by Jamie Begley
“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 managing 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.”
is Ground: Greer (Porter Brothers Trilogy Book 2)