Page 36 of Taking What's Ours

“You don’t have one.”

“I’m gone a lot. Wouldn’t be fair.”

“All right.

He leads me to the garage and grabs a spare helmet off a nail.

I stare in his eyes as he puts it on my head and fastens the strap under my chin. Then slips a pair of shades over my eyes. He winks, and my heart melts a little.

He squats next to his saddlebag and pulls out something.

My mouth parts when I realize it’s his MC cut. He shrugs it on, and suddenly he’s transformed into a badass biker right before my eyes. He’s always been attractive, but there’s something about a bad boy that makes me—and probably most women—swoon. Especially, when a ruggedly handsome one gives you a wicked smile, like the one Dylan is giving me right now.

“Nice to meet you, Baja.” I hold out my hand with a grin. “I’m Elaina.”

He ignores my hand, takes my chin, and pulls me forward to brush my lips with his. “The pleasure’s all mine, darlin’.”

And there goes my heart in a big puddle of mush.

He swings his leg over the seat and fires the bike up. “Climb on, angel.”

I do as he says and find the foot pegs, then place my hands on my thighs. He reaches back and wraps them around his waist.

“Hold on tight. Okay?”

“Okay.”

We roar out of the garage and down the street. The vibration of the bike under me and the wind in my face is exhilarating. The power of the motorcycle as it surges forward has me tightening my grip and peering over his shoulder.

He turns his head, and I catch the smile on his face. “You like it?”

“I love it,” I yell against the wind, and he laughs.

CHAPTER TEN

Baja—

I take Elaina on a nice ride out to Lake Nighthorse. It’s a pretty day with not a cloud in the sky. As we get closer, glimmering blue waters appear on our right. A kayaker slowly paddles across the calm surface, mountains making a pretty backdrop on the horizon.

We approach the boat launch and parking area. A line of SUVs are backed in the diagonal spots. A man is busy unstrapping a kayak from one. Another is getting a couple of paddleboards off the top of his vehicle.

I find a spot, and we climb from the bike.

“That was so much fun,” Elaina says with a big smile.

Unstrapping my helmet, I hang it off the handlebars, then take hers. “Glad you like it. Want to leave the jacket here?”

“Oh, sure.” She shrugs out of it, and I lay it across the seat.

“Come on.” I lead her to the water’s edge. Holding her hand feels like the most natural thing. It’s pretty warm with the sun on us as we stand on the boat launch, watching some guys in wetsuits head off with their paddleboards.

It’s the first week in October and an unseasonably warm day. Everyone is taking advantage of the weather before the cold of fall settles in.

A gray-haired man returns with his kayak and climbs out, dragging it on shore. I move to give him a hand.

“Hey, let me help you with that,” I offer.

“Thanks. It’s kind of unwieldy. Or maybe I’m just getting old.” He chuckles and leads the way to his vehicle.

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