Page 18 of Ruthless

After that, even Donna accepted that she wasn’t going to find any legal restrictions, and the other staff said nothing. If anything, they found the bikers exerted a good influence on the kids. Jett and Ronan were polite to the teachers and staff and, other than their appearance, did nothing that would make them seem rebellious. Ronan’s cordial manner and Jett’s ingrained flirtation contrasted with their biker colors and the nasty growl their bikes made. If it hadn’t been for the bikes and attire, they’d have been model parents, even if they were just uncles.

That first day, when Ronan had plunked her down on his bike, the other kids had watched enviously. Now, every day some of the children would gather round.

“That’s a cool bike,” one said.

Perched on the seat, a proud Kayla surveyed her rapt audience. “It’s a Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer,” she told them, looking officious. “It has a 1550cc engine with Samson fishtail pipes, which is why it sounds so cool.”

Ronan laughed at her. “You stay put and hold court for a minute while I take care of some business.”

“What business? Our business is fixing motorcycles.”

“Personal business,” said Jett, ruffling her hair as he walked by, following Ronan.

Tessa eyed them curiously as they walked up to her, their gazes capturing hers. “Hello again, Tessa. I hope I’m not out of line, but I wanted to thank you for being so good to Kayla. She adores you,” said Ronan.

“I think she might like you better than us,” said Jett with a faux pout.

The praise caught her off balance. “Thank you.”

“Beyond that, I’ve enjoyed our brief chats.”

“So have I.”

“Me too,” said Jett.

“Wonderful, because I… we’d like to get to know you better. We’d like you to get to know us better.”

With her mind reeling and her heart suddenly pounding, she stared at Ronan. “Did you have something in mind?”

“I’d like to take you for a ride.”

“A ride?”

Jett nodded. “Me too.”

“Are you a parrot?” teased Ronan, who looked a little nervous.

Jett nudged him in the side with his elbow.

Ronan used his thumb to point over his shoulder. “On my bike. Tomorrow is Saturday. The weather report says it’s supposed to be a gorgeous day. If you don’t have plans, we’d like to take you on a ride up the coast to a little place that has the world’s best burgers.”

His intense look as he waited for her to answer made her wonder if he sensed the combination of excitement and nervousness the idea aroused in her. She saw Jett was hanging on for her answer with equal anticipation. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”

“Wonderful. I can introduce you to something new.”

“Or I can,” said Jett. “You can ride with me if you prefer.”

“I mean, I don’t know what to do.” The idea of taking both of them for a ride… um, riding with them, left her feeling a little giddy.

“For the passenger, there isn’t even a learning curve. You just sit comfortably behind me and hold on,” said Ronan.

Her head spun. Ronan wanted her on the back of his bike, and so did Jett. She knew enough to know that when she held on, it meant having her arms wrapped around their waists as they tore through the streets. The idea of putting her arms around either of them sounded wonderful, but their invitation also embarrassed her. It seemed silly, but it bothered her to have to admit to them that she had no plans for the weekend at all. “I don’t know.”

“I understand that it’s sudden, unfairly short notice, but the idea just occurred to me. If you can’t, I understand, but if you have something booked that you can cancel, I would love to show you how this place looks from a powerful motorcycle. It’s quite an experience.” Ronan winked. “It would even help you understand Kayla a bit better—her love of motorcycles, if nothing else.”

There was more than a grain of truth in that. “I do have some things…”

“Organize your day.” He handed her a business card. “See if you can’t move things, condense things, so we can have an hour or two. Day or night, morning or afternoon, whatever suits you.” Jett nodded to indicate his agreement.

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