me with your arms and these thighs of yours,” he added as he gave each of my legs a quick squeeze before turning the bike on.

“It’s okay about missing a sail I didn’t even know about, Deck.” My response was late, but my brain seemed to be operating at half its normal speed as my heart pumped all the blood in my body to tingly places instead of the brain I normally hid behind. “That was the most amazing dinner I’ve ever had. I don’t think even a Carolina sunset from over the water could compete.”

Deck turned his head enough that I could see the grin on his face as I put my helmet on and strapped in. “Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it, babe. Now, let’s get you back before we end up ruining a good thing.” He swatted his cheek. “Damn mosquitos are coming out with a vengeance.”

I laughed at that as I wrapped my arms around his body and held on tight to his chiseled abs while the bike roared underneath us as Deck pulled carefully out of the lot and back onto the road. Once again, I lost myself in the ride, the feeling of gliding through the air overwhelming my senses and dimming everything else out as we moved through the light traffic heading back towards the side of town the shop and my apartment were on.

Once we were back, we took the stairs on the side of the building up to my apartment. I unlocked the door and looked back at Deck expectantly. I didn’t know if he was coming in, or just making sure I got inside safely since it was already after dark by the time we arrived. What I didn’t expect to see was the heat in his eyes as he looked at me. They were damn near molten as his gaze dropped from my eyes down to my lips and lingered there. Without warning his arm shot out around my waist pulling me into his body while the other hand tugged up on my neck as his fingers curled into my hair at the base of my skull guiding me where he needed me. My head tipped back slightly with the pressure of his hand tugging on my hair and then his lips were on mine, warm and soft as the hint of stubble on his face abraded the tender skin around my lips.

The sweet kiss lasted only a moment, one that seemed like an eternity, and then, with a swipe of his tongue across my still sealed lips, it heated and became something far more. My mouth parted slightly in surprise and Deck did not hesitate to swoop in with his tongue, hot and delicious, exploring my mouth as I tentatively started returning the favor. Our mouths suddenly finding themselves in an all out war as we jockeyed for position, dominance, whatever it was we were each searching for in that kiss. A vibration between us caused him to pull away from me reluctantly. I watched in a lust-induced haze as Deck plucked a cell phone from his pocket, swiped the screen, and announced, “Yeah?” His voice was rough, almost like I would expect it to sound after a full night’s rest, but slightly more interesting and intense. “Shit,” he hissed out, his eyes telling me more than that one word he’d spoke about how he regretted picking up the phone. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

He clicked off the phone, stuffed it back in his jeans, and ran his hand back behind my neck and under my hair again. His fingers trailed there for a moment, sending shivers up and down my spine as he did so. Deck grinned at me. “Our next date won’t be interrupted, I promise!”

My hand inadvertently went to my lips, tracing the tingly sensation left behind by Deck’s. “Date?” I asked dreamily causing his eyebrows to scrunch in confusion.

“Yeah, date, babe. What we just did…” He let the words trail off as he watched my face.

“Oh, I’ve never been on a date before,” I muttered around my finger that was still trailing across my kiss-swollen lips.

“You, what?” They were just two words, but the surprise in them startled me back to the here and now with Deck.

“I’ve never been on a date before, Deck. Never been kissed either,” I admitted foolishly. I watched as Deck’s eyes grew larger, rounding out in surprise, awe, or something I just couldn’t wrap my head around.

“You’ve never?” Deck looked away quickly, running his hand through his hair as he released me. “Shit, if I had known…” Again, his words trailed off and I wondered if it was a good or bad thing for him that I had never been on a date before him, or been kissed. “I will make this night up to you, but unfortunately, I have to get going, babe. And don’t think we won’t be talking about the fact that this was your first experience for both.” He moved, heading down the stairs of my apartment as I stood on the landing watching him go.

“Is that a good thing, or…?”

The answering grin he threw back over his shoulder stopped my heart for a minute. “Babe, it sure as shit isn’t a bad thing from my perspective. Now, get your ass inside before I go. I want to make sure you’re safe so I don’t have to worry while I’m out.” I got myself inside the apartment, and watched through the window as Deck took off for wherever that call was sending him. I figured it was club business, and so I knew better than to ask. Not that anyone told me anything anyway, but I knew that was the rule of the club. Women don’t ask questions unless they want to hear the generic, “club business” excuse bantered back to them before their men roll out to parts unknown.

As soon as Deck was out of sight I moved to the bathroom to look at my face. My lips were actually slightly swollen giving them that bee-stung look so many women pay a fortune to achieve. Then there was the slight bit of reddening on the skin around my lips from Deck’s stubble. Holy crap! I had beard burn on my face. I giggled at the thought, because just a couple hours before I was the girl everyone loved to hate. The one that had never been on a date with a boy, and now I was the girl who had her first date and first kiss with a man instead. Things were starting to look up in my life for the first time in a very long while. I realized as I looked at myself in the mirror that Zeke had been right earlier. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a smile on my own face, and I had to admit I enjoyed seeing it. Apparently, I was beautiful when I smiled.

Chapter 13

~ Ever ~

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