“Great. Then can I buy you lunch?”
“We,” said Max, nudging Rafe in the ribs with his elbow.
Rafe nodded. “We,” he repeated, as though recalling they were both trying to woo Simone.
Not that she’d forgotten. The mere thought sent her heart racing and made the mind fog thicken. She stalled, calculating, summoning up calendars and options, the direction of the wind, any other variables she could think of. One factor stood out. Gemma would be at school. That pressure would be off. “That would be lovely.”
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow,” said Rafe.
Max nodded. “Stay safe, and call us again if anything comes up before then.”
She nodded and smiled, watching as they turned and walked away. Too soon, they were headed back to the bikes. Too soon, they were firing up, sending raucous screams of power echoing off the walls of the buildings around them, and then flying off in tandem into the night.
She trembled. She’d never again be able to hear the roar of a motorcycle the same way. She knew what it felt like to be on one now. And tomorrow they’d take her to lunch.
No longer would she be able to look at Rafe or Max the same way either. Her heart and her body were telling her things. She didn’t necessarily want to hear any of those things, for they spoke of desire and longing. They reflected an emptiness she’d managed to ignore for a long time but couldn’t anymore. They were simple bikers, neither a rich guy and nothing like the man of her dreams. Not of the dreams she’d had before she met them.
She squirmed, knowing that wasn’t entirely true. They were both the fuel of her fantasies and could have stepped out of her self-pleasure sessions. She couldn’t have imagined two more perfect lovers for the threesome scenario that had revved her engine since she first became sexually aware and realized it was a possibility. It had never seemed like anything that could happen to her, but now, the possibility was before her.
Was she strong enough to accept her desire for both of them? Could she let herself admit she wanted two men at once? And that it could be something more than just a sexual fantasy, that she could come to care for both of them? That was the hard truth. The truth and the problem. What would her feelings do to her life? If she acted on them, she would complicate her life immeasurably, but if she did nothing, the pain would be intense. And her own fault.
The thoughtof a simple lunch with Rafe and Max excited her unreasonably. Eating out was a rare luxury on her paycheck; when she did, it was typically little more than a spaghetti dinner or the Chinese buffet with Gemma.
They arrived with grander plans. “We want to take you for a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway. We can stop for lunch at a place on the water.”
Her pulse raced. This was shaping up into a real date. She’d be on one of their motorcycles again, probably Max’s this time, and alone with them. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself that way. On the other hand, it sounded like exactly the kind of day she needed. She was even dressed for it, wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts.
“What about my car?”
“It’s getting taken care of. Clutch will drop it by tomorrow morning, if that’s okay?” asked Max.
“But the tires…”
“Oh, the guys passed the hat and one of them works at a tire shop, so he got a discount on a set of new tires. You’ll be in better shape than ever.” Rafe grinned.
The idea that bikers were rallying to her cause seemed unreal. “They chipped in money to get me tires? They don’t even know me.”
Rafe gave her an embarrassed grin. “I suspect it’s more that they think I need help making a good impression on you.”
“You sure do,” said Max. “I’ve already made a good impression.”
Simone laughed as Rafe shook his head at his friend. “They really think you guys need help impressing me?”
“Slash and Choirboy, the guys who took Brad home the other night, let out the word that we were serious about a girl, and of course when you called… well, they figured out why we were in such a rush. We’re two of the younger guys, and a number of them have a big-brother attitude toward us. Not to mention the ladies’ auxiliary, which is a euphemism for the management of the club, told them they best not leave you without transportation.”
“I have trouble imagining you as someone’s little brother.” She looked at Max. “Though you seem more the type.”
“That’s because he defers to me. I’m older and wiser.”
Max snorted. “Older by a few months, yeah. Wiser… not a chance in hell, except for computing. Then you’re a master.”
“And you’re my apprentice.” Rafe seemed pleased.
Simone shook her head. “I still can’t imagine you guys evoking protective instincts in other bikers.” They were so strong and capable that it seemed crazy.
“Well, you haven’t met these gorillas,” said Rafe with a shrug as he held out his arm.
Max swooped in between them, snagging her arm first before he led her to his waiting motorcycle. This time they were getting on under the bright California sunshine, and from the instant she got on the back of his bike and slipped her arms around him, she felt dangerously like she belonged there. It was eerie. The combination of these men and the feelings that she was developing for them despite her concerns was mind-boggling. Max started the engine, and she felt the joy of being on his machine, roaring down some highway. As she’d expected, it was similar to the way she’d felt riding behind Rafe last night. She felt her confidence bubble up, almost to dangerous levels.