Rome's Chance (Reapers MC #6.6)(8)

Rome burst out laughing, and I felt my cheeks go red, because seriously, could I have made a less sexy comment? Of course, I’d just ordered bacon, so my image as a sexy, sophisticated woman of the world was already blown.

“You like riding my bike, don’t you?” he asked, leaning forward on his elbows. I leaned forward, too, until our faces were just a few inches apart.

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s like that, only a thousand times better. You’re flying through the air and there’s a rush like nothing else on earth, not even a motorcycle. It’s safe, at least when you do it right, but you also know in the back of your mind that there’s just a tiny chance things could go wrong. And your body may be pumped full of adrenaline, but it’s peaceful, and during free fall it’s just you and the whole fuckin’ sky. Better than sex.”

I blinked, startled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a guy on a date admit that anything’s better than sex.”

Rome’s eyes grew intense and he leaned in closer, holding my gaze prisoner. “Well, to be fair, I haven’t had sex with you yet.”

Heat exploded between my legs, and my breath caught.

“Two bacon burgers!” Peaches announced, and I jumped, flustered. Rome leaned back and thanked her casually, then asked for some ketchup, like he hadn’t just blown my mind.

Holy shit.

I was in over my head. For real.

“Fry?” he asked, holding one out right in front of my mouth. I took a bite. It was hot and thick, crispy on the outside and soft inside, the perfect explosion of grease and salt and everything that was bad for my heart.

Just like Rome McGuire.




Two hours later, I’d had enough beer that I no longer cared whether or not Rome was good for me.

All I cared about was dancing with one very sexy man who seemed to be just as into me as I was into him. The band played a mixture of country and classic rock. I’d been stunned to realize that not only had I remembered how to two-step, but that Rome was pretty damned good at it himself.

He was also good at getting me drinks. Good enough that I’d lost count. Fortunately, I’d stuck with Coors Light, on the theory that you could drink a lot of it without getting drunk. Being near him was intoxicating enough without throwing hard liquor into the mix.

The night was a blur for the most part, but at some point I remembered running into Tinker, my old boss. She was here with her husband, Gage, who was Rome’s club president. I’d always found him sort of terrifying, but tonight he was dancing and laughing with Tinker like he wasn’t some super scary badass who probably did all sorts of criminal things for a living.

Rome had introduced me to several of his club brothers, too, although we hadn’t accepted their offer to join them. Nope, he’d stayed entirely focused on me throughout the evening.

The guy was so intense it was almost scary.

Well, scary until the beer kicked in, and then any concerns I might’ve had sort of drifted away. My booze-infused logic went like this—if he was going to bail because I was dorky or silly, I’d be gone already, so I might as well enjoy and be myself.

The whole dork thing didn’t seem to bother Rome, though, because when the band started playing a slower song, he pulled me in tight against his body. This felt even nicer than riding with him on the bike. I leaned against his shoulder, taking in his scent and wondering if it would be weird if I licked his neck.

Given the way his hand had started to move slowly down my back toward my ass, I decided he’d be okay with it. The lights were dim, and when I closed my eyes, it almost felt like we were the only ones in the room. Every part of me was coming alive, and when his fingers gave my butt a squeeze, I let my tongue flicker out, tasting him.

Oh, that was nice. His skin held a hint of salt, and I felt his pulse quickening. But that wasn’t the only thing I could feel. Something stirred against my stomach. Something long and hard.

Rome wanted me.

The evidence was right there, pulsing against me as his grip tightened. I felt my nipples growing perky inside that perfect push-up bra, and more than a little tingling between my legs. I nipped at his neck as we swayed, then started nuzzling.

Suddenly he grabbed my hand and all but dragged me off the dance floor toward the shadows at the end of the bar. The whole thing startled me out of my sensual daze, confusing me. I’d pretty much convinced myself that I should hook up with him for the night, but I wanted to dance more, too. He caught my shoulders and spun me around, backing me up against the wall.

Now Rome’s bulk surrounded my body. He rested one hand on either side of my face, pinning me despite the fact that our bodies weren’t actually touching. Then his eyes caught and held mine. Holy shit. The intensity in his gaze was terrifying.

Like he wanted to eat me alive.

“You have no goddamn idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” he said, his voice so low I could hardly make out the words over the music. Heat rolled off him in waves. I blinked, wondering how a girl was supposed to respond to something like this. It was like staring into a fire. I licked my lips, trying to decide my next move. His eyes followed the movement, mesmerized.

Then I leaned forward, catching Rome’s lips with mine.





Rome



Randi kissed me.

Fucking hell, I hadn’t seen that coming—she’d always been a shy little thing. But that was eight years ago, and apparently she’d lost some of that shyness somewhere along the way. Wasn’t sure if I liked that idea or not. Meant she’d been practicing with someone else.