AllFreeNovel
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I had gone to private schools throughout my life, and the cliques there were brutal, but they had nothing on these men. Ihad been bullied before. I didn’t give a shit what the other girls in my grade thought of me, but to have six men shutting me out almost broke me.
This was a lion’s den, and I couldn’t be weak. As much as I wanted to scream at them to fuck off and fuck their mothers and fuck the world, I ground my teeth until pain shot up my jaw then lifted my chin and marched over to the group like I belonged there.
Sas blew out a deep breath. “You didn’t fall in. Damn.”
“Bet you’d like me in your bed after that.” I planted my hands on my hips.
He raised his eyebrows like he didn’t expect the retort, and I relished the tiny win. What did he think I was going to do? Roll over and take his shit.
Not a snowball’s chance in this desert hell.
In one fluid movement, Sas straddled his bike and sank down. “Get on.”
I moved toward Rafe, but Sas barked, “Mybike.”
“No,” I said and kept walking.
Before I took two more steps, a strong hand grabbed my wrist and whipped me around.
Sas seethed down at me. “You belong to me, little princess. You answer to me. Get the fuck on.”
Pursing my lips, I slowly shook my head. If he wanted me on the back of his bike, he was going to have to pick my ass up and put me there. And then, he would have to tie me down to keep me from hopping right off.
I turned on my heel and continued on to Rafe’s bike, and the last thing I wanted to admit was that my lower belly was purring and hungry for the vibrations between my legs. It felt like a promise from all the steel and leather and that engine that I now knew would roar to life and carry me away.
Shit, I am not really craving this. Am I?
When I reached my perch, I spread my legs with my hands on either knee and glared at Sas as I waited for this steel demon’s rider. Rafe shrugged and stalked over to his bike. To me. Satisfied that I’d gotten the upper hand, I wagged my brows at Sas.
Rafe didn’t pay attention to either my future husband or me, keeping his eyes on the ground as he mounted. He grabbed the handle with one hand and pressed the button that ignited the rumble beneath me. I almost groaned but swallowed it just before the pleasure-filled noise escaped my throat. Rafe reached back, grabbing my arms and pulling them around his chest like he was locking me into place, dragging my body forward until the front of me hit his back, hips included.
Rafe kicked a lever on the side and rolled the grip on the handlebar. The bike took off, gravel crunching beneath the wheel, and I latched onto him as my heart kicked into high gear.
As many times I had asked for death to just take me today, I didn’t actually want to die. The simultaneous fear of falling and thrill of the ride consumed me.
Sas’s motorcycle, a much leaner machine with far more chrome and longer handlebars—ape hangers, I remember reading on the internet—matched our speed. With one hand on the handlebar, Sas ran his thumb over his lower lip as he poked out his tongue in a rather suggestive gesture. I couldn’t see his eyes behind the wrap-around glasses, but his reddish blond hair danced in the wind.
I hugged onto Rafe and Sas blew me a kiss, just before he palmed the handle and raced ahead of us. The other rider who had left the body shop with us took the second spot in the staggered line, and Rafe fell into the third place.
When I glanced back, the others finished off the formation. One of the three gave me a two-fingered salute against his bucket-style helmet. I placed my cheek against Rafe’s leatherjacket and melted into him, determined to lose myself in the constant rhythm of the engine and try my damnedest to forget my present company, Rafe excluded.
If I had to be here, at least this part, safe at my uncle’s back, felt secure enough.
With the herd of motorcycles, we left the flatter part of the desert in our trail, and within the next hour, the line of motorcycles veered onto the interstate.
I glimpsed a green sign: Los Angeles, 150 miles.
Finally, we were going back to civilization. We zoomed past cars and semi-trucks. If they didn’t move out of our way, we swerved around them, a snake of bikes slithering down the road. We could never do this with the limo.
It was just us and the highway, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, it felt free. Wind whistled past my ears. Perhaps this is how birds felt when flying. Although I would never have the true freedom to fly like birds to a destination of my choosing.
Eventually, we started seeing signs of city life, neighborhoods sprawling into the hills and outlet malls lining the freeway. The grit of the desert gave way to suburbs and then smog. I was back in civilization, but now, the air tried to choke me. We no longer stood out. Everywhere in LA had cars backfiring in the parking lot of a highway with motorcycles zipping between the frustrated drivers.
We followed suit, and I gripped onto Rafe for dear life while squeezing my eyes shut.
His voice shouted over his shoulder. “I’ve got you, tesoro.”
“What?” I yelled. He’d startled me out of my fear with those words.Thatword.
