“I was just wondering how this”—she motioned her hand between us—“is going to work if my deal goes through with the club or if it doesn’t.”
“Either way, we’ll figure it out.” I could tell she was anxious and as much as I wanted to ease her mind about the deal, it wasn’t my place. Besides, I knew it wouldn’t be long before Viper would be reaching out to her. I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “’Cause after tonight, there’s no way in hell I can just walk away.”
A soft smile crossed Kiersten’s face as she whispered, “That’s good because I kind of like having you here.”
“I hope you mean that.”
“I definitely do.”
After a short recovery time, I was pleased to see that she was more than willing to have another go and then another. By morning, we were both completely spent and sleeping soundly when Kiersten’s phone started to ring. She grabbed it from the side table, and her eyes widened when she saw that it was Viper calling. I already knew what he was going to say, so I simply gave her a nod and waited as she answered the call. The second she started smiling, I knew he’d confirmed the deal. I also knew it was going to be a while before we got out of bed, and there was no place I’d rather be.
Eight
Kiersten
I couldn’t believe it. I’d gotten the guy and the deal—something I never dreamed was possible. I should’ve felt like I was walking on cloud nine, but instead, I was freaking out in a way I never had before. I didn’t know if it was the fact that I was on the back of a motorcycle for the first time or that Grayson was taking me to the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse for a meet with Viper, but I was struggling to keep it together. When I tightened my grip around his waist, Grayson glanced back over his shoulder and shouted, “You okay back there?”
“I’m trying to be.”
Without any warning, he immediately slowed and turned onto an old road on the backside of town. As soon as he was parked, he got off and removed his helmet. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Nothing... I mean, I don’t know.” I brought my hands up to my face, shielding myself from Grayson’s skeptical eyes as I muttered, “Everything.”
“Sorry, babe, but you’re gonna have to give me more than that.”
I looked up at him as I admitted, “I’ve never been to a clubhouse before.”
“It’s just a clubhouse. It’s no different than Langford Manor.”
“Easy for you to say.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s your clubhouse.”
“What exactly are you worried about here?”
“I don’t know. I’m just nervous, I guess.”
I thought back to the night before and how wonderful it had been. We were still getting to know one another, but I liked the way I felt safe when I was with Grayson. Considering my issues with trust, it wasn’t something that came easily for me. But he made it so easy. Just like now—when most men would’ve just tossed back some reassuring words, Grayson actually took the time to stop and talk to me. I could see the concern in his eyes when he asked, “What do you have to be nervous about? You got the deal with the club. It’s easy sailing from here.”
“It’s far from easy sailing, Grayson. This is the Ruthless Sinners you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, and?”
“And they’re pretty freaking terrifying. You don’t know how close I came to bolting when Viper walked into that coffee shop.”
My heart started racing at the thought, and I feared I might have a panic attack right there on the side of the road. Grayson, on the other hand, found the whole thing amusing. He chuckled as he said, “Let me get this straight. The girl who had the balls to hack into Menace’s laptop, then use what she’d found to set up a meet with the Sinners, and not only met with them but also had them come out to her place to work out a business deal is now having second thoughts?”
“I’m not having second thoughts. I’m just nervous about being on their turf instead of mine. What if something goes wrong?” With my helmet still on, I dropped my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I don’t know why I thought I could do this. I just got caught up in this whole charade of mine, and now I’m terrified that I might not be able to pull it off.”
“You’ve come too far to start thinking like that.” He reached over and placed his hand under my chin, forcing my head up so I’d look at him. “You’ve got this. I know you do.”
“Okay, you’re right.” I inhaled a deep breath. “I just need to pull it together.”