I don’t hesitate.
He leads me out around the Escalade, and as I finally figure out his intentions, a wide grin stretches across my face.
“Really?” I squeal, releasing his hand and racing toward the two bikes waiting for us. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve been able to ride my Ducati. It’s always made me feel so free and independent, and I’ve really missed that over the last few months. This couldn’t have come at a better time.
Cruz laughs, moving forward to place a hand on the side of his Harley. “Yeah, I thought we could ride together, but don’t get ahead of yourself. You know Carver’s going to be riding your ass the whole time in the Escalade.”
I roll my eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from the King of assholes.”
Cruz’s phone rings and he sighs as he pulls it out. “Hey, Mom,” he murmurs, winking at me as I step up to my bike and take my helmet off the handlebar. Cruz chats away with his mother, telling her all about his trip to save Maddison. No matter how many times I hear the story, I love it more and more because the pride and joy that comes spewing out of his mouth is like nothing I’ve ever heard before.
A smile sits across my face as I throw my leg over my bike and look back at the house to see Carver and Grayson making their way down the stairs.
God, it’s going to be a good night. I need this more than I need my next breath.
I listen as Cruz tells his mother that we’re going out to celebrate and laugh as he groans. “Yes, Mom. I’ll open the doors for her and keep her safe.”
Cruz grins and rolls his eyes, then after a short pause, raises his brows in interest. “You know,” he says through his phone. “That’s not a bad idea. Let’s do it. I’ll warn the guys so they can get all their overprotective bullshit out of the way.”
There’s a loud, screechiness coming through the line and it’s clear that his mother is scolding him about his language. Cruz cringes before murmuring a forced apology. He wraps up his call and as he slips his phone back into his pocket, he looks up at me with a wide smile stretching across his handsome face. “How do you feel about fancy-as-fuck dinner parties?”
King groans, clearly overhearing, and his response is even more reason for me to grin back at Cruz. “You know what?” I laugh, turning the key in the ignition and feeling the familiar rumble beneath me. “I fucking love dinner parties.”
Cruz straddles his Harley and I instantly take off, speeding around the massive fountain in the center of my drive. The second the Escalade rumbles to life, I hear Cruz moving in beside me, and together, we race down my long driveway, stopping at the gate to enter the code.
The gate opens and we ride out slowly with the guys following behind us in the Escalade. The second the massive gate closes, I glance across at Cruz and watch as he looks back at the guys.
A grin stretches across his face, and as if reading my mind, we both take off, racing down the private road and leaving the boys behind in a cloud of dust. They'll catch up ... eventually.
I laugh to myself, imagining the bullshit thoughts and grunts coming out of Carver’s mouth while Grayson and King desperately try to smother their laughs, but when we reach the main gates of our private estate, our fun comes to an end. Once we ride out of here, it’s business as usual.
Cruz pulls over to enter the gate’s code, and as I wait, I glance back over my shoulder to see the Escalade pulling up right behind me, so close that my back tire is practically in Carver’s lap.
Even through the darkened tint, I can still see his hard glare, and despite my helmet, I know he can see my wide grin. Some things will never change, and fuck, I absolutely love that about our relationship. Though, while I like to mess with him, he knows that once I pull out onto the main road, I’ll behave. I may have a wild heart and a reckless soul, but I’m not about putting my guys in danger, and I sure as hell know when to ease up on my bullshit.
The wide gate slides open and I hit the gas before Carver has a chance to make an imprint on my ass from the front bumper of his car. Cruz waits for me to catch up to him and as a group, we start making our way through Ravenwood Heights.
I take a deep breath. There’s nothing quite like feeling the wind whipping through my hair and getting back to my roots. My time in Ravenwood Heights has been insane, but right now, riding my Ducati, I finally feel free again. There’s just something about feeling the soft hum of the bike between my legs and flying down a freeway that takes me back to a time where life wasn’t quite so crazy.