Army picked Mia up from her waist and settled her down on a comfortable black cushion. “What do you want to drink?” he yelled.
His loud voice tickled her ear and she rubbed it vigorously with the edge of her palm. “A margarita would be good,” she yelled back and he nodded then leaned over and gave their order to a well-built man covered in tattoos. Smoke billowed and swirled around her, enveloping the room in a perpetual haze.
Army handed Mia her drink, and she took a large gulp and placed it down on the counter. He waved a joint at her, a quizzical expression on his face. She bobbed her head, and he lit one and handed it to her. Men kept coming over to either pull Army in a hug, hit him on the back, or lightly punch his arm as they stopped and talked with him. They’d steal glances at Mia, and she could tell they were wondering who the hell she was.
By now, her eyes had adjusted to the lighting in the room, and she noticed a lot of women wandering around as some of the bikers smacked their asses or copped a feel of their breasts when they walked past them. The women would laugh, and some even threw their arms around the offending men and kissed them. Mia had never seen anything like it before, and it made her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. Images of her fighting off Gavin flashed through her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish them.
“Are you okay?” Army asked, his breath warm on her damp skin.
“It’s so stuffy in here,” she said, fanning her face with her hand.
“Finish your drink then we’ll go out back,” he said.
She gulped it down then slid off the barstool.
“If someone touches you, tell me.” He gripped her hand.
“Wait.” She pulled back. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You’re not wearing my patch so some guys may disrespect you. Usually, you’d be good ’cause you’re with me, but sometimes a dude gets drunk and acts like a fuckin’ asshole. Night Rebels are cool, but we got some new faces here tonight. Just tell me and I’ll take care of it.”
“How?”
“Beat the shit out of him.” He said it so matter-of-fact that it took Mia by surprise and before she could respond, he was dragging her behind him.
She spotted three large couches and two of them looked to be upholstered in a Southwest design, while the third one seemed to be either dark brown or black leather. A woman was reclining on the couch, her legs spread, with a man’s face buried between her legs. Her head lolled to the side as she played with her nipples. The man’s cut identified him as a member of the Fallen Slayers MC. Mia’s stomach twisted, and she decided that she’d only look at the floor as they cut across the room.
The flaming torches around the perimeter of the large yard took the chill out of the autumn night. Strings of white lights that were twisted around a cluster of trees and draped around the tall chain-link fence gave an almost magical look to the area, and a large fire pit off to the side offered a cozy ambiance.
“Better?” Army smiled.
“Much. If you take away the people screwing in public, I’d think I was at an outdoor wedding reception.”
Army laughed and drew her into a tight embrace. “You’re too funny, babe. Do you want to fool around?” He ran his hand down and cupped her butt.
Mia brushed her lips across his. “As much as I’d like to, I’d rather do it without an audience.”
“I can arrange that.” His fingers dug into her firm behind.
“Can you?” Mia kissed him gently then drew his bottom lip between her teeth, slipping her tongue into his mouth. His growl reverberated through her, sending static flutters over her skin. Army’s other hand curled into her hair, yanking her closer, and then his lips covered hers while his tongue tangled with Mia’s in an erotic dance.
Mia bucked into his groin and felt the rigid outline of his dick, moaning into his mouth. “Army …” she whispered.
He broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply. Needles of pleasure pricked every nerve in her body, and she realized that she’d never have enough of his kisses—his taste. Each time his lips pressed against hers, it stole her breath then gave it back, showing her that every other kiss she’d had before Army’s had been wrong.
“Baby.” Army’s lips vibrated against her skin. “I think about you all the time. You’re killing me with all this fuckin’ waiting.” He groaned softly, adding conviction to his words.
A surge of desire to have Army swept over Mia and she clasped her arms tighter around him. “I’m waiting too,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, but I’m a man, and when it comes to you, babe, I have a one-track fuckin’ mind.”
Before she could reply, her stomach rumbled and she froze in embarrassment.
Cupping her chin in his hand, he titled her head back and captured her gaze. “When’s the last time you ate? And a protein bar doesn’t count.”
She smiled. “This morning. I was so excited to see you that after my last client, I just headed down.”
“Let’s go get some food. If it’s cold, we can warm it up in the kitchen.”