“You want something to eat?” Jerry asked Kylie, who was still clinging on to him.
“Yeah, I better get some food. I haven’t eaten since early this morning.” She laid her head against his leather jacket. “I’m feeling real woozy.”
“Drinking on an empty stomach will do that. Let’s get a burger.” He led Kylie—tucked under his arm—to the food booth, glancing around as they waited in line. There were so many drunk students, and he couldn’t help but laugh aloud as he watched them stumble and fall. He wondered how many times Kylie and her friends went out drinking. It couldn’t be very often; he knew from the bits of conversation he overheard from Banger that she was doing well in college.
“I want a lot of relish on mine,” she said.
He looked down, and her gaze met his. They stood watching each other for a long moment. “I think you put your own on. I see a table with a bunch of packets.”
The people manning the booth looked older than the ones at the event. “What would you like?” a man in his forties asked.
“Two burgers.” Jerry pulled out his wallet and gave a twenty. After much maneuvering, he managed to sit Kylie down, put the food on the table, and turn over six packets of relish to her, for which he received the sweetest smile he’d ever seen. “You wanna Coke?”
Shaking her head, she said, “A beer.”
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”
She groaned. “Please don’t act like my dad. Just be a friend, okay?”
He definitely had no intention of treating her like a daughter, so he just smiled. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
When he returned to the table, a medium-sized guy sat next to Kylie, saying something to her, close to her ear. Jerry’s jaw tightened. “Here you are.” He placed the red cup in front of her, his steely eyes boring into the young man. The guy immediately jumped up and scurried away. “Who was that? Another admirer?”
“I don’t have a clue who he is. He didn’t tell me his name. He wanted to hang with me. I’ve never seen him before, but the school is really big, so that’s not a surprise.” She took a bite of her hamburger. “Yum.” She wiggled in her seat.
Jerry loved the way she munched on her food—so delicately—and told him all about her classes. As she shared the funny stories about her friends and professors, he had a hard time staying focused on anything else but having her wrapped in his arms, kissing her deeply.
“There you are, Kylie. I’ve been looking all around for you. Where’re Taylor and Mary?” A young woman with purple and pink streaks in her hair stood behind Kylie, her gaze lingering on Jerry’s ink across his hard biceps.
Kylie turned away from Jerry. “Hey, Ari. Taylor and Mary are with Ricky in the beer tent. Did you just get here?”
“Not too long ago.” She smiled. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, sorry.” Kylie placed her hand on his forearm, her touch soft and warm. “This is Jerry, and Jerry, this is Ari.”
“Hi,” Ari said thickly. “What year are you?”
Jerry tilted his head. “Year?”
Kylie giggled. “He doesn’t go to school here. He’s a friend of mine from home. He stopped by to say hi to me. Isn’t that sweet?” She leaned her head against his shoulder, his jeans grew tighter, and Ari’s gaze never left his face.
“Wow, I didn’t know you had such a good-looking friend. Are all the guys this gorgeous in Pinewood Springs?”
Kylie nodded. “A lot of them are in the Insurgents.” The simple comment pissed Jerry the hell off.Who else is she looking at?
“Insurgents? What’s that?”
Another giggle. “My dad’s motorcycle club. Remember, I told you he’s the president?”
“Oh, yeah.” Ari’s leg rubbed against his knee. “So, you’re a biker. Cool. Do you ride a Harley?”
Jerry jutted his chin out. “Of course.”
“Only Harleys are worth riding, right?” Kylie poked his side in a teasing way, and a low growl vibrated in his throat. Damn, she was fucking turning him on, and she didn’t even know it. “Jerry has a real badass Harley that’s electric blue. I love it.”
“Sounds cool. I’ve never been on a motorcycle. I’d love to take a spin,” Ari hinted.
“It’s the color of your eyes,” Jerry whispered, his lips brushing against Kylie’s ear as he breathed her scent in deeply, felt her hair against his forehead. She turned toward him, his lips skimming across her cheek, and smiled. For one long moment, it was just him and Kylie, and the urge to capture her mouth overwhelmed him. He was so close. All he had to do was move his head a tiny bit and he’d be on—
