Elias must’ve noticed my expression because he chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. They can’t ride unless they’re fully kitted out and there are adults watching them. I think Prez just added a new rule that no one is allowed to do tricks back there either. One of the guys was messing around and he didn't want the kids getting any ideas.”
He pushed to his feet when I came to stand next to him, eyeing the motorcycle like it might bite me.
“Ever ridden before?”
“No. They’re dangerous.”
“In the wrong hands, yeah. I totally agree with that. But I’ve been riding since I was sixteen and never crashed once. The previous crew president, Tank, taught me to ride, and he would’ve tanned my hide if he caught me doing anything stupid. The lessons stuck.”
Nearly two decades of a clean driving record wasn’t something to scoff at. But just because he never crashed didn’t mean he didn’t do anything reckless. “How many speeding tickets have you gotten?”
He rolled his eyes at the question, but it didn’t feel directed at me. “Three. One for going three over the speed limit, one forgoing five over. The last one, the cop never actually said how fast I was going. Just gave me a ticket anyway.”
My brows snapped together. “That’s not legal.”
He snorted. “Tell that to them. The local PD has a problem with my crew. They have for years now. We’ve been doing shit to change perception, but only one of those pigs is decent and treats us fairly.
“Maybe they’d treat you better if you stopped calling them pigs?” I suggested with a smirk.
His grin was mischievous, and I got the feeling he wouldn’t take my suggestion seriously. I didn’t have a chance to argue with him about it. He used my proximity to his advantage, sliding a hand around the back of my neck to pull me closer as he sealed his lips against mine.
My hands came up automatically to rest on his chest, then slid around his neck as he drew me closer with his arms around my waist. It’d been years since I last made out with someone, and I lost myself in it for a little while, feeling my blood heat as his erection swelled against my belly. I was so wrapped up in it, I didn’t realize he was moving me until he lifted me off my feet enough to sit me on his bike. I startled a little, clinging to him a little tighter, and felt him grin against my lips.
“Relax. They’re more sturdy than they look.”
He didn’t wait around to make any demonstrations, distracting me with another deep kiss until my brain went fuzzy and my focus was entirely on him. He was just urging my leg around his hip when a door slammed in the distance and his head jerked up.
“Fuck. That’s Jasper.”
Horror like ice cooled my ardor and I pushed away from him, both of us putting enough space between us to look innocent just in time for Jasper to shove the door to the garage open with a frown. Isla was in his arms, looking adorably disheveled likeshe’d slept long and hard for nap time, hugging her brother’s neck like a koala.
“She’s up. Can we go to the mall now?”
“Yeah, man. Lemme just check her diaper and make sure we’ve got extra formula in the bag first,” Elias said, forced cheer in his voice. I didn’t miss how he seemed to be purposely standing in a way that hid his crotch behind his bike, and he seemed reluctant to move even after making the suggestion. Jasper stared at him for a long moment, giving him a look like he was being crazy when he still didn’t move. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could draw attention to Elias’s predicament, I jumped in.
“Why don’t I check her diaper? I’ve seen the chaos of that diaper bag. Seems like a two man job to me.”
It distracted Jasper from Elias, though he did point an accusing finger at his cousin. “It’s his fault. He forgets to pack it until we’re heading out the door and then grabs stuff randomly and stuffs it in without looking.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, pulling out my hands for Isla. Jasper handed her over without complaint, spinning around to lead the way. “I’ll pack it. I can’t trust him to do it right. He’s had her in his t-shirt three times now. Dude always forgets a spare outfit.”
“Hey!” Elias complained, jogging to catch up with us. I didn’t look back to check on his predicament. I assumed the wind would take care of it, if the embarrassment hadn’t already.
While they continued to bicker, I leaned in to whisper to Isla, “All boys are the same, baby girl. If you don’t want to spend your life picking up after them, then do like your mama did and marry a nice girl instead.”
“Hey!” The twin complaints behind me made me grin. They might not be immediate family, but they were family. It became clearer the longer they spent together. I hoped one day I couldmention it without making Jasper feel threatened. He should feel like he had family, even if it wasn’t the family he had. A different kind of family, but he still had the support and love he needed. He just needed to be open enough to see it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ZERO
I wasn’t sure what the plan was for telling Jasper about me and Simone. I figured we’d keep it to ourselves at least while we got to know each other better. No need to complicate things if it didn’t work out. We had crazy chemistry, but I was old enough by now to understand that chemistry wasn’t enough for a relationship. Especially with the amount of baggage I’d be bringing to the table. I didn’t want to confuse the kids while they were still getting settled.
After the diaper bag was properly packed and Isla was dressed and got her hair refreshed and styled by Simone, we headed out to the mall together. I hadn’t been in a while, hadn’t really had a reason to go, so I wasn’t familiar with the layout. Simone had to point me to the nearest parking lot to the baby store, and after we were done shopping for Isla, I figured we’d hang around a while and see if there was anything Jasper wanted while we were there. He seemed game to look, at least, and Simone was unbothered by the suggestion, holding Isla like she’d done it a million times before and whispering to her whileJasper and I looked through some racks for a new hoodie for him. He kept reusing the same one because he said it was his favorite. I was hoping to find one similar enough that he could at least switch it out long enough to wash it more often.
“Why are people giving you dirty looks?” Jasper murmured.
I looked up with a frown. Sure enough, there were a few shoppers nearby glaring at me, and the cashier looked downright suspicious. I sighed.
