Chapter 3

3

DEVIANT

Me:

Hey there, gorgeous. This is Grady.

Alice:

So I see since your name and picture are on my screen…

I grinned. Yeah, instead of just finding her number and texting her, I'd hacked her phone and done some other shit. I wasn't gonna tell her about all of it, though. Particularly the tracking bug I'd installed.

Me:

Warned you that I aimed to impress.

Alice:

I'm not sure if I'm impressed or freaked out that you somehow got to my phone at work and entered your information without me knowing.

Me:

Didn't need your actual phone, gorgeous. I hacked into it.

I waited while three dots appeared and disappeared a few times before a text bubble popped up.

Alice:

I know I should be angry that you invaded my privacy and should probably run far away from you.

Again, I waited, pretty sure that there was a "but" coming.

Alice:

But I'm really glad you called. Or texted, I guess.

She was ridiculously cute. Probably too fucking sweet and innocent for me, but I was gonna claim her anyway.

Before I could respond, another message came through.

Alice:

Although, I've been informed that you should be in my contacts as Deviant.

Me:

I'm Grady to you, gorgeous.

An idea struck me, and I quickly typed something and hit send.

Me:

Since you're new in town, thought maybe I'd show you around.

Or show her off since my aim was really to make it clear to all of Old Bridge that Alice was off-limits.

Alice:

I'd like that.

Me:

I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow. Wear jeans and sneakers or boots.

We were definitely riding my bike. It was the quickest way to spread the word that Alice belonged to me.

Me:

Get some sleep, gorgeous. I'll see you in the morning.

Alice:

Okay. Good night.

Me:

Night.

I was about to set my phone down on the nightstand beside my bed when it chirped again. It was Alice.

Alice:

Why do they call you Deviant?

Me:

I imagine you'll figure it out soon enough.

Again, I moved to put down my phone, then decided to send one last thing.

Me:

You should know one thing, Alice.

Me:

If you ran, there is nowhere far enough away that I wouldn't find you.

I wasn't sure what kind of reception I would get when Alice opened her door. I took that as a good sign that she hadn't texted or called to cancel.

Besides, what I'd told her had been the truth. I wasn't going to let her go. However, I was going to try to slow down for our date and sweet-talk her until she couldn't think about anything or anyone but me.

She lived in a little bungalow near the edge of town. A frown creased my face when I looked around and saw how isolated it was. Probably not for the average person. But my sweet, innocent Alice needed more protection. I'd need to get her the fuck outta here fast. The good news was that the club owned most of the houses on this street, including Alice's. Which meant she couldn't use the excuse of breaking a lease to get out of moving in with me.

One thing at a time .

I knocked on her front door and waited, readying myself for a fight, just in case she'd worked herself up over my warning last night.

When the door swung open a few seconds later, I was about to chastise her for not checking to see who was there before answering, but I was struck dumb by the sexy as fuck woman in front of me. Alice looked as though she'd just walked out of an ad for skintight jeans. They molded to her small waist and curvy hips, and I had no doubt that her ass looked fan-damn-tastic.

She wore a pink top with spaghetti straps, showing off her elegant neck and collarbones. As well as a peek of her cleavage. Her tits were epic, and my hands itched to hold them.

The shirt was loose under her breasts and fell to just below her waist. Thankfully, it was long enough that it wouldn't show skin when she moved, or I'd have marched her into her bedroom and demanded she change. I was already on edge thinking about all the men who would be lusting over my woman with just that tempting bit of cleavage showing.

"Hi," she said softly, her cheeks blooming with pink. "Um, I'm almost ready. I just need to put on my shoes and grab my jacket."

She turned away, and my hand shot out. I curled a finger through one of her belt loops to yank her back, spinning her around. Then I walked her inside and backed her up to the nearest wall. Placing a hand flat on the wall on both sides of her head, I dipped my face down until our lips were barely an inch apart.

"Good morning, gorgeous," I said gruffly. My voice was gritty from the effort it was taking to keep in control.

I hadn't been with a woman in…I couldn't even remember. But I knew I'd never felt like this. The impact Alice had on me was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

"Good morning," she squeaked, her blush darkening when my hips pressed against her, and she felt the large ridge in my pants.

My eyes dropped to her berry-colored, bee-stung lips, and I groaned before covering her mouth with mine. A little gasp escaped her, and I seized the opportunity to swipe my tongue into her mouth.

Fuck . She tasted even better than she smelled. My hands moved to cup her face, and I tilted her head to give me better access.

I could have feasted on her mouth alone for hours, but we had shit to do, so I eased away from her. Closing my eyes, I pressed my forehead to hers, waiting for my breathing to regulate.

"Wow," she whispered.

Grinning, I opened my eyes and stared into her bright brown orbs. "Fucking wow," I added.

We stood there for another minute, our gazes locked, and my heart racing. Finally, I mentally lectured my dick to stand down and released Alice before taking a few steps away.

"Go get your coat, gorgeous. Gotta get the hell out of here, or we're going to spend the day in your bed."

Alice's eyes widened, but I didn't miss the tiny upward curve of her lips as she turned and walked over to another door. She reached in and pulled out a jean jacket. I hurried over to hold it so she could slip it on. I would have preferred leather, but I was pleased she had something this protective at all.

She bent down, giving me an amazing view of her tight, round ass. When she straightened, she wore brown leather boots that went up to mid-calf and laced up the side.

Groaning, I dropped my head back and prayed for strength.

"Let's go, gorgeous," I muttered, threading our fingers together and tugging her outside.

I waited while she locked her door, again irritated by the lack of security. Why the fuck didn't the houses we owned have security systems?

"Did you walk here?" Alice asked.

When I focused on her again, she was looking all around, her brow pinched in confusion.

I smirked and pointed at my Harley, parked in her small driveway.

"Figured you'd get a better view of town from my bike."

"A motorcycle?"

I paused. It hadn't occurred to me that she might not want to ride. However, her expression looked curious and hesitant, not frightened.

"Ever been on one?"

She shook her head. "I've never even been this close to one."

Grinning, I took her hand again and led her over to my hog. "Well then, I'm a lucky bastard to get to pop your cherry."

Alice's face suddenly flushed a bright red, and her jaw went slack as she stared up at me with big, round eyes.

"How do you know?—"

I put a finger over her lips to stop the flow of words. If she confirmed my hunch that she was a virgin right then, I was gonna lose my shit. Just the thought of being the first and only man to feel her wrapped around their cock was enough to have come leaking from the tip.

"Your first time riding a motorcycle, gorgeous," I clarified.

I didn't think it was possible, but somehow her blush turned an even darker shade of maroon. "I knew that," she chirped with false confidence, trying to hide her embarrassment.

I released her hand to curl my arm around her waist and pull her body into mine. "We'll be talking about that other cherry real soon," I whispered before brushing a soft kiss across her lips.

Without another word, I helped her onto my bike, then instructed her on what to do. When she was ready, I helped her put on a helmet, then took her purse and stowed it in one of my saddlebags.

It was a beautiful day, and I took full advantage of it, making sure that all the people out enjoying the sunshine saw Alice on the back of my ride. We stopped to look at a few places, and I also made an extra effort to be seen with her at lunch. Either she didn't notice how possessively I was acting or she didn't care.

All through the day, I got to know her better and fell harder with every minute that passed. She was easygoing, funny, smart as hell, and sweet as pie.

It was getting harder to think about dropping her off at her place, rather than convincing her to come home with me.

Then in the early afternoon, I got a call from Fox.

"Get your ass to the club. We got shit to deal with." He sounded surlier than normal—which was saying a lot since he was generally a grumpy bastard—probably because whatever was happening had dragged him away from his wife and infant twins.

"Be there in twenty."

"Fifteen," he snapped before hanging up.

Sighing, I shoved my phone in my pocket, then stepped back into the store where I'd left Alice to take my call.

"Gorgeous," I called to her, crooking my finger.

She sashayed over to me, and I was momentarily lost in her eyes again. Damn, I was turning into a sap like all the other lovesick bastards I called brother.

"Sorry to cut things short," I muttered regretfully, "but I need to go to the clubhouse for a meeting."

Alice smiled sweetly and nodded. "No problem."

"Really?" My eyebrows shot up, and I watched her skeptically. This was the test I'd been dreading. If she couldn't accept the place of an old lady and understand that there would always be things I couldn't tell her, then things would be a fuck of a lot more complicated between us.

Her lips pursed, annoyance flashing across her features for a moment. "Of course. Your job is as important to you as mine is to me."

"There's shit I can't—won't tell you," I warned.

Alice shrugged. "Would it be any different if you were back in the military instead of working for your club?"

I blinked, completely stunned at her logic.

Incredible. Perfect. Amazing . None of these words seemed to accurately describe this woman. If she hadn't already owned me, this would have sealed the deal.

"After you take me home, go to your meeting, then let me know when you'll have time for another date." Pink dusts across her cheeks, and she stuttered, "Um, not that we are—if you don't—I'm not assuming there will be—I just meant?—"

I shut her up by covering her mouth with mine and kissing her stupid.

When we broke apart, I grinned. "There will definitely be more dates, gorgeous. But this one isn't over yet. I'm taking you to the clubhouse with me."