Page 36 of Untouchable

The look on Ace’s face was priceless when he showed up at the pool. I didn’t do it to intentionally piss him off, but I was ready to go, he was late, and the pool—and Tabitha—were calling my name. I was hoping this trip would give us the opportunity to talk, to get to know each other again, the way we did when we were kids, but if all else fails, at least I know how to press his buttons.

We’ve been on the road for what feels like forever, and my hands are starting to cramp from gripping Ace so tight. It’s not like I’ve never been on a bike before, but I think my dad’s insistence on me not being on one has embedded some sort of subconscious fear of riding into my mind. I let go and sit back a few inches, feeling the tension in my back. God, I’m going to be locked up tighter than a military base by the end of this trip. I reach my hands out to either side of me, breathing in deeply as the wind hits my arms. No wonder the guys love this so much, it’s a feeling of freedom like I’ve never felt before. Until my arms are yanked back down, one by one, and secured by Ace’s hand around his abdomen.

So much for the feeling of freedom.

Five minutes later we’re pulling off an exit ramp and into a rundown gas station parking lot. The bike engines cut off and Ace practically slams his helmet down.

“Have you lost your mind?” he growls, looking down at where I’m still seated on his bike. I take a moment to stand, removing my helmet as well, before going toe to toe with him.

“Excuse me?”

“When you’re on the back of my bike, you don’t let go. Ever. Do you understand me?” I’d probably find a riled-up Ace kind of sexy if I didn’t feel like I was about to get grounded.

“Or what?” He leans down lower, causing my breath to catch in my chest.

“Or I will tie your hands together myself so you don’t have a choice.” He must see the look of intrigue in my eye because he steps away and shakes his head. Ejecting himself from the idea before it can take off.

“If you need to use the bathroom, do it now. We won’t stop again until sunset.”

He walks towards the convenience store and I stomp closely behind him. “Is this how this trip is going to be? You barking orders at me the whole time?”

“I don’t bark.” I wait for him to say more, but he never does. He just stares at me until I get fed up enough with his silence that I storm off to the bathroom, hating that I’m once again doing exactly what he’s told me to do.

I look myself over in the grungy bathroom mirror, trying to comb through my hair with my fingers, but the tangles are so bad I don’t stand a chance against them. I adjust my bandana—Ace’s bandana—and get an idea I know will piss him off. I walk back out, seeing all of the guys standing by their bikes—Mikey and Bodine both smoking while Ace leans against his bike with his arms crossed. I grab my helmet from the back of Ace’s bike,put it on, and then walk over to Bodine’s bike and climb on the back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ace asks, standing up.

I finish fastening my helmet, answering without looking at him. “Riding with someone I like.”

I sneak a glance at him from behind my sunglasses, seeing him look at Bodine before turning his attention back to me. “No.”

“What do you mean,no?”

He stalks closer to me, causing the hair on the back of my neck to rise with anticipation. “I mean exactly what I said. You’re not riding with Bodine, you’re riding withme.”

I cross my arms over my chest with a smirk. “I wasn’t asking.”

“Neither was I.” I’ve decided my new favorite road trip game is to find all of Ace’s buttons and see how many I can press before he explodes. My face falls and he leans down, throwing me over his shoulders before planting my ass on the back of his bike.”

“What iswithyou?”

“My backpack keeps falling off.” He throws his leg over his seat, takes his bandana off, and runs his fingers through his hair, before grabbing my hands and tying them together in front of him with the headband.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I mumble against his back. I see him smirk and roll my eyes. Once he’s secured my hands around his waist, he turns his head to the right, speaking to where only I can hear him.

“Iasked you on this trip, Little Reaper. That means you ride withme.”

I don’t bother responding. Nothing I say is going to change the fact that I’m literallytiedto him. I’m more surprised that neither Mikey nor Bodine said anything when he cavemansnatched me from Bodine’s bike. When I look back over at them they both wear the most amused smirks on their faces, making me roll my eyes. I keep pulling at the bandana, trying to loosen it even a little because my wrists are rubbing together painfully. Mikey and Bodine both start their bikes, but before Ace does I feel his back tense and he turns his head in my direction again.

“If you continue doing that while your hands are in my lap you’re going to create a problem that neither of us will be able to solve. Stop fidgeting.” I stop, then roll my wrists once more, causing him to take a deep breath as his jaw tightens.

“Sorry.” There’s no hint of sincerity in my voice, but he starts the bike and pulls out without another word.

By the time we finally stop in Missouri, and Ace unwraps me, my wrists are raw, my lips are chapped and I know I’m in for the roughest hair brushing of my life.

When we stop in a motel lot, Mikey puts his helmet down first, glaring at Ace. “Well! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m fucking famished.”

“No shit, I thought my stomach fell out back in Kentucky,” Bodine adds.

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