Page 9 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
I giggled. “People change, JayJay. Since when the hell did you ride with a motorcycle crew and take out bad guys on your own?”
He blinked. “Point taken.”
I patted the seat on front of me. “Come on. Let’s go get our stuff inside.”
And that’s when it hit him. “You don’t have any clothes other than those.”
“Eh, I’ll live.”
“We can go out and get food then get you some—”
“I said I’ll be fine. Let me handle it, okay?”
His eye twitched. “All right.”
I held out my arm toward the string of motel rooms. “Lead the way, handsome.”
He hopped back onto the bike, but we didn’t bother putting our helmets back on. He eased through the parking lot until we parked in a corner parking space, right in front of room number 114. It was a corner room, which meant only one neighbor. And since this place sat back in the woods a bit, the only side window the room afforded was covered by a tree that shoved itself dangerously against the window.
If anyone wanted to take a peek at us, we’d hear them rustling around with that damn thing.
And I realized now that this room, tactically, was a good fit.
Maybe that was intentional?
JayJay cleared his throat. “Ham and pineapple?”
I pulled myself from my trance. “What was that?”
“Ham and pineapple. That still your favorite pizza?”
I grinned. “I didn’t think you’d remember after… all these…”
As I gazed around the room I stood in, my brow furrowed tightly. When the hell did I get off the bike and walk into the room? I looked over at the window being pushed against by the tree. I scanned the small couch in the corner with my eyes before they fell onto the queen-size mattress against my leg. Behind me, an open counter with one sink and to either side of the sink, a toilet and a shower-tub combination.
Typical, for a motel.
“When did I…?”
JayJay chuckled. “I kept calling for you to come inside, but you were all in your head. So, I picked you up and brought you in.”
I blinked. “You what?”
“You were really deep in your mind there for a while. Ready to talk?”
I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Maybe after pizza. And yes, that’s still my favorite.”
He typed away on his phone. “Great. Got our order placed. Hope you still like Dr. Pepper, because that’s all they had in stock for drinks.”
“Pizza and Dr. Pepper will always be the ultimate combination. Anyone else who doesn’t think so can—”
He smiled. “Get fucked?”
I smiled back. “Not everything has changed, JayJay.”
He came to sit beside me. “Good to know.”
I drew in a deep breath. “So!”
He ran his hands down his thighs. “So.”
“I take it you want me to keep my head down and not ask questions.”
“That would be ideal.”
“You know I’m not going to do the latter part, right?”
He shrugged. “As long as you do whatever I say in order to keep you safe, I can dodge questions.”
I barked with laughter. “Whatever you say, huh? You know, when we were little, ‘whatever you said’ used to get us into a hell of a lot of trouble.”
“Well, not listening to me now will get us into a hell of a lot of death, so I suggest you just don’t fight for once.”
I blinked. “Noted.”
“What did you think of riding on the back of a bike for the first time?”
I smiled. “I see why you like it. It’s risky but invigorating. Like the entire world is—”
“At your feet?”
I nudged him softly with my shoulder. “Always filling in my sentences.”
“We’ve always been on a wavelength together. You know this.”
I giggled. “One of the many things I’ve always loved about you.”
I felt him staring at me as my eyes slowly met his.
“Love?” he asked.
Backtrack. Backtrack! “Yeah. Duh. We grew up together. Of course I have love for you.”
His eyes danced around my face. “Love for me?”
“Of course. Do you not have love for me?”
“I do,” he said without hesitation.
It made me wonder what the hell he was thinking right now.
“Well, see? Just like that,” I said.
“Right.”
I drew in a deep breath. “What was the ETA on that pizza?”
“About thirty-five minutes or so.”
“So, I’ve got time to take a shower?”
“Or fill me in on what’s going on with you?”
I stood to my feet. “Impatient little thing still, I see.”
He stood with me. “Simone, if you’re in trouble and you’re with me I need to know what to look for so I can help protect you.”
I pressed my hand against his chest. “Ever my caretaker.”
His hand wrapped around my wrist. “Always, Simone.”
My heart leapt in my chest. “I think a shower would do me some good, though. I got pretty sweaty underneath that helmet. I’m sure my hair looks terrible.”
“It looks as good as it always does.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Just let me get a shower, okay?”
