My need for Dax to see me as a woman had pushed me into riding my bike here, and I refused to let go of the thrill I’d felt at the masculine appreciation in his green eyes before he scolded me. If Dax was going to give me a tongue lashing for being reckless, then I’d much prefer he do it with his actions and not words.
With that dirty thought rolling through my head, my cheeks filled with heat as I answered, “Nope. How would he? Nova didn’t even know I was coming since I’m supposed to be surprising him, remember?”
Getting close enough that I could reach out and stroke my fingers over his chest, he shook his head and chuckled. “I guess I asked for that with my dumbass question, huh?”
“Yeah, kinda.” I grinned at him and nodded.
He hooked his index finger through one of the front loops on my pants and yanked, making me stumble forward against his chest. “Better be careful with that sassy mouth, baby. It might earn you a spanking.”
None of my fantasies about Dax had included him smacking my behind, but the shiver that raced up my spine at his warning wasn’t from fear. The reaction was pure lust. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“Fucking A.” His nostril flared as his hands dropped to my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh. “Is there anything in your saddlebag you need now?”
I shook my head. “I packed light—just clothes, toiletries, and my e-reader. I figured I could grab a birthday gift for Nova after I got here since I came early.”
“No need to worry about your brother. I’ll make sure he’s covered.” Before I could ask if he meant that we’d give him something from the both of us—and boy, did the possibility of that make my heart flutter—he continued, “Grab your bathroom shit, a change of clothes, and your e-reader. I’ll stuff them into my saddlebag.”
“Um.” I glanced over my shoulder at my motorcycle, feeling confused on a couple different levels. “Is there a reason I can’t just take my own bike?”
“Maybe next time.” The corners of his lips kicked up in a sexy grin. “For this ride, I want you on the back of mine.”
The men in the Silver Saints MC didn’t put a woman on the back of their bike unless they meant something to them. The implication of what he wanted made my heart hammer while another shiver raced up my spine at the sensual promise in his voice. My fingers itched to hold his cut while I wrapped my arms around his broad chest and felt the powerful hum of his motorcycle’s engine between my legs. For the chance to experience all of that, I was more than willing to leave my motorcycle behind. “Where are you taking me that I’ll need a change of clothes and my toiletries?”
“Nowhere special,” he muttered, his gaze scanning the parking lot before returning to me. “Just a place where I can have you all to myself before you see Nova.”
I probably should have asked for more details, but it wasn’t as though I really needed them. I’d go anywhere Dax wanted to take me. “Do you have somewhere out of sight I can put my bike? If my brother spots it sitting here, the surprise will be spoiled.”
“Yeah.” He pointed toward a large outbuilding off to the left. “After you grab your stuff, I’ll move your ride over there. It’ll be protected from the weather and out of sight.”
“Okie dokie,” I agreed, handing him my helmet. “If you can hold this for me, I’ll dig through my bag to find what I need for tonight.”
“Sure.” He flipped the helmet upside down and peered at the lining on the inside before pressing to test the rigidity of the padding. Then he turned the helmet back around to check the outer shell. When he didn’t find any visible cracks, something I’d already confirmed before I headed out, he asked, “Your Bluetooth work okay?”
Ducking my head to dig in my saddlebag—and also to hide my grin at how cute his concern was—I answered, “Yeah, I don’t use it much when I ride because I don’t like to be distracted, but I double-checked it before I left home just in case there was an emergency or something.”
“Good,” he grunted, moving toward the bike I’d parked next to. He unthreaded the visor of his helmet from the rearview mirror to pick it up. Then he pressed the power button on his built-in Bluetooth unit before doing the same with mine. Once they were both turned on, he held the main button down on both of the units until the red light flashed on them. “Your helmet is the same brand as mine, so it’s easy to pair them together. We can use the intercom to talk to each other while we’re riding.”
He hung his helmet on the left handlebar of his bike and mine on the right. Then he undid his saddlebag before holding his hand out toward me. I gave him the clothes I’d grabbed, along with a small makeup bag and my e-reader. He stuffed them inside and buckled the bag back up again. Once that was done, he quickly rolled my bike into the outbuilding. As soon as he came back, he gave me my helmet before grabbing his and putting it on. I did the same, biting back a grin when he was already mounted on his motorcycle by the time my chin strap was in place.
“Ready to go?”
It was a good thing I’d stopped to freshen up before I got here because Dax seemed to be in a hurry to hit the road, which was fine by me because I was excited about spending some time alone with him. “Yup.”
I grabbed his shoulder and used it to steady myself as I threw my leg over his bike. Then I tucked my feet into place and wrapped my arms around his torso. I’d driven my own motorcycle and ridden on the back of my brother’s a few times, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what it felt like to wrap my body around Dax’s as his bike’s engine roared. When he pulled out of the parking lot of the compound, my body shifted forward until my breasts were pressed against his back and his butt was cradled between my thighs. It turned out to be a good thing I enjoyed the position so much. What I’d assumed would be a quick ride to a hotel ended up with me behind Dax for four hours, and he kept putting me off each time I wanted to know where he was taking me.
When we reached the mountains—which turned out to be the halfway point of our drive—I stopped asking questions and just enjoyed the view. My legs were a little shaky when he finally pulled up in front of a log cabin. Between the time I’d spent on my bike earlier today and the long drive with Dax, I’d ridden much longer than I ever had before. “Whoa.”
He caught hold of my arm to keep me steady while he nudged the kickstand into place and climbed off his bike without any problems. “Sorry, baby. I should’ve stopped to give you a chance to stretch your legs out. I’m so used to riding long distances, it didn’t even cross my mind.”
“No worries.” I waved off his concern as I shook my legs out. “I’ll be fine.”
Dax gestured toward the cabin. “There’s a tub in the cabin you can use later to ease any stiffness in your muscles.”
Now that my legs felt steadier, I took a good look at where he’d brought me. With a wraparound porch and the woods surrounding it, the cabin was more like a mountain retreat. “I thought you said you weren’t taking me anywhere special?”
He glanced at the cabin and shrugged. “All I cared about was how much privacy we’d have.”