Lily and I had only spent a couple of hours together, so I wasn’t sure if I should ask her about what had been on my mind. Deciding it couldn’t hurt, I forged ahead. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She opened the oven door and traded out the finished pies for the ones we’d just prepared.
“What’s it like being with someone in the Mustang Mountain Riders?” There. I’d asked the question I’d been wondering about. It wasn’t like I expected Viper to remember the pact we’d made. Even if he did, neither one of us was under any obligation to honor it. But still, I was curious what it was like to be with someone in the club. They seemed like such a close-knit group.
Lily started to move all the dishes we’d used into the huge stainless steel sink. “It’s like having a big extended family. The guys are like brothers. They’re all willing to help each other out, no questions asked. And the women are like sisters or maybe more like cousins. I’m closer to some of them than others, but we all get along for the most part. I don’t know Viper all that well, but are the two of you seeing each other?”
Her question caught me by surprise. “Oh, um, no. I mean, we used to be best friends in high school, but then I left for college and he stayed here.”
“But now you’re back.” Lily smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “And maybe you’ll be spending your birthday together, right?”
“Right.” My cheeks tingled at the reminder. I shouldn’t be nervous. Viper and I had spent too many hours together to count when we were younger. Neither one of us had changed that much over the years… at least on the inside. He’d definitely changed on the outside. Thinking about how he filled out his jeans had me fanning my face.
“Here,”—Lily passed me one of the pie boxes she hadn’t put together yet to use as a fan—“I always get hot when I open up the oven.”
“Thanks.” I waved the box back and forth, unwilling to tell her the flush on my cheeks had nothing to do with the oven andeverything to do with a certain hard-bodied biker. “What do we need to do next?”
A few hours later, I said goodbye to Lily, loaded the last of the pies into my trunk, and made the short drive over to the Community Center. With the Friendsgiving celebration taking place the next day, it would be easier to deliver the pies this afternoon than add that to the growing list of things to do tomorrow.
“Happy Birthday. Need some help?” Viper asked as soon as I got out of the car.
“Are you stalking me?” I teased.
“Would you be mad if I said I was?”
That smile… I couldn’t understand how one grin from my high school best friend could knock me so off center. Ignoring the slow burn that smile sent unfurling through my limbs, I walked around to the trunk.
“Want to help me carry in some pies?”
His brow creased in concern. “I thought Lily was baking all the pies for tomorrow.”
“She did. I just spent the whole morning helping.” Proud of what we’d accomplished, I opened the trunk. The scent of cinnamon, apples, and pumpkin floated out. All the pies sat in the big boxes Lily provided.
“Oh, good.” Viper grabbed one of the big boxes and hefted it into his arms.
“Wait a sec. Were you worried that I’d made the pies myself and that they wouldn’t be any good?” It took me a minute to put two and two together, but I was onto him now.
That smile returned. “Hey, I was in your group when we had to make a huckleberry pie in our FACS class. I’m pretty sure they still haven’t got all the black stuff off the bottom of that pan you burned up.”
Oh no he didn’t. I reached for the box. “Give me those pies. There’ll be no pie for you tomorrow.”
Even with his arms full, he managed to outrun me. By the time he set the box down in the kitchen, I was out of breath.
“You’ve got to admit, your crust turned to ash when you tried to serve it.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“That’s only because you distracted me while I was supposed to be keeping an eye on it.” I playfully swatted at his shoulder. “I’ve changed since then. Maybe you need to just forget about the past.”
He reached out and easily caught my hands in both of his. The smile faded and his eyes narrowed slightly, making him look a whole lot more serious. “There’s a lot about the past I don’t want to forget, Lo Lo.”
I couldn’t swallow. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t look away. My heart jumped erratically, like it had suddenly decided to play hopscotch all over my ribcage.
Viper pulled me closer and slid his hand up my arm to cup the back of my neck. His lips parted as he leaned down. Our gazes locked. Then his eyelids fluttered closed as his lips barely brushed against mine.
“Yo, Viper!” someone yelled.
My eyelids flew open, and I jerked backward just as a huge mass of man poked his upper body through the doorway.
“Am I interrupting something here?” The man grinned, then nodded his head toward the hall. “We need you out front, brother.”
