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“What the hell?” Ghost asks. “You think it’s a good idea to have her here?”
“Bonnie had everything under control. They were playing dress-up in her old clothes. Seemed a waste not to let Jessica show ‘em off.”
“I’ll say,” Riot runs a hand through his dark hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “You clean up nice, Mary Poppins. Want to know what else a spoonful of sugar helps go down?” He flicks his tongue against his top lip and winks.
“Some of us aren’t so bitter we need the extra help,” Tex says with an easy laugh.
Ghost snorts and raises his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “What’s your poison, Jess?”
“Um… a cola? I don’t really drink.” I examine the wallful of bottles behind the bar, not even knowing where to start.
The bartender comes over. He’s totally bald and reminds me of Mr. Clean if Mr. Clean was a biker. A gold hoop hangs from one ear, and tattoos crawl out of the neck of his t-shirt and wind around his neck. “What’ll it be?”
Tex orders his usual, whatever that is. Ghost and Riot both have short glasses with something golden brown in them, and they ask for a second round of the same. When it comes to me, Ghost cocks his head and considers. “Cherry Rum and Coke for the lady, make it sweet.”
When the drinks show up, the guys grab them and we find a table off to the side. They each take their own, but Riot holds the last glass out of my reach.
"What? Isn’t that mine?" I’m not even sure if I’ll like it, but I definitely want to try. I don’t know how long this freedom will last, so I’m not going to waste a minute of it.
"It comes with a cost." He winks. “One kiss.”
I blink. I've never kissed anyone, but obviously he doesn't know that. They probably assume I’m a little shy and not the usual type to hang out in biker bars, but they probably also figure I’ve had all the usual relationships and experience for a normal girl in her twenties. Would that girl go along with his teasing?
If I'm going to have a first kiss with someone, I could do a lot worse. Hopefully in a few days I’ll be free to finally get on with my life so it won’t even matter if I’m a bad kisser. This is just practice.
Oh God, I'm going to do it.
"Okay." I lean forward, hoping I'm getting this right.
When Riot’s lips touch mine, I freeze, with no idea what to do. It’s so much warmer and softer than I imagined, and his beard tickles my chin. He cups the side of my face and strokes my cheek with his thumb. “Am I that scary? I'm not forcing you, honey. Just playing. It's meant to be fun."
"I'm just… nervous I guess."
He chuckles, angling my face so I’m looking right into his deep, brown eyes. They crinkle at the corners as he smiles. "Let’s try again. Just open your mouth a little and go with it, okay?"
I nod, just a little, not wanting to shake free of his tingling touch on my skin. I part my lips, and this time, when he leans in, we fit together better. More intimately. His tongue teases over my lips, nudging my mouth even a little more open. I close my eyes,not believing that I'm doing this, but trying to follow his lead. When our tongues meet, I get goosebumps. The taste of him is intoxicating, making me hungry for more.
He pulls away, leaving me confused and breathing heavy. "That kiss was definitely worth a drink." He laughs, and sets the glass in front of me.
I grab the drink and take a gulp without thinking. I cough a little from the fizz of the Coke, but it goes down smooth. Sweet from the soda and the cherry, with a slight bitter undertone that keeps it from being too syrupy. There’s a whole, artificially bright red cherry on top. It's good. I put the glass down half full, not noticing the spreading heat of the alcohol until after. Wow.
When I look up, I find all three of them watching me, Riot clearly pleased with himself, Tex looking amused, and Ghost impenetrable. They're so in character I let out a little giggle.
It’s the drink, I know it is, but I’m enjoying it anyway. It’s easy to forget that the only reason I’m here is because of violence. I take off Bonnie’s jacket, adjusting my top so I’m not flashing anyone. But even if I do, who cares?
Freedom is so precious, so fleeting. I refuse to waste any of it. The Burnout isn’t on any Michelin star guide, but it’s perfect all the same. I finish my first drink, listening to Tex tell a story about how he got a particular scar on his arm, his drawl really coming out when he’s storytelling.
"So I thought I'd counted the shots. I knew the type of gun he had, and how big the mags were, so I was too fucking cocky. But it was a raw chase, both of us running our bikes at the limit, dodging cars on the highway, and I guess math was never my strong suit. I thought he was out and opened the throttle all theway to catch up, and the fucker shot me. Nearly ended my biker days there and then." Tex shrugs off his jacket and pulls up the right sleeve on his T-shirt. There's a bright white line that slices through his shoulder and the top of his arm. "Burned like a motherfucker, but I managed to ram him right over the barrier and into the median. Beat the crap outta him for shooting me, then collected the bounty."
"I'll drink to that!" says Riot and raises his glass. The others follow and that's when I realize my glass is empty.
"I’ll get the next round," Tex offers. He pushes away from the table, and when he comes back, he holds out a glass with something pale and golden. I reach for it, and this time it’s Tex holding my drink away. "Pretty sure there's an established price for this."
I blink, confused for a moment, before looking to see Riot’s reaction. I kissed him first. Does that mean anything? He waves his hand at me and laughs. "I don't own you, honey. Pay for your drink."
Twice as much practice is a good thing, right? I have time to make up for.
Tex takes a sip from my glass, and when our lips meet, he tastes like honey and something more. His stubble is scratchy, not like Riot’s softer beard, but his lips are like velvet against mine.
