Wild Ride (Wind Dragons MC #4.5)(5)

“Yeah,” Rake says, chuckling. “They’ve been playing it for over an hour now. We’ve just been sitting here watching them. I asked them if they wanted to play soccer, but they both said no.”

“It’s probably a phase, like the Lego thing,” I add. Six months ago all they wanted to do was play with Legos and build things together—but I haven’t stepped on a stray Lego brick in ages.

“Do you want something to drink, Tia?” Bailey asks, moving to stand. “I’ll get you something.”

“No, it’s okay,” I say quickly, nodding my head to the car. “I have groceries in there and better get going. See you tomorrow? I’ll cook dinner.”

Bailey walks me to my car. I call Rhett and tell him it’s time to go.

“Does he have to?” Cara asks, looking to her mom for help.

“Yes, but you’ll see him tomorrow, Cara,” Bailey says, rolling her eyes. “At school and after school.”

I hug Bailey, wave ’bye to Rake and Cara, and then get in the car, Rhett sitting in the backseat. “How was work, Mom?” he asks.

“It was great,” I lie, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. Work is work. I don’t love working as a dental assistant, but it’s a job. A job that I need to pay rent. “How was school?”

“Awesome,” he replies easily, a smile lighting up his face. His blue eyes, so like my own, get animated as he tells me about his day. I hang on to his every word, asking questions when necessary and thinking to myself just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful son.

We get home, and I cook chicken with pasta salad, followed by Rhett’s usual post-dinner routine of a shower, a story, and bed.

I have to wonder if a man would fit into my life anyway. Maybe it’s better that I stay single, so that things won’t have to change, so that my son gets all my time. I can’t imagine Talon sitting here in a scene so domestic, but then again, if Rake can do it, so can any man. I really need to stop thinking about Talon anyway.

I watch a little TV and then climb into bed, alone.

I think I’m okay with that.





CHAPTER THREE




Talon

I’M on my way to the clubhouse when I turn my head to the right and do a double take. Is that Tia standing on the side of the road next to her car? It is.

I turn back and park my bike behind her car, taking off my helmet and walking over to her, watching in amusement as she opens the hood and looks under it. “Tia,” I call out, giving her warning so I don’t scare her as I approach. It has been more than a week since the last time I saw her, and when she lifts her blue gaze to mine, I take a moment to just appreciate her, from her face to her body. “What have you done now?”

She looks surprised to see me, her eyes widening, but then shrugs, “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about cars, but I’ve been stuck here for about thirty minutes now, waiting for roadside assistance.”

She peers down at the engine and sighs heavily. I step behind her for a moment, because I can now see that her shorts have ridden up, letting me see the bottom curve of her ass. My amusement fades and my dick gets hard at the same time. What the f*ck does she think she’s doing? Standing here bending over in short f*ckin’ shorts, where any man driving past can see. I glance around, seeing all the cars driving by, all the men who are probably perving on her. She’s lost in her own world too, and isn’t paying attention to what’s going on around her. She didn’t even notice my arrival before, and the rumble of my bike is not quiet. She should know better.

She turns and looks at me, frowning when she sees my expression. “What’s wrong?”

I tense my jaw, wondering if I should go with honesty or not. I decide it’s probably the best policy, or so I’ve been told. “Your shorts are riding up, showing your ass cheeks to every man driving past.”

And I didn’t f*ckin’ like it, which just makes me even more annoyed. I really don’t need this shit right now.

She runs her hands over her behind, and turns to look, making me groan.

“Lighten up, Talon,” she says in a dry tone. “My ass isn’t even showing. They’re just shorts, and I have bigger problems right now than your opinion of my clothing.”

Right. Her car.

It’s probably going to be expensive to fix. I know Tia is a single mother and works as a dental assistant, so I doubt she’s raking in the money.

“You know the Wind Dragons own a mechanic shop, right?” I say in a dry tone, standing next to her and looking at her engine. “I’m sure they’ll sort you out.”

“I’m sure they would,” she replies, tucking her blond hair back behind her cute ear. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to ask them.”

I study her, wondering why she didn’t want them to help her. Maybe she was the type of woman who didn’t like to ask anyone for a favor, the type who liked to do everything by herself. The independent type. Or maybe she just didn’t want to rely on anyone.

“I’ll have a look for you and see what I can do.” I find myself wishing that we owned a repair shop so I could offer to take care of it for her. I would offer to help her out anyway, covering costs, but I don’t think she’d appreciate my offer. Unfortunately the Wild Men don’t really own any legal businesses, or anything that will be of use to a woman like Tia, unless she wants a gun or something. Then, I could sort her out.