Page 16 of Wizard

“You tellin' me that I’m better than the book boyfriends you write?” he asked, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t saybetter.”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed, the earlier tension gone from his muscular frame.

“Ugh, you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” I muttered. “Even though it is not at all what I said.”

“But it’s what I heard,” he teased.

I tore my gaze away from the flexing of his forearms as he gripped the steering wheel, mentally cursing the fact that I found it so distracting. “You’re awfully happy for a guy who was incredibly pissed off only ten minutes ago.”

“Got every reason to be thrilled as fuck right now, baby.” He dropped his hand to my thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Gonna have you nearby around the clock, just like I’ve wanted for the past month.”

“Except I still have a serious problem—my stalker,” I reminded him.

“Like I told you, the club will take care of him. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

I had no doubt that he meant what he said. Violet had been deliberately vague about how she and Echo had met, but she’d let it slip once that he had been in her building to look into her creepy neighbor. Since that guy had disappeared, I could only assume that my friend had been right about her impression of him. And that the Hounds of Hellfire had taken care of the situation, whatever it was.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Baylor had left his hand on my thigh, so he gave it another squeeze. “You have no need to thank me, baby. I’m the kind of man who takes care of what’s his. And you are most definitely mine.”

I barely resisted pressing my thighs together to ease the ache in my core, only because with his hand where it was, he’d know exactly what I was trying to do. “Seriously, you need to stop itwith those one-liners that would make perfect teasers for my books.”

He winked at me with a deep chuckle. “Can’t help it if I’m one of your heroes come to life. And even if I could, I wouldn’t.”

“How come?”

“It took a lot of effort to get you to agree to our first date. So I’m gonna take every advantage I can get when it comes to you, baby,” he explained, his dark eyes turning serious.

“There is just going to be no resisting you if you insist on keeping that up,” I mumbled, turning to stare out the passenger side window for the rest of the drive. The last thing I wanted was to arrive at the Hounds of Hellfire clubhouse for the first time with drenched panties.

He laughed again at my reaction but didn’t say anything else until we pulled through the gates of the compound and parked.

While Baylor got my suitcase out of the back of the extended cab, I climbed out of the passenger seat. Glaring at me after he rounded the truck, he growled, “Next time, wait for me. I’ll get your door.”

That confirmed it. He was like my biker kryptonite, impossible to resist. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be long before I didn’t have to worry about being a virgin romance author anymore. Not when I wanted to throw myself at Baylor every time he said something like that. Which was often.

“Will do.”

I was very aware of the heat of his palm on my lower back as he led me inside the clubhouse. My gaze scanned the space, my lips curving into a grin when I realized it looked similar enough to the ones I had read—and written—about to feel comfortable to me. Then I spotted Violet and Echo at the far end of the bar, and their familiar faces eased my remaining nervousness.

Violet rushed over, her eyes filled with concern. Assuming her distress was twofold, I assured, “Don’t worry. I’m not madthat you told Echo what’s going on. And Baylor said he’ll take care of my stalker, so there’s no need to be freaked out. He’s only known about the guy for like half an hour and already knows more than I do about the situation. He’s got it under control.”

“I’m sure he does,” Echo agreed, wrapping his arm around Violet’s shoulders.

Baylor mimicked his club brother’s action, tugging me against his side. “Damn straight.”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Want me to show you around while Wizard takes your stuff to his room?”

My breath caught in my throat at the realization that I wouldn’t just be staying at the clubhouse while Baylor dealt with my stalker. I’d be sleeping in his room. With him, most likely.

Nodding, I murmured, “Um…yeah, that would be great.”

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Hefting my suitcase higher, he added, “It’s been a while since we polished off those burgers. Need some fuel while I dig into this problem.”

Violet crooked her arm through mine. “You have perfect timing. Ink made his mama’s famous sauce and homemade pasta.”

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