Ride Hard (Raven Riders #1)(34)

Dare shot in front of them on a straightaway and skidded to a stop.

Jeb slowed to a roll and put his boots out to brace the bike. “What’s wrong?”

“I need Haven,” Dare said, not meaning the words the way he’d said them. Or maybe he had. Shit. “I’ll take her from here.” Over Jeb’s shoulder, Haven peered at him through the flip-down shield of the black helmet, and Jesus if she wasn’t sexy as f*ck straddling a bike in a pair of jeans and that pale-blue T-shirt he’d seen her wear before.

“Uh, okay. Sure.” Jeb reached a hand around and helped Haven off. She lifted the helmet off, but Jeb shook his head. “Keep it. I’ll see ya back at the clubhouse later. Or you can just leave it on the bar.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said, tucking it under her arm.

Jeb looked between Dare and Haven like he wasn’t sure what was going on. Well, hell. Make that two of them. Dare nailed the prospect with a pointed stare, and the guy finally got the hint, pulled a U-ey, and headed back the way they’d come.

Which left Dare sitting on his idling bike and Haven standing there like a deer in the headlights.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. Sunlight spilled through the trees hanging over the road, and golden light made her hair and face even prettier. He wouldn’t have thought that possible.

Dare should’ve said what needed saying right there. He knew he should’ve. But that feeling from back in her room still had its claws in his brain. It was stupid and maybe even reckless (Live Dangerously!), but he wanted to give her something from that list. Giving her a ride? That was easy. And if she was going to have that particular experience, it was going to be with him.

Like that wasn’t f*cking confusing. Because bikers attributed as much significance to who shared their ride as they did to who shared their bed. Maybe even more. What Dare couldn’t stand was seeing her on another man’s ride, arms around another man’s waist, her thighs wrapped around another man’s ass, her laugh spilling into another man’s ear. It didn’t matter how innocent it all was. Not when Dare had tasted her, been inside her, heard his name moaned in ecstasy from her lips.

So instead of manning up and confronting her, Dare just nodded his head. “Get on. If you want to ride, you can ride with me.”

NERVOUS EXCITEMENT RIPPLED through Haven’s belly as she approached Dare. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were narrowed, his whole expression painted with an intensity she couldn’t read. But, oh my God, did he look hot sitting on that bike. Strong thighs straddled the motorcycle. Lean, cut arms stretched to the handlebars. Long hair all blown back from his face.

Wild. Hard. Raw.

As excited as she’d been to ride with Jeb, she was about a million times more ecstatic to ride with Dare. After last night, arousal flowed lazily through her just to look at him. So getting to be so close to him when she wasn’t sure that would happen again? She couldn’t have been happier.

“Okay,” she said, slipping the helmet back on. Dare wasn’t wearing one, and Jeb hadn’t either. Weren’t they supposed to wear helmets? Wasn’t it dangerous not to? But his face was wearing that serious, shuttered look he sometimes got, the one that wasn’t much open to answering questions, so Haven didn’t ask.

He gave her a hand on, and then she had no choice but to wrap her thighs around the outside of his and press her front against his back. She rested her hands lightly on his hips, suddenly feeling awkward about holding on to him the way she’d done so innocently with Jeb. She was probably way overthinking it, but what had felt easy with Jeb felt more weighted, more significant with Dare.

“You ready?” he asked over his shoulder.

“As I’ll ever be,” she said.

Dare pulled her hands around him, making her embrace his chest. Their closeness shot butterflies through Haven, because he felt so good in her arms. “Hold on to me, Haven,” he said, beckoning even more butterflies. And then he took off, slowly at first, like Jeb had done.

She couldn’t believe she was touching Dare this way, but between their closeness, his hard heat, and the ride, Haven was grinning into her helmet. They rode down the mountain at an easy pace, Dare leaning them gently into the curves.

Haven loved the openness of the ride, the way the warm air rushed over her skin. It made her feel like she was flying, like she could go anywhere, like she was free. When the road flattened out into a straightaway, they passed a big parking lot and stadium—the racetrack she’d heard people talking about. A huge mural filled one whole exterior wall—the words Green Valley Racing painted in green over a waving black-and-white checkered flag. She’d never seen a car race in person, but she would love to. Maybe that was another thing for her list.

And, oh man, the fact that she got to check another item off after having done it with Dare absolutely tickled her.

Which made her wonder again why Dare had come after her and Jeb.

I need Haven.

His words came back to her, making no more sense now than they had when he’d said them. What did that even mean? What did he need her for? Did it have anything to do with what happened last night? Haven didn’t know whether to be excited about that possibility or scared—after all, Cora had said he’d seemed agitated. What if whatever had agitated him was why he wanted to talk?

Her shoulders sagged at the thought.