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I look up to find him watching me intently, his gaze not faltering from my own. It feels as though he’s inspecting me, unsure if he wants to reveal his truth or not.
“I sign my books. Every single one. I want to be a publisher, but I also want to write and every book I own, I sign, like a practice for when I eventually get to print and sign my own books,” I tell him with the hope that he’ll be willing to tell me his own book secret now that I’ve shared mine.
“That’s strange.”
“Hey! No making fun!” I exclaim with a laugh as I shove him playfully and feel my heart faltering at the breathtaking smile he gifts me with in return.
“Fine, fine, no judgment here,” he says as he holds his hands up innocently.
“So what’s your strange secret then? Why do you have two of every book?” I wonder.
“I lied before, when I said that I don’t have any hobbies. I do. I beta and ARC read for new and upcoming authors. I do it in page. I got into the habit of annotating all of the books I read which means that there are scribbles, notes, and highlighted sections in all of my books but I like to have the original copy too so I get two of each. One I can annotate and one that’s clear of any annotation.”
“Loads of people do that, that’s not that strange. I mean, it’s got to cost you a bomb with the amount of books you have, but my secret is definitely more embarrassing than yours.” I laugh.
I’m not sure if it’s a conscious move or not, but he seems to shift closer to me. So close that our outer thighs are touching. Only slightly, but I can feel the impending heat from the contact. Victor doesn’t seem to notice though as he picks his book up and leans back comfortably.
We sit in a serene silence as we read side by side, catching each others eyes with little laughs or smirks as we get to similar pages and find funny sections in the same book we are reading. It feels like we are reading for no time at all but before I know it, an incessant buzzing starts.
“What’s that?” I ask curiously as I flip across the next page.
“That, my dear girl, means it’s time for me to take you back. Your dad wanted to pick you up from your clubhouse at ten and it’s nine thirty now, so we’d best get going,” he tells me as he collects the book from my hand, takes a bookmark, and places it in the pages I had got to.
As we make our way down to his bike outside of the building, I realise I was right earlier when I noticed his body relax when we got inside of his flat. The moment we reach the outside air, he seems to be on edge again. His posture more upright, his body tighter almost.
Being on the back of his bike with my hands around his waist as he speeds through the night seems even more of a comfort now than it did before. The vulnerability I often feel when on the back of a motorbike doesn’t seem to peak once. I feel like I am flying, rushing through as the world passes us by on a machine that feels as alive as I do. I had experienced the thrill before, but I unexpectedly feel more joy and free than I have in a long time. As I grip onto Victor’s shirt and feel him bringing his hand to squeeze mine, I can’t stop my immediate smile from the contact he is initiating, no matter how small. His hands are warm compared to mine being ice cold from the weather and the rushing wind.
The clubhouse gates came into view only moments later, leaving the adrenaline and euphoria to drain from my body almost instantly.
I notice almost immediately that the jeep my dad ordered Liam is outside in the parking lot, meaning that either Dad has borrowed it or Liam is nearby which, after the peace I’ve had with Victor, is the worst thing to think about. I used to adore Liam as a child but as an adult he seems to wind me up and think he can control me which does not bode well.
“Are you OK there?” Victor asks as I dismount from the bike, place the helmet back, and brush down my windswept locks with my fingers.
“Yeah. Yeah, that felt amazing.” I laugh as I continue to brush myself down.
Victor chuckles at my admission before taking a step closer to me, leaving us only a foot or so apart.
As I look up into his eyes, I feel somewhat hypnotised by the attention that he gives me.
“I had a really lovely evening. If you’re available, I would love to do it again in a few days.” The statement isn’t posed as a question, though I know it is one. I suspect he is more uncertain and more self conscious than I perhaps realised to begin with. He doesn’t seem as confident as I anticipated that he would be. I had assumed that a man in his late twenties that practically ran a motorcycle club would be filled with cocky charm but Victor seems the complete opposite of anything I had ever envisioned.
“I’d really like that,” I tell him with a small smile, feeling shy under his intense gaze.
“Let me walk you into the club. I know we’re inside the gates, but I still don’t like to leave you alone at night,” he tells me as he places his hand on my lower back and leads me into the front doors of the club.
The heat and instant desire I feel from his touch startles me.
As we walk in, the eyes of the men and women around us seem to land on us, both watchful and wary.
To all of these people, both Club members and the women that escort and join them, Victor is a powerful and intimidating source of violence. To see the previous President’s daughter with him is either a shock or a sign of probable things to come if they know anything about the arrangement that has been made.
While spending time with him, though it had only been a few hours, I note that I seem to have grown used to his size and his demeanour, so much so that the initial intimidation I felt from him has diminished completely.
“Thank you for walking me in,” I smile shyly. “Do you want a drink before you go?” I ask him as I walk towards the bar, seeing an excited and smiley Alice most likely waiting for every piece of information I could give her.
“As much as I appreciate the offer, I should probably get back. We have a big day tomorrow. A meeting with the Devil's Dealers.” His eyes seem to darken at the mere mention of the Dealers, a newfound look I haven’t seen from him before. If he hadn’t been so soft and sweet with me from the moment we first met, I could definitely understand why everyone was so awe struck and intimidated by him. He is a devastatingly handsome man that holds power and dominance in his every stride and word he speaks.
“OK, well thank you again for tonight, and thank you for what you’re doing with the other clubs. I really do appreciate it, and I know everyone else does too.”
