KATE
I woke slowly. Groggily. Which in and of itself was unusual.
For over a decade, I’d jerked awake at five every morning, my fight or flight instinct waking with me. Oversleeping was not an option. It would result in punishment. Beyond that, the quicker I got out of bed, the less likely Preston would be to decide he wanted to have sex first thing in the morning.
Which was why it was also essential for me to perfect the art of untangling myself from a sleeping man without waking him.
Though I was a lot less anxious to be out of this man’s arms than Preston’s. And despite the dull throb between my legs, I would’ve been very happy if Swiss woke and decided he wanted morning sex.
He held me considerably tighter than Preston ever had. The grip was warm, comforting. Safe.
I did not relish the thought of getting out of it.
I was not quite sure of the etiquette of a one-night stand. Though I could guess. Swiss was an alpha, badass biker. I didn’t expect he was one for brunch dates. He’d got what he wanted from me.
Sex.
The best sex I’d had in my life.
I’d argue the best sex anyone had had in their lives, but that was neither here nor there.
Not that I knew anything about this man—apart from his ability in the bedroom—but I was taking an educated guess in what he wanted from me. And that was nothing now.
I had no idea how to act around him in the daylight. I had no idea how I’d look in the harsh light of day… not good, most likely. I’d slept in my makeup, a cardinal sin. So I most certainly looked like a mess.
The sun creeping through the blinds did wonderful things for Swiss, however. His ebony skin was smooth, flawless, save for some scars littering the skin of his muscled arms, his torso and a large one on his inner thigh that went all the way up.
His lips were full, luscious, and his closed lids hid warm, coffee-colored eyes. Though he was pure, rugged masculinity, there was something softer about him as he slept.
When his brow twitched and he moved his head ever so slightly, I held my breath, realizing that I had been watching him sleep like some kind of psycho for five minutes.
Luckily, he settled back into a deep sleep and did not wake up to my panda eyes peering at him.
I took him in for a second more before I slowly, carefully climbed out of bed. My clothes were strewn over the floor, and I quickly and quietly dressed, half expecting Swiss to jerk awake. He was some kind of badass, wasn’t he? Weren’t outlaw badasses meant to sleep with one eye open, ready for conflict?
Half of me hoped he’d wake up, yank me back into bed, declare his love for me and… and what? Live happily ever after?
No.
I wasn’t a romantic in any sense of the word, so that wish came out of nowhere. I quickly shook myself out of it as I slipped on my shoes.
Though I wanted to, I badly wanted to, I did not look at Swiss one last time before I snuck out of the room. It wouldn’t do any good.
Instead, I walked out and closed the door quietly.
The common room of the club was as silent as a tomb even though there were people scattered on every surface, including the pool table. All of them were in various stages of undress. The room smelled of sex, booze and a scented candle burning on a side table.
I leaned down to blow it out as I walked out. The last thing I wanted was this place to burn down. There was something about it… as rugged, and messy and potentially dangerous as it was. Sure, it had a lot to do with the man who was naked and asleep in a room down the hall.
But it represented a part of me that I didn’t know existed until last night.
I squinted against the morning sun as I exited the clubhouse. My head thumped vaguely, and I held my hand up to block out the sun, wishing for some dark sunglasses. But I didn’t bring sunglasses last night because I hadn’t been intending on leaving in the sunlight.
My footfalls echoed on the concrete, and I squinted to see movement in the garage. I guessed the bikers doubled as mechanics. Although I tried to dart my eyes away, a man in coveralls raised his hand at me. I smiled tightly and raised my hand back, hastening my gait as I made it to my car.
The interior still smelled faintly of smoke despite the air freshener that was meant to replicate pine trees. Although all scents paled in comparison to Swiss’s unique and intoxicating fragrance.
Though I couldn’t think about that. Or him. Instead, I turned the car on and pulled out of the lot. Luckily, the gates were open, and there was no one waiting there. In the bright light of day, the clubhouse looked a lot more… ordinary. Apart from the barbed wires fences, security cameras, club insignia and lineup of Harleys in the parking lot.