Chapter Nine

Wolf

We move through the aquarium and make our way to the outside seating area where Justice let us know they are currently having lunch. The moment we step outside, rage fills my veins and my vision has a tinge of red to it. Besides the woman I want to claim for myself sits Justice, the new prospect I just brought into the damn club. The sitting part isn't what bothers me, it's the picture they are presenting to the world. Sitting there, they look like a couple taking their kid out for the day. Before I can lose my shit, Gage spots us and comes running over.

"Brother, it isn't what it looks like and you know it." Sparrow diverts my attention momentarily.

Gage slams into his father and starts talking a mile a minute while gesturing with his little hands. He looks so happy that I can't look away and smile at him while listening to his story about the dolphins.

When my gaze drifts back to the table Blue is sitting alone. Justice must have seen the look on my face and left in a hurry. Joining her at the table, I finally find out her name. Hadley. Listening to her and Sparrow speak, I wonder how I missed this woman, when clearly Sparrow and some of the other guys already know her. Gage climbs onto her lap and thanks her for the day. The way she looks at him warms my heart and I can't help but stare. This woman has the capacity to either break me or fix me.

Sparrow takes off with a greeting as Gage waves at me, and suddenly we are alone. Watching her closely, I see her wringing her hands together. The apology on the tip of my tongue never makes it out as she apologizes first. Her eyes don't meet mine as she speaks, but after a moment, she looks up at me.

"My shirt looks good on you."

It may actually be the dumbest thing I have ever said to a woman but it simply slipped out. But I don't care that I didn't intend to say it because it's true. Watching her blush over my half-assed compliment, I wonder if the same flush would steal over her as she orgasms. Deep in thought, I almost miss her telling me that she'll return it but tell her not to worry. Moving away from the table, we make our way back outside. I know I'm her ride home since I'm the one who basically ran Justice off. Proceeding toward my bike, I expect her to shit a brick about having to ride on a motorcycle, but she surprises me yet again. Walking around my bike slowly, she has her hand less than an inch away but never touches it. Her breathing accelerates and her pupils dilate, while her nipples tighten and a visible shiver works its way through her.

Watching her react to my bike that way, I can't wait to get her on the back.

"Looks like you might be in love there, Blue."

She doesn't answer right away, just runs her hand lightly across the custom leather seat. Does she even know what she's doing? How her body is reacting? Laughing, she looks up at me. "You may be right, Wolf."

Handing her a helmet as I straddle the Harley, she mounts the bike and clasps her hands in front of my stomach. For the first time ever, I hate my nickname. The need to hear her call me by my first name—Brandon—burns through me. The fact that she's pressed up against my back nearly does me in. She isn't stiff behind me or tense around corners, but instead, I can feel her relaxed posture behind me. She rides like she's done this before and I can't help but wonder whose bike she's been on. Irrational jealousy crashes through me again. This woman is driving me insane and I don't even think she's aware of it.

The ride is over too soon as we pull up outside of her apartment building. She removes the helmet and dismounts like a pro. She thanks me for the ride and promises to return my shirt soon, but I don't say a word to her. As I watch her walk toward her apartment, a million thoughts run through my mind, but I don't say any of them to her. For ten full minutes, I simply sit on my Harley and stare at her apartment building. Realizing that I have to do something before I lose my opportunity, I dismount my bike and make my way up to her apartment door.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on her door. Inside her apartment, I can hear her moving around before she opens the door. All the air in my lunges leaves me in a whoosh. In front of me, Hadley stands with her hair piled on her head in a messy bun, wearing nothing but my t-shirt.