“Of course, man,” Gunner said.
“Good. Then shut your mouth about Chloe. I’m not just interested in screwing her, and she’s not ready for me yet,” Justin said arrogantly. “She still believes her Prince Charming wears a frigging tie, and that’s okay. I get it. She’s a classy chick. But trust me, one day she’ll get out of her own fucking way and know who her man is meant to be. Some things can’t be rushed.” That was a lesson Justin had learned long ago. He’d been placed with the Wickeds as a foster child when he was eleven, and it had taken him about a year to open up to them. Twenty-plus years later, he still considered it the best thing he’d ever done.
“I’m going to call Chloe and let her know we met the guy. Be right back.” Justin walked out of the showroom and headed toward his office. Chloe answered on the second ring.
“Mr. Wicked, my favorite biker boy. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Her alluring voice brought a smile to his face. “Hey, heartbreaker. I just met with the guy you referred, Rogers. Can’t say I like him much.”
“I know he’s a little strange, but he’s my boss, and his wife is the sweetest woman on earth. When I saw her a few weeks ago, the patio was all she could talk about. She shouldn’t pay the price for his being weird. I would really appreciate you helping them out.”
“Only for you, princess.” He had about a hundred terms of endearment for her because she was too complex and compelling for just one.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worn a tiara,” she teased.
“Then I’ll have to fix that.”
“You realize I said tiara and not spiked leather collar, right?”
Man, he dug her. “Does that mean you’ve worn a leather collar before?”
“Oh my gosh. No.” Her embarrassment radiated through the phone.
“I might have to fix that, too.”
“In your dreams. Listen, I hate to cut this short,” she said apologetically. “But I just got to Undercover. Can we talk later?” Undercover was a bar in Truro owned by their buddy Colton.
“Sure, no worries.” Justin ended the call and headed back to the guys, wondering what was going on at Undercover.
“Hey, just a heads-up,” Gunner said as Justin joined them. “The cops are closing in on that dogfighting ring.” Gunner and his brother Baz, a veterinarian, had uncovered a dogfighting ring a couple of weeks ago and had alerted the police. In situations where animals were at risk, they worked with the authorities to get them to safety at Gunner’s rescue. “When they shut it down, I’ll need help transporting the dogs back to the rescue. Think either of you can be there to help?”
“Of course,” Justin said.
“I’ll make time. Any idea when it’s going down?” Blaine asked.
“Cuffs will update us at church Wednesday night.” Cameron “Cuffs” Revere was a policeman and a Dark Knight, and church was what the club called their weekly meetings. Gunner clapped a hand on Justin’s shoulder and said, “Want to hit the Hog?” Gunner’s parents, Conroy and Ginger, owned a restaurant and bar called the Salty Hog, a favorite haunt for locals, tourists, and of course, the Dark Knights.
“Not tonight,” Justin said. “I’m heading up to Undercover.”
Blaine pulled his keys from his pocket and said, “Is Chloe going to be there?”
Justin nodded.
“Does she have another date?” Blaine asked.
“Dude, is she still wasting her time using those dating apps?” Gunner asked. “Going out with clean-cut guys who work desk jobs and probably fuck for three-minutes, missionary style, without messing up her hair?”
Justin gritted his teeth against the idea of Chloe fucking anyone but him and said, “I don’t know what she’s up to tonight, but I want to make sure she’s safe.”
“If Chloe’s there, you can count me in.” Zander smirked. “I’ll call Zeke and have him meet us there.” He was always trying to drag Zeke into his playboy ways, though Zeke preferred to commune with nature rather than hang out at clubs. “Hey, Maverick, may the best Wicked win.”
As they left the showroom, Justin said, “I thought you liked your pretty face in one piece, little brother.”
“You misheard me, bro. I like my pretty face on a woman’s piece.” Zander laughed and high-fived Gunner as they headed for their motorcycles.
“Idiots,” Justin said as he locked the showroom doors. “Blaine, you coming?”
“Someone’s got to make sure the animals don’t get out of hand.”
UNDERCOVER WAS THE only nightclub in Truro, a small beach town, and like on most summer nights, it was packed. Justin’s eyes swept over the crowded dance floor as he made his way toward the bar. Colored lights rained over scantily clad women and testosterone-laden men, who were bumping and grinding to a seductive beat. He’d seen Chloe dance plenty of times when they were out with friends. She had moves that could make a dead man come. As he wove past the last few tables and joined Blaine and the others at the bar, he was relieved not to have spotted her on the dance floor with another guy.
Blaine ordered a round of beers and motioned across the room. Justin followed his gaze to Chloe, looking sexy as sin in a black sleeveless dress as she entered the room from the hallway that led to the ladies’ room. Her hair was like spun gold. It brushed her shoulders and framed her gorgeous face as she moved gracefully through the crowd. She stood out like a diamond in a sea of rocks. Chloe didn’t rely on low-cut tops or short skirts like other women did. She was confident and smart, and she had a sharp mouth. A mouth Justin had fantasized about so many times, he was sure he knew exactly how it would taste the first time they kissed, how it would feel the first time she wrapped her luscious lips around his cock, and the way that mouth would look when she cried out his name as his face was buried between her legs.
“Damn, bro,” Zander said, tearing Justin from his reverie. “I don’t care if you smash my face. She’d be worth every bruise.”
Justin shot him a dark stare, then turned his attention back to Chloe as she lowered herself to a chair across from another fucking clean-cut Ken doll wearing a button-down shirt and tie.
“Looks like a date to me,” Blaine said, handing Justin a beer.
Justin took a swig, his eyes trained on Chloe.
As though she could feel him watching her, she looked over. Their eyes collided with the scorching flames of a blowtorch. Her lips tipped up at the edges, and Justin felt a tug deep in his chest. There it was, the moment that burned past the heat to the something more he couldn’t name but knew existed.
In pure Chloe fashion, she narrowed her eyes and shifted in her chair, crossing her long legs. He fucking loved her legs and she knew it. She lifted her chin in that defiant way she’d been taunting him with since the day they’d met and turned her beautiful eyes on the geek sitting across from her.
Justin ground out a curse. He tried to focus on the shit his brothers and cousin were saying, but like metal to magnet, his attention was drawn back to Chloe. She looked bored, and her eyes skirted back to him. That’s it, baby, you know you want me.
Her date pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear as he stood up. He held up one finger to Chloe and walked away from the table. Fucking idiot. Justin took advantage of the opening and headed over to her. She watched him approach. Her poorly stifled smile didn’t hide a damn thing.