and Erin, his shoulders sagged with the weight of his
responsibilities.
Planning new routines and timing out
the tricks according to each track layout week after week, keeping
her bike running at one-hundred-percent, and trying to enjoy it
all—that was easy. Keeping her safe? After everything he’d ever
done on a bike, now was the first time in his life when he’d admit
he was scared shitless.
“ Go ahead and take that
bike on up to the shop. Joey is loading everything the way Mr. Particular likes. He
already has the other three in the semi. He’s just waiting on that
one, and he wanted to prep it first.”
“ Why don’t you go take it
up to him so I can finish packing?” Molly smarted back.
Brody raised his eyebrow
and tried like hell to keep the smirk from turning into a smile.
“You don’t want to start that… little
girl .”
“ You did not just call me
that!”
Erin shook her head. “It’s kinda
funny, don’t you think?”
He squeezed the arm around Erin’s
waist, pulling her closer to him. “What’s that,
sweetheart?”
“ Well, we’re all the same
age, yet I’m the only one who doesn’t act like a six-year-old.” She
laughed.
“ You want in on this too?
Trust me, I can take on you both. I’ve done it before and I can do
it again.”
Erin wiggled out of his hold, turning
to unite with her friend. She and Molly grinned at each other
before pivoting back to him, both with wicked gleams in their eyes.
Too many years spent together, too many times like this moment had
them prepared. Both girls sneered at him.
In perfect unison, they
over-enunciated their answer, “Bring it.”
Molly’s flippant ‘come
here’ motion had Brody wanting to tackle and punish her. He knew
exactly where to tickle to have her screaming uncle in seconds . However, he was a nice brother.
Standing there, holding a two-hundred pound bike up, had her in a
hell of a position. She was a sitting duck so he’d take mercy on
her—this time.
Reaching over the console of his
truck, Brody held out his hand, waiting for Erin’s.
A sweet smile touched her lips. “Thank
you for taking me out to dinner.”
“ You have no idea what
we’re in for. Hell…I don’t know what we’re in for, Erin. We might
not get a decent meal until we come home. It’s the least I can
do.”
“ Brody, you know me. I
don’t care what or where we eat, as long as I’m with
you.”
Pulling their laced fingers up to his
lips, he kissed the back of her hand, and then continued to brush
his lips over the satin smooth skin.
Turning into the private parking lot
of the upscale steakhouse, Brody maneuvered into a spot in the back
of the lot, away from other vehicles that could possibly scratch
his truck, backing in like he almost always did. He walked around
the front of the truck, opened Erin’s door, and was once again
reminded of how incredibly stupid he’d been to start teasing her
this morning.
When she turned and slowly slid one
leg out of the truck, it was bad enough, but she’d apparently
decided to get even. There was nothing but fire in her brown eyes
when she seductively moved her other leg so she was perched on the
seat of the truck, her fingers resting on his shoulders, waiting
for him to help her down.
The eyes trained on his were melting
him. Brown eyes that he’d never seen before.
Erin had been in his life more years
than not. Her family owned the land next to his parents’ property.
The only thing dividing them was a stream that ran between the
two.
He was homeschooled growing up, and
she went to public school. Both were only children growing up. At
least he had been until Molly came to live with them when she was
fourteen. And it was Molly who brought him and Erin together. Their
families had been acquaintances, more like good neighbors than hang
out on a Friday night type of friends, and he and Erin hadn’t given
the other a thought until Molly.
When she came, Erin was
suddenly around—a lot. They
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