Page 14 of Country

He smiles and cups my face in his rough hand. “You’re not a child. You’re an adult, and I don’t feel sorry for you. I have feelin’s for you. Now you can say none of what I’m sayin’ makes any sense, and believe me, I see it too, but I know what I feel. I ain’t never felt this way before. You’re mine to protect now, whether ya like it or not. And that hand yer holdin’ on the front porch, that’s mine in your fantasy because you know where you belong.” His tone is deep and raspy, and his gaze hasn’t left mine for a second. “Let’s go for a ride,” he says with a sly look. “I want you on the back of my bike. Besides, it’ll be a bit before our boy takes the bait.”

“I’ve never ridden before.”

“Never?”

I shake my head and a rumble of nerves spikes my blood pressure. I love seeing Country in his element, but the idea of being on the back of a bike, on the mountain, scares the hell out of me.

“One ride… for me?” The way he smiles and holds my gaze has my panties creaming again.

“What if Mike comes by? We don’t want to miss him.”

“He’s not going to leave. He’ll stick around and wait for us. Trust me. We can stand a twenty-minute ride.”

Our eyes lock on one another, and heat passes between us. His hand reaches out for mine and I grasp on with a heavy breath. Yesterday, I’d have thought this was a huge mistake.

Country is a rough guy. The kind of guy you mess around with, but not the guy you marry. At least that’s what I thought until today. Today, I saw a whole different side of him. I saw a father. A careful, loving, and kind man who wants the best for his daughter. The kind of man that likes fishing and making a pot of spaghetti for his kid. A guy who runs bounties to keep Rugged Mountain safe for her.

That guy. That guy makes my ovaries want to explode.

I stare up at him, and with all my courage say, “Take me for a ride.”

Chapter Six

Country

The sunbaked road winds between tall pine and cedar. I’ve driven this path hundreds if not thousands of times, but it’s like I’m seeing it all again for the first time. The wildflowers that dot the side of the road in pink and yellow. The hawk that flies overhead and stalks his prey. The current of the water running past in the river below. The scent of clean air and the nearby strawberry fields.

Daisy holds tight to my waist and squeals every time the bike hits a bump. It’s so fucking adorable. She’s so fucking adorable. I’m not sure how I’m ever going to let her out of my sight again. Even after we take care of Mike, there’s still the fact that I need her next to me. How can I convince her that I’m more than some asshole biker with a shady as fuck past?

The wind rushes against my face and I throttle down the country road. I’ve been riding my whole life, and though I like to think I’m a badass, each curve of the road has me leaning with a grace I don’t usually have. The precious cargo on the back has something to do with that.

The scenery changes with each mile, and I pick up speed as we pass sprawling fields and jagged mountain vistas.

“Can we pull over here?” she whispers lowly into my ear as the wind blows through my t-shirt.

I glance to the left and the right before pulling off and onto a seasonal road at the edge of the forest. It’s not the most scenic place to stop, but I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t ask questions, I just stop.

When the engine is off, Daisy climbs down from the bike and turns toward me. Her face is dark red, and her eyes are shifty as though she can’t look at me.

“What’s wrong, darlin’? You don’t like the ride?”

She turns away and covers her pretty little face. “No, I like the ride just fine. I just need a second.”

I land my hand on her back and follow behind her as she crunches over dried leaves and twigs further into the forest.

What the hell is going on?

“Talk to me. Do ya hate the bike? I can call for someone to pick us up. I don’t want you ridin’ if it upsets you like this.”

She turns back, her cheeks still pink. “I don’t hate it. I, ugh…” Her lips are parted, and her chest rises and falls as though she’s out of breath.

“I was getting dizzy is all.”

“Dizzy? All right. I’ll call Ink to come get us.”

“No,” she bites back a grin, “it’s not that kind of dizzy.”

“Okay. What’s goin’ on?”

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