The moment she spotted him, her heart beat wildly and she could barely breathe. He had draped himself there, appearing casually gorgeous, looking down at his phone and not at the waitresses vying for his attention. The moment she walked out, he glanced up, his blue eyes drifting over her possessively. Just that look sent her stomach on a crazy roller-coaster ride.
He smiled at her. His eyes lit up as if beneath the ice was a spotlight, shining through the crystal so that all that blue sparkled—just for her. He made her feel as if there were no other women in the world but her and she was his everything.
“I have helmet hair,” she greeted and then silently cursed herself, wishing she had something scintillating to offer, but looking at him, she was tongue-tied.
“You look beautiful, princess.”
Ice took her hand and led her to the booth where his brother, Alena and Maestro sat. Ice waited for her to get in first and slide all the way to the wall. He slipped in beside her and pressed up against her, his thigh to hers. His brethren sat in the surrounding booths, almost as if she was in the center of the club. It was an interesting concept. She was most always alone when she ate—although she didn’t frequent diners. She had no siblings, and the idea of having others care enough to look out for her was part of that fantasy she seemed caught in.
The waitress hurried over and handed them all menus. She stared at Ice and Storm. “You must be twins.”
Ice didn’t look up. Storm answered. “That’s what they tell us.”
The waitress threw back her head and laughed louder than Soleil thought was strictly necessary. Maestro shook his head and Alena looked bored.
“Anything look good, baby?” Ice asked, leaning into her. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
She tried not to be distracted, but that light, back-and-forth motion felt intimate. She pretended to study the menu, but she couldn’t think. He could wreak havoc with such a small gesture. Just when she thought she would have to pull her hand away, he dropped their hands to his thigh, pushing her palm over the hard muscle there and holding it to him. That felt even more intimate.
“Princess?” Ice prompted.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll have the taco salad.” It was the only item she could actually read, and she prayed it would be good because she was hungry.
The waitress wrote down her order and then stood there, staring at Ice and Storm. They both gave their orders, as did Alena and Maestro. The waitress pulled her gaze from the twins to bat her eyelashes at Maestro.
“My woman’s hungry,” Ice said without looking up. It was a clear order.
His tone made Soleil shiver. He pressed her hand tighter and then threaded his fingers through hers. “We would have stopped sooner, babe, had you said you needed a break.”
“I was pretty impressed,” Maestro said. “We all expected you to call a stop. Do you remember me?” He sent her a cocky grin.
She tried not to blush. These men had seen her in the throes of passion, Ice’s mouth between her legs, her riding his fingers and screaming out her orgasm. Just like that she was hot and slick again, squirming a little in her seat.
“You plied me with liquor all night. Of course I remember you, Maestro. I would presume you like music.” She was so glad she hadn’t whined and insisted on stopping. If it had been a test, she’d passed it with flying colors.
“You’d be right,” Alena said, making a face when she took a sip of her coffee. “Maestro is amazing on the piano. He can play just about any instrument, and when he actually admits it, he can sing too.”
“Coffee sucks,” Storm said. “But it’s all we’ve got. Alena has a soft opening of her restaurant in a couple of days. That’s one of the reasons we’re hurrying back. She wants to see to all the details.”
She was grateful Alena had needed to go back to their home. What if Winston had caught her in the room with Ice? Judging by the way Ice had cordoned her off from the rest of the room with his body, he would have fought for her. He probably would have gotten beaten up or gone to jail. A little shiver went down her spine at the thought. Did she really have the right to put him in jeopardy? Any of them?
“You’re opening a restaurant?” That didn’t seem like a club thing to do.
Alena nodded. “I was so excited about it.” She leaned her chin onto the heel of her hand. “But now that it’s close, I want to vomit. It’s so scary. What if no one comes? What if no one likes my cooking? I’m the chef, and I won’t be dealing that much with the customers, but it’s my place and I want them happy.”
“I take it you like to cook.” That was such a revelation. Alena wanted to be a chef and cook for others. She hadn’t thought much about it, but everyone probably needed to work. At least most everyone. She’d tried various ideas, but the moment any employer found out who she really was, everything changed. Most actually brought her business “opportunities” for her to invest in.
The idea that Alena was making her dream come true moved her. She looked up at Ice. He had put his arm around her and was idly massaging her neck. He brushed the pads of his fingers there, massaging and then using the pads of his fingers again, sliding them gently over her skin. She felt those darts of fire running to her breasts. Making her entire body aware of him. Aware of everything about him. His scent. His heat. The way he brought every nerve ending alive. She was aware of the breath moving in and out of his lungs. She didn’t know if it was the motorcycle that had increased the connection between them, but it was definitely strong.
“Does everyone in the club work?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Storm answered. “Savage and Reaper work at the club. They aren’t the kind of men to work for someone else. We all bring in money. The cash is shared collectively.”
Soleil frowned. “You work and any money you make goes to the club? Not to you?”
Ice shrugged. “We’ve always worked like that. This way, whoever needs it fast has something to draw on immediately.”
“The club paid for my restaurant,” Alena pointed out. “We have a bar and a couple of apartments over the bar we rent out. Although, at the moment, we’re renovating them. We’re bringing in a grocery store as well. That’s just now getting up and running. Inez Nelson is the owner of the store in Sea Haven, and she’s going in with us as partners. Ink has his tattoo shop running, and Mechanic and Transporter have their custom automotive garage.”
“That’s amazing. I didn’t even consider that all of you would have regular jobs.” She hadn’t, and that smacked of prejudice. She liked them, she wasn’t prejudiced against bikers, but she did have preconceived notions about them.
Ice suddenly caught her chin and turned his head toward her. “Kiss me, babe. I don’t think I can go another minute. You want to save my life, right? That can be your job.”