Page 24 of Hero: Claimed

“Bird?” Hannah mouths and Levi winks at me.He winks. I’ve never melted for a man. I never thought I was capable of melting for a man. Like that’s one of the things missing from my DNA. But no. It’s not, because I melt into a puddle of Brinley goo, just stopping before I do something monumentally stupid like sighing or worse, swooning.

Levi then grabs a plate and waits for Hannah to serve him a large helping of casserole like he didn’t just shift the whole foundation of my life with an eye twitch. Brothers stare, especially Blue and Blaze. But I don’t know them well enough to know how bad their reaction to seeing their best friend putting his hands and mouth on me is. Like, do those hard stares mean shock or horror? I assume horror.

I tear my eyes from Blue and Blaze because Levi moans from beside me and I look over at him chewing.

“Swear, bird, I knew I’d wake up to this every morning, I’d marry ya,” he says around his food.

Forget heating, my cheeks feel on fire. The blue flame kind. I try to pull myself together and say the first thing to come to mind. “You’d probably miss pancakes.”

“Right.” He nods, taking another bite, chewing and swallowing. “I’d miss pancakes.”

That’s what I thought.

10.

Levi

After that delicious breakfast Brinley and her sister made, which I had to guilt her into sitting and eating with me, with us. She really doesn’t like eating in front of people, but I thought with the cake we’d made a breakthrough. I guess, we had, because shedideat with me.

I go back to the room to shower and dress. It’ll be chilly, but the weather app on my phone says it’ll be one of the warmest days we’ve had in weeks and the roads’ll be clear. Since coming to terms with the fact that I have real feelings for Brinley last night, I decided that I actuallydowant her on the back of my bike. Second best thing in the world, riding, and I want to share it with her. The only thing better is fucking and I want that with her too, but we’ll have to wait until the time is right.

Don’t know if she’s ever been on one, a bike, but she deserves to feel the wind on her face and the open blacktop rumbling beneath the tires. There’s nothing like it. No better high than being on a bike.

Jeans, Thermal, boots. I walk out to the common where Brin’s hanging with Blue, Blood and Hannah. She can’t wear my cut, no one but a brother wears a cut. But the leather jacket my pops got me the Christmas before he died will probably fit her. I was thinner then but have always had broad shoulders. Now the rest of me is stronger.

“S’up?” Blue asks, tipping his chin up.

“Bird and I are going for a ride.”

Her mouth drops open. “We are?” I toss her the brown leather and she catches it midair. “This won’t fit,” she argues.

Fine. She won’t put it on herself, I’ll put it on for her.I walk over and drape the jacket around her shoulders, waiting for her to slip her arms through. When she does, I zip it up without problem. It might’ve been a little tight around her hips but still zips without a hitch.

“Takin’ her on your bike?” Blue asks.

“That’s the plan,” I answer.

“Brin, you ever been on a bike?” asks Hannah this time.

Brinley hesitantly shakes her head. “No. Lived around bikers my whole life and never been. Isn’t that something?”

It’s something, all right. Her hand in mine, we pass by Blue, who touches her arm. “Ain’t nothin’ like it in the world. Guarantee by the time you make it back, you’ll be head-over-heels in love.”

She makes the tiniest little gasp. Knowing Brin as well as I do now, it means he’s embarrassed her. Blue’s a good friend and I know he’s trying for me, but saying shit like that—she’s skittish enough already. Thinks she doesn’t deserve a man to take care of her. And hell, I know I’m just as guilty as anyone for feeding that particular demon when she first arrived. But I’ve sure as hell been trying to correct my wrongdoings. No one can deny that.

“C’mon, bird.” I tug to get us moving again. At my bike, I reach inside the saddle bag for the spare helmet and help her put it on. Cutest thing I’ve ever seen, her standing there so awkward, that I have to kiss her. Leaning in to press my lips to her soft ones, she opens up for me and the next thing I know, my hands are resting on her ass, drawing her close while she leans in, her arms draped around my neck, her hands running through the back of my hair.

Jesus, where’d she learn to kiss like that? She could teach classes, she’s so good at it. When I’m finally forced to pull away because my lungs are burning from want of oxygen, she drops her lashes, turning her face from me as her cheeks flush a bright red.

“Sorry,” she says. “I got a little carried away.”

“You got my permission to get carried away like that whenever the spirit moves ya.” I climb on my bike and hold a hand out to help her climb on behind me. “Arms around my waist, bird.” Fuck, when she leans in and I get a whiff of her shampoo—it’s like vanilla and flowers—it’s all I can do to not bend her over my bike and fuck the ever-loving-shit out of her. What a difference a day makes. Heard that saying my whole life and dammit if it ain’t true again now. Day before yesterday I was content to take care of her. Then yesterday hit me like a freight train—bam! Now today, I want everything she’s willing to give me.

We peel out of the compound, the open road before us. Brin buries her head against my back and squeals, tightening her grip. The wind rushes around us, whipping her hair sticking out from beneath the helmet across my nose and mouth. More vanilla and flowers.

“It’s like flying,” she yells, laughing. “We’re flying…”

She thinksthisis something? There’s a bluff about an hour out that’ll blow her mind, and I turn my bike in that direction. Her arms circle around me tighter as we maneuver our way up the mountain pass after mountain pass. When pavement turns to dirt, I slow down considerably. If it were just me, I’d probably speed up for the thrill of it. But it’s not just me anymore. For however long this lasts, I’m not alone. There’s a gravelly, scenic outlook, where I pull off to and park, then after helping her climb off the bike, I take her hand to lead us as close to the drop-off as possible without either of us slipping and going over the edge.

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