“Yup. It gives you that badass biker look. Now you looklike you are one of us.” Marcus slapped Gavin on the arm. “Now let’s go get you some clothes to go with that jacket.”
Turning, Marcus headed back upstairs, with Gavin close behind him. They headed out to the back of the bar, where Marcus had his Harley parked.
“Here,” Marcus said, passing Gavin a helmet and helping him up onto his bike.
“Hold on tight, and don’t let go,” Marcus explained, wrapping Gavin’s arms around his waist as he started up the bike.
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before!” Gavin shouted over the roar of the engine.
“Hang tight!” Marcus warned as he peeled the bike out of the parking lot without warning.
A car honked its horn as Marcus cut past the driver, missing the car by only a few feet. Marcus felt Gavin’s grip on him tighten as he buried his face into his back.
Feeling the boy cling to him, knowing he was the only thing that stood between him and certain death, made Marcus feel powerful.
His whole life, Marcus had been a protector, a provider, a brother, a pseudo-father, and for the past ten-plus years, a leader. So many people looked up to him and relied on him to guide them and help keep them safe and out of jail.
Marcus loved it.
He loved that feeling of being needed, being counted on. The knowledge that people depended on him. He might put on a growly demeanor, but secretly, he loved it.
Now, feeling Gavin’s face pressed into his body, he felt important. He felt needed.
They drove about twenty minutes north to these really cool clothing stores that Ace and Lucas liked to shop at. He figured that Gavin would have similar tastes and might appreciate getting clothing that actually fit his physical measurements.
Shopping from broken-down trucks did not always provide the wearer with the appropriate measurements they were looking for. One kind of got what was available. And there were no returns or exchanges for sizes.
But Marcus wasn’t cheap. He planned on buying Gavin a big enough wardrobe to ensure that he never had to wear the same outfit twice while he was staying with him.
Seeing the vulnerable look on Gavin’s face this morning when Marcus found him sleeping outside his bedroom door—too afraid to ask if he could sleep with him in his bed—nearly broke his heart. It reminded him of when Ace used to have nightmares as a young boy, then sneak into his bed to sleep, snuggling into him, needing his protection from the monsters of his dreams.
Ace never ran to either of their parents. He sought Marcus out, knowing his big brother would always be there to have his back and protect him.
Once a protector, always a protector.
Marcus would be whatever it was that Gavin needed. A protector. A provider. A person to listen.
Still clinging for dear life, Marcus could feel Gavinlaughing behind him and having the time of his life. Marcus wasn’t wearing his helmet, but he had a Bluetooth in his ear so they could communicate if needed.
The sound of Gavin’s laugh warmed Marcus’s belly.
8
GAVIN
Riding on the back of Marcus’s Harley, Gavin had never felt so alive.
The wind whipping against his face, the rumble of the engine between his legs, and the feel of a big, solid man pressed up against his chest. He instinctively tightened his hold around his protector and smiled.
This moment, right here, almost made the attempted murder date worth it. Almost. But not really. He still preferred living over being unalived by a psychotic serial killer who clearly had intimacy issues.
He might be craving love and romance and a man obsessed with him, but drugging and murder were where he drew the line.
They pulled into a parking spot, and Marcus kicked out his leg before killing the engine.
A few women paused to watch the hunky biker as heextended his hand to help Gavin off his bike, then stepped off himself.
What a gentleman.
