Page 65 of Taken By the Biker Daddies

“Great. Come with me.”

She took my hand but suddenly froze, grimacing. My eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

She nodded. “It’s just the usual. You know, monthly cramps.”

Ah, those. Yup, I remember how that feels. Come to think of it, though, I haven’t had my period this month.

I paused, worry creeping into my mind. Back when I was with Clyde, I was on birth control pills because he didn’t want kids, but I stopped the day I left him. And I had been sexually active since then. Very active. And neither Max, nor Jake, nor Wade had used protection.

Was it possible that I had gotten pregnant?

“Is something wrong?” Irina’s question burst into my thoughts.

I nodded and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

My period was probably just delayed due to stress. A lot had happened lately, after all.

Irina hooked her arm around mine. “Shall we?”

“Sure.”

I let her lead me to the staircase. As we climbed the steps, I decided to cast my worries aside, instead seizing the chance to know more about Max.

“So, what was Max like growing up?” I asked.

“Oh, he liked to have fun,” Irina answered with a smile. “Sometimes, he’d get in trouble for it, but he would have no regrets. He always knew what he wanted, and he never let anyone get in his way.”

As she spoke, I could hear the pride in her voice, but also a tinge of sadness. Was it because Max could no longer live the way he wanted to?

“He was never mean to anyone, though,” Irina went on. “He always had a good heart. When Grandpa’s memory started to go bad, he would help him find his things without him knowing. He would get Grandpa’s glasses and put them somewhere Grandpa would surely notice.”

That was nice.

“So the two of you lived here with your grandfather?”

“Yes. Our mom and his dad were always busy. Grandpa looked after us. And a bunch of highly paid personnel.”

“Is your mom still around?”

“Nope. She died shortly after Max’s dad did. He died of a heart attack. She died of an overdose. Probably couldn’t live without him. Then Grandpa died the year after, and Max ran away.”

I paused at the top of the stairs, my eyebrows furrowed. “Ran away?”

Irina stopped as well, looking at me. “I guess he didn’t tell you that either, but yes, Max ran away shortly after he inherited everything. He tried working at the office at first for Grandpa’s sake, then when Grandpa died, he just took off and left me in charge of everything. By that, I mean he left all the hard work to me. He’s still the only one who can make the important decisions.”

She continued walking. I followed her.

“I guess that’s when she met Jake and joined Black Storm,” I said.

“I guess.” Irina shrugged. “When he told me he’d joined a motorcycle club, I was shocked at first, but then, I remembered he was always fond of fast things: fast cars, fast horses, roller coaster rides, skiing downhill, white water rafting. I thought if that was what could finally make him happy, then he should go for it.”

“You didn’t try to make him go back to the office?”

Irina shook her head. “I know Max. The more you tell him to do something, the more he won’t do it. I was actually hoping Jake would be able to persuade him. He’s a good man. He and Wade have been good influences on Max, I think. But it’s you who seems to have changed his mind.”

My eyebrows arched. “Me?”

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