by Blair Grey
“Sure,” Braxton said easily.
I finished up my sandwich and rummaged around in the hall closet for my boots. “I assume you have a helmet for me too?” I asked as I laced up the leather.
“Yeah, of course,” Braxton said absently. “Who’s this?”
I glanced over, realizing he was looking at the pictures hanging in the living room, most of which were of me and Maggie, my sister. I grimaced. It was one thing to want to talk to him about losing a sibling while we were at the bar. It was another thing to ruin a perfectly good day by bringing up bad subjects right at the start of it.
I didn’t know if this was really going to be a good day, but I didn’t feel like talking about Maggie right now. And I assumed he probably didn’t want to start the ride thinking about Landon.
I mean, I was sure he was already going to be thinking about Landon. That was why he wanted me along, wasn’t it? To take his mind off the fact that his brother wasn’t there. To give him a little company. He was going to spend the whole day thinking about how Landon wasn’t there, I was sure. But we didn’t need to talk about it. Not right now.
“She’s just a friend,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t press. And it was true enough anyway. Maggie had been a friend. She’d been one of my best friends until she had died, just after I had graduated.
I finished lacing up my boots and stood up, putting my hands on my hips. “So let me see this bike of yours,” I said.
Braxton laughed. “Do you know anything about bikes?” he asked. “Have you ever even been on one before?”
“Nope,” I said cheerfully. “But don’t worry, I’m not scared.”
“I didn’t think you would be,” Braxton said, and when his eyes scanned my body this time, I couldn’t help the shiver that worked its way down my spine. There was a clear appreciation in his gaze that made me wonder if I’d been reading him wrong all along. Maybe he was actually interested in me. Maybe he just hadn’t wanted to distract me while I was at work or something.
Or maybe I was going crazy, thinking that we must be bonding now that he had sort of lost a sibling as well. Maybe I was reading too much into that gaze of his.
I shook my head and led the way outside, locking the door behind us. “So how do we do this?” I asked as Braxton expertly swung onto his motorcycle. And oh, I felt a little flutter of lust in the pit of my belly watching him sit there, so easily astride on the thing. Shit. I’d never been the kind of girl to fall for the bad boy before, but there was definitely something sexy about a dude who looked so comfortable on a motorcycle.
Must be something I’d picked up from watching one too many movies or something like that. I shook my head, feeling foolish.
Braxton was grinning at me. “Well, I figured that you’d ride behind me,” he said, holding a helmet out to me. “Given that otherwise, you’d be the driver. And I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet.”
“No, I know,” I said, and I had to grin right back at him, feeling suddenly more at ease. Exacerbated at the sarcastic response, maybe, but definitely more at ease. I wondered if he could tell how nervous I was and if he was deliberately trying to make me smile. I liked to think so.
“Come here,” Braxton coaxed. I stepped over to the bike. “Now just swing your leg out and over. Just like that,” he said.
“And where do I hold on?” I asked.
Braxton grinned over his shoulder at me and caught my hands, putting them on his waist. “Right here,” he said, and was it just my imagination or was there a husky note to his voice that normally wasn’t there? Maybe he was just as turned on by this as I was?
I didn’t have time to dwell on that, though, before he started the bike. I suddenly understood, as we roared off down the street, what people meant when they said that it felt like a motorcycle was purring. Because that’s certainly what this felt like. And between that and the wind against my body and the warm feeling of Braxton’s body beneath my fingertips? There was nothing like this.
We zoomed out of Las Cruces and off into the dry desert, passing through little towns as we went. I didn’t even really pay attention to where we were going. I trusted Braxton to pick our direction. I just relaxed, enjoying the ride.
We pulled off at a scenic overlook, and I swung off the bike once it stopped, stretching my legs. “Sorry,” Braxton said, grimacing as he watched me. “I forget that if you’re not used to this, this probably isn’t the most comfortable way to ride. I should have picked a shorter ride for your first one. But we should be back in about half an hour. We’ve just made a big loop.”
I smiled at him, appreciating his concern even though I really didn’t mind the ride. “This has been fun,” I told him. I shrugged. “I might be a little sore later, but I’d do it again.”
Braxton beamed as though he’d won a hundred bucks. “Good,” he said, and I wondered if he had plans to take me out on another ride in the future.
I looked out over the city. “I don’t think I’ve ever been up here before,” I confessed.
“It’s one of my favorite spots,” Braxton said.
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t strike me as the picnicking sort,” I told him.
Braxton laughed. “I’m not,” he said. He shrugged. “But it’s a nice, winding ride to get up here, fun to do on the bike. And it’s a good view. Plus, it’s usually cooler out here than it is in the city, so that’s always a plus.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “What made you get into motorcycle riding anyway?” I laughed and scratched the back of my neck. “I know that’s kind of a weird question. Like if you asked me why I decided to start bartending or something. I don’t know; something just came up? Is it kind of like that with the motorcycle, or did you think it was cool or something?”
“I actually don’t even know anymore,” Braxton said, laughing and shaking his head. “I mean, Landon and I had a pretty tough time of it, growing up in the foster system. And then we met Ray, and everything just seemed to fall into place.” He gave me an amused grin. “Fast-forward until we were in Florida and Ray drops the news on us that he’s actually our biological father and knew it all along. So I guess you could say that bike riding was always in our blood.”
He shrugged. “It’s actually something I’ve been thinking a lot about ever since I got back from Florida, you know? Wondering what my life would have been like if Landon and I had been separated sooner or if we had never met Ray.” He paused, nudging me with his shoulder. “But I have to say; I’m pretty happy with where things are in my life right now.”
“Wow, Ray’s your father?” I asked in surprise. “I totally wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“Yeah, like I said, came as a bit of a shock to us as well,” Braxton said, shaking his head. But he looked amused. And he didn’t look too upset at the casual mentions of his brother either.
“Bet it was a long ride all the way to Florida,” I ventured.
Braxton laughed. “Yeah, I about went stir-crazy on the way over, and the way back was worse. I just wanted to be here already. Jesus, there’s not a lot to look at as you go through Texas, that’s for sure. Or Louisiana or wherever the hell else we went through. Boring as anything.” He shrugged. “I like rides like this, you know. Destination-less. Just for fun. Actually driving to get somewhere just makes me impatient.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
We enjoyed the view in silence for another couple minutes. I liked this, beyond just the thrilling motorcycle ride, I realized. I liked spending time with Braxton outside the bar. He seemed like a good guy. Maybe a little lost without his brother by his side. I remembered how mopey he had looked the previous night, alone at the bar. Remembered what he had said about not needing my sympathy. He might not need my sympathy, but everyone could use a friend.
It made me want to suggest hanging out again soon. Maybe we would never be anything more than friends because I definitely wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, and I didn’t need to complicate things at the bar or
with Red Eyes. I didn’t need a one-night stand either, even if he actually was attracted to me in ways that I had never suspected before.
But we could hang out as friends, surely. Maybe we could even talk about our siblings at some point, have the conversation that I’d been wanting to have with him.
For now, we swung back onto the bike and roared back into Las Cruces with the vibration and his proximity awakening something inside of my core. I almost blushed as I handed him the helmet back.
“Hey,” I said, catching his arm before he could drive off. “Thanks. This was fun.”
“Thank you,” Braxton said, looking confused as I didn’t remove my hand from his forearm.
“I have tomorrow night off,” I said slowly. “If you wanted to hang out a little more, you could come by for dinner. I like to cook on my nights off, but I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking for myself. I mean, it’s not like I need to impress myself or anything.”
I almost clapped a hand over my mouth, regretting the words immediately. I hoped he didn’t think that I was implying that I felt the need to impress him or anything. Because I didn’t. Did I?
Ugh, one day with him and I was already all twisted up in feelings for him. Sexual tension, I told myself. Nothing more.
Braxton seemed to be battling his own set of complicated emotions if the look on his face was anything to go by. He probably wondered if this was still just sympathy, if I was only doing this because I must know how lonely he was without Landon there. I made a mental note not to bring up the sibling conversation just yet.
Surprisingly enough, I didn’t want to ruin this nebulous friendship. I didn’t want him to feel like I was overstepping.
“That sounds nice,” Braxton finally said, cautious agreement in his eyes. “Why don’t you text me with timing and all of that? I have something I have to do tomorrow afternoon, but I should be around all evening.”
“Sounds great,” I said. I paused, still feeling this strange tension, this strange pull toward him. Did I want him to kiss me? Was that it?
I felt myself blush as I finally retracted my hand, giving him an aborted wave. “See you tomorrow,” I squeaked out. Then, I turned and hurried inside, hoping I didn’t look quite as foolish as I felt.
I was so not one of those girls. You know, the ones who just got silly around their crushes, who fell head over heels at the drop of a hat. But there was no denying that Braxton did something to me. Made my pulse beat a little faster, made my pussy wet with lust.
Yeah, if he wanted to come over for dinner and topple me into bed afterward, I probably wouldn’t say no. Even though I knew, logically, that having a one-night stand with a guy who came into Sunshine so often probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Especially not when Darren still might show up at any time.
But I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my hands off of Braxton if he wanted to put his hands on me. And hey, there were worse things in the world. It wasn’t like I was in love with the guy or anything near it. I just thought he was a good guy, an attractive guy, the kind of guy who I might like to sleep with. And lord knew that I needed to get laid at some point.
I was already trying to figure out what to make the next evening. It would need to be something casual, something that wouldn’t take too much effort. Something that would be delicious without it seeming too obvious that I was trying to impress him. Maybe one of Maggie’s old recipes would do the trick. She’d always been a lot more culinary than me.
I’d have to think about it. For now, I tried not to think about that kiss that I might have been waiting for.
Play it cool. Keep things casual, I reminded myself. This was about fun more than anything else. Friendship and motorcycle rides and nothing more. I didn’t want to expect anything more. I wasn’t looking for anything more.
At least, I tried to tell myself that.
9
Braxton
Another Monday, another club meeting without Landon by my side. And even though this was only the second week of this, I had to admit that things were starting to feel surprisingly normal. But maybe it was just that I had other things on my mind than that absence next to me on the couch. Maybe I was remembering a certain pair of arms around my waist the previous day, or the dinner that I would be going to later that night.
I was surprised that Mia invited me over to her place for dinner. I was still wondering if this was all out of pity for me, but I was starting to wonder whether I really cared if that was the case. I had to admit; I liked spending time with her. And with the way that she had suggested having me over for dinner, and the way that she had lingered next to my bike when I’d dropped her off, I had to wonder whether she might actually be attracted to me the same way as I was to her.
After yesterday, I had to say that I was even more attracted to her than I had been seeing her at Sunshine. She might never have ridden a bike before, but she sure knew how to use that body, instinctively leaning into the curves with me, but not so much that she toppled us over. I liked having her there at my back as we rolled around corners too. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the joy of the ride.
Fortunately, Ray didn’t have any new business for Grant and me to tackle together. The whole meeting was pretty short, mostly just a recap of things we had gotten up to in the previous week and a reminder to keep our eyes out for other potential club members. I wanted to roll my eyes at that because really, were we just going to let anyone in? We’d end up with a whole club full of Grants if we did. Not that the kid was so bad, but at some point, someone was going to challenge our territory, and we’d have to be willing to do whatever it took to defend it.
Grant didn’t have what it took. I didn’t really want to imagine a whole club full of similarly minded kids.
But I didn’t say anything.
Afterward, everyone started to trickle out. Grant paused next to me, just like I’d been expecting he would. He’d been giving me the puppy-dog look before Ray walked in, but I’d been fashionably late just to ensure that he wouldn’t have time to talk to me before the meeting. There was no avoiding him now, though. At least Ray had already left.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Just wondering if you wanted to grab a drink or something tonight?” Grant asked.
“I’ve got other plans,” I told him, thinking again about Mia. We had plans for dinner, sure, but I was definitely hoping it would evolve into something more. My imaginations centered around her living room since that was the only part of her house that I had seen, but they went far beyond watching her put her boots on. No, I wanted to strip her down and fuck her on that soft, leather couch of hers. I wanted to kiss my way along her body and make her shiver. Make her cry out my name and beg me to let her come.
I had plans for the night.
But Grant looked so dejected when I said that, and I remembered what he had said before, about feeling like he was the outcast in the club. Why couldn’t he just ask Cameron or someone to go grab a drink with him? I knew it was because I had made the first move, though at Ray’s bidding. He was probably too scared to dare ask Cam to go get a drink with him.
I fought not to roll my eyes at that, but I was feeling somewhat sympathetic to the kid. Besides, this would give me a reason to go to Sunshine tomorrow night to see Mia again if tonight went well. And that was not to mention the fact that I was happy that Grant had at least given me the weekend to myself. He had waited until today before approaching me. He might be overly earnest, but at least he could temper himself so as not to be too annoying.
“Tomorrow,” I gruffly promised the kid. “We’ll go get a drink tomorrow. How’s that work for you?”
“Perfect!” Grant chirped, his whole face lighting up. Ugh, what an eager little puppy. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved as he left the place. I shook my head, watching him go, just glad that there was no one else there to see it. They’d tease me forever if they found out about the man crush that Grant seemed to have on me.
My
phone buzzed with a message, and I glanced down at it, smiling when I saw it was from Mia. Things are coming together faster than planned. You mind an early dinner?
An early dinner was perfect actually. Less time before I got to strip her down naked like I wanted.
Sounds good. Be there soon? I sent back.
Give me half an hour, was the response.
I could do that. I headed home for a quick shower, even going so far as to trim my beard. Then, I put on a nice button-down shirt and a dark pair of jeans. It was more effort than I usually went to when it came to my looks, and I didn’t know why I was trying so hard. Mia had seen me in the bar dozens of times by now, and if she didn’t like what she saw, I wouldn’t even be going over there tonight, I was sure of it. But hey, it didn’t hurt to look a little extra nice.
I glanced in the mirror and shrugged. All I could see was that my hair was still a little extra long. I’d been meaning to get it cut ever since I came back from Florida. But oh well. Hopefully, Mia wouldn’t mind.
I drove over to Mia’s house, then rang the doorbell. The aroma of her cooking immediately overwhelmed me when she opened the door. Spicy and tangy. I wasn’t sure just what she had on the stove, but I had a feeling it was going to be delicious.
“Hey,” I said to her, holding out the bottle of wine that I’d brought. “Smells amazing.”
“Thanks,” Mia said, smiling at me. “Come on in.” She led the way toward the kitchen, padding barefoot across the tiles, her skirt swaying at her ankles. She looked a lot more casual and relaxed than she normally did around the bar. I liked the change in her, and suddenly I was glad that I’d dressed a little nicer and stopped off for a good bottle of wine on the way over.
This wasn’t a date, but in some ways, it sort of felt like more than just friends hanging out. More than even friends with benefits on their way to do something else at the end of the evening. And even though I definitely wasn’t looking for a relationship, I had to admit that this felt kind of nice.
