Page 17 of Caden

She felt his thumb slide in alongside her jaw for a moment and press against something inside the helmet then it was gone.

“All right, let me get on, then I’ll show you where to put your feet. Mind these pipes here.” He pointed to thick shiny silver tubing near the tire. “That’s the exhaust. It gets really hot and will burn you in heartbeat.”

She nodded and waited while he threw one leg over the seat and settled on to the bike then with first one foot then the other, he used the heel of his boot to kick down a fold out peg.

“Put your foot here and throw the other over, just like you were getting on a horse or bicycle. Put your feet on the pegs and make sure you’re not touching the exhaust.”

She did as he instructed, bracing her hands on his shoulders as she settled on to the bike then dropped her hands to rest on her upraised knees.

“You’ll want to hold onto me until you get a hang of it. Let your body follow mine. If I lean, lean with me, not against, it might seem counterintuitive, but trust me, okay?”

She nodded then realized he couldn’t see her. “Okay.”

He turned the key and started the motorcycle. The roar of the engine was muffled by the helmet, and she couldn’t help but be glad she had it on, even if it was heavy and meant she couldn’t hear Caden well. She probably wouldn’t be able to hear him with the bike running anyway.

“Ready?” His voice was oddly disembodied, but clear.

It only took her a moment to realize there was some kind of radio system built into the helmet.

“Ready.” She wrapped her arms around his middle and held on. Excitement bubbled through her as they started moving, then went a little faster.

“Remember to lean with me, not against,” he said as he leaned into a turn.

She did as he said, but couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if they would tip over and end up rolling along the road like bowling pins. But as they pulled out of the turn, the bike leaned upright once more, sending relief washing through her.

The ride didn’t take long. Not more than ten minutes had passed before Caden pulled into a fenced yard around a large warehouse where several bikes lined up in front of the building and even more cars and trucks of various ages and states of repair lined the fence across from the building. They pulled in and he turned the bike to face the cars then walked it backwards. She started to move, sure it would be easier for him if she wasn’t sitting on the bike, but he spoke.

“Don’t move, this won’t take long, and I don’t want you accidently hurt.” He finished backing the bike into line with the others then killed the engine. “All right, step off, careful of the pipes though.” He waited until she had dismounted then swung his leg back and over the seat. Once he stood beside her, he lifted his helmet off, hung it on the handlebars and turned to her. “Got it?”

“Yep!” she said as she found the clasp and released the chin strap, then lifted the helmet off her head and handed it back to him while she shook out her hair.

“Good. Come on. Let’s go inside. You can meet my friends and their families.”

13

Caden introduced Olivia to some of his brothers as they moved through the clubhouse. After a few minutes they met Cowboy and Ava.

“This is Cowboy,” he said as introduction, “he’s the club president, and his woman, Ava.” Caden turned to his president, “This is Olivia.”

They exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a few minutes before moving on. After a bit, he found them a table and they sat.

“Wow, this is a lot of people,” Olivia said looking around the large room. “Do you do this often?”

“What do you mean?”

“Get together like this.” She swirled one finger in the air, indicating everyone in the place.

“We’re starting to,” he said with a slow nod. “But it’s a recent change. We had some trouble last year, but that was before Cowboy became president. He’s made a lot of changes, and these barbeques are just one of them.”

“You like him, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do.” He didn’t bother to try to keep his gaze from seeking out the newish club leader. Cowboy was making his way from brother to brother, checking on them, making sure everything was good and they felt recognized. Cowboy was a far better president than Tank had been. He had the best interest of the club in mind, not just what he wanted done or his personal vendettas.

“Do you like all the members of your club?”

“Brothers, we call each other brothers. And not all of them, but most. There are a few I don’t have much to do with for one reason or another.” He frowned. “Why?”

“Just curious.” She covered his hand with hers and let it rest there.