She debated about what to do with her hair and decided to leave it down but to bring a clip so she could pull it back later. It would just get flattened by the helmet anyway. She stuffed a sweater, sunblock and lipgloss into a bag and was chugging a glass of orange juice when she heard the bike outside.
Butterflies erupted in her tummy, making her feel like they were doing summersaults inside her.
He was here.
Chapter 8
Devlin
Devlin rode through the warm June morning toward Kaylie's house. There was a grin on his face, and nothing could make it budge.
Today, he was picking up his woman.
He was pleased, despite everything that had gone down last night. A real shit show, and one that had him questioning who managed what.
He took his responsibilities seriously. The MC was his family, and he was the patriarch.
But last night, he’d had to be hard on them. He didn’t enjoy it but it had to be done. Big bad daddy was in full effect.
The club was considering taking on new members and had hazed a few new prospects from the group last night. Things had gotten a little out of hand with one of the young guys and now they had a prospect in the hospital with third degree burns.
Dave Fahey had been drinking heavily and dared the foolish kid to shoot flaming liquor out of his mouth. The kid would be alright-he'd even earned the club's respect by not screaming like a woman. He would be forever be known as whisky beard.
Dev hated stuff like that though. It wasn't what the club was about. Sure, getting hammered was a right of passage for the guys. But not every night. And hurting each other was wasteful-they had enough enemies in the state who were willing to do it for them-on both sides of the law.
Dave had been fined and had lost club privileges for a month. Whiskey Beard would be alright. And hopefully they had all learned a lesson about being reckless or hazing prospects too hard.
Plus, they didn’t need any more attention from the police.
He pushed aside the thought of the local law enforcement. Sheriff Dooley in particular, had a hard on for Devlin. His second in command Officer Grant was just as bad. Dev got facetious parking tickets on a weekly basis. He often found himself with a tail when he was out on his bike.
It had forced him to slow down his breakneck pace considerably, and riding fast and loose was in his blood. The cops riding him was cramping his style, big time. But nothing was going to ruin today.
Today he was going to help Kaylie celebrate her graduation and introduce her to the club and their old ladies.
It was time to make things official.
Sure it was fast, but he'd been laying the groundwork for years. He'd made his decision. And it was obvious to him that Kaylie was on board with it.
He grinned, imagining her wearing his jacket-and nothing else. Her hot little body had felt so good pressed against him last night-all warmth and sweet innocence.
Well, not for long. He wasn't a man used to denying himself. Definitely not when it came to women.
This wasn't going to be easy.
Then again, nothing worth doing ever was.
He pulled up to her house and parked his bike. Before he could even climb out she was coming out the door looking like sunshine and promises. He felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach as she came toward him in a pair of cut off jean shorts and a pretty floral blouse. When she got closer he saw the strap of a bikini top peeking out from around her neck. It was yellow and white gingham.
Damn but she looked fine!
He had the sudden feeling that he might be the one who was out of his depth, not the innocent 18 year old virgin walking toward him. She moved so gracefully, her sweet little body swaying in an unconsciously seductive way.
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.
She stared up at him trustingly with her big brown eyes while he fitted her helmet over her soft brown waves. He couldn't help but brush his hand over the softness of her cheek before helping her onto the bike and climbing on in front of her. He lifted his hand, waving to the woman watching them from the stoop.
It was a good thing he'd been working on Mrs. Thomas for a few years now. He'd made sure the woman hadn't lifted a bag of groceries from the first day he'd noticed her daughter.
She was a smart woman. She knew it wasn't a bad thing to be connected to the club in this town. She'd never have to deal with a flat tire, or a bothersome neighbor. They'd take care of everything for her.
He grinned to himself as he pulled away from the curb. Kaylie’s arms snaked around toward his stomach sending a jolt of arousal straight through him. It wasn't a bad exchange at all.
He was definitely the one who got the better side of the bargain.
Chapter 9
Kaylie
Well, this was an adventure.
Devlin hadn't told her where they were going and she hadn't asked. It only occurred to her how odd that was after they'd been riding for a half hour. She'd been too absorbed by the sensation of the bike, the scenery, and him.
She decided that it didn't really matter anyway. If he wanted to surprise her, she'd let him. Even if she wanted to ask him, it would have to wait until he pulled over. There was no way he would hear her over the rumble of the bike.
It was the sort of thing that should make her hate traveling this way. Clinging to him, with zero control over where they were going, how far or how fast. But she didn't hate it at all.
She loved it.
It surprised her how much she loved it. The speed, the smell, the incredible thrill of it all. Riding was dangerous. As dangerous as the man her arms were wrapped around right now.
But most of all, she loved that she wasn't riding alone. They were together. Fused into one. She trusted him implicitly. She was going on pure instinct alone.
Maybe it was foolish, but it was true.
They'd left town far behind already and were heading through endless fields of corn and other crops. She felt her curiosity rise again. There was nothing out this way, unless he planned on taking her over the state line.
What on Earth was he up to?
It was another ten minutes or so before she realized where they were going. It all clicked into place. The only place people went during the summer.
The lake.
People went out here to swim all summer, but right now there was an even bigger draw.
The county fair was on. It had been years since she'd been. It was an hour away and her mother didn't have the time or money to travel for frivolous reasons.
But Kaylie remembered it well. As a child, she had always loved the little day trips they'd taken as a family. Back when her father was still alive. It had been a yearly event for them.
Afterwards though, the trips had stopped. A lot of things had stopped.
She didn't blame her mom though. Raising a child alone was difficult, and she didn't have an extended family to help out. They'd had fun in other ways. But her mother wasn't the sort to kick up her heels or laugh at something just for the fun of it.