Page 1 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

Chapter One

“Wanna join the Mile High Club?”

Been there, done that, Cole Novak thought. Lounging back in his first class seat, he grinned at the redhead who’d issued the seductive invitation. She was all big hair, plump lips, and eye-popping curves. A tad overdone but gorgeous nonetheless, with exotic green eyes and ample cleavage on display.

She’d introduced herself as Jessica about an hour ago. When she placed her hand on his thigh, her fingertips mere centimeters from his pants zipper, Cole held his breath, wondering… Hoping. Hell, a small part of him even praying…

But nope. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

As had been the case when the pretty blond flight attendant had flirted with him earlier, Cole’s body—and more importantly his heart—just wasn’t interested. Jessica eyed him like he was her last meal, and Cole almost squirmed under her ravenous gaze. What the hell was wrong with him?

He sighed, covered her wandering hand with his, gave it a friendly squeeze, then gently pushed it away. “Thanks, darlin’, but I have to pass.” He could have lied. Made up some kind of excuse to ease the rejection, but this woman seemed worldly enough to take it.

Disappointment flickered in her eyes, and she shrugged, turning toward the window. “Your loss.”

Maybe, he thought. But all he wanted was to get home and fall into bed—alone—and given the fact that Cole was a single, twenty-nine-year-old red-blooded man who loved bedding beautiful women, that just wasn’t right.

Then again, things hadn’t been right for a while now. It had been six long months since he’d gotten laid. At first it had been because his mother had been ill and he’d been busy splitting time between his job and taking care of her. And now it was because his mother was dead and he was just…tired.

Bone deep exhausted.

And apparently suffering from a limp dick condition that not even this redhead’s considerable assets were capable of curing.

Thirty minutes later, they landed at LAX. Cole made his way to baggage claim, and was picking up his duffle bag when he heard a familiar male voice call his name.

Cole turned to see Luke Indigo, his friend and business partner at Frontline Security. Though it was Saturday, Luke wore a snazzy suit, still managing to look more brawler than banker. His face was all hard angles with steel-colored eyes, features that complemented his career as a bodyguard just as much as Cole’s six-foot-four muscled frame.

“Hey, man. Thanks for picking me up.” Cole hated flying. Normally, he’d have taken his Harley to San Francisco, but the time he had available to meet with clients and visit with his friend Ryan Hennessey had been brief, so he’d flown instead.

They made their way outside and to short-term parking. When they got to Luke’s SUV, Cole tossed his bag into the back seat.

“So how’s Ryan?” Luke asked.

“He’s in love.”

Luke laughed. “He’s been in love for years. He’s also been in denial.”

“Yeah, the boy’s got a thick skull.”

Cole and Luke climbed into the car.

Ryan, a college buddy of theirs, fought fires for a living. He spent most of his downtime with his best friend, Annie, and despite the sparks that sizzled between them whenever they were together, both were too scared of messing up their friendship to do anything about it. Although…

“I think little Annie’s finally ready for things to change between them,” Cole said. “They should be in Vegas right about now.”

“A whole weekend in Sin City.” Luke started the car and pulled out. “Interesting.”

Cole stared out the window, enjoying the sunny June day. Good ol’ LA. “Anything I should know before Monday?”

“Only that we don’t need you to come in.”

Cole stiffened. “Excuse me?”

Luke sighed. “I know it sucks, Cole, but you need to clean out your mom’s house. Talk to the tenants about selling the rental next door. And then…”

“And then what?”

“Take some time off.” Luke waved a hand around. “See the world the way you always wanted to but never could because of your mom’s illness. Get on your bike, ride cross-country. Backpack across Europe. Business is booming. I can hire a few more men and—”

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