“My bodyguards.” Viper answered her silent question as he pulled out Evie’s chair.
“I think just one of them could take out everyone in the bar,” she whispered. “Much less four.”
“Actually there are six.” Viper winked as he sat beside her.
Evie toyed with the handle of her purse. “I didn’t know you were being threatened. You’ve never brought them before.”
“Circumstances have changed.” He covered her hand, drew it away from her purse, and slipped something into her palm.
“What’s this?” Evie stared at the key fob in her hand.
“You can’t ride around in that piece of junk you call a vehicle.” He slid his hand into her purse and fumbled around.
“Hey…”
“Your vehicle isn’t safe.” Viper pulled out her keys and tossed them to the nearest bodyguard who caught them neatly with one hand. “I bought you something new and worthy of a woman associated with the Black Jacks.”
“You bought me a car?” She stared at him in shock.
“Not just a car. A Mazda MX5.”
“I can’t accept this. I want my keys back.” She offered the key back to him, but he shook his head.
“It’s a gift. You can’t return it. But you can thank me for it.” He dropped his hand to her thigh under the table and Evie sucked in a sharp breath. Viper had never been sexually aggressive before, and his sudden change in demeanor disconcerted her even more than the flippant way he dismissed her protest.
“Vip—”
“You can start with a kiss.”
“Here?” She looked around the crowded bar, her gaze flicking to the band only ten feet away, now warming up with a few guitar riffs.
“Here. Now.” He slid his hand beneath her hair to cup her neck, pulling her forward. “I want a taste of those sweet lips, kitten. Show me your gratitude.” His hand slid higher on her thigh, pushing up her dress. Uncertain whether the pounding in her heart was from arousal or fear, she tried to pull away, but Viper tightened his grip.
“One kiss. Is that so much to ask? Or have you been teasing me all this time?”
Teasing? She’d been annoyed he only wanted a kiss. So what had changed? Why did the thought of that bristly beard brushing against her skin set her teeth on edge? Or maybe she was just overthinking. Only one way to find out.
“Okay. Just one kiss. I’m not that comfortable with public displays of affection.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
Before she could ask what he meant, he pulled her toward him and sealed his mouth over hers. A shudder ran through Evie’s body, and she tried not to wrinkle her nose as his beard rasped over her skin. Cold, hard lips forced her mouth open, and when he thrust his thick tongue past her teeth, she almost gagged at his milky taste. When he finally pulled away, she was almost overwhelmed with the desire to brush her teeth.
“Damn you’ve got a soft little mouth.” He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, making her think of a school visit to a local farm where the farmer had pried back a horse’s lips to show off its teeth.
The first few notes of the band’s “The Edge of Darkness” cover, drowned out the chatter of the crowd. Viper sent one of his bodyguards for drinks, then hooked his boot around the front leg of her chair and dragged her closer, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Good cover band. They always start off with Iron Maiden.” He gave her a wink and a self-satisfied smile. “After they’re done we can pick up where we left off.”
Her eyes flicked to the door and a shiver licked up her spine. This wasn’t the Viper she knew, charming, teasing, and flirtatious. Tonight, he exuded a subtle, threatening sense of power that rattled her more than she cared to admit. She felt no excitement at the prospect of picking up where they let off, no thrill of desire. Instead, for the first time since she met Viper, she felt an uncomfortable sense of wariness.
The band played. Evie sipped her cooler. Viper downed his whiskey in one gulp, then peppered her with questions about the shop and her work. He asked for her opinion on the sexual escapades of her favorite radio show host, and lamented the governor’s latest stance on crime. Although his body language appeared relaxed, and his conversation witty and entertaining, she sensed anger simmering beneath his skin, and lust, barely contained.
“Call your babysitter,” he said, after the band announced a short break. “Tell her you won’t be home tonight.”
Evie’s blood chilled. She’d been careful not to mention Ty, not wanting to share too much of her life until she knew where the relationship was going, to protect him if things went wrong. “How do you know I have a babysitter?”
“I know everything about you, Evangeline.” He slid his hand up her thigh, his long, thick fingers brushing along the edge of her panties. “Except one, and I’m going to find out just how tight and wet your pussy is tonight.”
Evie sucked in a breath and stood so abruptly, his hand slid away. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Rob will go with you.” He gestured to the biggest and scariest of the bikers and Evie swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“I don’t need an escort. I can find the restroom on my own.”
“I’m sure you can.” Viper’s cool, shrewd gaze chilled her to the bone. “But someone needs to protect you from the Sinners. I understand they’ve been following you around.”
Run. Run. Run. But where would she go? Viper had taken her keys. Controlling. Just like Mark. Although Viper’s need for control was clearly not the result of insecurity. Still, it had taken her years to break free and she had promised herself she would never again get into a situation where a man would control her life. Straightening her shoulders, she said, “They were looking for Axle.”
“They found him this morning.” His dark eyes bored into hers, challenging. “At the morgue.”
She didn’t take the bait, swallowed the question on the tip of her tongue simply because she didn’t want to know the answer. “I’m sorry to hear that you lost one of your men. It was nice of you to come out tonight when you must be in mourning.”
Viper stood, annoyance flickering across his face at the hint of sarcasm in her tone. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Don’t you think this game has gone on long enough, kitten?”
“What game?”
“The game where you pretend to be innocent and I pretend to be civilized.” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, the scrape of his beard on her sensitive skin sending a shiver down her spine.
She tried to pull away, but he slid one hand over her ass and squeezed her cheek, grinding her hips against the bulge in his jeans. “I’ve been patient. I’ve played the civilian game, and I have to admit it was entertaining. But we both know where this is heading, and now that the Sinners are sniffing around you, I can’t wait any more to stake my claim.”
Evie bristled, fear warring with indignation. “I’m not a piece of land.”
“But you are a piece of pussy.” He fisted her hair and yanked her head back, his lips, wet and cold, sliming a trail across her cheek.
Evie raised her hand to slap him. Lightning fast, Viper grabbed her wrist, twisted it, and wrenched her arm up behind her.
“Jesus Fuck,” he growled under his breath. “Why did you have to do that? I can’t tolerate disrespect, especially in front of my men.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Anger surged within her. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about you and the Sinner VP?” Viper tightened his grip, forcing her up on her toes. “I don’t want to hurt you kitten, but I had you first, and I am not a sharing kind of man.”
“Let go.” She struggled to hide her fear, taking deep breaths to keep her voice even. “You’re hurting me.”
“If you want to play around with a Sinner, and disrespect me in front of my men, you gotta pay the price. What’s a little pain, kitten, when I’m going to give you a whole lot of pleasure?”