Riding Bitch by Melinda Barron Read Free Book Online

aspect of being on the motorcycle, of her riding bitch. But his tone made her question if he was thinking about saying something else, something about trust between them in the relationship field.
    She looked over the mode of transportation they’d use for the next week. She was happy to see there was a backrest for both the driver and the passenger. It was at that moment that Benny, almost as if he’d read her mind, pressed a button, and the rest for the operator lifted off. He snapped it back in place, and then he and Ash were shaking hands.
    Ash came toward her, but Felicia couldn’t take her gaze off the huge purple monstrosity behind him. “Don’t you have to pay for it and do title work and everything?”
    “Already done,” Ash informed her. “We did it all by mail.”
    “You bought it sight unseen?”
    Ash shook his head. “I saw it at a rally some time back in Red River. Benny let me take it for a short spin then. It’s just taken me a while to talk him into selling.”
    He put his arms around her and kissed her. When the kiss broke, Felicia looked over Ash’s shoulder to where Benny stood, his ever-present grin wide. She had no doubt that, before she and Ash had even turned the corner of Benny’s block, he would be calling his parents, who still lived in Shiprock.
    Her mother might not tell her dad, but he would know before the end of the week. She said a silent prayer, giving thanks for the battery-less cell phone as she took the car keys from Ash and walked to the driver’s side.
    The plan was to follow him to a motorcycle shop to buy necessary equipment, and then to return the car to the airport.
    The adventure was underway.
    * * * *
    They were about twenty minutes outside of Houston when Felicia wondered if she’d bitten off more than she could chew. The idea had no sooner formed in her mind when Ash’s voice sounded in her ear.
    Part of the equipment they’d purchased had been helmets equipped with headphones and microphones so they could communicate with each other.
    “Babe, you need to relax.”
    “I’m trying,” she replied, even as her legs tightened on his hips. He’d taken out the backrest so they could be right next to each other for the first part of the trip. He’d told her it would make her feel more comfortable. She wasn’t sure if he was right. “It’s just that—”
    An eighteen-wheeler whisked by them, and she grabbed him tighter. “It’s not you that scares me. It’s those huge…monstrosities.”
    His chuckle relaxed her, somewhat. “ Huge and monstrosity are basically the same thing.”
    “Jerk.” She laughed nervously.
    “When you tense up, I think about how worried you are and not about concentrating on the road. Just relax and enjoy the ride. I’ve got this handled.”
    Felicia inhaled and exhaled several times in an effort to do as he asked. Surprisingly, as the massive bike ate up the miles, she actually felt herself relaxing. They didn’t talk much, although from time to time Ash would point out something he saw of interest.
    They were headed for San Antonio tonight. Ash had booked them a room near the River Walk, and tomorrow they were going to see the Alamo. When they were done there, they would take out a map and decide where to go next.
    They didn’t have a lot of things with them. Ash had been ready to ride back and had packed his belongings in a duffel bag that he’d planned to strap onto the bike. Unfortunately she was sitting in the spot he’d meant to use.
    Before they’d left Houston, they’d picked items out of their bags—two pairs of jeans each, a few T-shirts for them both, and underclothes. These items were secured in the saddlebags. The suitcase had been shipped to Ash’s house via the postal service.
    As they neared San Antonio and the traffic picked up, Felicia found herself tensing again.
    “I want you to do something for me,” he said.
    “Catch a plane in San Antonio?” she joked, hoping that wasn’t what he was going to