“Let me go!” Jo screeched, trying to jerk out of Rider’s restraining hold. “Who do I have here? A mermaid coming to keep me company?” his amused
voice came from behind her as she struggled against him, kicking her bare feet at his shins and thighs.
“Let go!”
“What’s the hurry?”
Jo sputtered out the water that was threatening to drown her as he turned her around to face him in the dark. The sleek feel of his skin under her palms heightened her anxiety of being alone with him in this isolated spot.
“I want to leave.” Jo was angry at herself for the slightly hysterical tone she could hear in her own voice. When men saw a weakness, they were quick to take advantage.
“I can’t convince you to stay?” His husky voice had a seductive, assertive tone that had him increasing her efforts to get away from him.
It might be pitch dark, but she could see the sexual promise that had the cool water feeling as if she was trying to escape being dragged down into quicksand.
With her nails, she scratched his hands, determined never to be a victim to a man’s desires again. “No!”
He released her, and she frantically started swimming toward the bank. “Come on, Rach; the least you can do is keep me company until Cash gets
here.”
She stopped swimming to turn back toward him, dumbfounded. “You think I’m Rachel?”
“Who else would be skinny dipping in Cash’s swimming hole?”
Was he pretending not to know who she was? Jo could have sworn he had known. Then she admitted to herself that if she hadn’t seen who he was when he
had been smoking, she wouldn’t have known.
“No, I’m not Rachel.” Jo had lowered her voice, hoping he wouldn’t recognize her voice from the few times she had been around him.
“Want to tell me who you are, then?” The seductive intent turned flirtatious. “It doesn’t matter. I have no interest in keeping you company.” She flipped
onto her stomach and started swimming again. “Just stay where you are until I can get dressed and leave.”
“You must not know who I am if you think I’m a gentleman.” Jo swam harder at hearing the sound of splashing behind her. “Don’t you dare get out of the water before I leave.”
As soon as she was able, she took off in a run, going toward the vicinity she had left her clothes and nearly tripping over them.
Tugging on her shorts as fast as she could, then her T-shirt, her heart was pounding out of her chest, leaving her unable to hear where he was in the water. Twisting as she tried to tug her stubborn damp T-shirt down, she heard the sound of a twig breaking.
“Don’t!” She bent down, trying to find her panties and bra. Finding her bra, she shoved it into her back pocket, giving up on trying to find her panties. She then slipped into her tennis shoes, water still running down her legs. “Where are you?” She raised her head, trying to peer through the pitch darkness.
“I’m still in the water.”
“You’re lying.” She carefully maneuvered herself toward her bicycle. “Now, why would I lie?”
She was making a fool of herself. “Are you laughing at me?” Feeling relief as she finally grasped her handlebars, she turned it toward the road.
“A little.”
Her head practically did a exorcist spin as she tried to determine where he was. “You don’t have to worry about me. You’re going to break your neck running
around in the dark.”
“It’s not my neck I’m worried about,” she muttered, getting on her bike and starting to peddle as fast as she could without seeing where she was going.
As soon as she didn’t think she was being followed, she turned on the faint headlamp. A minute later, her wheels were on the pavement, heading back toward town.
It was dangerous riding this curving road in the dark. A car could mow her down before they even knew she was there. If Rider hadn’t shown up, she would have gone up a couple of feet and took a small dirt trail that would have led her back to town.
Most of the town had forgotten that trail was there. It was overgrown and wasn’t big enough to get a car through, but it was nice to walk it after she would ride her bicycle up the main road. She only knew of its existence because she been raised on going on road calls by her father’s side.
Jo slowed down, coasting down the hill toward town, seeing The Last Riders’ clubhouse lights blazing as she passed.
Looking up the hill where the house sat, she saw a couple of the members watching as she rode past. She lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t seen them, relieved when she turned the corner and was out of sight.
Two minutes later, a motorcycle pulled into the parking lot. Rider parked, already knowing the gloating that would be waiting for him as he climbed the steps to the porch.
“You’re looking all wet.” Moon snickered.
“I told you that you were wasting your time,” Razer taunted.
“It was worth a shot.” Rider laughed. “You don’t know if you don’t try.” “How bad did she shoot you down?” Razer asked.
“She pretended she didn’t know it was me.” “That must have hurt.” Moon laughed.
Rider gave a mocking grin back. “I pretended I didn’t know it was her, either.” The men just shook their heads.
Moon looked at him curiously. “You mind if I take a shot at her next?” “Go for it. It won’t work.” Rider shrugged at the other biker. “Not for you
anymore than did for me.”
“So, if you can’t get in her panties, no one can?” Razer rolled his eyes at Rider’s cocky attitude.
“I didn’t say I didn’t get in her panties.” Reaching into his pocket, he twirled out a lacy pair of panties on his fingertip.
“I’d ask, but I don’t want to know. Brother, one day, a woman is going to bring you back down to earth, just like Beth did to me.”
“Won’t ever happen. Why settle for one woman when I can do them all?” There wasn’t a woman who existed now or in the future who was worth getting shackled to.
Unlike Razer and the other brothers who had fallen in love, none of them were like him. Even Shade, who Rider would have sworn didn’t have a heart, had fallen under a woman’s spell.
Not him. Never him. No woman, and certainly not Jo, would ever be able to give him everything he wanted. It wasn’t possible. There would always be another woman’s pussy to explore and make his for a time before moving on to the next one. Half of the fun was the chase. Once that was over, half the fun was gone.
“I wish the women could hear you.”
Rider tossed Jo’s underwear to Moon. It was bizarre to him that Razer or any man would settle for one woman. Hell, women never gave up anything. They expected the ring, the picket fence, and kids. What did the men get? The pleasure of having them in their bed and, if they were lucky, one night of fucking per week. He could have a woman sucking his dick for him with a snap of his fingers. Would a wife do that? Hell no.
“You’re just jealous they love me.” Rider pulled his damp T-shirt away from his broad chest. “I need to get a shower and change. Later.”
Rider didn’t miss the amused glances his friends threw in his direction, so he gave a parting shot to Razer.
“Beth promised me she would heat me up a plate of food that was left over from your dinner. I’ve got to hurry. I don’t want it to get cold.” Satisfied that he had found his mark, he went inside, while Moon blocked Razer from lunging toward him.
“Cool it.”
“That fucker better find his own woman quick.” Razer jerked his arm away from Moon’s grip. “Or I’m going to kill him.”
Moon held his laughter back, afraid that the other man would throw him off the porch. “He only does it to piss you and the other married men off. I don’t know why you all let him get to you.”
“Because nothing gets to him … ever. He managed to fool our wives into believing he’s a dumb schmuck. And he’s mana
ging to get a piece of our pie. Hell, he’s not even content with that. He’s trying to steal the whole fucking pie.”
Moon shook his head. “Brother, you all fucked up, and now you’re trying to close the gate. Rider is one Last Rider that I plan on keeping any woman I’m interested in away from. If I were you, I’d handle him differently.”
“Oh, yeah, old wise one? What in the fuck would you do differently?”
“Find Rider a woman to keep him occupied so he won’t have enough energy to chase after your women.”
“How are we supposed to do that? A whole clubhouse of women and the ones in town haven’t slowed him down.”
“Because they aren’t the right woman.” “Like who?”
“Ask Shade. He and Rider used to party hard together before he married Lily.
He’ll know which woman would attract his interest.”
Razer stared at the panties that Moon was twirling on his finger. “I might have a few ideas of my own.”
Moon grinned. “Jo’s hot, sexy, and she virgin territory to the men in the club.” Razer’s jealously disappeared. Grinning back, he asked, “She shot you down,
too, didn’t she?”
“Like a shooting star.” Moon moved away from the door, seeing Razer had calmed down.
“You sure you want us to try to hook Jo up with Rider? He doesn’t share his bikes. Nor does he share the candy he cons Willa into making for him.”
“He’ll share Jo. Rider will never fall in love with a woman the way you and Shade have done.”
“You never know. Never underestimate the power of a woman to steal their way into your heart.”
“We still talking about Rider?” Moon laughed.
Razer laughed, too. “I guess you’re right. Crazy thought, right?”
They were still laughing when a shooting star flashed across the sky, gaining their attention that had already been affixed on the night sky.
“Did you see that?” Razer asked, turning toward Moon to see if he had also seen it.
“Maybe it’s a good luck sign that you’ll be able to get Rider off your back.” “It could also be an omen that Jo is going to shoot Rider down like she did
you.”
“She’s going to shoot him down; that’s a sure thing. The question is: what are you and the brothers going to do when she does?”
Through the open door, he saw Rider coming down the steps with his hair neatly brushed and with an anticipatory smile on his face. Razer knew he would go home to find the man sitting at his table, eating the leftovers that he had planned to eat for lunch the next day. And he knew the married brothers where just as fed up with him as he was.
“I’m going to do what The Last Riders always do.” “What’s that?”
“I’m going to make it happen.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every single time I keep thinking it’s going to be easy. It takes a village to help and I don’t want to leave anyone out.
My Husband: I love you, I don’t tell you enough. Thank you for letting me sit in bed most of the day writing, and for not busting my chops when I don’t cook. Oh wait you do!
My Kids: Matteo, Michael, and Erica, Thank you for letting me do this. Thank you for being proud of me, I love you honey bunches and oats!
Crystal: My hooker and bestie. What don’t you do for me? Everyone needs someone like you in their corner and I am so blessed than you chose to be in mine. I can’t begin to thank you for the support, love and encouragement along the way.
Rachel: You are my blurb bitch. Each time you do it without even reading this book and you rocked it. I’m so happy that I ddin’t give up when you ignored my many messages.
Meghan: I’m so so proud to call you my friend. Thank you for making me make that list, and making me see I can actually achieve it.
Jamie & Sarah: Thank you for being in my corner, and always having my back.
Lori: I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. You take over and I don’t even have to ask or worry because I know everything will be fine, because you’re a rock star, I’m also scared of that whip!
Denise: The hole finder. I can’t put into word how honored I am that you took Max and made me make him even more Epic! I can’t wait to bring Denise to life!
Melissa: My cover girl, I have more covers than stories, but I know you won’t let me stop. Thank you for sending me covers while I sleep so I don’t yell at you before you go to bed. I love you.
Beta girls: Teressa, Natasha M, Lori, Sandy, Yolanda, and Carmen, Yamina. For three weeks I bombarded your messages with chapters and you ate it up. Thank you for holding my hand, telling me when things sucked and for being by my side.
Madison Maniacs: This little group went from two people to so much more and I can’t thank you guys enough. This group is my go to, my safe place. You push me and get excited for me and I can’t wait to watch us grow even bigger!
Mia: I’m so happy that Nanny threw out Archer’s Voice and I needed to tell you because that snowballed to a friendship that is without a doubt the best ever!
Neda: You answer my question no matter how stupid they sound. Thank you for being you, thank you for everything!
Julie: Thank you for taking my book with all it’s mistakes and making it pretty, or as pretty as it can be.
BLOGGERS. THANK YOU FOR TAKING A CHANCE ON ME. You give so much of yourself effortlessly and you are the voice that we can’t do this without.
My Girls: Sabrina, Melanie, Marie-Eve, Lydia, Shelly, Stephanie, Marisa. Your support during this whole ride has been amazing. I can honestly say without a doubt that I have the best Squad of life!!!!
And Lastly and most importantly to YOU the reader, Without you none of this would be real. So thank you for reading!
Something So Irresistible (Something So Series Book 3) Page 26