CHAPTER 23
STORM
“What the fuck are you busting my ass for?” I say to Dimples. “This isn’t a fucking outlaw ride. It’s a charity run. In broad daylight.”
After our initial heated exchange, Dimples pulled Nails and me away from the group, but I’m sure Frost saw the whole thing. It should’ve been simple, but Dimples is all uptight.
“Talk to her,” I say to Nails. “Tell her I don’t need my fucking sergeant-at-arms babysitting me.”
Nails clasps her hands in front of her, and her gaze shifts between Dimples and me. “Protocol says I should stick with you whenever we’re on a ride. It’s my job.”
“Yeah, when we go to shady clubs or nighttime bars, but it’s the middle of the fucking afternoon. Besides, I’m leaving the ride.” I wave my arm toward the crowd. “The fuck. This is a bunch of middle-aged professional women. Do you think they’re going to follow me and jump me?”
I know Dimples is trying to protect me, but she’s let this shit with Frost get under her skin. Every minute I fight with Dimples is another minute longer that Shadow doesn’t get on the road.
“Fine!” Dimples crosses her arms over her chest. “Don’t mind me. I’m just being hysterical, right?”
Her words hit me like a fist. She’s the one I trust the most. The one who’s always had my back. I take a step toward her, and she steps back. I glance at Nails. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure thing.” Nails backs up. Relief is evident on her face. “I’ll be over there if you need me.”
Once she’s gone, I meet Dimples’ angry gaze. “Dude, you know I love you.” I pound my fist against my chest. “You’re my right hand. I can’t do this without you. But you can’t let Frost get inside your head or let her cause this between us.”
“She’s not causing it. You are.”
Okay. She’s angrier than I thought, so I take a different tack. “Can you explain what’s got you so upset?”
“You,” Dimples spits.
“I kinda figured that.” I can’t hide my grin. “But can you elaborate?”
A hint of a dimple shows on her cheek, telling me she’s softening. “Damn it, Storm. I’m scared. Frost is gunning for you, and if anything happens to you…” Her voice trails off, and pain fills her eyes.
Knowing she’s softening, I grab her hand. “Hey, how many times do I haveta tell you, we’re in this together?”
“Then take my worry seriously. You know my instincts are good.”
“You’ve got the best instincts of anyone I know.” It’s true. She catches things most people wouldn’t. It’s how she survived. “Do you really think it’s dangerous for me today?”
“I suppose not. Frost just has me on edge.” Dimples’ shoulders relax, and then she laughs. “Today, I think Shadow is much more dangerous for you than Frost.”
I smile. “See, I told you that your instincts are spot on.”
“You’re an idiot.” Dimples’ smile is back. “Get out of here. But promise me, if I tell you I’m afraid, you’ll listen.”
I raise my right hand. “I swear.” I wrap her in a hug and squeeze extra tight before I let go. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“I love you,” Dimples says in answer.
“And I love you.”
“Tell Shadow goodbye for me.” Dimples slaps me on the back. “Get outta here and keep it rubber side down.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, backing away. “Rubber side down.”
When I get back to Shadow, my bike is waiting for me. I make a mental note to thank the prospects. Shadow is pacing with helmet and gloves on, aviator glasses down, and a determined expression on her face.
“Sorry it took me so long,” I say.
“Is everything all right?”
I nod. “Yeah. Dimples just worries about me. Protocol says Nails should stick with me, but I don’t need her today. I’ll meet back up with them after I drop you off.”
“Is that necessary in broad daylight?” Shadow asks.
I wave her off. “You don’t need me boring you with club rules. You have places to go, children to see.”
“I do.” Shadow smiles. “Thanks for this.”
“Not a problem.” I plop my helmet on my head and pull on my glasses. “You ready?”
“I am.” She pats the seat of her bike. “I just hope she is.”
I throw my leg over my bike. “Side by side or staggered?”
Shadow shoots a glance over her shoulder. “We’ll drive out of here staggered.” I understand her meaning. She doesn’t want Wiz witnessing her riding side by side, especially with a Thorn. “But I’m up for side by side if you’re comfortable with me.”
“Absolutely.”
When we pull from the lot, I’m certain all eyes are on us. A Steel Grace and an Iron Thorn riding alone together is something they don’t see often. About a mile down the road, I let off my throttle and drift back beside her.
We’re babying her bike and keeping it under fifty.
At this speed, it’s easy to divert my attention from the road and look at her.
She’s facing forward, so I study her features.
Her makeup enhances her high cheekbones, giving them a chiseled look.
Most people are more attractive from the front, but Shadow’s perfect from all angles.
Her chin juts out with determination, and her full lips draw my eye.
I glance back at the road. If I’m not careful, I’m gonna drive into her like a moth to a flame. Will I ever see her again? It’s not like the Graces and the Thorns travel in the same circles. At most, we’ll cross paths two or three times this summer, but it won’t be enough.
What the hell is wrong with me? I don’t lack for women wanting to share my bed, so why am I thinking this way?
I’m not a hopeless romantic. Hell, I’m not romantic at all.
I don’t believe in that love at first sight bullshit or soul mates, but I remember what Aces told me.
She said she’d fallen in love, just once—in college—and it hit her like a ton of bricks.
And said she never felt it again for anyone else.
What if this is what she meant? Could I spend the rest of my days longing to feel the heat that rushed through my body the moment I laid eyes on Shadow?
I’m so lost in my thoughts, I take a moment to realize Shadow has slowed. I let off my throttle and fall back.
“What’s wrong?” I yell over the sound of my pipes.
“She’s overheating,” she yells back.
By now, our speed is down to thirty, so it’s easier to hear her. “How far to your house?”
“At least fifteen minutes.” She slows further and pulls to the side of the road just as her bike spurts and stalls.
I pull my bike onto the shoulder several yards in front of her and dismount. When I turn, I see her helmet bouncing in the ditch where she’s just thrown it. She slumps against her bike. At first, I think she’s fallen, but when she leans back and puts her head in her hands, I realize she hasn’t.
I approach with caution, unsure what to say. Even in this state, with her tight black jeans and white sneakers, she’s adorable.
Focus. She doesn’t need me ogling her. What she needs is my help. I kneel in front of her, being careful not to touch her. Even though I want to wrap my arms around her.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I say in my softest voice.
“No, it’s not.” She’s still wearing her glasses, but by the quiver in her voice, I suspect she’s crying. “They’ll already be scared riding all that way with a stranger, but if I’m not home… Fuck! They don’t deserve this.”
“I’ll get you home.”
She glances at her watch and then at me. “How? They’ll be there in half an hour.”
I point to my bike. “I can take you on my ride.”
“God. You must think I’m a drama queen.” She runs her hand through her hair, pushing it off her face.
“No. I think you’re a mom in distress who isn’t thinking clearly.”
She graces me with a smile. “Thanks. But what’ll we do with my bike?”
“Give me a second.” I stand and pull my phone out of my jacket pocket.
Dimples answers on the first ring. “Everything okay?”
“Kinda. Shadow’s bike overheated again. We’re stopped along the side of the road, and I need to get her home. Have one of the girls at the clubhouse grab a trailer to pick up her bike. Get Prospect One to come wait with Shadow’s bike until they get here.”
“Where should we take it?” Dimples asks.
I glance down at Shadow, realizing she’ll not know what I’m saying. “You know.”
Dimples chuckles. “Black Briar? You gonna fix it up for her?”
“That’s the plan.”
“But you aren’t telling her.” There was no question in Dimples’ words.
“Exactly.”
“And you’re about to have her thighs wrapped around your waist and her body pushed against yours.”
My face heats, and I glance at Shadow. The thought of her riding behind me is both bliss and torture. “Just do it. We need to get going.”
Dimples laughs. “Dude, you’ve got it bad.”
“Yeah, whatever. Just make sure they take care of her bike.” I rattle off directions where they can find it and end the call before Dimples can harass me further.
I reach my hand toward Shadow. She’s taken off her gloves, so I feel the softness of her skin when she takes my hand. I pull her to her feet, but I don’t let go of her hand.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She drops her gaze to the pavement. “Embarrassed. Where my kids are concerned, I lose my mind.” She motions over her shoulder with her thumb. “There’s a helmet in the ditch that proves it.”
I smile. “That was an impressive toss.”
“Impressive? Don’t you mean psycho?” Her expression is serious.
I shake my head. “No. Your ex messed with your head. That kind of damage doesn’t just go away. You’re jumping at your own shadow.”
She gives me a half-smile. “You know, that’s one reason I got my club name. If you can believe it, I’m calm now compared to how I was when I first showed up at the Graces’ clubhouse.”
Her honesty makes me like her even more. She could have made excuses or passed it off as someone else’s fault, but she doesn’t.
“It takes time considering what you’ve been through—are going through. Give yourself a break.”
Shadow sighs. “We should get going. You can finish psychoanalyzing me when we get to my apartment.” She lets go of my hand, which I’d almost forgotten she was holding since it felt so natural. “I better get my helmet.”
I grab her arm. “No.” I nod down toward her feet. “It’s still muddy in the ditches. You’ll get your white sneakers all dirty.”
She frowns. “It’ll serve me right.”
“I’ve got this.”
Reluctantly, I release her arm and jog down the ditch to her helmet. With each step, the soft ground squishes underfoot. Shadow’s shoes would have been trashed. I snatch her helmet off the ground and wipe off the mud as I scamper up the ditch. After I buff it on my pants leg, I hand it to her.
“My hero,” she says with a smile. “Such a gentle…gentlewoman.”
“I try to be.” I hold out my elbow. “Your chariot awaits.”
She slips her arm through mine. “Thank you, once again. I appreciate your kindness.”
When she gets on the bike behind me, a surge of adrenaline races through me. I’m surprised to hear her laugh. I stiffen, worried she can sense my thoughts. “What’s the matter?”
She continues to chuckle. “Can you imagine Wiz’s reaction if she saw us?”
I hadn’t thought about Wiz or anything else since my entire focus was on Shadow, but at the thought, I laugh.
She reaches around me, and I notice the phone in her hand. “You’re gonna have to take it. My arms are too short.”
“You want to take a selfie? Are you going to send it to Wiz?”
“Hell no. I’m not stupid.” She nudges me. “Stop yammering and take the picture.”
I take her phone and stretch my arm out as far as I can. My breath catches when I see her face behind my helmet. “Wait.” I pull off my helmet. “These things are in the way.”
She takes off hers and shakes out her hair. When she rests her chin on my shoulder with her face inches from mine, my heart skips a beat.
“Ready?” I ask. “Smile.”
Her smile lights up the screen. We take several before I return her phone to her.
I bite my lip, wanting to ask the question that I fear she’ll think is weird. I take a chance. “Can you text me one of those?”
She reaches her phone over my shoulder. “Text it to yourself.”
I choose several and send them, aware that I now have her number. While that wasn’t my original intention, it’s a bonus.
Once back in our helmets, I turn over my engine and rev the throttle. Her thighs tighten around me. If I were standing, I’m pretty sure my knees would’ve gone weak.
After taking a deep breath, I put my bike in gear and pull onto the road. When we start moving, she scoots closer so her chest presses against my back. The ride is much too short. I could stay in this position for hours—forever. Would she notice if I headed for California?
She puts her hand on my shoulder. “It’s that three-story apartment building up to the right.”
Hers is a typical small town in the Adirondacks, slightly depressed and grungy since tourism hasn’t kissed it. As we approach the building, I note that it needs a coat of paint and the roof is missing several shingles. Pulling into the lot, I have to dodge several rim-bending potholes.
“That’s my car there.” She points to a cluster of cars. “The red Camry.”
“Red? Bike’s red. Car’s red. I thought shadows were supposed to be dark and mysterious.”
She shrugs. “It’s the only flashy thing about me.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised how much flash you’ve got,” I mutter.
“Huh?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Nothing.”