Drive

by Sidney Bristol

  “What time do you need to be at work?” he asked.

  “Ten.”

  “I thought the airport opened earlier than that.”

  “It does, usually, but because of the storm we’re starting late today.” Too bad they hadn’t slept in. Her eyes had popped open at seven. Aiden had already been awake, drawing lazy patterns on her arm. Saying good morning was better than good night with him. “Ugh. And I need to find a ride.”

  “I’ll take you.” He tapped the screen of his phone, scrolling through what appeared to be a lengthy text message.

  Aiden stood and stretched, the muscles of his chest rippling. She’d mapped the width and breadth of his chest with her mouth this morning, and just the memory made her body go warm.

  “I’m going to need my shirt back,” he said.

  “You sure about that?” She glanced down at herself, clothed only in his T-shirt.

  “I am.”

  “Trying to dress me?”

  “Babe, I’m only interested in undressing you.”

  She smiled and ducked her head, feeling goofy and giddy and dangerously close to wanting more than a single night with this man. It was a recipe for heartache, and she was already gathering the ingredients.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Madison glanced at Aiden, but his eyes were firmly on the road leading to the airstrip, the Everglades stretching out on either side of them.

  It seemed so surreal that she was actually going to work, especially after everything that had transpired since yesterday. Right now, it felt like a week or a month had passed in the span of maybe twenty hours.

  “I’m going to see about getting you some wheels today,” Aiden said.

  She stared at him. He was going to what?

  “What time is your bout tonight?”

  “Seven. Why are you going to do that?”

  “Go to your bout?” He glanced at her then, brows drawn down.

  “You don’t have to replace my bike.”

  “You need reliable transportation.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not your responsibility.”

  Aiden eased the car to a stop on the empty two-lane road and turned toward her. “Consider it a loan until you get something. Look at it from my side. I want to make sure you’re safe—that includes having transportation to get away, or get to me so I can protect you.”

  “And know where I’m at?” She had no doubt that he’d have a tracking device on whatever he loaned her. He wanted to know everything about her, but when it came to her knowing what was going on—nothing. It hadn’t bothered her much yesterday, but since last night, it felt as though she’d gotten the short end of the stick. He might be everything she’d ever wanted in a partner, but she wouldn’t know. She had no one to blame but herself.

  He pressed his lips tightly together, until they were just a thin line.

  She sighed. “I get why you need to, I might even agree with it—but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “I understand. You’ve fought really hard to be independent and I know this must rub you the wrong way, but I only want to help.”

  She couldn’t deny that his words softened her attitude a little. It bothered her that she needed—yes, needed—him to take care of that for her because she couldn’t. She just didn’t have the resources, and that wasn’t his fault. Being irritated at him for that was on her, not him.

  “We good?” he asked after a moment.

  “Yeah.” She smiled even though the jumbled mix of emotions in her chest weren’t remotely happy.

  “Good.” He continued to stare at her, not moving.

  She clasped her hands together in her lap.

  “Hey.” Aiden reached across the space and cupped her cheek. “It’s okay to not be okay with everything. I’d be surprised if you were.”

  “I’m good,” she insisted.

  “Sometimes you’re a really great liar.”

  “No, I have a good poker face. I’m a shitty liar.”

  “Do you want to call in and not go to work?”

  “I can’t, there’s a lot of shuffling around to do today. And it would look really bad if I called in to work and still played tonight. Lily’s parents—my bosses—will be there.”

  “Okay, well, be careful. You see anything out of the ordinary, call me?”

  “I will.” She smiled and warmth curled through her chest. Sure, he was doing his job—whatever that was—but she liked to think he actually cared. It was a nice lie to tell herself, especially while he was touching her, and his face so near her own.

  Aiden leaned in closer and kissed her gently, a simple press of lips that made her sigh. His phone rang the moment she let herself sink into the caress, but it wasn’t her who groaned.

  He straightened and grabbed his cell phone from the cradle mounted to the dash.

  “Aiden.” He shifted into gear and they were once more flying down the road. “Yes, Mr. York, we can fit you in next week. Do you have the shop number? Call that and talk to one of the girls, they can tell you what day is best. Also, make sure to give them the make, model, and year, so we can go ahead and look for some parts.”

  She closed her eyes and listened to Aiden’s side of the conversation without understanding much of it. Before she knew it, they were pulling through the security gate at the airport.

  “What time do you need to be picked up?” Aiden asked.

  “Lily’s going to come by and get me.” She gathered her things, shoving them in the huge bag of her gear she’d hauled with them.

  “Oh.” Aiden blinked a few times. He didn’t seem to like her answer.

  “You’re still coming to the bout though?” It wasn’t a good idea to foster her attraction to Aiden, but she couldn’t help herself. It would be nice to have him there.

  “Yeah. I imagine some of the guys will come too.”

  “Cool. Get there early and bring chairs. Also, beer.”

  “Chairs and beer?”

  “Trust me.” Madison pushed her door open and stood, stretching. She grabbed her derby bag from the backseat and hauled it out after her.

  Act cool.

  Madison strolled toward the office, but she hadn’t gone five feet before Aiden honked the horn. She jumped and turned toward him, glaring while her heart pounded three times too fast.

  He leaned an arm out of the window. “Not going to say good-bye?”

  She opened her mouth, but thought better of it.

  In for a wheel, in for a skate, right?

  Madison sauntered toward the car and let her bag drop on the asphalt next to the driver’s-side door. She reached in, grasping his face with both hands, and planted a big one on him. He leaned toward her, but it was Madison who teased his lips with her tongue, seeking entrance. He opened for her and she thrust into his mouth, flicking her tongue against his. He answered by stroking her and nipping her lower lip, just enough that she sucked in a breath and her toes curled. He reached up, cupping the back of her head, pressing closer and robbing her of breath.

  Aiden released her and sat back in the seat while she braced her hands on the car.

  “That was not good-bye.” His voice was low, rough, as it had been last night.

  “See you later?” She grinned and scooped up her bag. If she didn’t get in the office now, she was likely to crawl into that car and never leave.

  Madison was in trouble.

  Real trouble.

  And it wasn’t from Dustin. Her ex could only hurt her on the outside and those marks healed. Aiden was the real danger to her. Somewhere along the road she’d let him inside of her, and not just her body, but her heart. Crazy and irrational, yes. But it’s not like she could control it.

  Aiden idled in front of the office until she’d unlocked the door and stepped inside. Her cheeks burned, but she kept her head up high. There were at least a dozen employees who had to have seen that little display, and every one of them would drop by, wanting more information.

  She peeked out of th
e window. Aiden revved the Chevelle and turned toward the road. She watched until the car was out of sight.

  Damn, but this was a messy, complicated situation. Where did she even begin?

  Madison glanced at the desk, with the logs and everything else to do. But her heart wasn’t here. It was blazing down that little road.

  The logs. Shit. She hadn’t even thought once about talking to him about Michael Evers.

  Damn. Shit. And fuck.

  She sighed and tossed her gear in the little storage closet before settling in at her desk. Later. Tonight after the game she’d figure out how to tell him, though she didn’t expect he’d take the news well.

  It didn’t take her long to fall into the regular rhythm. There were phone calls to make, e-mails to check, and schedules to arrange. For such a small airport, they stayed busy. And by some small miracle, they were too busy for anyone to bother her about the kiss. Before she knew it, it was lunchtime and her stomach was rumbling.

  Usually when she forgot to bring food, she’d jump on her bike and run down to a corner store and grab something, but she’d have to make do with her emergency stash of microwavable noodles. She put the phones through to their answering service and ducked out to the hangar where they had a communal break room. Most of the guys would eat while they worked today, another small blessing, so she was able to tiptoe back to the office before anyone waylaid her for details.

  She stepped into the cool haven of her office and stopped short.

  A man in an olive-green suit stood studying a framed map showing historic flight paths.

  Shit.

  He turned toward her, his dark eyes devoid of life despite the friendly smile he pasted on. Michael Evers had always struck her as a little fake, but she’d attributed that to his wealth. This entire time, the man had known about the hardships Dustin put her through, and he’d had the nerve to show up here and smile, pretending to be friendly. What if he was here to kill her? He could be hiding anything under that jacket and she’d never know.

  The man was a creep of the first order.

  “I was wondering where everyone was.” He glanced at her soup.

  “Sorry about that.” Did he know about Aiden? Was he there for her? What would he do?

  “I wanted to talk about the shipment coming in tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Crap. She’d have to get to her desk, which put Evers between her and the door.

  Madison took a deep breath and walked past the man to her desk. She set her food down on the corner and reached for the computer mouse, bringing up the flight plan.

  “What can I help you with?”

  “I was just wondering if they could fly in later, say around eight or nine.”

  “Hm, you know, you’re not authorized on that account? There’s not going to be enough time to unload and clear the shipment through customs in the morning before the plane is scheduled to leave. There isn’t a crew here that late tomorrow.”

  “I’m just helping a friend. Besides, I could bring my own crew.”

  Warning bells went off clamoring so hard it was difficult to hear anything else.

  What was he bringing in that he didn’t want anyone to see?

  “Mm, I can’t make a call like that. I’ll have to call my boss and see what he says.” She put on her most winning smile. Her boss would say no so fast it would give her whiplash, but it was better for him to do it than her. She felt like a bug on a pin with the man standing there studying her.

  “I was hoping to not bother him. I know he’s been busy lately.”

  “He does know how to stay busy, doesn’t he? I’ll pass it along and give you a call. How about that?”

  “I think I have his number.” He tapped his phone a few times then showed her the screen.

  Sure enough, it was her boss’s cell phone.

  “That’s it. You don’t even need me.”

  Michael Evers smiled. It was secretive and made her feel as though she were having a staring contest with a snake. She wanted to crawl under her desk and hide. Did he know Dustin wanted something from her? Was he behind it? What about all those awful things Aiden had told her about him?

  “Thanks.” He turned and strode out of the office, and she could have sworn the temperature rose a couple of degrees.

  She slumped in her chair, drawing her knees up to her chest.

  Shit. Damn it. And fuck it all.

  What did she do?

  Madison had never admitted that Evers flew in and out from the airstrip. She needed to tell Aiden, but how? He was going to be unholy pissed at her, and if everything he said was true, he had all the right to be.

  She grabbed the mouse and pulled up the full report of everything Michael Evers had flown in and out. There had to be some sort of proof, something that would point to the true nature of what he was transporting. If she was going to incur Aiden’s wrath, she wanted to offer him something.

  Her phone began to ring, startling her. She grabbed it and flicked the green answer button.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” Madison grumbled.

  “Working hard, or hardly working?”

  “Working hard.” She relaxed into her chair, glad to hear from Lily.

  “So, I got a call earlier that you were dropped off by some hot guy in an orange car. Is that the guy from Stoke’s?”

  Madison sighed. “Maybe.”

  “Helena Destroyer—you cannot skimp on the details! His name is Aiden, isn’t it? My brother knows him. He told me stories.” Lily’s voice got quiet and she whispered. “Did you know he was in a street racing accident and he killed people?”

  Madison didn’t doubt Aiden had killed people. He breathed deadly, but not racing. He’d told her about the rumors.

  “He told me about those rumors.”

  “So it is him! And you’ve been spending time with him. You’re holding out on me.”

  “I’m not, Lil, I swear. It’s just—been a really stressful couple of days. My bike got stolen and he was nice enough to give me a ride, and it just kind of went from there.” If she glossed over the details, it really did sound like they were on a date. Wouldn’t that be a nice idea?

  “I’m picking you up later, aren’t I?”

  “Do you mind?”

  “It’s going to cost you details, woman. The stuff my brother said, it worries me.” Lily’s voice softened. She’d seen Madison through the lowest point of her life. She owed Lily at least part of the truth.

  “Look, remember how you said I needed to have some fun?”

  “I said you needed to get laid.”

  “Yeah, well, fuck you. I’m having fun, but I know it’s not a lasting thing.”

  “You like him. Your voice gets all wispy. It’s been a hell of a long time since I heard you talk like that, but I know what it means.”

  “I do like him. He seems like such a bad guy, but he’s really nice.”

  “No. No, stop there. Listen to yourself. He’s a bad guy with a heart of gold? I love you, Helena, but I will knock your ass into next week, so help me.”

  Madison cringed. When Lily put it that way, Madison really did sound like a head case, but it wasn’t like that. Aiden was so much more than a label, despite how he appeared.

  “He’s coming tonight,” Madison blurted.

  “What?”

  “He’s coming tonight. Please—just meet him? If he’s bad, I’ll take your word and walk away.”

  “Promise?”

  “On my vows as your derby wife.”

  “Okay, deal.”

  “Hey, would you mind bringing those boxes I put in your closet? I’m trying to organize everything, and I have no idea where anything is now.”

  “Sure, I’ll grab it before I come get you. See you at five? I got to go. Appointment just showed up.”

  “Will do.”

  Madison hung up and stared at the ceiling, suddenly no longer hungry. What was she doing?

  She didn’t know how upset Aiden would be with her when she to
ld him the truth, but she expected the worst. And if Lily met him and things didn’t go well, she’d just promised to give him up. It was not a good start to the day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Aiden stood in a field that had become a parking lot across the street from an old roller skating rink. Cars were directed in neat rows by attendants in bright pink shirts, while the line to get in was already wrapping around the building.

  “What the hell?” Julian circled the front of his car to join Aiden waiting on the others. The twins, John, and Gabriel had parked a row back.

  “Guess derby is a big deal.” He hefted the six-pack and lawn chair he’d brought with him.

  “Hope we can get in the door,” Tori said. She’d cleaned up, changing out of her grease-stained clothing into jeans and a tank top.

  “I bet Aiden’s client gets us in.” Roni gave Aiden a sly look he ignored.

  “Let’s get in line.” Aiden strode across the street toward the line that had begun to move swiftly inside.

  He hadn’t known what to expect with a roller derby game, but it wasn’t this. The crowd was a mix of families, young people hauling coolers and cases of beer, elderly couples with lawn chairs and a thermos. There were people from all walks of life.

  The inside of the rink was transformed. Banners for energy drinks, apparel, grocery stores, and a gas station hung on the walls. There were a few narrow merch tables for some of the sponsors doing brisk business and a face-painting booth for the kiddos, but by and large the attention was focused on a large oval in the middle of the rink outlined in rope lights.

  The track.

  The other side of the rink was cordoned off, with player areas blocked from view by curtains and banners. Front and center was a long, rectangular banner with Madison crashing into a girl with a star on her helmet, hip first. She looked—fierce. To either side were other league banners, but his attention kept straying back to the fifteen-foot depiction of his greatest distraction.