Page 9 of The Originals

Give it up for the first time? Her lips twitched, and she was seconds from bursting out laughing.

She slowly cocked her brow and smiled. “I’m not a virgin, Mick.”

His cocky smirk faltered, which only added to her amusement.Oh, how the tables have turned.Meg was not about to let this opportunity pass. She was going to have some fun of her own at his expense.

“That’s right, Mick.” She cocked her hip and spread her arms wide. “Many men have indulged. But you won’t be one of them.”

There may have been some exaggeration on her estimate. She wasn’t exactly sure the true definition ofmany,but she assumed it was more than her two partners. Most men would’ve felt a slight hit to their ego and walked away, seeing Meg as not worth the hassle.

Not Mick.

He dropped his chin to his chest, shook his head, and laughed.

“Got a little fire, huh?” He glanced up.

“I havea lotof fire.”

“If showing me is your way of getting rid of me, that backfired, sweetheart.” Mick looked around with his gaze across the street. Most of the stores had closed for the night, but the restaurant was still open with their sign lighting up half the street.

He lifted his chin, gesturing to the local eatery. “Food any good?”

Families Restaurant was a staple in her town. It wasn’t anything special. It was one step above fast food, but the atmosphere was decent and homey, the food was inexpensive, and they made the best burgers.

“Burgers are really good.”

“Yeah?” Mick looked over at her. “Let me buy you one.”

Meg glanced over at the diner and started to shake her head, but froze when his hands landed on her hips. It was gentle, as if he was testing the waters. He leaned forward, and for a brief second, she thought he might kiss her. Thought or hoped? Meg wasn’t fully preprepared to answer that. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest, and his head came down but veered slightly. His breath fanned over her ear, and he whispered.

“Sorry about showing up late. Give me one more chance. Promise, I’m not gonna fuck it up.”

No.Absolutely not.She wouldn’t give in to a sexy biker with a deep, smooth voice who smelled amazing and had strong hands. Meg would stand her ground on principle alone.No way.

His fingers caressed over her hips. “What do you say?”

“Okay,” she whispered.

****

Mick stared across the table at her.Fucking beautiful.And he wasn’t the only man taking notice.

He sensed she was at odds giving in to his invitation to dinner, but she’d come anyway. Meg kept some distance as they walked across the street to the restaurant, but he noticed her move closer when they passed two men. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. Maybe it was subconscious. It could’ve been his purposeful move of switching sides with her and standing between her and the men. Mick couldn’t help himself. He was in protective mode over his girl.

After they placed their order, there was a long stretch of silence with Meg looking everywhere except at him. Her nervous energy was obvious. When he cleared his throat, she peeked over at him.

“This ain’t so bad, right?”

“I’ve been on worse dates,” Meg said, and he instantly burst out laughing.

There was that fire again. Mick wasn’t used to this type of attitude from a woman. They usually forgave instantly if they saw he was losing interest. He didn’t pursue many women. They just came to him, which made this scene all the more interesting. Meg was holding her ground, and for some reason, Mick wanted to try harder to win her over.

“So tell me about you.”

Meg cocked her brow in a challenge. “You first.”

Mick settled in his seat. “Not much to tell. Grew up out of state and moved here when Jack started the club.”

She rested her elbows on the table, and leaned forward, seemingly interested. This was a good sign.