She released his arm and hugged him around the waist. He was warm and addicting. Everything about him was hard and ripped. She closed her eyes as he hit the road. Bell hadn’t been joking when she said she was scared of bikes. The world felt like it was being lifted up and away from her, and she swore they’d tip at any second. They didn’t even have helmets, so if they got into an accident, she’d probably look like roadkill.
The wind blew through her hair and made her eyes water. After a few minutes, she actually started to relax a bit, the constant steady drone of the engine calming her. Tank knew what he was doing, his big body blocking most of the road fromher view. As they passed cars, people would stare at them. She wondered if they thought she was his girlfriend. It was stupid that the idea thrilled her even though she hardly knew him at all.
After witnessing all the losers her mother would bring home when they were still living together, she didn’t want to make the same mistake. Yearning for a biker probably wasn’t the best idea if she wanted to meet Mr. Right, but Tank made her forget everything when she was with him.
He slowed down in front of her apartment, finally coming to a full stop and setting his leg down. Why did she have to live so close? She wanted the ride to last forever.
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Tank helped her off the bike. Her legs felt wobbly at first, and he held her up. “That’s normal for your first ride.”
She smiled up at him. What was his deal? Was he still just being a nice guy looking out for her or was there more between them? Bell definitely felt something but didn’t want to make any assumptions.
“What made you come into my diner today? You don’t seem like the diner type.”
Bell was pulling at straws, hoping he’d say something one way or the other so she knew where they stood.
“Seems I’m obsessed with you,” he said matter-of-factly.
She chuckled, assuming he was joking, even though there was no humor in his tone. “Sure, I guess I have that effect on people.”
He looked around, then at her apartment. “I don’t like this area.”
“You always say that.”
“I worry about you,” he said.
“Why? I’m just some girl.”
Tank shook his head. “No, not just some girl.” He stared down at her as if trying to unravel her secrets all the way downto her marrow. “Why do you live here all alone? Some asshole do you wrong or something?”
She bit her lip, unable to even pull off white lies when it came to Tank. “I’ve never had a serious boyfriend. I guess I’m just unlucky at love.”
“Then I’m the last thing you need.”
Her breath caught. So he was considering her as more than a friend? Was this something she wanted to pursue? She had next to no experience and even though she hated judging people, he was still a biker and that carried a lot of variables.
“How do you know what I need?”
“You deserve better. The best,” he said. “I’m too old for you and just bad news altogether.”
“I do have daddy issues, so there’s that going for us.”
He raised a brow.
“Seriously, is that why you came into the diner today? To ask me out or something?” she asked.
“No, I came to make a clean break. Things don’t always go according to plan.”
Chapter Three
Tank sat in the clubhouse several days later, drinking a bottle of beer and wanting it to be something stronger but knowing he wasn’t going to drink anything more than this single bottle of beer.
The run had gone well. The prospect had turned out to be better than he imagined. At least he knew with all the prospects in the club, there was one who currently had his back. He rarely got to know them by name. Most of the time, fresh meat never stuck around. It was only in rare cases that a prospect went on to earn a patch. The reason being they didn’t like to get their hands dirty. Club life had been too glammed up for them. They thought it was all sunshine and rainbows, and it was anything but.
He tried not to think about … her.
It had been five days since he last saw her. During his run, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but her, apart from fleeting moments when he admired the view. He wondered what it would be like to show her the world. To let her see how amazing it was and to have her on the back of his bike. He remembered how good it felt when he’d driven her home, her soft body pressed tight against his.
Those thoughts wouldn’t help him now.