Losing Me, Finding You(43)

“Shit, doll,” he curses, grabbing a black helmet and crushing his sandy hair beneath it. “I feel bad for thrusting you into all this, but … ” Austin shrugs and reaches out, grabbing me around the waist and pulling my legs out from under me. The world spins as he lifts me into his arms and a chorus of hoots explodes from around us, making Sparks grin nice and big. “You ready to put this big, hard piece o' metal between your thighs, baby?” he asks as he sets me down on the back of his bike, sliding his hand between my legs to help me straddle the seat. I try not to shudder when his fingers brush my – you can say it, Amy! – my … *, but it feels too good to sit still. Another chorus of shouts follows Austin in as he grabs me by my hair and pulls my face back for a kiss. His lips crash against mine, making me shiver. He pulls away, far too soon, and relaxes his grin into an easy smile that tugs at his scar. “I hear the first time's the most painful, but I promise, beautiful, I'll try to be gentle.” More cheers and whoops surround us, and I find that my cheeks are almost hot to the touch. I bet I'm as red as my aunt's prized tomatoes. Oh, God.

I keep my gaze focused forward, watching as Austin straddles the motorcycle and presses the long, hard line of his body against mine. Great. I get to travel hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles with him tucked between my thighs. How will I ever survive? I sit there for a moment, wondering if I'm making a fool of myself. There's a big backrest and arm rests on either side, plus a little bump of leather between us. I think, but I'm not sure, that I could probably sit back and ride comfortable, but am I supposed to wrap my arms around him? I'd sure like to.

Austin starts the engine and a few moments later, a trickle of music comes through my helmet.

A collective groan rides through the group as people start to listen in.

“Hey, Austin,” Beck calls from across the garage. “Nickelback? We're going to listen to Nickelback? Seriously, f*ck you, man.” Austin chuckles and starts the engine. It rumbles to life and cradles my body with this powerful purr, like it could turn into a growl at any moment. I get goose bumps.

“That's not what the intercom system is for,” Mireya calls out, and I notice that she's looking at me when she shouts this.

“Fuck y'all. I'm Road Captain, so deal with it.” Austin kicks us off and the wind rushes around me, grasping with cold fingers. Before we even make it out of the garage, I've thrown my arms around Austin's muscular chest and pressed myself as tightly against his warm body as I can get.

A split second later, we explode out into the street, and in moments, I've left everything and everyone I've ever known behind.



Chapter 33

I am in f*cking heaven, I think as I fly down the highway in the dark with Amy at my back and my bike beneath my ass. On the open road with the wind in my face, Nickelback playing on the intercom and no friggin' idea where it is that I'm going. Kimmi and I have some targets laid out, but nothing that we've firmed up, so I watch the signs as they fly by, waiting until one of them strikes my fancy. God, I love this life. I don't think I could ever be the kind of man that stays in one place, buys a house, raises kids. That shit just doesn't seem all that appealing to me. If I couldn't leave at the drop of a hat and take off, lose myself somewhere new, then I might just shrivel up and die.

One thing I do like that I never thought I would – having a woman on the back of my bike. Not once have I ever taken a lady for a ride, and I've got to admit, there is something kind of hot about it. I smile as I flick on my turn signal and take off on a random exit. Amy's arms tighten around me as we take the curve and my smile turns into a grin. I don't know what it is about this girl, but I like her. A lot.

I figure my ridin' time's my thinkin' time, so I let my mind go, trying to sort out the last few days and all the shit that's gone down. My first thought is of Mireya and what she did to Amy. Well, I think it's her anyhow. I'm going to have to confront her about it. That shit is not going to end well. I speed up and zip around a semi, checking the road for other vehicles, so the rest of the group can pass. It's a quiet country highway out here, so it should be fine, but I've at least got to pretend to be a real road captain. If I were, I'd scout our route ahead of time and lead the group to planned stops – gas stations, restaurants, hotels, etc. But in all reality, I'm just looking for our next gig, searching out the next place that Kimmi and I can take advantage of so we can bring money into the group because that's what we do. It's what we've always done.

“Austin?” It's Kimmi's voice, breaking through the com system and cutting across my favorite song of all f*cking time – 'S.E.X.'.

“Yeah?”

“Take the 120 East.”

“Why?”

“Don't be a dick wad, just do it. I've got a plan.”

“Where we headin'?”

“Sparks, do you trust me?” I sigh because of course Kimmi knows that I do. I trust her with my life and my freedom every damn day I spend on this earth, and she knows it. “I want to go to Fort Clinton.” I reach down and check my dash, just to make sure that it's only me and Kimmi that're in on this call.

“Are you f*cking with me, Reynolds?” I ask. Fort Clinton has been our dream hit for the last two years. It's like a f*cking gold mine. If we could hit that, there's a good chance we could take a long overdue break. But then again, there's a reason we've been avoiding it. It isn't going to be easy, not by a long shot. Plus, I got Cross to worry about now. Wouldn't do to go gettin' myself arrested or killed until she's settled into the group.