Road Tripped (Satan's Devils MC Utah #1) - Manda Mellett Page 0,118
you? Is he pressuring you to stay?”
“It’s not like that, Prez.” My eyes land on Swift, and suddenly I know what to say that he would accept as a valid excuse. “There’s a woman.”
Another silence followed shortly by a strangled laugh. “You as well? Well why not bring her back with you?”
“It’s early days, Prez. I don’t know where, if anywhere, this is going to go.”
“Tell me how Utah makes their money,” he suddenly throws in, trying to catch me out.
“I gotta run, Prez. Speak later.”
I end the call, then look up to see Swift is half grinning, half looking concerned. “Was that wise?”
I shrug. “What can I say? He wasn’t going to let it drop.” I run back over the call in my mind. “He’s suspicious as hell, so I had to come up with something to throw him off the scent.”
“And this woman?” Now there’s a challenge in her eyes. “Now who would she be, this woman of yours?”
“Not yet mine,” I hold her gaze with mine, “but give it time.”
She returns my stare for a few beats, then tosses her head. “In your dreams,” she scoffs.
28
Swift…
I’m playing with Road. I know exactly who the woman is that he just told his prez about. The problem is, that woman is me, and while I guessed he was struggling for something to say to Drummer to get him off the line, I could also see from the softening of Road’s eyes, that in his offhand statement there was an element of truth.
I can’t be the reason Road stays here and doesn’t return to his Tucson brothers. It’s not fair to lead him on.
Road might say he’s good with a quick fuck so we can get our sexual frustrations dealt with and then both move on, but telling his prez he’s met a woman he might make his isn’t just a different ballgame, it’s not even in the same ballpark. The signs are there that Road’s words are at odds with what’s in his heart. He doesn’t want a one-night stand, he’s starting to view me as someone to whom he could make a commitment.
Trouble is, I’ve a sneaking suspicion I might feel the same way, and that scares me, far worse than the prospect of taking a man like Tiny on. The more Road and I are together and the more I see of him, the more I discover things I like. Unfortunately, so far, he hasn’t put a foot wrong.
He hadn’t once indicated as I was a woman, I should therefore follow his masculine lead. Instead, he’d followed every instruction I’d given, deferring to me as I’ve more knowledge and experience than him. He’s in pain but doesn’t complain about it and doesn’t try to make it all about him. His chest must be sore, his arm too, and that’s not even considering the pain from his leg. Yet, he’s not moaned once nor played on my sympathy.
Neither has he been making allowances for my injured hand or being overprotective. He’s given me exactly what I need, an acknowledgement it’s happened, acceptance there’s nothing that can be done to fix it, leaving any provision I need to make to me.
His quick smile, his deep laugh, his handsome looks, his hands that can kill but also be so gentle and which I want all over me are other positive factors. Everything about him leads me to suspect if we fucked, it might be me who wanted more.
While we’re waiting for the cavalry, I need to turn this unsettling conversation away from him and me. “I didn’t have time to ask earlier, but why the fuck are you here all alone?” That that’s not Pip’s way of operating has been playing on my mind.
“Duty came up with a number of places which had recently been rented.” He raises and lowers his shoulders. “One looked a probable, but I wasn’t included on the team to check it out. This one seemed a loser from the start, but Pip wanted it looked at anyway. It’s fifty miles from the clubhouse, you know that?”
I was unconscious when I’d been brought here. “I didn’t. They chloroformed me, remember.”
He raises his chin. “I could be here in under an hour on that ZX14R, and Bolt’s bike is almost as fast. He sent both of us to check this place out.” He grimaces and looks pained. “I thought he was getting me out of the way and fully expected the others would rescue you.”