He’d given her a tour of his house that morning. Earth-tone decorations and warm hardwood floors made his house feel homey and inviting. His bedroom was one of the cantilevered rooms with glass walls overlooking the pond on one side of the house and woods on the other. His sculptures were prominently placed in two of the cantilevered areas. There were pictures of his family and friends, but not as many as Chloe had at her cottage. Justin displayed the people he loved in an even more important way. Etched into his skin. His house was so artfully done, she’d asked if Gavin had helped him decorate, and she’d been impressed when he’d said he’d done it all himself. Justin was obviously a man who knew what he liked.
As he slipped an arm around her, she thought, In more ways than one.
“That would be perfect there.” He put his mouth by her ear and said, “We can throw a blanket on the floor and make love by candlelight.”
A shiver of heat rippled through her. His eyes flamed, as if he’d felt it, too, and he kissed her.
“I like spending the day with you, sweet thing,” he said softly.
“Me too.” If anyone had told her two weeks ago that she’d be spending today kissing Justin and out with a group of bikers, she’d have said they were nuts. But now there was no place else she’d rather be.
As they made their way through more shops, Justin held her hand and opened doors for her. He was a gentleman dressed in leather, and she loved being out with him as a couple. He showed her things he thought she might like, and she enjoyed seeing what he was drawn to. She was aware of women checking him out, but even as the green-eyed monster clawed at her, she held her head high, knowing he could have any number of women, but he’d chosen her. Both of those things were also new to her—the jealousy and the realization that out of all the women Justin had known and had met over the past year and a half, he’d chosen her. He’d seen and held on to the very thing she’d been running from—that to the naked eye, they seemed to be opposites.
Now she knew that in the most important ways, they really weren’t opposites at all.
She was discovering many things on that sunny afternoon, like how close he and Gavin really were. The two men tried on army jackets and hats in a military surplus store, laughing at inside jokes that Chloe and Harper weren’t privy to. But she didn’t mind. She and Harper had their own inside jokes. He and Gavin talked about Mike’s fall and their upcoming tour of LOCAL. Justin told Gavin and Harper about the dogs they’d rescued and what had happened when they’d gone with the police that night. Gavin put his hand on Justin’s shoulder, quietly offering words of comfort. Chloe had known they were close friends, but seeing them in a setting other than a bar when Justin was flirting with her brought the depth of their friendship to life.
When they passed the Endless Summer Surf Shop, Justin said it was owned by Jesse and Brent Steele, two brothers who were also Dark Knights. He said they owned a restaurant in town, too, and that she would meet them at the Taproom, along with Levi, one of their cousins, and a number of other club members.
“It’s cool that you know Dark Knights from different areas,” Chloe said as they made their way into a music store.
“We’re one big family, babe,” Justin said.
“I kind of wish Gavin would prospect the club and become a member,” Harper said. “But he’s worried about having enough time to commit.”
“One day,” Gavin said as they walked into an eclectic store that had old records, antique furniture, and a hodgepodge of other things. He nudged Justin and said, “Dude, let’s check out the vinyl,” and dragged him across the store.
Harper took advantage of the men stepping away and said, “Okay, girl, what’s the scoop? Daphne told me what Justin did for the book club meeting. Did you guys hook up after, or…?”
Chloe peeked across the store at the guys checking out records and said, “No. Things changed between us the night before the meeting, but we didn’t hook up. We talked for a long time, and I realized how wrong I was about him. I