Page 5 of Riding Mr. Right

“So, I’m right? It is you?” His forehead wrinkles and he takes another step closer. “I’ve always hoped I’d run into you, but I never thought I would.” He pauses. “Are you here to see me, or…”

I take a second to filter through the possible repercussions of telling the truth. Nothing pops to mind, so I nod softly.

“That’s good.” He steps closer. “Really good. I, ugh, I have to serve dinner, but I can set up a table afterward for the two of us and we can catch up.”

I drag in a deep breath and scoot closer to Brick for comfort. It’s the second time tonight I’ve been thankful for his size, maybe the third. I’m losing count. It’s not that I’m afraid to talk to my father, I’m not. Well, not right this second, anyway. It’s that I have a million unanswered questions and I’m not sure what the answers will do to me. Maybe that means I’m afraid.

Brick glances down at me. “Is that what you want, bunny?”

“Bunny?”I glance up at Brick, unsure of where he’s gotten the name from.

“Does that bother you? It just came out. I was trying to be comforting.”

I mull over the idea of asking him to never call me by that name again, but I like it. There’s a familiarity to it that’s soothing, and right now, I’ll take as much comfort as I can get. “I like that you called me that, and I do want to have dinner with Arnie.” I glance back toward the man whose DNA says he’s my father.

“I’ll get a table set up for us and meet you inside. Sound good?”

I nod and glance back toward Brick as Arnie walks away. “What just happened?”

“Not one hundred percent sure. If I thought he was going to recognize you, I wouldn’t have—”

“It’s a relief, actually. At least I don’t have to figure that part out anymore, but…” I trail off and suck in a deep breath of crisp air. The clouds have moved into a low hanging position that covers the tops of the mountain and the Earth is quiet except for a few birds and the waterfall frothing a few feet away.

“But what?”

“But if he knows about me, why didn’t he come back? I spent years needing him. Years talking to myself, pretending his ghost was next to me. I spent years isolated while my mother worked nonstop to pay bills.” Tears well in my eyes, but I shove them away. “If he knew about me, why didn’t he care enough to come find me?”

I don’t have much of a rapport with the man I’m venting to. In fact, we’ve only shared a few stares at the tattoo shop, one bike ride, and two awkward conversations, but his eyes scream a sincerity that I’ve never felt before. They’re focused and narrowed, almost as though he’s desperate to make me feel better.

It’s working.

I stare up toward Brick, trying to tame my hammering heart, but it’s no use. At the moment, I want the most nonsensical things. I want his arms around me. I want his hand in mine. I want my lips to press against his. I want him to lean into my ear and tell me I’m his bunny rabbit…which is probably why I need help.

Brick nods, his face stoic and clean of worry. “I’ll be right here if you need me. Just blink twice, or drop your fork, or scream holy hell. My eyes will be on you.”

I grin and resist the urge to lean into his solid chest for a hug. Our gaze meets and a flicker of warmth passes through, begging my body to react, but I don’t. I stay flat footed, staring up at the man I only just met, wondering how any of this is happening.

“You’re going to be okay, bunny.” He lands his hand on my back and guides me toward the tall wooden door of the cabin. “It’s just a conversation. Whatever he says, it’s just a conversation. We can unpack it all later. I promise.”

I drag in a deep breath of cool air and repeat what Brick has said, fixating on the part where he called me a bunny again. The only time I’ve heard that is in books. The sexy ones that revolve around dominance. For a second, I let my mind wander to a place where Brick has control of me. A place where his big, thick arms have me pressed against a wall while he growls out commands in my ear. My thighs ache, and I swear there’s a dampness in my panties that wasn’t there before.

Wow! Right before you talk to your dad for the first time is not the moment to get all turned up.

I glance up toward Brick and away again, cutting the tension before it builds. “I’ll be fine. You’re right. It’s just a conversation.”

Brick swings open the door. “You don’t have to do this. I can throw you over my shoulder right now and we’ll ride back to my cabin for the night. I’m tucked away in the mountain, so we’d be lost to the world.” He squeezes my hand gently in his. “Say the word and I’ll take you there.”

I glance up as I step through the doorway into the busy dining hall. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

He grins. “Which part? Having you all to myself?”

A shot of electricity rushes through me.Did he really say that?Did I hear him right? No, I couldn’t have. He probably meant we’d finally be alone as in we could finally relax. Yeah, that’s what he meant.

I drag in a deep breath and blow it out slowly as I scan the room for the small table in the corner that’s already been set. Dishes clank together and flatware scrapes across plates as the MC digs into the family style dinner Arnie has set up. I can’t deny that it smells good. Basil, garlic, onion—the room is saturated with Italian goodness.

Brick and I branch away from one another, leaving a cool trail behind where his warmth once was.Why do I miss him the second he steps away?

Arnie pulls out the chair opposite me and sits, lowering his heavy frame slowly. “I guess apologies are in order.”

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