Seven
SEVEN
“So you’re telling me that you have a virtual stranger living in your house for the next two weeks while you work on her car? Oh, and this stranger is a girl who, according to Kins, is as gorgeous as a summer sunset.” I can hear Malik’s smarmy grin on the other end of the phone and if I could, I’d reach out and smack him Miss Shirley style.
“She’s a kid, Mal. I’m just helping her out. She was trying to find a place to stay when I offered. Rather, Kins and Miss Shirley forced me to offer up my place. I’ll probably never see her. She has homework and classes. You know, kid stuff.” It’s a lie I tell myself, because more than anything, I wish I could see her as just a kid.
The line is quiet for a moment longer before Malik says, “I gotta see this for myself. Danté and I will be there in fifteen.”
“No, Malik. Don’t do–” my words are cut off when his side of the call goes dead. “That.” I sigh and hang my head, shoulders slumped as my elbows rest on my knees. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
I toss my phone on the couch and stare out into the vast living room. Kinsley left thirty minutes ago saying she needed to get pajamas for their sleepover at my house. I begged her not to come back, but that girl is as persistent as a fly on dog shit. Of all the people for her to find stranded on the side of the road, it had to be Dagen. I’d have rather it been a scared kitten. That at least I can handle. Dagen…she has my head all sorts of fucked.
How can one person spark a fire with just a look? Add in the smartass mouth and a body that I’d like to roadmap with my tongue and she’s an instant bad idea. I should be thankful that Kinsley will be here to keep her occupied and out of my hair. Instead, I’m pissed that I won’t have her all to myself. Even a hundred feet away, I can still smell her sweet scent.
When she bumped into me in the garage as she made heart eyes at my car, her perfume invaded my senses. I smelled her, which led to pictures flashing behind my eyes that made me want things.
I wander to the kitchen and yank the fridge door open, diving in and retrieving a cold beer from the back. I flip off the cap and toss it on the counter, not caring where it lands, and take a long pull. It doesn’t satisfy my thirst like it normally does, and I can only attribute it to the woman who will be sleeping between my sheets and bathing in my tub, her naked body wet and slick.
I gulp down the entire bottle and slam it down when I’m finished, letting out a deep belch so loud I’m worried she’ll hear it and think less of me. What the fuck am I talking about? She can’t think any less of me than she does already. I’ve treated her like absolute shit for no reason. I’d be surprised if she didn’t want to smother me in my sleep.
Now I’m thinking about burying my head between her full tits and it only takes minutes for me to have to adjust myself when my dick grows hard thinking of her nipples in my mouth.
The doorbell rings and I groan. Dealing with Malik and Danté are not on my list of things I want to do right now. In fact, at the moment they rank below cutting my toenails with a belt sander.
Stomping to the door, I let my sour mood grow until it’s seeping from my pores. My hand grips the black handle of the door, and I tear it open like there’s a fire.
“Fuck my life right now,” I growl and come face to face with a pale faced Dagen.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–I’ll go back to my room.” She spins to retreat and my guilt hits with a pummeling wave.
“No. Dagen, I’m sorry.” I reach out and take hold of her arm, pulling her back. “I thought you were someone else. I didn’t mean that for you.”
She gives me a wide eyed stare with a bite of her lip and there goes that damn dick again, imagining her lips wrapped around it.
“I don’t mean to bother you. I was just wondering if–” A loud shrilling pierces her words as Danté and Mal come speeding up my driveway.
“Fuck.” I roll my eyes and drop my hand from her arm.
Dagen looks over her shoulder to watch the two men clad in all black turn off their bikes and climb off. Malik, despite his happy and friendly demeanor, is always dressed head to toe in pitch black. Not even a stitch on his jacket is a different color. Sit him on top of his black Aprilia RSV4 bike and he’s like the grim reaper flying through the night. Danté wears black with streaks of fire red, the kind suited for the devil himself. Most people call him Satan so it fits quite well.
Helmets get pulled off and a menacing grin covers both of their ugly mugs. Neither takes off their gloves or jackets, and they swagger across my lawn, not caring one bit that there’s a perfectly good sidewalk they could use.
Under her breath I hear Dagen whisper, “Holy shit.”
It has me clenching my jaw with anger and my hands balling into fists. The two of them look like sin and sin’s more devious and insane brother, walking side by side. Malik’s deep olive skin and eyes that look like amber gemstones, and Danté with his short cropped black hair and eyes of the same color.
“Well who do we have here?” Danté hisses, slithering up to stand right in front of her. “Hello gorgeous.”
He holds out his hand and Dagen places her smaller one in his. Instead of shaking it, he brings it to his lips and leaves a kiss on the back. My eyes narrow at his as they lift to meet mine, a gleam in them.
“H-hi,” she stutters, her voice a breathy rasp. “I’m Dagen.”
He drops her hand as his gaze travels up and down her spandex covered curves.
“Danté Dare. It is truly my pleasure.” He smiles and his white teeth shine like diamonds amongst black coal.
Danté’s skin is covered with tattoos, more than me, from his ears down to his damn feet, and his nose and ears are pierced, shiny diamonds and silver hoops adorning him. The guy decided he wanted to be anything but who he was growing up, so he remade himself into a dark force that founded a new family of misfit men who no one wanted, and became something that people fear and desire.
Malik steps in and elbows Danté out of the way, and with a huge grin on his face, introduces himself.
“Hello beautiful. I’m Malik Dare. The most handsome of the three brothers. You don’t have to say it with your words, but I can see it in your eyes that you agree.”
Dagen giggles at Malik, and he leans in to kiss her cheek. When he pulls back I can see her face flush and a shy smile that she tries to hide.
“Are you coming on a ride with us, Dagen?” Danté asks Dagen the question but looks at me as he does.
“Who said we were going on a ride?” I ask them.
“We did. Now get your gear. Dagen can ride with me.” Danté grabs her hand and starts to pull her towards where their bikes are parked.
“Oh. I don’t think I can. Kinsley is–”
“On her way over. She heard we were going for a ride and said she and old blue would be right over.” Malik smiles, proud of himself for thinking of reasons Dagen may protest and covering his bases.
“I don’t think I’m dressed appropriately. I mean…” She looks down at her body –leggings, sports bra and sneakers– and we all do the same.
“You look pretty damn good to me.” Danté licks his lips then bites down as he rubs his hands together.
I smack his shoulder and he glares at me.
“Don’t be scared. We’ll show you what to do. Just hold on tight and we’ll do the rest.”
“I know what to do,” she tells Malik. “My dad and uncles all ride. They ride Harley’s, but I imagine it’s the same. Right?”
Her eyes flit between the three of us, a smirk plastered on all of our faces.
“Not the way we ride, little mouse. The Dare brothers ride hard, fast, and dangerous,” I tell her, the nickname rolling off my tongue like it was just waiting for the right time to pop out.
She purses her lips and rolls her eyes in response. “I think I can handle it. And if Kinsley is going, then so am I.”
When her arms cross, they push up her perky tits and I just can’t stop my eyes from soaking in the round mounds that sit perched high on her chest.
“Then you ride with me. No more discussion. I made a promise to your father that you would be safe while under my watch.”
“Your watch ? You act like you’re on babysitting duty. I’m not a child.”
“You sure about that? Daddy dearest seems to think you are. I’m surprised he didn’t ask me to set up a nanny cam so he can keep an eye on you.”
A comeback sits on her tongue, but she doesn’t get the chance to spear it at me because just then, Kinsley comes rolling up, the loud rumble of her truck drowning out everything. We all turn to watch her park and jump out of her beast on four wheels. With a wide smile, she comes bouncing over to where we stand, still on my front porch.
“Hey y’all. We ridin’ or what?” Her arms rest on her hips and she looks from one person to the next.
“Hell yeah we are. Are you riding with me, sweet thing?” Malik winks in the way that only he can, making Kins blush.
“Of course. I wouldn’t ride with anyone else, King.” Kinsley winks back, using the nickname that women in Cattywump Bay have monikered him with.
Kins hops back to her truck, and climbs into the passenger side to retrieve her helmet and jacket that we insisted she purchase if she was going to ride with us. And by purchase I mean we gave her a custom DareBros Inc. gear, because we can’t have her wearing a competitor's subpar gear.
“Okay. Then let’s go.” Malik grabs Kinsley’s hand and pulls her over to his bike while Danté stares at Dagen and I.
“She’s riding with me, D.” My eyes shoot fire at him, letting him know to back the fuck off.
I love my brothers and would slit a man’s throat for them. But I’m not afraid to throw down if need be. And this is one of those times that I’ll go toe to toe with him because I gave Dagen’s father my word.
I quit my stare down with Danté and take Dagen by her wrist and start pulling her to the garage.
“I have stuff you can wear. Your shoes are fine.”
I stab at the keypad and the whir of the opener sounds. The lights flick on when we step in and I continue to lead her to where my bikes sit, now covered and guarded against a spec of dust.
Letting go of Dagen’s wrist, I pull the cover off one of them, revealing it like a magician would, and smile when I see her all shiny and waiting for me to ride her.
She’s a Ducati Superleggera V4 and my ultimate pride and joy. Even above my company. I used to dream of the day I could afford a bike like this and vowed to myself that I’d make it happen, one way or another.
I leave Dagen to stare at my beauty while I walk over to the storage closet and grab my stuff along with a jacket and helmet that I think will fit her. I toe off my sneakers and step into my riding boots, then swagger over to where she stands, ghosting her fingers over my bike much like she did my car.
As if it weren’t enough for this woman to be a fucking siren, she just has to have a love of cars and now it seems bikes. It’s like God decided to throw me a big middle finger and drop this perfect girl in my lap, knowing I can’t have her.
“Here,” I tell her, sticking out my hand with the jacket and helmet. “Zip up the jacket to the neck and snap the collar.”
She cautiously takes it from me and slides her arms through it. My eyes follow the zipper, watching each tooth catch one by one. Her delicate fingers snap the button snuggly on her throat and I wish it were my hand wrapped around it.
She tugs at the hem of the jacket, adjusting it and making sure it’s in place, then lifts her head to look at me. The moment grows quiet and intense as our eyes stay locked, and I take another step closer to her. Slowly, I raise my hands and slip the helmet over her head, and I’m disappointed when I lose the ability to see her beautiful greens.
I tug on it until I see it’s secure, then fasten the chin strap. The carbon helmet is in a fierce shade of crimson red and has a red iridescent visor. It’s a sexy helmet and it’s perfect for her. The black jacket with red accents matches perfectly, and hugs her full breasts.
I flip open the visor and her pupils shrink from the intrusion of the light. “Feel okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah.” Her breath is sultry and breathy and it sends a tingle down my spine.
I nudge my head in the direction of my bike and she follows as I pull my balaclava and helmet on.
I push it out of the garage then set it on the kickstand once more. I steady the bike and throw my leg over, sitting comfortably. Once I’m situated, I look over my shoulder and hold my hand out to help her. She pushes my hand out of the way and climbs on like an expert, using the pegs to steady herself.
Flipping my own visor, I tell her, “This is going to be different than riding on a Harley. You’re going to use your core and your legs to stabilize yourself while sitting back on the seat. Can’t have you giving me a crushed crotch or a concussion when we knock helmets every time I brake.”
She smiles and sits back just a bit, wiggling around to find a comfortable position.
“Bear hugs do nothing but make it difficult to ride, so you can either hold on to my shoulders or my waist. You want to basically mimic my moves on the turns. Just don’t try to control them.”
“I know. I got it.” She rests her hands on my shoulders, but must not feel secure because she lowers her hands to my waist and tightens her grip.
I feel my dick twitch and say a silent prayer, thankful she can’t see it. I exhale and lean back.
“You good?” I ask and she nods. “Okay. Hold on tight. I’ll try not to go too fast.”
“Give it all you got, Hendrix Dare. Don’t hold back on account of me.” Her eyes hold mine before she flips her visor down.
I’d love to give you all I got, Dagen McCallan. But I don’t think this little mouse could handle a snake like me.