Page 4 of Scorpion
She tries to peel off to go to her car, but I shift my hand, gripping onto her hip and keeping her against me. When she looks up at me, questioning the redirection, I say, “He’s still in there watching us. I can’t let you get in your car and drive off alone. Who knows what he’ll do; I wouldn’t put it past him to follow you home.” Normally, it would feel manipulative saying something like that to a girl, but Dan does seem genuinely unhinged, as he continues to glare at us.
“Oh,” Lilah says, relaxing against me. “That’s a good point.”
“It’s my job to protect you,” I say. Then, realizing that it sounds like I’m only doing this out of obligation, I amend the statement. “And I want to keep you safe.”
“I appreciate that,” she says, fondness evident in her voice.
“So,” I say as we get closer to my bike at the back of the parking lot, “is that guy always like that?”
She sighs, sounding dejected. At first, I think she isn’t going to respond, but then, she says, “No. I mean, he’s not nice by any means. Pushy and creepy. Overbearing. But he was never aggressive. I actually didn’t know he had the ability to be like that. He’s worse than I thought; I’m sorry for getting you mixed up in this.”
With a shake of her head, she stops talking. I rub comforting circles into her hip, hoping to ease her anxiety. I’m here now, she doesn’t have to worry about that fucking creep. I’m going to take care of her. I’m going to keep her safe.
“It’s like learning I had a boyfriend flipped some switch,” she says. “Like, he turned into some jealous asshole because all of a sudden I wasn’t his. Even though I’ve never been his. He just… deluded himself into thinking I was.”
I grind my jaw, refraining from letting too much of my anger shine through. Maybe I should go back in there and just take care of the fucking problem right now. That’d probably only upset Lilah more. It’s better if I make myself her safe place.
But god, isn’t that also outside of my duties to the MC? Honestly, it would be better for my place with the Riders of Retribution if I were to go in there and take care of him. I’m protecting Lilah, not providing her with emotional support. The fastest way to protect her is to fuck that rat bastard up.
“You know, it seems like you need some time to clear your head,” I say. I need it, too. She’s been through something traumatic, and I’m standing here thinking about going out with her. Fuck, I’m no better than that motherfucker. “How about we go on a ride? The fresh air always helps me.”
“That sounds nice,” she says, grabbing her backpack from my elbow. “Let me put this in my car and grab my helmet.”
“You’ve got a helmet?” I ask as I follow her back to her vehicle. I know she’ll be within my line of sight, but I refuse to let her be out of arm’s reach.
“I do,” she confirms, giving me a dazzling smile. “I don’t get to go out with my brother all the time, but riding is fun enough that I bought one for myself.”
“Well, if you like riding so much, I’d love to teach you,” I tell her, watching as she pops open her trunk and leans over to dig out a helmet and a leather jacket from the back.
I have to force my gaze away from her ass. Fuck, she looks good in those slacks. I have half a mind to reach out and grab, but we don’t have an audience. If I touch her now, I’ll be even worse than Dan. So, I shove my hands into my pockets.
“You’d teach me?” Lilah asks when she pops up with her royal blue helmet in her grasp. While I was forcing myself not to stare at her ass, she threw on the jacket and put her backpack on. “I’d like that. My brother’s so busy with work and stuff at the MC that he hasn’t had the chance to.”
“Of course I’d teach you,” I say, jerking my head toward my own bike to signal that we should head back over. “If someone wants to experience the joys of riding on their own, I’m not going to stand in their way.”
“You’re so nice, you know that?” she says with the kind of admiration that digs out a hole in my chest and makes a home.
“I’m just sharing the love,” I say, wondering what the hell this girl is doing to me.
We walk in comfortable silence back to my bike. When we get there, she waits for me to shove my helmet onto my headand swing my leg onto the seat. Then, she joins me, pressing her body against mine, wrapping her arms securely around my waist.
God, I could get used to this. Maybe I don’t want to teach her to ride. Maybe I’d prefer to have her riding as my backpack. Having her this close to me is intoxicating, and my cock starts to rise up in my pants from the proximity.
My bike roars to life, and Lilah’s grip tightens on me. Smirking under my helmet, I nudge up the kickstand. Then, I take off, making sure to drive up to the front of the insurance agency. When we pass, I catch sight of Dan standing in the window with his arms crossed.
God, that couldn’t have gone any better. I figured he’d just hear us going by. Instead, his creepy ass was trying to see what we were doing and got to see Lilah pressed up against me. I hope the sight is burned into his retinas.
Once we’re out of the parking lot, I maneuver us through the streets of Rio Lunas. I obey the traffic laws, cognizant of my passenger. When we’re on the open road without risk of police or other vehicles, I’ll go as fast as I normally do. I have a feeling that she’ll enjoy it.
By the time I get to an open stretch of road, my hand is itching to pull back on the throttle. There’s nothing like being out on the road. This is my happy place, and right now, I have a woman who is well on her way to becoming my happy place with me.
When I finally let loose and speed up, I hear Lilah’s giggle. I was right in thinking she’d love this. I’m going to have to take her out every chance I get. I’ll start taking her to work and picking her up. Plus, if anyone at the MC asks about it, sayingthat I’m just keeping up the relationship act to make sure she’s safe isn’t a lie.
It’s not my fault that Lilah’s personality is infectious. Nor is it my fault that she’s so fun to be around. This is just me going above and beyond.
The ride is indulgent. I take her nearly half an hour into the desert surrounding our little town before turning back around. I make a show of revving the engine, delighting in the way that her chest vibrates against my back each time I do it.
Yeah, I definitely have to take this girl out again. She deserves all the happiness she can get.
