Page 74 of Wild Ride

“She can go in my car,” Briana snaps.

Our heads snap around to look at her. For a moment, I forgot that she was there, lost to the moment with this man so quickly that the entire world melted away around us. There was just us, and I wonder if it will always be this way. I hope it will. Being lost in this man’s eyes is absolutely reeling, in the best way.

But Briana’s voice brings me back to this reality, to this realm. Her expression is a mixture of disgust and annoyance. I should probably be offended, but she’s already made it perfectly clear that this situation is one that she will never be willing to accept in any way whatsoever, so I’m not offended in the least.

I probably should be, but I’m not.

“My bike is at Shade’s place anyway. Need to grab that before we come back here tonight.”

I open my mouth to ask him why we’re coming back here tonight when Briana lets out a loud snort. “I’m not coming back to this place tonight,” she announces.

I expect Bishop to say something smart-assed to her in response, but he doesn’t. He clears his throat, then he jerks his chin. When he speaks, I’m a bit shocked by his words. And what surprises me more than just his words is his tone.

“You’re coming back here for one night,” he states. “I want you to meet the men who are going to go with us to Oregon. When you leave here, we’re all leaving here. You need to be somewhat comfortable with them because this is going to be a long trip.”

Her eyes widen, and I watch as her lips part before she snaps them shut. She stares at him for another beat before she speaks. “You’re coming with me?” she asks with some snark to her tone. “I have a flight.”

Bishop snorts. “I’m sure you do, but we need to travel as a group.”

“You don’t trust me?”

Bishop shakes his head. “Has nothing to do with that and everything to do with keeping you safe, babe.”

Her eyes widen, and I can tell she’s stunned to silence. My lips curve up into a grin, and I hug Bishop a bit tighter. He chuckles, though not loud enough that she can hear him from where she’s standing.

“It’s not that serious, babe. Let’s get Dakota some clothes, get some dinner, and have a few drinks. You can get to know us all. Maybe you won’t hate us so much if you do. And let’s just relax. We had a long fuckin’ day.”

He can say that again.

Thankfully, Briana doesn’t argue. Together, the three of us leave the clubhouse, go to the motel, and then get some food before we head back to the clubhouse to eat it together. And drink. And hang out.

BULLET

I don’t know how I let her walk around this place with cutoff shorts so goddamn short that her ass is practically hanging out. Not that it’s a bad view, because it sure as shit is not. But there are about twenty other brothers walking around this club enjoying it just as much as I am.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I tug her down on my thigh. She’s had a couple of drinks and is a bit loose as she lets out a belly laugh at something that either Maverick or Goose said. I watch as her eyes dance, listening to their story, but I don’t hear a fucking word of it because she is all I can focus on right now.

I gave the message that tonight was low-key. It’s just brothers and a couple of whores partying. I wanted to make surethat Briana didn’t have more ammunition to fucking annihilate me, plus after the fucking day we had, I’m exhausted.

The last thing I want to do is have a wild party. I also don’t want to get blackout drunk. I want my cock in perfect working order when it’s time to take my woman to bed. I slide my hand down her waist to her hip and then curl my fingers around the outside of her bare thigh, squeezing her there.

Briana snorts. My attention shifts from Dakota to her, and I arch a brow. She lifts the beer bottle to her lips and takes a pull before she sets it down on the table and leans forward. She’s a pretty woman, closer to my age than Dakota, and it’s clear she’s got her guard up.

“All of this,” she says, “it’s the Haven just draped in leather instead of hippie flowers and communal gardens.”

I bite my bottom lip and lean back slightly. I’ve thought of this as Dakota explained how the Haven worked and what they did when the lights went out. It’s very much like us, except for one of the major things.

“I don’t traffic teenage girls,” I state. “Never have and never will.”

Knowing that she’s one of those girls, I should probably feel bad that I said what I did, the way I did it, but she’s comparing me to that sick motherfucker and his deluded groupies.

“Besides that, we own a business, we all get an equal cut, and anyone can do whatever the fuck they want with their money. Most of us save it for retirement or to buy a house and shit one day, but some of the guys choose to spend it frivolously, and nobody says a word to them about it when they do.”

Hoping that will shut her up, I arch a brow as I watch her, waiting for her to respond—or not. I could go with not responding. But Briana wants to respond, so I let her say her piece, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it.

“It’s a cult by a different name,” she says. “And it’s okay. I actually think I like the premise for this much more than the Haven. There’s a freedom here that isn’t available there. I can see the draw.”

“Do you feel better about Dakota staying here?” I ask.

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