/>
“Yeah, surely you wouldn’t mind getting a little of that yourself.” When she didn’t answer, he grinned and suggested, “Let’s show him what he’s missing; show him what he can’t have.”
Before she could reply, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. It was a soft kiss, not aggressive, not assertive, more seeking, testing the waters to see if there were any feelings reciprocated on her part.
Shane was a good looking man. He’d fought with Crash’s brother in Afghanistan, along with Jake. When he and Jake had gotten out of the service, they’d looked up their fallen brother’s family and had come to pay their respects to Crash. That’s when they’d first come to the clubhouse. Crash had invited them in, and they’d both taken a liking to the brotherhood to be had within the club. Later, when they’d been offered the chance to prospect, they’d both jumped at it.
Shane was a good man. If she took up with him, he would be kind to her, treat her right. She knew that, but the feelings just weren’t there. They’d hooked up once, in secret, and Crystal had enjoyed it. But she had known that if Wolf had found out about it, he would have made sure Shane never got his patch. Crystal knew, even then, that getting involved with her would be the end for Shane, so she’d pushed him away. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason he didn’t get his patch. She liked Shane. He was sweet. But she wasn’t attracted to him in a way that would make her believe they would ever have a shot at a future together. Not the way she was attracted to Wolf.
Shane pulled back to look down at her and smiled. “You’re still hung up on him, aren’t you?”
She studied his eyes. God, she was. So hung up on him it was insane. Shane must have read the truth in her eyes, felt it in her kiss, because he didn’t say anything more, just pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder, wishing she could feel for Shane the way she felt for Wolf.
It would make things so much simpler.
****
Wolf stood at the bar, his eyes on the couple dancing. He knew he should look away. Why torture himself like this? But he couldn’t tear his eyes from them.
He felt Crash move in to stand next to him.
“That’s gotta hurt.”
Wolf knew Crash was referring to him having to watch Crystal in a brother’s arms, and not being able to do shit about it.
“Yeah,” was all he could muster.
“She’s nobody’s ol’ lady yet, in case you want to give it another shot.”
Wolf shook his head. “I jerked her around so many times.”
“Yeah, you did. Doesn’t mean a man can’t change.”
Dog moved in to stand on Crash’s other side and put in his two cents, like Wolf needed anymore ribbing from his brothers.
“That right there is a girl on a mission.”
“Yeah, a mission to show Wolf what a fool he is,” Crash replied.
Dog chuckled. “That’s not hard to do.”
“Okay, boys, enough. I get the picture, I’m an idiot.”
“Yup.”
“No arguments here.”
Crash looked over at him. “So the question is, what are you gonna do about it?”
When Wolf refused to rise to the bait, Dog pressed it home. “If you had any balls, you’d go over there and cut in on that dance.”
Wolf looked over at him. “Oh, you’d just love to see that fist-fight, wouldn’t you?”
Dog shrugged with a grin. “Maybe.” He waited half a beat before adding, “You gonna just stand here like a pussy? Makes me ashamed to call you Brother.”
Crash leaned in to taunt, “Time to step up to the plate there, A-Rod.”
Wolf tossed his drink back, slammed the glass on the bar and turned to stalk toward the dance floor. He could hear his brothers laughing in his wake and Dog bellow out, “Gangway. Dead man walking.”