Page 74 of Iron Will

Rourke throws a couple of bills on the table, and I slide out of the booth. He calls a goodbye to one of the guys behind the bar, and a minute later, I’m sitting on the back of his bike, arms around him as he drives us back in the direction of Ironwood.

I have no idea what’s up with Rourke right now, and honestly I’m too afraid to ask. Worried I’ll be disappointed in the answer. Belatedly, I kick myself for not making up another story about why I quit my job. A story that didn’t involve him. Maybe I freaked him out by basically admitting I wanted to see him again.

The truth is, I feel something for Rourke I’ve never felt for any man before. And yeah, it’s not like I’ve even had that many relationships. But even so, I know this one is different.

It’s important to me.

In fact, it’s a lot more important than I’ve allowed myself to admit, even to myself.

Maybe this is the last time I’ll see him. The last time I’ll ever be on the back of this bike. I sort of knew it had to end sometime. But it feels so sudden. I’m not ready.

I swallow around a lump in my throat, and look around at the trees and nature whizzing by, trying to take it all in. Trying to fix a mental snapshot of everything, so I can remember it all. How free being on this motorcycle felt. And how free Rourke made me feel. Free, and safe at the same time. Andseen— for who I actually am. Not Laney, the senator’s wayward daughter. Not Laney, the recently unemployed social worker.

Laney, the woman.

The woman who somehow has managed to meet a man who might be everything she’s ever wanted, in the last possible place she would have thought.

When we get back into town, I start counting down the minutes until we’ll be back at my place, and this will all be over.

But to my surprise, Rourke doesn’t turn off the highway when I think he will.

Instead, he keeps going, past downtown, and then even further. We’re almost to the turnoff for the clubhouse when he slows and pulls off onto a street I’ve never been on before. We drive a few blocks more, passing houses that start out tightly packed together, then get more spaced out as we go.

Finally, we come to a dead end, and a long low house set back a bit from the road.

This can only be Rourke’s place.

“Laney.”

It isn’t until he says my name that I realize I’m just sitting on his bike, not moving. I scramble up from the seat, pulling off my helmet as Rourke puts down the kickstand and gets off. I give him a quizzical look, but he’s already heading to the front door. He unlocks it and pushes it open, motioning for me to go through.

It isn’t until I’m inside that I realize the house abuts a wooded area. The entryway leads immediately to a large, open area that’s kitchen, dining room and living room. The back wall is almost entirely floor to ceiling windows, giving the space the feel of a treehouse.

“Wow,” I breathe. “This place is amazing.”

“Glad you like it.”

Rourke stands silently as I wander around the room. I go up to the windows and look outside. It’s incredibly peaceful here. In spite of all the trauma and commotion of the day, I feel my muscles untense, a sense of calm coming over me.

When I turn away from the window, Rourke is still standing behind me. He’s watching me, dark eyes unreadable. I feel my breath catch in my chest to see him like that — so gorgeous, so masculine. So fully him.

“Rourke,” I begin, hardly daring to ask the question. “Why are we here?”

“I wanted to get you away from all the shit,” he says simply. “From the club, too. This needs to just be about you and me.”

“What does?”

He crosses the room, until he’s standing a couple of feet in front of me. He leans against the window glass. The reflection from the outside lightens his eyes, making them almost light gray.

“I’ve never had a woman here before,” he murmurs. “You’re the first.”

My mouth starts to fall open, but I catch myself. “Ever?”

“Yeah.” He takes a step forward. “And you’re my first date.”

“Except for your sister,” I joke.

He smirks. “What I’m trying to say, Laney the ex-social worker, is you’re the first for me, in a lot of ways.”

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