Page 22 of Ruined (The Knights of Ruin)

I turned around, the warmth of her hand lingering between my shoulder blades, making me ache. But I kept my expression hard.

She stared at me uncertainly, looking so fucking hot in the tight green Lucky’s T-shirt she always wore to work. The one that clung to her tits and made me want to gather them in my hands, feel the weight of them against my palms, stroke her nipples through the fabric and watch them get hard.

Maybe you should do that. See what happens.

Fuck, that voice in my head was playing devil’s advocate. I shouldn’t listen to it.

‘It’s going to happen, Cat,’ I said aloud. ‘I’m not standing by and letting that prick get his hands on you or Annie—not again. Understand me?’

Her expression closed up, her pouty mouth flattening. ‘I don’t—’

‘What?’ I interrupted, folding my arms. ‘You got a better idea?’

The look on her face became guarded, wary, and I knew why. She wasn’t seeing me as a friend right now. She was seeing me as a hard-ass biker putting pressure on her.

Maybe that was for the best, though. Maybe she’d been seeing me as a friend for far too long.

‘No,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t.’

‘Then it’s on. I’ll take you as my old lady and if Justin comes after Annie again, he’ll have the whole fucking club to deal with.’

Her throat moved as she swallowed, and I watched it, wanting my hand on it. Wanting to feel her pulse beneath my palm. Wanting to feel it get faster as I leaned in to take her mouth.

Christ, I was losing it. And there was a part of me that didn’t give a shit. As if it had been waiting for this opportunity all this time—this chance to take her like I’d always wanted to. But I couldn’t listen to that part of myself.

Cat had been burned—and burned very badly—and getting physical with her just because my dick was getting impatient would be a mistake.

She looked away, as if she knew exactly the kind of thoughts that had been sitting in my head, and there was a long silence.

Then she said, ‘I’m not moving into that clubhouse with you and neither is Annie—okay?’

I let out a slow, silent breath. She was going for it. She was fucking going for it. But I didn’t relax, holding her wary gaze with mine. I wanted to hear her say the word out loud.

‘Was that a yes, kitten?’

Irritation flashed in her gaze. ‘Christ, Smoke, I’m not going to—’

‘Say it.’ I hadn’t meant it to sound like an order, but it came out as one all the same.

I saw something spark in those big green eyes—a reaction I was positive she hadn’t meant me to see. A gleam of heat.

‘Fuck. Okay.’ Her voice was all irritation and impatience. ‘I’ll be your old lady. Satisfied?’

No, I wasn’t satisfied. And I wouldn’t be until she was mine in every way that counted. I always thought she didn’t feel that way about me, but there had been a number of signs over the past couple of days that had made me wonder...

A thrill shot down my spine. The kind of thrill I hadn’t felt for years.

‘It’ll do.’ I made sure to let none of that show in my voice, because frightening her off now would be a real bad move.

‘But it’s not for real,’ she insisted. ‘We’re just doing this to protect Annie. Once Justin gets the message and backs off everything goes back to normal.’

Sure it would go back to normal.

Like hell.

Because I had a feeling that once I had Cat where I wanted her, wearing my property patch, I wasn’t going to be able to let her go.

‘It may not be for real to us.’ I held her gaze. ‘But it’ll have to look real to convince Keep and the others.’

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