Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I am debating whether he will be okay with what I’m about to ask, but I am going to ask it anyway. “I get that I was confined to the clubhouse when Andrés was alive because he didn’t know Eva and I were here and finding us was a big deal. Technically, the men who were sent to buy me and Eva are still out there, and that’s an issue for us and the club. But, honestly, Void, Eva’s been outside the clubhouse walls. Andrés is gone. No one knows we’re here. To make it up to me, I just… I really want to go for a ride on your bike.”
“You… wanna go for a ride?” His eyes widen like he had no idea that was coming.
“Is that so surprising?”
He shrugs. “You’ve never mentioned it before.”
“I just wanna get out to see a little of Tampa. I’ve been here for months, but I’ve been restricted to the inside walls of the clubhouse bunker. Don’t get me wrong, I love this place, but I wanna feel the Florida sun on my skin. I wanna see the palm trees. Hell, I wanna go to Trixie’s new café!”
Void’s lips turn up the most glorious of ways. He’s generally always frowning. It’s like his face is in a permanent state of scowling. But when his face lights up, damn, he’s fucking gorgeous.
“Well, today is your lucky day.”
“It is?” My eyes widen.
Void chuckles. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me along. “I just so happen to know Trixie’s making Key lime pie today, and man does she make a good one.”
Excitement bubbles inside me while my feet struggle to keep up the rapid pace he’s walking. “You’re taking me to the café?”
“Yep, and we’re taking the scenic route.”
I let out the giddiest of giggles as we race through the clubhouse toward the exit, passing Nycto on the way.
“Where you off to in such a hurry?” Nycto grunts.
“Taking Ivy for a ride,” Void calls back.
“‘Bout fuckin’ time,” Nycto murmurs as we scurry outside, up the concrete ramp to where all the bikes sit in a proud line of sleek metallic paint and shining chrome. They sparkle in the heat of the midday sun, almost blinding me they are so freaking brilliant in their sheen. Dash and West do a great job maintaining the polish on all these bad boys.
Void leads me over to his ride. When he stands next to it proudly, I draw my bottom lip in with my teeth. Grabbing a helmet from the fence, he hands it to me. “You need to wear this, Ivy.”
“We really doing this?” I bounce up on my toes.
Void steps close, placing the helmet over my long, chestnut hair. His eyes meet mine, while one corner of his lips turns up in the most devilishly gorgeous way. “Yeah, we are. I have to admit, you being excited like this is fucking adorable.” He does the strap up firmly under my chin, then gently taps the top. “There… nice and safe.”
I crinkle my nose as he throws a leg over his ride, the move making my insides quiver because I’ve never seen a simple movement be so sexy in all my life. The way his strong, thick hands grip the handlebars to the way his shoulder muscles pull tensing with the positioning of his arms, he’s fucking intense, but it’s a sight I need to witness more often. My thighs clench together to dull the ache forming between my legs. I’m not a stranger to this feeling, I’ve been turned on plenty of times. Being a virgin doesn’t mean I’m not attuned to my body. I am all too aware when something or someone is turning me on, and Void on his bike ready to ride like this is definitely turning me on.
“You gonna hop on behind me, sweet thing?”
I raise my brow. “Sweet thing?”
“Yes, because you’re super sweet, but don’t worry, I am all too aware you’re strong enough to break my teeth like taffy if I’m not careful. Now stop delaying and get your sexy ass in behind me.”
I smirk, secretly loving my new pet name. Moving in, my leg shifts over the bike as I jostle into position behind him. My arms wrap around his toned waist, and I hold on probably tighter than I should, but I haven’t had the opportunity to hold Void, as in really hold him, so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
“Hold on the whole time, Ivy. Move with me. No jerky movements or letting go. Got it?”
“Mm-hmm,” I murmur, a sudden flush crossing my cheeks for no apparent reason.
“You’re not scared, are you?” he asks, turning back to me.
Being wrapped around him, my front pressed to his back, the power of his machine beneath me, and the excitement of what’s to come is all a little, well, arousing for me. My clit seems to be throbbing in my panties as images of Void taking my virginity on this bike race through my mind. “No… not scared.”
Void grins. “Good. I didn’t think you, little miss tenacity, would be scared of a bike.” He faces the front, turning the engine over, the motor roaring to life, sending the vibration all the way through to my bones. The energy seeps into my very soul as I clench my eyes tight, taking in the endorphins that seem to be racing through me.
“Holy hell,” I whisper, more about the fact my arousal is now in overdrive than anything else.
“I knew you’d love this, Ivy,” Void calls out over the dulcet purring of the engine droning through the midday air.
Void reverses the bike, then slowly rides toward the gate where West’s manning it. He pulls the gate open for us, we ride through making our way past the wrought iron fence, then Void hammers down, unleashing the bike’s full potential.
We speed off down the road at terminal velocity, which forces a loud squeal to escape me. I grip onto Void tighter and can feel his torso moving up and down with his laughter.
My hair whips behind me in the breeze as calm rolls through me. My eyes water a little from the windburn, but they soon adjust, then I take the time to admire the beauty that is Tampa. With my need to be secluded from the world by hiding out in the Brick Cell, I’d forgotten what it was like to be out in the sun, and to take in the fact there’s a huge, wild world out here I was hiding away from. I’d gotten so caught up in the fact I didn’t want the life I had in Cuba, that I’d made my life here all about being secluded and sheltering myself away.
From the outside world.
From the other members of the club.
Sure, I have my sister, Dash, and Void, but I hardly talk to anyone else. I mean, I do, but only when absolutely necessary. I hardly ever come upstairs from the bunker. I found my home down there, but only because I was trying not to be the person I once was. In trying to find someone new within myself, I’ve created a person I’m not sure is completely healthy.
I need to get out more.
Talk to people.
Create a life that’s not all gloom and doom.
Sure, I’m probably going to stay in my little bunker since I feel safe down there, but I do need to get to know the other members of the club, and I have to be more involved. If I’m going to be a Royal Bastard, I need to embrace the lifestyle, embrace the family, and it’s taken being on the back of Void’s bike to show me that fact.
I can’t help but snuggle into Void’s back, needing to be closer to him. He’s opening my eyes to so much today. Sure, if he wasn’t being an asshole to begin with, I wouldn’t even be here right now, but I’m finding it very hard not to wipe that slate clean with all the endorphins coursing through my veins.