Don't Let Go (11 page)

MEGAN HAD BEEN
up very early that Saturday morning. She'd arranged for her assistant, Stacy, to run the bakery for the day, but Megan had gone there before dawn to do all the baking and make sure everything was set out and ready to go. All Stacy had to do was run the register, clean up after, and lock up. Satisfied that everything was in order, Megan headed home to clean up and get ready.

They were taking off early, and the mornings were still a little cool, so Megan had dressed in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. She pulled her leather jacket out of her closet, and when she heard the rumble of Brady's motorcycle pulling into her driveway, she went outside to greet him.

She was shocked to see Roxie tucked into a basket affixed to the luggage rack on the back of the bike. And she had her chicken in her mouth as well.

Hilarious. And adorable.

And damn, did the man look sexy. He leaned against the bike, his long legs encased in dark jeans, his boots peeking out from under the hem of his jeans. He wore a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses and oh, did
everything female in her react to him as she made her way to the bike.

“Hi, cutie,” she said, leaning over to ruffle her fingers over Roxie's fur. “And you found goggles for her.”

“Yeah. We've been on the bike a few times. She loves it.”

“Of course she does.”

He pushed off the bike and reached into the saddlebag to pull out a helmet. “You ready for today?”

“I'm excited.”

“Good. The poker run starts at one of the motorcycle dealerships in Tulsa. We'll pick up our cards and instructions there.”

She put on her helmet and glasses.

Brady took a moment to check the tightness of her helmet and finish zipping up her jacket, his fingers lingering on her zipper. She was caught in his gaze, his mirrored sunglasses revealing nothing. But his body was close and his knuckles rested on her breasts.

“You look hot today, Megan.”

Her heart started to thump in a fast rhythm.

“So do you, Brady.”

He brushed his lips across hers, the briefest of kisses, but enough to fire her up and make her wish they could just go inside, strip off their leather jackets, and . . .

Well, more than just their leather jackets, actually.

“Guess we should go,” he said.

“I guess we should.”

Brady climbed on the bike, and she got on the seat behind him. She leaned into him, inhaling the delicious combination of leather and man. Tingles of awareness skittered down her spine as he fired up the bike, the vibrations hitting her most sensitive spots.

Oh, yes. She was more than ready for today.

He took off down the road, and she enjoyed the cool spring air blowing on her face. She peered around Brady and caught sight of Roxie, her face turned toward the front of the bike, her little ears blowing in the breeze, her chicken covered in puppy drool.

She looked comfortable, at ease, like she was having the time of her life being on the bike.

Megan agreed. It had been years since she'd been on a motorcycle, and she'd forgotten how freeing it was. Riding on a motorcycle was nothing like being in a car. She was exposed to the air, felt the thundering power and rumble of the bike as it moved down the road. She felt at one with nature, and she was so thankful that Brady took the back roads into the city instead of the highway. In this way she could take in every sight and sound, could breathe in the smells of nature, could enjoy the sights of deer and cattle instead of concrete.

It took them a little longer, but at one of the stop signs Brady told her they had plenty of time before the start of the poker run. She told him she was in no hurry, that she was his for the day. He responded by reaching back and running his hand up and down her leg.

She shuddered, her anticipation growing by every second.

They finally reached the dealership, and Megan was surprised by the turnout. It was a sea of motorcycles. Brady parked and they climbed off the bikes, shedding their helmets and sunglasses. He got Roxie off the bike and tethered her leash to her harness.

“This charity event is always a big one,” he explained. “Which not only means a big win for the charity in terms of how much they take in—the potential pot for winners is larger.”

“Explain to me how it works,” she said as they made their way inside, Roxie wandering between them.

“We'll get instructions and a map to five locations. Each entrant gets five poker cards—you pull one at each location. The idea is to make a poker hand. You can also buy more hands if you like. Obviously, the more hands you play, the better chance you have to put together a winning hand.”

“I see.”

“I've entered both of us, so at each location, each of us will pull a card.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you. I'm excited now.”

“At the end of the run we turn in our hands, and by a certain time period today the poker run ends and they tally up who wins. There's a cash jackpot, usually with a certain number of winners determined by the value of the hands. Plus there are sponsors involved who donate prizes as well.”

“Sounds exciting. We're going to win, right?”

His lips curved. “Hell yeah.”

He led her inside and they went to the registration desk. Brady gave his name and pulled out his wallet.

“I can pay for mine,” she said.

Brady slanted her a look. “I invited you. I'm paying.”

“Okay.”

“I thought we'd each get an extra hand. Double our chances of winning.”

She smiled at him. “If you say so. I'm game for anything today.”

“That's what I wanna hear.”

After registration, they headed over to a table where there was coffee and donuts. Megan fixed a cup of coffee, then couldn't resist a sprinkled donut. Brady grabbed coffee and a donut as well. They mingled with the other participants, and several people waved at Brady, so he wandered over to talk.

They ended up in a group of about six people—four guys and two girls. Brady introduced her to all of them, though she wasn't sure she'd remember all their names. She knew the women were Penny and Donna. Penny was a tall, slender blonde, and Donna was shorter and curvier and had the most beautiful long red hair pulled into a braid.

So while the guys talked about bikes and paint schemes and engine things that made no sense to Megan, she engaged the women in conversation.

“Do you do events like this often?” she asked.

Donna nodded. “Several times a year. Anything to be on the bikes.”

“Is this your first time?” Penny asked her.

“For a poker run? Yes. I'm very excited.”

Donna grinned. “And you're with Brady?”

She wasn't sure how to answer that. “For today I am.”

Donna seemed to accept that without asking any more questions. “You're gonna have a blast. These things are a party and a half, honey.”

“Hey, Tony,” Donna said to her guy. “Brady and Megan are gonna ride with us today, right?”

Tony, a big burly guy with a pretty lengthy dark beard, looked over at Brady. “Wanna run with us today?”

Brady nodded. “Sure.”

Donna grinned as she met Megan's gaze. “It is on, honey.”

“We're going to have so much fun,” Penny said.

Megan was already stoked. She was ready to ride. And win her poker hand.

They headed outside, and Megan took Roxie over to a grassy area for her to walk around before they climbed on their bikes and headed out.

It was incredibly noisy with all the bikes firing up at the same time. Megan felt a thrilling chill as they rode out of the parking lot together. She and Brady stayed with their group, since not everyone would travel to the same spot first. He had told her before they left that the event coordinators did this to avoid bike traffic and congestion.

Their first stop was thirty minutes away at one of the local casinos. They went inside and pulled their first cards. She got a queen and a ten, then compared hers to Brady's, who had a nine and an ace.

He grinned at her. “Good start.”

They chatted a bit with the others before Megan put Roxie back in her basket and they rode on.

Their next stop was farther south, this time at a sporting goods store.

She pulled another queen and a four. Brady got another ace and an eight.

Donna leaned over to look at their cards. “It looks like you two are both pulling winning hands.”

Megan smiled. “I hope so.”

But on their next stop, she pulled a two and a six, while Brady pulled another ace and a seven.

“I'm doomed,” she said. “You're looking really good, though.”

He had grabbed a water bowl out of his saddlebag and poured some bottled water into it for Roxie. “Maybe. It all depends on how it plays out through five cards.”

“I don't know, Brady,” Tony said. “You've got three aces already. Plus you're working on a straight. Might be your lucky day.”

Brady looked over at Megan when he answered, tilting his sunglasses down and giving her a very pointed look. “I hope so.”

She suddenly felt overly warm in her leather jacket. And how much longer was this poker run going to last, anyway?

The sporting goods store provided drinks, so they grabbed a cold one, then got back on the bike.

Their next stop was north, toward one of the bigger lakes about forty miles north of Hope. That ride that took a bit longer and gave her a chance to really enjoy the scenery. By now the sun was shining and it had grown warmer, but she was having a great time riding with all the other bikers. Having never done this before, she'd had no idea what it was like to ride with other motorcycles in front, beside, and behind her. There was a pack mentality, but everyone was courteous at keeping their distance. And she felt like she was part of the group. Occasionally Tony and Donna would pull up beside them and Donna would wave at her. Penny and her husband, Lance, would do the same.

Megan was having a great time just feeling the freedom of the bike.

They arrived at a biker bar. There were countless bikes in the parking lot, and extremely loud music poured out through the open doors. When she attached the leash to Roxie's harness, the puppy was obviously reluctant to move in the direction of the bar entrance.

“Too loud for her, I think,” Megan said. “I'll wait outside while you go in.”

Brady nodded. “I'll come take over after I get my cards.”

He disappeared inside with the group, and Megan waited outside in the parking lot. She walked Roxie to the grassy area at the end of the lot to let her wander.

“Cute dog.”

She lifted her head and found a very nice-looking guy dressed all in leathers. He was tall and lean, with long, dark hair and a silver earring in his left ear.

“Thanks.”

“Yours?”

She shook her head. “No, she belongs to my . . .”

She had no idea how to describe her relationship with Brady.

The guy cocked his head to the side. “Your . . .”

“Friend.”

The guy smiled, then squatted down to pet Roxie, who came over to him, tail wagging. “Ah. I'm Navar.”

“Megan.”

“Nice to meet you, Megan. Good day for riding.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Do you ride often?”

“No, I haven't ridden in years.”

“So, a novice. Do you have your own bike?”

She laughed. “No, I'm a backseat rider only.”

“I see. For some reason when I spotted you, I thought you were someone who was a veteran rider. A woman with her own bike.”

“Really?” That made her smile. She liked feeling as if she belonged. “That's good to know.”

He lingered, so he was obviously interested in conversation. He was friendly enough, so she was game. “Are you here by yourself, Navar?”

He stood. “Nah. I have a group. Just came over here because I thought you might be riding alone today. If you were, I was going to ask you to join me.”

“She's not alone.”

Brady had come up beside Megan. Like . . . very close to her.

Navar slanted a smile toward Brady. “Oh, hey. I'm Navar.”

“Brady.”

“Nice to meet you. So you must be the friend Megan told me about who owns this dog.”

“I am.”

“Cute pup.”

“Thanks.”

Megan could tell Brady was not happy, though she had no idea why. And anyone with half a brain could feel the negative signals he was throwing out.

Apparently Navar did, because he said, “Well, I'll see you later. Nice meeting you.”

“You, too, Navar.”

After he walked away, she turned to Brady. “What's wrong?”

“He was hitting on you.”

She frowned. “No he wasn't. He came over to pet Roxie.”

“Babe. He zeroed in on you like you were the fresh meat of the day. Trust me. I know guys like him at events like this. He saw you alone and thought he could make a move on you.”

She looked over at Navar, who was currently talking to some other woman. “Huh. That's interesting.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

She tilted her gaze up to meet his. “It means that I wasn't the least bit interested in him. I'm with you. I intend to go home with you today. Can I make it any clearer?”

He tipped his fingers under her chin and brushed his lips across hers, then wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer, deepening the kiss. It was the kind of kiss that stole her breath, the kind of kiss that made her forget they were in a public place, surrounded by hundreds of people.

When he pulled away, she lost herself in the depths of his passion-filled eyes.

“Just so we're clear about who you're with today.”

She laid her palms on his chest. “I never had any doubt.”

His lips curved and he stepped back, taking the leash from her. “You can go on inside and get your poker cards. I'll walk Roxie.”