Ride Rough

  “Everything okay?” Alexa asked.

  He shrugged. “Mom. Asking if I was coming up to the clubhouse for dinner. She’s, uh, she’s still having a hard time.”

  “I’m sorry, Maverick. I can’t believe everything that happened to her. You should go.”

  “You, uh, you wanna come?” he asked.

  “Oh. Uh. Really?”

  “Is that a no?” he asked with a frown. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted her to agree until she’d answered.

  “Not a no,” she said. “More of a ‘are you sure.’ I remember how Dare looked at me when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I know after everything that happened between us that he’s not my biggest fan.” She hugged herself. “I don’t blame him for that. Just stating the facts.”

  “My cousin’s a pain in the ass,” he said. He couldn’t deny her words, so there was no point doing so. It wasn’t that Dare didn’t like Alexa; he didn’t like the way things had gone down between them five years before. But that wasn’t any of Dare’s business, and he’d get over it in five seconds if Maverick wanted him to.

  “No, your cousin’s loyal,” Alexa said. The characterization earned her some points in Maverick’s book, not that she needed them. Just that he respected the hell out of her saying something nice about someone he cared about. And it was true, too.

  “Come,” he said.

  Her eyes rose to his, and a beautiful blush bloomed across her cheeks. What the hell? And then he thought about his choice of words.

  Come.

  A slow smile slid onto his face, and he dragged his knuckles down her cheek. “Come,” he said again, just to see if the blush would deepen. It did.

  On a laugh, she knocked his hand away. “Now who’s being an asshole? Lucy’s going to take her sweater off.” She pushed by him, and it felt a whole helluva lot like she was running from the innuendo, which kinda made him want to keep teasing.

  “So are you coming yet?” he asked, laughter in his voice now. He was cracking himself up.

  “Oh my God,” she said as she went into her room up the hall.

  “You know you want to,” he said as he leaned in her door. He found her unzipping a suitcase full of shoes.

  “You want me to come?” she asked, smiling up at him as she slid on a pair of sandals.

  Grinning, he nodded, loving that she was playing along. Loving seeing her happier. Because finding her in the rain the night before, her expression desolate, her voice anguished, had been a big part of the reason he hadn’t been able to sleep. “Hell, yeah, I do.”

  She planted her hands on her hips and arched a brow, a blasé expression on her face. “Then why don’t you make me come?”

  It took half a second for the challenge to sink in, and then Maverick was crossing the room and tossing her over his shoulder. “Oh, Alexa. Don’t issue a challenge you don’t want answered.”

  She screamed and laughed, her hands smacking his back. “Put me down, Maverick Rylan.”

  He swatted her butt, loving every squirm of her body against his. “No fucking way.”

  “You better put me down right now!” she said, laughing harder.

  “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” he asked, enjoying the hell out of himself as he grabbed the keys for his Harley off the counter.

  “Because . . . because . . . if you don’t, I’ll make you pay!”

  He chuckled. “I think I like the sound of that.”

  “Oh, my God,” she said, as he walked them toward the door. “What is . . . Maverick, wait.”

  The change in her voice made him stop. “What?”

  “Is that . . .” She twisted her upper body. “Is that a new climber for Lucy?”

  “Oh,” he said, glancing at the carpeted three-level contraption sitting in front of the big window that looked out onto the pond behind the house. Lucy lay in the top level, her gaze fixed on something outside. “Uh, yeah.”

  For a long moment, she didn’t say anything else. Fuck. He’d gone too far, hadn’t he?

  And then her arms came around his stomach and she laid her head against his back in an awkward but awesome embrace. “Take me to dinner, Mav,” she said softly.

  Satisfaction roared through him. “You bet.”

  CHAPTER 16

  The ride to the clubhouse wasn’t long, but Alexa savored every minute on the back of Mav’s Night Rod Special, which was quite possibly the sexiest bike ever made. The warm breeze across her skin felt like freedom, and riding gave her a totally legit reason to wrap herself around him. This man who was not only generously taking care of her, but also of her cat.

  A cat climber was maybe a stupid thing to get choked up about, but she had anyway. Because it wasn’t just a cat climber to her. It was Mav recognizing that something was vitally important to her, even if it wasn’t to him, and treating it with care and respect. And that had touched her.

  When was the last time I had this much fun and felt this carefree after coming home from work?

  The easiness, the joking innuendos, him tossing her over his shoulder, them going for a ride. There was no stress about any of it. No right or wrong. No expectations to live up to. She had no doubt that she could’ve begged out of dinner, and Maverick would’ve been fine about it.

  She could just be herself—wants, wishes, desires, needs, and all.

  Which was when it occurred to her. How much acting she’d done in Grant’s presence. The masks she’d donned and the roles she’d played. Ones he’d crafted for her slowly but surely over the past five years until she thought they’d been her own idea.

  She released a deep breath, imagining as she did that she was letting go. Letting go of all that stuff that wasn’t her true self. And just letting it blow away in the wind.

  Before long, they pulled into the big parking lot in front of the Ravens’ clubhouse. The building still had the charm of a mountain resort even with more than a dozen motorcycles parked in front of it. Maverick parked the NRS and the engine went quiet. As she dismounted and took off her helmet, her eyes strayed to the chop shop building across the way. Maverick did most of his bike-building work in there, and she’d spent many an hour watching him. Asking him questions about what he was doing and handing him tools.

  “You working on anything fun right now?” she asked.

  “Always,” he said with a smile. “Although club business has been distracting me the past few weeks. I can show you after dinner if you want.”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  With a side nod, he gestured toward the door. “Ready?”

  “Sure.” Even though she was more nervous than she wanted to admit. The last time she’d come, she’d been so upset over the fight and her injuries that she really hadn’t had time to think about how the guys might treat her. And even though she’d sensed a little wariness from Dare, he’d also been clearly concerned and ready to help her. Everyone had been kind. No one had been mean. In fact, a woman named Haven had not only tended to her wounds but made her feel welcomed, reassured, and so much calmer. So maybe she didn’t have anything to worry about after all.

  The thought didn’t keep the butterflies from whipping around in her belly.

  Inside, things looked pretty much like she remembered. Couches filled the big lounge in what had once been the inn’s front lobby, and the registration desk still actually stood at the back of the room. Photos of the club members filled the wall by the mess hall door. And on the other side, she could just peer into the big rec room where the bar was and most of the partying happened.

  Voices spilled out of the mess hall, and she followed Maverick in, those butterflies getting a lot more active.

  A couple of the guys greeted Maverick right away. She hung back as he shook hands and gave a few of those one-armed hugs men did. He made introductions, or re-introductions in a few cases, and everyone acted totally normal towards her.

  “Alexa?”

  She turned to find a woman . . . who looked a lot different than she remembered. “Haven?”
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  Nodding, Haven laughed as she settled a big platter of grilled burgers, hot dogs, sausages, and chicken legs in the middle of the table. Beside her, a woman with shoulder-length blond hair was putting down an equally big platter of grilled vegetables. “The hair, right?” Haven asked, smiling.

  “Yeah,” Alexa said, remembering the hip-length pale blond hair she’d had when they’d first met. Now it was light brown and hung in soft waves to her shoulder blades. “It looks really great.”

  “Sometimes change is good,” Haven said.

  The words sure hit home for Alexa. “Yeah. Sometimes it really is.”

  “Alexa, this is my best friend, Cora,” Haven said.

  Cora’s smile was immediate. “Hey, there. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands.

  “You, too. Can I help at all?” Alexa asked, feeling more and more comfortable with each passing minute.

  “Sure,” Haven said, waving her into the kitchen.

  They passed through the swinging door, and then Alexa’s gaze snagged on the chair where she’d sat that day, bruised and bloodied, while Haven knelt in front of her and cleaned her up. It felt like yesterday and years ago all at the same time.

  “Alexa Harmon. How are you, honey?” Bunny asked.

  “Hi, Bunny,” she said, so happy to see Maverick’s mother whom she’d always liked, even if she was also nervous about what the older woman thought of her. Despite having hair that was so pale blond it was nearly white, you’d never guess that Bunny McKeon was in her early sixties. She wore a stylish pair of dark wash jeans and a form-fitting black T-shirt. “It’s really good to see you.” Though it was equally hard to see the nearly healed but still visible scratches and bruises on Bunny’s face.

  “Well, come on over here and give me a hug, young lady. It’s been too long,” Bunny said, holding open her arms.

  The welcoming gesture made the backs of her eyes prick with tears that Alexa blinked away. They hugged for a long moment. “I’m sorry for what happened,” she said.

  “It’s a crazy world,” Bunny said, her voice quiet.

  Alexa nodded. “Yes, it is.”

  Bunny pulled back from the hug and held Alexa’s face in her hands. Light blue eyes examined her. “You doing okay?”

  “Much better now,” Alexa said.

  “Good. Well . . .” Bunny patted her shoulder. “Let’s get these boys fed before there’s an uprising.”

  They all laughed.

  Dinner was a lively, raucous affair full of funny stories, snarky retorts, and at least one roll-throwing incident. Alexa hadn’t laughed so much or so hard in a long, long time. God, she couldn’t even remember when the last time was. Not that she’d ever had a big family, but that’s what it felt like. And it made her even more certain that she’d misjudged things five years before. She wanted to go back in time and shake herself.

  Emotion suddenly crashed over her, like a wave unexpectedly swamping her in the ocean. She excused herself from the table and rushed into the kitchen and then out onto the big back porch. Lounge chairs filled the long space, which had a stunning view of the mountain and the valley beyond. Bracing her hands on the railing, Alexa stared at the vista until it went blurry.

  The screen door quietly closed behind her, and Alexa batted away the wetness on her face.

  “You okay?” Haven asked.

  Alexa released a long breath. “Mostly.”

  “Yeah,” Haven said, coming to stand beside her. “Isn’t this view the best? I love to sit out here.”

  “I’ve always loved it,” Alexa said, her thoughts a jumbled mess. “I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to see it again.” Not just talking about the view. Obviously. She could almost feel Haven’s questions, and she finally turned to look at the other woman. Haven appeared younger than Alexa was, though there was something about her eyes—the brightest blue Alexa had ever seen—that read as older, like maybe she’d seen way more than she should’ve at her age. “Messing up really sucks.”

  Understatement of the century.

  “It does,” Haven said. “But sometimes it also makes what you should’ve done really crystal clear. And that at least gives you a direction to go in.”

  The words resonated with Alexa down deep and took a little of the weight off her shoulders. Nodding, she said, “Just got a little overwhelmed in there.”

  Haven laughed. “They’re an overwhelming bunch.”

  The affection in the woman’s words made Alexa smile. “That’s for sure.” She turned to Haven. “Do you mind if I ask how you’re connected to the Ravens? I’m just curious.” When Alexa had been with Maverick, Bunny; Bear’s wife, Margie; and Slider’s wife, Kim, were the women she most frequently saw around the clubhouse, with a few other wives and girlfriends pitching in for bigger events and on race nights. But Margie and Kim were both several years’ gone now. Alexa had seen their obituaries in the paper.

  “Well, it’s kind of a long story,” Haven said. “My father was a bad man, and I ran away from him with Cora’s help. When our truck broke down in Baltimore, the tow truck driver turned us over to a gang in the city. A couple days later, we got rescued, and then the Ravens agreed to take us in until we figured out what was next.”

  Alexa’s mouth dropped open. And she thought she’d been in a tough situation. “Oh, God, Haven. I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

  “Best thing that ever happened to me,” Haven said, a little humor in her tone, but mostly it was clear that she meant it. “It led me to this place and these people. To Bunny, who’s become like a mom to me. And it brought me to Dare.” Her face went pink at the admission, and Alexa was kinda blown away to learn that Dare had a girlfriend. Back in the day, she’d never known him to be remotely interested in settling down. “And to making new friends like you.”

  The words reached inside Alexa and made her see the Ravens through Haven’s eyes. As protectors, as heroes, as family. And that made Alexa realize again that in her grief and fear she’d focused on the wrong things five years ago. Or, at least, it felt that way now. She shook the thoughts away. Maverick was right. She was all about the future. “I could use a new friend.”

  “Good. Then, would you like to see my trick to getting a big group of scary bikers to eat out of the palm of your hand?” Haven asked, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

  Laughing, Alexa nodded. “You’ve got me curious, so, yes.”

  “Come on.” Haven led her into the kitchen. The guys were bringing in their dirty dishes and stacking them in the sink. On the far counter, Haven pulled out two big containers. “My secret weapons,” she whispered, taking off the lids.

  The most glorious smells wafted into the air. “My God, what is that?”

  “Are you getting dessert?” came a voice from behind them. Alexa turned to find Phoenix Creed grinning at them. With all the time she used to spend out in the chop shop, she’d once known him pretty well. He was a jokester and a hopeless flirt and always made people laugh. Wearing a charming smile and a playful expression, he didn’t appear to have aged one day.

  “You best stay back, Phoenix,” Haven said, pointing at the guy as if to ward him off. “You try to get a peanut butter cookie before Dare and I’m not responsible for what happens.”

  “Aw, come on, Haven. Help a brother out,” he said, pressing his hands together like he was praying.

  “You know that’s not an idle threat about Dare,” Alexa said. “Better listen.”

  “Aw, you, too?” He clutched his heart as Cora joined them, a smile on her face and her eyebrow arched like she was trying to figure out what was going on. He put his arm around Cora’s shoulders and held out a hand. “Why do all the women around here gang up on me?”

  “Uh, because it’s super fun?” Cora said, sliding out from under his arm and giving him a look.

  “It really is.” Haven nodded.

  Expression roguish as he came up behind Phoenix, Dare asked, “You hassling my woman?” His voice was stern, clearly unhappy, and he s
chooled his expression as Phoenix turned to him.

  “Dude. Me? No. Of course not. Was I, Haven? Just ask her. I totally was not hassling her.” Alexa laughed as his words spilled out in a rush.

  “You know, the longer you all chatter at me,” Haven said, “the longer it takes me to get everything ready.”

  Phoenix held up his hands. “I’ll be out here waiting patiently. Like a good biker.”

  “Sorry,” Dare said with a wink as he kissed Haven on the cheek. And stealthily snatched a cookie from one of the tubs.

  “Hey!” she said, grinning and shaking her head.

  Smiling, he took a bite. And then his dark eyes turned on Alexa and scanned over her face. And she just knew he was looking for signs of the injuries she’d had. Gone now. “Good to have you here, Alexa.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “For everything.”

  He nodded, his expression open, his tone genuine. “Anytime.” Eating his cookie, he made his way back out to the mess hall.

  “Okay,” Haven said, so clearly at home among these men. Alexa found herself envying that. How long had it been since she’d really belonged somewhere? “So we have chocolate and caramel chip cookies. Peanut butter cookies. And mocha s’mores squares. Have one.”

  “I kinda want to go put on some comfy pajamas, find a good chick flick, and eat every single one of these,” Alexa said, taking a chocolate and caramel chip cookie.

  “That sounds like the best night ever,” Cora said, grinning and snagging a cookie for herself.

  “I agree. I could totally make that happen,” Haven said, “but only if I’m invited.”

  “Deal.” Alexa nibbled at her cookie, so good she had to close her eyes on the first bite, while she helped pile the treats on three big plates. “Is this your recipe? Because this is one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

  Cora chuckled and tucked her blond hair behind her ears. “And another one bites the dust.”

  Haven rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s mine. Baking’s kinda my thing.”