Page 77 of Dirty Salvation

"Do you think you'll mind having a girl who is a friend, Rider?"

Nothing about his intense stare put Zara at ease. She put her hands in her lap and swallowed her nerves.

"I'ma tell you, baby since you wanna go in circles with this, I’ma put a cap on it finally. You don't want me as a friend and I sure as fuck don't want you just for a friend."

Well, that was rude of him. She frowned. "But you said----"

"I'm not finished. I want you in my bed, Zara. Underneath me until I'm buried so far inside you, you won't ever think to call me a friend again, you won't know your own name, just how it feels to squeeze down around me as I pound you. I'm being upfront, so we're clear."

Rider stood and Zara found herself popping up to her feet automatically, though she felt a little dizzy to hear him declare it just like that. No frills, no lies, straight talking biker man.

Raw and open.

"I'm starting to think you only want me because you've built me up into something epic in your mind. It's the classic don't touch the red button. All you want to do is touch that red button, right?" she shot her eyebrow up, sure she'd nailed it finally.

Notthe kind of nailing Rider wanted to do, obviously.

Today was a brand-new day, and she felt...different.

His mouth twitched. Eyes lit up brighter with humor. His voice laced with it. "That would be fine, if I hadn't had you already, Icy. Had you a lot, if you recall. Know your taste, your sounds. So, that's not buildin' you into epic. That's me rememberin' epic."

“A million years ago.” she countered. “The red button feels all brand new again.”

“You’re the red button in this equation, and me the finger?” She nodded his question, saw his mouth stretch again with a grin as he took the bottle to his lips.

She was mesmerized by the working of his throat as he drank one long swallow at a time. Oh god, how can a throat be considered sexy, really? But Rider’s was. All long, thick, tanned and strained with veins and muscle. Not too much muscle, he didn’t look like he gulped steroid covered Cheerio’s for breakfast, just the right size.

She blinked and caught his eyes on her. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Watching her watching him. “Then you should let me finger you, baby.”

Zara spluttered. “Don’t you mean push the button?”

“Nope.” His grin stayed on his face. A wicked naughty grin that warmed down to her cold toes in last days of October cold. “I mean what I say. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I only wanna finger you once, and then walk away. Maybe I wanna finger the fuck out of your red button until it breaks and no other lucky bastard can touch it ever again so you’re left with only the pleasure of me strokin’ and makin’ you feel good, really good, so damn good you dream of my fingers, Icy, and you wish you’d asked me to press that sweet fuckin’ button long ago.”

Oh. My God.

Zara had not even an attempt at a witty comeback. She was too busy swallowing a moan, a deer in his headlights, staring hard at him as she aimed to pull air deep, deep into her lungs. Somewhere along the conversation line she thought they were no longer talking about any metaphorical danger button anymore.

She was no match for that kind of honesty, seriously, the man had no filters whatsoever.

"Thanks for the beer, baby." Rider touched his cold hand to the side of her face briefly, smiled and winked before heading back into the shop towards the drilling and hammering noises.

Zara stood outside for another thirty seconds in full processing mode before making her feet move taking her across back into the clubhouse.

Well. That peace offering didn't go as she planned it to. But at least she discovered he wasn’t mad at her for anything.

But she was smiling. It hadn't gone badly, either.

******

“What's her deal?" Inside the shop, Hawk grimaced after seeing the eyefuck exchange with Rider and the girl, his face twisted in stark confusion. "She's leading you around by the magical pussy you're not digging into if your sour mood is anything to go by these days, get laid already, man, plenty of pussy around to choose from, do us all a favor and get inside one."

If anyone had been looking close enough to describe Rider, they would have said there was no time in between having a joke around with his boys to his face turning dark and murderous. A straight up thunder-clap of death. His voice matched the look, pointing at Hawk.

"You get one fuckin' pass because you're my best friend to say that shit to me about her. You do it again, you speak in terms less than anything but respectful, Hawk, I'll forget I ever knew you and fuckin' bury you."

Mechanics seemed to stop breathing around them, the tension grew thick as everyone held their tongues, tools ceased working, all of them waiting for the next word.