He’d said my real name too much in the last half an hour. I was used to him moaning it when he came, or him whispering it when we were alone, but not like this. He wanted me to open up and tell him my secrets and that wasn’t something I could do. But I also couldn’t say no to his support. It was a double-edged dagger. He’d be there to hear all about my dirty past, the accident that stole my life and sent me running south.
“Let’s not talk about it tonight. I’m beat. I think I’m going to bed.” I turned us so he was under the spray and gave him a smile, laying a soft kiss on his delectable mouth. The water battered down on his hair, the blond curls turning dark brown and sticking to his round face and high cheekbones. “Wash off and then come sleep.”
I didn’t wait for his answer, leaving the shower and grabbing a towel. I walked into the room, wiping the water off my body as I went. Anything was better than staying there for Loki to ask me more questions. Once I was dry, I slipped on some boxers and stripped the bed of the blanket, so we weren’t lying in wet spunk. I grabbed a spare comforter from the closet shelf and laid it out on the mattress before I slipped under it and turned on my side.
It occurred to me that even though Loki and I had fucked for over two years, we hadn’t actuallyslepttogether. Not like this. In a bed. Away from our other club brothers’ and sisters’ snoring. This wasn’t a night of a party where there were bodies spread out across the floor of the barroom. Loki and I had a room to ourselves, and I could cuddle him without the fear of being caught.
Ten minutes later, I heard him come into the room. He slid into the bed behind me, and I turned to drag him against my body. His head fit perfectly under my chin and he threw his leg over mine, his soft dick pressed against my hip. His hair was wet and cold, but I didn’t mind.
“Mm, this is nice,” he whispered.
“Very nice.” I kissed his forehead and breathed in the soft scent of the motel shampoo. It wasn’t fancy, but anything on Loki smelled nice.
“This is the first time we’ve been in bed together to sleep.”
I laughed gently. “Yeah, I was just thinking about that.”
“I like it.” Loki tilted his head up and kissed my chin. “I like being this way with you. Not having to hide.”
“Me too.” Sighing, I shook my head. “Let’s not think about this right now. We have a big ride tomorrow. We’ll talk tomorrow night, okay?”
His gaze softened and he kissed me on the mouth. I pressed my lips to his forehead before he settled his cheek against my chest again. Closing my eyes, I let sleep slowly take me as I thought about tomorrow, when I’d finally get intothattown, the one I’d skipped all those years ago. There was no way to avoid going back, and I was about to see how my past friends really felt about me.
The ride to Wittstock took another eleven hours. The traffic was a little worse than it’d been on the way to Weed, and we’d stopped five times for gas even though Loki whined about me being overly cautious. I pointed at him in warning, and he grinned mischievously before he shrugged and shut his mouth.
By the time we hit Wittstock, it was nearing six at night and a rare golden glow brushed over Main Street, making it seem like a small town out of a Hallmark movie. It was anything but that, however. If this town belonged to one of those kinds of movies, then the accident wouldn’t have happened, and no one would have died or been paralyzed.
It was quiet, even for a weeknight, and the sounds of our bike engines filled the street as we drove down it slowly. I checked out the shops along Main, noting the differences since the last time I’d been here. Some were still the same, like Momma Adriana’s Italian Restaurant and Holts Antiques, but there were also a lot of new stores. It still felt like I’d never left. I recognized a couple of familiar faces as we pulled into the parking lot of the town’s diner, the only one they had.
“What’s with you and diners?” Loki asked as he whipped off his helmet and kicked at the stand of his Ducati.
“It’s food, right? You love food. Diner food’s even better, I guess. Fatty delicious junk.”
I didn’t take off my helmet. Not yet. One of those familiar faces I didn’t want to see was Felix,Andy’sbrother. He stood over on the other side of the street in front of the hardware store, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He hadn’t changed since I’d seen him last. His hair was still trimmed close to his head in a military-style crew cut, and he was stocky, like any guy in the military. He’d left the marines after the accident and come home on leave to say goodbye to Andy, the only brother he had. The one I’d taken from him.
I gripped my handlebars tightly, my leather gloves squeaking.
“Thor?” Loki’s gaze slid in Felix’s direction, brows dipping in confusion. “Who’s that?”
I shook my head and forced myself to dismount the Harley, switching the ignition off and kicking down the stand. Rolling my shoulders, I glanced at Felix again before I took off my helmet, hoping he couldn’t see me all the way over here. “Let’s go inside. I’m starving.”
Loki glanced in Felix’s direction again before I grabbed his elbow and led him toward the diner door. My stomach growled at the thought of eating the food from here. It’d been too long, and I missed their hamburgers and fries. No one could cook fries quite like Jalen, the best local cook, but I didn’t even know if he was still here. My question was answered when we stepped into the cool interior of the modern-style diner. It had obviously been refurbished since I’d left, with new white-flecked countertops and shiny white booths. Everything was so… white. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the staff. Jalen was still standing in front of the small cut-out window that looked into the kitchen, his short dreads knotted at the top of his head and the smallest cook cap I’d ever seen perched on top.
It took him a few moments before he looked up, but the moment his brown eyes met mine, they widened. Something clattered on that side of the window, and he took off to the side, slamming open the door on the right. He came stumbling out past the counter, nearly knocking over a poor young girl on the way back to her parents.
Jalen froze in front of me, mouth parted. He was only a few years older than me, and he’d been my role model growing up. I’d wanted to be exactly like Jalen—the carefree son of a bitch who took life by the balls and went for a ride. He’d been the one to give me my first Harley right after I got out of prison, and he’d helped me restore her the best he could before I took off out of Wittstock for good.
“As I live and fucking breathe….” He laughed.
“Jalen, no cursing. There’s children!” Marion glared at him from where she stood behind the counter, but her stare slid to me and her bright pink mouth popped open in surprise. She looked a little older than she had when I’d left, with a few more lines around the eyes and mouth and thinner brown hair on her forehead, but she was still the same lady that snuck me free fries when the bosses weren’t around. “Tobias?”
“Of course, it’s fucking Tobias Langley! Look at this handsome son of a gun!” Jalen danced on the spot, clapping his hands and opening his arms. “Come here, you bastard.”
Marion let out an exasperated sigh at Jalen’s cursing, and I laughed, giving Jalen the hug. I slapped him on the back. The smell of oil and fries that was permanently attached to him filled my nose and a homesickness washed over me. Even if this place wasn’t mine anymore, I still missed parts of it.
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked, squeezing me tightly for a moment before stepping back and sizing me up. “Christ, Toby, you got big.”
I rolled my eyes. “I hope so. The last time you saw me I was eighteen.”
