Page 66 of Jolt's Vengeance

"Who are they?" she asks, nodding toward the group of men wearing cuts different from ours.

I take a swig of the whiskey that's magically appeared in front of me—Jameson, of course.

"That'd be the Shotgun Saints," I explain, keeping my voice low. "They're Shiver's family, from Texas. His old man's their president."

Her eyebrows shoot up. "I didn't realize Shiver had connections like that."

"Neither did most of us, until recently," I admit. "The club's working on building an alliance with them. This wedding? It's as much about cementing that relationship as it is about Shiver and Siren."

Aggie's quiet for a moment, processing. "Clever," she finally says. "Mixing business with pleasure."

I nod, my eyes scanning the crowd.

The energy is electric.

Everyone's on their best behavior, but there's no mistaking the power play at work here.

"Speaking of mixing," I say, standing up and offering Aggie my hand. "How about a dance?"

She hesitates, eyeing my outstretched palm like it might bite her. "I don't know, Jolt. I'm not much for?—"

I cut her off, gently pulling her to her feet. "Come on, Ghost. Live a little."

As if on cue, the music shifts to something slow and sultry.

I lead Aggie to the dance floor, pulling her close as we start to sway.

She's tense at first, but gradually relaxes into my arms.

"See?" I murmur. "Not so bad, is it?"

She looks up at me, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes that I've never seen before. "Don't get used to it," she warns, but I sense the playfulness underneath it all.

As we move together, I can't help but think about how right this feels.

Aggie in my arms, the desert night closing in around us, and the way I find myself yearning for her more and more.

I know I should be focused on the club, on the alliance being forged here tonight, on the threats surrounding us.

But at this moment, all I can think about is the woman in front of me.

Aggie asks, her voice barely above a whisper, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

I consider deflecting, but decide on honesty instead. "Just thinking about how much I like having you here," I admit. "With me."

She stiffens slightly, but doesn't pull away.

"Jolt," she starts, her tone warning.

"I know, I know," I say quickly. "But, we can enjoy this, in the right here, the right now."

She can argue all she wants that she doesn’t belong to me, but we both damn well know she does.

Aggie studies me for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

Finally, she nods.

As the song comes to an end, I resist the urge to pull her closer, to kiss her right here in front of everyone.

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