“Tatum,” I greeted her, planting my feet wide and crossing my arms over my chest.
If she was surprised to see me, she hid it well. Instead, she nodded and said, “Nitro.” And then shifting her attention to my left, she said, “Devil.”
“Billy’s not joining us today?” Devil enquired.
Shaking her head, Tatum said, “No, he’s been called away and asked me to take care of this delivery.” She motioned for one of the men who flanked her to open the boxes on the wood pallet in front of us.
Devil and I inspected the shipment and once we were satisfied with it handed payment to Tatum. After we loaded the guns into the van, Devil lifted his chin at her. “Good doing business with you, Tatum. It’s a sweet change from seeing Billy’s ugly mug.” With a wink, he headed to the passenger side and waited in the van for me.
Tatum’s eyes met mine. It’d been three weeks since I dropped her at her home and told her to stay safe. It hadn’t been three weeks since I’d seen her, though. Dustin might not have stopped talking about her, but I hadn’t stopped watching her. Not every day, but a couple of times a week at least. I needed to make sure she was okay. That Silver Hell hadn’t broken our truce. That was what I’d told myself to begin with, anyway. I wasn’t so sure anymore.
“You good?” I asked.
She nodded. No smile, though. “Yeah.”
The pull to her was intense. I’d felt it every time I watched her. Pure animal need pulsed through my veins when I caught a glimpse of her and it did my head in. The fact I had never experienced that with another woman told me she was dangerous. So I checked on her, but that was all I did.
Devil banged on the side of the van, reminding me to stop fucking around. Tatum took a step back. Her expression still blank, her thoughts a mystery. No more words were exchanged and a minute later, I exited the garage.
“Billy should send Tatum to do every delivery,” Devil said. “A woman who knows how to execute a transaction with no emotions and no problems. She might just be my perfect fucking woman.”
My gut twisted at the thought of Devil pursuing Tatum and I gripped the steering wheel hard.
When he continued to describe the ways she was perfect, I scowled. “Can we talk about something fucking useful?”
He raised a brow and smirked. “I see the blonde has you wound tight, brother. You tap that?”
My irritation only grew. “No, I didn’t fucking tap that.”
His smirk disappeared. “I’m thinking you need to. Because I’ve gotta tell you, you’ve been a bundle of fucking joy to be around since we called the truce. I’m not blind, Nitro. I saw the way you were with her and any fucker could see your dick was straining to get in her pants. So take care of business and get your shit together because we need your fucking attention on the club right now, not on some chick.”
I smashed my hand down on the steering wheel. “Fuck.”
Fuck it all to hell.
He was right.
22
Tatum
“Kill The Lights” by Luke Bryan
I held the glass to my mouth, eyeing the blackjack dealer over the rim. Adrenaline spiked in my veins and my heart beat faster as I contemplated winning this hand. I’d been counting the cards and by my calculation I would win this hand. Throwing some rum back, I indicated to him that I would stand. I then drummed my fingers on the table as each player finished their hand. Holding my breath, I watched in anticipation as the dealer completed his, a thrill shooting straight through me when he busted.
Fuck yes.
“You look like you can afford to buy me a drink, Vegas.”
Nitro’s deep voice and warm breath on my bare shoulder startled me and I jumped. “Fuck,” I muttered, swinging my head around to face him. Amused eyes watched me with intent, affecting me in the way only he could.
I gathered my chips and slid off the stool. Looking up at him, I said, “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Your face is so damn serious but it’s like your eyes are laughing at me.”
Those beautiful eyes of his flashed with amusement again. “Fairly sure you bring that out in me,” he murmured. I had no idea what he meant but didn’t ask him to elaborate. At that point, I just wanted to cash my chips in and get another drink. Alone.
“Are you here looking for another biker to send to hell?” Memories of the night we met at this casino filled my mind. It was just over three weeks ago and yet it felt like I’d known Nitro a hell of a lot longer.
“Smartass,” he muttered, but he wasn’t scowling at me. He actually appeared to be in a great mood. Well, as much as I assumed Nitro could experience a great mood.
When he didn’t give me anything else, I said, “Okay, well, I’ll let you get on with whatever it is you’re doing.”
As I took a step away from him, his fingers snapped around my wrist and he stopped me. “What I’m doing here is you, Vegas.” His voice took on a husky tone, the kind of tone that hit a woman right in the belly and caused her brain to stop working.
I stilled and my breathing slowed. “Me?” It was a dumb question because he’d made his reason clear, but I needed the extra time to collect my thoughts.
He nodded, his eyes boring into mine.
When I didn’t speak, he moved his mouth to my ear. “Let me buy you a drink.”
I stared at him in confusion. Nitro asking me to let him do something seemed way out of character. Narrowing my eyes, I said, “What do you want?” He had to be after something more than just sex.
“I thought I made that clear.”
“I thought so, too, until you asked me to let you buy me a drink. Now I figure it must be about more than just sex.” I pointed a finger at him. “I swear to God, Nitro, if Storm want something out of me, they—”
He dropped his mouth to mine and silenced me with a kiss. And Jesus Christ, not just any kiss, this one cracked my soul wide open with its intensity. When Nitro kissed, he fucking claimed you. He used his mouth to say all the things he didn’t say with his words.
His hands slid along the sides of my face so he could push his fingers into my hair. Taking hold of me, he bent me to his will. His body pressed against mine while he deepened the kiss. Tongues collided and breath was stolen. My senses were consumed completely by this man who bewildered me with his complexity. One minute I hated him, the next I wanted to know every damn thing about him. I wanted to slap him, kiss him, yell at him, comfort him, understand him, tell him to fuck off. But in that moment all I wanted to do was kiss him forever.