“That wasn’t funny.” Wheels’ nostrils flared. “I’d been a prospect for only a week. No one told me old ladies were totally off-limits, even to talk to. He almost killed me.”
Sherry winked at Arianne, then looked up at Wheels. “I don’t think it was the ‘talking’ part that pissed off the VP; it was when you put your hand up her skirt and pinched her ass right in front of him.”
Arianne laughed, and her tension eased. Even the Black Jacks loved to haze their prospects. It was a favorite biker pastime.
“Who took off her handcuffs?” Jagger’s deep voice cut through the laughter, and the room stilled. He braced one arm on the doorjamb and one overhead filling the doorway with his lean, muscular body.
“That would be me.” She gave him a cool smile, amused by his assumption she’d required assistance to get free.
Jagger glared at Sherry and Wheels. “No one thought to put them back on her? After I told you only twenty minutes ago that she was a flight risk?” He crossed the room and slammed the window closed behind her, the loud bang shaking the glass panes. “And you’re letting her stand by an open window no more than ten feet off the ground?”
Wheels and Sherry shared a terrified glance, and Arianne felt a twinge of annoyance. Despite her situation, she had to admit they’d been nothing but friendly. Not that she would jump to their defense. Political savvy had saved her neck time and again in the Black Jack clubhouse, and no one, but no one, challenged the president. At least, not in public.
Jagger dismissed Wheels and Sherry, waiting until the door closed before he circled Arianne’s wrist with his thumb and forefinger, his voice dropping to a sensual growl. “When I cuff you to the bed, I expect you to stay there.”
If his intent was to throw her off balance, it had worked. Mouth dry, every nerve in her body focused on the soft brush of his thumb over her skin, her body came alive with sensation. She toyed with the hem of her shirt as she tried to get herself together.
“I wasn’t really in the mood to be restrained.”
His eyes glittered, and electricity fired the air between them. “What were you in the mood for, little vixen?” He dropped his gaze to her lips, and for a second, she thought he might kiss her. Instead he tugged her in the direction of the bed.
“Escape. That’s usually what people want when they’ve been captured.”
“You think you’re a prisoner?” He spun to face her, filling every inch of her personal space.
Arianne forced herself to look away from his broad chest and rippling abs. He had a warrior’s body—taut, hard, and without an ounce of fat. “Can I leave?”
“No.”
“Then, yes, I think I’m a prisoner.” Arianne scowled, no longer flustered by the proximity of his body or by his direct stare. “Kinda fits the definition, since you’re holding me here against my will.” She stifled a curse and tried to shake off his hand. During her years with the Jacks, she’d learned the hard way how to stay cool around dangerous men. Problem was, except for her father, she’d never met a man so dangerously attractive as Jagger.
A high-pitched whine from the hallway broke the spell. Jagger released her wrist and crossed the room to open the door. With a sharp bark of delight, a midsize collie bounded into the room.
Jagger’s face softened in an instant and he bent down and ruffled the collie’s fur. “This is Max. We found him abandoned when we took over the property a few months ago. He’s not supposed to be in the house, but tonight has been unsettling for everyone.”
Arianne knelt down and held out her hand. After much sniffing, Max licked her palm. “He’s beautiful.”
“You like dogs?”
“We had a golden lab when I was growing up,” she said wistfully. “If I didn’t live in an apartment now, I would get another one. But they’re big dogs. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Dogs need their space.” Jagger went thoughtful, staring at her, and Arianne tugged her shirt down over her knees, self-conscious about being hunkered on the floor beside Max, wearing only the oversized T-shirt and a pair of panties.
“Max and I come out here a coupla times a week to run.” He patted Max’s head. “Gives me time to check up on the property and we get some time away. The minute the vehicle stops, he’s gone. Only way to get him back is to whistle. He can hear the sound almost a mile away.” When he held two fingers up to his mouth, Arianne put up a warning hand.
“No need for a demo. I like my eardrums unbroken, thank you.”
Jagger chuckled and held out a hand to help her up. The small courteous gesture sent a warm tingle through her body that turned into a full-on tidal wave when skin touched skin and he pulled her up.
For a moment, neither of them moved, and then Jagger dropped her hand. “Better get some sleep.”
“Well … good night.” She stood beside Max, waiting for Jagger to leave, but instead he sat on the bed and pulled off his boots.