Page 52 of Rider Forbidden
“Oh . . . oh sorry!”
I break off from the kiss to see Sophie walking in. Shit. Bad timing. I'm breathing heavily, trying to control myself and stop my dick from getting hard - something I have to do quite a lot around Robyn.
I look down at Robyn - she looks like a deer caught in someone’s headlights. So what, its only Sophie that’s caught us, not her dad.
Robyn speaks “God Sophie, sorry . . . I don't know what came over me.”
I can't resist. “What? It didn't get that far!”
Sophie knowing me all too well rolls her eyes. “Funny Jack. Now get out so I can talk to Robyn about what I’ve just witnessed.”
“All right I'm going, I'm going.”
I go back to the pit, pissed off that I haven't got any further about who she was out with last night.
Chapter 17
Robyn
Sophie gives me a wide-eyed look as Jack leaves the room. What am I doing? He just insulted me, told me I was being easy, and I ended up kissing him as though my life depended on it. How exactly did that happen? Ihatehim right now. He said some horrible things. Why can’t he just stay out of my way? The thing is, I’ve seen the sweet side of him - the one he prefers to keep hidden. The way he’s been with me, that first meeting before he knew who I was. He was so nice to me that night. He comes across as a wolf, and maybe he’s a wolf most of the time, but there is a sheep in there too - I’ve seen it.
I shake my head at her. “Don’t . . . just don’t ask.”
“You can't expect me not to ask. God that was hot, if I’d have been any later what exactly could I have walked in on? And what if it wasn't me - what if it was your dad?”
I shiver just thinking about it. Any normal dad wouldn't like walking in to see his daughter wrapped around a bad boy - but my dad? Well, he takes overprotectiveness and interfering to a whole new level!
“Don’t even joke about that Sophie. It was a one-off - he has me that I don't know what I'm doing.”
“Don't all men we like have us like that?”
“I don't like him - I can’t. It's not an option. If someone was to create a person that was the worst possible for Elijah and me, they would give me Jack Cutler. He’s a no go. If I was looking, which I'm not, I wouldn't look in his direction.”
She doesn't believe a word of it, it's written all over her face. “I think you're in denial honey. You're as into him as he is into you. I’ve never seen Jack like this with a girl ever. He is normally done straight away and they're chasing him, thinking they'll be the one that gets in there, that they can change him. They never do. But with you, he’s different, he goes softer when he’s near you, I think you could have him wrapped around your little finger if you wanted to.”
She has no idea. He has just been so mean to me. We’re done - if we were ever anything - which we weren't.
“I don't want him to wrap around any part of me.”Come on Robyn, you know that’s not true. “Come on, let’s get to work.”
I sit down and try to make sense of all the numbers swimming around.
An hour later I'm still no further on, my head is swimming. I think about Bobby last night. I just don't know what to make of the whole thing - he seems like he’s changed. He said that he feels the worst for not being in Eli’s life and wants to make up for it now - wants to meet him, be in his life. I now know that Bobby went in the RAF, which surprised me, he’d never even mentioned that to me. He came out a year ago with a leg injury. He said that it took seeing me again to jolt him into action.
He seemed so different from the Bobby I remembered. Maybe I’d built him into this monster in my head - to make it easier to deal with the fact that he didn't want to know the most amazing kid in the world. It doesn’t matter how nice he comes across now though, does it? He abandoned me six years ago when I wasn't asking for anything from him other than being a dad. He couldn't be that person he said. Well really? Because I was over the moon I was pregnant and had nobody and nowhere to go, but you know what? I got on with it. What a coward.
So this is where I'm at. Swinging in the favour of getting to know him, maybe eventually introducing him to Elijah when I know him a little better, and then just pure anger because for four years Elijah hasn’t even known he exists - when he had a way to contact me.
He has a fiancé - they're due to get married next year. He’s told her all about Elijah and she is more than happy to include him in their life. The whole idea of it makes me feel sick. So let's say down the line in a couple of years, Bobby is going for ‘dad of the year’ award - his fiancé but now wife is perfect and they have a perfect little family life when he goes to visit them, but then he comes back to me, just me, alone. I just hate that that’s how it could be. But unlike him, I will put Elijah first - as any decent parent would. And the fact that he could have that? Instead of just me - well I need to at least keep my mind open. I’ll see what dad comes back with, if he comes up clean then I’ll go round to his place to meet his fiancé as he asked. I’ve left it that I’ll be in touch.
Then there’s Jack, he hurt me today - how could he be so mean to me and how the hell could he think I would go on a date so soon? Not that it's even any of his business if I did go on a date. We weren't seeing each other. God, it makes me so mad to think about him, but then kinda makes me ache inside when I think of last week, and how we gelled, how we got on, both in bed and out of it. He was great. But he has this side to him, one that can hurt. I hate that my body responded to him like it did. I'm getting zero work done today. Sophie went out earlier, she had an appointment. I check the time how can it only be twelve-thirty? He'll be riding now - a little sneaky peek won't hurt.
I arrive at the track and sit in the pit watching the screens - he’s out on his bike looking magnificent.
I turn to Jock “How’s it going today?”
“Hey sweetheart. Its good - bikes running smooth, Jacks not in the best mood, but we’re all ignoring him. How are you? Recovered from Spain yet?”
I laugh “Just about. Although I think I’ll need another week of early nights before I'm fully back to normal.”
