Dangerous

Chapter Nine

He pulled me to the door and opened it so I could walk in before him. I walked in and stopped in my tracks. We were in an art studio. I spotted the array of acrylic paints and the pile of canvases and my heart swelled. I hadn't painted in a long time. I ran my fingers over the soft brushes and smiled.

"Did you know?" I looked over at Braxton who was smiling fondly at me.

"Not until we walked in" He moved to stand close to me. Painting had always been one of my favorite forms of release, second to running.

We got situated at our stands and dove in. We stood by each other in silence as we worked on our art. Honestly for the first time since I moved to Boulder City I was completely worry free. I held the brush in my hand and let it glide across the canvas. I was so wrapped up in painting I didn't even realize everyone had started to clear out of the studio.

"Baby." His voice sounded in my ear and brought me out of my focus. I blinked and looked around. "They're closing."

"Oh." I put my brush in the cup of water and stretched my arms. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He smiled and then looked down at my canvas. I felt the urge to hide it. I didn't like showing off my art. I felt like my soul was too exposed. "Ainsley. That's really good."

I smiled shyly and shrugged.

"Thank you." I looked around and realized that everyone's paintings were still sitting on their easels. "How are we going to get those home?"

"They'll wrap them up after they are dry and ship them to us." We walked side by side towards the sink where we washed the paint off of our hands.

"Thank you for today." I smiled up at him. "It was much needed."

"I could tell." He kissed my forehead and then twined his fingers through mine. "Let's go get some food."

I climbed on the back of his Harley and then we rode to a burger joint. As we walked in my stomach growled. I hadn't even realized I was hungry. We sat down in a booth and ordered milkshakes.

It felt weird; the two of us out on a date and it being normal.

We ate our burgers and talked about the club. I was always eager for information. I noticed when I looked around that everyone stared at Braxton. It probably had a little to do with the fact that he was smokin hot, but I would bet that it was mostly because of his leather vest and those words stitched to the back.

"Do people judge you because of it?"

"Most of the time." He nodded. "Most people are intimated by me. They see my Harley and my vest and assume the worst."

"Do you blame them?" I raised my eyebrows.

"No." He shook his head and smiled. "You didn't judge me." He crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward.

"I was a little too distracted by your face to even notice your vest." This made him laugh.

"Touché."

As we rode back to the house a feeling of need settled in my lower stomach. I wanted him. Needed him. Did that make me kinda slutty? Probably. Did I care? Not in the slightest. The closer we got to the house the more I wanted him. My breathing hitched as he pulled in my driveway and I had to refrain from jumping on him. I got off the bike and unbuckled my helmet. He kicked his kickstand out and stood up with an easy grace. I licked my lips and pulled him towards me.

He gripped my hips as his lips crashed onto mine. I grabbed the hair at the nape of his neck and tugged. A groan sounded in the back of his throat which set my body on fire. I responded with a moan and walked backwards towards the front door. As we got to my front porch he pulled back.