“Uh…”
“So you want to slowly let out the clutch until the bike starts to roll forward. Don’t worry, I’ll be right by your side in case something happens.”
“What’s the clutch?” She asked.
“Don’t tell me you drive an automatic.”
“I don’t drive at all.” I stopped in my tracks, letting go of the bike in surprise.
“What?”
“I mean… I never really needed it. I just use public transportation, or someone gives me a ride. My personal assistant drives me to meetings most of the time.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No.” Somehow, she found the clutch and pulled on it too hard. The bike rolled forward and she accidently pulled back on the throttle. The bike jerked forward before stalling. It was quickly falling to the left. I rushed forward, balancing it before she could get hurt.
“Never mind… I believe you now.” I put down the kickstand. “We might have to go about this a different way…”
“I don’t know if you can actually teach me.” Linda was holding onto the bars so tight that her knuckles had turned white. Parts of her body were shaking.
“Hey, it’s okay. All we need is a little time. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually. If you’re smart enough to become a lawyer, then you can learn to ride a motorcycle.”
“Okay…” We tried again, but still, Linda wasn’t quite getting the hang of it.
“That’s the clutch, not the thrott–” My bike stalled and I heard a horrible grinding noise. I cringed.
Linda jumped off the bike before I could stop her. “It’s no use. I just wasn’t cut out to ride a bike…” She sounded frustrated. The rims of her eyes were red like she wanted to cry. “Just stop…” I grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she could run away from me.
I cupped her cheeks in my hands and looked into her eyes. “This isn’t about the motorcycle, is it? You’re frustrated because I found out your secret. You feel exposed.”
“Of course, I feel exposed! No one knew. Not even my closest friends… they just thought I was on some sort of diet.”
“Well, you can’t fool me.” My thumbs gently rubbed her cheeks. “You don’t have to keep running away from your problems. You don’t have to keep beating yourself up. You can trust me.” Our noses touched. “I know you probably don’t believe me… but I care about you, Linda.”
Her eyes softened and I saw her let her guard down for the first time. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she started to cry, burying her head into my chest. I held her close, letting her cry it out. I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. It broke my heart to see her like this but I was glad she had realized she could confide in me. If I noticed things getting worse, I could always get her some help. Hopefully, she would realize that she didn’t need to be bone-thin to impress me. She was already the most beautiful woman in my eyes, even if she didn’t see that herself.
Eventually, she calmed down, pulling away from me. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t apologize.” I kissed her forehead, rubbing her arms. “Are you okay now?”
She nodded, offering me a soft smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” I kissed her lips ever so gently. “Do you want to give the motorcycle another go?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m cut out for it… I just get freaked out, knowing I have this giant vehicle under my control.”
“That’s fine, I won’t force you.” I was just about to let her go when I heard someone at the door.
“What are you two up to so early in the morning?” Oliva leaned against the doorframe, wearing her iconic overalls and black combat boots. “Usually, I’m the first one down here.”
“I was trying to teach Linda here how to ride, but she isn’t up for it.”
Linda frowned, looking away. I pulled her closer. “Hey, it’s alright. It took me three years to get on a motorcycle and I was born into the business.”
“What?” Linda looked surprised as she stared at Olivia. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I said. “I was the one that taught her how to ride.”
“You?” Linda turned to face me. “If her brother was the leader of the Iron Horses, why did she need you to teach her?”
“I guess I was the only one with enough patience.” I shrugged.
“I’m starting to think you two were closer than you let on.” She said with suspicion. I saw her eyes flash with what I could only guess was jealousy. I chuckled, thinking it was cute.
“Oh, we tried once.” Olivia pointed out. “But he simply isn’t my type.”
“How?” Linda blurted out, her cheeks turning red.
“Like I said before, I have a bad habit of falling for the rotten ones. Kyle was just too good to be true. It wasn’t long before I started getting jealous and suspicious. I drove him crazy. We found out that we’d be better off as just friends.”
“I see…” Linda mumbled, running her fingers through her hair and pinning one of her curls behind her ear.
“But I see you two are getting along just fine. I thought I heard something fun going down in the apartment.”
“You… You heard –”
“Olivia has a wild imagination.” I butted in, seeing how red Linda’s face was getting.
“Sure, sure.” Olivia grinned, shrugging her shoulders. “You can call it that.” She winked at me before she turned around. “Well, if you guys want, I just made a fresh pitcher of sweet tea that’s up for grabs upstairs. I’m willing to share.” She walked over to the bike she had been fixing last night, leaving me alone with Linda.
“You didn’t tell me you were in a relationship with her.” Linda hissed the second Olivia disappeared under the bike.
“You never asked,” I responded, an innocent look on my face. I held up my hands in defense. “What does it matter anyway? Are you jealous or something?”
She halted before regaining her composure. “No, of course not. But now she’s a biased witness. Obviously, she would vouch for you.”
“Even though she’s my ex?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m sure if she slept with you, she has her reasons to cover for you.”
“Does that mean you thought I was a good fuck?” I asked, whispering in her ear. She shivered slightly before she stepped away, avoiding me.
“I wasn’t even talking about that. Stop making this sexual.”
“You’re the one that brought it up.” I grinned at her, flashing my pearly whites. “Just admit it. You’re jealous.”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’ll tell you one thing, you might be pretty, but you sure are stubborn.” I ruffled her hair and walked over to my bike. “C’mon, let’s go for a ride.”
Chapter 10
Linda
I stared at him with my arms still crossed over my chest. “What makes you think that I want to go on a ride with you? I already said I wasn’t interested in learning.”
“I’ll be the one driving so you have nothing to be afraid of. I’ve never been in an accident.” I found that hard to believe. The way he had ridden the day before made me feel like he was reckless. “Do you not trust me anymore, just because you found out that Liv is my ex-girlfriend? Jealousy really is the green-eyed monster.”
“I already told you, I’m not jealous.”
“Whatever you say.” I rolled my eyes. Of course I wasn’t jealous. Why should I be? It wasn’t like what happened between us meant anything… I just lost my head last night. That’s all. Nothing more.
Kyle started the motorcycle and it roared to life. I stepped back quickly, a bit apprehensive, but I had to admit that the sound of the bike did send a rush through my body like I was being hit with a dose of adrenaline. I couldn’t quite explain it.
“You’re really going to make me come over there?” He hopped off and came toward me with a helmet, plopping i
t on my head. “How do you expect to learn about the motorcycle culture if you’re afraid to get on a bike?”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Right, right. You aren’t afraid of anything.”
“Exactly.”
“So, you should have no problem getting on board and going for a spin with me.” Kyle grinned, knowing he had cornered me. Backing out now would just make me look like a hypocrite.
“Fine.”
“I knew you’d come around.” He gently adjusted the strap on my helmet and then kissed my cheek. I felt a rush of excitement run down my spine. As distant as I wanted to be toward this man, it was hard when he made me feel so alive. But I had to keep a clear head. If I was going to figure out this murder case, I needed to be in the right frame of mind. I couldn’t let myself get too drawn in.
“Where are we going anyway?”
“You love to ask that question, but the best part of going for a ride is that there’s really no destination. The roads are yours for the taking. You can end up anywhere. You let the bike guide you.”
“Isn’t that just a way of wasting gas?” I asked.
“Maybe. But people waste a lot of things in more frivolous ways.”
He had a point. I sighed and watched him as he put on his leather jacket and matching helmet. I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was so attractive. Back when I first met him, when he was wearing a prison-issued jumpsuit, he looked like any other man, but now, dressed in nothing more than tight black jeans and a leather jacket, he looked like someone that belonged on the front cover of a magazine. I gulped down my emotions, knowing I couldn’t let him figure out what I was thinking.
He looked back at me, waiting for me to get on. Mustering all my courage, I got back on the bike, very much aware of all the times I had failed to ride it that morning. As he pulled up the kickstand, I expected that excoriating grinding sound to return, but with Kyle in command, it rolled out of the open door with ease. We turned onto the street and the wind started to whip around the few strands of hair that poked out from under my helmet.
“Are you okay back there? You should really hold on.” My hands were on my thighs, but then I remembered the first time I had ridden with him. I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist, locking myself into place. I wasn’t going to fall off. I didn’t even want to think about it. With my head against his back, I started to relax. The vibrations that scuttled under my skin seemed to somehow soothe me. I could almost understand why motorcycle gangs existed. The feeling associated with being on the open road was exhilarating.
I held onto Kyle just a little bit tighter, scooting forward until our bodies were pressed together. I could feel the hardness of his muscles and it sent a tingle down to my pussy. Last night, Kyle had rocked my world and I still couldn’t get my mind off it. His naked profile haunted me and all I could do was imagine his lips on my chest. I could almost feel it…
As we turned into a backroad, Kyle pulled back on the throttle, really making us fly. My fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt as I started to get anxious. When I closed my eyes, I was pulled back into one of the memories I had long tried to forget. A memory I had suppressed and only now remembered.
I was with a group of my friends – or at least I thought they were. We used to hang out in an alleyway, exchanging stories to pass the time. It was the place where misfits came to hang out – misfits like me.
One day, one of my closest friends came in hauling a dirt bike. He had a dirty grin on his face when he showed it to me. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I thought I’d be able to drive all the way to Canada on that thing so I persuaded him to let me take it for a spin.
Everything started off okay. The bike started to move and as I pushed it a little harder, it jerked forward. I must have locked up because the next thing I knew, I was flying down the street, heading straight for a brick wall. All I remember is smashing into it – seeing little stars in the corners of my vision. Then, the excruciating pain in my legs and chest kicked in…
Chapter 11
Kyle
“Linda, you can let go now.” She was holding onto me so tightly that I thought something was wrong. I tried to pry her fingers off my shirt, but they were rigid. “Linda,” I called out again, a little louder this time. She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in because she immediately loosened her grip.
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?” I eased her off the bike and looked at her face, noticing that her skin was a little pale. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I…” She tried to move away from me, but she wobbled, nearly losing her balance. I caught her before she could topple over. Taking her into my arms, I carried her into the diner.
“Kyle –” The owner stopped mid-sentence when he saw us. I placed Linda down in a booth. It looked like she had fainted.
“Marshall, get me a wet washcloth. Now.”
The older man nodded, rushing into the back. A few seconds later, he emerged and handed me the cloth. I gently dabbed Linda’s forehead with it, hoping she would come to. Was she that afraid of motorcycles? I couldn’t understand why she was so jittery today when she had been fine the first time around.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, fluttering her eyelashes. She sat up, looking confused before she saw me. “Kyle… what happened?”
I motioned for Marshall to leave us. He moved behind the counter, wiping it down with a rag. I could tell he was trying to eavesdrop. The diner was empty. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. “Are you okay?” I asked, grabbing her hand, holding it gently.
“I… my head feels funny.”
“You fainted. Did something happen? Did I go too fast?”
She shook her head and bit her lip. She had a habit of doing so and it drove me insane. I wanted to kiss those pouty pink lips of hers, but now wouldn’t be the best time.
“No… It’s just… When I was younger, I had a really bad accident. I think I just had a really vivid flashback and it triggered some kind of response. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to worry you.” I squeezed her hand in mine and smiled at her.
“No need to apologize. It happens to the best of us.” I beckoned Marshall over, ordering us two colas and some nachos. He nodded, disappearing into the kitchen to rouse his staff.
“Where are we anyway?”
“This is a little diner I like to come to sometimes. It’s Marshall’s Diner. Nothing too fancy, but the owner is a really good friend of mine. I thought he could help us out with something I have planned.”
“Why do I not like the sound of that?” She asked as she grabbed one of the coasters and started to play with it nervously.
“Well, you obviously still have your doubts about me.”
“Are we really on that again?”
“Of course we are. I told you I wouldn’t stop until you could look me in the eye and accept, without a doubt, that I’m not the murderer.”
“Okay. So how is this Marshall guy going to help us?” She asked, refusing to make eye contact.
“Well, for starters, this place is neutral territory. Both Blackbirds and Iron Horses come here for a good meal. He makes the best burgers and nachos in town if you didn’t know.”
“No, I don’t usually come to this part of town.” She said, still refusing to look at me.
I reached across the table and lifted her chin. “Linda.” Our eyes locked. I could see the fear and mistrust on her face and my heart tightened for a second. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But… I fainted, just because I got on a motorcycle. That’s embarrassing.”
“You had an accident. It’s okay for you to be afraid. You don’t have to act like you’re Miss Tough all the time. I won’t judge you if you end up having a few vulnerabilities.”
She shook her head. “You just don’t understand because you’ve never been weak.”
“I’ve been weak all my life. I’m still weak now.”
“How are you weak? You’re the leader of a motorcycle club. You’re attractive. You always hold yourself like you own the entire world.”
“That’s all just an act. I can act confident all I want, but sometimes, I have my moments of fear as well. I know it didn’t look like it, but I was scared when you told me you wouldn’t defend my case. I was so sure I would end up in jail. I honestly don’t know how my gang managed to get my bail.”
Pursuit: A Bad Boy Romance Page 77