Dare To Run (The Sons of Steel Row #1)(21)

He swept his thumb over my jawline, still holding on to me. From a distance, it might look tender and loving, but I knew it for what it really was.

A claiming, intended for those jerks in the corner.

I skimmed my hand down his muscular back. The feeling of his body beneath it affected me much more than that shadow of a kiss had. Not one to follow directions blindly, I slipped my hand down the curve of his ass, cupping it tight. Digging my nails into his jeans, I stared right back at him, not backing down. “How’s this? Good enough of a show for you? Why not just write ‘Taken’ on my forehead for all to see? Or better yet, bend me over the bar and f*ck me from behind. Then they’ll really see I’m yours.”

He hissed through his teeth and gripped my chin, holding me still. “Easy, sweetheart. Keep tempting me with that saucy little mouth of yours, and I’ll bite. Hard. I don’t think you want to go down that road with me just yet.”

“Is that a dare?” I smiled at him. “I never could back down from a dare, you know.”

“Good to know.” He leaned close, his lips a breath from mine, and despite myself, my stomach tightened in anticipation. Instinctively, I knew that if he kissed me again, it wouldn’t be the mockery of a kiss that he’d given me earlier. “But I told you that I’d make you admit you wanted me before I touched you again, and I meant it. Are you ready to admit you want me now?”

Hell yeah.

“Nope.” I laughed and patted his butt condescendingly. “Not in a million years. Hate to break it to you, but you’re not really my type, Lucky.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

He traced an invisible path down my throat and over the top of my shirt. His gaze dipped down to my cleavage, then shot back up as if there was nothing much to see there at all. Man, he was good. Too good. “Yeah, I am. But that’s okay. Deny it all you want. We both know the truth.”

Scoffing, I shook my head slightly. “You go on and keep thinking whatever gets your rocks off, man. Don’t let me sink your battleship.”

“Oh, I won’t.” His grip on me tightened. “Because I’m glad you’re not ready for me yet. What would be the fun in winning the fight so quickly? I plan to break you down, slowly and gently, until you finally fall apart in my arms and beg me to f*ck you. It’ll make the victory all the sweeter, in the end.”

Ignoring the surge of lust his words brought out in me, I lifted a shoulder. “Whatever you say.”

“Make no mistake. In the end, you’ll be naked in my bed.” He trailed his hand down the curve of my body, barely touching my breast. But it felt as if he’d stripped my shirt off in front of everyone and had his way with me. My stomach clenched tight, and I pressed my thighs together. It did nothing to ease the empty ache inside me. “And you’ll love every second of it, darlin’.”

When he dropped his hand on the bar, I released the breath I’d been holding. “Keep chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, Lucky. You’ll have better luck catching that than me.”

“Who said I wanted to catch you that badly that I’d chase you at all? The way I see it, you’re the one who ran into my arms. You’re the one who needs me, not the other way around,” he said, his cocky brow arched. He gave me a once-over and then lifted a shoulder. “This thing we have between us? For now, it’s a necessary transaction and nothing else.”

“Is that so?” I slid my hand around the curve of his ass, over his hip, and brushed against his dick. And what a dick it was, thank you very much. He was hard and huge and unyielding. Much like the man himself. “Doesn’t feel like just a transaction to me.”

He stepped back, out of my reach. “That, darlin’, is called being a man. You cup a guy’s ass and talk dirty to him, you’re gonna get a reaction. Next time? I’d make sure you’re prepared for it, because you can be damn sure it won’t end with me walking away empty-handed.”

Lucas walked off without another word. Instead of going to the gang members to tell them to leave, he walked by them, nodded once, and sat in the opposite corner of the bar, his back to the wall. When he saw me staring at him, he raised a brow. The small gesture was a hell of a lot more intimidating than the four beefy, hardened gang members tracking me, because unlike with them . . .

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.





CHAPTER 7





LUCAS




Damn it all to hell, Heidi was trying to kill me. I’d been sitting there for three hours now, watching her sashay behind her bar. Back and forth, back and forth, all while wearing those tiny-ass shorts of hers. As if that wasn’t enough torture, she made it a point to flirt with every single guy who came up to her. Every. Single. One.

I knew what game she played, and what she thought she was up to, but even so? It pissed me the hell off. While she might not have admitted it yet, and while I hadn’t had her yet, she belonged to me. And I didn’t share. Hell, I never kept women around long enough for sharing to be an issue in the first place. But still . . .

I wasn’t about to start now.

Some dickhead raised a hand for her attention, and she rested her elbows on the bar and smiled at him, giving him a clear shot of her cleavage. Judging from the way the man shifted on his chair, he took full advantage of that view. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she didn’t even realize she did it. Didn’t realize how damn seductive everything she did was, from her laugh, to her walk, to the sexy way her hips swung with every step she took.