Page 36 of Ox

“You okay?” Ox asked, noting the far off look in my eyes after several minutes of silence had elapsed.

Tucking my hair behind my ears, my gaze refocused on the handsome man in front of me. All six and a half glorious feet of him. “Yeah, it’s just,” I paused to think of the best way to describe what I was feeling, “a lot to take in over the last couple of days. You know?”

“For what it’s worth,” Ox said as he placed the steaks on the preheated grill, coating them with a bottle of unmarked,homemade seasoning he’d retrieved from the cupboard earlier, “you’re handling the situation much better than most would.”

I smiled at his kind compliment. One I wasn’t sure I’d actually earned, but was willing to accept nonetheless. “Thanks. I’m just not used to this kind of thing. It’s so surreal.”

Cocking his head to the side, the giant biker lowered the hood of the grill to trap the heat in. “What kind of thing?”

I blushed, somewhat flustered by his question. “You know, men acting this way. Chasing me. Following me about. That kind of stuff.”

“I’m having a hard time believing that,” Ox said, coming to sit beside me. “While most men aren’t as unhinged as Ghost, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of men knocking down your door, Kayla.”

Drawing up my knees, I wrapped my arms around them and rested my chin on top. The truth was, I’d only ever had a handful of boyfriends over the years. And none of those had ever been long term. While men were interested in me, or more likely my body, few ever sparked my mind. I’d never really connected to anyone before on both levels. It was usually one or the other. The mental or the physical. And I wanted that more than anything. Needed it, in fact.

Rolling my eyes, I hugged my knees closer against the chill of the night. “I think you’re overestimating my sex appeal.”

Ox gave me a hard look that said he disagreed with that statement. “Unless the entire population of your high school and college were blind or gay, I think you’re underestimating it. Need I remind you of Kenny?”

I rolled my eyes. “He doesn’t count!”

My companion scoffed. “Why not?”

“Because,” I paused, trying to think of a reason to support my case that wouldn’t sound ridiculous, “he was a friend who simplygot confused about the boundaries of our relationship. Nothing more.”

Ox took a casual sip of his wine, but his eyes never wavered from mine. “Keep telling yourself that, kid.”

I didn’t like the direction of this conversation, so I decided to flip the script. Grill him on his love life for a change. “And what about you?”

Ox’s blue eyes widened with surprise. “What about me?”

“Who’s in your life?” I queried, liking the way the large man squirmed the tiniest bit in his seat as I questioned him. “A handsome, tall, bad-ass biker like yourself rarely goes lonely. I’m sure you don’t have to do more than crook your finger and women come running.”

Hell, he probably didn’t even have to do that much. The man had so much charisma women probably lined up at the Clubhouse’s front door and took numbers just to get a chance at being with the powerful man.

“Women like the Club,” he said simply.

My eyebrow rose. “Just the Club?”

“The men in the Club,” Ox amended. “It’s the leather. They go crazy for it,” he teased.

I don’t think it had anything to do with the leather. Though, truth be told, he looked damn good in his. “Keep telling yourself that, kid,” I shot back at him over the lip of my glass as I took a smug sip.

Ox’s full lips split into a grin. “Does this line of questioning have a purpose?” the man asked boldly.

My cheeks began to flush, something I hoped he attributed to the wine and the cold, but knew had more to do with the man’s electric proximity than anything.

“Maybe,” I returned, working up the courage to be bold myself, and tell the man exactly what I was thinking.

Okay, maybe not that bold, as I was picturing the biker doing the most obscene things to me over the railing. This wasn’t a porno. Though, if I were honest with myself, I certainly hoped our night together would resemble one.

Leaning back in his seat, Ox propped his long legs up on another chair. “Ask away, Kayla. I’m an open book.”

Biting my bottom lip, I decided to go for it. “Are you seeing anyone?”

I should have asked earlier. Before our little romp in my kitchen. However, the moment had taken me by surprise. And I’d been decidedly less verbal than I usually was as he gave me the best orgasm of my life.

“No,” he returned, leaning over to refill my glass before he topped off his own.

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