Quinn barked out a laugh. James couldn’t deny that where he sat, with his gleaming black riding boots planted in the gravel, he had grown into a strong and confident man, completely unlike the wary, abused boy they’d met so many years ago when Roman had first rescued him from a hellish upbringing.
What the fuck? Keeping from getting stagnant had been the whole point of getting out of the house, right?
Quinn took one gloved hand from the straight handlebars and curled his fingers into his palms, beckoning, so James did as he was told. He climbed up behind Quinn, straddled man and machine, then clutched him koala-style. Maybe he should talk Devon into getting a motorcycle for Christmas.
“Should I go directly there or opt for the scenic route?” Quinn asked over his shoulder.
James grinned. “Take the long way ’round.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Quinn nodded once, put his visor down, then revved the engine before taking off more gracefully than he’d slid to a halt. It was still plenty fast for James, who felt like he was shooting through the forest strapped to a rocket.
You know, a decidedly sexy, muscular rocket.
He was not about to complain.
7
James had only slightly relaxed his death-grip on Quinn’s eight-pack and let out a few whoops before they swung into the Hot Rides driveway. They rolled to a gradual stop, proving Quinn had finesse even if he didn’t always choose to use it. When James hopped down, he vibrated with adrenaline, feeling really alive for the first time—outside of the bedroom—for a while.
Quinn took his helmet off, climbed from the bike, and shook his head, grinning. “I should have warned you it’s addictive.”
“Are we going to be working on a bike for James soon?” a deep voice rumbled from the direction of the garage. Trevon, Quinn’s husband, emerged, wiping his oil-slicked hands on a rag that he stuffed in the back pocket of his dark wash, low-riding jeans. Quinn had done pretty damn well for himself, falling in love with two very capable, kind, and super-hot people.
Seeing the two men embrace casually, Quinn’s fair arm decorated with colorful ink a stark contrast against the rich mahogany of Trevon’s skin, made James’s heart flutter for them both and their wife, Devra, who had escaped her war-torn homeland in the Middle East before discovering her perfect loves. They were different yet alike, and finding each other had saved all three of them.
Trevon turned back toward James and took a long look, as if mentally measuring him. “I bet I could find just the thing for you. Nothing too bulky, but something quick and agile.”
“Oh, I don’t…” James waved his hands in front of him, but then stopped. Why not? He could drive a motorcycle if he wanted. Maybe Devon and Neil would want to ride behind him. Plus he could justify buying himself a whole new leather wardrobe. This was exactly what he’d been telling Devon he needed to do. Expand his horizons, find things he might enjoy that he’d never considered. Grow into the person he’d always dreamed of being—bolder and in control.
“Well, why don’t you keep your eyes open and show me what you come up with?” James nodded.
“What’s that?” Devra followed a few steps behind Trevon, her hand slipping easily into his before Quinn entwined his fingers with her other one. “Don’t tell me you’re going to corrupt the Powertools now too.”
Quinn’s smile didn’t fade any as he took in his husband and wife, who were incredibly gorgeous together. Devra’s long, thick onyx hair blew gently in the breeze, curtaining them where they stood on either side and slightly behind her. James knew exactly how the younger man felt as he took turns kissing each of his spouses quite thoroughly. “I’ve been told I’m good at it.”
Devra blushed a bit and Trevon snorted. Everyone knew Quinn had bridged the gap between the previously married-on-paper-only couple, opening their eyes to an unconventional love that they were eager to fully participate in. Quinn had transformed their entire universe and in turn they had fixed parts of him that even Roman hadn’t been able to repair.
“So what were you heading this way for, anyway?” Quinn asked as he swung around again, wrapping one arm around Devra’s tiny waist and Trevon grasping his hand.
“Uh, I’m not really sure.” James shifted. “I’m bored and looking for something to do, I guess.”
At that, two bruisers, who seemed better suited to a motorcycle gang than a repair shop, edged in their direction. Ransom and Levi hung out there a lot. After all, they were living with Sevan—one of Quinn’s star mechanics—since their cover had been blown when they busted her step-father’s illegal empire.
The Hot Rides’ resident welder, Wren, was married to two guys of her own. One was a country rock star and the other happened to be an ex-federal agent turned all-around badass heading up a private security firm. Jordan was Ransom and Levi’s boss.
James was pretty sure the sort of jobs they took on had nothing in common with petty vandalism, but no one asked many questions about the specifics of their business, so he didn’t either.
“Did I hear there was some bullshit down at Devon’s site yesterday?” Ransom wondered.
“Yeah, she’s not concerned except for the delay it might cause the next phase of the project.”
“And you?” Levi asked.
James shrugged, glad to be able to let the tendrils of doubt that had been worming around in his gut escape. “It’s another round of insurance claims I need to file and track and, really, what kids hang out down there anyway? It’s pretty isolated. Tom owns the land around it for quite a ways, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, he does. Good point.” Quinn frowned.
“Jordan texted me about it this morning.” Ransom frowned. “He recommends installing some security cameras on your sites. He already ordered the equipment and said he’d have our guys do it tomorrow except we’re…uh…busy with something kind of big.”
“Uh, okay. Sounds good.” He wasn’t about to turn away any protection for Devon, the rest of the crew, or their new venture in Middletown. “It’s probably nothing, but I like the idea of adding surveillance. If it’s just a matter of running wires and standard electrical stuff, I’m sure I could put them in.”
Levi nodded, whipped out his phone, and started texting.
“Never hurts to have extra eyes on things. Now that you’re in Middletown, you’ve got a lot of friends around. We take care of our own.” Quinn stood taller.
“I’m proud of the man you’ve become, you know that?” James patted Quinn on the chest, remembering the guy when he’d been an awkward and sometimes confused teen.
“Thanks, Uncle James,” Quinn said with a jaunty grin that set them all laughing and dispersed the heaviness that had been intruding on their visit.
“Jordan says he’ll hand the camera kits off to us tonight during our meeting.” Levi told James. “I’ll bring them over to your place and leave them on the porch before morning along with some instructions and the information you’ll need to link them to our network so someone can monitor the feeds. He said you should call him if you have questions.”