“Theo said it was fine,” Monica informed him as she returned, just as Knox hopped up and trotted toward the door. “I think Knox likes Theo more than me.”
She frowned and grabbed a jacket, slipping it on.
Kane opened the front door, and Knox bolted straight for Theo’s. He watched Theo open the door, let Knox inside like the dog owned the place, and give them a wave. Then he led Monica toward his bike, helping her climb on before swinging a leg over himself.
“We could take my car,” Monica offered as he pulled on his gloves.
“No.” Kane shook his head. He was sure whoever was following her knew her car. Plus, if he needed to get away from someone, he could do it better on his bike. The thought that someone would try anything had him raging and ready. “You ever ridden on a bike?”
“Yeah, my ex had one,” she said, shifting and accidentally pressing her full body against him. “Sorry.” She scooted back as far as she could.
Kane’s jaw tightened at the wordex. He didn’t know the bastard, but the urge to find him and rearrange his face was sudden and strong. “I don’t have a helmet with me. Just hold on and move with the bike.”
“It’s fine,” she said softly. Then, after a heartbeat, “I trust you.”
Kane froze. “With just the bike?” he asked before he could stop himself.
She hesitated, just for a breath, then said quietly, “With everything, Kane.”
Even though that was exactly what Kane wanted to hear, it still hit him sideways. Something had shifted in her—softened, opened—and he wanted to dig into it, but now wasn’t the damn time. Instead, he reached back, gently took her wrists, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I’ll tap your leg if I’m about to speed up,” he told her. “And don’t worry about pressing up against me, Monica. I can handle your weight.”
“Are you calling me fat?” she huffed.
“What? No—” Kane frowned and glanced at her in the mirror just in time to see a slow grin take over her face.
“Just kidding,” she laughed, eyes bright when she caught his gaze in the mirror. “You should’ve seen your face. I know I’m no skinny mini.”
Kane snorted. “Good. I don’t want a skinny mini. Any man worth a damn likes a woman with some meat on her.” His mouth curved as he looked her over again. “And you’ve got curves in every place that counts… every single one.”
Monica huffed out a soft laugh. “That might honestly be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
“Then you’ve clearly been wasting your time with a bunch of clueless idiots,” he said, heat and honesty blending in his tone. “Because any man with half a brain can see what you bring to the table.”
And it wasn’t just her body, though he wasn’t blind. It was her spark. The way she pushed back, challenged him, and didn’t melt at the first sign of his rough edges as most women did. He’d gotten used to easy attention, to women throwing themselves at him without him having to lift a finger. That shit had gotten old.
But Monica? She was different and definitely unexpected. For the first time in a long damn while, he found himself wanting to know a woman. Really know her.
That realization slammed into him harder than he wanted to admit. Kane started the bike and took off, needing the roar of the engine to drown out the thoughts of the woman wrapped around him. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a woman on the back of his bike—probably Raven, and that was basically like giving his sister a ride.
When he leaned into the turn, she tightened her hold on him, and damn if he didn’t like that… liked it way too much. And she hadn’t lied about knowing how to ride on the back of a bike. She moved with him, with the bike, like she’d been born for it. The way her body fit against his, the way she followed each shift and angle?—
His cock twitched.
Sexy as fuckdidn’t even cover it.
“Focus,” Kane growled under his breath, annoyed at himself. He needed to make sure no one was on their tail before they got anywhere near the meeting place. With her leaning into him, her full breasts pressed against his back, and her warmth sinking straight into his spine, it was impossible to think straight.
On instinct, he reached back and set his hand on her leg. He didn’t even think about it. The second he touched her, her hands flexed against his stomach, gripping him like she felt the same pull he did.
Jesus. He was very close to pulling over somewhere dark, bending her over the damn bike, and taking her like he’d been thinking about since the second she said she trusted him.
Instead, he tapped her leg in warning and then gripped the handlebars, opening up the bike on the straightaway. He checked his mirrors. They weren’t being followed. But just to make sure, he slowed, making a sharp turn, then circled wide before rejoining the main road, keeping his eyes on the shadows.
Only when he was absolutely sure no one had followed them did he take the narrow cutoff.
A few minutes later, they pulled up to a house tucked at the far end of a quiet residential street. He parked beside Charger’s bike and killed the engine.