She nodded. “I feel like we need to talk.”
“I’d love that.”
She cocked her head, gave him a sly grin. “A man wanting to talk. Fascinating.”
“Well, no. I don’t want to. I’d rather bash my head in with a hammer. But I agree with you that we should. That way I can tell you I’m an ass.”
“I like the start of this conversation.”
Okay. He’d give her that one. So far so good. He stepped closer, but left a good two feet between them. “I’m used to being on my own,” he said. “I thought I liked it. After time with you, even though how we came together sucked, I liked it. Loved it, in fact. Having someone to bounce ideas off of and go riding with. It was”—he shrugged—“I don’t know, nice, I guess. You know?”
“I do know. I felt the same way. And speaking of, Maggie told me about the bike. I’m sorry. I know what it meant to you.”
He waved it off. “Thanks, but after all the bullcrap from last week, I’m seeing things differently. I mean, we were standing there—me and Shep—and I’m hanging on to the metal guardrail, staring down at all this loose rock that could crumble and cave my little brother’s head in. I couldn’t do it. Not for a motorcycle. Nothing is worth that. It made me realize how much energy I put into a hunk of metal.” He shook his head. “What kind of man does that?”
Roni stepped closer and set her hands on his arms. That same old bolt of heat shot through him. He wanted her. He knew it.
“Maybe the bike was a way to love something without risking getting hurt. Believe me, I’m an ace at it. I think you like living in the Kingdom of Way. If you let someone else in, they get a say in what happens. A hunk of metal doesn’t speak.”
At that, he smiled and squeezed another inch closer, just in case she took pity on him and let him do wicked things to her.
“It’s not your fault,” she said, clearly in headshrinker mode. “As a kid you were used to being on your own and as you got older you took refuge in it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There is if it keeps you from what you want.”
Go ahead. Ask me. She wanted to. Way sensed it in the way her eyes narrowed. “Please, ask me what I want.” He stepped even closer, fully in her space now and close enough to feel her warm breath on his neck. Slowly, his insides came apart. “I’ll tell you what I want if you ask.”
She tipped her head up, met his direct gaze. “What do you want?”
“I want you. You challenge me and make me think. And, hell, I like having you close.”
She stared up at him, her eyes big and so insanely dark he couldn’t anticipate what she might say.
Which probably wasn’t a good thing for him.
Then she blinked.
Twice.
I’ve got a shot.
That brief hesitation, he’d learned, sometimes meant weakening. He didn’t want her weak, though. He wanted strong, pushy Roni Fenwick.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
He laughed. “I guess it’s not a no. That’s good.”
She glanced around the apartment, waved her hand. “This is my home. I thought it was, anyway. Now, without a job here, I’m not sure.” She faced him again. “I enjoyed Steele Ridge. Maybe not everyone knowing everyone else’s business, but there was comfort there, too. Like something I’d been missing. I never felt that before.”
“Why do you think I take off on my motorcycle for weeks at a time? It’s a pain in the ass sometimes with everybody up in your grill all the time. Going to the post office turns into a two-hour trip. You see twelve freaking people who ask a billion questions.”
“But that’s what I’ve never had. I kinda like that.”
God help her, then, because if she moved to Steele Ridge, she’d have a truckload of it. “So, what are you saying? You want to move to Steele Ridge?”
“I don’t know. I could try it, but if things don’t work out with us, I’d have to move.”
“Who says things won’t work out?”
“First of all, if you haven’t noticed, things don’t necessarily go my way when it comes to relationships. And you brought it up so we might as well talk about it.”
Here it comes. All the reasons it won’t work. He’d tackle them one by one. “Okay.” He waggled his fingers. “Give it to me.”
“I’ve been alone pretty much my whole life. Spending time with you and your family makes me want more of it. I want the bond you all share and to, well, belong.”
He shrugged. “I want that, too. Let me prove it to you. I think we’d be good together.”
“But you like to leave for weeks at a time. I’m not okay with that. A few days maybe, but if we’re going to be together, I want us together.”
“You want the picket fence?”
“No. I want company and conversation.” She gestured to the room again. “I don’t want this anymore. Every night I come home to an empty apartment. I’m done being alone all the time. And I think that’s a deal-breaker for you.”
On the way here, Way had prepped for this. Hours on his motorcycle gave him plenty of time to think. About her, what she’d need.
What he’d need.
As independent as she was, he’d anticipated her wanting more than he’d ever given. After the life she’d had, she deserved that.
Which meant stepping up. Leaving behind the resentment that’d built up regarding his family.
“I hear what you’re saying. I think I have a compromise.”
“What?”
He grinned. God help him if she didn’t go for it. He’d be toast. Absolutely charred.
“I have an extra helmet,” he said.
“Pardon?”
“For road trips. I have an extra helmet. You could come with me. I think that would be…fun. Just the two of us. The open road. No plan. What do you say, Roni? Wanna take a chance?”
* * *
She sure did.
Roni stood in front of Way, her heart slamming hard enough that he might have felt the blast from where he stood.
Could she do this? Give up everything here in DC and take a chance on Steele Ridge? Small-town life versus the chaos of DC.
Why not?
Darn, her heart. Always wanting something just out of her reach.
Do it.
She closed her eyes, fought the confusion fogging her brain. At this point, she wasn’t sure if her heart or her brain was sending the messages.
Maybe both?
Wouldn’t that be a dream? Finally, her world coming together.
She held his gaze. Even if she said yes, threw herself into his arms and agreed, could he actually do it? Give up that privacy he craved so much?
“Are you sure about this?” Please let him be sure. “Because this would be huge for me. To take a chance and then have you decide you can’t do it would devastate me. And…and what if I want kids one day?”
The second the words burst free, she regretted it. Too much. She’d thrown too much at him at once. But, well, it was what it was. If he couldn’t handle it, better to know now.
“I love kids,” he said.
Hope, a truckload full, exploded in her chest. “Kids require stability. If this progresses and we have kids, we can’t be taking off on a motorcycle.”
“But we can load kids into a car.” He held up his hand. “They’re not in school all year. We’ll make it work. We can both get what we want.”
Oh, Way. An answer for everything.
“You have to be sure. That’s all I’m asking. Sure you can deal with having someone new in the Kingdom of Way.”
He dipped his head, hovering just over her lips. “Do you hear that?”
“What?”
“That squeak.”
What the hell was he talking about? But, oh, his lips were right there. So close to hers. “What squeak?”
“Listen hard. It’s the gates to my kingdom opening.”
She kissed him. Just slammed
her lips against his and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, loving the feel of him against her.
He angled his head and parted his lips, slipping his tongue against hers in a gentle movement that made her previously frozen heart overheat.
She could love him. If he’d let her, she could do it.
She slid her mouth from his and hugged him, pressing against him and hanging on while she propped her chin on his shoulder and squeezed her eyes closed, fighting a spurt of happy tears.
New man. New life.
Fresh start.
He’d offered her the life she’d dreamed of. A version of it anyway. A compromise.
If he could do it, so could she.
He patted her lower back. “Roni? You okay?”
More than okay. Roni Fenwick, the practiced cynic was…hopeful.
She eased back. For this, she wanted to be looking straight at him.
At her future.
“I’m great,” she said. “You make me think I can have things I’ve always dreamed of. That’s a gift I will always love you for. Thank you.”
He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. “Don’t thank me. Everything feels right when I’m with you. You make me happy and I didn’t realize how long it’d been since I felt that. So, thank you. Now, what do you say? Wanna take a road trip?”
Yes.
She let out a laugh. “I don’t have a job and I’m apparently moving to Steele Ridge, so why not?”
He smacked her on the rear. “We’ll hit the road for a week, then come back and move you out of here. How’s that sound?”
She smiled at him, so handsome and…hers. “It sounds great.”
“Good, because I have to bring Hugo and Boss home with me by next week.”
“Hugo? And Boss? You’re taking both of them?”
He gave her a mile-wide smile. “They’re too damned cute. And they’ve been through a lot. How can I split them up? Plus, it turns out my cousins have a shitload of land where the pups can hang out when I’m on the road. Or they can ride in the car for roadtrips. It’ll be us and the dogs.”
The Kingdom of Way. Her, his family and the dogs. How far they’d come.
She threw her arms around him, smacking a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to see you with them.”
Finally, she was home.
Discover More Steele Ridge
STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS
Craving HEAT, Book 1
Tasting FIRE, Book 2
Searing NEED, Book 3
Striking EDGE, Book 4
Burning ACHE, Book 5
STEELE RIDGE: THE STEELES
The BEGINNING, A Novella
Going HARD, Book 1
Living FAST, Book 2
Loving DEEP, Book 3
Breaking FREE, Book 4
Roaming WILD, Book 5
Stripping BARE, Book 6
Enduring LOVE, A Novella, Book 7
Vowing LOVE, A Novella, Book 8
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Also by Adrienne Giordano
PRIVATE PROTECTORS SERIES
Romantic suspense
Risking Trust
Man Law
A Just Deception
Negotiating Point
Relentless Pursuit
Opposing Forces
* * *
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUES
Romantic suspense
The Prosecutor
The Defender
The Marshal
The Detective
The Rebel
* * *
JUSTIFIABLE CAUSE SERIES
Romantic suspense novellas
The Chase
The Evasion
The Capture
* * *
LUCIE RIZZO SERIES
Mysteries
Dog Collar Crime
Knocked Off
Limbo
Boosted
Whacked
Cooked
Incognito
* * *
CASINO FORTUNA SERIES
Romantic suspense
Deadly Odds
* * *
JUSTICE SERIES w/MISTY EVANS
Romantic suspense
Stealing Justice
Cheating Justice
Holiday Justice
Exposing Justice
Undercover Justice
Protecting Justice
Missing Justice
Defending Justice
* * *
STEELE RIDGE SERIES
Romantic suspense collaboration with Kelsey Browning & Tracey Devlyn
The BEGINNING
Going HARD
Living FAST
Loving DEEP
Breaking FREE
Roaming WILD
Stripping BARE
Enduring LOVE
Vowing LOVE
* * *
STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS
Craving HEAT
Tasting FIRE
Searing NEED
Striking EDGE
Burning ACHE
Acknowledgments
One of the things I love most about being an author is the people I’m fortunate enough to meet along the way. Ten years ago, I crossed paths with Milton and Rhonda Grasle. What started as a professional relationship has grown to a friendship I will always be grateful for. When my Burning Ache plot fell apart, I e-mailed Milton and Rhonda and invited myself over.
For two days.
With little notice, they opened their home to me and helped me come up with new plot ideas and a kick-butt heroine for Way. I wish I could find adequate words to express my gratitude. To Milton and Rhonda, thank you for your friendship and for caring. Muhwah!
Tracey Devlyn and Kelsey Browning, thank you for the amazing ride, not to mention your patience while I figured out Way Kingston. He drove me crazy, but has a special place in my heart.
Thank you also to one of my other go-to guys, John Leach. No matter what I throw at you, you have an answer. I keep trying to stump you and it never works!
Tony Iacullo, I so appreciate you helping me weed through the continuous legal questions that arise. Thanks also to Dianna Love for schooling me on the use of a cell phone while riding a motorcycle. I hope to try it myself sometime. To my beta readers, Amy Remus and Liz Semkiu, I know how valuable your time is and I’m honored you spend it with my books.
To Team Steele Ridge, Leiha Mann, Sandy Modesitt, Gina Bernal, and Martha Trachtenberg, this giant fuzzy panda known as Steele Ridge wouldn’t grow without your support. It really does take a village.
Finally, as usual, thank you to “my guys” who always make me smile at the end of the day. I love you.
TEAM STEELE RIDGE
Edited by Gina Bernal
Copyedited by Martha Trachtenberg
Cover Design by Killion Group, Inc.
Author Photo by Debora Giordano
* * *
Copyright © 2019 Adrienne Giordano
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented—except in the case of brief quotations—without permission in writing from Steele Ridge Publishing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print Edition, September 2018, ISBN: 978-1-948075-34-3
Digital Edition, September 2018, ISBN: 978-1-948075-33-6
For more information contact: [email protected]
About the Author
Adrienne Giordano is a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her ultimate supporter of a husband, sports-obsessed son and Elliot, a snuggle-happy rescue. Having grown up near the ocean, Adrienne enjoys paddleboarding, a nice float in a kayak and lounging on the beach with a good book. For more information on Adrienne’s books, please visit www.AdrienneGiordano.com. Adrienne can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AdrienneGiordanoAuthor, Twitter at http://twitter.com/AdriennGiordano and Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/AdrienneGiordano.
* * *
Adrienne can be found at:
www.AdrienneGiordano.com
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Burning Ache Page 30
