“You got a habit upstairs, I’ll be a happy man.”
“I’m not changing, Zane.” She leaned against the wall, folded her arms over her chest. “Even if we were together, which we’re not, I wouldn’t let you tell me what to wear. I went through that with Mark. He was insecure right from the start because he never felt he could measure up to you and Jagger. When he lost his job, he started drinking again and that just made it worse. And when we had to rely on my income, he couldn’t deal with it. He started following me around, trying to cut me off from my friends, checking my phone, and showing up at work. He threw out some of my clothes, called me a slut…”
“Jesus Christ. Once we get T-Rex, I’m fucking going after him.” Zane leaned one elbow beside her and traced the cutout on the left side of her dress with his free hand, his finger warm against her skin. “What if I ask real nice?”
Evie bit back a smile at his sudden change in demeanor. “Jagger saw my dress. He didn’t have a problem.”
“Because you aren’t his.” He slid his hand beneath the front panel of her dress, his finger dipping down to her mound, sending a sizzle of erotic sensation straight to her clit. “You’re mine.”
Flustered by his possessiveness given that she’d pretty much booted him out of her room last night, she had no idea what to say. And when he pulled her in close and lowered his face until their noses were almost touching, she wanted nothing more than to run her tongue over his lips and forget about speech all together.
“You showing something that belongs to me makes it my problem,” he murmured.
“I don’t belong to you, Zane.”
“Last night.” He feathered kisses along her jaw, following her jugular to the hollow at the base of her throat. “Says you do.” His hands slid down to her ass and his fingers dug into her cheeks. “Way I feel now, thinking of the brothers lookin’ at you, touching you, and you showing off what you shared with me last night, says you do.”
Desire pulsed through her, a deep throb that intensified with every second. “It was just sex.”
“You and me, sweetheart … it’s never just anything.”
“C’mon you two. Jagger’s about to give a speech.” Sparky’s voice pulled Evie out of the moment and she clasped Zane’s hand.
“Looks like I win by default,” Evie said. “I wouldn’t want to disrespect Jagger by missing his speech.”
He stared at her for a long moment, and then he dropped her hand and slid his arm around her waist. “It’s gonna be a long fucking night.”
They made their way into the shop, now emptied of bikes and filled with bikers. Zane introduced her to Cade, the club treasurer, a blond, blue-eyed, drop-dead gorgeous biker with a cheeky smile, and his old lady, Dawn, who could have passed for his sister. After chatting with them and meeting a few more bikers, she spotted Tank sipping a beer at the far edge of the garage and excused herself to join him.
“You’re looking kinda down.” Relieved to be away from the crowd, she eased herself up on the bench beside him, her feet dangling off the floor.
“Missing T-Rex.”
Evie wasn’t surprised. In the short time she’d been around the Sinners, Tank and T-Rex were always together. “Yeah, I was surprised the Sinners were having a party when T-Rex was still … with Viper.”
He shrugged. “It’s Jagger’s way of boosting morale before the big raid. We’re goin’ in to get him, and he says not all of us are gonna come out in one piece.”
Evie caught her breath. “Jagger’s sending you on a suicide mission?”
“We gotta get T-Rex. We don’t leave brothers behind. And while we’re there, we’re gonna take down the Jacks. They’re outta control. One-percenters like us don’t got many rules, but we got some and the Jacks are breaking them all. No one is safe—old ladies, kids, even civilians.”
“Is everyone going on the raid?”
Tank gave her a sympathetic look. “Every brother who can ride. Even the family men. We’re all in or we’re all dead, the way things are going now. Zane’s on point. That means he’s going in first, taking the biggest risk. He says it’s ’cause he owes T-Rex a debt and if someone’s gotta die—”
“No one is dying on my watch.” Jagger came up behind Evie and rested his hand on her shoulder. “And this isn’t going be some haphazard raid. Everything will be planned with military precision. Nothing will be left to chance.”
“Except we don’t know if T-Rex is alive or dead.” Tank’s voice wavered. “Or even if he’s in the Black Jack clubhouse.”