Arianne’s hand clenched around the cue. Had the Sinners come for her? Jagger had let her go out with Dawn after she’d swallowed her pride and asked permission. Even teenagers were allowed to stay out until midnight, and she still had her chaperones leaning against the wall, sweating because she’d refused to leave when they asked.
She lowered her voice, although Peter and his friends were far enough away, there was little chance they could overhear. “Is he alone?”
“So far. I think he’s scouting. Damn. I thought I’d never see him again. I mean, that night we had together after the bar fight was hot, but I’m not looking for anything more than a one-night stand. Don’t need another man in my life bossing me around.”
Arianne glanced up just as Cade spotted them. “You could have done a lot worse for a one-night stand. He’s pretty damn easy on the eyes. I mean, if he wasn’t a biker, he could have been a movie star or a model—the angry, sullen type.”
Cade barked a few words into his phone and headed toward them, quickly eating up the distance with easy strides of his long, lean legs. T-Rex detached himself from the wall and walked over to greet him.
“Awkward.” Dawn moaned again. “What am I going to say to him? I kinda ran out that night when he was asleep.”
Arianne bit back a laugh before leaning over the table. “Tell him you had to get to work.”
“It was Sunday morning.”
“Church?”
Dawn snorted. “Not if I want to go up in flames. I mean, seriously, the things we did … That man is kink on a stick.”
“Jogging?”
“With these?” She cupped her breasts. “I’d probably fall over or knock myself out.”
“Not a problem I can sympathize with.” Arianne mentally calculated angles and trajectories as Dawn fidgeted beside the table. If she wanted to win the game, she would need to keep control right until the end.
Dawn twisted her lips to the side and leaned against the table. “I was a coward and now I gotta pay the price. Just never thought I’d see him again.”
“You talking or are you playing?” Peter shouted. He drained his glass and scowled. Tall and thin where Bunny was short and round, he had the same cold eyes and giant hook of a nose as his father. His posse of inebriated friends laughed.
“She knows she’s gonna lose,” one of them shouted. “She’s trying to distract you with that sweet ass so she can play with your balls.”
More laughter. Snickers. Arianne focused on the table and ignored the immature comments. “I don’t know why you’re complaining,” she whispered to Dawn. “You had a good time. He had a good time. No strings attached. You’re both adults.”
“I’m not complaining. I’m embarrassed.” Dawn plastered a smile on her face just as Cade reached their corner. “I’ve never had to face down a one-night stand who wanted more than one night.”
Cade stopped in front of them, giving Dawn a curt, cold nod of greeting before turning to Arianne. “Jagger’s looking for you.”
She made her shot, sinking the ball in the corner pocket. “Here I am. But you’ll have to excuse me, ’cause I’m in the middle of a game.”
“He doesn’t like you being here.”
Arianne sidestepped him and considered the table, pulling her cloak of false bravado tight around her. She’d managed to hold her own with Bunny; she could handle Cade. “Then he shouldn’t have said I could come.”
Cade grunted. “You belong to the club. Club protects you. But we can’t do that if you put yourself in danger.”
“Only danger I’m facing is losing the game because you won’t stop talking.” She took another shot, slamming the ball into the side pocket, and Peter shouted a curse. Cade’s head jerked around and he glared.
“You with him?”
“Seriously?” Arianne rolled her eyes. “I like ’em sweet but I don’t like ’em young.”
Cade gave a warning grunt. “Better watch that mouth around Jagger. He’s fucking pissed, and Wheels and T-Rex are gonna suffer the most for not getting you back to the clubhouse on time.”
“Jagger likes my mouth.” Arianne met his gaze, her tension easing when she saw amusement flicker in his eyes. “And no one told me I had a curfew. To be fair, though, they might have suggested at one point that it would be a good idea to leave. And I might have suggested that the way club politics works is that you do what the president’s blood price wants you to do ’cause if the blood price is happy, the president will be happy, and if he’s happy, you might get home without any broken limbs.”
Cade gave her a bemused smile. “Christ. Don’t know how he manages you, but I’m gonna wait right here until he comes. This is gonna be a show I don’t want to miss.”
He turned to talk to Dawn, and Arianne walked to the far end of the table and bent low to eye the ball. A draft of cool air brushed her hair. The cacophony of voices and the clack of billiard balls quieted and the first few notes of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” filled the hall. She didn’t need to hear the soft rattle of his belt chain to know he was there. His presence radiated through the entire hall.