Page 24 of Rebel

“That yours?”she asked, keeping her voice flat.

“Could be yours.”I took a step forward.“For today, anyway.”

I ran my hand along the bike’s frame, leather gloves whispering against the smooth finish.“Heard you can ride.”

Her eyes flicked from the bike to me, then back again.The caution there was mixed with something else -- desire… not for me, but for what the machine represented.Freedom.Power.Control.

“Who told you that?”Her voice had an edge to it.

“Shade.”I offered the name like a peace offering.“He’s the club hacker.He ran across some stuff from your past while making sure the two assholes hunting you weren’t closing in.”

Rio scoffed.“Shade needs to keep his mouth shut.”

“He also said you were good.”I leaned against the bike, casual, confident.“But talk’s cheap.”

That got her.The corner of her mouth twitched, almost a smile but too sharp for that.She approached the bike slowly, circling it like a predator sizing up potential prey.I didn’t move, just watched her.Those blue eyes missed nothing.

She crouched beside the front tire, fingers pressing against the tread.“These are new,” she muttered, more to herself than to me.

“Everything’s new.”I folded my arms.“Bike hasn’t seen fifty miles yet.”

Rio stood and moved to the handlebars, her body still coiled with tension but her movements more fluid now, more focused on the machine than on keeping her distance from me.She ran her fingers over every inch of the bike, not asking permission.I liked that.

“Mind if I start her up?”she asked, not looking at me.

“Be my guest.”

She swung her leg over and settled into the seat like she belonged there.No hesitation, no awkward shuffling to find her balance.Her hands gripped the bars, testing the feel while her boot nudged the kickstand up.

She started the bike like a pro, and the Nightster roared to life.The sound bounced off the clubhouse and nearby homes.Rio’s body changed on that bike -- tension flowing out of her shoulders even as her focus sharpened.For a second, I caught a glimpse of who she might have been before the Army.Before whatever had put those walls up.

She revved the engine, and I felt the rumble in my chest.There was something fucking primal about that feeling, something no amount of high-tech bullshit could replace.Rio felt it too.I saw it in the slight curve of her lips, the way her thighs tightened against the machine.

After a long moment, she cut the engine.The sudden silence felt louder than the noise had been.

“Not bad,” she said, but her eyes gave her away.They were brighter now, more alive.

“Wanna see what she can do?”I asked.

Rio dismounted, her movements slow and deliberate.“Why?What’s in it for you?”

Direct.I appreciated that.

“Need someone who can keep up,” I said with a shrug.“Most of the guys ride like they’ve got something to prove.Get themselves killed trying to show off.Either that, or they ride they like they’re grandpas out for a Sunday cruise.”

“And I don’t have anything to prove?”One eyebrow arched higher than the other.

“Do you?”

She didn’t answer right away.Her fingers trailed over the seat she’d just vacated.

“Where would we go?”she finally asked.

“Coastal highway.Good roads.”I paused.“Unless you’ve got somewhere better in mind.”

“You always hand out bikes to women you barely know?”

I smiled, not bothering to soften it.“Only the ones Shade says can handle them.”

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