She shook her head.
“We’ll take a ride.” While he missed having his own wheels, he couldn’t complain about the beauty Tank had built. In fact, he planned to stop by the bike shop later on and hand him a fat stack of cash to lease it until he got his own motorcycle from the sheriff’s department.
Taking Aarica by the hand, he led her from the clubhouse. The sky was the perfect cloudless blue to ride beneath, and the air crisp with the tang of the mountains.
He knew right where he’d take her—to the place where they’d met.
Once they were seated on the bike and her arms were wrapped tight around his waist, words started to tumble out of her. It seemed having the intercom in their helmets provided the link she needed, and who knew he enjoyed talking so much when he rode?
As they rolled out of Mersey, headed toward the Smokies, she told him about all five of her male cousins and a few of the others she’d grown up seeing. One in particular had some learning disabilities, and that had set her on her path here to work with the Post boy.
Patriot listened to everything she said and a lot she didn’t say. Reading more into her words was easy when his heart had opened up completely to the woman. Hearing her dreams and ideas filtered through her perception of the world meant he felt more attached to her.
When he finally turned into a scenic lookout and he parked, they both sat there a minute.
“C’mon. Let’s walk.” He waited for her to climb off the bike. She removed the helmet and fluffed her hair out over her shoulders. The pink in her cheeks tugged at an invisible cord connected to his cock. Whatever happened, he would not be bending her over his bike out here at the scenic lookout.
They hung their helmets on the handlebars, and then hand in hand, walked over to the rail of the lookout.
“It’s breathtaking,” she whispered. “The way the greens are so different, each complementing the rest of the greens, but the shades stand out in their own individual beauty.”
He watched her face as she stated this. He could barely tear his gaze from her to notice the view, but he did look for her sake. She was right that the greens created sweeping outlines of each elevation, growing almost black in the distance before converging with the sky. Orange and gold rays of light fanned across the land.
Reaching out, he slipped the pad of his thumb along her lower lip. A soft rush of air crossed his thumb, and her eyes took on a faraway expression he recognized so well now.
They moved in at the same time. Their mouths met in a soft, seeking kiss. When he thumbed the corner of her mouth downward to plunder her, she swayed into his arms and gripped the open edge of his leather jacket.
The soft interior of her mouth against the insistent hardness of his tongue drew moans from them both. She wiggled close, wrapping a thigh around his hip. Inches away from his steely cock nestled the slick heat he wanted to bury himself in so damn much.
Before he compromised her out here in the open, he withdrew. That dazed expression slowly faded in her eyes, and she rested her head against his chest. They stood embracing until his blood cooled enough.
“I’m glad we came here. I wanted to speak with you too.” Why did his voice sound so gritty?
She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “About what?”
How to say any of the feelings rushing through his heart? He wasn’t good with words—he was a man of action.
Holding her by the upper arms, he stared down at her. That tingle of emotions around his heart had spread so much since that night she tumbled into his arms and begged him to touch her. When their paths kept crossing and she showed him she would stand at his side through thick and thin, he realized that she’d become the center of his world.
“Do you understand what a property patch means in the MC?” Hell, he’d just jumped right in, hadn’t he? Probably scare the hell out of her.
Her brows creased, giving her such an adorable look that he found himself thinking up other ways to perplex her.
“It means you’re property of the club, I’m guessing.”
He nodded. “In a way. But if I give you the property patch, then it binds us. You’re my property.”
She blinked rapidly. “I don’t know if I approve of that.”
“Its meaning depends on the couple, I suppose. For me, it means that no other man can put his hands on you. It means that I’ll protect you until my heart stops beating, and then my brothers will do it for me.”
“Like family.” Her whisper left the short hairs on his nape standing on end.
“Exactly like family.” His response came out with a vehemence born of love for his brotherhood and all it stood for.
She drew free of his arms and turned to the view. He studied her profile, waiting for her to come to some conclusion. If she chose to refuse his patch, then he understood—but that didn’t mean he’d give up on her.
“You know I was drawn to you from the first moment I saw you at that campsite. Something about you being alone… Though you were with friends, you held yourself apart from them in a way I came to understand later once I knew you better.” Her words came out quiet, and he leaned closer to hear.
She went on, “At the same time I saw you alone, I just knew I was meant to be with you. After our first encounter, I thought I was only supposed to touch your world briefly, for a few fleeting, stolen minutes. Then I met you again and again and again…and I saw your brothers in the club and how close you all are. That’s when I realized why I’m so drawn to you. It isn’t just you—it’s all you stand for and all you have to offer.”
She turned to him, and the glowing intensity in her eyes was a lightning zap to his system.
“I come from a big, protective family. I left them to find something for myself…and ended up finding it again with you.” She stepped into his arms, and he felt the quiver of her body.
Tightening his arms around her, he inhaled the rich scent of her shampoo. “Does that mean…” It was too much to hope for, and the words wouldn’t dislodge from his chest.
“Yes, I want that patch, Patriot. More than anything. But on one big condition.” She met his stare.
“Anything.”
“I help organize the fundraisers—especially the upcoming one for autism. You see, that’s what I’ve decided to do with my life. Working with Jay really showed me that I’m on the right path, and I want to learn more and do more with people who face challenges such as his.”
“God, baby. You’re so damn incredible. Do you know that?”
She buried her face against his chest as if embarrassed by his praise. “I’m just passionate about helping these people is all.”
Using a knuckle beneath her chin, he raised her face to his. When he lowered his mouth to hers, their kiss instantly shot from 0 to 100 mph in a single flip of her tongue against his. With a growl, he bent her over his arm and worked on stealing all the little whimpering sounds she made for him.
Chapter Nine
The strains of carnival music drifted to Aarica before the roar of motorcycle engines ever died down. She craned her neck to see around Patriot’s broad back for a peek at the fairgrounds.
Some of the rides were already in motion, whirling without fair-goers in the seats, as they got warmed up for the upcoming event.