“You know, you could call him,” Shelby suggested. “Instead of moping around like a teenager with a crush.”
The noise that came out of Gina’s throat sounded like a frustrated growl. “That would totally undermine everything I said to him. He called me to tell me he’d gotten home okay. We talked then. Apparently, he had no more use for me once I wasn’t around. Something sparkly must have captured his attention.” She flung a twig into the fire. She knew she sounded witchy, but she couldn’t help it. While she was aware of the fact that she had been the one to tell Hayden that whatever was between them needed to wait, she had been hoping she’d made enough of an impression on him to at least merit a phone call past “hey, I’m home safe,” or a freaking text message. But, nothing… It was like he’d disappeared.
“If you want, I could ask Jack to—”
“No, don’t say anything to Jack. I don’t want Hayden to be prompted by his brother. If he doesn’t want to contact me on his own, then I don’t want to hear from him.” Her tone was snappy to mask over the sorrow she felt at being dropped like a hot rock.
In the distance, the familiar thunder of motorcycle engines rumbled. Shelby sat up straighter in her chair. Great, Gina thought. Just what I need to hear right now. They roared closer, down the highway, through the campground, and right into what sounded like the site directly on the other side of them. Of course.
“Dude!” Shelby exclaimed. “Bikers!”
Gina twirled her finger in a circle. “Whoopee.”
Shelby shot her a petulant expression and got out of her chair. “Come on, let’s go look!”
Gina stared at her in bewildered shock. “Seriously? Shelby, I have had enough of bikers to last me my entire life, thank you very much.”
“Oh, come on!” she cried.
“Absolutely not.”
“If you loved me—”
“I don’t.”
“If you were my friend—”
“I’m not.”
“If you were a good sister—”
“Never claimed to be.”
“Gina…”
“No, Shelby! Just go by yourself. I’ll start breakfast.”
Shelby huffed. “Fine,” she muttered, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and wandered around the trees and up the road.
Gina rolled her eyes, got up, and went to the picnic table. Like she really wanted to deal with any other biker right now. With her luck, he’d probably be hot too.
She rummaged around in the ice chest searching for the eggs and bacon. Maybe said biker next door would be a fat man with a scraggly Santa Claus beard, or a frightening man/woman who thought Shelby was a babe. That would serve her right.
She shut the lid to the ice chest and glanced up as motion caught her attention. She gasped and dropped the food she was holding. The carton of eggs bounced off the bench of the picnic table and flopped upside down. “Crap!” she exclaimed. She picked the bacon up and flung it on the table, then tried to salvage the eggs. She opened the carton and inspected. Only two had broken…but there would be a lot more if she didn’t put it down. With the way her hands were shaking, she was liable to drop them again.
Strong, warm fingers covered hers, gently took the eggs, and set them on the table. “Hi,” he said.
Tingles shot up her arms at his touch, and she braved a look up into his face. Bad move. He was even more gorgeous than he had been a week ago. “Hi?” she muttered. “I haven’t heard squat from you in a week and all you can say is hi?” She frowned. “What are you doing here?”
He chuckled, and looking at that dimple and the sparkle in his blue eyes made her feel hot all over. That sparkle was different somehow.
“Before you kill me, please let me explain.” He paused and his gaze scanned over her. He smiled softly and reached up to take her face in his hands. “Wow, I’ve missed looking at you. I didn’t realize just how much until now.”
Her heart hammered and she felt her cheeks grow hot. She had no makeup on. Zilch. And her hair was in a messy ponytail. Oh well, at least she’d brushed her teeth…and at least her lips weren’t purple this time.
He shook his head. “Anyway, listen, something happened to me when I got back to Sacramento. I called you, of course, and when I got off the phone, I sat in my apartment and realized something.”
She arched her eyebrows in question.
“It sucked. It was empty. I barely have any stuff because I move around so much, and it was like I was in a prison cell instead of a home. It was vacant, sterile…and then I went to work the next day and realized that sucked. I hate doing construction work. Why was I doing it? It made no sense to me. So, I quit.”
Her eyes bulged. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, I’m a bit impulsive sometimes.” He held his arms out to indicate the camp site. “As you can tell. Anyway, so then I said to myself, ‘dude, what the heck did you just do?’ and promptly went out and got drunk. But that also sucked because I was alone in a random bar like some kind of depressed alcoholic.” He sighed. “I went home and thought about my life. I realized everything you’d said to me was true. I’d spent seven years lost and alone with no one to blame but myself. I was the reason I was restless. I was restless because I was lonely, because my life lacked meaning.
“I kept thinking about Jack, and how all the times I’ve felt truly content and happy over the past several years were when I was with him. And I couldn’t get you out of my mind, the things you’d said and the way you made me feel. You were right. I have been looking for my partners in crime. One of those is my brother, but the other one, the one I truly want by my side to laugh and explore with, is you. You’re it, Gina. I don’t want to look anymore.”
She stared at him, stunned. Her chest tightened to the point of pain and she bit her bottom lip as tears threatened.
He smiled and took her hands in his, pulling her closer. “I know you’re upset because I didn’t call you, but I had a lot going on. Plus, I knew you and Shelby were going on this trip and I thought it would be a great time for us to surprise you.”
“Us?”
He nodded. “Jack is here too. He had to get gas and I didn’t want to wait, so he’s right behind me. Shelby’s waiting at the camp site.”
She couldn’t help but grin as any anger she’d had toward him disappeared. “How long are you here for?”
“For as long as you are.”
“No, but when do you go back to Sacramento?”
He shrugged. “I’m not.”
She frowned, and her heart did something funny at the way he smiled.
“I left. Moved in with Jack. I’m going back to school. He’s gonna take care of me this time.”
Her confused, stilted heartbeat started to pick up speed. “You are?”
“Yup. Decided to go after that executive chef idea.”
“Hayden, that’s wonderful!” She threw her arms around him and held on, loving the warmth of his body, the strength in his arms, and the way he held her like she was a precious gift.
“The best part is, now I’ll have someone to cook for,” he murmured against her hair.
She squeezed him hard as elation rushed through her. “I want to sample everything.”
He made a sexy, purring noise and pulled back slightly. “I want to sample you.” He claimed her lips with his and Gina melted. There was something about Hayden. Something so different and so divine. “So, what do you say?” he whispered against her mouth. “Do you want that job as my partner in crime?”
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is your heart still divided?”
He shook his head and rested his forehead against hers. “My identity was always defined by my family. I just forgot that for awhile. And every part of my heart is in agreement. Every part wants to belong to you.”
Now if that wasn’t a good answer, she didn’t know what was. She tangled her fingers in his hair and kissed him again, long, slow, sensual. Her entire body felt electric with the anticipation of many days, ni
ghts, and adventures with Hayden.
The rumble of a motorcycle caught both of their attention and she pulled back to look at him.
“Jack’s here,” he said with his dimpled grin.
She smiled and took his hand. “I want to go say hi.”
They broke into the clearing of the next camp site right as a black Harley very similar to Hayden’s pulled up. Shelby’s eyes lit up like fireworks. Jack, dressed in leather from head to toe, killed the engine and removed his helmet. He got off, glanced at Gina and Hayden with a grin, then swaggered over to Shelby, oozing the confidence and sex appeal Hayden wore like a second skin. “Hey,” he greeted.
She stared at him, then back at his bike. “What happened to the crotch rocket?”
“Traded it in.” He hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. “Wanna go for a ride?”
Shelby chewed on her bottom lip like a schoolgirl. “Yeah, Jack. Let’s go!”
His grin was wolfish. “Call me Jax.”
Gina giggled, thought Shelby might jump him right there, and smiled up at Hayden. He winked at her and put his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled close and sighed. She didn’t know if the world was ready for the four of them, but that was okay.
She knew it was going to be one hell of a ride.
THE END
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