He cracked his eyes open and peered at me—into me—seeing all of me. I waited for his answer, but he just stared at me, saying nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.
Our “arrangement” sounded so sensical on paper, but here and now, actually experiencing it, none of it felt like it made any sense at all.
What am I doing?The voice inside me was tiny, hardly audible over the beating of my heart.
The excursion was short. We made it back and some of the others were still out, chatting. They clapped when they saw us, and Hunter was once again crowded around. Jesse was right at my side, helping me off the bike while Roy led Hunter to his new designated spot in the parking lot. “This is where you put your bike from now on.”
Shivering, I wrapped my arms around my front as a gust of cold ripped through me. I watched Hunter steer his motorcycle to the spot. “Looks good there, don’t you think?” Miles asked him, grinning up at him because Hunter was just that much taller than everyone.
Hunter nodded, glancing at him with a strange expression in his eye. “I’m all down with being pushed, Miles, and I get the test, but I don’t accept that you brought Skye into it like that. I won’t have her slandered like that again, test or no test.”
The spotlight was suddenly back on me. Women tensed, their eyes bulging at Hunter’s words as he coldly delivered them. Even Roy tensed as he eyed Miles carefully.
“It won’t happen again,” Hunter told him slowly.
Miles’ smile didn’t waver. He cheerfully patted him on the back. “Never again, Sav.”
I could sense the relief in everyone. Breaths were exhaled, smiles returned, the tension erased. But what they didn’t see was the way Miles looked at me. It was a few seconds long. He stared right into my eyes, and I saw the loathing there, clear as day.
I had a feeling he hadn’t faked what he said to me/about me. That his disdain for Leo was real as ever. I couldn’t cower. Not as Hunter’s woman. Not if I wanted to live with myself. I stared back, narrowing my eyes, appearing cool while my heart hammered quickly in my chest.
He was the first to look away.
*
The atmosphere was lighter when we returned to the pub. It was like everyone had held their breaths in, knowing what Miles had in store for Hunter, and maybe they’d been worried Hunter would fail. Now they had unwound and were screaming their delight, and I was about to experience what a biker party was all about.
“Time to get the night started!” Kyle whooped.
Um, what? The night hadn’tstarted? Did I hear that right? They partied like it wasn’t a Monday night, the start of a workweek—
And were those women getting undressed?
I sat at the bar, front row seat to the rowdiness around me.
And I wasn’t a prude. I mean, I was fucking two men because what the fuck was my life all about? Yet I sat there, fidgeting, unsure how to react because I wasn’t a partier. Honestly, I’d have rather read about people partying in a romance book in bed or something.
Hunter was being devoured with attention. Maybe it was because he’d passed his test or whatever, or maybe he was just that popular. I was pretty damn sure he was just that popular because the girls stood nearby, begging for his attention, and if they were flamingos, they’d have fluttered their feathers at him, or was that the male flamingos job?
I didn’t know much about birds.
But if these people were birds, a lot of feathers would be fluttering is all.
I wondered how I could fit in. Who should I speak to? The women weren’t paying me any mind, and the guys were drinking hard. Perhaps I needed to read a Motorcycle Club manual or something. I was down to learn the biker lingo because I didn’t know what the heck anold ladywas and what it meant to be part of theRoad—
And now Hunter was sliding his jacket off, revealing his tight tee where all those muscles bulged beneath his shirt. His abs were pronounced, his biceps were so big, stretching the sleeves like they were about to split them. My ovaries exploded when he raked one large hand through his thick black hair. I bit my lip, feeling that familiar tug in my core as I asked myself for the millionth time what I did to deserve him.
More girls swooned.
A possessive feeling washed over me. I wanted to mark my territory, but I didn’t want to appear so obviously insecure. So, I remained as he sat back down, smiling widely at Kyle as they chatted.
Jesse came by my side, nudging his shoulder against mine, smiling down at me. “Here,” he said, handing me a bottle of beer. “Chug it down.”
I took the bottle but didn’t drink. Gone were the days I chugged a drink down that someone gave me. Nuh-uh. Not happening. Past trauma and all that.
“Are you nervous?” Jesse asked me.
“Yeah,” I admitted freely, looking away from Hunter. “Wouldn’t you be in my shoes?”