Rough Justice (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #1)(71)
“I hope you decide to stay,” Dawn said softly. “More than anything. For you and for me. You and Jagger are good together. You’re different since you met him. More confident. More determined. Happier.”
“Safe.” Arianne twisted her mother’s ring around her finger. “I feel safe when I’m with him. But that’s a problem. He wants … no, needs … to protect me. And if I stay in Conundrum, I need to be able to protect myself.”
They ordered their drinks. Free, of course. She hadn’t been certain Jagger would actually give in, but when the bartender told them girls’ drinks were on the house, a warm feeling had spread through her body.
“I think you’re right that I’ve changed in the last few weeks.” She stirred her Long Island Iced Tea. “I don’t spend every minute of every day thinking about ways to escape or what Viper is going to do to me next, or even what life would be like after I leave Conundrum. For the first time, I’m kinda liking my life here.”
“You have changed.” Dawn sipped her margarita. “In a nutshell, you’ve become badass. You walk, talk, strut, ride, and shoot like a badass biker chick. I would blame Jagger, but I think you had it in you all along. You just needed a bigger badass to set you free.”
Arianne laughed. “What about you and Cade? He’s hunting for you. I’ve been watching him since he came in. He’s tapped pretty much every blonde in the place, and he’s heading this way.”
“He’s trouble.” Dawn bit her lip. “We wound up in bed together again that night he showed up at the pool hall. But I told him it had to be the last time. I mean … our sexual chemistry is off the charts. The minute I’m near him, all I can think about is getting his hot ass into my bed. But after we do the nasty, all I can think about is getting him out. I can’t have anyone in my life right now. I have two little girls who need their mommy and I need to focus my energy that way.”
“Dawn…” Arianne gave Dawn’s hand a sympathetic squeeze. “You have to look out for yourself, too. The girls wouldn’t begrudge you a little happiness.”
Dawn’s voice hitched, and she gave the bartender a wan smile when he slid another drink across the counter. “Cade is a distraction. One night was good. The second night … okay, it was epic. But I don’t want him thinking there’s more where that came from. How am I going to say no?”
“Like this … ‘No.’”
“Easy to say.” Dawn gave a wry laugh. “Not so easy to do. You think you could say no to Jagger?”
Arianne blushed. “Actually, last night I said no. Several times. But that’s just because I didn’t think I could come that many times in a row. Really, he’s everything I’ve been running from: a biker, living in Conundrum, an MC president, dominant, possessive, aggressive, prone to violence … but he’s also everything I ever secretly imagined. I can relax with him, be myself, laugh. He makes me feel safe. He’s devastatingly gorgeous and amazing in bed. He’s a great leader, and the whole protective and possessive thing—”
“My girl’s stayin’ in Conundrum.” Dawn grinned and then turned to chat with a couple of her friends who had spotted them at the bar.
Arianne exchanged a few words with the new arrivals, but her skin prickled with awareness. He was here. Whether it was some slight change in the vibe of the room, or the way a path cleared near the door, she just knew he was waiting.
After excusing herself from the group, she pushed her way through the crowd, back to the table she and Dawn had snagged when they first came in. And there he was, sprawled in a chair, legs parted wide, his gaze fixed on her. Intent. Carnal. Predatory. He licked his lips and her panties dampened.
“Speak of the devil.” Dawn appeared at her elbow, drink in hand.
Unable to look away, Arianne just stared. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, dominating the bar with the force of his presence alone. His jeans were a feast of denim over powerful thighs, tight in all the right places. Broad shoulders covered the back of the chair and his cut hung open, giving her a mouth-watering glimpse of his black T-shirt stretched taut over his rippling abs.
Images of their night together flashed through her mind—his lips on her skin, the rough way he’d handled her, the soft whispers in her ear.
The promise she had made this morning.
Jagger’s lazy gaze drifted down her body then back up to rest on the lowest-cut neckline she had ever worn—the main reason the dress had lived in Dawn’s closet so long. His eyes lit with an inner glow and he crooked his finger, beckoning her over.
“Looks like your man is calling.”
“Arrogant bastard.” A smile tugged the corners of Arianne’s lips. “Does he think I’m going to come running because he waggled his finger?”
“That would be a yes.” Cade joined them and wrapped his arms around Dawn’s waist. “Man sees his woman dressed all fine, looking hot as f*ck, he’s not gonna waste any time getting his hands on her.” He nuzzled Dawn’s ear and she tipped her head to the side to give him better access.
“See,” she mouthed. “Can’t say no.”
Arianne looked up and almost melted under the heat of Jagger’s gaze. So he liked what he saw, did he? Maybe the dress wasn’t a bad idea after all. And if she could get him hot … Drawing in a deep breath, she flipped her hair and walked toward him, slow and sexy, hips swaying, her gaze fixed on his, working it with every click of her shiny black stilettos.