“I might end it with him tonight,” Evie said, fiddling with the links in her belt. “That’s why I picked this dress. I thought maybe he’d change his mind about me. I like him, but the whole shooting thing outside the shop scared me. And Zane … I mean it’s over between us, but if he’s going to be part of Ty’s life, things could get complicated since they’re from rival clubs. I just don’t know what to do.”
“If you were going for the matronly look, you haven’t succeeded. You’d look hot wearing a burlap sack.” Connie lifted an over-tweezed eyebrow. “And do you really think a man like Viper hasn’t already figured out what you’ve got going under that dress? Or that he isn’t interested when he sends one of his men to set up a date? If you don’t want to see him anymore, you’ll need to tell him flat out, otherwise I don’t think he’ll be turned off by the way your boobs are busting out all over the place.”
Evie glanced over at the hallway leading to Ty’s room and lowered her voice. “They aren’t busting out.”
“Honey, if I flipped a coin at your chest, it would definitely get stuck between your girls. With me, on the other hand, that baby would sail right through my nonexistent cleavage, bounce off the floor, and come up and hit me in the chin.”
“Now I think I’m too dressed up.” Evie sighed. “I’ve never been to the Riverside Bar. What if it’s a rough, dress-down kind of place?”
Connie put a hand on her hip and sashayed toward the door. “I think you should work it. If you decide you want him, he’ll be drooling all over the floor. If you don’t want him, he’ll never forget you. Either way, you’ll leave an impression. Although, I have to say, the couple of times he came into the shop, he didn’t strike me as a man who took ‘I don’t want to see you any more’ for an answer. And since you’re not interested in getting involved with Zane again, he’s your best option for getting a little biker down ’n dirty.”
And wasn’t that part of the reason Evie had agreed to see him the first time? After years of dealing with Mark’s insecurities, there was something utterly compelling about a man who dripped power and confidence. She had been flattered by his attention, intrigued by his charm, and slightly awed by the fact he had so many men to do his bidding.
A tiny part of her had thrilled at having captured his interest, and there was no danger of getting caught in the trap of thinking her relationship with Viper was anything more than a fling. Viper was a statement to herself that she’d gotten over the emotional abandonment issues that had driven her to seek safety and security with Mark despite knowing he was wrong for her. She could look after herself, face the world on her own terms. And what better way to prove it than to play with the biggest baddest biker in town?
But that was before Zane returned. He was everything that had attracted her to Viper, but without the ruthless edge. Where Jagger and Viper wore their power for all to see, Zane commanded respect without the show. She’d seen how his biker brothers deferred to him, and how even Jagger looked to him for advice. Not that she wanted to get involved with Zane. Even though she now knew he’d returned to Stanton, he was three years too late, and he wasn’t there when she needed him. But more than that, he had broken her heart.
In his own way, Zane was as dangerous as Viper, and his very presence cast Viper in a new light.
“It’s not like we’re in a real relationship.” She pulled out the elastic from her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair. “We don’t text or talk to each other every day. We haven’t slept together … just kissed.” Perfectly adequate kisses, considering the scratchy beard, the rough lips, and the fact he always seemed amused when he backed away.
“Then he’ll be all over you tonight.” Connie smirked. “Biker presidents aren’t known for their restraint. He probably didn’t know how to handle a civilian at first. Better bring some condoms ’cause I’ll bet he’ll be wanting more than a kiss tonight.”
Viper’s kiss. So unlike Zane’s kiss.
Oh, God. That kiss. Fueled by desire, filled with passion, Zane’s kiss had been deliciously hard and hungry. He had taken everything she had to give and demanded more. After her shower this morning, Evie had inspected the bruises he left on her skin, remembering how it felt to be held tight, totally and utterly claimed, if only for a moment. The spark was still there between them, but now, when her heart had finally healed and she had moved on with her life, he wasn’t the right guy for her. She couldn’t control a man like Zane. Or maybe the problem was that she couldn’t control herself around him.
So maybe she was better with second best.
A loud knock on the front door startled her and she peered out the window into the twilight, spotting the motorcycle parked on the street only seconds before Jagger shouted from outside.
“Evie. It’s Jagger. Gotta talk to you.”
She pulled open the door and he brushed past her, stalking into the house before she could speak.