Page 9 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
She shook her head. “Nah. I don’t feel like fighting back heartburn tonight.”
“They’ve got great salads, if you’re into that kind of thing.”
She paused. “Salads?”
I nodded. “Mhm. Big ones, too. You’ll need four dressing containers to cover the entire thing.”
“Can I get meat on my salads there?”
“You can get anything on anything else there. You practically get to build your own meal from the ground up.”
She drew in a deep breath. “But they don’t have a drive-thru.”
I shrugged. “Won’t take us long to place the order and get you the salad. I don’t mind taking you there, if you’re hungry.”
“I don’t want to sit down or anything. I just want to get it and go home.”
“I’m fine with that. Gives me an excuse to get one of their milkshakes. They make my favorite.”
“What’s your favorite?”
I smiled. “Their waffle milkshake.”
She blinked. “Their what?”
I walked toward my bike. “You can have a sip of mine. Come on!”
“Wait! I just—let me get my—I’ve got stuff!”
I reached for my helmet. “I know. Get your stuff and come on!”
I watched her rummage around her for things and couldn't stop staring at her ass. I pulled the extra helmet I had out of the back compartment on my bike and readied it for her. The globe of her ass called to me. The thickness of her hair made my fingertips tingle. But the way her hips swayed while she walked made my mouth water. There wasn’t a damn thing about this woman that wasn’t sexy as hell. And my body fervently protested my want to get her home.
Because my body wanted her back at my home.
I held the helmet out for her. “Better safe than sorry.”
She dropped her things. “Thanks.”
“You get that on, and I’ll get your stuff stored away.”
“Just be careful. I’ve got a lot of important things in there I’d like to not ruin.”
I snickered. “I might look like a brute, but I don’t conduct myself like one. I’ve got it. You get that helmet on and I’ll help you onto the bike.”
“I don’t need help getting onto your bike.”
“You will if you don’t want to flash the world your underwear.”
She paused. “Good point.”
I grinned as I packed her stuff away, and she wasn’t joking. She had some stuff. She had her purse, a larger bag, a briefcase, and a stack of folders she hadn’t put anywhere. I kept my promise, though. I didn’t shove anything into anything else. I made sure everything fit snug as a bug in my saddlebags so they wouldn’t jostle, wrinkle, or tear as we rode to the diner. I was excited to introduce her to this place. Everyone needed to know about it.
Especially because of their damn milkshakes.
“All right, I’m ready,” Joanna said.
“All right. Come here.”
She backed up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?”
I paused. “Picking you up to put you on my bike.”
“Oh, no, no. All I need is your hand.”
I snickered. “You can hardly spread your legs in that skirt of yours. You’re not going to be able to hike your leg over my bike.”
“Try me.”
“Seriously. Will you just trust me for a few seconds?”
She blinked. “I don’t trust anyone. Ever.”
Her voice hurt my heart. “Well, try something different for a change. You might find it to be a pleasant change of pace.”
She swallowed hard, but she didn't fight me. My hands slid along her waist, and that heat sizzling up my arms. My hands settled perfectly into the crook of her waist and I could have sworn she gasped lightly. My eyes found hers as I gripped her body, then dipped myself at the knees.
“Oh!” she squealed.
I lifted her with ease. “Scissor your legs apart and bend your knees.”
She did as I asked, and I settled her effortlessly onto the guest seat of my motorcycle.
“Now, I’m going to get on in front of you and you’ve got two things you can do. You can hold onto these handlebars right here while we ride,” I said as I showed them to her, “or you can hold onto me.”
She grinned. “You’d like that, wouldn't you?”
“What man wouldn’t? We don’t get passenger seats on our bikes to ride other guys around, that’s for sure.”
She barked with laughter. “I’ll figure it out once you get on. I don’t know how stable I’m going to feel just hanging onto some bars.”
“Fair enough.”
I hiked my leg over my bike and kicked up the stand. But the second the bike moved, she yelped. Her arms wrapped around me instantaneously. As if that were her natural, knee-jerk reaction to something. The warmth of her arms tightened around me. I swallowed down a growl as my ass touched down onto the leather seat. Her arms released me before I cranked the engine up. And the second my bike roared to life, she tightened her grip once more.
