"True." She stands up, holding the dress against herself again. "Okay, this one?"
"Perfect. It brings out your eyes, and it's flirty without being too much for a first date." I pause, watching her move around her room. "Where's he taking you again?"
"That new Italian place downtown. Romano's, I think?" She disappears from view for a moment, and I hear drawers opening and closing. "He said he wanted somewhere we could actually talk and get to know each other better."
My heart does a little flutter at that. It reminds me of my first real date with Devil—not the hookups and stolen moments we'd had before, but the first time he actually took me somewhere proper.
I was nineteen, and he'd been circling around me for months like a wolf stalking his prey. I thought I was so grown up, so ready for whatever he could throw at me. He picked me up on his bike—a different one than he rides now, an older Harley that rumbled like thunder—and I wrapped my arms around his waist like I belonged there.
"Where are we going?" I'd shouted over the engine noise as we pulled away from my dad's house.
"Somewhere we can be alone," he'd called back, and the way his voice carried a tone of promise had sent shivers down my spine.
He'd taken me to this little diner about thirty minutes outside of town, the kind of place truckers stopped at for coffee and pie. Nothing fancy, but it was ours. We sat in a corner booth with cracked vinyl seats, and he'd listened to me talk about everything and nothing while he drank black coffee and watched me like I was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.
"You're different than I expected," he'd said at one point, his fingers playing with mine across the scarred wooden table.
"Different how?"
"Smarter. Funnier." His thumb had traced over my knuckles, sending heat shooting up my arm. "More dangerous."
I'd laughed at that. "Me? Dangerous? You're the one with the leather jacket and the motorcycle."
"Yeah, but you're the one who could bring me to my knees without even trying."
And God, the way he'd looked at me when he said it... like he was already halfway there.
"Dani? Dani, are you still there?"
Allison's voice pulls me back to the present, and I realize I've been staring off into space with what's probably a dopey smile on my face.
"Sorry, yeah, I'm here. Just... thinking about my first date with Devil."
"Oh God, that look on your face." She's grinning now, the nervousness from earlier replaced with something warmer. "You two are disgustingly in love, you know that?"
"We are," I admit without shame. "And after tomorrow night, you might be too."
"I don't know about that, but..." She trails off, then shakes her head. "Okay, I need to finish doing the run-through of my hair and makeup."
"You're going to have an amazing time," I tell her firmly. "And I want details when you get home tomorrow. All of them."
"Dani."
"What? I'm living vicariously through you here. Devil and I barely get alone time anymore with everything that's been going on with the club."
We say our goodbyes, and I end the call, setting my phone aside. The house feels quiet without Allison's chatter filling it, and I realize Devil's been unusually quiet tonight too. Usually, he's got music playing or the TV on, or he's tinkering with something in the garage.
I pad through the house in my bare feet, looking for him. I find him in his office—really just the spare bedroom we never use—sitting at the desk with his back to me. He's on the phone, his voice low and serious.
"I understand the risks," he's saying. "But I think we can make this work if we're smart about it."
I lean against the doorframe, not wanting to interrupt but curious about who he's talking to. It's not unusual for him to get calls about club business, but there's something different about his tone tonight. More tense.
"No, I haven't told her anything. She doesn't need to know about..." He pauses, running his free hand through his hair. "Look, Chief Harrison, I know what I'm doing."
Chief Harrison? The name hits me like a physical blow, and I step back from the doorway, my heart suddenly racing, vision dimming. Why would Devil be talking to Chief Harrison? The only Chief Harrison I know of is the police chief, and there's no reason Devil should be having any kind of conversation with him.
Unless...
