Chapter 3
THREE
Ransom
“You should have just brought this damn thing to my shop,” Foster complains for the tenth time.
“It’s fine here,” I assure him. “We’re almost done.”
He sighs, passing me a wrench, and I smile in thanks as I tighten the last screw into place on my bike.
“This thing is just going to keep breaking. I think it’s time that you sell it and buy something new,” he tells me as we both stand.
“I’m not getting rid of it. This was my dad’s bike. It’s all I have left of him,” I say, and he winces.
“Shit, sorry, man.”
“It’s okay. I know it’s old, and I’ll probably get a new bike soon and just keep this one for the memories.”
He nods. We both turn as a truck pulls into my driveway, and I wave as Ford hops out and heads our way.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Good. What’s up?” I ask him.
I live in the other direction from Ford, so he doesn’t drop by very often.
“I came for him. We’re going over to our dad’s house for dinner tonight,” he explains, nodding at his twin.
“Fun. Tell him I said hi.”
“Will do. I’m surprised that you’re here,” he comments, and I raise a brow.
“Why?”
“Because Ruby picked up Cameron’s shift tonight. She’s closing, and usually you’re there with her.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Oh, I thought she would have told you,” he comments.
She doesn’t really tell me anything. I almost say that, but then I glance at the clock and see that it’s getting late. If I want to be over at the diner by the time she’s done, then I need to leave soon.
“Well, I’ll let you two get going,” I say, and they laugh.
“Subtle,” Foster mumbles, and I glare at him.
“Like you wouldn’t have kicked me out when you were trying to get with Lilliana,” I point out, and he grins.
“I would have,” he says shamelessly.
“You did,” Ford grumbles at his brother, and I laugh.
“I’ll see you guys later,” I tell them as I hop on my newly fixed bike.
They wave as they head over to Ford’s truck. I wait for them to pull out before I start my bike and take off down the road in the other direction.
It doesn’t take long to get anywhere in Wolf Valley. There’s never any traffic and the only time I’ve had to stop was when a tree fell and blocked the road this winter. Even then, I called a few friends, and we were able to move it in about twenty minutes.
I pull into the nearly empty diner parking lot and park off to the side. I doubt that I’ll be able to convince Ruby to get on the back of my bike tonight, so that means I’ll be walking her home and then coming back for it.
I turn off my bike and climb off, smiling as I look through the front windows and see my girl. My smile fades when I see that she looks stressed out and pissed off as she deals with a tourist. The guy’s face is red, and it looks like he’s yelling at Ruby.
Oh, hell no…
I take off for the front door and rush inside just as the man stands, towering over my girl. Ruby backs up a few steps but then she’s backed against the booth behind her with nowhere to go.
“How hard is that?” The asshole screams, and my fists clench into fists. “Get it right, you moron!”
“Hey!” I shout, grabbing the guy’s shoulder and turning him away from Ruby. “Leave her alone.”
“Stay out of it,” he snaps at me, and I glare at him.
“I think it’s time that you left,” I growl at him.
“And I think that it’s time that you minded your own business.”
He turns back to Ruby and I snap. I grab his arm again and spin him around before he can get in her face again. My right hand swings up and I slam my fist into his face. His head snaps back and he staggers back a step. I take the opportunity to put myself between him and Ruby.
She’s shaking, and that only has my anger increasing. No one gets to mess with my woman.
“Leave. Now,” I snap at him and he staggers back two steps before he turns and takes off for the door.
“Great,” Ruby sighs once he’s gone, and I turn back to her.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my eyes roaming over her for any signs that she’s been harmed.
“I’m fine, but you ran him out of here before he could pay.”
“He was getting aggressive with you. It was time for him to go.”
“Ford is going to be upset.”
“I’ll cover the guy’s bill.”
She sighs again and pushes past me to clear the table. We’re the only ones left in Nosh and I follow her behind the counter and into the back.
“What are you doing here?” She asks me, and I smile.
“I’m here to walk you home.”
“You don’t have to keep doing that.”
“I told you. I like spending time with you.”
She starts spraying off the dishes and loading them into the washer. I grab a cloth and start wiping down the counters.
“I used to work in a restaurant when I was a kid. I always hated closing shifts. I hated cleaning everything,” I tell her, and she nods.
“It’s not so bad here since Nosh is busiest in the morning and the lunch rush. Second shift is able to do a lot of cleaning, so there’s not much for me to do at night.”
“How was your day?” I ask, picking a neutral topic in the hopes that she keeps talking to me.
“Long. Cameron isn’t feeling great. Some kind of sinus infection, I think. I was looking forward to a day off, but now that won’t happen for a few more days.”
“Maybe Cameron will feel better tomorrow and she can cover your shift? Or you could ask someone else?”
“Maybe, but I kind of need the extra money too. Not that I made a ton in tips tonight,” she says, glaring at the front door.
“Forget him. He’s an asshole.”
She nods and finishes loading the dishwasher. She starts it, and I toss the dishcloth aside.
“Ready to go home?” I ask her, and she nods, then pauses.
I wait for her to say something, but she seems to change her mind.
“What?” I ask her, curious about the look in her pretty green eyes.
“I just was thinking…”
“Thinking what?”
“That I’m ready to live a little. To have some fun for once.”
Her words have my heart racing, and I smile. This feels like it might finally be the moment I was waiting for. She’s letting down her walls. Now I just need to show her that letting me in is the right choice.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask her as we come to a stop next to my bike.
She chews on her lip for a moment, and I shift on my feet as my cock hardens in my jeans. I wish I was the one nibbling on her lip.
Soon, I promise myself.
“Let’s go for a ride,” she says, and for a second, I think she’s talking about riding me, but instead, she moves towards my bike.
“Sure, whatever you want, baby.”
“Don’t call me baby,” she snaps at me, and I hold up my hands.
“Won’t happen again,” I promise her.
She clearly doesn’t like pet names. I can’t help but wonder why.
“Are you seeing someone?” I ask her as I grab the helmet and pass it to her.
“No.”
“Bad boyfriend in the past?” I probe, and she shakes her head.
“No, I don’t date.”
I want to ask her what this is then, but I decide not to push it. I’m finally getting her to open up to me, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.
“Let me help you with the strap,” I tell her as she slides the helmet on.
She tilts her chin up, and I thread the strap through and pull it tight. I smile at her, and she looks like she’s starting to have second thoughts, so I hop on and start the bike.
“Hop on,” I tell her, and she takes a deep breath and moves closer.
Her hands land on my shoulders as she throws her leg over the back of the bike and climbs on behind me. Having her thighs pressed against me has my cock hardening, and when I feel all of her curves molded against my back, I swear that I almost come.
“Hang on!” I call.
“To what?” She yells over the roar of the engine.
“Me.”
With that, I kick the kickstand up and rev the engine. Ruby squeals, and her hands wrap around my waist, squeezing me tightly as we take off.
I grin. This is heaven, or my idea of heaven, anyway. I didn’t think riding on my bike could get any better, but having Ruby on it with me is the best.
I turn and head out of town towards a back road that winds its way up the nearest mountain. I stumbled across this place on one of my rides when I first moved to town. It seemed like a romantic spot, and I had hoped to take Ruby here one day.
I pull into the scenic overlook and come to a stop near the guardrail. Ruby is still clinging to me, and I hate the thought of asking her to let go, so I park and then rest my feet down, stabilizing the bike.
“Whoa,” Ruby breathes, and I glance over my shoulder at her.
She’s staring out at the view of the valley, and I smile.
“I know. It’s beautiful. Almost as pretty as you.”
Ruby side-eyes me, and I laugh.
“Too cheesy?”
“Yeah,” she says, but she’s smiling.
“Come on. There’s a bench over there that we can sit on.”
She hops off the bike and I climb off after her.
“Do you take all of your dates up here?” She asks as I lead her over to the bench.
“Is this a date?” I counter, and her lips flatten.
“No.”
“Damn.”
She looks at me for a moment, and I try to read the expression on her face but she turns away before I can. Maybe if there was more light, but there’s only the moon and one streetlight for us to see.
All of the lights from Wolf Valley and the nearby towns are sparkling in the distance, far below us.
“I don’t date either. No one has ever interested me before… until you.”
“You’re getting cheesy again,” she warns me, and I smile as I scoot closer to her on the bench.
“Just being honest.”
“Uh-huh.”
It’s clear that she thinks I’m just being a flirt. I don’t know how to get through to her and let her know that I love her, that she’s the only one I’ve ever wanted.
I need to figure that out.
Fast.