Page 47

Christ.

I could hear it in her tone—could feel it in the heat of her pussy that was pressed up against my ass. My girl wouldn’t give a fuck if I pulled off into an alley and hiked her skirt up over her heart-shaped ass. No, the temptress would actually let me do it.

I considered it for about half a second, but I knew I couldn’t do that. Not with her.

My baby deserved more than a quick fuck in a back alley. She deserved a bed, and a man who would take his damn time.

I had never been that kind of man, but for Joy, I sure as shit was going to try my fucking hardest to be.

“It’s green, honey.”

Honey.

Fuck, I liked that.

Giving the back of her leg another squeeze, I dropped my hand, twisted the throttle, and gunned it down the road.

In no time, we were home.

“I was thinking—” Joy started as I reached back and put my hand on her thigh.

Keeping her behind me, I heaved out a breath.

“Nightmare?” she asked quietly.

I had to say it. I had to say it now, down here, before we went up those steps. If I said it after, it wouldn’t mean a goddamn thing.

“I need you to hear somethin’ first.”

She went still behind me. “O-kay.”

I stared straight ahead at the chain-link fence, too scared to look her in the face.

“I’m thirty-four years old.”

“Yeah. I know that.”

She did? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. She seemed to know more than anyone ever gave her credit for, but that still didn’t answer the question burning in the back of my head. Didn’t she give a fuck that I was ten years older than her?

“I’m not a good man, baby,” I continued. “And for whatever reason, you’re on the back of my bike.”

“I don’t understand.”

Blowing out a breath, I growled. Fuck. She needed to know what this meant—what she was giving up by being with a man like me. Hell, what I was risking for her. There were a million reasons we shouldn’t do this. “You’re young, baby.”

“You’re not exactly the cryptkeeper, honey.”

Smartass.

“No, I’m not, but I’m not into going out and partying. That stage of my life is over and even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t want to do that.”

“Yeah. And?”

My head jerked back. And? She didn’t care? Wasn’t that what twenty-four years old wanted to do? Go dancing and out on the town?

Whatever. Moving on. “I’m also a prospect in your brother’s club, Sweets. There are rules about shit like this, and I’m about to break every single fucking one.”

“Oh.”