Page 39 of Fighting a Riot

She wasn’t the first woman he’d had on his bike, but she’d probably be the last.

Not because he would go there with her, but because he’d compare every ride with another woman to this one. And there was no chance they would compare.

He’d meant to ask Nora where she wanted to go or even how far she wanted to ride. Now he had to decide if they were going north or south since they were at the I-10 and I-95 juncture. Instinct kicked in and he sped up to take them north. This would keep them on the same side of the river.

Nora’s hold tightened the faster they went. It only encouraged him to increase his speed.

‘Sweet torture’ should be her middle name.

When they passed a billboard for the Jacksonville Zoo, he wondered if the zoo would still be open. If it was, they wouldn’t be able to stick around very long, which was fine with Yak because this wasn’t a date. This wasn’t anything except a ride on his bike.

Keep telling yourself that, asshole.

He powered off his bike in the zoo parking lot and Nora quickly hopped off.

She unclasped the helmet with a gleaming smile. “The zoo? You don’t strike me as the type.”

While he swung off his bike, he didn’t miss the way her eyes followed his body. Strange that she had no shame about ogling him in public, but stammered her way through asking him to take her for a ride.

He tucked his keys in his pocket. “Not sure if they’re gonna let us in. They probably close soon, but I’m not here for the animals. They actually sell pretty excellent tacos.”

Her chin dipped and she cocked a brow. “And how would you know that if you don’t visit regularly?”

He grinned. “All right smarty, you got me there, but I’m not a regular. Trixie and Roll dragged me along back in December for the holiday lights and shit. Let’s see if they’ll let us in, I’m fuckin’ hungry.”

Five minutes later, a woman behind a plexiglass window said, “We close in ninety minutes, sir.”

Yak slid his credit card forward. “We’re just here for the tacos.”

The employee shook her head. “Moe’s would have been cheaper, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Enjoy.”

As they wandered toward the middle of the zoo to the taco restaurant, Nora said, “She’s right, you know. These are going to be some overpriced tacos considering our admission cost.”

“Don’t worry about it. Not like there are too many other places where we can eat near here.”

She shook her head. “I doubt there’s anything near here, really. The docks aren’t too far and the only other thing I saw was that convenience store.”

“Biker bar not far from here, but they don’t serve food,” he muttered.

“I’ve never been to a biker bar,” she murmured as they turned into the festive courtyard in front of the taco stand.

“Not surprising since I popped your cherry for riding a Harley.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw her shake her head once. She smiled. “I wonder what Evan would think of you.”

“Who’s that?”

She smiled up at him. “My brother. Fraternal twin.”

Those words rendered him speechless. He’d lost count, but it seemed like at least the third time she’d done that.

She bumped her shoulder into his bicep. “You got nothing to say?”

“I’m busy thanking God there isn’t another female version of you out there. Not sure mankind could handle it.”

A strangled sound came from her. Might have been a scoff or it might have been laughter. “That’s an odd compliment.”

He shook his head and opened the door for her. “No, it’s the straight truth.”

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