Page 71 of Her Brother's Keeper

I lifted off the lid and picked up the card lying on top of the tissue paper. Again, just a simple white fold of paper, ‘Maren’ written on the front and inside? ‘I love you.’

“I love you, too,” I murmured and smiled at the little card. I lifted the tissue paper and discovered a beautiful, black leather jacket. It was beautifully accented with silver zippers, with silver buckles at the hips, and zippers at the pockets. It was fitted, the zipper to hold it closed angled and rising up one side for an asymmetrical look that worked for it, adding both edge and class to the look. I pulled it from the box as if it were made of magic and held it up.

“Look at the back,” Nox said quietly and I turned the garment around, gasping at what I found on the back of the coat. There, embossed perfectly into the leather, was a pair of narrow but perfect angel wings.

I stared at them for a long minute, admiring them, finding it difficult to tear my eyes away to look at Nox who was standing quietly, patiently waiting for me to say something.

“I think this is quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been given,” I said.

He smiled and reached out, lowering the zipper on the front of the coat until it opened up. He took it from me and held it out so I could turn around and slip it on.

“It’s heavier than it looks,” I murmured when it settled onto my shoulders.

“It has armor plates in it. Dress for the slide, Angel, not for the ride. You get me?”

“Does this mean you’re taking me for a ride?” I asked, and I couldn’t hide my amused smile at the double entendre.

“It’s your eighteenth birthday, what better way to celebrate than with your first ride?” he asked, and I turned around to see a light I’d never seen before in his eyes. It was a look of excitement edged with a desperate hope. I felt my own enthusiasm and excitement rise in the center of my chest and laughed, throwing my arms around him and kissing him, not even caring about my coffee breath.

“Come on, Baby. Let’s ride.”

Out at the bike, after locking up the house, my purse slung over my chest, gloves firmly on my hands and coat zipped against the cold, Nox was telling me everything he needed from me. He slipped a pair of sunglasses over my eyes as he spoke and a neoprene shell over the lower half of my face, something surprisingly easy to breathe through, yet enough to keep my face warm against the threat of the wind and cold.

Lastly, he buckled a helmet onto my head, one of those half kind; black and shiny like a beetle. With a few final instructions, I was perched on the back seat, my arms around his solid body, excitement, anxiety, and a little adrenaline a heady concoction filtering through my veins, making my blood very nearly glow.

He expertly piloted us out onto my street and the feeling? The feeling was something. I don’t even really know if I could begin to describe it, but I’ll try… Free is a good word, something wild and barely contained. It was out of this world holding on to Nox and watching the pavement whip by beneath us. The wind was fierce, the noise incredible, but it was as if the world fell away in a blur of color and motion, yet at the same time, we became one and merged with our surroundings. The thrum of the engine beneath us, the air around us, the world whipping by as the bike carved a path down our lane of traffic. All of it was incredible, unbelievable, and I was instantly addicted.

We rode to the clubhouse, and when we pulled into the lot, it was to a noisy cheer going up from the brothers and ol’ ladies who were all gathered outside and similarly dressed to ride. I got off of the bike at Nox’s tapped command on my knee and pulled the face mask and glasses off. I couldn’t keep from grinning.

“Well, what did you think?” Dragon asked in his deep, steady drawl.

“I want to go again,” I cried, and everyone laughed.

“Well, we ain’t done yet, Sweetheart. Everybody, let’s give this girl a birthday ride to remember!”

A loud round of cheers, whistling, and clapping went up and Nox smiled up at me. I leaned down and gave him a kiss and he laughed against my mouth, not that I could hear it. Not with all of the Harleys starting up.

“Come on, Jailbait! Don’t keep us waiting,” Rush called over the thrum of the engines.

“Not jailbait!” I cried, “Not anymore!”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Baby! You’ll always be Jailbait to me!” he called back and held up his gloved hands in front of his chest, thumbs down, fingers curved up and over into the shape of a heart. I laughed and settled in behind Nox, excited for all of the new experiences the day had to offer.

Chapter 25

Nox

It was late and it had been an eventful day for my Angel. I watched the blue light from the big screen flicker across her face where she’d drifted off against my chest and I had to smile. We’d ridden a ways out to this favorite barbecue joint of the clubs for lunch. The rest of the club who’d been able to make the ride had given Maren their gifts, which is to say the ol’ ladies who had made it did. Rush surprised me and had given Maren a picture of the gift he’d made for her. A sturdy wooden chest that’d he’d carved with flowers and had stained with an antiqued finish.

She’d cried, and I’d held her to a course of ‘awe’s’ from my brothers and sisters. They all liked her, I loved her, and so we’d made the day as perfect as we could for her. We’d ridden, had food, stayed together to celebrate her special day. We’d come back to the club and had popped popcorn and let her have run of the TV; whatever she’d wanted to watch. Of course, she tortured us with romantic comedies to which the rest of the ol’ ladies had cheered chanting ‘One of us! One of us!’ making her smile and laugh.

There had been a lot of smiling, and a lot of laughs today and now, it was way past midnight and we were all just about wore the fuck out. I sat up carefully, Cell eyeing me from the other end of the couch.

“Goin’ to bed?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“Good deal. I’ll grab her boots and stuff, if you got her?”

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