Vicious Cycle

Alex swatted my hands away from her. “Don’t be a party pooper,” she slurred. Glancing over her shoulder, she cried, “More shots!”

While Rev chuckled at her enthusiasm, a song with a fast beat came on the jukebox, and Alex scrambled to climb up on the bar again. “Get down.”

“But I wanna dance again.”

After her beer, she could barely walk, least of all dance. When I tightened my arms around her waist, she twisted around and then shoved me as hard as a drunk girl her size could. I didn’t budge, so she sent a stinging smack across my face. “Get off me!”

“I do that, and you’re going to end up on the floor.”

Jerking her chin up at me, she shrieked, “You’re an asshole!”

“And you’re a mean little drunk,” I mused, my cheek still stinging.

Alex’s brows furrowed. “Am I really a mean drunk?”

“Considering you just slapped me, I would have to say yes.”

She gasped. “Oh my God. I’m a horrible person.”

“And a mean drunk,” I teased. When her chin trembled, I groaned. “Now, don’t go making yourself a ‘crying drunk,’ too,” I warned.

After sniffling, she said, “I’m sorry I slapped you, Deacon.”

“It’s okay. I’m man enough to take it.”

When she peered up at me, she frowned. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. After she opened them again, she looked like she was staring past me. “You two don’t hate me, do you?”

I glanced left and right. There was only Alex and me standing there. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Her finger waved between me and the empty spot beside me. “You and him.”

“Jesus, now you’re seeing double?”

She hiccupped. “Maybe.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, you’re really going to bed now.” Taking her by the arm, I started leading her toward the bedrooms.

“Good night, Alex!” came a chorus of male voices.

“’Night, boys!” she called over her shoulder.

As we started down the hall, she gazed up at me. “You know, I really like your boyfriends … I mean brothers. Bikers are pretty cool.”

“I’m glad you think so,” I mused.

When we got inside my clubhouse room, Alex gazed around. “I was expecting something different.”

“Like what?”

“Lots of black leather, some fur furniture, and lots of mirrors.”

I laughed. “Well, there’s that one,” I said, motioning to the ceiling.

“Oh,” she murmured, gazing at our reflection.

“I can’t take the credit for putting it up. Whoever had it before me must’ve liked mirrors.”

Alex brought her gaze to mine again. “But you didn’t take it down?”

“Nah. It’s pretty cool sometimes.”

“Yuck.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it, babe.”

She shot me a disgusted look before stumbling over to the bed. When she started to face-plant on the mattress, I grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute.” With my other arm, I pulled down the spread and sheets. “Get under the covers.”

She snorted. “Yes, Daddy.”

Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Don’t call me that.”

In a singsong voice, she asked, “Are you gonna read me a bedtime story, too?”

“No, I’m not. I’m going to hope and pray your drunken ass finally passes out, because you’re driving me crazy.” Her response was to stick her tongue out at me. “Now you’re also an immature drunk.”

“Ugh, it’s hot,” she whined, kicking off the covers.

“If you can wait a damn minute, I’ll turn on the fan.” When I turned back around from hitting the switch, I sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of Alex ripping off her shirt. The white lacy bra was about the sexiest thing I’d seen in a long fucking time. It may not have been skimpy, but just seeing the outline of Alex’s pink nipples beneath the lacy shit made my mouth run dry.

But she wasn’t through tormenting me. Oh no. She had to rip off her jeans next to reveal white boy shorts. I licked my lips, trying hard to hold myself back from ripping them off of her and burying my face between her legs.

With my dick pounding against my zipper, I knew I needed to get the fuck out of there. If I didn’t, I was going to do something I would regret—something I never, ever did, which was fuck a seriously drunk girl. When I turned to go, she grabbed onto my arm, pulling me to the bed. “Noooo, don’t leave.”

“Give me a fucking break, Alex. You can sleep it off by yourself.”

She giggled. “I promise not to try to take advantage of you.”

“That ain’t it.” No, I would be the one defiling her in a hundred different ways.

Her amusement faded. Staring up at me with those big brown eyes, she asked, “Don’t you want to stay with me?”

“You wouldn’t ask me that question if you were sober.”

“And why not?”

“Because you would know that I’m sure as hell not the type of man who does what a woman asks.”

“Even if she begs?”

“I only listen to pleading when I’m fucking.”

Her nose wrinkled. “You’re a disgusting pig.”

“Yeah, I am, babe. And don’t forget it.”

“Would you at least sit on the edge of the bed until I go to sleep?”

“You’re not giving up, are you?”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone that you did. You can save face in front of your brothers. Besides, I probably won’t remember this in the morning anyway.”

I don’t know why I eased down on the side of the bed. But then that small voice of conscience, the one I usually ignored, seemed to overrule any idea about telling Alex no. Every time Alex got remotely near me, I should bolt in the opposite direction. I’d never met a woman this dangerous—one who made me do shit I didn’t want to do, to consider shit I didn’t want to.

Stretching my legs out, I pushed myself up in the bed to where I leaned back against the headboard. Although we weren’t touching, I could still feel Alex beside me. She overwhelmed me with her presence in my bed—the smell of her perfume, the fall of her hair on the pillow, the slide of her bare thigh on the comforter.

Lacey was the last woman I’d just lain in bed with without fucking. When she wasn’t a drunken mess, there was nothing I loved more than to spoon against her. Sure, it usually led to a hard-on and screwing, but just the soft feel of her body did something to me—it calmed me. I was starting to feel the same way with Alex.