“One meal,” I find myself saying. “And then you need to leave me alone.”
“We’ll see,” he mutters, not giving in to any of my demands. “What do you want to eat, Tina?”
“Lobster,” I decide on the spot, as it’s the most expensive thing I can think of. Maybe I’ll even order an appetizer, two sides, and dessert too.
He laughs, his dark eyes crinkling in the corners. “Lobster it is. Now get your sexy ass on the back of my bike.”
I hesitate, glancing toward my little red car. Do I want to go to dinner with him? What could come of this?
Ardan sighs and steps to me, picking me up and lifting me onto the bike. “Spread those thighs.”
I roll my eyes but straddle the bike, then hold on to him as he gets on with me. He takes my hands and pulls them around his stomach.
All I can feel is taut muscle. Nothing on this man is soft. The feeling of his warm back pressed against my chest has me wanting to bury my face in the crook of his neck, to touch him all over. I hold on tight and rest my cheek against his shoulder, just enjoying being pressed against him.
He starts the engine, and we’re off. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was nothing like this, and the man I rode with was nothing like Ardan. I find myself enjoying the ride, the sense of freedom. I also enjoy being pressed up against Ardan way too much, my hands on his abs, my breasts pushed against his back.
The bike comes to a stop after what I guess to be about thirty minutes, and he helps me down. As I take off the helmet and hand it to him, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it a little.
“Did you like it?” he asks, drawing my attention to him.
“What?” I ask.
“The ride.”
“Yeah,” I tell him, smiling. “Loved it. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was a piece of shit compared to yours.”
His eyes narrow. “Whose bike were you on the back of?”
“Ummm,” I mutter, not wanting to go into this. “My ex’s.”
“I see,” Ardan murmurs, jaw going tight before he looks away. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
“Okay, then,” I say, walking next to him in silence as we approach the restaurant door. He opens the door for me, and I enter before him. “Thanks.”
“Welcome,” he says, placing his hands on my waist from behind.
“Ardan!”
“Yes, Valentina?” he says, his voice throaty.
For a second I wonder how he knows my full name, but then realize it’s because he read my driver’s license.
I think about pushing his hands away, because I don’t think this is how we should be acting when it’s only the second time we’ve ever seen each other. However, I push my logical side away and let them linger there, because it feels good. I smile at the hostess, who is watching and waiting for us.
“Table for two, please.”
FOUR
“YOU’VE really never tried lobster before?” Ardan asks, looking surprised as he watches me taste it.
“Nope,” I reply, licking my lips. His gaze lowers to my mouth as my tongue peeks out again, licking the butter away.
“And what do you think?” he asks, his voice a little huskier than before.
“It’s good,” I say, nodding slowly and clearing my throat. “I like it.”
“I’m glad you tried something new,” he says, leaning back in his chair, still watching me eat.
“Are you going to stare at me the entire time, or are you going to eat your own food?” I ask, arching an eyebrow. Seriously, the intensity with which he’s studying my every move is making me both nervous and extremely turned on.
His lip twitches. “Stop licking your fuckin’ lips, then; it’s hard to concentrate.”
I pick up my napkin and wipe my mouth, deciding to leave that comment alone. At least I’m not the only one feeling the attraction. I decide to be safe and change the subject. “So what did you do? Find my license and then tell the twins to call you when I came to look for it?”
“Something like that,” he says, grinning as if he knows why I changed the subject but not calling me out on it. “I wanted to see you again. After you left I found your license on the floor, knew you’d be back for it.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
That’s it? He saw an opportunity and took it? Has anyone ever said no to this man?
“You’re used to getting what you want, then,” I say, tilting my head to the side as I try to figure him out.
“I guess you could say that,” he says, eyes locked on me. “But the thing is, there’s not much I usually want. So when I see something worth it, then yeah, I’ll go for it.”
He thinks I’m worth it? When he can have any woman out there, I have to wonder what drove him to choose me. Was it because I was acting uninterested? Or because I was trying to hide in that bar? I might have intrigued him. Either way, I hope he isn’t playing a game with me.
“What exactly is it you want, Ardan?” I find myself asking.
He takes a bite of his food and chews and swallows before answering. “When I know, I’ll let you know. But for right now, I guess I just want to be around you.”
I swallow. “Why?”
“I can’t give you answers I don’t have, Valentina. I saw you, and I want you. That’s all I know.”
“Everyone calls me Tina,” I say, when nothing else seems to come out of my mouth.
“Valentina is such a pretty name, though.”
“So is Ardan,” I fire back. “But the twins were calling you Irish. Why?”
“Everyone calls me Irish. Not many people know my real name,” he explains. “Everyone in the club knows me as Irish.”
“I like calling you Ardan.”
“And I like calling you Valentina.”
“Then I guess that’s what we’re both calling each other,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.
We finish the rest of our meal in silence, pretending that I don’t notice him watching me. Ardan hands me the dessert menu, and I look over it briefly while asking, “What are you getting?”
“What are you doing Friday night?” he asks in that sexy voice of his.
I lower the menu and look at him. “Why?”
“I want to see you is fuckin’ why.”
“I’m getting the cookies-and-cream cheesecake,” I say, putting down the menu without looking over the other options. I love cheesecake. “What are you getting?”
“Valentina—”
“Ardan,” I say, cutting him off. “I googled the Wind Dragons MC, you know.”
“For fuck’s sake, seriously?” he mutters, scrubbing his hand down his face. “Well, you’re still here, so it couldn’t have scared you off too much.”
The waitress comes over, and he orders my cheesecake and a chocolate sundae for himself.
“I’m apartment hunting this weekend,” I tell him.
“Why are you moving?” he asks, checking his phone before looking up and waiting for my answer.
“I’m new in town, so I’m staying at a motel until I find an apartment,” I explain. “This weekend I’m going to check a few out.”
He stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You’re living at a fuckin’ motel right now? A motel?”
I nod slowly, wishing I had never opened my big mouth to say anything at all. “Yeah, what’s the big deal? It’s just until I get a place, and it’s not actually a motel, it’s more like a self-catering short-stay accommodation.