Chapter 3

3

VIPER

I t was another damn hot day, and I'd already ditched my shirt by midmorning. I kept a towel hanging from the back pocket of my jeans so I could wipe away the sweat while I was on the ground laying paver stones.

A soft whistle caught my attention, and I glanced to my side to see one of my crew—a young guy around twenty—staring toward the driveway with wide eyes and a slack jaw. I huffed in irritation, figuring that Grant's daughter had dropped by again. Vivian was a spoiled, seventeen-year-old drama queen who threw tantrums like a little kid when shit didn't go her way.

She wore skimpy outfits that I thought she looked ridiculous in. But while she made my dick want to shrivel up and die, I couldn't blame any of my guys for being distracted.

Growling in frustration, I got to my feet and removed my dirt-covered gloves before turning around. My intention was to get Vivian to leave without causing her to turn on the waterworks and call her daddy—who would bribe her with shiny things so we could get back to work.

However, when I turned around, my jaw went slack, my eyes grew wide, and my dick sprang to life. Which was another shock since he'd had no interest in anyone in a very long time.

Holy shit .

I was staring at a woman with a tall, willowy body. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back until just above a pert ass. My gaze fell below her purple shorts to her legs, and I immediately pictured them wrapped around my head. Her skin was tanned and looked silky soft, making my hands itch to run my palms over every inch.

She stood in front of an open van, looking at something inside. After a minute—long enough to make my cock so hard it was pressing painfully against the teeth of my zipper—she grabbed something and turned around.

The view from the front was even better.

She wore a black T-shirt, and her tits pressed against the fabric as if it struggled to contain the full globes. They should have looked out of place on her tall, slender frame, but they were fucking perfect. I instantly knew they would spill out of my hands, and my mouth watered at the thought of sucking on their stiff peaks.

I dragged my eyes away from her body before she noticed my inappropriate ogling and lifted them to look at her face.

Well, fuck.

A part of me had been hoping that there would be something about her that would put out the fire blazing inside me. But no…she was fucking gorgeous.

Her hair was pushed back with a headband, leaving her face exposed.

Thick dark lashes rimmed big, deep brown eyes that were slightly almond-shaped. They accentuated her adorably pert nose, which had freckles sweeping over the bridge and both cheeks. Shiny, bright pink lips curled up into a pretty smile, and my dick leaked at the image of them wrapped around it.

Get ahold of yourself, idiot, I mentally grumbled. I'd never reacted to a woman like this, and it was throwing me for a loop.

I shook my head, hoping that it would break whatever spell she had on me. Instead, I noticed all the other men standing around, practically drooling over my woman.

Mine? Shut that shit down right the fuck now .

"Hey," Chris said with a friendly smile as he walked toward her.

"Get back to work," I snapped at the male workers who were staring at her. If I hadn't been feeling so damn possessive, I might have understood. But I wasn't thinking with total reason, so my expression was ugly as I looked around at my crew. They jumped at my harsh tone and got busy real fast.

I wasn't an ogre of a boss, but nobody wanted to piss off a fucking Iron Rogue.

Two of the women on my team were snickering as they glanced around at the guys while they kept working. The third was staring at our visitor with a similar expression as the men. She probably thought I wouldn't notice her continued attention, but I knew my crew well. When her eyes darted my way, she saw me watching her with a frown and a raised eyebrow. A blush stained her cheeks, and she grinned sheepishly at me before hurrying to get back to the task she'd been working on.

If I hadn't been so consumed with jealousy and lust, I might have cracked a smile.

I stalked toward the woman, reaching her just before Chris. Turning my glare on him, I rasped, "I got this."

I didn't want to frighten her by snarling at my foreman, so I put a lot of effort into keeping my tone level.

"Sure, boss," Chris mumbled with a straight face, but I didn't miss the amused twinkle in his eyes as he turned and walked away.

"Um, you must be Dean Cassidy," she breathed in a sweet, seductive voice that sent my desire into overdrive. Fuck, I couldn't wait to hear her calling my name while I drove deep inside her.

"That's me," I replied in a low voice.

She smiled, and I cocked my head as I studied her face. She looked almost as though she knew me, but since we'd never met, I dismissed the thought.

"Hi. I'm Rhiannon. I brought your order from In Bloom."

Son of a bitch .

This was Rhiannon? The girl who worked for Harvey. The one who was way too fucking young for me. Damn, I had to be more than a decade older than her.

But fuck, she had the body of a woman, and despite the clear innocence in her eyes, there was a sensual streak that made me want to teach her sinful things.

My train of thought was derailed when I caught her staring at my chest with heat in her brown depths. Her eyes swept over my muscles, lingering on the tattoo of my club's logo on my pec. Then her gaze swept down my arm to the snake tattoo wrapped around it. Her tongue darted out for just a moment to lick her pink lips, and I nearly groaned.

That was all it took for me to decide that fighting was pointless. There was no doubt in my mind that this girl was meant for me.

"Viper," Chris muttered, his tone full of apology.

My eyes were still locked with Rhiannon's, and I didn't bother to turn my head when I growled, "What?"

He sighed. "Porter Grant is on his way. He wants to look at the specs for the pool again."

"Son of a bitch," I grunted and ran my hands through my hair. "Five minutes."

"Viper?" Rhiannon asked softly. Then her eyes dropped to the tattoo on my chest again, and her cheeks turned pink. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I probably should have called you that."

I shook my head and reached out to run a finger along her jaw. "Dean, baby."

Chris let out a little whistle, and I finally broke Rhiannon's gaze to glare at my friend.

He smirked and headed in another direction.

"Oh, but other people?—"

Turning back to my woman, I put the same finger over her lips and gave her a stern look. "Doesn't matter what anyone else calls me, Rhiannon. I'm Dean to you."

The pink on her cheeks turned crimson, and she smiled sweetly. "Okay."

"What time do you get off tonight, baby?"

"Um…" Her gaze slid down as her whole face flushed.

I took her chin in a gentle but firm hold and brought her face up so our eyes locked again.

"What time, Rhiannon?"

I fucking loved the way her name sounded on my tongue. It was as unbelievably sexy as she was.

"Four," she whispered.

"Be there to pick you up," I murmured before I dropped my head and brushed my mouth lightly over hers. Her little sigh was telling, and a smug smile spread across my lips.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Good."

I reluctantly released her and stepped back to clear my head. "Joe, grab Niki and Darren and get the flowers out of the van."

Taking Rhiannon's hand, I walked her around to the driver's side and helped her up into her seat.

"See you at four, baby."

Once my crew was done getting all the flowers out of the van, I watched her as she drove the curve of the circular driveway and out onto the road. Then I fished my cell phone out of my pocket.

I found the right number and hit the call button.

"Viper," Harvey answered. "Was there a problem with the delivery?"

"No. I want Rhiannon doing my deliveries from now on." My tone brooked no argument.

"Rhiannon?" His voice was hesitant…and a little suspicious.

"You heard me."

Harvey sighed. "Viper, I don't think that's a good idea. She's so young. And sweet. Your world…."

"Wasn't a request, Harvey," I growled.

Harvey was silent for a few beats, then sighed again. "Okay." He didn't sound happy about it, and while I wasn't in the habit of explaining my actions to anyone except my prez and VP, I knew that Harvey had come to care for my girl.

"I won't hurt her, Harvey. I'm gonna take it slow, but to be real fucking clear, she's mine."

Grant wasted another couple of hours of my time debating on a change, only to stick to the original plan. As soon as he left, I hauled ass outta there, leaving me barely enough time to grab a shower and change into a pair of dark jeans with a silver belt buckle, black T-shirt, boots, and my cut before heading to pick up Rhiannon.

I skipped my hog in favor of my truck since I had no idea if she'd ever been on one or would be freaked out by it.

She would definitely be wrapped around me on my motorcycle soon, though. Just the thought made me hard.

It was three minutes to four when I pulled into the parking lot of In Bloom. I was just exiting the cab when Rhiannon stepped out of the shop.

The sun was bright, and it made her hair shine and her skin take on a soft glow. She'd changed into a green shirt that fell off one shoulder and was loose until it reached her hips where it hugged them tight. She had on a pair of cutoff shorts that looked hot as fuck but showed off way too much of her gorgeous legs.

"Beautiful," I grunted as I approached her.

The sweet blush that I was beginning to love turned her face pink.

"You look pretty darn good yourself."

I grinned and cupped one of her hips, pulling her against me. "Glad you like what you see, baby."

I kissed her cheek and smiled when I pulled back and saw her trying to hide a look of disappointment. That was all I was willing to give her for now. I wasn't sure if we'd make it through our date if I took her mouth the way I wanted to.

She was young and unfamiliar with the life of a motorcycle club, so I'd decided to take things slow. Give me time to make sure she was hopelessly in love with me before I fully claimed her. Not that she was any less mine now.

I opened the passenger door and grasped her waist, lifting her and setting her on the seat. Then I closed the door and strolled around to get in on my side.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she buckled her seat belt.

I tossed her a grin as I started the truck. "It's a surprise."

Rhiannon tried to pout, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that gave her away.

"Had a feeling you love surprises."

She laughed then and nodded. "I do. But I still want to know."

"I'll give you a hint," I chuckled as I pulled out onto the road. "It reminds me of you."

A giggle popped out of her mouth, and she shook her head, leaning back against the seat. "That's no help."

"Sure it is." I glanced at her to give a quick wink. "It's incredibly beautiful and smells amazing."

In my peripheral vision, I saw her put her hands on her cheeks, and my lips curled up at the image of her blushing.

I wanted to feel her touch, so I reached across the console and peeled one of her hands from her face, lacing our fingers together before setting them on my thigh.

After a few minutes, Rhiannon looked around and gasped. "I know this area! The botanical gardens are just a few miles up the road!"

"Beautiful and smart," I praised with a wide smile.

She sighed. "I love it there."

I gave her hand a little squeeze and murmured, "Had a feeling."

We reached the entrance to the gardens, and I turned in, then slowly approached the guard shack. I had a membership, so he waved us through when he saw the sticker on my windshield, and I made my way into the parking lot.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised that you're such a romantic," Rhiannon teased softly when I pulled into a space and stopped the truck.

I twisted to face her and brought our joined hands to my lips so I could kiss the back. "Me too, baby."

Rhiannon giggled, and I gave her a lopsided smile. "Guess you bring it out in me."

She blushed hard, and I again resisted the desire to kiss the fuck outta her.

Slow , I reminded myself.

I had my doubts about how long that would last.