“Drivin’ around in a cage,” I replied, shaking my head at her.
“Ridin’ around freezin’ your balls off,” she countered, shaking her head back at me.
“My balls are just fine,” I reminded her as I took the bags out of her hands, grabbed her helmet off the counter, and led her outside.
“Mmm,” she hummed behind me. “Yeah, they are.”
I couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face from the moment I watched her wrestle the helmet onto her head to the momentwe pulled up in front of her parents’ house. I felt bad that the helmet was so uncomfortable, but she looked so fucking cute with her huge-ass glasses and her cheeks all scrunched up inside it. I also didn’t mind the way her crotch was nestled against my ass the entire way.
“I’m finding my helmettoday,” she announced as soon as she’d climbed off my bike in her parents’ driveway. She paused and squinted at me. “Assuming I’ll be riding on the back of your bike again.”
“I fuckin’ hope so,” I replied. “What are you doin’ tonight?”
“Going to a rave,” she said with mock seriousness. “Tomorrow?”
“Gettin’ my nails done.”
She glanced down at my hands. “Make sure they don’t make them too long, would you?”
I laughed. “I’ll text you later.”
“I’ll text you back this time.” She spun around and jogged up the steps to the front door, briefly waving at me before disappearing inside.
“I am so fucked,” I muttered.
If I thought that I could just slide in unnoticed and get straight to work, I was out of my fucking mind. I’d barely parked my bike before Rumi Hawthorne was stomping toward me, his face completely wiped of expression.
“What’s up, Rum?” I asked, stepping away from the row of bikes before he reached me.
If the guy was going to hit me, I didn’t want to knock the bikes over if I went down. He may have been smaller than me, but he had a hell of a right hook.
“Nova and Harper had a girl date last night,” he said.
“Yeah, I heard.”
He stared at me.
I stared back.
“I think they’re gonna be best friends or somethin’,” he said finally. “So, I’m gonna hear about you.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Don’t fuck my cousin over.”
“I wasn’t plannin’ on it.”
“I thought you were into Lou.”
I just looked at him. I’d never told anyone that I had a thing for Lou. They’d all assumed. It wasn’t my job to convince them otherwise.
“I’d tell you that I know how to dissolve your body in a drum in my garage,” he said. “But it’s my wife you need to worry about. She’ll fuckin’ cut you.”
“Understood,” I replied.
“ThenI’ll dissolve your body in a drum in my garage.”
“Sounds messy.”
