by Rebel Hart
“You asked what we were doing here. I’m asking you if you’re hungry.”
I paused. “Uh, I mean, I could eat. But I don’t have my wallet or my purse or anything with me.”
He shrugged. “Come on. I’m hungry. And this place has the best burgers.”
“I will, once I can move my legs.”
I watched him bury that beautiful smile and it made my heart ache. Why didn’t he smile more? It looked so amazing on him. He hung his helmet on the handlebar of his bike, then wrapped his arms around me. I gasped softly as I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to be careful of his shoulder as he locked himself around me. He inched me off the bike, giving me plenty of time to get my feet planted on the pavement. He held me close, much like when he’d kissed me.
And when he let me go to stand on my own, all I wanted was to pull him back into me.
“Ready, Bambi?”
I paused. “Seriously? I get on this bike with you and actually enjoy myself, and I don’t get a new nickname?”
He chuckled. “All right, Daddy’s Girl.”
“Not that one, either.”
He shrugged. “Sorry. The name picks the person. I don’t have a say in it.”
“Jerk.”
“Tightwad.”
I glared up at him. “I am not.”
He winked. “Says you.”
I shook my head as he walked in front of me, reaching for his helmet. And as he tucked it under his arm again, I felt a soft smile sliding onto my face. I forced my legs to do their job and I trotted up behind him, following him into the pub. The second the doors opened, the smell of sweaty men and fried cheese hit me. It certainly wasn’t as enticing of a scent as Max. But I figured I could push through it if it meant more time with him.
“Hey there.”
“Long time no see, Max.”
“What’s it been? A week?”
“Hey, man. Good to see you again.”
“Max! Yo! Who’s the girl!?”
He nodded and waved his hand at everyone that greeted him. Clearly, he was a regular in this place. A lot of the men were staring at me, though. With leather padding their bodies. Some of them had leather jackets. Some had leather vests. Some of them wore leather boots, or baggy leather pants. But, every man--no matter the size--had some sort of leather on him. Some wore bandanas. Some were tattooed from head to toe. And as I stared at everyone we walked by, I wondered if Max had any other tattoos.
“Here,” he said.
I watched him slide into a booth before he pointed in front of him.
“Sit.”
I slipped quickly into the sticky booth before someone came over and quickly wiped it up. I held my arms up as Max sat back against the cushions, his eyes dancing over the parts of me he could see. I was painfully aware of how hard he stared at me. And I prayed the flush of my cheeks didn't deepen.
But I spoke too soon.
Because I quickly felt the heat of his gaze dripping down the nape of my neck.
22
Max
Her hair was still a mess. A wild, untamed mess. Her eyes were still widened from the ride. And the red tip of her nose from the wind battering her in the face held my stare. She looked positively delicious. Especially with the way she clung to me. No woman I’d ever had on the back of my bike held on to me as tightly as her. Mostly because they understood how to balance themselves. The women I found already knew how to conduct themselves on a bike. They were bike bunnies, girls and women that hopped from bike to bike, fucking around and having their fun while they could. And I entertained them. I mean, they were pretty in their own right. And no one wanted to be alone all the time.
But there was something thrilling about giving Danika her first ride.
I wanted to give her more firsts.
“So what’d you think?”
My grin widened as her blush trickled down the slopes of her neck.
“It was… exciting. Really, Max.”
I leaned forward. “I get the feeling you don’t do many exciting things in your life.”
She leaned back into her seat. “I mean, I don’t really know.”
“Just tell me I’m right, Daddy’s girl. Because I know I am.”
She sighed. “Would it kill you to stop calling me that?”
I smiled. “Maybe.”
Her eyes locked on to my face and I buried my smile. I hated my smile. It made me look goofy. Like some bumbling idiot. I didn’t know why the hell this cute little girl made me smile so much, but I had to stop. Eventually, I’d have to leave her in my dust. I always did. And while I pissed many people off in my life because of that, it was never personal.
I just had to protect them from the shitstorm that constantly followed me around.
“The usual, big boy?”
My eyes turned up toward the waitress that had come over to take our orders.
“You know it. And get one for her, too,” I said.
“What’s your usual?”
The waitress smiled. “Double bacon cheeseburger with everything, a double order of crispy fries, and a beer.”
Her eyes widened. “A beer when you have to ride your bike?”
The waitress slowly looked over at me. “She don’t get out much, does she?”
I shook my head. “Nope. She doesn’t.”
Dani sighed. “I’m right here, guys. And I can order for myself.”
I leaned back. “Go ahead, then.”
She paused. “Well, is there a menu?”
Some of the guys sitting around us started roaring with laughter. I grinned at Dani, watching as she sank a little lower into her seat. Maybe if I showed her the kind of world I came from, she’d realize she didn’t fit in and leave me the fuck alone for good. Because with the way she tugged at my groin, I knew I’d never leave her alone if she kept coming into my life. Walking up to me randomly. Enticing me with her perfume, and her hair, and those dazzling eyes of hers.
I meant it when I told her to stay away.
Mostly for her protection, but partially because I couldn't stay away from her. So her actions were her only hope for safety at this point.
“Take a risk for once, Bambi. It’s not gonna kill you,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever. But no beer. Beer’s gross, and I’m not caving to that.”
I looked up at the waitress. “If you’ve got juice, I’m sure she’d be fine with that.”
“Soda,” Dani said curtly, “is just fine. Coke. Regular. Lots of ice.”
I grinned. “Because tough girls need ice, right?”
She shot me a look that made me smile and I watched as her eyes danced around my face again.
The waitress nodded. “Soda and a beer coming right up. Anything else?”
I waved my hand in the air. “That’s all. Thanks.”
As the waitress went to get our drinks, Dani sighed. “If I answer your question, will you answer one of mine?”
I cocked my head. “What question did I ask?”
“Whether or not I take risks in my life.”
“Ah.”
“Question for a question?”
I leaned back. “Sure. Why not?”
She nodded. “All right. You’re right, Max. I don’t take a lot of risks in my life. I enjoy knowing what to expect. It keeps my anxiety down. I’ve never liked surprises. Or fast cars. Or taking rides from strangers. Or anything that might put me in danger or get me into trouble. An unknown outcome never sits well with me. It’s just always been that way.”
Wow. What a peaceful life to live.
Dani snickered. “You must think I’m incredibly boring right now.”
I shook my head. “Don’t ever assume what I’m thinking. Because people are always wrong.”
“Well then, what were you thinking?”
I shrugged. “I was thinking that sounded kind of nice. To know what’s coming all the time.”
“What do you mean?”
“That the question yo
u want to ask me?”
“What?”
“Question for a question. That the question you want to ask?”
She held my gaze for a long time before she nodded.
“Yeah. That’s the question I’d like to ask.”
It made me wonder what question she was casting off to the side.
“A regular Coke with extra ice for you, and an ice cold beer for you.” The waitress broke our connection as she slammed the glasses down onto the table. “Your food’ll be up in a few minutes. And if you want dessert, go across the street. We don’t do that sweet shit here.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for the update.”
The waitress winked at me. “You know I have to do it for the newbies.”
She walked away, leaving us alone again. And I saw Dani looking around. Oh, this would be rich. Because I knew exactly what the fuck she was searching for. I grabbed my beer and tipped it up to my lips. I chugged half of it down, quenching my thirst in the hopes that my greater thirst might dissipate. But as I sat my glass back down, I felt my need for this innocent girl grow.
Especially when she sighed.
“Something wrong?”
She blushed. “Nothing.”
“Aww, come on. You know you can tell me.”
She rolled her eyes. “All you’ll do is mock me for it.”
I gasped playfully. “Why, Bambi. I’m hurt by your accusation.”
She snickered. “Jerk-off.”
“Loosey-goose.”
“Hey, I’m not loose.”
“No, you’re just cute. Searching for a straw to use like a big ol’ grownup.”
She sipped her drink. “Shut up.”
“Oh, they grow up so fast.”
She started giggling, and the sound held me hostage. It was glorious. A relaxing sound. One that soothed my beating heart and brushed away the pain I felt creeping up into my shoulder again. And as I sat there, watching her gaze around the dimly-lit pub, I got lost in my own thoughts.
Most men I ran with would’ve thought her life was boring. But I didn’t. I wondered what it might be like to not have to worry about my crew all the time. I was always on edge. I never fully slept anymore. One eye was always open. One ear always listening. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for an attack. Waiting for someone to come disrupt things and plunge us into another turf war that ended with one of us in the hospital for a damn month.
John…
We never even saw it coming. Dad sent us out after some bullshit gang that kept creeping up on our turf. Trying to peddle their drugs in our city. Trying to bring their dramatic assholery over the lines of Ann Arbor. We owned this town. We kept the people inside it safe from outside influences like laced drugs and faulty firearms that exploded in your face. We marked our territory everywhere we went. We opened fire whenever we saw something we didn’t enjoy.
And it got us ambushed one night.
“Max? Can you hear me?”
Dani’s voice ripped me from my thoughts. “What?”
“You’re shaking. Are you okay?”
I looked down at my trembling hand before I slid it off the table.
“Yeah, I’m good. Blood sugar shit.”
Worry filled her face. “Are you diabetic? Do I need to go up to the bar and--?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, Bambi. Worry about yourself.”
“Fine, sheesh.”
The waitress came over with our food and I was thankful for the distraction. Because I needed one. I needed a distraction from the life I led. Sometimes, even the simplest of things gave me that same kind of anxiety Dani talked about. Even the ringing of my phone was bad. It could range from a group update to a group death. A group job to a group meltdown. There was no normalcy in my life. No pattern. Nothing to count on, except my father’s sadistic, psychopathic tendencies.
I found myself envious of the life Dani lived.
“How’s your burger?” she asked.
I picked it up and took a massive bite before I gave her a thumbs-up.
“Got a bit too much mayonnaise on it for me.”
I shrugged, then took another bite of my burger. It gave me an excuse not to talk to her.
“Want some ketchup for your fries?”
I shook my head as I swallowed hard. Then I drained the rest of my beer and slid the glass to the edge of the table, where the waitress scooped it up, ready to bring me another one. And a few seconds later, she slammed another brew in front of me.
“You sure you should be drinking so much even though you have to take me back to campus?”
I held her stare as I lifted the glass to my lips. I chugged, mouthful after mouthful, watching as her eyes widened like a deer in headlights. ‘Bambi’ suited her perfectly.
If only Benji hadn’t used that shit as an insult.
After gulping down half my beer, I picked up a few fries. I shoved them into my mouth without ketchup and listened to Dani sigh. I was done with this question game. She had a way of getting under my skin that I didn’t like. I didn’t want to talk about my life anyway. I didn’t want to tell her the number of times I’d gotten a phone call in the middle of the night, just to tell me a friend was dead. I didn’t want to talk about my childhood, all the bullshit my father put me and my brother through. I didn't want to talk about the guys, or the gang, or anything that had to do with the shadows that followed me around. With the nightmares that clung to my mind at night.
Dani was a nice distraction from all that.
And I wanted to keep things that way for as long as I could.
“What’s your favorite color?”
Dani’s question caught me off-guard. “What?”
She smiled. “There’s that voice of yours. I knew you had it in you, Buckaroo.”
I furrowed my brow. “Buckaroo?”
“I’m Bambi, you’re Buckaroo. Deal with it.”
“You’re not calling me that.”
“You sure… Buckaroo?”
I heard a few guys snickering as they listened in on our conversation. I took another bite of my burger and chewed slowly, burrowing a hole with my eyes into Dani’s face. She seemed undeterred. She sipped her Coke without moving her eyes away from me and ate a french fry from between the tips of her fingers as she held my stare.
“I’m waiting, Buckaroo,” she said.
“Don’t call me that.”
She shrugged. “Then don’t call me Bambi.”
I licked my lips. “Red. Favorite color’s red.”
“Shocker. I guess you are a bit more predictable than you care to admit to.”
One of the guys across the room roared with laughter as I took another pull from my beer.
“What’s yours?” I asked.
“Yellow.”
“That the color of your bedroom at home?”
“It is.”
I grinned. “Makes two predictable people, then.”
She shrugged. “I know I’m predictable. We just talked about that, remember?”
Now, even the waitress was giggling at us.
“You guys got nothing better to do?” I roared.
Dani’s soft giggle filled my ears as everyone turned their attention back to their food. And their dates. And their fucking jobs.
“Getting irritated, Buckaroo?”
I sucked air through my teeth. “Okay, Bambi. My turn. Favorite ice cream flavor.”
“Caramel. Yours?”
“Rocky road.”
“Wow. Oddly normal.”
I shrugged. “I aim to please.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Her words lit a fire under my ass. “Favorite vacation destination.”
“The beach. Hands down. You?”
“The mountains. I enjoy the solitude and the aloneness.”
“Throw in a hot tub and I’m down for it.”
“Isn’t that a given already? Who doesn’t like a nice hot tub?”
“Weirdos.”
I snickered.
“Yeah. Weirdos.”
She leaned forward. “Favorite movie.”
I mocked her movements. “Top Gun. You?”
And when she smiled, my heart skipped a beat. “Any one of the Die Hard movies.”
23
Dani
Max snickered. “You’re a fan of the Die Hard movies? They’re terrible.”
I gasped playfully. “What did you just say?”
“They’re shit movies. All of them. Bruce Willis is a lazy actor.”
I put my hand over my heart. “You wound me with your words, Buckaroo!”
He laughed. “What? I’m just saying there’s no plot substance.”
“And you think Top Gun has plot substance?”
He pointed at me. “Hey. Hey, now. Don't you dare say anything about my Goose.”
I shrugged. “I can’t anyway. I’ve never seen Top Gun.”
I watched as Max’s jaw practically fell onto the table where we were eating.
“You’ve never what?”
I giggled. “I’ve never seen Top Gun.”
“You’ve never see--Bambi. Your life is too plain.”
“I watch the Fast and Furious movies!”
“Of course you do. More explosions with little to no plot.”
“That’s not fair. They have this massive overarching plot strung throughout all the movies.”
“What? That some dude had a baby with some girl while he thought the love of his life was dead or some shit?”
“Shh! Spoilers, Buckaroo. Some guys in here might not have seen the movies.”
And when he smiled at me again, I felt my heart stop in my chest.
“Favorite holiday, Bambi.”
“Christmas. Yours?”
He sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “I guess I’d say Thanksgiving. I like all the food.”
“Not really a holiday kind of person?”
“Holidays are for families. And I don’t really come from a decent one.”
I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”
He waved his hand in the air. “It’s fine. It is what it is.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He paused. “No. Not at all.”
“Fair enough.”
As quickly as the conversation kicked up, it dissipated. And I found that Max was more normal than he appeared to be. We went back to eating our food, but there was no way on God’s green earth I’d be able to finish all of it. I mean, I got halfway through my burger and was lucky to eat any of the fries. Which were outstanding, by the way. Max, however, wolfed down his entire meal. And then reached for a few of my fries. He drained another beer into his gut before he settled the tab, and the entire time I wondered what kind of family he came from. What made them so bad in the first place.
