Page 8 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
“What do you do?”
I grinned. “We can always make small talk on my bike as you’re headed home.”
Her face fell. “I’m good. Thanks.”
I nodded to her arm. “You’re still bleeding.”
She smacked her lips together as she looked down at her shirt. Her arm had a line of blood on it and she hissed in pain as she ran her fingers over the gash in her skin. She really had to get that cleaned. If we stood here much longer, she might get a damn infection in the fucking thing. She was being stubborn, and part of it was pissing me off.
But the other part of me smiled at the fact.
She cleared her throat. “It’s really okay. I can just—”
I cut her off. “My name is Link. What’s yours?”
She paused. “The hell kind of name is ‘Link?’”
I snickered. “It’s a nickname. But it’s what everyone calls me.”
She stared up at me. “Joanna.”
“Joanna. It’s nice to meet you. I’m going to save you some time, okay? You’ve got a good ruse going on here, but I’ve lived in this town my entire life. I know everyone. I see everything. You’re new. I’d venture to say you haven't even been here a year yet.”
“You don’t know a thing about me, Sausage Link.”
I grinned. “I know you’re making your way back home from work. Which means you’ve opened up a new business around here if you’re working this late on a Sunday. I know you’ve probably got a lot of bills to pay, which is why you’re traveling around in this heap of junk instead of getting yourself a reliable vehicle.”
I watched her eye twitch as I continued.
“I’m pretty sure you’re renting around here. It’s cheaper than buying, and if you’ve just opened up a business around here you probably don’t have a lot of extra money to toss around buying one of these expensive homes. So, I’m going to pull a guess out of thin air and say that you don’t have friends around here. Or family. Or anyone you can rely on. Which is why you’re very squeamish about getting on the back of my bike.”
She swallowed hard. “What are you, some kind of mind reader?”
“It’s my job to be able to read people in an instant. It keeps me and my men safe.”
“You a cop or something?”
I chuckled. “Or something.”
She nodded slowly. “I don’t know if I’d feel safe with you. No offense.”
I held up my hands. “None taken. I know what I look like. But you’ve got a choice. You either stay out here in the country on the side of the road or you take a ride with me. And since I know you don’t have anyone around here, you should take me up on the ride so you can get home and get some rest. I promise you, no one’s stealing your car anytime soon.”
She snickered. “Shame. I could use the insurance claim.”
I laughed. I actually laughed at that comment before I stifled it down to a chuckle. And seeing her smile up at me warmed my gut.
“If it’ll make you feel better, I can drop you off within a block or two of your place. I don’t have to pull right into your driveway if that’s what’s making you nervous. But if you were close to your destination? You would’ve already walked. At least let me get you a curb you recognize.”
She stared at me for a long time, but her eyes grew unfocused. I knew that look. I’d seen it on the faces of my men various times. She was lost in the recesses of her mind. Considering my words and turning over her options. I admired that in someone. I admired her spunk. Her want to keep herself safe. So many people did stupid shit nowadays when it wasn’t necessary. And that kind of thing always pissed me off.
“I’ve never been on a bike before,” Joanna said.
I grinned. “Guess tonight’s your lucky night, then.”
“Don’t know if ‘lucky’ is the word I’d use.”
I chuckled. “Then, it’s my lucky night.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I take it you’re a hit with the ladies.”
I shrugged. “Wouldn't know. Haven’t pursued anyone in a while.”
“This is you not pursuing anyone?”
“Who said I wasn’t pursuing you?”
She shook her head. “You're a piece of work, Sausage.”
“Takes one to know one, JoJo.”
She giggled, and the sound washed over me like water in a babbling brook.
Then, she sighed. “I’ve got a lot of stuff that needs to come with me.”
I shook my head. “Not a problem. I’ve got a saddlebag on my bike.”
“And I was hoping to get food on the way home. Is there any place open at this time of night?”
“There’s one place I can think of, but it’s not drive-thru or anything. There’s a diner in the middle of town that stays open until about three.”
