And it does exactly what I needed it to do—my girl squeezes me tighter as she squeals with glee.
We ride till we get to the lookout point the city is known for. Half the club comes here, but I chanced that no one would be here right now because of how early it is. And I’m right. It might be late for her, after eight, but the club doesn’t do much till after nine or ten most nights.
When I park, we both just look out at the gorge. The sun has set, and the stars are still coming out. Not full strength, but still pretty enough to see with the mix of the very last rays of light on the horizon.
“I never tire of this view.” She squeezes me, and I put a hand over hers and squeeze back.
“Me neither.”
We just sit quietly and take it all in. Neither of us talks; we just relax together in this moment, relishing the way the earth moves around us as we sit and enjoy the naturebefore us without the effects of city life and the stress of everything involved in it.
“I should be getting you back,” I say once it’s fully dark.
“Yeah,” she agrees reluctantly.
“Hospital or your house?”
“Hospital, please. I left my car there, and I need it to get to work tomorrow.”
“I could always take you to work in the morning.”
She laughs at that, and I turn to look back at her. “That funny?”
“You really want to wake up that early?”
“What time does your shift start?”
“Seven.”
“Despite what you might think, bikers don’t sleep in all the time,” I grumble.
“Oh, right. I forget you might be up anyway because you need to read the newspaper or something equally old-man-like.”
“Oh, now look who’s making the jokes.”
I reach back and grab her thigh, squeezing. Like I expect, she jumps and laughs as she begs me to stop.
“I’m sorry. Stop, please.” Her laughter through her begging is music to my ears.
Turning around just a bit more till I can see her face full-on, I wait for her laughter to die down before I run my fingers through her hair.
“For you, I’d get up anytime, day or night, if it meant I got to spend even a minute longer with you.”
Her lips part on a gasp, and I smirk before I bring those lips to mine. To where they belong.
The ringing phone pulls me off the bike chain I’m working on. I answer it after seeing who’s calling, putting it on speaker instead of wiping my hands off fully on a rag. “Hey, brother.”
“Hey,” General greets me and then says nothing. Funny, since he’s the one who called.
“What’s up, man?”
“Ruby.”
The name raises an emotion, but not one I can define other than weighted. “You find her?”
“Got a team going now. We don’t know if she’s really there or if….”
If she’s alive.He won’t say it, and neither will I.
