Page 17 of Falling for the Bad Boy
I did what she asked, bringing the bike to a stop in front of a set of intricate iron gates. A man in gray pants and a gray button-down shirt stepped out of a small stone structure next to the gates.
“Welcome to Sterling Shores. Who are you visiting this evening?” He held a clipboard in one hand and scribbled notes with the other.
I twisted my neck, trying to get a glimpse of Trinity behind me.
“The Ryan family. We’re expected.”
Family? Expected? What the hell had I gotten myself into? “Trinity?” I muttered.
“Enjoy your evening.” The man checked his clipboard, made a final note, then reached into the building, and the gates began to open.
I waited for a response from behind me. Trinity settled back against me. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”
She squeezed my mid-section. “Can we at least pull away from the guard shack?”
I glanced over at the security guard and lifted my hand in a wave. The guy nodded. Fine. I’d take her wherever it was she needed to go and drop her off. Whatever she had planned for this evening didn’t need to involve me, especially not if it turned into what I assumed was going to be some sort of family dinner. I’d signed up for an evening full of flirting, more of that delicious banter, and possibly ending with dessert at my place, not meeting the folks.
“Take the next right,” she said. We drove down a pristine concrete road. The houses lining the street seemed to grow larger and larger with each one we passed. “It’s at the end.”
I stopped in a cul-de-sac. The only home sat at the end. It appeared to be straight out of a movie set. Tall white columns lined a two-story porch. An American flag hung from the second story. Bushes carved into three-layered topiaries lined the sidewalk leading to the oversized front door.
“This is where you grew up?” I asked.
Trinity unfastened the helmet and climbed off the bike. Handing it to me, she reached up and pulled the elastic from her hair. Dark waves fell around her exposed shoulders. Internally, I groaned.
“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked.
“What is this? A surprise meet-the-family attack?”
She tucked her clutch under her arm and slid her sunglasses onto her head. “I just need to put in an appearance, then we’ll be on our way.”
I shook my head and kicked the kickstand up. “Not what I signed up for, sorry. Let’s take a rain check on dinner, shall we?”
Her hand gripped my arm. “Just for a minute?”
Something in her tone made me stop. There was fear behind the usual sparkle in her eye. Whatever waited for her inside the outrageous display of wealth had her scared enough to have tricked me into coming here. Maybe she needed backup. My protective instincts bristled.
“I’m not getting off this bike until you tell me what’s going on.” My grip on the handlebars tightened.
“Fine. I knew if I told you upfront that I had dinner plans with my parents you’d say no.”
“So you tricked me into coming with you? That’s a class-act.”
“I promise I’ll make it worth your while, I just?—”
“Trinity.” A woman dressed in a silver and white dress stood in the doorway. “Darling, don’t keep us waiting. Everyone is so eager to see you.”
Trinity looked to me. The confident, sarcastic, sexy woman I’d been dreaming about since Monday night was gone. She still looked the same on the outside. Same killer body. Same bright green eyes. But the light inside her had dimmed. The look in her eyes slayed me. What was she so afraid of? I didn’t owe it to her or anyone else to stick around and find out.
Her hand squeezed my arm. An undercurrent pulsed between us. She lifted her head, meeting my gaze.
“Please?”
CHAPTER 8
Trinity
