Possession(Sons of Odin MC)(12)
“Read my mind,” he said.
As he pulled into the parking lot of the nearest café, her cell chimed. She checked caller ID. “It’s Lily,” she told him, picking up.
“Tina?”
“How are you?” Tina asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.
“Wonderful. Guess where I’m at?”
“France.”
“Very funny, smart-ass,” Lily said. “Standing near the Eiffel Tower. Thought of you and all those travel magazines you used to make me read in our dorm room.”
Tina laughed. “I do believe Paris was one of my favorite dream destinations.”
“Yes. And you couldn’t have been more right. It’s beautiful—the food is decadent, the shops are exhausting, and Lang rented a Harley for tomorrow. We’re leaving the girls with Rosa and touring the countryside for two days. Are you keeping busy?”
“That’s a very interesting question.” Tina eyeballed Vincent. “You’ll never guess where I’m at.”
“A bar?”
“Try again.”
“The mall?”
Tina laughed. “Portland.”
“Maine?”
“No. Texas.”
“Why?” Lily asked.
“Vincent is taking me bird-watching at Sunset Lake.”
Lily paused. “A Vincent or the Vincent?”
“The Vincent,” Tina clarified, gazing at her companion, who appeared beside himself because they were talking about him.
“Oh. My. God. How did you reconnect with him?”
“Long story.”
“Don’t be cryptic,” Lily said.
“Yeah, Tina,” Vincent commented. “Don’t be so secretive.”
“Hold on, Lily.” She lowered the phone from her ear. “You can hear what she’s saying?”
“Everything,” he confessed.
Tina felt her face flush as she got back on the phone. “I miss you, Lily.”
“Miss you, too. Want me to call tomorrow night, after Vincent’s bedtime?”
He smirked.
“Perfect. Hug the girls and Lang.” Tina disconnected.
“A Vincent or the Vincent?” he repeated. “What’s that about?”
“Oh, girly stuff.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“Nope, not getting off that easily. So I’m the Vincent?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
He nodded, his roguish grin infectious. “I like it.”
“Wait…” Tina leaned close, holding her hand to her ear as if she were struggling to hear something. “Did I catch a hint of humor?”
“Your daddy didn’t spank you, did he?”
“No,” she answered proudly. “I’m completely overindulged and spoiled rotten.”
“Keep misbehaving and I’ll be forced to introduce your ass to my hand.”
She admired the sheer size of his palm. “What makes you think I’d be averse to something that enticing?” She’d take advantage of every opportunity she found to bombard him with that sexual innuendo he’d complained about so long ago.
He opened his door. “Not even sure how to respond to that.”
Tina giggled. Spankings were only one of the kinky things she enjoyed. If he only knew…but at this rate, he’d never find out. She used the time alone to text Lily: Not sure how to seduce this man.
The response was immediate: Be yourself.
I am.
Lang suggests getting drunk.
Failed the first time, remember?
Get naked? Lily shot back.
Spent the night at the clubhouse—nothing happened.
Blame it on global warming. LOL. Gotta go. Hugs.
Tina realized all good things took time. Though she wanted to fall carelessly into bed with Vincent, she appreciated his hesitation somewhat. It meant he had a conscience and didn’t view sex as a casual thing. But how could she get him to relax more and stop running away? Biker boy needed some convincing. Biker boy needed a steady girlfriend to help work out some of his painfully visible frustration.
He returned with two coffees and a bag of pastries. “Ready?”
She nodded.
Ten minutes later they arrived at the park. Tina could see the Harbor Bridge and downtown across Corpus Christi Bay. The city of Portland must have invested a lot of money on improvements. The nature trail stretched as far as she could see, almost camouflaged by scrub brush and wildflowers. The occasional palm tree shot up from an otherwise flat landscape, but she appreciated the natural beauty of the sanctuary. Gulls screeched overhead, gliding on the steady breeze.
“So peaceful.”
“I’m glad you like it. One of the only places I can close my eyes and actually forget about life for a while,” Vincent said.
He disembarked first, grabbing a backpack from the bed of the truck, then helped her out. They walked a fair distance before reaching a floating pier that granted better access to the marshes.