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“Stop it.”
I stared at myself in the mirror and cocked my head to the side.
“Stop what?” I called.
Dove stomped to the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. “Stop trying to talk yourself out of meeting Aero downstairs.”
“I’m not doing that,” I muttered. I was actually trying to figure out if I could make it downstairs but then get to my car so I could take off without Aero seeing me.
I was a damn wreck.
“The car keys are hidden, Sloane. The only thing you are doing today is going on a date with Aero.”
“It’s not a date,” I insisted.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, a man pinning you against the wall, kissing you, and then asking you to meet him in the lobby is not a date at all. I don’t even know how I even came to that conclusion.” She grabbed a hair tie off the counter and whipped her hair into a bun on top of her head. “What would happen in your books?” she asked.
“What?”
“Girl,” Dove grumbled. “You’re making me roll my eyes way too much before noon. What would the chick in one of your books do in this situation?”
I stared at Dove in the mirror. “I’m trying not to be like my books because as soon as I woke up this morning, I realized that this was not a dream or a book but my life.”
“So then do the opposite of what those characters in your books do.”
“They would be packing their bags and running for the hills, but they would also have some stalker or crazy person from their past trying to kill them, so they will have to run back to the biker and ask him for help.”
Dove tipped her head to the side. “Uh, what? What the hell are you reading?” she laughed.
I waved my hand at her. “I’m going down there because that is not what the women in my books would do. They’d run.” But I could understand why they would run. Heading downstairs to spend the day with Aero was absolutely terrifying when normally I would be working or reading a book.
“Good, girl.” She stood next to me and smiled wide into the mirror. “And while you are out with the sexy biker, I will head down to the pool and work on my tan all day. Maybe we can meet up for dinner?”
I nodded and put my arm around her shoulders. “Plan on it. I feel bad leaving you when we planned to spend this day together.”
“Pfft.” Dove rolled her eyes. “I see you every day, Sloane. I think I can handle half a day without you. Spend some time with your hot biker, and don’t even worry about me.”
“He is not mine,” I mumbled.
Dove bumped her hip into me. “Yet.” She pulled me out of the bathroom and grabbed my wallet off the dresser. “Now get out of here, okay?”
I grabbed my wallet and slipped on my white shoes. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Dove gave me a salute and opened the door. “Whoa,” she hollered. “How long have you been standing there?” she laughed.
I turned to the door expecting to see Aero waiting for me to make sure I didn’t run, but I was surprised to see Dice.
“We were headed down for breakfast and thought you might want to come.”
“Oh, did you?” Dove glanced at me and wiggled her eyebrows. “I mean, I’m not dressed, but if you give me a couple of minutes, I can be.”
“We can wait.”
Dove stepped back and motioned for Dice to come in. “Run along, Sloane, you’ve got a date with Aero, and I’m going to have breakfast with his friends to make sure the dude is decent.” She pushed me out the door and smiled wide. “Bye!”
I stumbled into the hallway, and she shut the door before I could protest.
“Well,” I muttered. I smoothed my hands down my shorts and tried to figure out what just happened.
I was going to spend the day with Aero, and now Dove was going to hang out with the rest of the club. Or at least have breakfast with them?
Odd development, but whatever.
I headed to the elevators and got on before I could freak out about what I was about to do. The elevators glided down to the lobby, and Aero was waiting for me by the revolving front doors.
God, the man was a work of art.
I had read so many MC books, and if I would have picked every little thing I loved out of them, it would be Aero.
So hot, and the man was waiting in the lobby for me.
Little ol’ me!
I stepped off the elevator, my eyes only on Aero, and almost collided right into Winter Travers and her sister.
“Ope,” she laughed. Winter jumped to the right and bumped into her sister.
“Oh my god,” I moaned. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was walking,” I apologized.
Winter glanced in the direction of Aero and smirked. “I can understand, girl. You had your sights set on something better than me.” She nodded to her sister, and they stepped onto the elevator.
“I’m really sorry,” I called as the doors started sliding shut.
“No, you’re not,” Winter laughed. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be either.” She threw a wink at me, and the doors closed.
Oh my god. Why did I keep making a fool of myself in front of Winter? That could stop anytime now.
“Sloane,” Aero called.
I took a deep breath and turned. An arm slid around my waist, and I walked right into Aero.
“Babe,” he laughed.
“My god,” I sighed. “I think I need to pay better attention. First, I walked right into Winter, and now you.” I tipped my head back, and he kept his arm around my waist.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he whispered.
“Uh, right back at you,” I sighed. He was the gorgeous one, but I’m sure he didn’t want to argue about it in the middle of the lobby.
“Ready to head out?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah? Though where are we going?” I asked.
He moved next to me and threaded his fingers through mine. “Not sure.” He pulled me toward the revolving doors, and we stopped in front of a motorcycle that was parked to the side.
“You’re not sure where we are going?” I laughed.
Aero shook his head and grabbed a helmet off the seat of the bike. He plopped it on my head and fastened the strap under my chin. “That okay?” he asked.
I nodded and adjusted the helmet.
“Ever been on a motorcycle before?”
“Yes, but it’s been a while. My dad had one when I was in high school. He would sometimes give me rides to school. I thought it was embarrassing back then, but now I really cherish those memories.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Yeah, he probably would have really liked you. He was a mechanic, always tinkering with anything with a motor.”
“He gone?” Aero asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “Uh, yeah. For almost ten years.” I missed my dad. We, of course, bumped heads when I was growing up because that’s kind of what happens with kids and their parents, but once I got older, I really appreciated everything he ever did for me. If only he could still be here.
“Mom?” he asked.
“Uh, she was never in the picture. My dad raised me by himself. The last I heard, she was living in Houston with her family.” I had been curious about five years ago, wondering where she was or even if she was still alive. She was very much alive, married with three kids, and living a life that had nothing to do with me.
“Her loss,” Aero shrugged.
Yeah, that was what I told myself, but there was a tiny sliver that wished she wanted me, even for a little while.
I didn’t want to think about her, though. At least not today.
“So, we’re just going to ride around?” I asked.
Aero threw his leg over the bike, and I got on behind him.
“We’re gonna just see where the road takes us, babe.” He cranked up the bike and kicked up the kickstand.
A group of people I had seen at the signing yesterday had gathered outside of the hotel, and they were watching Aero and me.
This was normal for Aero. He was a man who demanded attention by just living. This was not normal for me.
“You ready?” he called over the roar of the engine. He reached back and laid his hand on my knee. “Make sure you hold on.”
I automatically wrapped my arms around his waist without thinking. I wasn’t going to fly off the back of the bike and have my day end before it even began. “I’m ready,” I called.
He squeezed my knee once and then grabbed the handlebar.
We carefully made our way out of the parking lot, and I could feel all the eyes on us. If this was how things normally were for Aero, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. I had to assume that since we were at a book signing specifically for MC books was the reason why it felt like we were on display.
It took a little bit, but once we were cruising down the backroads with the wind in our hair and the hot Texas sun beating down on us, I finally took a deep breath.
I didn’t know what was going to happen today or how long whatever this was between Aero and me would last, but I was going to do the only thing I could.
Hold on and enjoy the ride.
*
