by Jaci Burton
She seemed to relax then, because she laughed. “Thanks. They get in the way a lot.”
“Yeah, but I’ll bet they’re a lot of fun to play with.”
She seemed to consider saying something, but instead she closed her mouth and her lips curled upward in a knowing smile.
It made his dick twitch.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
He got on the bike and she climbed on behind him.
“Lean the same way I lean. Press your thighs against mine. It’ll help with your balance. And hold on to me if you feel unsteady.” He had a back pad for the rider, but a new rider sometimes felt a little wobbly until they got their bearings. He started up the bike and let it warm up while he waited for everyone else, giving the throttle a boost. Ava leaned closer and slid her hands in the pockets of his jacket.
Okay, he had to admit he liked that, enjoyed the feel of her body pressed against his back. He very rarely had someone on the back of his bike. He’d grown so used to his solitary lifestyle that it was unusual to have a rider behind him. And hell, who wouldn’t like those great tits of hers pillowed against his back?
Sometimes he had shitty assignments. He’d thought this was one of them.
Then again, riding with a hot woman against you could be a definite perk, so maybe it wouldn’t be all bad.
THREE
Ava had done a really bad job trying to portray herself as a seasoned bike rider. At least to Rick, who hadn’t fallen for it. She thought she could just slip right in and act like she belonged there, like she fit in.
Apparently not.
Then again, what was she trying to prove? She supposed she wanted to look like she belonged. No point in that. She was totally out of her element here and everyone knew it. She might as well just hang on and enjoy the newness of the experience and let a seasoned veteran like Rick teach her the ropes.
Like riding in darkness into the desert, where the roads curved and the biting wind stung her cheeks and made her wish she’d applied some lip balm to keep her lips from drying out.
There was a lot she didn’t know.
The riding part? She loved it. Hanging on to Rick while the bike hugged the corners of the road was a thrill she hadn’t expected. She felt like she was part of the motorcycle itself. It was exhilarating. And the closer she got to Rick, the warmer she felt, which was a nice side benefit. He didn’t seem to mind her pressed up against him, either. His body was solid and as she laid her chin on his shoulder, it gave her a great view. He had a good command of the bike, knew what he was doing, which helped her relax. He never once even seemed to notice her weight or the fact he had an extra body on the back. He just focused on the road ahead. The ride was smooth and she wished it was daylight so she could see the desert.
After riding for a while—she’d lost track of time and had no idea how long they’d ridden—they pulled down a stretch of road that led to a large, sprawling homestead. In the darkness she could make out fences and heard the rustle of horses, so maybe a farm or a ranch or something? Dogs barked in the distance, and loose dirt shifted under her feet after they climbed off the bike.
And, oh, she was sore, her muscles tight from being in one position for so long. She resisted the urge to rub her butt.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine.” She took off the helmet and handed it to Rick.
“Stiff?”
“A little.”
He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’ll get used to it. It’s like riding a horse. Your muscles have to adjust.”
She hoped they adjusted fast. “Where are we?”
“Joey’s house. He’s one of the Hellraisers, owns a ranch out here in the desert. The Hellraisers party a lot out here because it’s away from the watchful eye of the law.”
“Really.”
“Yeah. Come on.”
Ava wondered what kind of partying went on that the Hellraisers didn’t want the police or county sheriff to know about. She caught up with Lacey, who was just ahead of her.
“Have you been here before?”
“At Joey’s? Sure. Lots of times.”
“What goes on here?”
Lacey squeezed her hand and laughed. “Relax, Ava. We’re just here to kick back and have some fun. You’ll see.”
Lacey moved off with Bo, leaving her—once again—until Rick moved up and swept his arm around her. “I won’t leave you alone. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried at all.” And she wasn’t. Not about herself, anyway. She was more concerned about what Lacey had gotten herself involved in. That’s why she was here. Though she had to admit, having Rick’s arm around her wasn’t bad at all. He was tall, gorgeous, strong, and he smelled damn good. Like leather and soap and the outdoors. And he was fine to look at. Lacey could have stuck her with some ugly guy with a gross shaggy beard and butt crack hanging out of his pants. She counted her lucky stars that she’d managed a riding partner that looked like he could be a male model instead of some grizzled, greasy biker type.
They went up to the house. By the time they made it in there, loud music was playing, the lights were blaring, there was a fire in the fireplace, and there was plenty of beer lined up in large metal buckets on the floor in the living room.
The place was very rustic, all wood floors and paneling. Very little décor and Ava could tell immediately that this was a guy’s place. It had no feminine touches anywhere. No pictures on the wall and only a mounted deer’s head over the fireplace. And it was kind of a mess, though people just shoved things out of the way and no one seemed to care.
Ava shuddered at the clutter, clenched her hands into fists, and forced herself to refrain from jumping in to straighten things up.
She’d grown up in a spotless environment, her mother a politician’s wife almost from day one. Ava had never been allowed to leave her toys lying around, and had always been required to pick them up every night before bed. Of course all her toys had been relegated to the playroom, never in any of the common areas of the house.
As she got older, she remembered coming home from college and not being allowed to study at the kitchen table. She’d been sent to her room. After her first semester she’d stopped coming home. It was more comfortable—more homey—at school. Though even then, she kept her room at college immaculate. Habit, she supposed.
The chaos at this house was truly something to behold. Loud and raucous, a hundred bikers crammed into this guy’s house, talking over the music, laughing, sitting anywhere and everywhere, from the fireplace to the stairs to the kitchen and even spilling into the front and backyards. And discarded beer cans everywhere.
“Want a beer?” Rick asked.
“Sure. Thanks.”
He reached into a round metal bucket and grabbed two cans, popped them open, and handed her one. She took a couple gulps, looked around for a napkin, and of course didn’t find one. Not in a guy’s house anyway, so she did the next best thing—she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed.
“Manners don’t count here. Quit worrying about it.”
“Sorry. Old habits die hard.”
“You can drool all over yourself in this group and no one will say a word.”
She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Instead of staying put in one place—something she’d probably have done—Rick began to wander around. He knew a lot of these people, stopped to say hello, and was nice enough to introduce her to those he talked with. Most of the guys seemed surprised to see him, asked where he’d been, indicated it had been a long time since he’d been around. They all welcomed him back.
Ava wondered where he’d been, too.
“You son of a bitch.”
Ava froze at the angry tone of someone behind her. Rick pulled his attention from the person he’d been talking to toward the sound of the voice, then smiled.
“Hey, asshole, what’s up?
”
She stepped out of the way as the two men shook hands and laughed.
“Goddamn. What did you do, fall into a black hole or somethin’?” the guy asked.
He was big—all over—a giant of a man. Even his hair had as wild a look as his face, tumbling in wild curls halfway down his back.
“Something like that. Great to see you, Joey.”
Ah. So this must be the guy who owned the house.
“Joey, this is my friend Ava.”
Joey turned to her, eyed her from head to foot, then picked her up and planted a big kiss on her cheek. “How ya doin’, sweetheart?”
When he set her down, she exhaled. “Fine. Thank you. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for having us over.”
Joey paused, then laughed and turned to Rick. “Polite little thing, ain’t she?”
Rick’s lips lifted. “Yeah.”
“So, you still in the life?”
Rick shrugged. “More or less. What about you?”
“Hellraiser ’til I die. Bo’s done a fine job growing the gang. He keeps us busy runnin’—”
Joey seemed to notice Ava standing there. “He keeps us busy running around.”
“I can see that. I remember when there were just ten or fifteen of us.”
“Now there are over a hundred in this area. He’s done good. And I know he’ll be happy to have you back.”
“Yeah, I figured it was time to come home.”
Joey smacked Rick on the back. “About damn time, too.”
Joey moved off to see some other people and Rick and Ava finished their beers. Rick reached into the nearest tub for another, opened it, and handed it to her while they wandered around.
“You seem to know a lot of people,” she said.
“A few. Some I don’t recognize. A lot of these people are new.”
“Joey said you’d been gone awhile?”
“Yeah. Traveling.”
“That must have been exciting.”
He laughed. “It can be.”
She suddenly wanted to know more about him. He must lead such an interesting life. “Who do you ride with when you travel? Groups like this one, or smaller?”
“No one. I ride alone.”
She couldn’t even imagine that. “Really. Don’t you get lonely?”
He slanted a glance toward her. “No.”
“So you like being alone.”
“I guess so. I never really thought about it. I just do what I do.”
“I wouldn’t enjoy that.”
“What? Riding or being alone?”
“The alone part.”
“It’s not bad. Gives me a lot of time to think.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “I have too much time to think. I wouldn’t want all that time alone. I’d drive myself crazy.”
He leaned in, slid his finger on the tip of her nose. “It’s good to get to know yourself, learn to be comfortable in your own skin.”
Rick had a point, and he definitely looked at ease with himself. Still, she wondered how much time he’d actually spent riding alone. What made a person crave that kind of solitude? Most people liked being with other people, not isolating themselves.
He was certainly an interesting person. And she’d always liked to be around interesting people.
Speaking of people . . . where the hell had Lacey gone off to? Ava hadn’t seen her since they’d arrived here. Ava searched her out, but the crowd had thickened and she couldn’t find her.
“Looking for your friend?” Rick asked.
“Yes.”
“I saw Bo take her upstairs. Let’s go find them.”
Once again, he took her hand and led her up the stairs, though they had to wind their way through a crowd of people using the stairs as a seating area. They didn’t seem to mind though, in fact, made room for Rick and Ava to find their footing until they made their way to the second floor.
Ava studied the hallway that branched out in two directions and led to lots of doors—closed doors.
“Uh, maybe we shouldn’t be up here.”
Rick cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”
“I think people came up here to find some privacy.”
He grinned. “I’m sure they did. But you wanted to find your friend, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but if she and Bo want to be alone . . .”
He shrugged. “It’s just sex. They won’t mind being disturbed. Let’s go.”
Just sex? He was joking, right?
Apparently not. He started down a hallway. Ava ran after him and grabbed his arm before he turned a knob. “Are you serious? Stop that.”
“What?”
“You can’t just barge in on people having sex.”
“Why not?”
“First. It’s rude. And second . . . oh my God. Do I have to spell it out?”
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Do you really want to watch people . . . you know.”
“Fucking?”
God. The way he said it. She flushed with heat all over. He made it sound dirty. And exciting. And compelling.
“Yes.”
“I guess if people don’t want to be bothered they’ll lock the door. Unless they forget. Most don’t really care. Watch.”
She took a giant step back as he turned the knob and opened a door that was, as he said, unlocked.
“Anyone in here having sex?”
“Get the fuck out of here!” came a sharp retort from the darkened room.
Rick laughed and closed the door.
“See? They didn’t want guests.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
He ignored her, took a few steps down the hall, and opened the next door. “What’s going on in here?”
There was heavy breathing. Then giggling, followed by a male voice that said, “Fucking. Why, do you wanna watch?”
“Maybe. I’ll get back to you.”
He closed the door and turned to her. Ava put her hand over her mouth to smother her laugh. “You’re something.”
He waggled his brows. “You have no idea, honey.”
“You don’t mean to go into every room and do this.”
“Sure I do.”
This time she quickened her step and rushed to cover the next door, putting her hand over the knob in the hopes she could spare another couple some embarrassment. “Really. Stop.”
Undaunted, he leaned into her, and her breath caught when he placed his hand over hers. She felt swallowed up, cornered, and for some reason didn’t mind at all.
He turned the knob and pushed the door open, sending her flying into the room with him.
“Anyone in here?”
No one replied.
“Hey, we’re in luck. Looks like we have this one to ourselves.”
Before she could say a word, he’d closed the door behind him. Ava heard the click of the lock.
“The smart ones lock the door to prevent assholes like me from coming in.”
She was now locked in a dark bedroom with Rick. And yet she wasn’t at all afraid. Intrigued, yes. Excited, definitely.
“Are you there?” he asked, his voice lowering.
“Yes.”
“Keep talking and I’ll find you.”
She licked her lips. “What would you like me to talk about?”
He was drawing closer. She moved farther away, though it wasn’t from fear. She bumped into something with her hip. Dresser, maybe.
“I don’t know. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking I’m locked in a bedroom with someone I don’t know very well.”
“Do you need to know me well?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“What do you want to know about me, Ava?”
He was getting closer. She inched farther to the right. “Tell me where you’ve been for the past ten years.”
He went silent. When he spoke agai
n, his breath brushed against her cheek. “I was in prison for a while for theft. Then I just rode freelance here and there, ended up in Chicago.”
She found it hard to breathe with him standing so close to her. But at least he’d been honest. “In prison?”
“Yeah.”
“For how long?”
“Three years.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Seven years ago.”
“Not since then?”
“No.”
She inhaled, blew it out, then stopped breathing when he wound his arms around her waist. “Does that bother you?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.” She thought about it. Just because he did time in jail didn’t mean he was a bad person now. People made mistakes. Some people learned from them. She’d seen plenty of that.
He laughed, and took a step back. “Go away, Little Red Riding Hood.”
“What?”
She heard the creak of the bedsprings.
“You can’t handle the Big Bad Wolf.”
Affronted, she moved forward, her knee making contact with the mattress. “Now just a minute. I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to say a word. You’re a scared little rabbit.”
Dammit. “I am not.”
“Aren’t you?”
He sounded so smug. “No, I’m not. I just don’t have indiscriminate sex with strangers.”
He laughed, the sound as dark as the room they were in. “Sorry. I left my resume in my other bike.”
What an asshole. She should leave, march downstairs and . . .
And what? “Do you often bully women into having sex with you?”
“I’ve never had to beg a woman to have sex with me, Ava.”
She believed that. Women probably fought each other for the right to get in bed with him. And why not? He was gorgeous, oozed sexuality. So what the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t a virgin. God knows the man got her juices flowing.
“If you have to think that hard about it, you should go. I promise not to chase you.”
“What if I wanted you to?”
“Wanted me to what? Chase you?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t chase women. I like them to be willing.”
She blew out a breath. He had a point.
“Ava.”
“Yes.”
