Page 52 of Reckless Pawn

Houston bit back a smile. "Don't trust me anymore?"

She shrugged, her already tense shoulders rising further. "I can't trust anyone anymore."

That made him sad. She trusted him once so he'd find a way to make her do it again. "That's a pretty harsh stance."

"These are pretty harsh circumstances, don't you think? You left me here. With strangers."

He turned in his seat. "That was the price I had to pay and you know that. And if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I keep my word. Besides, they aren't strangers to me. I knew you would be safe."

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that? I knew you for a few days and the only info I had on your club was that you didn't want to go back."

He was starting to lose his patience. "Now's not the time or the place. Get on." Without another word he turned, started the bike and revved the engine. This little outburst only solidified the fact that they needed to talk. And that meant away from the club and away from the memories.

They needed fresh air and a clean start.

Fortunately, she didn't argue anymore and instead climbed on the bike behind him. When she wrapped her arms around his waist he let go of the angry breath he'd been holding and allowed the shudder of sensation she created to wash over him.

"So where are we going?" she yelled over the roar of the engine.

"Somewhere private. Away from the club. We need to get a few things straight between us. Hang on."

Chapter Eighteen

Izzy

With the wind whipping around my face and neck I held on tight and pressed my cheek against his back. I so badly wanted to believe that I could trust everything Houston said. For some cruel reason, life wanted to teach me otherwise.

I was beginning to feel like a stupid ping pong ball the way I was being bounced back and forth by the club.You can't see Houston, here he is. He's gone for good, now he's backand on and on the merry-go-round went. If they were trying to break me they had a pretty good chance of succeeding.

The whole thing was exhausting.

I got so wrapped up in my thoughts it took me a while to notice we'd left the compound behind. My head popped up and I looked around. Depending on your perspective it was either late at night or early in the morning. Since I'd worked through the night it still felt like night to me despite the faint glow of the sun that would soon rise behind the mountains.

The streets were quiet this time of day so I leaned forward into Houston and gave myself over to the ride. Fighting sucked and I was damned tired of it.

Heat emanated through his jacket and I snuggled tighter. Maybe for a few minutes I could focus on the here and now instead of the past or the spotty future that kept dragging me down.

I let the memory of the night I met him flow free. I'd never felt such an instant attraction as I did on that dock in Seattle. When I should have been focused on anything but meeting a man, I met my badass.

I should have walked away. I knew how dangerous my life had become. Both my father and my fiancé were insane and I likely wasn't far behind them. Only my ability to self-medicate had kept me from falling over the ledge into madness. But I needed a place to hide and Houston seemed like the best option at the time.

For a few glorious days I'd been free. My body tingled as I remembered all the things Houston did to me. Lots of dirty, exciting things that still blew my mind when I thought of them.

I sighed. It was just a fling and I was an idiot to put so much stock into it. It didn't matter that we'd talked late into the night, sharing bits and pieces about our lives. We were not in a relationship and we were not in love. In fact, the only thing we were "in" together at the moment was danger and I'd do well to remember that.

I tightened my arms a fraction more around Houston and pushed the past out of my head. I didn't want to live there in my mind anymore. Instead I focused on the scent of his warm leather cut pressed against my chest as we raced down the near deserted highway.

What did it even mean that he wore one of these club vests now? Had he put his volatile past with them behind him for good and rejoined permanently? I leaned back and stared down at the design on the back. His was not like the prospect's that had guarded me. He had a rocker, but it also didn't have all the pieces I'd seen many times on Axel's back.

I leaned back into him. Maybe when we got wherever we were going I'd ask him about it. It seemed his life had changed quite a bit since that first night as well.

We rode like this for a while, the vibration of the bike underneath me lulling me into a quiet peace. My arms wrapped around Houston made me feel not so alone. I didn't care if it was temporary or a figment of my imagination. For one more night I wanted to live in the moment. Those were the times when the good memories were made. And God knows I'd need all the good memories I could get to make it through the rest of the dark days in front of me.

I breathed deep, letting the cool morning air fill my lungs as we drove for miles and miles. Eventually the landscape blended into tree after tree with only a smattering of houses or buildings to break up the green.

I got now why the club guys talked so much about riding their bikes. It was so different from driving in a car. Out here with the wind blowing in my hair and the road rushing by under my feet it was easier to forget everything else.

Not long after I finally relaxed and was content to ride forever if necessary, Houston slowed the bike and pulled off the highway into a roadside parking lot.

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