Page 94 of His Other Half

Chapter 35

Josie

The sides of the canyoncame up out of the ground and surrounded them. Josie brought her gaze back to ground level and the maze of boulders littering the mountain's floor.

Paco had ridden his Harley off-road as far as his motorcycle could go before nature's obstacles blocked his path. He took off his helmet.

She removed her protection as well.

The call of an eagle echoed. She looked up again, squinting against the glare of the sun, and spotted the bird gliding with the thermal.

"Sweetheart?"

She leaned against his back. "Hm?"

"Get in front of me, so I can see your face."

She slid off and hesitated. To sit facing him, she'd need to put her legs on top of his.

"You're not going to hurt me." He scooted back and patted the small section of leather behind the gas tank.

Carefully climbing on, she wrapped her legs around his hips. The added height under her butt put her at eye level with him.

She cupped his face and kissed him lightly. "Tired?"

"I'm good."

The scars beneath her hands numbed part of his face, but he always welcomed her touch. She made him feel loved. Scars and all.

He looked off into the distance. "I come here when I need to think."

"It's a beautiful place." She gazed around. "Quiet. Peaceful."

He sniffed and gathered her hands in his. All morning, he'd grown quieter until she worried about where his thoughts were taking him. She'd suspected he fought the blues from being laid up. The doctor had given him pain pills, and she'd guarded them, making sure he took the dosage at the right time, afraid he'd take too many at once—she'd seen many of her people get hooked on prescription drugs—and with Paco having an addiction problem, she wanted to make sure treating his pain wouldn't cause more problems for him.

Though getting his motorcycle back seemed to have given him something to look forward to, and she was happy for him.

Knowing what he'd gone through and seeing all his wounds when the doctor had stripped him down after arriving at the clubhouse, she was sure she'd lose him after finally getting him back to his club.

She'd never seen someone so tortured and hoped never to again.

"I come here because..." He brought her hands up and kissed them.

Something about the way he held on to her scared her. She wanted to ask him what was wrong. He'd already told her this was his special place.

"Sweetheart?"

"I'm right here."

He raised his gaze. "My sister is here."

"Your...?" She stopped herself from asking more when she remembered he'd told her that his sister had died.

"Her name was Penny. She, uh, was my twin sister." He blew out his breath. "We got separated and put into different foster homes when we were seventeen years old. It was the only time I'd been away from her."

"Oh, babe." She held his hands up to her mouth and pressed her lips against his knuckles.

"I promised I'd find her once I turned eighteen years old." His voice thickened. "I was the only person she had. I swore I'd always take care of her."

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