Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“I’m not riding on that,” she said.
I looked at her like she was crazy.
“Why not?” I questioned her as I took hold of her good hand and led her to my bike. “Are you scared?”
Her back straightened so fast and hard that I worried for the state of her spine. She didn’t resist, and I had to smile as she clutched my hand.
She didn’t answer.
It was obvious she didn’t like riding. It scared her.
When we rode here, I wasn’t sure if she was actually scared of the bike or in pain from the broken arm. Now, I could clearly tell that it was because she feared riding.
“When I was seventeen, I was following behind a motorcycle,” she said the moment we reached my bike.
I turned and studied her, wondering where she was going with her line of conversation, but I had a feeling in the back of my mind that what she was about to tell me changed her life.
And not in a positive way.
She was staring at the bike for so long that I wasn’t sure she was going to finish, but she shook her head and looked at me before quickly looking away.
“A car pulled out in front of him, and he slammed into the car. Went through the car’s windows, and straight into a guardrail that severed him in half at the waist.” She shivered at the memory. “He died, all because some woman wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing and pulled out in front of him.”
“Bikes are less visible on the road, yes,” I confirmed. “I’ve had over twenty-two years of motorcycle riding experience, and I know how to handle my bike. Trust me when I say that, while you’re on the back of my bike, no harm will come to you.”
She gave me a dry look.
“You can’t control the actions of others,” she informed me, walking up to the bike and lifting her leg to straddle it.
“I can’t,” I told her, mounting the bike in front of her. “But if it’s within my power to control, I’ll make it so.”
She hummed and scooted back, giving me some room to move back as well.
When I was comfortable, I started the bike and leaned to the side, kicking the stand up on the bike, before walking it out of the parking spot.
“Do bikes not have reverse?” she yelled over the loud hum of the motor.
I turned until I was facing forward, and then looked at her over my shoulder.
“Most bikes are light enough that the person riding them can push them where they need to be. They also have a tight turning radius, so once it’s backed up, even a little bit, we can turn out of the spot,” I answered her back, nearly yelling to be heard over the roar of the motor.
She patted my shoulder and I took that as my sign to go, revving the motorcycle’s engine and accelerating out of the parking lot.
Luckily, the ride to The Uncertain Saints clubhouse was uneventful, and I pulled into the driveway as far as I could before I had to get off and walk. We could no longer access the house from the parking lot due to the flooding. The boat ramp adjacent to the house was under water also, so we had a makeshift area that we docked our river transportation.
“Whoa,” Raven said once the motor died. “How do you get up there?”
I chuckled as I dismounted, holding my hand out to her.
“Boat,” I replied. “That one.”
I pointed to the one tied to a stake that Peek, the president of The Uncertain Saints MC, and I had pounded into the wet earth. Normally, there were four flat bottom boats tied there, but with three of them gone, and three bikes in the driveway next to mine, it meant that we weren’t going to be alone when we got there.
Which was likely good for me.
I didn’t need any more distractions than I already had.
The five foot three distraction, with auburn hair and dark blue eyes, was definitely one that would be more of a diversion than most.
“Hop in,” I ordered.
She looked at the boat, studied its integrity for a few long moments, and then nodded her head.
“If I die, nobody will care,” she mumbled to herself.
I untied the boat and pushed off, the boat scooting across the water toward the stairs on its own volition.
“If I die, somebody will care. They’ll look for me and find you,” I teased her.
She shot her angry eyes up to mine.
“Shut up.”
I grinned down at the water as I picked up the paddle and rowed us to the stairs.
“Grab the railing,” I ordered.
She did as directed, grabbed it with her good arm, and immediately climbed out of the boat to the stairs.
In doing so, she lost hold of the boat and I soared past the stairs.