Page 1 of Nomad

1

Mason

Joke was riding just ahead of me closer to the yellow line as we headed down the highway. Snow was beginning to fall, and it was cold as fuck outside. Usually, we didn’t do much riding this time of the year, and we normally holed up at whatever charter of the Savage Crows MC we decided to chill at for the season. But Copper, the mother charter president, had called, asking us to do a small run for him, and he’d offered a bigger cut as an incentive.

I was sort of beginning to regret it, even if mine and Joke’s wallets were fatter. It was fucking cold.

I tightened my gloved fingers around the handlebars, taking notice of the sign that told us the nearest town was only a couple more miles away, thank fuck. And a sign after that alerted us that a motel was also available. So long as they at least had a convenience store or gas station so I could grab something like ramen noodles or Vienna’s and fill my tank up when we gotready to hit the road again, which I was sure they did, I was good to go.

A figure in a crop top and a pair of sweatpants with house slippers on her feet caught my eye just as Joke began to slow down, clearly ready to render aid. She turned to look at us, her blonde hair swishing around her shoulders. In the low light left of the day, I could see that her roots were dark, but her blue eyes were so damn bright, the color of them momentarily took my breath away.

She was shivering, her lips having lost some color, and the tip of her nose was red from the wind. I tugged my helmet off, wincing as the wind lashed at my cheeks. A glance at the sky told me a storm was imminent—more than likely a blizzard. So, what the hell was she doing out here barely clothed?

“Girly, you got a death wish?” I asked in all seriousness.

She shook her head as she tightened her arms around herself, her teeth chattering. She looked wary of us, which I couldn’t blame her. She was in the middle of nowhere, and we were two strange men wearing motorcycle cuts labeling us one-percenters. Joke and I weren’t exactly presenting a friendly, trustworthy picture.

Joke flipped his visor up, his dark eyes scrutinizing her from head to do. “Sure looks like you do,” he grunted. “Where are you headed?”

“Town,” she croaked, her throat obviously dry. She tried clearing it, but she winced, stopping almost immediately.

Joke looked at me, a frown tugging at his lips. I sighed, glancing at the sky, then toward the town just up ahead. We would more than likely be stranded for days, and if she didn’t havesomewhere else to go or the motel didn’t have two rooms, she’d be stranded with us. While Joke and I were no stranger to sharing spaces with women, we normally only did it for a matter of hours, not days.

“You got somewhere to go once you get there?” I asked, looking back at the pretty blonde. And fuck, shewaspretty. Curvy in all the right places. Expressive eyes that couldn’t hide a fucking thing. Long lashes flecked with bits of snow.

“No. I was going to try to stay at the motel.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Got a little bit of cash.” Her voice was still raw and rough. She’d been out in this weather for way too damn long, and it was wearing down on her health already.

“Hop on,” Joke told her as he shrugged off his leather jacket, leaving him in just his hoodie. He was going to freeze half to death, but I didn’t say a word. He still had on more than she did at the moment. “And put this on.” She stepped forward gratefully, taking the jacket from him and sliding it onto her shoulders. I had to admit I liked the way she looked wearing it. It looked right on her, even if his jacket did swallow her more petite frame.

Once she was settled behind him, he tugged his helmet off and settled it on her head, flipping the visor down. I frowned. I didn’t like him going without his helmet, but I also knew she probably wasn’t familiar with riding, and having her protected was a little more important.

Once her arms were wrapped around his waist and her thighs were squeezing his hips, he eased off down the road again. I quickly followed. The town was quiet when we entered, only a few cars out and about. There wasn’t much there—a gas station, the motel, a firehouse, and a tiny grocery store that looked likeit barely held the basic necessities. I didn’t even see a police station.

Sure as fuck wasn’t much there, but it would make do while we had to hunker down. And we really needed to because the sky was opening up even more, and the wind was beating down like it had a personal vendetta against the three of us.

Joke pulled into the motel lot, and once I was parked beside him, I headed on inside the office. Joke followed a moment later with the woman at his side. “What’s your name?” Joke asked her, his voice sounding like he’d been chewing gravel. I always joked he sounded like pure sex when he talked, but it wasn’t exactly a lie. The man could read the Bible to me, and I’d get hard.

“Macie,” the woman replied just as I pulled open the door to the lobby, holding it open for Joke and Macie to follow in behind me. She sighed when the warmth of the lobby wrapped around her, and an urge to wrap her up in my arms to give her even more warmth surprised me so much, my steps faltered. Joke pressed a hand to my shoulder, his brows furrowing. I cleared my throat and forced a smile to my face, aiming my attention at the older gentleman working the counter as Joke dropped his hand.

“Hi. We need two rooms, if possible,” I told him.

He shook his head. “Afraid I ain’t got but one available, young man. Lotsa locals takin’ up rooms in preparation for this blizzard. Safer than some ol’ trailer. Don’t nobody wanna be without no heat in a trailer. Walls ain’t thick enough.”

Couldn’t blame them, really. Turning, I arched a brow at Macie. “Only one room available, sweetheart,” I told her. “You’re welcome to stay with us. Don’t want you out there in that mess.”I flickered my eyes toward outside, grimacing at how white it already was. Christ.

“That’s fine,” she said quietly.

I turned back to the receptionist. “We’ll take the last room,” I told him.

He nodded and pushed an old ledger to me. I filled out the information as Joke handed over the cash to pay for our stay. Macie tried to give him money, but he blatantly ignored her, making me snicker. And when she stomped her foot and huffed, I snorted.

She was damn adorable.

Once we had the key, I handed it to Joke. “Go on and get her in the room. I’ll get our bags from the bikes and get them covered.”

He frowned. “You sure?”

I looked at Macie. Her face was still too pale, and the color still hadn’t returned to her lips. Every few moments, a shiver wracked her body.

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