The Biker’s Obsession

Chapter One-2

The next evening, I stood in front of the small bathroom mirror in the guest room, staring closely at my reflection.

Stone’s big black shirt still hung loosely on my frame, but I had rolled the sleeves up past my wrists and tucked the front neatly into the waistband of the dark jeans. My hair was still damp from another long shower. I looked entirely different. Softer. Like I had been claimed, somehow, even though I hadn't agreed to anything.

I took a deep, shaky breath and walked downstairs to face the crowd.

The bar was even louder and more chaotic than it had been the night before. Heavy music pounded through the floorboards, and thick smoke hung heavy in the air. The exact second I appeared at the bottom of the wooden stairs, several heads turned in my direction. I felt the heavy weight of their eyes on me—especially on the way Stone’s shirt hung off my body, advertising to everyone whose roof I had slept under.

I kept my head down and started heading toward a quiet, empty corner. Then the front heavy door swung open, letting in a draft of cool night air.

Tyler walked in.

He had his arm wrapped tightly around a pretty blonde woman with bright blue eyes and a wide, easy smile. She was laughing out loud at something he whispered in her ear, leaning into his side like she belonged right there in his arms. He was looking down at her with a soft, warm expression—the exact way I had always dreamed he would look at me.

My heart cracked open so hard and fast that it completely stole my breath.

All the quiet, foolish hope I had carried around inside my chest for two long years shattered into a million pieces in a single second. I felt utterly stupid, invisible, and completely broken inside.

I turned around quickly, blinking hard against the stinging tears so I wouldn't cry in front of a room full of dangerous strangers.

Suddenly, a large, solid wall of a body blocked my path.

Stone.

He didn’t say a single word at first. He just stood there, looking down at me with sharp black eyes that took in every single trace of pain written across my face. Then his dark gaze dropped slowly down to the way his oversized shirt hung on my body, and something dark, fierce, and deeply satisfied flashed in his expression.

He stepped closer, crowding me tightly against the wooden wall with his much larger, muscular frame. One of his heavy hands came up and rested flat against the wall right beside my head, caging me in completely.

“That the one?” he asked, his voice low, rough, and dangerous.

I couldn’t force myself to answer. My throat was squeezed shut, too tight to push any words past my lips.

Stone’s free hand moved up. He took my chin firmly between his rough, calloused fingers and forced me to look straight up into his face. His grip was steady and possessive. Almost gentle… but not quite.

“You’re standing here looking like someone just ripped your heart straight out of your chest and left it bleeding on the floor,” he murmured, his eyes burning into mine. “And every single man in this room is still watching you fall apart… including me.”

My pulse was racing wildly under the pressure of his fingers.

He leaned in closer until his lips were right next to my ear. His warm chest brushed gently against mine with every single breath he took.

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, quiet rumble that only I could hear. “So here’s what’s going to happen, little dove.”

My breath hitched in my throat.

“I’m going to pretend to be your man.” His rough thumb stroked slowly, deliberately across my lower lip. “Right in front of him. In front of every single person in this bar. You’re going to wear my patch. You’re going to stay right here in my clubhouse. And when that little boy looks over at you again, he’s going to see clearly that you belong to someone who actually knows how to handle a woman like you.”

Heat flooded my cheeks and rushed rapidly down through my body.

“Why?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Stone pulled back just enough to meet my eyes head-on. The intense heat blazing in his stare made my stomach flip over.

“Because the idea of you walking around this town looking heartbroken pisses me the f**k off,” he said with brutal honesty. “And because the second I laid eyes on you last night… I already decided I wanted a taste.”

His thumb pressed a little harder against my lower lip, silencing any argument I might have had.

“So what do you say?” His voice dropped into a low, filthy growl that sent shivers straight down my spine. “You want to play this game with me… or are you still too f*****g scared?”

My heart was pounding so hard against my ribs that I was completely sure he could feel it vibrating through us both.

I looked up deep into those bottomless black eyes and whispered the only word my mouth knew how to say.

“Yes.”

A slow, wicked smile curved across Stone’s mouth—the dangerous smile of a man who had just gotten exactly what he wanted from the very beginning.

“Good girl,” he murmured, leaning in until his lips nearly brushed mine. “Now let’s go make sure he sees exactly who you belong to.”