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“Worse.” She waited a beat for dramatic effect. “Cool jazz, mostly.”
“Oh, no! The horror!” The grin on his lips belied his distressed tone. “What have you done with my Mya?”
“Grown out of who I was, mostly.” She answered him honestly. It had always been that way between them, at least until the very end when she’d kept a secret so big it felt like it would smother her. “Change is inevitable for some of us.”
“Not me. I’m still a simple country boy at heart. Good music, cheap beer, winding roads, and my bike.” He patted a folded piece of leather on the console between them. “Riding with my brothers is life, man.”
“Brothers?” She angled herself against the door to watch him as he drove. His expression was relaxed, chin up confidently, and his eyes were bright with excitement of some kind. The leather seemed to be a garment, with an insignia sewed into place on the back panel.
“Yeah, in the club. Closer than blood, most of us. We do nearly everything together.” He snorted a soft laugh. “I caught shit earlier when I showed up at the clubhouse in the truck instead of on the bike. Told everyone I had a classy lady to take to dinner and didn’t want to arrive all bug splattered.”
“Does that really happen? The bugs?” Mya tried to adjust her memories and understanding of Kade to take in this new knowledge. “And you’re in a motorcycle club?” She was careful to use the same terms he had to describe this thing he felt so passionate about. “That’s not something I’d have expected. Aren’t you worried about wrecking?”
“Yeah, the bugs are a real thing. Some months are worse than others, as you’d expect.” His turn indicator blinked as he took the next left. “And yeah, I’m in a club.” He paused, and she noted the way his facial features sharpened, tension pulling the muscles taut. “Is that a problem, Doctor?”
“What?” Mya sputtered, then waved a hand at him. “No, of course not. It’s just new info. Give a gal a minute to process, would ya?” When some of the tension left his face, she laughed softly. “You like these people you’re in the club with, then? That’s good. A connection like that is stronger than just friends, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Like I said, closer than blood. They’re my found family.” The tension was entirely gone now, a smile again playing along his lips. “Took me a while to get over my own attitude. Wasn’t sure it was something I wanted, but taking the bike out alone isn’t as much fun, so I hung around them for some group rides. Got to know a few of them, then a few more.” He laughed, chin rising with the burst of humor. “Found out later that’s how they hook a guy they think would be a good member. Draw them in with a bunch of fun times, and then throw a patch on their back soon as they’ll accept it.” He shook his head, apparently at a memory. “Good guys. I’m proud of them.”
“How long have you been in the club? Is it a name I’d know?” From news stories, she meant, hoping he’d say no.
“About five years now.” Kade’s head shook back and forth. “And no, not likely you’d know the name, unless you saw a report on a charity run we’d done. The Eusebeia’s Pets MC aren’t into shit that’d catch big news.”
“That’s good, right?” She dragged through her memories but came up blank with any associations for the club. “I guess not everything is like it’s portrayed on TV.”
Another laugh burst from him, this one bitter. The ugly sound bounced around the cab of the truck for a second, and she saw his shoulders tighten. “Nope. TV gets a lotta shit wrong.” He paused, changing lanes, and Mya found herself watching the surrounding traffic intently. Kade pulled her attention back to him with a soft “Hey.”
“Hmmm?”
“I’m a good driver, Mya. Promise.” He dropped the hand closest to her to the console, placing it palm up invitingly. “You’re safe with me. Always.”
Mya reached for his hand, slipping her fingers between his much bigger ones, pulling in the first easy breath she’d taken since they’d started the trip. He gave her a squeeze, and she returned the gesture, a glance at his face showing the smile that broke over his lips.
“I know. And I’m not nervous, at least not on purpose. It’s just so recent.” She pulled in another huge breath, liking the stretch as her ribs expanded. “Logically I understand. Trust me, I’ve analyzed the accident from a thousand different directions but haven’t come up with a way I could have changed the outcome.”
“So you’re not doing the coulda, woulda, shoulda, at least.”
She smiled at his frown. Just like Kade, trying to take care of everyone.
“Nope. And I’m aware of the various coping mechanisms I’ve adopted. Currently everything falls within normal parameters for someone dealing with the aftermath of an out-of-control situation like that.”
His amused snort brought her up short.
“What?”
“You sound like a psychologist.”
“Well, I am one. As you know from your search engine mastery. Don’t act all surprised.” His fingers tightened on her hand again, and she laughed. “No, I get it. Who’d have thought that a straight-B student would want so much more schooling? But brain games are what I do. If it can be analyzed, I’m your gal.”
He gave a sharp nod. “You are.”
Turning off the main road, Kade steered the truck down a packed dirt road. The trees closed in on the sides of the track, and Mya searched through the brush for signs of a business.
“Where are we? This is a part of town I’m not familiar with.” If it had been anyone other than Kade, she’d have been seriously afraid right about now, and even knowing him as well as she did, there was a tiny frisson of fear dancing up her spine. “You didn’t say where we were going.”
“Best place around for grilled steaks and baked potatoes.” Easy and relaxed, Kade swung his head to glance at her. “I’d planned on taking you to a fancy restaurant, but then we got to talking, and muscle memory took over. Good thing I’ve got a stocked fridge.”
Startled, Mya looked out the windows again, still seeing nothing more than forest crowding each side of the narrow track. “We’re going to your house?”
