Page 54 of The Devil's Viking

“For real?”

“Yep. I make the coffee and do the paperwork. All the boring yet crucially important stuff.”

“You like it?” He took a sip of his beer, watching her closely. He wasn’t even slightly surprised that she’d lied about being a police officer – no way to tell how some random guy in a bar might react tothatbit of information – but she’d lied pretty well. Just a tiny flicker of the eyes, a bit of tightening around the mouth, but those were the only tells.

“It’s good most of the time,” she answered. “I like the people that I work with, so that helps.”

“You’re lucky,” Drake told her. “I’m heading to do security for a bit of a diva.”

“You don’t say?” She flipped her long blonde hair over one shoulder, the waves shining like the sun. Yeah, she was truly gorgeous, and Drake wished she wasn’t such a piece of human waste. “Who is it?”

“Aw, I can’t tell you,” he said. “Confidentiality and all that.”

“Sure.”

“But you can tell me your name, huh?”

“I can?” she said.

“Yeah. Unless it’s some kind of state secret.” He gave her his best grin, the one that had sent panties flying down around ankles since he was sixteen years old. “Just one thing: if you have to kill me after you tell me, then please don’t tell me. I have a dog that would be heartbroken if I never came home.”

She laughed now, and despite himself, Drake found that deep, throaty sound alarmingly arousing.God, she was attractive. Damn her to hell, why didn’t her outside match her inside? By rights, she should be all gnarled and twisted, spouting moles and zits, and with bright green skin to boot; she shouldn’t be this golden goddess.

“I’m Briley,” she said, extending her hand. “Good to meet you.”

“Drake,” he said, firmly ignoring how soft her skin was, reminding himself that he was now one step closer to keeping his brothers back in Denver safe, Iris safe, himself and Dux and Ice safe. “And you have no idea how good it is to meet you.”

Chapter Seventeen

Iris had just plumped up the cushions on the sofa in one of the crash rooms and she was now desperately trying to find something else to do to keep her mind off Viking. Every time she thought about him, a throbbing ache started between her legs, she got breathless and vacant, she had to fight down the urge to just dash across the parking lot to the tattoo parlour and attack him where he stood. For the first time in her life, she understood what amazing sex did to you: it made you want it more and more. It made you addicted to it, and to the person who gave it to you.

Not that she and Viking had actually had full sex – for the past two nights they’d done everything else under the sun – but that was going to change as of tonight. Tonight, she was going to let him into her body fully, and she was almost beside herself with anticipation.

He’d asked her over and over again if she was sure that this is what she wanted and if she was ready, and she kept saying ‘yes’ over and over again. The truth was that it felt like she’d been waiting her entire life for this man, for everything that he gave her and did to her. She’d waited long enough.

And somehow she still had to get through the evening before she could go upstairs, close his bedroom door, and be with him.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

Iris spun, almost losing her balance and falling to the sofa behind her. There he was, strong and sexy, just smouldering at her from the door – and wearing a suit.

“What the –” she blinked in astonishment. “Why are you wearingthat?”

“I have a meeting with the bank in an hour, and I find showing up in my club cut puts them off loaning me money.”

“You need a loan for something?”

“Just a small one for the apartment renovations, and I already got it. Today I just have to sign some final paperwork, the dotting i’s and crossing t’s stuff. Formalities but still – I don’t want to give them any reasons to kick up my interest rates.”

Iris was still staring at him, barely hearing his words:howwas it possible for the man to look so damn goodallthe damn time? It didn’t matter if he was in jeans and tight black t-shirt, or naked in her arms, or in a dark suit and tie, the man was just walking, talking sex on legs.

“Well, you look great,” she managed. “Very handsome.”

“Yeah?” He flashed her that cocky grin. “You like me in a suit?”

“Oh, yes. But I like yououtof one, too.”

“I’ll be out of it later, baby.” He gave her a long, lingering look, those brown eyes moving up and down her body. “And you’d better believe that I’ll be gettingyouout of every scrap of your clothing.”

---