Page 6 of Riding Hard

I shrug. “No. I’ve been trying to get away from the drug money for years. I’m excited to make my own living and be free of that life. I wish the same for my dad, but I know he’ll die doing what he’s always done.”

Diesel stares toward me for a long while before his rough hand brushes over mine and pulls me closer. “Whatever happens, you’re safe here with me.”

I know for a fact those words have never been uttered in my direction before.

Safe. I’m safe. The concept is foreign to me.

My head lands on Diesel’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just thankful, I guess. I mean, my mom died when I was young and my dad raised me. When I was little, I didn’t know any better, but around the time I turned four, I remember hearing gunshots in my sleep and being terrified.” I chuckle. “My father is not the touchy-feely make you better type. He’s the… your door is locked so go back to bed type. I guess I’ve never had someone tell me that I’m safe. It’s nice.”

It’s more than nice. It’s like a drug coursing through my veins at hyper speed and I know the addiction is going to settle in straight away.

I lift my head from his shoulder and stare up at him, pushing away every dirty thought of Diesel I’ve had since he stepped into the shop earlier, but they don’t leave, and my heart won’t stop fluttering.

His giant hand grazes the side of my face, and he leans in. “You deserve to be protected. Now buckle up.”

We hold a stare for far too long and I swear in those moments I see a part of him warming to me, but that’s not reality. That’s my head imagining things up to make sense of the kindness a man is showing me, which apparently, I’m not used to.

Yet another reason clit should win. Mind can’t be trusted.

Diesel is hot. There’s no denying it. But he’s still Amber’s dad, and I can’t bethatgirl. Besides, Diesel could have anyone. I’m sure he’s not even thinking of me that way. He’s holding me because to him, I’m a scared little girl, and not a sexy goddess who he can’t keep his hands off.

“Diesel,” I glance back toward him, “can we keep all of this to ourselves, at least for now?”

He squeezes my hand with his. “Of course.”

I close my eyes and lean my head against the cool window as he backs the truck out onto the road. A few seconds go by, and the rainstorm only gets heavier. It’s followed by a crack of lightning that makes me jump, but as Diesel’s rough hand clutches mine a second time, I’m convinced again that I’m safe from almost everything.

Everything, but myself.

Chapter Four

Diesel

We’ve only been in the house for an hour, but already I’m crawling out of my skin. Suddenly, the three thousand square foot cabin that I’m usually swallowed up in isn’t big enough. The halls are short, the walls are thin, and I swear I can smell her scent radiating from the floorboards.

I need some fucking help. A serious professional with a background in perversion. I pull out my phone to Google what the hell is wrong with me, but I’m stopped by an incoming call from Kane.

We co-founded the MC together, but things have been strained with us since he married my daughter, Amber. She’s about twenty years younger than him, and how I acted about that when they were getting together still irritates me to this day.

“Hey, man. Everything okay?” It’s odd for him to be calling so late.

“Yeah. Good here. Amber just wanted an update on Bella. She’s been worried sick.”

“I sent Gunner and Tex out to take care of a guy named Nico DeMarco. He’s been following Bella for a few months. They’ll drive him out of town, and we should be good. I’ve got her here in the meantime.”

“Understood. You need backup at the house? I could come over. I’m sure Amber would love to see her friend.”

I consider his offer carefully. I don’t know what a guy like Nico is capable of. Nor do I know what his motive is. He did break into her cabin last week.

I know I shouldn’t factor it in, but I felt there was some tension that was building between Bella and me. It wasn’t intentional, but it happened, and I don’t want to cause friction between Amber and her friend.

“I’ll call you guys if I need you. I think we should be okay for the night. I have security at the house, and I’m wound like a fucking wire right now. Not sure I’ll sleep much tonight, anyway.”

We exchange pleasantries and soon I’m alone in the room again. It’s times like this that I remember how lucky I am to have this brotherhood. Everyone looks out for one another. There isn’t a thing we wouldn’t do for each other, or the people of Rugged Mountain, and that’s something that goes beyond blood.