Page 13 of Marked By the Possessive Biker

I shrug. “I mean, I’m not expecting you to wine me and dine me. Like I said, I know what this is.”

He growls and shakes his head. “You should make this a little harder, Lexi.”

I sit back in my seat with a jerk, unable to hide the hurt from my voice. “Do you think I’m a slut?”

“What? No, I?—”

I lean in and whisper to him, “I’m not a slut, Ben Dalton. I’ve slept with one man. It’s not like I go around throwing myself at random men or anything, but one thing you should know about me is that I know who I am, and I go after what I want. I want you. I know you don’t want more than…” I pull my shoulders back and spit the rest out before I lose the nerve. “I feel like if I don’t do this… if I don’t…”

“What?” He grunts. “If you don’t do this, what?”

I avert my eyes, looking anywhere but him. He reaches across the table and wraps his hand around mine. His voice is deep and gruff. “You feel like if you don’t do this then you’d be missing out on the best experience of your life. Like the attraction between us is combustible, and your body is practically vibrating from the need to have me?”

My body has betrayed me again. “How did you know?”

He blinks at me. He’s not happy as he says the words. “Because I feel the exact same way, Lex. I feel like I might die if I don’t have you, but then I also know that if I do, my life will never be the same. I’m fighting this battle because I know thatwhat I am, who I am, doesn’t deserve you. Can you see that I’m trying to save you here?”

I jut my chin at him. “I don’t need to be saved. I need someone to hold me. I need to feel alive. I need to feel like I mean something to someone.”

The door to the restaurant opens, and Ben pulls his hand back from mine, his head on a swivel as he looks toward the door. Instantly, I turn to look, but it’s just an older couple coming in to have dinner. “What’s wrong?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, not answering.

The server brings our food, and we eat in silence. The longer we sit here, the more on edge I feel. Am I completely making a fool of myself? When the meal is over, Boss pays and then walks with me outside. I get onto his bike and am feeling somewhat deflated now. He rides back toward Whiskey Run, and when he puts on the turn signal to pull into Heat & Ink, I grip him tighter without thinking. He’s dropping me off at my car. We’re not doing this.

Just as I’ve told myself it’s okay, that I’m going to be okay, he surprises me by not stopping in the parking lot. He drives around to the back of the store and then down a long driveway. I’m watching over his shoulder, and a small cabin comes into sight. He stops in front of it and parks. His body is taut, and I can feel him take a deep breath. “You sure about this, Lexi?”

I don’t even have to think about it. “Yes.”

I climb off the bike and then follow him up the front steps of the cabin. He unlocks the door, pushes it open, and then gestures for me to go in.

The house is clean and tidy. There’s a small television in the living room. The couch is big and inviting. I look around seeing the open concept and the view into the kitchen. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe a bachelor’s pad or something, but this isn’t it. “This is nice.”

He laughs. “You’re too nice, princess.”

My forehead creases. “What? This is nice. It’s cozy… comfortable.”

“Cozy? Is that how you’d describe your brother’s million dollar mansion?”

My brother just retired from the Jasper Eagles football team, and yes, he has a nice house, but this is different. I roll my eyes. “I don’t want to talk about my brother.”

He stares into my eyes. “He wouldn’t want you here.”

I lift my chin. “I’m not a child, Ben.”

His nostrils flare. “I know you’re not.”

I move toward him, and he holds his hand up, taking a big step back. I would laugh because it’s pretty comical that he’s huge compared to me but he’s backing away like he’s scared of me or something. “What are you doing?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t trust myself with you, princess.”

Frustrated, I huff, “What does that even mean?”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to scare you.”

Maybe I should take a step back and evaluate things, but I’m not that kind of person. I always go by my gut, and my gut is telling me that this is right… it feels right, anyway. “You don’t scare me.”

He grits his teeth. “If you knew how much I wanted to be buried in your sweet pussy, you would be scared.”

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