“Sure.” I shrugged, looking away.
Seconds later, Emily did the last thing I ever expected her to. She lunged at me… then she fucking hugged me. Her uncuffed arm went around my waist so tightly it was like she was afraid I’d disappear if she let go. My arms stayed planted at my sides, and instead of cracking a joke about her wanting to feel me up, something lodged in my throat. At the feel of her there, some seriously strange shit happened. It felt like someone had lit a fire in my chest. Good Christ, I hadn’t been hugged like this since, well… shit. Since my own ma had hugged me when I was twelve.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You have no idea what this means to me, Archer.” Her hair tickled my nose, and I could smell her shampoo. Something sweet, like flowers, which stirred something in my gut as well as my chest.
I winced and tipped my head back at the feeling, eyes to the ceiling of the rest stop, staying wordless. Obviously, I didn’t hug her back, but what messed me up was the fact that I didn’t push her away either. Memories flooded my mind instead: the scent of cigarettes mixed with the soap ma had always used when I was a kid. The way she would kiss the top of my head then pat my shoulder to soothe me, even as hard as she was. She had told me to have a good day and that she’d be back later. Then her long, brown ponytail was all I could see as she and my old man had ridden away on his bike.
I never saw it again.
It’s why I hated brunettes with brown eyes like Emily. Too much of a reminder.
Jesus. Why was I thinking about any of this? It wasn’t like I even liked Emily. If anything, she was fun to toy with, but she annoyed the piss out of me. I shook my head and stepped out of her space, the fingers of our cuffed hands grazing. I shivered and goosebumps climbed up my arm. The sensation of this woman’s hug wasn’t something I wanted to feel again. I wanted to tell her that too—never touch me like that unless you plan on sucking my cock. But even my normal defense mode didn’t work when I saw how damn happy she looked right then. How bright her eyes were, same with her glowing cheeks and her full lips…
Looking at her had me feeling that same shit inside my chest again, so I reached up, put my free hand over my heart, and clutched my shirt, hoping it’d go the fuck away.
“Let’s eat,” she said, tucking some hair behind her ear, her smile fading but her eyes still bright. “I’m starving, and I’m sure you are too.” Then she pointed to the pile of junk I’d bought and yanked me toward the bench.
Wordless, I sat beside her, the food in between our thighs. Our cuffed hands grazed again when she reached over and grabbed a bag of Skittles. “I love these by the way. Good choice.” She lifted the bag and opened it with her teeth. “Only the red and green ones though. The purple, orange, and yellow are crap.”
The fuck was she talking about? Didn’t they all taste the same?
“Do you want some?” She held the bag out to me and I shook my head. “I’ve used Skittles for various science projects at school,” she continued, talking like we were best friends. Like I was Summer or Maya even. “Kids tend to respond better to science when you use materials they’re used to seeing or even eating on a daily basis. It’s a proven fact. I’m very hands-on with my teaching.”
I frowned at the ground, confused. Why was she telling me this?
“I’m gonna miss those kids, honestly. Middle-schoolers get a bad rap. But to me they’re just trying to find themselves and—”
“Emily,” I cut her off, meeting her eyes. I needed an answer to the shit running through my head, and only she could provide it.
She stopped chewing and frowned.
“Why did you hug me?”
She blinked, obviously not expecting that question. “Um, I…” Her face got red, and she looked to the ground like I’d done. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Did it make me feel uncomfortable? Yeah, but not the actual hug. If anything, that shit was weirdly… nice. The thoughts that came with it, on the other hand, were the problem. I didn’t like them. It’s why I said what I did next.
“Yeah. Don’t do it again.”
I looked at her just in time to see her nod and bite her bottom lip. The sight of her looking all uncomfortable made me uncomfortable though. And I didn’t do well with awkward shit. It was rare that anything bugged me when it came to women—I was the master at knowing what they wanted, how they liked to be talked to or touched. But Emily? Damn. I never knew what was going through her head. It’s why I teased her so much. She didn’t make me bored. Hell, each and every reaction she gave me seemed to make me want to find another and another. I hadn’t thought much of it until now. I’d been happy to have something to keep me occupied for once, but I hadn’t counted on needing this conversation either.
“Okay, sure. I won’t.” She nodded too fast. It felt weird.
“At least don’t hug me with clothes on.” I smirked, relaxing as I grabbed a cereal bar and opened it with my teeth. “Naked hugging might be fun.”
Emily sighed and shook her head, but anything she had to say stayed locked inside. For the next fifteen minutes, we ate in silence.
It was what I’d wanted.
But at the same time, it suddenly didn’t feel right either.
Eight
Archer
“You really want to stay here?” Emily looked around the one-bedroom Airbnb that I’d rented for the night, her nose wrinkled in disgust. It looked more like a storage shed on someone’s farm lot somewhere in the middle of Indiana than a place to sleep, but we’d been driving for hours, and I was exhausted. Plus, there was a bed and a shower. That’s all we needed anyways. And the fact that the guy had taken cash on sight for payment kept a paper trail off our backs too.
Slade was likely trying to track my every movement regardless of his trust in me, and in order for my plan to work, he’d need to stay the fuck away. All the brothers would.
“It’s not so bad.” I walked us to the small bed, sat on the end, and bounced. “Plenty of spring to it. Nothing like that SUV bed you got in your room.” Then I winked, loving how her face flushed with anger so quickly. It was nice having the power back in my hands—the ability to make her feel weird rather than the other way around.
Emily rolled her eyes but sat beside me… as far away as the cuffs would let our arms stretch, of course. She’d been quiet since the rest stop, not that we could do much talking on my bike. Still, her lack of movement behind me on my bike had me wondering if she was doing more thinking than relaxing. Either that or she was worried I’d comment on her horniness again.
I wondered if she was starting to regret running. I would have felt a hell of a lot better if she’d asked to go back to Rockford at that point, even if there was a chance I’d be able to take down Pops myself. Not because I liked her or because I was scared what might happen to her or myself. More so because I knew Hawk and Summer would be damn upset once they figured out she wouldn’t be coming back.
“I can’t with you, Archer.” She sighed heavily.
“What? You can’t relax with me?” I laughed. “That much is obvious.”
“No, I can relax just fine. I just can’t deal with your… your you-ness.”
“You’ve never given my you-ness a try, that’s why.”
She didn’t answer, but I knew I’d struck a nerve. That’s why I kept digging.
“I don’t get it.” I lay back on the bed, bringing her with me. She didn’t complain or pull back when our shoulders brushed together, surprisingly.
“You don’t get what?” she asked the ceiling.
“Chop fucked with you.” I gritted my teeth together at the thought then added, “But even before, you ghosted everyone. Shut down and ignored anyone who tried talking to you, including your brother, Summer, everyone who tried getting close to you. I get that you don’t like club life, but that doesn’t mean every RD is a dumbass.”
I dropped my head to the side, studying her. Her lips pursed. A spot by her right eye twitched too. Emily l
ooked like she was thinking about what I’d said, yeah, but also trying not to scream at the same time. I get that I frustrated her, but I wanted a real answer here. No idea why it mattered since she was leaving. Call it curiosity on my part. The Red Dragons were all I had, so to me they were fucking amazing. How people saw them as anything else had always bugged me.
“I didn’t ghost anyone,” she said with another sigh.
“What do you call it then?”
“Self-preservation.” She twisted her lips. “I knew from the day I started living on the compound that it wasn’t gonna be permanent. So, why should I act like I liked being there and befriend anyone when it was temporary?”
“Then what about Chop?”
“He pushed me.” She cringed, lowering her voice a little. “Nobody else did.”
“And look what the fuck happened there.” I scowled at her. “You women always think you know who the good guys are.”
She turned her head and glared at me, our faces just a few inches apart. I could smell her shampoo again and I fought the sudden urge I had to bury my face in her hair.
“This is why I don’t talk to you or anyone else besides Summer. Everybody judges me and my choices.”
“Just like you judge everyone else, including me.” I nudged the back of her hand with my own.
“I don’t judge anyone. Again, it’s self-preservation and preference. Your brothers, as you call them, might be wonderful. But the ones I’ve interacted with haven’t given me the warm and fuzzies.”
“The hell you don’t judge,” I scoffed. “You judged me from the second you came into the club as a teenager with your ma.”
“You freaking called me a hot table, Archer.” She threw her free hand up into the air before letting it smack against the mattress again. “Excuse me if that didn’t leave a lasting good impression. I totally regret it and want us to be besties.” She mocked me like I’d done earlier.
Weirdly, it made me grin.
“Bygones, baby.” I nudged her elbow with my own. “Now, let’s go. I’m hungry. Saw a pizza place up the road.”
“I am not going back on that bike tonight,” she huffed. “My legs are like rubber.”
I stood, bringing her with me. Sitting still and doing nothing? That shit wasn’t me. The only time I liked not moving around was when I was sleeping. It was like I had a wire in me that never stopped snapping.
“We’ll walk then.”
She shook her head. “It’s not safe.”
“The hell you mean, it’s not safe?” I tugged her again, satisfied when she got to her feet. I lifted my cut to show her how safe we’d be with my Glock tucked nicely inside my jeans.
She gasped. “You have a gun?”
I nodded.
She covered her face and groaned, sitting back down on the bed.
“Oh no you don’t.” I pulled her up again by the cuffs. “I’m a man who needs sustenance, which means I’m going to go eat. And where I go, you go.”
“You’re also in a biker gang with biker guys who might be out there waiting to pounce on us.”
I shook my head. “Nah. Slade’s got that shit under control. I told him you took off and that I was doing my duty as your bodyguard to come get ya.”
“My bodyguard?” Her eyes widened.
“Yup.” I tugged her behind me toward the door.
“And you really think those men are going to believe you?”
“Of course they will. I’m the VP.”
But for the first time since I’d come up with this plan, I wasn’t as confident as I should’ve been. Yes, I had told Slade that I was coming to get Emily, but only after he’d called me in a panic. Apparently, Summer had found Emily’s house ransacked and freaked out. Hawk had called Slade when he couldn’t get a hold of me—because I’d ignored his ass, not wanting to explain what was up—but with Slade, I’d reassured him that I was fine and on Emily’s trail, just about ready to pounce. That would give me enough time to get where we needed to go and keep Hawk satisfied… even though Slade didn’t seem as easily convinced by my excuses.
If Flick or any of my brothers found out I was going to attempt to take down Pops on my own, they’d either disown my ass or rip me a new one. Either way, I couldn’t ignore the opportunity. I’d pay for the consequences later, yeah, by dying at the hands of Pops or his men, or possibly being banished from the club. But if I got rid of the motherfucker once and for all, it’d be worth it.
Emily stopped arguing with me and soon we were outside, walking down a gravel road that led to a town I’d never heard of—probably because there wasn’t much to it. Along both sides of the road was nothing but corn, tall and blowing in the wind. It was late May, before the real heat hit. That meant a midnight stroll in the middle of farm-town Indiana wouldn’t be so bad, temperature wise.
And I needed to get my mind off my brothers.
“So, tell me, JP. What exactly makes your pussy wet, hmm? What gets your motor humming?”
She groaned, covering her face. “Holy shit. Can you just… not with that question?”
“Hey!” I held up my free hand. “I just need to know what makes you wet so I don’t do it.” I nudged her shoulder. “Wouldn’t want you getting any ideas when it comes to me and my amazing body, would we?”
“Seriously. You’re like, a ten-year-old boy. The last thing I want or would ever want is to be with you like that.”
“Fine. Do me a solid though and answer the question anyway.”
“Absolutely not. It’s none of your business who or what makes my pussy anything.”
“Say it again.” I licked my lips, grinning.
“Say what?”
“Pussy.”
She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, bringing my cuffed one along for the ride. Sadly enough, she didn’t tell me what I needed to know, which meant I’d have to find out on my own somehow.
“Fine.” I sighed dramatically. “Talk to me though. I hate silence and get bored.”
“You’ve obviously got ADHD.”
“I do.” I shrugged a shoulder. “But the pills fucked me up as a kid. Mom took me off them when I was eight.”
She didn’t comment, just looked at me funny.
“Come on, gimme a bone here,” I continued. “We got half a mile of walking ahead of us.”
Our hands smacked together, the cuffs the cause. Unlike me, she clenched her fist, like touching me meant getting burned.
“What about the ex?” I asked. “What was he like?” I was also curious as to why this woman, unlike every other, was so unbothered by me. I get it, she was all prim and proper. But even the godliest of chicks had it bad for me.
Literally. I once fucked a nun outside her church after a run.
“Wasn’t he, like, some smart dude? Is that what gets your little whistle wet?”
“I’m not telling you this,” she snapped.
“Oh, come on. I need to know all of your dirty little secrets.”
“Uh, no. You really don’t.”
I didn’t. But, again, I got bored easily. That’s why I loved being part of the club. I was always busy, always doing something. Always had a family member to talk to. Was always working on a bike, fucking a woman, or going on runs. I needed the constants in life. Otherwise I’d think about stuff from my past. Regret things, most of all.
“Hey, you’re the one who ran away. We wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t. Remember that.”
She pursed her lips and stayed quiet as we made it to the main road. Up ahead, I saw the signs in the town all lit up, and my stomach growled at the thought of food. It’d been God only knew how long since I’d put anything in my mouth that wasn’t a cigar, coffee, or junk food.
“I am not going to tell you about my sexual desires, Archer,” she finally said. “But if there’s something else you want to know or talk about, I might be willing to share, depending on what it is.”
“Is this gonna be one of those share-all times where you tell me something
and I’m gonna have to tell you something too? Or maybe, like, if you can’t share it, you have to take off some clothes? Like strip poker, but with words?”
She shook her head, surprisingly not snapping at me about my dirty thoughts. “Nope.”
I squinted at her. “You sure? Could be fun.”
“Yes.” She groaned. “I’m very sure that I do not want to play the talking share-all game of strip poker.”
I knew very little about this woman, other than the fact that she was Hawk’s little sister, a troublemaker, and a certified pain in the ass. It bugged the hell out of me not knowing how she ticked, seeing as how I was a man who could normally read everyone I met.
“Alright. No sex talk, then.” I paused, looking around me, trying to think of something non-dirty. Real conversation with a woman, something I wasn’t necessarily the best at, made my skin itch. But at the same time, it drove me nuts that I couldn’t get a read on her, which was why I’d be stepping out of my comfort zone with this one.
I caught sight of a few trees alongside the road. It wasn’t necessarily a forest, but it sheltered us enough to where nobody could see through in the dark. It reminded me a bit of the compound—that and the smell of gas up ahead too. But when I looked up at the sky and saw the moon, my memories pulled me back to another place and time in my life—a time when I’d sit for hours with my ma on wire chairs with rusty feet on top of a stone patio my old man never got around to fixing up.
My backyard as a kid in Ireland wasn’t ideal, not like the pictures someone might see on the internet, or how it’s portrayed in a movie either. No. My backyard as a kid was nothing but broken stone, rusty chairs, motorcycle parts, and the smell of my old man’s favorite whiskey filling the air, accompanied by my ma’s perfume. And I wouldn’t change it one fucking bit. If I shut my eyes, I could sometimes hear her favorite singer bursting from that record player she never gave up on while she and Dad talked shop and did body work on their bikes. It wasn’t often I thought about that time in my life, the stone cottage in the middle of the weed-filled fields with the shitty roof and the even shittier porch, but right then, it hit me like a sucker punch of a memory that wouldn’t let go until I talked about it.
Her Hot Ride: A gripping and sexy biker mc romantic suspense novel Page 8