He leans down and catches my lips with his, his tongue delving into my mouth and making me feel weak in the knees. When he pulls away, I grip his T-shirt for balance. He kisses my nose and then my forehead. “I have to go to Rift. Do you want to come with me?”
“Yes,” I say quickly, making his eyes smile. I look down at my shorts and T-shirt. “Let me go get changed though and do my hair and makeup.”
“It’s not like we’re actually going clubbing,” he say, eyes dancing. “You can look around, have a drink, but no one is there except staff.”
“Yeah but I still need to look decent,” I say, patting Colt and then heading inside. “Just give me fifteen minutes.”
“It better be an actual fifteen minutes,” he grumbles from behind me. “Oh, and we’re taking my bike, so keep that in mind.”
“Will do,” I say, excited to be going on the back of his bike with him. “I think I want to learn how to ride one day.”
“Really?” he asks, brows almost hitting his hairline. “I can teach you if you like.”
“Yes, please,” I say, walking into our room and pulling out a pair of jeans and a tight black top. I start to undress, throwing the clothes I was wearing into the laundry basket. Vinnie sits on the bed, enjoying the show. “You just going to sit there and watch, are you?”
“Yep,” he replies, lying back with his hands behind his head. “Can’t help it when the view is so amazing.”
“Not sick of it yet, huh?” I tease, sliding my top on and then my jeans.
“Never.”
I put on my new biker boots, brush and tie up my hair, and apply some foundation, brow powder, and bronzer on my cheeks. “See, all done. Didn’t even take me fifteen minutes.”
He checks me out from head to toe, then looks down at his crotch, where his cock is straining against his jeans. “I think we have another problem that might need attending to before we can leave.”
“If I attended that problem every time it came up, we’d never leave this bed,” I fire back, laughing.
He groans, covering his eyes with his arm. “It’s not my fault you wiggle that ass so much, trying to get it into your tight-ass jeans.”
“That’s what I have to do to get them on,” I reply, going to stand next to the bed and offering him my hand. “Come on, badass motorcycle time.”
That makes him smile and get out of bed. “All right, but for the record, Rift has a private VIP room we could always use. . . .”
I ignore him and walk outside to his bike.
And that’s when I hear the gunshots.
THIRTY
Vinnie
“GET down!” I yell at Shay, grabbing her and pinning her beneath my body. I hear her cry of pain as she hits the ground, but I’d rather her be scraped up a little than have bullets through her. The car speeds off, and I wait, covering her for a few more moments, just to make sure it’s safe. Tracker and Rake run outside, guns in their hands, ready for backup, but the cowards just shot and sped away. They were aiming right for Shay, and probably don’t know whether they hit her. I’m fuckin’ pissed that they figured out where she was and who was protecting her. Fuck, Talon was the only other person who knew she was here. Now it’s time to regroup and come up with a new plan.
“Are you both okay?” Tracker asks, racing to us, while Rake stands there, ready to shoot in case they decide to come back.
“Shay?” I ask, getting off her and helping her up. I scan her from head to toe, but she looks fine, no injuries that I can see.
“I’m fine,” she says, running into my arms and hugging me. “Holy shit, that was scary.”
She’s shaking, and I run my hands up and down her arms, looking at Tracker.
“Take her inside,” he demands, putting his gun away. “Someone might have called the cops if they heard the gunshots, which means they’ll probably drive around here at best, come visit us at worst.”
I nod, lift Shay in my arms like she’s a new bride, and carry her inside. I lay her down on my bed and just hold her in my arms.
Fuck.
That bullet just missed her.
I almost lost her.
I lift up her T-shirt, and she does have some scratches on her from when I pushed her to the ground, but other than that she’s fine. “Are you sure you’re okay? Fuck, Shay, they almost got you. I don’t think I’ve been so scared in my fuckin’ life. Fuck!”
I want to rage, break shit, and ride on after them.
I want to beat Talon’s ass. ’Cause her location did not come from any of us.
But more than anything, I want to make sure she’s okay.
“I’m fine, thanks to you,” she says, rubbing my back. Great. She almost gets shot, and now she’s the one comforting me. I close my eyes and just feel her in my arms.
So. Fucking. Close.
Things can change in an instant, but we’re lucky this time. Still, I could have lost her. The pain that slices through me at that thought tells me I was right the whole time about her—she’s mine. I don’t care what anyone has to say, or how long we’ve known each other, or any other fuckin’ minor details, the woman in my arms belongs to me. I’ve never followed any rules, and I’m not going to start now; I want Shay, and so I’ll have her. I know she wants me too. I know that she follows her heart, unlike me, who always listens to his head—this time though I’m listening to both.