I did as instructed, only this time I didn’t press myself against his back like my life depended on it. No, I needed to be professional, and this was so far from what co-workers should be doing together.
A startling thought came to me. If I had gotten pregnant in high school, Walker could be my child. The notion made me sick to my stomach, and I tried to keep the Chinese I’d just consumed down. Maybe this was what I needed to keep the line written in the sand. Walker wasn’t the one for me. He wasn’t even available as a one-night stand. No, Walker Pierce was just a boy I was crazy attracted to but could do nothing about.
As if he knew I was thinking about him, Walker looked over his shoulder at me. I was sure I looked like a crazy person with my ponytail whipping in the wind and a smile that was so big it would be categorized as psychotic, but I didn’t care. I’d learned something tonight. I liked riding on the back of a Harley.
He sped up, and soon we were flying up and down hills like they were our own private roller coaster, giving my stomach a run for its money. I laughed, holding onto him tighter as he took a curve without slowing down. “You’re crazy,” I yelled, but I wasn’t sure if he could hear me with how loud the wind and the bike were. If he did hear me, it only spurred him on. Walker went faster. The wind pulled at my clothes, and a chill started to set in, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Who knew the next time I’d have this kind of fun again, if ever?
I hugged myself closer to Walker. My chest was to his warm, broad back, my legs on the outside of his thick thighs, and I gripped his belt loops.
Far too soon, Walker pulled up in front of his house, and I was sad our time was over. I could have stayed on the back of his bike with my body wrapped around his for the rest of the night. I didn’t think about whether my tires were fixed or about getting back home. My only thoughts were of feeling carefree as we zipped down the road.
Even though Walker was young, he was surprisingly a gentleman. I couldn’t remember the last time any guy held open a door for me. Each time I had to get on or off his bike, he held out his hand for me to use. He opened the door at the restaurant for me and didn’t let any of the guys go through until I was inside.
After helping me off his bike, Walker took out his phone and turned on the flashlight as he walked toward my car. “I hate to tell you this, but they haven’t fixed your tires yet.” He turned to look at me with his head bent down, still looking at one of my flat tires. His dark hair hung like a curtain over his eyes, and I wanted to push it out of the way and feel if his hair was as soft as it looked. “If you want, you can stay here tonight. I can sleep on the couch, and you can take my bed.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can…” But what could I do? I could go to a hotel, but that would mean someone would have to drive me, and that seemed pretty rude when he offered to let me stay.
“Stay,” he placed his hand on my arm and then quickly removed it as if I’d burned him. “I promise no one will touch you while you’re here.”
“I’m not worried about anyone doing anything. I can handle myself.”
“I’m sure you can,” Walker retorted. “Come on. Don’t you want to hang out with us and celebrate? We might even have a bottle of wine in the fridge.”
Doubtful, and if they did, I was sure it wouldn’t be any good.
Putting my hands on my hips, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do I look like some prissy-ass bitch? I can drink beer or whatever else you got with the best of them.”
Walker held his hands up. A slow smirk started across his chiseled face. “Not one bit, but you may have to prove it to the other guys.”
“Maybe you guys need to prove yourselves to me,” I shot back. I had a feeling I was going to regret staying here tonight, but I wasn’t going to back down from a challenge.
We were standing at the front door with Walker unlocking it when Cross and Kenton pulled up.
“Are you hanging out more?” Cross looked to Walker with wide eyes.
“It looks like it. My tires are still flat, and your buddy here offered to let me stay so I don’t have to drive home late at night.” It was everything I could do not to laugh as both the guys looked to Walker like he’d lost his ever-loving mind.
“Cool. Cool, um… there might be some other people joining us… soon.” Cross bit the inside of his cheek. “We thought tonight was a celebration and invited people over on the way home.”
“And you don’t want to be seen with me?”
“Oh no, nothing like that, but we might not exactly be on our best behavior.” Cross glanced at Kenton and then Walker. “We don’t want to do anything to sabotage our chance at a contract.”
It was sweet that they were worried. “Unless you do bodily harm to me, yourself, or others, I think we’ll be fine. I may be old, but I can hang.”
Walker opened the front door, and we all filed inside. In all the times I’d been here for practice, I’d never been inside. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I pictured it in my head. With how rundown the outside was, I thought the same would be true for the inside. It wasn’t the Taj Mahal, but what little furniture they did have was decent. The most shocking thing was the entire place wasn’t littered with beer bottles and pizza boxes.
Was it possible these boys were this clean all the time?
“I know what you’re thinking, and no, it doesn’t usually look like this. Kenton’s mom was here over the weekend, and she cleaned up the place.”
I sat down on the slightly deflated but still comfortable black leather couch. “I was starting to think you boys were too good to be true. Don’t worry; I won’t think too badly of you. I remember what my place looked like when I was in my twenties.”
Kenton reeled back. “Wow, wait a minute. Are you telling me you’re not in your twenties?”
“It’s sweet of you to think I’m in my twenties, but no.” I looked at Walker. “Where’s that beer you said you were going to give me?”
“Oh, shit, Pen is going to party with us. Tonight is going to be epic.” Cross shot up and clapped his hands. “Four beers, coming right up.”
“You’re going to regret opening your mouth,” Kenton laughed.
“Nah, I’ll be fine.” I swiveled to look at Walker, who was perched on the other side of the couch, to find him already looking at me. The corners of his mouth were turned down as he stared at me with his fathomless dark eyes. “What?” I mouthed.
“How old are you?”
“Haven’t you ever been told it’s not polite to ask a lady her age? It’s rude,” I reprimanded him, evading the question.
“It’s not to insult you. You look…” he shrugged and bit down on his thumbnail. “I don’t know. All of twenty-seven, maybe twenty-eight, if that. So, tell me, how old are you, really.”
“Maybe, just maybe, you’ll get me drunk enough to find out.” I didn’t tell him not to count on it because there was no way in hell I was telling them how old I was.
CHAPTER SIX
walker
Pen took a long swallow of her beer and then laughed at something either Cross or Kenton said. I wasn’t sure what was said because I wasn’t paying attention to them. I couldn’t stop watching Pen. Fuck, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. It didn’t go unnoticed that she clammed up about her age earlier, but I didn’t care how old she was. Pen was hot. Hotter than hot. She was smoking, and any guy would be lucky to have her. I would gladly get burned by her flame if she let me.