Page 4 of A Christmas Surprise for the Biker

I hold up my hand, not wanting to hear about who he’s been doing since I saw him last. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.” I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, but how pissed off can I be? He never promised me anything.

“Well, you came here for a reason. What do you need, Braelynn? What can I do to help?”

I drop my head, ashamed at how far I’ve fallen. I used to be a professional cheerleader for an NFL football team and now— “I need money. I'm flat broke. When I found out I was pregnant, the organization was forced to let me go—liability clause in my contract,” I explain. I get they had to cover their asses, but it was the way the assholes cut me loose like it was nothing that hit the hardest. “I’ve been scraping by on my savings, but that’s dried up. I sold my car, but that’s all gone too.” Losing my car about broke my heart. “Lost my apartment.” I sigh, “I have nothing left after the hospital drained my account.”

“What do you mean drained your account?”

I sigh. “Apparently, you have to read the fine print when you sign up for a payment plan. That’s why I came here. I’m broke, and it turns out Cheerleader doesn’t go far on a job application.”

When I finally look up to meet Legend’s eyes, he’s looking at me like he can’t believe all the things I’ve been through. “Fuck, baby. If I’d known?—”

I lift a hand to stop him again. I don’t need him to apologize. “I know.”

He leans forward and I can see the seriousness in his eyes. “Not going to let you struggle anymore, babe. I got you.”

My shoulders fall in relief. Thank the gods.

“I didn’t expect you to take this news so well,” I tell him honestly.

“There’s a lot we still need to talk about, babe. But you should know, I had every intention of tracking you down in the next couple of weeks.”

Why now, I wonder as I take in the room around us, noting that it seems as if the party is dying down. Guess our dramatic entrance put a damper on the mood. Oops.

I look back to Legend. “What do you mean you were going to track me down?”

“I’ll explain later. It’s a long fucking story.” Without any further explanation, he slides out of the booth and offers me his hand. “Come on. You and Ryder can stay with me.”

I take his hand, feeling a spark of electricity. It's the same spark I felt the first time we met.

Don’t go there, Brae.

Pushing the attraction to the very back corner of my mind, I follow behind him as he leads me through the clubhouse and out into the lot. I’m shocked when he stops beside a sleek black SUV. “No bike?”

He shrugs his shoulders as he opens the rear door. “Like I said, baby. It’s a long fucking story.”

“O-kay.” He’s not making any sense at all, but I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a baby and a car seat… yeah, the SUV is a blessing at the moment.

Taking Ry’s seat from him, I secure it into the backseat, then step back and close the door, surprised to find him still standing there, holding the passenger door open for me to climb in.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

He watches as I buckle in before closing the door and prowling around the hood, his eyes glued to mine through the windshield as he goes. I swallow the knot in my throat. Jesus, why does everything this damn man does turn me on?

He opens the door and slides behind the wheel. “Ready?”

“Uhm.” I clear my throat. “Yeah.”

I hear him chuckle as he starts the truck and puts it in drive.

A few miles down the road, I start to get fidgety. “Where are we going again?”

“My apartment.”

Smooth, Brae. Real smooth.

I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the drive across town, and before I know it, we’re pulling up to a massive warehouse.

“This doesn’t look like any apartment I’ve ever seen,” I murmur as Legend parks.

---