They’d find a place that would be big enough, comfortable but not fancy, and they’d make it into a home of some kind for themselves—the best home they could make it, and they’d learn to be a family.
Rafe and Max had their similar work they could do from home or at the clubhouse. They had obligations to the club as well as home. Their brothers were their extended family, and she knew she had to accept that as a part of who they were. She looked forward to getting to know them better and learning to fit in the way Tessa and Vanessa did.
“We can go on rides with the club,” Rafe said. “We camp places, take long rides… Gemma is making noises about wanting a motorcycle of her own.”
Simone started. “Oh my god, that was one possibility that never occurred to me.”
“Well, the club has a rising girl mechanic in Clutch’s niece, Kayla. It can’t be long before women are wanting to be full members. Who knows, it might be Gemma.”
“I can’t imagine it’s a real interest.”
Max arched a brow. “Then you might want to consider why she’s been negotiating with Clutch about having him buy a junker and rebuild it for her.”
The picture of Gemma on a big, bad motorcycle popped into her head, making her laugh. “We live in changing times, my loves.”
Max nodded. “And we’d better learn how to adapt to them.”
Rafe shifted to put his arm around her back. “The motorcycle thing could be a passing fancy, but who knows? For now, we’d better take her interest seriously. At least Clutch would make sure she had a machine that was safe, and he won’t let her put her ass on the seat until she learns a lot more about it than most people out riding know.”
We have to take her interest seriously.
Those were Rafe’s words. She loved the way he automatically assumed they all shared the responsibility for Gemma—that the new family was real, tangible, a real thing. She’d be sharing responsibility for Danielle as well, though she was farther along on her journey to adulthood. The thought of blending all of them into a family made her feel as happy and positive about the future as anything she’d dreamed of. Having Rafe and Max love her was better than winning the lottery.
There was much to do when they got back but no rush to do any of it. And before that came the challenge of enjoying each other in bed in every state in the Southwest.
As they walked back to the motorcycles, she felt Rafe’s large hand on her ass, touching her in a casual caress that made her tremble with delight. Max put his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek before Rafe moved around to the other side to kiss that cheek, which had healed nicely.
In the parking lot, a middle-aged couple in a Buick stared at them. They sat in their car, the windows up, the air conditioner on, glaring through the windshield as though they thought the three of them came from another planet.
For a brief moment she considered walking over and telling the couple what they didn’t know and couldn’t possibly understand. If she did, she’d tell them she was a barmaid who took care of her kid sister, and she had two lovers who had killed a man for her.
As she thought of telling those people, seeing the looks on their faces, a strange tingle ran up her spine. She smiled to herself and enjoyed the sensual way it rippled through her as she got on the bike behind Rafe, since she’d last ridden with Max. Those people didn’t matter. They were from some other universe—a world that it seemed impossible she could ever have belonged to.
She hugged Rafe and let her hands slide down his body. Her fingers trailed over his crotch, and she felt him getting hard. That she could arouse him so easily gave her intense pleasure, but she wanted more. She put her lips to his ear. “Take me somewhere private,” she said. “I want you and Max as soon as possible.”
He kicked the starter, and she felt the reassuring vibration of the engine. She wrapped her arms around him, and they surged from the rest stop out onto the highway. The outside world dissolved, and she pressed against his back and imagined the possibilities that lay ahead of them.