Page 35 of Hard Ride

As one, they turned toward the van, ignoring the Hot Rides office and one of their friends’ houses, which might have made more neutral territory.Van knew this was where things were heading, if he got what he thought he wanted.

Ollie gestured for Kyra to go in first.He lifted her knuckles to his lips and kissed them before temporarily allowing her to extract her hand from his.Then he busied himself, turning the driver and passenger seats around on their swivel bases and moving a few things off the bench seat opposite them so they could sit comfortably, facing each other, for whatever came next.

“Cool.I didn’t know they did that.It makes this like a living room up front.”Van nodded appreciatively.It surprised him when Ollie motioned for him to take what transformed into the driver’s seat, assuming he’d have wanted that place for himself.

Was it some kind of message or did he feel better with Kyra sitting between them as some sort of buffer?

Van wasn’t sad that she took the passenger seat, next to him.Ollie sat on the bench seat in front of her, completing their slightly skewed triangle.He kicked back, stretching his legs out and resting his folded hands on his abs as if he was completely relaxed instead of tied in knots like Van was at the prospect of the discussion they were about to have.“I’m glad you like it.I was afraid it might be uncomfortable for someone as tall and…big…as you.”

“You calling me fat?”Van crossed his arms, but he grinned, trying to remember that he and Ollie had become buddies despite the tension between them and Kyra.They’d spent months hanging out while their mutual friends got to know each other and fell in love.

Van would be lying if he’d said his only fear was losing Kyra.He’d miss Ollie and the camaraderie they’d built if things went sideways now.

“You ought to be given how much you eat, but…nah.”Ollie shrugged one shoulder.“I’m just mad I didn’t get some of your genes.”

Van chuckled, though he stopped when he realized Kyra was staring between them while practically chewing down to the quick what little fingernails she had left after drumming.

“Hey, it’s okay.”He turned toward her and remembered the mission he’d gone on, the one that should be more important to him than whether or not he ever found his way inside her again.“I checked everything out and I think you’re right.There’s nothing on the camera footage from that day in the alley or the meet and greets where he’s talked to you before.Nothing concerning in the packages he’s sent you that are in storage, although there are a heck of a lot of them.I have to say Number One seems like he’s…more socially inept and overzealous than outright dangerous.Guess I can’t blame him really.I want to be your number one fan too.”

“Oh, thank God.”Kyra melted against the seat.

“That doesn’t mean I want him close to you, especially when you’re alone, but…you were right.”As if that wasn’t hard enough to admit, Van wasn’t finished.He still had the harder part of his revelation to go.“And honestly, the reason I freaked out about it probably had more to do with my own personal feelings about what you did when you were frightened than it did with my professional instincts.”

“Understandable.”Ollie nodded.“I, for one, am glad you took the incident seriously.”

“I bet you are.”Van immediately wished he could suck the words back in, but it was too late.They would have to cut him some slack.“Sorry, I’m going to try not to be like that.It’s just that I’m jealous as fuck that you were here, sleeping with Kyra, while I was gone.”

Kyra turned to him and murmured, “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”He shook his head, refusing to let her pretend otherwise.“And that’s okay.You told me straight up how it was before I left.And I was too stupid to tell you that I wanted to keep you all to myself.I was trying to be mature, let you decide what was best for yourself, and work up the nerve to confess that I don’t care if it means giving up my job.I want you more.”

“You were?”Kyra tipped her head and narrowed her eyes as if trying to evaluate how sincere he was being.He let her see everything, as he should have for the past several years that he’d been lusting after not only her body, but all of her.

“Yeah.I’ve been dreaming about having you for the past two years.I just didn’t want to ruin what we had or put you in a weird spot because of our positions with Kason’s band.”He scrubbed his hands over his face, surprised when Ollie reached out and put a hand on his knee for support.“I guess it wasn’t until I saw Kason go after Jordan and Wren that I realized how much I was sacrificing by playing it safe.And also that Kason won’t hold it against us if we pursue whatever this is between us and, for whatever reason, it doesn’t work out.”

Kyra’s mouth hung open as she stared at him and then Ollie.She said to the other man, “You were right.Holy shit.”

Had Ollie been advocating for Van?Why would he do that when he so obviously wanted her for himself?Really, what man who was into women wouldn’t go after Kyra?She was bold, badass, alluring, and easy to hang out with.Even when you were dense, like he’d been acting for far too long now.

Maybe both he and Ollie had reached a similar conclusion…Kyra was amazing enough that it’d be worth having any part of her she was willing to give him, even if that meant sharing her with someone else.

“You should listen to me more often,” Ollie said with a smirk that cut the tension between them all and set them to laughing.

“I haven’t been blameless either.”Kyra cleared her throat, then said, “I’ve been letting my own doubts control my actions.I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore.I’m going to be more direct.I intend to say what I mean and mean what I say.Go after the things I desire, even if I don’t think I can have them.”

“When it involves me, you can have everything,” Van promised her.“Even if you want another man too.”

“Madre de Dios,” Ollie whispered under his breath in a perfect Spanish accent, surprising Van.

“¿Tu hablas español?” He didn’t intend to ask Ollie about speaking Spanish in Spanish, it just came out that way.Probably because he’d been talking to Alanso at Hot Rods most of the times he’d come to Middletown lately.

“Sí.” Ollie continued the trend.

Well damn.Van would have to ask him about that later.He always felt more at home speaking in Spanish.Maybe because it reminded him of his mother, his childhood, and all the fun times they’d shared before he figured out that they were poor and on their own in the world.His mother would have adored Kyra, and probably Ollie too, if she were still alive.

Van shook his head, clearing those thoughts before he got too damn depressed.

“Uh, guys… I’m confused enough as it is.In English, please?”Kyra shook her head as she looked between them.

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