Page 56
Shane’s thumb rubs the back of my shoulder. “Well, I guess now you can enjoy yourself. Have a little fun.”
“I guess.” I frown. “What do you do for fun?”
“Ride.” He grins, and I shake my head.
“How about something that doesn’t involve a motorcycle? I assume there’s more to you than being a biker.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve thought about it. All my free time back in Vegas was spent doing club-related shit. And here it’s not much different.”
“What about before you joined the club?” I shift in my seat to face him, and Shane steals the opportunity to lower his arm to my hip, teasing the sliver of skin between my shirt and jeans.
My reflection stares back at me in his sunglasses. My hair is a windblown mess, and my cheeks are rosy from the sun. I skipped the makeup this morning, knowing I’d be outside all day in the heat, and Shane surprised me by not asking if I was still in the process of getting ready.
With Zander, I always felt the need to be presentable. Shane doesn’t seem to care what I look like. Which, I suppose, could be good or bad.
“Before the club?” Shane’s face scrunches as he thinks. “That’s early twenties. I guess I used to like going camping.”
“Camping?” I slap a hand on my chest and feign shock. “With the animals and bugs and trees and all. I can’t picture it, city boy.”
He barks out a laugh. “Well, believe it. I used to go camping at least a couple of times a month back home.”
“Isn’t it a billion degrees in Vegas?”
“Vegas isn’t home.” He drags a hand through his thick black hair. “I was born and raised in Montana. Didn’t move to Vegas until after Grant died and I realized there was more to explore in this world. That’s when I found the club. But before that, I spent a good amount of time outdoors, fishing and camping.”
“I feel like I don’t even know who you are right now.” I shake my head, and he laughs. “Shane Donovan sleeping with the bears and the wolves.”
“More like sleeping off the booze. My friends and I would go out there to party. Like I said, early twenties.”
“Fair enough,” I concede. “We’d do that out at the ranch too—go to the most remote corner and camp and drink and roast marshmallows. Maybe I should do that again and drag you out there with me. Test your survival skills.”
“You could try.”
“I accept that challenge.” I tip my beer against his whiskey. “Well, I guess I learned something new about you today, not-so-city boy.”
“I aim to surprise you, cowgirl.” He grins, and it’s so beautiful I can hardly breathe. “But yeah, I did all sorts of shit when I was younger. I didn’t really care what I was doing so long as I was doing something.”
“I can relate to that.”
“You traveled a lot after high school?”
I nod. “I stayed in Lanceleaf for a couple years but finally left for college when I turned twenty. You know how that went with the ’ologies and all. After I gave up on getting a degree, I bounced around for a few more years. I think I was trying to find somewhere that felt like home, but no place felt like here.”
He looks around. “I can see that.”
“Do you miss Vegas?” I try to keep my voice even, hoping he doesn’t sense how much I hate the idea of him leaving.
This isn’t Shane’s home. It’s a job. He’ll check us off and then move on when he’s done.
“Honestly?” he asks, and I nod. “I miss Vegas less every day.”
Shane’s eyes lock on mine, and my tongue turns to sand. The breeze kicks a lock of hair across my cheek, but he brushes it away, slowly dragging his fingertips down the side of my neck. I swallow hard, but it does nothing to ease the knot.
I have no idea what he means by his comment, but his attention is suddenly homed in on me. At least, I think it is. With the sunglasses, it’s hard to tell for sure.
“I can’t see your eyes through those things. It’s not fair.” I take a breath, trying to add levity to the moment. “You could be checking out my tits all day, and I wouldn’t even know because of the sunglasses.”
“I mean… your tits are pretty fucking incredible in that shirt.” He grins, and I nudge his arm.
