I nod, “maybe I'm wary because of Mia.”
Leon nods then points at Bastion, who is attempting to grab my attention as he waves Cole and me to the starting point. Ten miles, twice around the dirt track, then the race is over.
Cole pulls up next to me, his gray eyes locking with mine. His lips are set. Then he nods and turns to face the dirt track. He revs the engine on his Road King. I smile as I rev Jayne in response. The track’s not wide. With room for two bikes only, the race is carried out in stages. As the bikes rev again, from the corner of my eye, I watch Candy stroll over to Cole and kiss him. Well, almost devours him. Only then do I wish Mia was here, but she cried off, citing she needed to work on that damn blog of hers.
“Alex.”
I turn to find Patch standing beside me and smile as she leans in to kiss me. She thrusts her tongue in my mouth and for the sake of our audience, and although the kiss lacks Mia’s touch, I play along. When the kiss is over, I have this urge to wipe her taste away from my mouth. Instead I rev the bike, watching Flash step in front of Bastian and raise the white flag. I count to five before she drops it. With one last rev of the bike, I hit the track. The spectators and Cole fade from my vision. I no longer care about them as the thrill of the speed soaks through my flesh to my blood. Two laps, then it will be over. As I round a bend, Flash is back in view and she drops a yellow cloth as I pass her. This is the last lap. The first lap went without incident and I smile. Flash’s reflection still shimmers in my mirror when Cole pulls in front of me. His wheels spinning dust and grit into the air as he veers in front of me. I swear, revving the bike harder, swing to Cole’s other side. This time I'm aware of Cole and pull in front of him. The roar of the bikes echoes around me as we play cat and mouse through the remaining track. Then we round the final bend and I catch sight of Flash up ahead. She has the black and white checkered flag raised. The race is nearly over. I glance to my left. Cole is beside me. The race is coming to an end. With another twist on the acceleration and a rev of Jayne. Cole is forgotten as I lean into the bike. as I pass Flash, she drops the flag and I pull the bike to the edge of the dirt track. My heart pounds. My smile is one of satisfaction.
As I remove my helmet, Day reaches me and slaps my back. “Shit, Alex. I thought you were going to lose.”
I smile, it's wide, I can feel it in my stomach. “Just giving Cole a taste of what victory could taste like if he won.”
Day chuckles as he slaps me on the shoulder once more, then he is gone. After the customary congratulations by my fellow brothers, I find myself on my own. I was still basking in my victory when Cole strolls over.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thanks - you’re a good rider,” I said
“Taught by the best.”
“Yeah - who was that.”
Cole chuckles, “my father.”
I nod, “I’d like to meet the man.”
Cole shakes his head and smiles, “he never leaves Reno.”
I smile, hold my hand out and Cole takes it in a firm grip, “good race. I can see why you won the last five.”
“Thanks. I'm looking forward to the bike rally weekend.”
“It’ll be good.”
Due to other obligation Devil’s Comfort and the Scarlet Runners are committed to, the rally has been pushed back, and it's going to be awhile before we all get together. But the new date is fixed. Cole nods, slipping his arm around Candy as she joins him. Again, I find myself missing Mia, but we will celebrate my victory when I return to Demon's Lair.
“Alex.”
I watch Cole and Candy walk away, whilst hoping Patch, who has tagged along with Candy, goes with them. I’m sure Cole wouldn’t say no to a threesome.
“Patch.”
“I just wanted to congratulate you on your win.” She sidles closer. Her fingers on my arm and as tempted as I am to shake free of her hold, I remain still.
“Thanks.”
“Maybe we can have a private celebration of our own before returning to Demon’s Liar.”
Before Mia moved into my cabin, I would have taken the whore up on her offer. Shit, If I was fucking one of the other whores, I would have taken Patch’s offer up. But Mia has me, and I’m not going to do anything stupid to jeopardize what we have. I chuckle, turning my gaze to the group of bikers, Cole has his back to me and as I watch him, I realize I have nothing to fear from the journalist where Mia is concerned. Where the club and Delaney are concerned, doubt still plagues me.
I turn my gaze back to Patch. “Thanks for the offer, but Mia is waiting for me. We have plans.”
“But the kiss.”
“That kiss. That kiss meant nothing, Patch. Mia and I are a couple. I’m happy with her. Shit, why not hook up with Day or Kit. I’m sure they wouldn’t say no to your company–Oh, and one more thing, Patch. Never approach me like this again. If I want to fuck you–I’ll come looking for you.”
Patch’s cheeks flush red as her gaze blazes into me. Then, with a slight nod, she turns, striding
