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“I’ll arrange a couple of lifts back to campus for you guys.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. But Odi?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re welcome here any time, but please don’t ever bring Louise back to my bar.”
“I won’t,” I promise, even though it’s hypocritical of him to let someone younger in, but not her.
Not my circus, not my monkeys, indeed.
A coupleof rides turns out to be two bikes. One of which I recognise as the bike which Saint lent to Kaiden before he even walks over to it. He stands there with a spare crash helmet in his hands, looking back and forth between me and Lou, torn over what to do. It’s like he can’t decide between wanting to put distance between him and Lou, and him not trusting anyone else to take her. The expression on Lou’s face is so fierce that I almost feel sorry for him.
The three of us are just standing, staring at each other, in some kind of silent standoff. When the doors to the bar open, a new guy comes out with his lid already in place, and a spare one in his hand. Before Saint can give orders, Lou marches over to the new guy, snatches the helmet from him and says, “I’m with you.”
The guy, who appears to be a bit of a clean-shaven baby face in amongst a bar full of hairy bikers, swallows nervously but nods once at Lou, obviously understanding that she’s not someone to fuck with.
“Watch yourself, Cuddles,” Saint warns.
The guy –Cuddles?I want to snicker – nods at his boss, flips his visor down, and mounts his bike. He kicks up the side stand and then gestures for Lou to get on. With a smirk, she climbs on andcuddlesright up against the guy’s back, wrapping her arms around his chest in a way which makes Saint gnash his teeth together. I bite back a smile but he catches it anyway and growls at me.
“Sorry,” I lie, still smiling.
“It’s probably better this way. If Kaiden found out I let you on the back of one of my guys’ bikes, he’d gut me alive.”
“But he’s not going to find out, because we’re not going to tell him I was even here, remember?” It’s half warning, half panicked.
“Relax. I’ll keep up my end of the bargain if you keep up yours. Come on.”
I can feel Lou’s quizzical gaze on us, but there’s no way she can hear our conversation between the helmet and the roar of the bike’s engine.
Saint mounts his bike, starts the engine, and nods for me to join him. I do, and the second I’m holding on to the grab rail, he guns the engine and we take off with so much force, the front wheel lifts. I squeak and I don’t know if Saint hears me, or feels my fear through the tension in my body, but he reaches back and taps my thigh, seeming to want something. When I slide my hand into his gloved one, he pulls it forward so that my arm is around his waist. I repeat the action with my other arm, clinging to Saint’s back as he gives me the ride of my life.
By the time we pull up on campus, my legs are jelly. But I still have that same damn smile I had with Kaiden.
“Thanks,” I tell Saint, handing over the lid.
“You’re a natural on the back. After that initial take off where I nearly lost you, you were brilliant. I almost didn’t know you were there.”
“It was fun. I definitely enjoyed myself again.”
“You’ll have to convince Kaiden to get his own bike then.”
The mention of Kaiden causes my face to fall, and I give Saint a tight smile. Lou climbs off the back of Cuddles’ bike – that can’t be his real name – and hands him her helmet with a wink. I feel Saint’s anger simmering next to me.
Lou walks off without a backward glance.
“Louise—”
She flips Saint the bird over her shoulder.
“Well, shit.”
“Well, thanks, but we’d better go,” I say awkwardly, before jogging to catch up with Lou. “You okay?”
“Nope.”
