AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was right about that. I pulled his shirt back over my head and shoved my arms through the sleeves.
My hair was a tangled mess, and I reached for it, quickly braiding the long strands together in one thick plait. When I reached the end, I pulled the hair tie off my wrist and secured the end of the braid.
Talon ticked his chin my way. “That’s impressive.”
“I learned to braid fast when I was a girl.”
He reached for my hand and tugged my body close. “I need you to be quiet. No talking.”
I nodded, staring up at him as he slipped the bike helmet on my head.
Talon buckled the strap and led me toward the motel door, slowing as he approached it. “I heard bikes rolling in about twenty minutes ago. It’s not an ally club. Trust me when I say we need to leave as quietly and quickly as possible.”
Shit.
He peeked out the window first, pausing to ensure no one had come around the back of the motel yet. His hand grasped mine, and he opened the door, rushing toward his bike.
I sat on the seat without a word, wrapping my arms around his stomach when he sat in front of me. He didn’t start it right away, walking the bike closer to the road first. My heart rate picked up when I heard voices. It sounded like a party with music so loud it thumped my chest as I clutched Talon’s shirt and bunched the material in my fingers.
His right hand lowered, briefly squeezing my thigh before returning to the handlebar. He tried to reassure me, but I knew nothing about bikers or how their clubs interacted. Everything I understood came from books or television.
The sun hovered above the horizon, too bright to conceal us from the gathering at the front of the motel. The engine roared to life, rumbling as we surged forward, picking up speed as we turned onto the road. The wind whipped around us and billowed my clothes against my skin. Talon seemed immune to its reach as his tight black shirt stayed molded to his skin as if carved from solid obsidian.
I glanced behind us only once, noting with relief that no one followed. The long stretch of Hwy 95 led us farther from the motel, and within minutes, we’d left danger far behind. Talon never slowed; his pace relentless as his focus remained on the road.
It almost felt like he’d forgotten I still clenched my thighs around his body. When I wondered if he would pull over and talk to me or stop soon, his hand lowered, slowly gliding along my thigh until his palm reached my hip and squeezed.
That one simple act demolished any doubt I had that we shared a mutual attraction. He’d touched my face with a gentle caress. Twice. He insisted I wear his helmet. His gaze raked overme with intense heat whenever our eyes met. What did that mean?
Talon risked his life to keep me safe. Was it only duty? Did my brother, his president, order him to protect me with his life? Because that was how Talon acted, like my life was somehow more precious than his own.
Strange.
But what about the way he looked at me at the hotel? It wasn’t indifferent. And no, it wasn’t only attraction. He avoided the question when I asked, the same night he found me huddled on the floor and terrified, but I felt something more from him. Then. And definitely now.
A rumble of thunder rippled above our heads, and I looked up, catching the dark gray clouds rolling in from the east. Lightning struck next, flashing in a wide arc ahead of us, branching out with spindly fingers that torched a tree’s limbs off to our right. Shit. This storm was moving fast.
We were right out in the open.
Another boom cracked across the sky, followed by more lightning. I jolted when the third strike exploded directly above our heads. A screech escaped as I hugged Talon’s ribcage tighter.
He yelled something I couldn’t hear above the wind.
And then. . .the sky opened. Rain fell in thick, heavy sheets that soaked our clothes within seconds. The only protection I had came from the helmet. Talon had nothing. He kept shaking his head, trying to fling water from his face and away from his eyes. His visibility had to be slim. I worried we would crash. The visor protected my face from the rain, but I couldn’t see a damn thing.
To top it off, I wore the wrong fucking clothes.
My long tank top and shorts clung to my body, plastered to my skin. The material kept inching up my legs to rub against my inner thighs. The third time I reached to tug them back down,Talon grasped my wrist with a noise that sounded like a growl. He brought my hands together, and I locked them together around his waist, trying not to squirm against his back.
Having his shirt on top of the tank only pressed more wet, cold cloth to my skin. I shivered, unable to stop the tremors in my body. Every exposed area grew colder, lashed by the wind until I winced from the pain.
When I entered my house after work the night of the break-in, I didn’t notice the mess as I headed into my room. In the dark, I fumbled for the light and flipped it on, undressing as I walked toward my walk-in closet. I began tossing clothes into my laundry basket, already overheated from the long, grueling day.
Only when I left my bedroom did I become aware of my surroundings, taking in the mess as I stood there, shocked to find someone had entered my home and caused such destruction. And now I wore barely anything and didn’t have a change of clothes either. This was a nightmare.
Talon gripped my arm, holding it against his chest. He shouted something about finding shelter, and I nodded. The road signs indicated the next rest stop was closed. No hotel vacancy for thirty miles. I wrapped my arms and legs tighter around Talon, and he pointed to the right.
With all the rain and my limited visibility, I didn’t see shit.
