She considered me a moment longer before shaking her head. “I really am too safe, aren’t I?”
She was clearly working through some shit, so I arched an eyebrow and waited for her to do her thing.
“Dang it, that little weasel was right.” She dropped her shoulders and let out a deep breath. “I’m game. I’d love to accept a ride and a place to stay from a biker I just met. My parents will be so proud that I’m out here making such hasty, reckless decisions.”
I chuckled. “I got you, babe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She stared into my eyes for a moment before dropping her gaze. “Thank you. Can we stop by my apartment on the way so I can grab a few things and maybe take my car in case I come to my senses and need to make a quick escape?”
Her kick-ass sense of humor had me chuckling to myself as I tugged the spare helmet out of my saddle bag and gestured her forward. “Come here. We need to protect that magnificent brain of yours.”
“Are you sure you’re supposed to use words like ‘magnificent’? You’re not violating some biker handbook, are you?”
“Normally I just grunt and shit, but I’m being fancy for you. Carly often calls you a life-saving angel, but she didn’t say shit about your quick wit and sharp tongue. I think you’ll be just fine staying with a bunch of bikers. Be sure to flick them as much shit as you’re giving me, and they’ll respect the hell out of you.”
She laughed. “Noted. I appreciate the advice.” Chewing on her lip, she stepped forward. Once she was close enough, I positioned the helmet on her head and tightened the strap. Her big brown eyes watched me as I took my time pretending to adjust the fit so I could buy myself more time to touch her. I wasn’t normally so intrigued, but everything about her drew me in and made me want to stay close. Dragging myself away before I crossed the line into creepy, I swung my leg over the saddle and waited. She awkwardly climbed on behind me and settled in, leaving a few inches between us as she rested her hands chastely against my hips. Smiling to myself, I grabbed her wrists and gently tugged her against me, settling her palms on my abs.
She sucked in a breath, letting me know she was just as affected by the contact as I was. Good, because her proximity was fucking with my entire body. Her breasts pressed against my back, making my jeans hella uncomfortable. Her soft skin felt so damn good under my calloused fingers that I couldn’t stop myself from rubbing little circles on the backs of her hands.
“Keep a tight grip so you can move with me, Jess. I won’t let you fall.”
She nodded against my back. “I know you won’t. You saved me.”
Her words were barely a whisper, and I wasn’t sure if she’d meant for me to hear them. Still, her appreciation and trust felt damn good. Yes, I had protected her, and I would do it again. The world needed more people like Jessica in it. People who took in a single mom and helped her care for her child. Carly had praised Jessica’s kindness and generosity, but I was beginning to realize that there was so much more to Jessica than that.
I started up my bike. It roared to life, and then immediately sputtered out. Silently cursing the piece of shit, I tried again. The third time was the charm, and I made a mental note to start looking for a new ride sooner rather than later. My bike could be as temperamental as it wanted around me, but there was no excuse for acting up in front of a lady.
Regardless of my bike’s hesitant start, I liked having Jessica riding behind me. Wanting to extend the experience, I took a few wrong turns on the way to her apartment, hoping she enjoyed the ride so much she wouldn’t call me on my bullshit route. I had nothing to worry about. By the time I lowered my kickstand and helped her off my bike, she was grinning ear to ear.
“That was fantastic,” she gushed, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright with excitement.
She tugged at the helmet strap and I intervened, opening the clasp for her. The tight bun her hair had been confined in was now a full-on mess with loose brown wisps framing her face. Between the messy hair, the glasses, and the rumpled business attire, she looked like a librarian who’d been roughly fucked against a bookshelf. She looked perfect.
“That’s nothing. You should ride with me on the freeway sometime.”
Her grin only widened. “I’d like that.”
Already thinking about all the places I could take her—and drive her—I followed Jessica up to her apartment, watching her pause in front of the officer guarding her door.
“We can come back later,” she said, turning around.
Her meekness was something we’d have to work on. I put my arm out to stop her. “It’s been more than six hours.” Turning my attention to the cop, I asked, “This is Jessica’s apartment. Can she go in and get clothes and shit to get her through a few days?”
The officer held up a finger and spoke into his radio before answering me. “They’re wrapping things up now.”
We waited, then after Seattle’s finest left, I followed her down the hall and watched as she paused at the door to her bedroom.
“They took the body,” I assured her. “They wouldn’t have left it in there.”
She nodded. Her fingers trembled slightly when she reached for the doorknob. Moving closer, I settled my hand on the small of her back for support. “You don’t have to go in there. If you tell me what you need; I can get it for you.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with her breath. “No. I need to do this. I need to see…” Her words trailed off as she turned the knob and shoved open the door. The rust-colored stain on the carpet drew her attention.
“He was crazy,” she whispered, as if afraid to break the silence of the room. “I thought he was going to kill me.” She didn’t sound scared, or even concerned. More like resolved. She stepped into the room and drew closer to the stain. A strangled noise escaped from her throat and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. Eyes wide, she looked at me.
“You okay?” I asked, wondering if she was cracking up. Some people couldn’t handle death. She’d seemed all right, but if she lost her shit, I planned to pick her ass up and get her the hell out of there.
But she wasn’t crying. It took me a moment to realize her shoulders were shaking from laughter. She fought for control of herself, and then dropped the hand that had been covering her mouth.
