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“Get on the bike.”
“Viper, you cramp my style.”
“What style? You still pulled in a solid amount of tips, yeah?”
“It wasn’t even about that,” I muttered. “It was…”
“What?”
“What you and I did in the hallway.”
“Remind me.”
I snorted. “Faulty memory in your old age?”
“Watch it,” he muttered. “And don’t tell me you didn’t like what we did in the hallway.”
“Didn’t say that.” I put the helmet on. “But that can’t be a regular occurrence if you stay and watch me every shift I work.”
“Why can’t it be a regular occurrence?”
“Because.”
“That’s not a reason. Get on the bike. I’m hungry. And I’m not talking about pizza.”
“Did I just lose this fight?”
“Not a fight. But yeah, you’re losing.” He suddenly smiled, and it softened the harsh planes of his face. “Hop on. The sooner we get back, the sooner you get pizza, and the sooner I get what I want.”
“I want what you want,” I assured him, climbing on behind him. I wrapped my arms around his middle.
As we took off into the night, the humid air bathing my cheeks, I wondered why I was so comfortable with Viper. My first impression of him had been all wrong. Sure, he’d come across as scary, angry, and with a distinctdon’t-fuck-with-mevibe, but when we were sitting at the booth in the diner, I’d felt at ease with him.
A stranger had made me feel not so alone, not so terrified about what I’d done.
And the truth of it was that anytime I thought about what I’d done, I immediately tried to think about something else. I was already burying it deep down and disassociating from it.
Because to think about it meant I had to analyze it. And to analyze meant I had to feel it. And I was queen ofif I don’t think about it, it’s not real.
Healthy? Probably not. But it worked for me, and I’d learned long ago that sometimes all we had to do in life was get by.
Two younger bikers were guarding the gate of the clubhouse and they opened it to let us through. Viper parked in the gravel lot and cut the engine.
I hopped off and removed the helmet.
“Don’t like you riding in bare legs,” he said. “We gotta get you some new clothes.”
“You just want to see me in leather pants,” I teased.
“You got me.”
“So transparent. I like it.” I paused. “Savage talk to you tonight?”
“About what?” he asked.
“Dinner. Tomorrow night.”
“Oh, that. Yeah.”
