My jaw had dropped in shock, but the rest of me was on fire. Watching her handle my car with such finesse was hot as fuck. “Where did you learn to drive like this?”
Rylee threw me a beaming smile. “My dad taught me. He thought everyone should learn manual before automatic. Plus, I wanted to be able to drive the cars we fixed up.”
“Fixed up?” Arya had mentioned that Rylee liked classic cars and went to shows, but I hadn’t realized she’d helped build them.
“Yep.” She continued telling me about the projects she worked on with her dad, and an idea began to form in my head. It would work perfectly with my plans to marry her and knock her up as soon as possible.
After about an hour, she yawned, and I told her to pull over so we could switch back. She had to be exhausted after being woken in the middle of the night, plus the adrenaline had long worn off.
“Sleep, angel. We’ll probably be there when you wake up.”
“But—”
“Sleep,” I demanded sternly. “You need to rest because you’re gonna need your energy later.”
She looked at me curiously, but I just left it at that. I reached across her and pulled the lever to recline her seat. She was out in minutes.
6 Rylee
The passenger seat of Nova’s car wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but I felt safer with him than I had since my dad died, which made up for the inconvenience of using my seat belt as a pillow. I didn’t wake up until he gently shook my shoulder right before he pulled through the gate at the club’s compound. “Wow, I guess I was more tired than I thought. I hope I didn’t snore or anything.”
“You might’ve let out a few sleepy snorts.” Nova’s dark eyes crinkled at the edges as he flashed me a grin. “But they were adorable as fuck.”
Deciding that it wouldn’t do me any good to be embarrassed, I smiled back at him and snapped the strap of my seat belt. “At least I didn’t drool all over this. It would’ve sucked if you had to hunt down a new one because I left stains all over the material while using it for a pillow.”
“Nah, the sacrifice would’ve been worth it. It was important for you to rest.”
This was the second time he mentioned me needing to rest. I wasn’t sure what that was all about, but I didn’t get the chance to ask about it before he parked next to a row of motorcycles in front of a big building. A couple of guys walked over, jerking their chins in greeting at Nova when he climbed out of the car. I was slow to follow, and Nova had already rounded the front of the car to open my door for me by the time I undid my seat belt and reached for the handle. Sliding my palm against his, I smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
He crowded me toward the back end of the car before flinging open the back door to reach inside for our bags. Gathering the straps in one hand, he hefted them out, shut the door, and slid his other arm around my shoulder.
“She the babysitting job?” one of the guys asked after letting out a long whistle of appreciation.
Nova angled us so he was blocking me from their view as he grunted, “Yup.”
Babysitting job? It was good to know where I stood with him, just in case my vagina forgot that nothing was going to happen between us.
“You going to introduce us?” the other guy asked.
Nova tugged me close. “Nope.”
“C’mon, man,” the first guy complained. “You don’t have to be a dick just because you were stuck driving the ’Stang instead of your bike.”
“Give him a break. You know he doesn’t like taking her on road trips,” the second guy grunted.
I peeked around Nova’s side. “Why not? She handles beautifully on the open road.”
Both guys' eyes widened, but it was the first one who said, “Whoa. Hold up. He let you drive the Mustang?”
I rolled my eyes at the outrage in his tone. Seriously, what was it with guys and thinking that girls couldn’t drive a stick?
Arching my brow and lifting my chin, I chirped, “Yup.”
The second guy turned toward the first and muttered, “Another one bites the dust.”
“What in the—”
“Ignore them. I plan to,” Nova advised as he started to guide me toward the building.
“Okey dokey then,” I mumbled.
His low chuckle sent shivers down my spine, and I was still trying to shake them off when we walked inside. I hadn’t been sure what to expect since I’d never been inside an MC clubhouse before, but what I could see of the huge open room was much cleaner than I would’ve thought. The long bar to the left of me definitely fit with the picture in my imagination, even with Arya sitting on a stool holding her son.
“Rylee, you’re here!” she squealed, bouncing in her seat a little.
Ducking out of Nova’s hold, I rushed over and reached out to lift the adorable baby boy out of my friend’s arms. “Ooh, gimme.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I should’ve known you’d make a beeline for Grady without even saying hi to me. You’ve always been baby crazy.”
“How could I not fall head over heels for this little guy?” I cooed as I stared down into his precious little face. “He got his momma’s dark hair and his daddy’s green eyes. It’s a killer combination. The girls are going to follow him around like lost little puppy dogs when he grows up.”
“Over my dead body,” she muttered, sliding off the stool.
“Don’t even joke about shit like that,” Dax growled as he prowled toward us, aiming a glare at Nova. “Quit giving my woman a hard time.”
“She was my sister before she was your old lady,” Nova shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I haven’t even had a chance to say a
