Page 21 of Thornhill Road

I nodded, catching her drift, while at the same time hoping my being there for a drink with Mustang didn’t land me in thesheepcategory. I had a type, aweakness, really—but I wasn’t desperate.

“Heard you’re a nurse,” she went on to say, rescuing me from my thoughts for the second time.

“Yeah. I am.”

“Noble.Brutal.”

I laughed, as amused as I was impressed she could sum up my career in two simple words. “Yeah. That about sums it up. What about you? What do you do?”

“I’m part time over at the garage, handling all the admin work,” she said, nodding in its direction. “And when I’m not there, I’m with our three hellions. We’ve got a seventeen-year-old, a fifteen-year-old, and a five-year-old. All boys.”

I smiled at that. Knowing Winnie was a mom made me like her even more.

“I’m gettin’ another,” said Bull, turning to address his wife.

I’d spotted the rock on her finger and figured, in their case,ol’ ladywas synonymous withwife.

“You want one?” he asked her.

“Yeah, honey. I’ll have another.”

Bull then looked at me. “Tess?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He gave me a slight nod, then turned to order another round. As he did, the lead singer of the next band introduced them. The drummer marked the beat, and then the music drowned out everything else. Bull hooked his arm around Winnie’s shoulders, and she nestled into his side as they settled.

Now, with no one to talk to, I was again hyperaware of Mustang and his hand at my side. I chanced a look at him and found his attention was on the band. He really was so handsome. I resisted the urge to reach up and run my fingers through his hair.

As if he sensed my gaze aimed at him, he looked down at me.

Another zing ricocheted in my belly.

His eyes searched mine for a long moment before he brought his mouth to my ear. I felt the whiskers of his beard, he was so close.

“You ever been on the back of a hog, baby?”

A thrill shot up my spine, and I had to fight the urge to shiver.

I’d been on the back of a motorcycle before.

But I’d never been on a Harley.

I shook my head in response.

“You feel like a ride?”

Oh, god.

I held my breath as I contemplated his offer.

It was a bad idea. The worst.

Me, on the back of Mustang’s bike?

There’d be no turning back after that.

The second he took off, we’d be racing across every boundary I’d told myself I shouldn’t cross.

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