Page 26 of Hell's Kitten

“I’m just so worried about tryouts,” he says glumly as he runs the soft material through his hands over and over. “I think it was bad I showed off.”

I frown, genuinely confused. “Why wouldn’t you show them your best?”

He shrugs and looks away. “One girl on the committee really didn’t seem to like me. I don’t know why.”

I don’t mean to be unkind, but I scoff and shake my head. “You’re never gonna get everyone to like you. She sounds like a dick.”

Thankfully, that gets a laugh from him, and some of the tension leaves his shoulders. “Yeah, she was a bit. Sorry. I know it’s a stupid thing to obsess over. It’s hardly life and death. I just miss competing and training and being a part of a team so much. Game day isn’t the same. My whole life was cheerleading, and I just…”

“You want it back,” I say, understanding. I felt so helpless when my family kicked me out. I was desperate to find something that was all mine so I could feel a sense of control again.

A thought crosses my mind.

It’s a bad idea. I should be keeping my distance from Jessie, not encouraging anything further. Yet I can’t seem to stop the words from tumbling from my mouth. Not a problem I usually have, I must admit.

“Come on,” I grunt, getting to my feet and finding the remote so I can switch the TV off. “Get some clothes on. Uh…moreclothes. Jeans.”

He looks at me like I just started speaking in tongues, and I don’t blame him. “Huh?”

I grab my keys from the bowl and my jacket off the peg on the wall. “We’re going out.”

“We are?” He shakes his head, then gives me a beautiful smile. “I mean, yeah! Sure! Okay! Let me just…” He looks down at himself. “Yeah…more clothes is probably a sensible idea. Give me a minute!”

He runs up the stairs with a couple of cats eagerly chasing after him. I deliberately try not to think about anything at all. Otherwise, I might change my mind and back out. Ultimately, what makes me stick with the plan is that I do believe that it’s what’s best for Jessie right now, and that’s all that matters.

I might not behisDaddy, but I have committed to Daddying him. He needs this distraction.

There was a real risk he’d come back downstairs in a pair of heels and a fluffy crop top or something. But I’m pleased to see he’s gone for jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. Really, I should dress him head to toe in leathers, but I settle for giving him one of my jackets. It swamps him, but it’s so adorable that I love it. So does he, apparently, from the way he grins at me after he shrugs it on.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” he asks.

I roll my eyes as I open the door, but I’m also smiling. “Come on, trouble,” I grumble, ushering him outside.

He’s practically dancing by the time we get down to the alley where my bike is parked. “Are we going for a ride?” he asks, skipping from one foot to the other.

My grin gets a little bigger. He seemed interested in the Harley-Davidson when I first showed it to him, but I was still a bit worried that he’d be afraid to actually try it out for himself. The open road is my passion. My escape when everything else in the world gets too much. To be able to share that with him?

Well, that feels really special right now.

“Just a short one,” I warn him. “And not too fast. We’re not wearing proper leathers. But I do have a helmet for you.”

I keep the spare in my lockbox unless I know I’m going to need the space for luggage or anything. But it’s ages since I took myself camping or anything like that. I haven’t felt the inclination. It’s funny how being with Jessie in this momentmakes me feel like I might want to again sometime soon. But not today.

Today, we’re going to introduce Jessie to what ninety-five horsepower and a hundred-and-twenty pound-feet of torque feels like between his thighs.

Part of my brain desperately wants to imagine what other kind of power might feel like between his thighs, but I shove those thoughts aside and throw my leg over the bike instead.

“Hop on,” I tell him, flicking my eyes over my shoulder to indicate where I want him to sit. He eagerly jumps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

Dear lord, this might be a terrible idea. We haven’t been this close since that first day when I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him when he was becoming hysterical about the lasagna. But it’s too late to back out now. He’s so excited, and I’m not taking that away from him.

“Don’t let go,” I growl at him as I turn the ignition and kick the bike into life.

He meets my gaze with his ridiculously pretty brown eyes. “I won’t,” he says.

It sounds like a promise.

The traffic is reasonably light as we make our way out of the small town. This is a route I’ve taken many, many times. It’s easy enough that I don’t need any kind of map or GPS, not too far away so there’s less time to get into any trouble, and usually the number of other cars is limited. It’s just me and Jessie, taking on the trees and the sky.

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