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Her breath caught as the slipstream caught her fingers, lifting them straight up with the force of it as Max sped through the curve at what had to be a dangerous speed. The lack of oxygen must have made her delirious because Devin found her other hand leaving him. Trusting his strong grip and confidence for the briefest of moments, her arms found their way into the air. Head tipping back, she looked at the wide-open blue sky and found a laugh on her lips.
She was flying. There were no other words for it as the wind lashed her into senseless delirium, feeling freedom in a way she couldn’t comprehend while tethered to the back of a speeding motorcycle through fields of golden wheat and pastures of lowing cows.
Max laughed along with her, delighting in her squeal of dismay and the way her hands snatched at the back of his jacket when he changed gears and the bike roared. Following the winding road, he kept to heart rending speeds for most of it, finally slowing as they travelled through a series of switchbacks.
“Do you like barbeque,” Max asked over his shoulder, giving her thigh another squeeze.
“Yes,” Devin shouted back, sliding her palms over the warm leather of his coat to his shoulders before easing them out to the sides again. She kept them out as the bike tilted through another turn, zooming through the air like a plane.
It wasn’t long before the question had a location. The rundown shack sported dozens of picnic tables decorated with plastic tablecloths of red and white checks. Each was lorded over by condiments and huge stacks of napkins weighted down by paper covered rocks. Strings of white Christmas lights illuminated the space.
Disembarking the bike was challenging enough for her that Max twisted around to lift her straight up and over, keeping her close to the pinging engine as he hauled his long leg over the large motorcycle. Feeling more than a little wobbly, she was happy to hold onto his arm while she waited as she eyed the multitude of cars and other bikes with dismay. Judging by the number of vehicles, there was a crowd gathering for the dinner hour. Placing her helmet on the seat, she only raised a single eyebrow before taking his arm.
The trek up to the wide window serving as a counter was nerve racking. Too many people were gathered around the tables, all of them staring wide eyed as Max escorted her to the front of the line.
“What are you doing,” she hissed in a whisper, brows knitting as they passed an easy dozen people waiting to put in their order.
It wasn’t fair for them to cut the line, no matter who he was.
“Believe me, honey, they’d be more upset if I didn’t,” he murmured against her hair before turning to the large window.
Devin became too distracted while he ordered, fidgeting under so many intent gazes. They watched her with surreptitious interest, no one quite daring to stare at her openly in front of Max, even if his back was turned for the moment. There were a few people bearing the same emblem on their vests and jackets that decorated Max’s, a set of pointed wings in sharp relief with a skull in the middle. Not exactly original, but pretty, nonetheless.
Max took her to a table, explaining the food would be served to them though he carried a beer and a glass of water with him. Setting the water firmly down in front of her, he took a swig of his drink and smiled at her.
“Where you from originally?”
“Um… a tiny town no one’s heard of. Why aren’t we leaving?”
“You don’t want to eat here?” Max’s eyebrows rose high as he glanced back at the window. “I can make it a to-go order, but it’ll be ice cold before we get back.”
“I didn’t say that. I asked why you brought me here.” Devin fidgeted as more people appeared, milling about to watch the exchange between her and Max.
“I thought you would enjoy it. If I was wrong, tell me and we’ll leave right now.” He was serious, his easy posture dissolving as he made ready to rise at her word.
“Everyone’s staring,” Devin mumbled, dropping her eyes to her wringing hands in her lap.
“Only because they don’t recognize you, honey. Everyone knows everyone around here. That and you’re so damned beautiful.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Why don’t you like compliments?” Max leaned his elbows on the table, bringing him far too close. His fingers tapped her chin, bringing her narrowed gaze to meet his.
“Because they’re always lies. You don’t mean them, they’re just to get what you want out of me.” Devin spat the words out, surprised at her own vehemence.
“Oh, honey. I know you don’t believe me, but I don’t waste time with lies. You get what you see from me.”
“My Alpha told me that once.”
“I take it he proved himself wrong. I can see why you would be wary then. How can I prove it to you?”
“What’s the one thing that would hurt you most?”
Chapter Twelve
“You get right to the point, don’t you? All right, in the interest of being honest, I’ll tell you.” Max sat back then, spine straight as he levelled clear, cold eyes on Devin. “That would be my daughter.”
Devin choked on the water she was sipping at, expecting some smooth lie about how he had no weaknesses, or perhaps a paltry fallacy, but the hardness about him screamed the truth as quietly as he’d spoken the words.
