Page 95 of Frisco

Kali was coming my way, her bag in hand. She trudged across the gravel, her shoulders bent forward and one of her hands in her front pocket. Goddamn. Her long legs showed through jeans that were ripped and torn. I wasn’t one for trends, but I thanked all fashionable people out there for these good-ass views of those long legs of hers.

She had a tank top on, a black bra showing underneath it, and my dick was hard all over again.

This woman.

She looked up, and her eyes warmed at finding me watching her.

Fuck. One look from her like that, and I’d kill anyone she asked.

She slowed, just out of my reach, and drew upright, shifting back on her feet. “Saw my bag. Saw your stuff was gone. Made an educated guess.”

I reached forward, taking her bag from her and making damn sure my hand grazed her fingers and arm in the process. Her eyes got all dark at the touch, and she swayed toward me. I was pretty sure she didn’t know she was doing that either. Then she sucked in a breath and jerked back.

She rolled her eyes. “I turn into a mindless, sex-starved woman with you.” She laughed at herself, her mouth curving up.

That made me want to swoop in and kiss that smile until it was mine. I refrained. “Me and a few of the guys are going to take you to Fallen Crest.”

Her eyes snapped to mine, widening. “Really?”

“You gotta know, the club has some history in these parts, but I’ve no mind to let you walk in there by yourself. I’m coming with you, and we won’t be wearing our cuts. I’m hoping that’ll make things a little smoother.” I gave her a small nod. “Doing that for you.”

Us taking off our cuts, or hiding our cuts, meant something. Our cuts were our most sacred possessions.

Her mouth formed a small O.

She got it. “Thank you.”

I leaned in, touching my mouth to hers. A sweet, lingering kiss. She tasted like fresh lemonade on a hot day, making me want to curl my toes up and pretend I was a kid again with no worries, not knowing the shadows in the world. She was like that to me.

I lifted my mouth, just a bit, and said, “Give your friends a call, see where they are? We’ll hook up with them tonight.”

She nodded, her mouth moving against mine with the motion. Then she lifted up on her toes, grabbed the back of my neck, and pressed her mouth, hot and hard, to mine.

Well then. Looked like I’d just made an impression.

I wanted to make more of them.

32

KALI

We started out riding with most of Shane’s club, but then we turned south for Fallen Crest as they continued somewhere else.

I didn’t ask where. I didn’t want to know, but riding behind Shane, feeling nothing between us and the wind and nature, I knew the exhilaration they felt. I understood why people dedicated part of their lives to being just on their bike.

It was addicting, thrilling, and dangerous.

We rode in, keeping to the outskirts of Fallen Crest and pulling in behind an auto repair shop. An older guy—lean, weathered skin, bald—came out and waved us through to the back. Shane led the way, and we entered a backyard with a small house. There were also patches of dirt and gravel, sandwiched between abandoned vehicles, a few bikes, and grass that didn’t look like it’d been cut in a decade. A propane tank sat on the far side of the house, which looked more like three motel rooms put together with a cement sidewalk in front of the doors.

Shane drove right up to the house and parked.

The older guy came over, his hand in the air. Shane met it, and they pulled each other in for a backslapping hug.

“Ghost. It’s good to see you.” The guy’s gaze skimmed over me, but didn’t linger. He turned to the others as they parked next to us. “Good to see you, Corvette. Roadie.” There was a twinkle in his eye. “I’ll make note to warn Tracey, though maybe I should warn you. My girl’s visiting from West Virginia, and she’s got a man now. Hands off.”

Roadie came around the back end of his bike, frowning at the older guy.

I’d finally put two and two together and realized who Roadie was minutes before we took off from the barn. Roadie and Corvette were the bikers fighting in the grocery store that first day. He gave me a sheepish look while Corvette’s eyes turned hard.

---