Vicious Cycle (Vicious Cycle #1)(33)

Alex laughed at our exchange. “We wouldn’t want to mess up your bun.” Amusement danced in her eyes when she looked at me. “Did she do that, or did you?”

“I did. Why?”

She shrugged. “I’m just surprised—that’s all.” With a teasing smile, she said, “You’re a man of many talents, Jesse James.”

“Hmm, there’s more of my talents I’d like to acquaint you with.” Inwardly, I cringed. Had I actually just laid some serious innuendo on her? What the hell was my problem? I was just as bad as the Neanderthals who had been panting and drooling over her earlier.

Alex’s eyes widened at my suggestive tone. “Well, I think it’s time that I acquainted Willow with a few basic ballet poses.”

“I’ll keep an eye on things for you.”

After pursing her lips at me, she replied, “Why doesn’t that make me feel better?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “At ease, White-Bread.”

The next half hour passed without Alexandra being eye-f*cked by the guys. While I eventually focused back on Bishop in the ring, I threw a look in her and Willow’s direction every few minutes. Jesus, did Alexandra have patience when it came to Willow. She worked over and over with her to make sure she understood the pose things and how to hold her arms. While I would have freaked the f*ck out and stalked off, Alex kept her head and never raised her voice.

When the instruction was over, Alex quickly bypassed me for the bathroom to change. “Did I dance good?” Willow asked.

“You did good, kid,” I replied.

“She did well,” Rev emphasized behind me.

After turning around, I rolled my eyes at his grammar-correcting ass and then managed to smack him in the balls with Willow’s bag. “Be careful getting her home.”

Bending double, Rev wheezed out a few breaths. “My pleasure,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Willow happily reached for Rev’s hand. “Can we get ice cream today?”

Rev refused to meet my glare. Instead, he placed a finger over his lips. “What did I say about keeping secrets?”

She giggled. “Okay.”

As they started for the door hand in hand, I shook my head. I’d seen Rev, with busted and bloodied knuckles, beat a man within an inch of his life. But you put him in a room with a kid, especially Willow, and he was a f*cking teddy bear. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when he finally had a kid of his own.

Although I had indulged in a few X-rated fantasies involving Alexandra, I still thought she was a good match for him. I needed to stay on his ass about asking her out. When I’d first mentioned it to him, he’d argued that he didn’t want to make things complicated for Willow. I told him he was being a *, and then he’d walked away. I guess it wasn’t the best pep talk to get him back into the game.

Alexandra emerged from the bathroom wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She looked a hell of a lot different out of her school clothes. I also couldn’t help imagining for a second what she looked like without any clothes on at all.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and threw her hand up at me before heading out the side door. Whether or not she realized it, she was easing into our world. She didn’t find it necessary to ask where Willow was. She knew that someone had come to escort her home. Maybe she didn’t realize whoever drove Willow was followed by two prospects for added protection. Of course, she might’ve had some questions as to why Archer slunk out of the gym after her. I knew Case wanted her watched regardless of where she was.

When Bishop came out of the ring ten minutes later, I decided it was time to head back to the compound. As I started out to my bike, Alex’s car still sat in its space. One of her jeans-clad legs hung out of the door. The hood was up, and Archer was bent over it, assessing the damage. At the screeching sound of the car refusing to start, I knew a shot alternator was the reason she was still there. When I walked up to the car, she banged her fists on the steering wheel. “Dammit!” she cried.

“Easy, now.”

Her gaze snapped up to mine. “This is the second time this week my car won’t start. The mechanic who worked on it swore to me it was fixed.” Under her breath, she mumbled, “Asshole.”

“Come on,” I said, urging her with my hand.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, come on. You’re not going to solve anything by sitting there and pitching a fit.”

“I was not pitching a fit,” she growled.

“Easy, White-Bread. I’m not the enemy here—got it?”

She exhaled a frustrated breath. “Fine. I’m sorry.”

“Look, I’ll get one of the club’s mechanics to come over and fix your car. Archer can wait here with it and make sure nothing happens to it. In the meantime, you can ride home with me so you can still teach Willow.”

Alex contemplated my words. “Is this mechanic good, or is he just going to take me for a ride?”

I laughed at the potential double meaning of her words. “He’ll do a good job, or he’ll answer to me.”

“And that’s sufficient motivation?” she asked curiously.

Cocking my brows at her, I asked, “What do you think?”

Instead of replying, she exhaled a long breath. “Fine,” she muttered before she grabbed her purse. “Feel free to take the cost out of my pay.”