Stars and the moon lit the long road up to McKelle’s house. The windows of the main house were dark. Irode quietly to the garage and parked my bike. When Cruz brought her home,if he brought her home, I wanted her to know I was here.
Add breaking and entering into my laundry list of transgressions. I pulled on the door handle, and the barn-style door swung open. Technically, not breaking, but still entering. I slipped into the garage and pulled the door closed.
I felt my empty pockets for my phone. What the hell? I ran my hands over my ass, my hips, and my front pockets. Where was my phone? I rushed back out the door and scanned the area around my bike. Nothing.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
Not wanting to wake up McKelle’s family by firing up the motorcycle, I jogged down the driveway on the slim chance I’d lost it from the road to their house.
Not likely. I was fucked. Without my phone, I couldn’t text McKelle and let her know I made it to her place. I wouldn’t be able to work tomorrow. No phone. No app for deliveries. Fuck. I spun on my heels and walked back to the garage.
Once inside, I climbed the stairs to the loft. My life was a mess. Kings thought I’d caught a lucky break with probation, but I was fucked over from go. I wasn’t a dealer. I wasn’t an addict. My ability to find trouble was the only consistent thing in my life.
Not knowing how long McKelle would stay at Chrome, I pulled one of the quilts from the stack, kicked off my boots, and stretched out on the couch. Even burrowed underneath it, the room was cold and empty without McKelle here with me.
As I lay in the dark, I listened to the quiet sounds of the ranch. Crickets chirped, wind whistled through the trees, and every now and then one of the goats bleated.
Dark thoughts rolled through my mind. I’d left her with her ex, a guy she admitted she wasn’t over. A guy who wanted her back. I could imagine them dancing. She’d grind her ass against his groin. I’d seen them together before, and it fucking sucked. They looked good. His angry biker growl matched her fearless, badass sex kitten purr.
Why the fuck would she want me when she wasn’t over him? Eventually, she’d make her way here, and he’d be with her.
I didn’t have to wait long. A loud rumble, that could only be Cruz, roared outside the garage. Still in my socks, I hurried down the stairs. Before I could reach the bottom step, the door flew open.
“You’re here.” Her voice softened with a worried tone. She rushed around her dad’s bike and launched herself into me. I banded one arm around her shoulders, and the other fist tangled in her hair. Her arms roped my shoulders, and her lips crashed against mine.
I held her tight, parted her lips, and curled my tongue around hers. The kiss was hot, desperate, and over too quickly.
“Why didn’t you text me?” she asked.
Cruz stepped into the barn and closed the door. Still, McKelle clung to me with her palms pressed against my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “My phone is somewhere between the parking lot of Chrome and here. It must have slipped out of my pocket.”
Her hold loosened, and she took a half step back. “What happened?” she asked.
Cruz leaned his ass against the Ducati. “Start talking.”
I stiffened at the demand. Fuck him. She was home safe. Job done. “Thanks for getting her home,” I said. “I appreciate it.” I might not like the asshole, but I wouldn’t minimize that he’d been there for McKelle tonight. And he was here now watching her cling to me, witnessing her kiss me. Wouldn’t that mean he accepted she’d moved on?
Cruz chuckled. “Is that how you want to play this? Hate to be the one to tell you this, but, nah, that’s not what’s going on here.”
“Wait,” McKelle said. She approached Cruz, rested her hands on his hips, and tipped her face to his. “We talked about this, but I haven’t talked to Ryatt yet.”
Well, I’d fucking misread the room.
“You promised me you could handle this,” she said to him.
Cruz nodded as he tucked her hair behind her ear. He touched her like a lover. Whispered their secrets. Why the fuck had she kissed me in front of him?
Time for me to bounce. I headed back up the stairs to get my boots.
McKelle followed me. Halfway up the stairs, she slipped her hand into mine. I glanced over my shoulder.
Cruz stuffed a cigarette between his lips, and his gaze narrowed on me. “I’ll be outside.”
Not a problem because I wasn’t sticking around. McKelle flipped on the recessed lighting over the wet bar. I sat on the couch, grabbed my boot, and tugged it on.
“Are you leaving?” She sat next to me.
