GRIT: A Spartan Riders Novel

  Once they reached the fence line, far enough away from the party to be seen but not heard, Blake leaned his thick frame back against the split rails and crossed his arms over his broad chest, making him appear double his size. Staring off over her head, he said, “Those cookies you brought were good. You make ‘em?”

  Okay…not where she thought he was going with this, but she’d roll with it. “Uh, no. My mom baked them actually.” She was embarrassed to admit that she’d completely forgotten about bringing anything, but her mother—always a good hostess and guest—could always be counted on to come through in a pinch.

  Blake grunted his response, then followed it up with, “That story is bullshit, by the way, and doesn’t represent who I am in any way.” His chin tipped up, indicating the direction of his thoughts was back on the conversation he’d pulled her away from.

  “So it’s a lie?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I was fourteen, horny as hell, and it was my first time.”

  The anger in his tone was palpable, but Gabby saw it for what it really was: a defense mechanism. “Look, Blake, you don’t have to explain anything to me. We all have something in our history that we’re not proud of. But for what it’s worth, I already figured that part out.”

  His gaze finally met hers, still narrowed and filled with irritation, but slightly softer than before. “So have you had your fill?”

  Gabby’s brows pinched together, puzzled by his meaning.

  Seeing her confusion, he clarified. “Your perspective. Am I—us—still biker trash to you?”

  Drawing in a deep breath, Gabby went to stand by his side and joined him in staring out over the people gathered there. She knew in the first five minutes of arriving what her answer would be, and it had only solidified since then. “For the record, I never thought or said that you were trash, but even so, I have to admit that coming here today has opened my eyes.”

  “Elaborate.”

  Arching a brow at his curt tone, Gabby turned to watching the children play, seeking out one in particular. When she found Ash sitting on top of the monkey bars, an island among himself, she experienced a little pang in her chest, his earlier words about her being his only friend rushing back to her.

  “Everyone knows the stories.” In a town their size, it would be impossible to hide the kind of criminal activities that were rumored to be true surrounding these people. Just because local law enforcement had never been able to pin anything solid on them didn’t mean anything. They knew how to be slippery when they wanted to.

  “That was the past.”

  Spoken like a true outlaw, but Gabby also couldn’t ignore that, according to her parents’ accounts, crime had been down considerably in the last couple years, and the streets had been noticeably quiet. Since her return, she could attest to the fact that, if not for the occasional roar of motorcycles ripping through the streets, no one would know a motorcycle gang resided there.

  “Is this the part where you tell me that you’ve reformed your bad boy ways and are now working on making an honest living like the rest of us?”

  His head swiveled around, his hard gaze pinning hers. “Yes.”

  A short, simple answer spoken in that rough, growl-like voice, but no less effective in its delivery. A shiver zipped through Gabby’s torso, awakening parts of her that had lain dormant for some time. What troubled her most wasn’t whether she believed him or not, but her willingness not to question it further. Breaking eye contact, she found Ash once again.

  “I know it’s none of my business, but where is his mom?”

  “You’re right, it’s not your business.”

  His response was a slap in the face, but not entirely unexpected. Gabby grew quiet, accepting it for what it was. Sometimes, her curiosity got the better of her, and she tended to stick her nose where it didn’t belong. “Fair enough.”

  In the distance, Ash dropped down from his perch and began swinging fluidly from one bar to the next, reaching the end and turning back to make another pass with impressive ease.

  “She walked out on us.”

  Surprised that he’d offered her anything at all, Gabby said, “I’m sorry.” Her gaze remained focused outward, unwilling to risk any movement for fear it would break their tremulous connection and Blake decided to close her out again. Already, she craved the gritty sound of his voice.

  “It was months ago. Things had been bad for a long time. If she hadn’t pulled the plug, I would have. I worry about Ash though. He’s tough like his old man,” he said with a small, prideful smirk, “but he’s still just a kid, and I’m still learning how to be a father, never mind a mom.”

  “A lot of kids come from broken homes,” Gabby informed him. “They don’t necessarily break because of it. Kids are resilient. And even though you may never be able to fill both roles, just the fact that you’ve stuck around to try is commendable. Plus, you get to be there for all the important stuff, which is pretty rewarding in itself.”

  A wistful smile crossed Blake’s face. “Yesterday, Ash said he met the girl he’s going to marry.”

  Gabby chuckled. “I bet it’s Marybeth. Those two have been inseparable during recess. What did you tell him?”

  Something in the way Blake looked at her this time made her short of breath. “I told him carpe diem.”

  Seize the day.

  ***

  It was well after dark by the time Gabby started to feel the hour. A yawn ripped through her. There was something comforting about sitting in front of a roaring fire surrounded by idle chatter and having not a care in the world.

  “I like your place,” she told Blake. After their talk, she’d allowed her filter to slip some. Blake wasn’t exactly an easy guy to get along with, but she could tell that he wasn’t all bad. Just a little rough around the edges. Especially when he let down his guard. He seemed to have lost his edge from earlier, having finally settled into a relaxed state of mind, and she was finding his company surprisingly nice.

  She’d observed his interactions with his friends, seeing how he dealt smiles and laughed easily, offered advice to those who sought it, offered help to those who needed it, and in return, there was no mistaking that he had the respect of everyone there. He was a true leader.

  What Gabby adored most, though, was his obvious devotion to Ash. No matter where he was or what he was doing, his gaze sought his son out regularly. The last time that happened was when Ash had found Gabby’s lap, showing her pictures he had drawn for her, and calling her by her first name. She’d caught Blake’s eye for the barest instant, and what she saw there warmed her blood.

  She’d already become aware of her increasing interest in him, but now that Gabby had glimpsed his interest in her too, it was all she could think about. It was a persistent whisper in her mind, demanding her undivided attention.

  Staring into the fire, watching the flames dance toward the sky and burning embers scatter to the wind, she found her innermost thoughts rolling from her tongue. “You’re not what I thought, Blake Mahone.”

  His face tilted down and to the side, Blake slanted her a questioning look. “How’s that?”

  Stretching her legs out, Gabby wiggled her bare toes, enjoying the ambient heat that warmed her soles. “You’re a pretty scary guy,” she started. “This is the first time you haven’t been all growly and mean.”

  A low chuckle percolated in his chest. In his arms, Ash’s sleeping form shifted, nuzzling in closer to his father’s chest, his angelic face buried in the side of Blake’s neck. Wrapping his arms tighter around his back, Gabby watched Blake run his lips over Ash’s scraggly blond hair and thought she’d never seen a more perfect sight in her life.

  She turned in the lawn chair to face him. “You know, you’re not as intimidating here either. I mean, you are intimidating, but it’s more…subdued.”

  Running one of his large hands in practiced circles across Ash’s back, Blake considered this. “It’s a learned skill. My father taught me, and his father taug
ht him. It’s a trait you need to be successful in this life.” His lips returned to his son’s hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “The only time I don’t need it is when I’m with him.”

  “Kids are pretty great that way,” she agreed. “They see straight through the bullshit, so it’s better to leave it at the door.”

  “Truer words…” Turning his head and pressing his cheek to the top of Ash’s head, he stared back at her. “You’re not what I thought either.”

  Rolling her bottom lip between her teeth, Gabby felt a kind of nervous anticipation at his words before handing them back to him. “Yeah, how’s that?”

  His smirk grabbed the light reflecting from the fire. With only half his face lit, the other cast in deep shadows, he represented the battle between light and dark in her mind perfectly and wondered if it was an accurate representation of the man sitting before her.

  “I thought you were an uptight priss with a stick shoved up her ass.”

  Her face heated, and Gabby’s voice grew small. “And now?”

  “I still think you have a stick shoved up your ass, but I’m sure with some special attention, we can get it out.”

  The burning in her cheeks intensified, and Gabby yanked her gaze from his, staring into the flames of the bonfire instead. She found herself wondering just how he planned to help her get that stick out, because there was no doubt that one existed. Just like him, she couldn’t help the way she’d been raised or how her past had shaped her. But she wouldn’t mind learning new ways to be…and Blake seemed just the person to teach her.

  “You’re good with Ash,” Blake said quietly. “I didn’t realize how much he needed a woman in his life until today.”

  “He’s an easy kid to like.” She’d thought he’d be a problem when she first met him. It surprised her that Ash turned out to be the best behaved kid in her class. In the week she’d known him, they’d grown close.

  “He likes you too.”

  She smiled, pleased to hear it.

  “I appreciate you looking after him when…”

  “When you’re late?” she finished for him.

  His head jerked once.

  “I’d like to say I’m happy to do it, but honestly? It pisses me off when you’re not there.”

  “Because you’ve got other things you’d rather be doing?”

  “Because he deserves better.”

  Their gazes clashed, held. In the span of a few seconds, they assessed one another. Gabby decided she might be able to forgive Blake Mahone his tardiness if he kept looking at her like that—as if he wanted nothing more than to grab her from her chair and kiss her senseless.

  “I agree, he deserves better,” Blake finally said, his voice a harsh grate. “But I’m trying.”

  Holding his pained stare, understanding that there was more going on below the surface than her imagination could piece together, Gabby said, “I can see that.” And she could. A man who held his son the way he did—close and tight—responded to him the way he did, worried for him the way he clearly did, was doing his best. And if what he said was true about Ash’s mom leaving only a short time ago, then he was still learning the ropes. She didn’t envy what he must be going through. She did, however, admire his fortitude.

  Strength like his was incredibly sexy.

  Conversation dwindled as they stared into the darkness beyond the flames, both lost in thought, the majority of which was Gabby wondering at the curious feeling taking up residence in her gut. It tickled, tiny little flutters of awareness that went on a rampage every time she met Blake’s intense stare.

  Like it did now.

  Pressing her palm to her abdomen, she forced herself to dampen the errant sensation, scooted to the edge of her seat, and slipped her feet back into her sandals. “I should head home. It’s getting late, and I have an early morning ahead.”

  Giving a sharp nod, Blake pulled to his feet as well, Ash still shielded in his protective embrace. “Let me put this one to bed and I’ll see you out.”

  Settling on her perch, Gabby was fully prepared to stick around, until she noticed that Blake had made no move to leave. Looking up, she found him watching her and quirked a delicate brow.

  “Come on in. I’m sure he’d love it if you helped tuck him in.”

  “Oh, well, I-I don’t know.” She licked her lips, her nerves rattled at the prospect of entering his private domain. She’d already concluded that Blake Mahone wasn’t a murderous letch, but the sensations he aroused in her were troubling. It would be a mistake to follow, and yet…

  “Come on, teach. I don’t bite—” he paused, regarding her with a slight tilt of the head, and then amended, “—hard.” The look on her face must have been comical, because the grin that spread across his was brilliant. Stunning. “Come,” he commanded, and began walking.

  Gabby was on her feet and moving before she’d made a conscious decision to do so. The few stragglers that still remained from the party cast curious looks as they passed, heating Gabby’s skin to red hot, but not one dared to voice their question aloud.

  When they reached the back door, she hurried forward to hold it open. Inside, she took stock of the space. It was small but well-kept. Clean, which was surprising. Gabby had assumed that his tardiness and lack of apparent care and consideration would translate to disorganized filth. Turned out it was quite the opposite. His cleanliness almost made her ashamed of her own haphazardly kept space. Aside from that, she noted that there was dark paneling on some of the walls, touches of country flare in the powder blue furniture and brass fixtures, and everywhere memorabilia to remind her of Blake’s background.

  Artwork of motorcycles hung on the walls, a throw blanket with a Harley was draped across the arm of the recliner, heavy leather boots sat by the front door, and as they made their way down a short hallway containing three white paneled doors, black and white photos of Ash in varying stages of growth from infancy to the present playing in a garage, surrounded by men in leather, and riding a plastic motorcycle were hung with care.

  For all her impressions of Blake Mahone, there was nothing more revealing than being inside his home. All around her she felt love. It was unmistakable, undeniable, and it turned that fission of electricity she’d been feeling into an all-out lightning storm of desire.

  As she watched Blake lay his son in his bed and pull the blankets around him with care, she devoured the sight with a burgeoning need to experience him in ways that she knew, without a doubt, were dangerous to entertain but impossible to ignore.

  No matter how hard she wanted to pretend that nothing was happening between them, to deny a past that was determined to repeat itself, Gabby was powerless to stop it.

  Didn’t want to stop it, if she was being honest.

  And when Blake straightened and turned to face her, freezing mid-step when he caught the look reflecting in her eyes, she knew there was no point fighting it.

  Her curiosity demanded satisfaction, and she was going to give in to it.

  SEVEN

  Backing Gabby out of the room and closing the door behind him, Blake loomed over her in the shadows, his presence surrounding her on all sides and sucking the air right out of her lungs. Gabby breathed deep in an effort not to faint, only to face the threat of being dragged under by his heady scent.

  Leather and male musk spilled into her lungs, forcing Gabby’s eyes closed at her body’s powerful reaction. The air grew thin, her heart raced wildly, and the heat that had been twisting in her stomach like a tropical storm rushed south to pool between her legs.

  If his scent alone did this to her, Gabby feared what would happen if Blake were to actually touch her.

  And oh, did she crave the connection.

  Gabby had always tried to live up to her parents’ expectations, but the burning desire to run free and pursue life with open arms had landed her in hot water many times in the past—the most recent of which topped the cake. Her mind warned her history was about to repeat itself, but every c
ell in her body said it couldn’t care less.

  Life was for the living, and the only way to enjoy it was to experience everything it had to offer.

  Sensing movement, Gabby opened her eyes and found herself staring at a wall of male chest. Leather creaked as Blake drew even closer, closing out what little space was left between them. Body heat licked her breasts, sending goosebumps scattering down her arms and across her chest that teased her nipples into stiff, sensitive points.

  When he leaned down, placing his face so close to hers she could practically taste the beer on his breath, Gabby shivered. It became painfully clear that the time for fighting this attraction had come to an end. The sheer torture of trying to resist was something she could no longer abide, and so Gabby gave in.

  “You want something, teach?”

  The low rumble of his voice reached down deep, sending a flood of heat rushing between her thighs. “I—”

  “Because the way you’ve been watching me all night tells me you see something you like. Or maybe it’s not so much a like as it is a need,” he growled, one hand reaching up to curl a lock of her hair around his finger.

  The way she bloomed for him told her that he was right. He was beautiful, he was edgy, and in the rare moments that he opened his mouth to speak, he was devastating.

  She needed him in the worst way. To ease the growing ache inside of her. To temper the need she’d felt from the moment she laid eyes on him. But she didn’t know him. And what she knew of him, she didn’t necessarily like.

  “I don’t know if I…like you,” she whispered into the narrow space dividing them.

  Bending farther down, the rough hairs dusting Blake’s jaw scratched deliciously against her cheek as he placed his lips beside her ear and whispered back, “I don’t know if I like you either, teach.” She felt the heavy weight of his hand curl around her hip and give her a possessive tug, pressing them together, chest to chest. “Is that a problem for you?”

  Gabby knew it was dangerous to read between the lines, but she was loath to stop herself from doing just that. Was he saying that he wanted her too? Not nearly as much as she wanted him, though, surely. She was fast becoming a slave to her hormones. From just this one interaction, her body threatened to erupt into flames. So now she knew what would happen if he touched her, but what would happen if he kissed her?