“Yes, you are,” he nearly whispered.
We said nothing else for a long time and the silence felt good. I couldn’t explain why Saint made me stronger. He just did and I wanted more.
Chapter Twelve ~ Saint
Arriving in the parking garage, I saw Harlow’s black Harley. Instead of opening the door of my SUV, I ran my fingers over the back of the bike. Standing next to me, Harlow said nothing. She was watching me in an overly curious way, making me feel on the spot. Even so, I didn’t want her to stop. Her focus belonged on me.
“Did you bring the keys?” I asked.
Harlow dug into her bag to retrieve them. She didn’t hand them to me though.
“It’s a nice night out,” I said, running my index finger along her jaw. “Why don’t we ride your Harley?”
“Unless you plan to sit on the bitch seat, I don’t see that happening, bub.”
Grinning, I crossed my arms and devised a way to get her to change her mind. “Are you sure you can handle that?”
“Handle you sitting behind me like my bitch? Yeah, I think I’d be fine,” she said, nearly laughing.
“What about my arms wrapped around your waist, so I don’t fall off? Will you be cool with me leaning against you? My breath on your neck. Oh, and what if my hands accidentally touch your thighs or breasts? You won’t freak out and crash, will you?”
Smile gone, Harlow narrowed her eyes. “Why would you accidentally touch me like that?”
“I’ve never ridden on the back. I might get scared,” I said, grinning at her irritation. “Or you can let me drive.”
“That way, I feel you up, right?”
“Yes, but I’m used to being felt up by hot ladies. I promise I won’t crash.”
Harlow didn’t answer right away. No doubt she wanted to take the SUV, but was afraid to chicken out in front of me.
“Fine,” she said, handing me the keys. “But only because you’re in town for only a week.”
Gloating would piss her off and I might lose my win, so I climbed on without giving her a smile. Harlow was slow to follow. When she did climb on, I sensed she feared touching me. I didn’t blame her. I was nervous about her arms wrapped around me. If her touch felt half as good as I imagined then I wouldn’t ever want her to let go.
Harlow refused to hold on until I started the engine. When her arms wrapped around me, they were tight. Her hands also gripped my tee like she feared falling from the bike. Harlow suffered from plenty of fears, but my driving skills weren’t one of them.
I pulled out of the garage and drove to Tequila Jodi’s where the Johanssons were having a barbecue bash in a plot behind the bar. Harlow never rested her face against my back and I found myself praying she would. I wanted her closer. I craved Harlow like I hadn’t craved anything since I was locked up in the dirty prison.
Harlow climbed off the Harley as soon as I came to a stop. I was surprised she didn’t fall down from moving so fast. She struggled to act casual and I let her think she was successful.
Gesturing for her to follow me, I walked around the side of the building to where dozens of people stood drinking and talking. I spotted Cooper and his wife walking around, chatting up everyone. I hoped they didn’t feel the need to greet us. The wife was clearly friends with Harlow because she hurried in our direction.
“You came,” Farah said to Harlow then nudged her away from me, likely hoping to get gossip.
Left alone with me, Cooper revealed his “Don’t mess with my woman’s friend” look. I returned it with my expression asking, “What kind of potato salad are you serving? Please don’t say the German variety.”
Cooper walked off without answering my potato salad question. Yet I didn’t remain alone long.
Cowboy joined me and asked, “Is the cutie with the big eyes with you?”
Along with Dutch and Shadow, he was one of the broken patches Memphis planned to wield like weapons against the failures in Mississippi. I doubted the pretty boy at my side even knew what Arlo and Mikey had planned for him. I might have thrown Cowboy a hint except he was giving Harlow the once over.
“Big eyes is shacked up with me, so if you touch her then I’ll touch you.”
Cowboy looked at me then back at Harlow. Flicking his hat, he sighed. “What if I just stare at her longingly? You gonna stare at me with your pretty eyes?”
I forced a smile. “You’re a funny guy, but I’ll still bury you if you don’t keep your distance.”
“You’re a scary guy and I got the message. You might want to send out that signal to the twins. One of them is really horny. He’s even wearing a fucking shirt that says how horny he is.”
“Nice,” I said, giving him a grin. “Distract the predator by focusing him on another threat. I like that move.”