Chapter 10 NINE

When they arrived on her street, Grim came to a halt and circled back around when he noticed the long line of cop cars in front of her house.

"A lot of cops," he pointed out. "Is there a lot of trouble here? "

Four cop cars were parked in front of the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Rhian wasn't surprised to see them, even though it was more than usual.

"There's a cop there," she said, her voice tired. "That's it."

Grim grumbled.

She knew she had to tell him the truth soon. He'd know the moment she walked into her house. It would put an end to his attraction to her right then and there; the ride was enjoyable while it lasted. It was difficult to say whether the charade had ended entirely.

Probably not-Grim seemed to be a man of his word, to say the least. A man with a strict code, which he followed religiously. Still, part of that code would entail despising Rhian's family, and thus her.

She'd been worrying about it since the gas station, to the point where even the tactile pleasure of gripping Grim's heat and bulk wasn't as distracting as it used to be. But she was also irritated, at least philosophically, by his display of dominance at the gas station.

"You know, those weren't the first guys to hit on me," she said as she stepped off his bike. "They weren't even the first guys to do it in a trio like that."

"You're going to be my old lady, then you're going to be my old lady," Grim predicted. "You're no longer just yourself. You're a club's extension. I'm not going to let anyone mess with that."

An "extension," by which he almost certainly meant "property."

And there was all that heat rising up in her again, against her will, at the prospect of being claimed, of being his. It contradicted everything she believed, but there was something inherently appealing about it.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't turned on by him grabbing that asshole by the neck and tossing him to the curb. It was an incredible show of power. But she'd never say anything about it.

"Have some faith," she advised, "that I won't let anyone fuck with me either." What do you think? "

He gave that upside-down grin that people give when they are thinking about something for the first time. "Perhaps."

"But you can stay in the rear guard if you want," she said, unconsciously sliding her hand across his shoulders as she grabbed her bag. "It was kind of fun calling in the artillery."

He then smiled at her, which was both charming and a little boyish. This flash of him that seemed so diametrically opposed to what she had seen of him so far surprised her. Instead of being deadly dangerous, he is almost mischievous. It caused her heart to beat faster.

"Thank you for the ride home," she said as she turned. "Are you sure you'll bring my luggage back to your shop?"

"It'll be there first thing in the morning."

"Great. "I'll get it then."

As she began to walk back to her house, his hand grasped her waist and drew her back to him.

"You're extremely attractive, Rhian."

"I..." she sighed, "...Thank you."

"You're also a good kisser."

That same submissive, pliant feeling he'd given her before was back. She wasn't a piece of meat, nor was she something to be admired. But, don't you think it felt good to be admired by him? Someone like him-so sure and sure of himself, so effortlessly masculine?

Wasn't it exciting to imagine being claimed by someone like him...even if it was only a game?

His hand started to move up her thigh. She looked down at it, her eyes widening. She could see his thigh, and the bulge there was expanding at an alarming rate.

That's what she was doing to him. All of that abrasiveness, all of that tangible, turgid desire. A strong sense of power washed over her.

"You know," she said, exhaling heavily. "Obviously, you're very attractive, but we just met, and I have a policy-"

"A policy," he said again, his mouth close to hers.

"Right. It's a significant one. You are aware. Concerning no kissing on the first date."

"We're not going on a date. "You've already kissed me."

"Uh-oh. So that would imply-"

That would imply, she hoped, that the policy would have to be enforced even more strictly. However, Grim clearly meant that the policy would not have to be enforced at all. When his lips brushed against hers, she lost all resolve. Her lips returned to his, a soft moan escaping her mouth.

She had kissed him the previous time to prove a point. She wasn't as much of a pushover as she appeared; she had some fire in her that he should be wary of.

But now he kissed her, and she could feel the heat in his eyes.

It was a slow, steady inferno that pushed over her skin and sunk her deep into his arms. It burned away all resistance, turned all her protest thoughts to ash, and set her passion ablaze so fiercely that she relished the feeling of giving in.

Her legs squirmed again to get closer to him, but this time there was no resolve to stop them. Her calves were loosely wrapped around his leg, pressing against the metal of his bike. A large hand pressed against the small of her back, crushing her chest against his.

She felt weak, helpless, and trapped-all in the best possible way. Weak from a flood of lust hitting her brain; powerless to resist the desire to spread her legs and guide his fingers, mouth, and everything inside of her; trapped by her indecision about whether this was the worst possible outcome or the best possible outcome.

Slowly, he backed away, allowing her to free herself from his hard, insistent grip.

"How did you find it?" he inquired, a mocking lilt in his tone.

She licked her lips and stared at him, hungry. It wouldn't hurt to go back to his place-and she hadn't been laid in a long, long time.

And she knew she'd never had sex like what Grim had in store for her.

That was a bad idea, she thought vehemently. What a stupid idea. Going home with Trouble Man in the flesh.

She composed herself with a smirk. "It'll do for now," she said.

She took a step back, not wanting this to escalate any further, and began walking down the cul-de-sac to her parents' house.

"If you want to be a writer, you'll have to get a little better at lying than that."

"Perhaps I'll end up as a cop like the rest of my family, huh?"

"

She pointed to the house at the end of the street, the one with the cop cars parked in front of it. And she couldn't help but smile at Grim's expression of surprise and rage.

"Are you related to cops?"

She nodded, despite herself, still grinning at his obvious displeasure. "My father is the police chief."