Taking On The Billionaire (Redhawk Reunion #1) - Robin Covington Page 0,15

as they sped down the road, chasing the city lights and dodging cars filled with people looking for a good time. Tess took advantage of the ride requiring her to hold on tight to the hard-bodied man nestled between her legs, and indulged in the anticipation of this night and their new arrangement.

Adam’s black Heritage Classic Harley-Davidson was a sweet ride, powerful and loud and everything you wanted a motorcycle to be. It was an odd choice for such a quiet man who did nothing to grab for attention. But it suited him when you really got to know him.

This bike was outward evidence of the part of Adam he buried down deep inside of him: reckless, intense and rebellious. Adam was a man of a million layers and she wanted to unpeel every single one.

So, it was a no-brainer to change her clothes and jump on the back of his bike to find out what the hell he did the second Tuesday of every month. Tess knew where he went, she’d discovered it during her background check of him, but something had held her back from following him inside the bar located on the seedier side of the Valley and finding out exactly what it was that brought him there every month, come rain or come shine.

Before she knew it and before she wanted the ride to end, they pulled up in front of Duke’s, passing by the entrance to enter a parking lot and head to an empty space. Duke’s had seen better days, the front of the building a dirty brick and the sign faded, but it had a loyal clientele and was packed almost every night. Live music and a generous pour were the hallmarks of this local institution.

Adam motioned to a guy sitting in a booth in the parking lot, giving him a thumbs-up of thanks and acknowledgment when the guy waved him in. Adam cut the engine, slipped off his helmet and twisted to look at Tess. She bit back a grin, unwilling to let him see just how adorably sexy he was with his dark hair mussed and an excited smile on his face. He reached into a side bag and pulled out a black baseball cap with Stanford embroidered on it, placing it low on his head so that the bill hid part of his face.

“You ready?” he asked, turning and reaching up to help her remove her helmet. His grin was genuine, a little bit shy and all kinds of sexy. “I’m running a little late.”

“A little late for what? You never did tell me exactly what is happening here.” Tess watched him hop off the seat and she accepted his outstretched hand to help her do the same. She’d changed into a jade-green T-shirt-style mini-dress and ankle boots and the length of her skirt required her to maneuver a bit to not land on her face on the pavement or flash the patrons of Duke’s milling about the parking lot.

Adam held on to her hand, lacing their fingers together, his eyes mischievous but narrowed a bit with skepticism. “Are you telling me that you really don’t know why I come here?”

She shook her head, allowing him to tug her along to a side entrance as she waited for him to clue her in. “It wasn’t necessary for the job.”

Adam paused at the door. “That never stopped you before.”

She shrugged, opting to go for honesty on this one, even if it was embarrassing. “I wanted to leave some things for you to tell me.”

Her reward for her candor was a quick, hard kiss and a flash of his dimple before he pulled the door open and she was hit by a wall of sound from the crowd of people inside Duke’s. The space was dim but not dark, the long bar visible where it ran the length of the room on one side. There was a stage at the end of the room and on it a band was setting up for the show. As if on cue, the two men and one woman on stage turned and waved at Adam.

It was too noisy to hear what they were saying but their gestures were the universal symbol for “where the fuck have you been?” and suddenly Tess had a pretty good idea about what Adam did here once a month on the second Tuesday.

Adam turned back to her, gesturing toward the stage. “I’ve got a tab here. Order whatever you want