A body modification of some kind, maybe?
“Journey!” Delilah’s cheerful attitude took me by surprise, and I jumped back. Her eyes softened, backing away with the empty tray in her hand. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
Grim grunted, setting his body on the tall stool, and pulled me closer. I stood between his legs as he ordered.
“I’m glad he brought you to the bar. It’s club night, and I think people were wondering where their enforcer was,” Delilah mentioned.
Delilah placed her tray on the bar and handed over the cash to the bartender. “Another round of the same thing,” she yelled over the music.
“Club night?” I asked.
“Yeah, the bar is closed, so only the Iron Fangs are allowed. Every Thursday,” she said. “It’s one of the few days I feel actually safe in here. Those who aren’t a part of the club can get a little handsy.” She tucked a curl around her ear.
“And Hawke lets you work here?”
Delilah blushed, grabbing the tray. “He can’t tell me what to do. He isn’t like my boyfriend or anything.”
“Uh huh,” I raised my eyebrow. “But he doesn’t like it, does he?”
“How would you know?”
I nodded my head across the bar. Hawke sat with a beer mug, completely full, and gazed intensely at Delilah. He lifted the cold mug, touching his lips and opening his throat as he gulped the entire drink down in one go. He banged the glass on the bar twice, ticking his head for Delilah to come over.
“You’re right, he doesn’t like it. But I’m serious. He can’t tell me what to do.” She stuck out her lip in a pout.
I laughed. For the first time, I laughed with someone I felt like I could be friends with.
“I’ll be right back.” Delilah placed her hand on mine which rested on the beat-up, wooden bar. “I’m off in ten minutes, and we can chat if Grim will let you.”
As I raised my head, I could see the unfinished ceiling above me. Grim was already looking down, and I swore I could see the side-smile of the giant.
It wasn’t like I was asking permission; it was more of a mutual understanding. He hadn’t told me I couldn’t stay away from her, but I wanted him close. The undeniable pull toward him grew stronger by the minute, and staying away from him for too long felt like torture.
“I’d like that.” I smiled.
Delilah scampered to a table, looking like an overly crazy ferret jumping from table to table to finish her orders. Her tray slowly emptied after handing out the drinks until Hawk crooked his finger for her to be at his side. I watched as they interacted until Grim pulled me on his lap.
“What do you think of this place?” Grim asked. He had turned his stool, so we gazed over the bar.
The Iron Fangs all wore denim vests with their club crests—a large one on their backs and a small one on the front. Patches on their vests ranged from the longest bike ride to the greatest dart thrower. The women who were also a part of the club had their vests fitted to work with the curve of their bodies.
“I like how there are women in your club,” I mentioned. “You don’t discriminate.”
“Why would we? They like to feel the wind in their hair, too.”
Grim picked up his beer mug and offered me some. I sniffed it, and it didn’t smell appealing. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. The chuckle in his chest grew until I felt it between my legs. My body stiffened as his legs vibrated, rushing straight to my core.
I was becoming so comfortable with Grim; I was feeling things I never thought I would. I didn’t want to hide away from the world or from him. I was learning that not all men were evil. Especially Grim.
Not all men wanted a woman just to sate their evil desires. I was thankful that each day I seemed to forget more and more of what had happened to me. My mind was moving on, forgetting the past.
Grim’s laughter slowed, and his breath deepened. It was then the deep rumbling in his chest began, and it was not a purr, but a growl.
One arm held me close to his body while the other took the mug away. He pulled me closer, his nose trailing the top of my head and down to the base of my ear.
His hot breath moved my tangled hair from our ride, and his tongue licked behind it. “We will leave as soon as I speak to Locke.”
Grim words held an auspicious promise. Words that I was looking forward to. Despite my body being used to a man, my mind was never in the moment. They felt like nightmares, and when I woke, I felt the pain left behind.
