naked, I attempted to process his voice.
While it rattled my ribcage with its presence.
“Ma’am?”
I snickered. “Hannah.”
He crouched down but was still eye level with me.
“Hannah, are you okay?”
His voice sounded like home. “Relatively speaking.”
“Are you hurt? Bleeding?”
“No.”
His eyes danced along my face. “Are you thirsty? I’ve got some water.”
“Uh, no. Not—not thirsty.”
He stood back up. “Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”
“Where’s my cousin?”
“Cousin?”
I nodded. “Slash. Where is she?”
He paused. “Slash is your cousin?”
“She is, yes.”
Just as our riveting conversation was about to take off, the dull roar of bike engines caught my attention. I whipped my head to the right, trying to follow the sound as it quickly approached. My heart rate skyrocketed. My fight or flight senses told me to get out my wings and take the fuck off. My hands trembled so badly I tucked them between my thighs. But Mountain Man didn’t seem to be swayed by the noise.
So, I tried to keep myself grounded.
“Don’t worry. That’s just my guys,” he said.
I nodded slowly. “Are the other girls dead?”
“Nah. Just riding with them. We wanted to split up in case a mound of people came after us.”
I watched as a group of bikers piqued on the horizon. I slid off the bike and walked into the middle of the road, searching the oncoming silhouettes for my cousin. I wrung my hands together as the massive human being that still hadn’t given me his name stood behind me.
And when he placed his hands on my shoulders, I wanted to mold my body to the rest of his.
Holy shit, he’s so warm.
I shivered with anticipation as the engines grew louder. I counted one, two… no, four other bikes. They all rode up to us and came to a stop, and I found my cousin on the back of one of the motorcycles.
Clinging to a very thin man with a perma-grin on his face.
“Were you followed?”
Double M’s voice appeared behind me. “Nope. You guys?”
They all shook their heads as Slash hopped off the back of the bike.
“Hannah, holy shit. Thank fuck, you’re okay.”
She rushed to me and I wrapped my arms around her neck. I wanted to slap her across her face as well, but for now I was simply okay that she was okay.
“We’re going to talk later,” I murmured.
She patted my back. “I know. I know. Let’s just get out of here first, all right?”
“I’m Ash, by the way.”
That deep, bass voice boomed like a bomb being dropped on our heads. And as I released my cousin, I slowly turned to face him. So, Double M had a name. Ash. For some reason, it suited him. Maybe it was the way the starlight danced in his jet-black hair. Or maybe it was his smoldering look that reminded me of a fire after it had been put out. Or maybe it was how his muscles struck me—how it looked like he could pound someone into mere ash simply with his fists.
Whatever the reason for the nickname, it made me smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ash.”
He nodded. “Likewise.” He walked over to me. “Now, are you sure you’re okay? I’ve got medicine and things to patch you up with if you’re—.”
Slash butted in. “She’s fine, Ash. Now, back off.”
A blonde-headed man stepped up beside him. “You don’t get to talk to my men that way. Not after what just happened. Not after we just saved your asses.”
Slash snickered. “And what do you expect us to do? Fuck you in gratitude?”
The lean guy came up to my side. “Nah, you’re not really our type, Slash.”
I giggled, but my cousin wasn’t happy about that. She shot me a look that told me to “cork it,” so I ended up laughing harder.
I loved crawling underneath my cousin’s skin.
She was so easy to piss off.
“Did anyone bring our bikes?” Slash asked.
The lean man snickered. “You think that in saving all of your asses we thought to bring your bikes?”
The blonde-headed man shook his head. “We still have to get you guys back to the bar before you’ll have your bikes.”
Slash nodded. “Good. I need to debrief the girls and my cousin before we do anything else.”
Ash piped up. “I’m sure you do.”
The two of them stared off with one another and it was mesmerizing to watch. Everything this man did caught my attention, from the way he looked, to the way he talked, to the way he carried himself, to the sound of his voice. There wasn’t a thing about him I didn’t like,