“You heard me. Come with me.” It was so gruff that I couldn’t tell if it was a request or a demand.
I blinked up at him. “I feel like that might send mixed signals. You just told me we couldn’t be seen together.”
He shrugged. “Let my crew think what they want to think, but this is about that sliver of time we have. With the shit that’s getting ready to go down, I’m pretty sure that time’s going to run out and fast. And if there’s anyone I trust to have my back? It’s them. Things are calm enough out at their place, so we don’t have to worry about paps hopping out of a bush to snag a pic. It’ll be cool.”
“Are you sure?” Because I wanted this. To be in his space. A part of his time. Even if it was fleeting.
I watched the heavy bob of his throat when he swallowed. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay…what’s the address?” I started to rummage through my bag to find my phone so I could input the address.
His expression shifted. Something powerful flashed behind that dark, dark veil.
Then a smirk climbed to his mouth. That mouth that had been on mine less than twenty minutes ago. That mouth that had consumed and drugged and made me want things I was sure I’d never before desired.
His tongue darted out to wet his lips. I took a fumbled step backward.
Oh God. This was the side of Zee I wasn’t sure I could handle.
The wicked side that promised mayhem and chaos. A side that was wild and reckless. The side that decided if he was giving in even a little, he was going to take everything he could while it was there.
Hungry. Greedy. Possessive.
“Oh no, Alexis. What kind of man would I be if I let you drive over there alone? Think tonight you ride with me.”
Why did that sound like a threat?
My eyebrows rose to my hairline, and there I was again, clutching my big bag as if it were a shield. “Ride?”
Zee reached out and unwound the straps of my bag from my shoulder and then pried it out of the clutch of my hands. He tossed it to a nearby chair.
Sweet, seductive arrogance. It played around his lips and danced in the ferocity of his eyes. “You won’t be needing that.”
A flare of excitement flashed through my being, this rush of exhilaration that stampeded through my veins.
Chelsey had always warned me I had zero self-preservation.
She was right.
Because there was no way I wanted to miss this experience with him.
Chapter Seventeen
Alexis
It took less than ten minutes for me to become the happiest girl alive.
Could anyone blame me?
The big bike ate up the ground below us, the gleaming metal pure power and pride. The pavement flashed by in a dizzying whirl of colors and lights as night steadily eclipsed the sun and possessed the sky.
My arms held tight around his waist, my chest pressed to the rigid strength of his back as he commanded the engine that roared as we flew down the street.
Air whipped in my face, and I inhaled the deepest breath.
Ingraining it in my mind.
Imprinting it on my soul.
Cedar and spice and the raw potency of this man.
Sexy and masculine. It was a scent that had invaded my mind and seeped into my dreams.
It was bold and distinct. Just as bold and hypnotizing as him.
Nerves wound through me as he confidently took the roads. The heavy metal beneath us rumbled as we sped. The insides of my thighs shook and shivered where they were pressed tight to the outside of his.
Those tattooed arms were stretched out, and the color strained and flexed over the muscles that rippled as his hands gripped the handlebars.
My awe only increased when he turned into a historic neighborhood that had to have been there for a century, as if he’d taken me through a portal and directly into the early glitz and glam of Hollywood.
Zee lowered his booted feet as he slowed and came to a stop. He killed the engine, and the roar in my ears was replaced with the sudden ring of silence.
My legs were shaking so badly I wasn’t sure I could stand. The problem was I had no clue if it was from the adrenaline of the ride, or simply the staggering effect of Zee.
A big hand covered both of mine where they clutched the firm planes of his abdomen, the heat of him making me wild. “You okay?”
“I’m…that felt incredible.”
He chuckled low. “Ah, you like my bike. My kind of girl.”
My kind of girl.
“Yes, I definitely like your bike,” I managed to say.
Did I tell him I liked so, so many other things? Did I admit there was just something about the mixed-up, conflicted equation of him?
It was easy to realize I wanted to be a factor. To count. Even when he promised this could only last for a time. But whatever time meant, I wanted it to matter.
Holding on to my hand, Zee helped me onto my feet. He towered over me, gently reaching out to undo the strap of the helmet he’d insisted I wear, his attention never wandering from my face.
Fingertips brushed my throat. Stoking the chills that never seemed to want to leave my skin.
I glanced at the vintage mansion in front of us.
It was two massive stories high, fronted by six white columns that rose to support the portico. The home was undoubtedly a landmark from the early era of Los Angeles, carefully renovated to maintain its character from long ago.
Yet, somehow it radiated welcome and warmth.
Comfort.
Zee gestured at it with his chin. “This is Ash and Willow’s place. A few years back, Ash bought a house out in Savannah. Just as lavish as this one—maybe more so—and the fool thought he had to repeat it here. He just can’t help himself. He’s about as over the top and rash as they come, so fair warning. But he has a heart the size of the sun, so we pretty much let him get away with it.”
For a second, he scratched at his head, as if gauging what to say. Dealing with his own nerves while trying to keep mine at bay. “They’re all…amazing. You’d be hard pressed to find a better group of people.”
“Intimidating people.” I could feel the red rush to my face when I said it, teeth catching my bottom lip in their clutches when I peeked back at the house.
It seemed insane I’d ended up here. I was no tabloid junkie, but that didn’t mean I lived under a rock.
For years, I’d seen their faces plastered on the front pages of magazines and trending on the gossip sites. I hadn’t missed the scandal and speculation that had followed these wild boys everywhere they went. The trouble they’d incited had gained almost as much notoriety as the music they played.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“I’m trying not to be. Your friends are…” I took a deep breath. “It just seems crazy to be in their space, in your space. And I promise I’m not some kind of weird fangirl or something. It’s just…weird.”
He chuckled. “Weird, huh? You keep saying that.”