“Of course,” my son replies, puffing out his chest. He walks off to his scooter, and I turn to the woman that more than one Remington male has a soft spot for.
“You sure you’re all right? You want me to take you home?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head and smooths down her denim dress. “I’m honestly okay. He did scare me, I’m not going to lie. I’ve never been spoken to like that by a student before.” She takes a deep breath and glances up at me. “That’s a good boy you’ve raised there, Chance.”
Tucking a lock of her long, brown hair back behind her ear, I lower my face to hers. “Let me take you out to eat tonight. One meal.”
Mackenzie’s eyes scan mine. I don’t know what she sees, but she finally nods. “Okay.”
Pressing a kiss against her forehead, I open the car door and wait for her to get in. When she starts her engine, and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan starts playing, I laugh.
“I’ll see you at seven, beautiful.”
And I smile the whole ride home.
7
MACKENZIE
He’s twenty minutes early.
I decided to go casual since I’m not too sure how I feel about this dinner, wearing black jeans, a black sweater, and my heeled boots with light makeup and my hair tied back in a low ponytail. It’s giving off a casual-lunch-with-the-girls vibe, not trying to seduce the local biker president. At least that’s what I’m hoping. The way his blue eyes light up and linger on my hips and thighs makes me think otherwise.
“You look stunning,” he growls, holding his hand out to me.
“You’re early.”
“Didn’t want to give you time to overthink and change your mind.” He winks, waiting until I lock my front door before he takes my hand and threads his fingers through mine. We walk hand in hand to his motorcycle, which is parked behind my car. “I was early the last time, too, but you had already left. I’m glad to see that this time you didn’t stand me up.”
“I considered it,” I tease, but after seeing how protective and caring he was this afternoon at the school, how could I?
“Well, I’m fucking glad you didn’t,” he replies, eyeing my hair before handing me a helmet.
“You been on the back of a bike before?” he asks, his eyes heating when I shake my head.
“Perfect,” he rasps, helping me put mine on before doing his own.
He gets on his bike, and I climb on behind him. When I rest my hands on his hips, he pulls me forward and wraps them around his hard abs.
Fuck! I forgot how hard his body is.
“Hold on and lean with me,” is all he says before he takes off.
At first, I close my eyes, holding on to him for dear life, but I quickly relax, a smile on my lips, enjoying the sense of freedom. Chance reaches back and strokes his fingers down my leg before settling his hand there. The hold is possessive, and I know in this moment I’ve made a huge mistake getting on the back of his bike. I shouldn’t have given him an inch, because I know that now he’s going to try to give me nine… with girth.
Smirking at my own thoughts, the ride goes all too fast, and soon we’re parked outside a nice restaurant. Chance gets off his bike and helps me down, then takes off my helmet for me. He’s close, in my space, and as he looks down on me, it feels a little too intimate.
“What did you think?” he asks quietly as he studies my reaction closely.
“I loved it,” I admit, my lip twitching when heat flashes in his eyes. “After I let myself open my eyes, anyway. I can see the appeal.”
“Good,” he rasps, taking my hand and opening the door for me, then leading me inside to a booth in the corner. He waits for me to sit first, surprising me with his chivalry. I get comfortable on the black leather and am surprised when, instead of sitting opposite me, he slides in next to me.
“You blocking my exit, so I can’t run?” I ask, and he laughs in a deep, low sound.
“Maybe I just want to be close to you.” He grins, resting his hand on my thigh. He slides me a menu but doesn’t move to pick up his. “What are you in the mood for?”
What a loaded question.