Saving Della Ray

I jumped with my hand flying to my chest in fright. Turning around, I watched as the Harley rode up to me, its driver putting his booted foot on the ground.

Some crazy part inside me had hoped he would wait for me, but seeing him here. Now. Wild joy thrilled through my veins. I felt as if I was standing on top of a mountain, the wind snapping at my hair.

“Do you want a ride?” he asked.

I put my trust in God. “I do. How do I get on?”

“Grab my shoulder,” he responded.

My eyes shot up to his. He waited too long before breaking the stare and motioned his head towards his shoulder.

I didn’t hesitate I placed my hand on his rock-hard shoulder.

“Put your left leg here.” He indicated to the pedal. “And then swing your right over the seat.”

I did as I was told, my grip tightening on both of his shoulders as I settled myself on the seat behind me. “What now?”

“You put your arms around my waist.” Amusement echoed in his voice

I slipped my arms lightly around his waist. Up this close, I could smell the scent of him. Leather, a bit of whiskey and all man. It made me feel giddy with excitement.

“Where do you live?” he asked.

“Olivesburg Road. Do you know it? It’s just behind the Presbyterian church.”

“Yup. Sit tight.”

I kept my grip as loose as I could.

“I’m going to be blasting through the night,” he warned. “Are you sure you want to hold me that lightly?”

I didn’t need a second warning. I wrapped my arms so tightly around his waist my breasts were pressed into his back.

He was right.

Blasting into the darkness on a Harley was the closest thing to flying that existed … a wonderful, exhilarating sense of freedom. I held tightly to him and wished the ride would never end, but to my surprise, we arrived back at my home less than fifteen minutes later. Even when Henry had put his foot on the gas, it took the best part of half-an-hour!

He shut the engine off, and the deafening noise came to a sudden stop, but I wasn’t sure whether to let go yet, until I heard him announce, “We’re here.”

In the new silence, I was suddenly aware of the intimate way I held onto him, my thighs pressed to his and my body glued to his back. I immediately jerked away and began to disembark from the Harley. It was quite a feat to do it gracefully, but somehow I had my feet on the ground.

Unable to look into his eyes I let my gaze roam across the beast of a machine and the man that sat upon it in wonder. I still couldn’t believe I had accepted the ride home from him. I looked behind me to our front door and the windows, slightly paranoid she might be watching. If she were, I’d never hear the end of it. I turned back to see him studying the small detached house set in the quiet street.

“So this is where you live.”

It suddenly occurred to me that I might have made a huge mistake by allowing him to know this. After all, I didn’t know who the hell he was. Not even his real name. His talk about his dead daughter had softened me towards him, but still … “I live with my roommate Nichole and Jess,” I said quickly.

He swung his gaze back to me and suddenly, I couldn’t look away. Neither could he, I realized.

“Do you just own this bike just for fun?” I found myself asking, simply to break the hypnotic trance he was putting me under.

It was too dark to see properly, but his eyes glittered as he shook his head.

“Are you part of a gang?”

“I belong to the Blood Knights MC,” he murmured.

Nothing about the name struck a chord. The only club in this county I’d ever heard of was the Death’s Hand motorcycle club and that was only because Michael spoke of them admiringly. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“We’re yet to achieve infamy compared to the rest?”

If I had sensed his comment was without humor I might have withdrawn from him, but the lightness of his tone seemed to suggest he didn’t take any of the gang stuff seriously. So perhaps his club was actually a motorcycle club and not a behind the scenes drug trafficking, murdering bunch. “Do you all—I mean, does your club—do you do dangerous stuff?”

His eyes never left mine as he shifted his weight and slipped his hands into his jacket. “What do you classify as dangerous?”

I wasn’t sure if I should answer that. All I really wanted from the guy was an earth-shattering kiss since there would absolutely be no future here. I shrugged. What was the point anyway? It was clear there would be absolutely no future with him for me. “It doesn’t matter,” I responded, feeling a bit sad about the fact.