Page 10 of Bride for the Bikers

Thunder pulls the dress out of my arms and tosses it in the corner. Stone faced, he and the others watch as Lightning’s hands skim my body, not leaving an inch untouched. He’s fast and professional. In spite of the crude jokes, there’s nothing sexual about the way he pats me down. Obviously there’s no knife, but he does find the phone I have tucked into the waistband of the pajama pants. He hands it over to Shadow.

I curl up, shrinking away from Lightning. “It’s just a phone. There’s nothing to find there.”

Shadow holds it out. “Unlock it then.”

“Fine.” I’m telling the truth, but my hands still shake as I punch in my code and hand it back.

He frowns and puts the phone up to his ear. I hear Penny’s voice answer again, but he hangs up quickly without saying anything. “Why did you make that call?”

“None of your business. It had nothing to do with this.”

“Wake up! Everything you fucking do right now is our business. We aren’t playing a fucking game,” Outlaw snaps. He shakes his head with an angry growl. “She’s gonna get us killed with this bullshit and then go right back to her cushy little life.”

“You don’t know anything about me! That’s the place taking care of my mom! I check on her every day and I hadn’t called yet today. Are you happy? Keep the phone if it makes you feel better. I might owe you a lot, but I don’t owe you my life story.”

“Harper, you have to see this from our side,” Thunder starts.

“No, she’s right. Leave her alone. We’ll split up in the morning anyway,” Shadow says, interrupting him. “The sooner we can all get the fuck out of here the better.”

7

HARPER

The room is pitch black,but something wakes me up. Maybe it’s just because I feel like I’m pressed under a weighted electric blanket, solid and close against my back. It's holding me close, and it's such a nice way to slowly wake up. Warm breath skates over my neck in time with the sound of slow, deep breathing.

Sometime during the night one of them must have taken me up on the offer to share the bed. I don’t know which of us snuggled up to the other, but as nice as it feels, I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. I slide my hand between us, trying to make a little room. It’s not until my fingers hit bare, warm skin that I realize exactly how much trouble I’m in. That I don’t snatch my hand back right away must be because I’m still half asleep. It’s definitely not because there is just no way that what’s pressing against my palm could be what I think it is. Do they even come that big?

The few fumbling experiments I’ve done with boyfriends in the past didnotprepare me for this.

His breath hitches, and I've never pulled my hand back as quickly as I do just now.

Oh.

My.

God.

I just touched…

“Well, that's one way to say good morning,” comes Thunder’s voice from behind me, rough with sleepiness.

Oh no. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to turn back time. He's going to think that… that I… “I didn't mean to!”

“Didn't realize what?” Lightning asks from across the room. He shines his phone flashlight our way.

“Some of us are fucking sleeping,” groans Outlaw.

It’s a good thing we’re going our separate ways today, because I don’t know if I can look any of them in the eyes after this. Especially Thunder.

He laughs behind me, a low sleepy chuckle that makes me flutter in places it probably shouldn’t. His hand comes to rest on my hip, but outside the covers. “As flattered as I am that you can't keep your hands off me, I don’t think we have time for that kind of shit. What time is it?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”

My face burns like it's on fire. A little hotter, and maybe it'll just melt me away so I don't have to face him. The bed next to us creaks and the overhead light flickers on.

“Time to move,” Shadow says, voice still rough. “According to the girl at the desk last night, their laundry service should show up in about a half an hour.”

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