I look behind me and scowl at the twins. Reid just shrugs, but Ryan smiles widely, then wiggles his eyebrows.
“I’m never coming into this bar again,” I vow. “Like, ever.”
Ardan stalks toward me and hands me my license at last. “I’m taking you out to dinner.”
“The hell you are.” I glower at him. “I’m getting in my car and going home.”
“You have to eat,” he says, shrugging and looking down at me. “What do you want? Your choice, babe.”
I don’t want to go with him, but at the same time I do. How could I not? He’s confident, attractive, and has something about him that I want to absorb. Just being in his presence makes me feel . . . I don’t know what. Like a different person. A better person than I was. I think it’s all in the way he looks at me, like I’m someone special. It’s almost like he doesn’t like to take his eyes off me. Every time I look at him, he’s already watching me.
He says good-bye to the twins, then takes me by my wrist. His touch instantly makes me flinch, and I pull my arm away from him. He stops and studies me, looking down at my wrist. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, scowling before his expression softens, his eyes gentling and his lips settling into position. “I’m just going to take you outside. You’re safe, I promise.”
I rub my wrist, reminding myself that not all men are like Darren. However, some are, and I seem to be a magnet for those types. I need to be careful not to get tangled up in a bad situation again. I nod my head and take a step forward, silently permitting him to continue leading the way. He offers me his hand, this time waiting for me to choose to hold it or not. I slide mine into his, and he squeezes it gently, reassuringly, before leading me outside to his big matte black Harley. I like the way my hand feels enveloped in his. I feel safe and strong at the same time. I don’t know how he makes me feel this way, so comfortable, but he does. Before I even know what’s going on, he puts a helmet on my head, gently tucking my hair inside so it’s not all over my face.
“I’ll bring you back here after and then you can drive your car home,” he says with one hand on my lower back, his other waving to the bike. “Let’s get you on there.”
I feel the warmth of his hand through my clothes and wonder how it would feel on my bare skin. Fuck. It would feel good. So good. It has been too long, and I really shouldn’t be around this man. Where I need to be is at home, probably with a vibrator. I don’t have one, but I think I need to buy one. Maybe I’ll stop at an adult shop on my way home.
“Well?” he asks, eyes still on me, waiting patiently while I think about sex toys.
I purse my lips and consider my options. A free meal sounds good. I don’t like that I like being in Ardan’s presence. He has heartbreaker written all over him, with big red warning signs everywhere.
“One meal,” I find myself saying. “And then you need to leave me alone.”
“We’ll see,” he mutters, not giving in to any of my demands. “What do you want to eat, Tina?”
“Lobster,” I decide on the spot, as it’s the most expensive thing I can think of. Maybe I’ll even order an appetizer, two sides, and dessert too.
He laughs, his dark eyes crinkling in the corners. “Lobster it is. Now get your sexy ass on the back of my bike.”
I hesitate, glancing toward my little red car. Do I want to go to dinner with him? What could come of this?
Ardan sighs and steps to me, picking me up and lifting me onto the bike. “Spread those thighs.”
I roll my eyes but straddle the bike, then hold on to him as he gets on with me. He takes my hands and pulls them around his stomach.
All I can feel is taut muscle. Nothing on this man is soft. The feeling of his warm back pressed against my chest has me wanting to bury my face in the crook of his neck, to touch him all over. I hold on tight and rest my cheek against his shoulder, just enjoying being pressed against him.
He starts the engine, and we’re off. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was nothing like this, and the man I rode with was nothing like Ardan. I find myself enjoying the ride, the sense of freedom. I also enjoy being pressed up against Ardan way too much, my hands on his abs, my breasts pushed against his back.
The bike comes to a stop after what I guess to be about thirty minutes, and he helps me down. As I take off the helmet and hand it to him, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it a little.
“Did you like it?” he asks, drawing my attention to him.
“What?” I ask.
“The ride.”
“Yeah,” I tell him, smiling. “Loved it. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was a piece of shit compared to yours.”
His eyes narrow. “Whose bike were you on the back of?”
“Ummm,” I mutter, not wanting to go into this. “My ex’s.”
“I see,” Ardan murmurs, jaw going tight before he looks away. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
“Okay, then,” I say, walking next to him in silence as we approach the restaurant door. He opens the door for me, and I enter before him. “Thanks.”
“Welcome,” he says, placing his hands on my waist from behind.
“Ardan!”
“Yes, Valentina?” he says, his voice throaty.
For a second I wonder how he knows my full name, but then realize it’s because he read my driver’s license.