With most of the wives and families clearing out, the band had cranked up even louder. Some of the unattached men were enjoying the scantily clad sweet butts or club whores who came around on party nights. When clothes started coming off, I turned to Annabel. “Maybe it’s time we got out of here.”

She giggled. “Oh, Rev, that”—she motioned with her glass to the half-naked women gyrating against the men—“doesn’t bother me. I might as well be back at a sorority party.”

Although she said it didn’t bother her, I didn’t want her to be around anything that could trigger a backlash of emotions for her. “I would feel better if we went back to my room.”

“Your room?” she questioned in surprise.

“Yeah, the officers in the club have rooms in the back so we can crash here. Tonight some of the other guys will be using them.”

“For indecent purposes?” she teased.

I laughed. “Yes. I’m sure for that.”

“I don’t think I’ve had so much Jack that I can’t make it back to the house. I might not be able to walk a straight line, but I’m pretty sure I can walk.”

“I’m sure you can. As president, I need to hang around a while. I’ll feel better knowing you’re close.”

She smiled. “Well, when you say it like that, how can I refuse?” She hopped down from her stool and staggered a bit. “Hmm, maybe I have had a little too much.”

“I think anything after the first shot was too much.”

Slinging my arm around Annabel’s shoulder, I drew her closer to me as I led her to the back. “I don’t know how easy it’s going to be for you to go to sleep with the music going.”

“I’ll be fine. I can always read.”

“Did you bring your e-reader thing with you?”

With a grin, she replied, “No, but I figured your room would have some books.”

My chest tightened at the fact that she knew me so well and could even remember it in her slightly inebriated state. I opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. Turning around in a circle, she took in the room. She pointed at my bookcase. “Told ya.”

I laughed. “Okay, okay. You know me too well.”

Annabel tossed her purse onto the bed and then walked over to the bookcase. “The complete works of Shakespeare.” Making a tsking noise, she added, “You are hard-core.”

“I like the tragedies.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Even through the walls and the closed door, the beat of the music was audible in the room. When the band changed over to a slow song, Annabel began to sway back and forth on her feet. “Are you all right?” I asked.

Glancing at me over her shoulder, she said, “Dance with me.”

My heartbeat skipped and seemed to pop erratically like an old vinyl record. “What?” I managed to ask when I recovered.

“Dance with me.”

“Here?”

“Why not?” Turning around, she walked over to me. Although in my warped mind, it was more like she stalked over to me like a cat. “Don’t tell me you can’t slow-dance.”

“I can slow-dance just fine.”

As my arms went around her waist, I drew her flush against me. The contact of our bodies caused us both to suck in a breath. Sliding her arms up my chest, Annabel then brought them around my neck. When her fingers glided through the strands of my hair, I fought to keep my composure. Call me a pussy, but there was something that turned me on about a woman playing with my hair, tugging on it wildly as she rode out an orgasm.

I lowered my head to rest it on Annabel’s shoulder. Closing my eyes, I allowed my mind to wander. Like the dirty bastard I was, I envisioned having Annabel on the bed, legs spread wide, my head between them, and her clutching and clawing my hair and scalp as she came on my tongue. Just the thought sent a shiver of need down my spine and caused my whole body to tremble with desire.

“Are you cold?” Annabel asked.

“I’m fine,” I croaked.

She tightened her hold on me while pressing her body tighter against mine. It was a sweet gesture of compassion to warm me up that had the opposite effect than what she had intended. “Rev?”

“Hmm?”

“Look at me.”

When I pulled my head off her shoulder, I stared into her green eyes. The look in them told me everything I needed to know about what was going on in Annabel’s head. Motherfucker. I was a dead man.

I knew right then and there I needed to extricate myself from the situation and get the hell out of there. But instead, I remained frozen in place. I didn’t even jerk back when Annabel brought her lips to mine.

Oh damn. Those lips. Those soft, soft lips. Warm, inviting, and full. I imagined them moving all over my body, especially on my dick. As her mouth worked against mine, those fingers began to work their magic in my hair.

Grabbing my shirt, she pulled me down onto the bed. While our arms and legs tangled together, our mouths never parted. When she thrust her warm tongue into my mouth, I groaned and gripped her tighter. It was all so wrong and so right at the same time.

When I started to get up, she tried to pull me closer. “Where are you going?”

“I need to check on the guys. Make sure everybody gets out.”

“Oh. Okay.” A pleading look entered her eyes. “But you’ll come back to me. Won’t you?”

“Sure. Just let me take care of some things. I’ll also lock the door.”

She gave me a drowsy smile as her head lay back on the pillow. Her eyes closed in contentment, and she sighed. “You’re always so good to me. No wonder I’m falling in love with you.”

Her words had the same effect on me as standing in a field during a lightning storm. Electricity zapped the top of my head and ran through my body. Without a word to her, I backed quickly away from the bed and disappeared from the bedroom. I had been fearing something like this in the last month—the way she looked at me, the way she talked to me, the way she’d wrapped herself around me in the night. I’d been a selfish bastard and enjoyed it too much to put a stop to it. Now I’d somehow managed to lead her on. I was the sickest type of fucker out there. I’d preyed on an abuse victim.

As I walked up the hallway to the tune of my self-deprecating tirade, another voice broke through. Forceful and unrelenting, it was one I battled daily. It liked to call itself the voice of reason, but it was more like the voice of lunacy to me.

Man up. That beautiful girl in there loves you, and you love her, too. You’ve probably loved her since the night she called for you in the hospital. You’re just too fucking scared to admit it. You want to try to say she doesn’t know what she’s saying or doing because of what she went through with Mendoza. But the truth is you’re afraid you’re not good enough for her. After all, you’re just a biker with a two-year degree, and she’s political royalty from a privileged upbringing.

“Go fuck yourself,” I muttered to the voice.

“Excuse me, Prez?” Jolting Joe asked. He had a trash bag in one hand and was tossing beer bottles in with the other. As a prospect, he wouldn’t be getting any ass tonight like some of his brothers were. He would be on cleanup duty, and from the looks of it, he was going to be busy for hours.

“Sorry, Joe. I wasn’t talking to you.”

“You okay, Prez? You look a little pale. Need me to make you a hangover drink?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m good. Thanks.” When I started to the back door, I stopped. “Hey, Joe?”

“Yeah, Prez?”

“Take five on the cleanup and go stand outside my room. Annabel’s sleeping in there. If she wakes up or screams or something, call me on my cell.”

“You got it.”

I wouldn’t be gone long. I had promised Annabel to come back to her, and I would never let her down. Not intentionally at least. When I reached my house, I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and then sat down on the couch. There was a phone call I dreaded to make, but it had to be done. I knew I would hate myself in the morning, but in the long run, it was what was best for all of us.