She’s so small and dainty that sometimes I forget she’s a badass in her own right. She’s a policewoman, a warrior, and probably already knows how to ride. No one has ridden my Harley before, but for her I might make an exception. She doesn’t need to know that though—I’ll make her work for it.
“We’ll see,” I mutter, but the thought of her on my bike kind of has me a little hard. I want to fuck her on that bike. I wonder if she’ll let me. If I didn’t have to get to Rift soon, I’d try to tick that off my list right now.
“I’ll just buy my own bike,” she announces. “We can have races.”
“Did a woman of the law just say she wants to race with me?” I ask, laughing. “Fuck, you’ve been hanging around me too long already, Jo.”
“I don’t think it’s illegal when I do it,” she smirks, the little minx. “I’ll just say I was chasing after you to arrest you.”
“At least you acknowledge that I’ll be in the lead,” I say, nodding my approval.
“Of course that’s all you got from that,” she grumbles, reaching out and grabbing the lapel of my leather jacket. “You look good in this.”
“Yeah? Pretty sure that’s meant to be my line.”
She runs her hand down the zipper. “Nah, I think you’ve got the leather thing covered, Ranger. I’ve never even checked out a biker before, so I don’t know why I’m so damn attracted to everything about you. I think it’s just you, you know?”
Her simple words mean everything to me. It’s the best feeling to know that I’m not in this alone, that she wants me as much as I want her. “Where did you come from?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she replies, ducking her head shyly.
I stand up off the bench and offer her my hand. She takes it and I lift her up, then let my hands run down her body to rest on those hips I love so much. I lean down and take her lips with mine, kissing her slowly, sensually. I like being with her, around her. It’s enough. It’s intoxicating and addictive. Satisfying. The squeals when I pull back, then lift her in my arms, throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her back to my bike. I sit her on it, then kiss her again, smiling against her lips.
I can’t get enough.
I used to give shit to the men in the clubhouse, but now I so fuckin’ get it.
And it’s everything.
“I don’t want to take you home, but I need to get my ass to Rift,” I say, sighing.
“And then go to Elizabeth’s,” she adds, also sighing. “Can I ask you something?”
“Babe, you can ask me anything,” I assure her, wanting her to be able to be open with her feelings with me. “What’s on your mind?”
“Did she hit on you when you stayed there?” she asks, looking me in the eye. “It’s clear she wants you, so did she try anything? I didn’t ask because I figured you would’ve said something, but when you didn’t it kept playing on my mind.”
My mind races with how to answer this with pure honesty. “She didn’t try to touch me or anything like that. She wore a robe around the house, but maybe that’s normal for her? Other than that she rested her head on my shoulder and that’s it. Nothing happened and nothing will happen.
“I’ll handle her, all right? If she does try something, I’m just going to tell her that I’m seeing someone, and that will be that. You don’t need to worry about it, Jo. I’m yours, and that’s not going to change.”
Her response is to bring my face closer to hers with her hands on my cheek and to kiss me.
? ? ?
“Where have you been recently?” Talon asks, studying me as I sit at a desk in one of the office rooms in Rift, going over some numbers for the club’s accounts. “I feel like I haven’t spent time with you since you got back.”
“I know,” I say, pausing and looking up. “Do you have any plans tomorrow? Maybe I’ll come over and harass you and Tia at your place.”
“You know you’re welcome,” Talon says instantly. “You have your own room there, brother. You just haven’t used it yet. Are you sure everything is all right? You seem distracted as fuck.”
“Everything is fine,” I tell him. “I’ve just been busy. And between me and you . . . I’m kind of seeing someone. But we definitely need to cut out some time.”
“I knew it,” he says, grinning. “Which one is it? Elizabeth or the cop? My vote is the cop.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I know you,” he replies, shaking his head, eyes smiling. “You never take the easy road, and you’re attracted to anything different and unique. That’s why you got bored with all the club women, didn’t you? No challenge, too predictable, too expected. Everyone else was doing it, and you don’t like doing what everyone else does.”
“I’m that easy to figure out, am I?” I ask, studying him. “It’s not a game with Jo, Talon. It’s something else, I can’t even explain it, but she’s mine, and I’m going to do whatever I can to keep her.”
“That sounds like a lot more than ‘seeing someone,’?” Talon says, tapping his knuckles absently on the desk. “She’s a cop. You think you can make it work?”
I nod.
“Will it affect her reputation at work?” Talon asks, running his hand through his shaggy white-blond hair in thought. “What if they try to use her to take down the MC? Have you thought about all this?”
And that’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone about this. I don’t want to hear it. Are his points valid? Yes. But I want what I want, and listening to logic, valid or not, isn’t going to change my mind. This is between me and Jo, and no one else has any part of it.
“I have it under control, Talon,” I say, wanting to get him off my back. I return my attention to the documents in front of me, hoping he leaves it alone.
“Ranger—”
“I know, Talon,” I say softly. “Trust me, I know, but I’m not going to stop seeing her. If any problems arise, I’ll fuckin’ take care of it, all right? Right now I just need to figure things out, and I need to do that on my own. You gonna give me time to do that before you get on my case?”
His green eyes narrow, but then he gives me a slight head nod. “Okay. You need me, I’m here.”
“I know,” I say sincerely, letting my eyes show how much I appreciate it. “Thank you.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” he says, tapping the table once more, then stepping away. “See you at my place tomorrow? Come for lunch.”
“Sounds good,” I say, giving him a chin lift. “Let me know if you want me to bring anything.”
Talon walks to the door and opens it. “Tia will handle it, brother. She’ll be happy to see you. Rhett too.” I look forward to seeing them all tomorrow. He walks out and closes the door behind him.
Returning my attention to the task at hand, I finish up and then grab my jacket, ready to head to Elizabeth’s. Checking my phone, I see two missed calls from her. I send her a quick text, not wanting her to worry, then get on my bike. Going to her house feels like a job, and I hate that it doesn’t feel like two friends hanging out. I don’t know what else to do though, except suggest Faye’s offer, that if she’s truly scared she’s welcome to seek refuge at the Wind Dragons clubhouse.
I have no fuckin’ idea what I’m doing with my life right now.
And the fucked-up thing? I don’t even care if it means I can be with Jo.
TWENTY-SIX
Johanna