Rush Into You (10 page)

I HAD THE night off from work tonight, so I planned on studying for my microbiology midterm. That was my toughest class. I was acing the Anatomy and Physiology II course with flying colors, but microbiology was definitely harder.

When I looked to my left, I saw Jay skipping towards me with a huge smile on her face—literally skipping.

“Was school that good today?” I called over to her.

“Nope, it sucked. I’m excited about something else. Get in the car and I’ll tell you. Let’s beat this traffic out of here.” Jay always liked to be one of the first out of the parking lot. If you didn’t move fast, you’d end up waiting for at least a half an hour before you got off school property.

I jumped in the car and threw my seat belt on. I hated that Jay didn't wear hers. I swore she thought she was invincible, but I knew first hand that car accidents did not discriminate.

As soon as we pulled into the flow of traffic, I turned to Jay. “You’re killing me. Tell me what has you all psyched. I know you’re dying to spill.”

“I don’t know…I think I might like watching you squirm more,” she teased.

“So you found out where the races are then?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged.

“When is it? Where do they race? Do a lot of people know?” I said in one breath.

“Whoa, slow down there, sparky. You must really want to see this guy.”

“I’ve never had that good a time with a guy before, and he invited me to watch him race. It sounds fun.” Now it was my turn to shrug. “It might be nothing.”

“Looks as if we’ll find out…tonight…on the boulevard at eleven.”

Tonight? Even though I really wanted to see him, I didn’t think I’d see him this soon. I figured the race would be on the weekend. What if I read him all wrong last night? Maybe I should wait to see him somewhere else first, and if he invited me again, then I’d go.

Jay noticed my silence. “What’s going on in that head of yours? I thought you’d be excited.”

“What if he purposely didn’t ask for my number? What if by the end of the night he’d changed his mind? Maybe he doesn’t want me at his race, and that’s why he didn’t give me his number. I’m going to feel like a complete freaking idiot if I go and he rejects me. It’ll hurt.”

“No, absolutely not. What was it, five in the morning when he dropped you off? If he wasn’t feeling you, he would’ve easily dropped you off a hell of a lot earlier. We’re going together tonight anyway. If he ends up acting like a dick, you can pretend you only went for me, not for him.”

“You’ll come with me?”

“Um, yeah! I mean, hello? I wouldn’t miss seeing a bunch of hot guys racing motorcycles. Besides, I need to see him. If he got this kind of reaction out of you, then he must be something special. I’ve never seen you give two shits about any guy.”

“I’m not sure I really want to give a shit about a guy right now either.”

“At least go watch him race and see what happens. The least you can do is have fun and be his friend. But, honestly Gabby, if he’s got you feeling like this and he’s interested in you…don’t run from it. See how it goes.”

“All right, we’ll go. I need to study before we leave though. Drop me off at my place.”

“Aye aye, captain!”

My heart was pounding, my mouth was dry, my palms were sweaty, and my fingers tingled. The butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach had been replaced by birds flapping their stronger wings. By the time Jay got here, I’d probably be in a heap on the floor, passed out from a panic attack.

Maybe I should just call her and tell her I was sick.
If Ryker wanted to see me again, he could be the one to track me down. He’d know it wasn't just a coincidence that I was there. He’d know that I went just to see him.
What if I hadn't crossed his mind at all?
I was probably just one of many girls to him—nothing special. The idea of him not caring scared me the most.

I picked up my phone to cancel on Jay, but it rang, so I answered it reluctantly. “Hello?”

“You’re coming with me. You’re not canceling. Get your ass outside.”

“How did you—”

“Because I know you. You’re probably thinking of a million reasons why you shouldn’t go, and thinking of excuses to get yourself out of it. Too late, I’m here. Come on.”

“But—”

Click.

Jay was not letting me bail tonight. She wasn’t even going to listen to my protests.

I could do this.

Maybe if I told myself that enough I'd start to believe it.

I grabbed my stuff and double-checked that I had everything. With a deep breath and one last look in the mirror, I headed out to see Ryker.

AS SOON AS we pulled into the local burger joint's parking lot, I saw a shitload of bikes lined up and I felt as if I would faint. I used to be aggressive with guys, and I was always the life of the party, but now, I was mentally freaking out.

“Chill out,” Jay snapped.

“I’m fine.”

“Is that why you’re chewing all your nail polish off? Didn’t you just paint them earlier today?” She looked down at my now chipped nails. I’d noticed they were chipped last night, so I’d repainted them. Now, they’re chipped again.

“Let’s just get this over with. Lead the way.”

Walking over to the crowd of people here to watch the race, I scanned the line of bikes. I didn't know which one was Ryker’s because I’d only ever seen his Harley. He had his street bike today, and I knew it was a red Ducati, but I had no clue what a Ducati looked like. I zoned in on all the red bikes trying to find which one belonged to Ryker, but all the racers had their helmets on, so I couldn't tell which one was him.

A guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties jumped into the open bed of the truck nearest him. He held a megaphone to his mouth as he roared, “Welcome all you Chicks and Dicks! You motherfuckers ready for the
Fast and Furious
bike style?”

I felt like I was at a mini concert for some celebrity. I thought this was going to be more laid back, but the screams and whistles from the crowd said otherwise.

“Then let’s fucking do this shit! Come on, you know what to do! Get your asses on your rides and let’s follow our man Ryker to the boulevard!”

At the mention of Ryker's name, my ears perked up and twitched like a tiger’s. My eyes zeroed in on the red bike that was at the point of all the others, as if it were my prey, and I had an intense desire to stalk over to him and claim him right there in front of everyone.

Watching him, I realized that he wasn't being cocky and doing wheelies like some of the other men, and he looked more badass than the rest of them for that reason alone. He almost looked bored with everyone’s antics and eager to ride his beloved bike.

“Come on, Jay, let’s follow them. I want to get a good spot.”

“Look at you all anxious to see your man.”

I shot her my famous glare that shut her up without fail every time.

“You know, I’m grateful that looks really can’t kill. If they could, I’d be fucking screwed.”

We both laughed as we got back in the Mustang.

The drive was short, and we were among the first to arrive, so we were able to find a good spot to stand close to the starting mark. Naturally, my eyes scanned the crowd for Ryker, and I instantly found him. He was on the opposite side of the street from me, standing alone and smoking a cigarette as he took in his surroundings. Just minutes from the race and Ryker didn't seem fazed by any of it.

By that point, there were dozens of people here. Everyone was itching for the night’s illegal bike races to get started.

A man leaned against a lime green motorcycle just a few yards to the left of Ryker. His rigid profile was frozen in one direction, oblivious to all his other surroundings. Even from where I stood, I saw the obvious contempt burning throughout the guy’s eyes. A matching snarl covered his lips and seemed to be directed at something very specific. I followed his stone cold glare and was surprised to see Ryker on the receiving end. I wondered what the fuck his deal was.

“Hey, Jay, you know that dude?” I pointed at the asshole. Her eyes trailed after my pointed finger, and her smiling face instantly fell. “What? Who the fuck is he? Looks like an asshole.”

“Asshole is the understatement of the year. His name is Keith. He’s a complete fucking dick, and from the looks of it, he’s got it in for your man.”

I didn't even bother correcting her. I was too focused on the fact that he had murder in his eyes directed at Ryker.

“What's his deal with Ryker?”

The second his name left my mouth, I watched Ryker turn his gaze on me. It was almost as if he’d heard me talking about him. From several yards away, I saw his breathtaking blue and gold eyes—a color that belonged solely to him. Our eyes remained locked on each other for several heartbeats, then he winked at me and smiled the sexiest half grin in existence. I wanted to jump for joy that he’d acknowledged me, even flirted a little, but I played it cool and decided to show my interest with a small, flirty finger wave.

The guy on the megaphone filled the air. “If you haven’t placed your bets yet, get your lazy asses over here and do it. We’re starting in five minutes. Ryker and Keith will be our final race of the night, and I think Keith still wants to earn his title back!” He smirked at Keith, clearly enjoying putting him on blast. “Show me the money, bitches!”

“Are you going to bet?” I asked Jay. I’d been to my share of drag races as a teenager, but always cars. I wasn't going to bet tonight, even though I had faith that Ryker would win.

“Why not?” She shrugged. “I’ll go bet on your boyfriend.”

She bounced toward the guy taking everyone’s money. Jay always appeared to be skipping or floating because she put so much pep in her step.

“I see you made it,” a low voice said, startling me.

I jumped and let out an embarrassing squeak as I turned to see Ryker standing behind me. He looked as hot as could be in his riding gear. His leather jacket fit him perfectly, and paired with his denim jeans and black boots, he looked even more badass than I’d thought possible. Most of his tats were covered, but I could see the ink decorating the lower left side of his neck, and peeking out above the V-neck collar of his plain grey tee. If he weren’t smiling, I might consider him intimidating, but remembering his playfulness last night, I decided that wasn't possible.

“I wasn’t sure you still wanted me to come,” I told him honestly.

“Why not? I invited you.” Ryker’s eyes narrowed.

“I know, but you never gave me the details...and we didn’t exchange numbers,” I whispered with a slight shrug of my shoulders.

“I was kicking my own ass for that one.” He grinned. “You thought I didn’t give a shit, didn’t you?”

I didn't say anything, but my silence was answer enough. He stepped toward me, filling the space between us. My heart was beating a mile a minute at his proximity, and my mouth was dry. I melted into his touch as his large hand palmed my cheek.

His voice was low and intimate, meant only for me. “Gabby, last night was incredible. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop, hoping that I’d get a chance to see you again. When I got home and realized I hadn’t asked for your number, I was pissed. The thought of that being our only night together made me furious. I wasn’t ready to give you up after I’d already lost you for over a year. I’m just glad that you found out about tonight’s race.”

I smiled. His words reminded me so much of my own earlier. “My girl asked around about the race and found out where it was right away. I was worried that you’d think it was too forward of me showing up here before you had the chance to tell me about it yourself,” I admitted. “I took the chance, hoping that you really did just forget to ask for my number because I know that I just wanted to crawl into my bed and get a couple hours of sleep before school.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to keep you up all night. I never thought about the time until you mentioned it.”

The obnoxious guy on the megaphone announced that all bets were closed, and the races were going to begin.

“Who is that guy, anyway? He’s quite…” I hesitated, trying to think of the appropriate word to describe him. “Overwhelming?”

“Hendrix. It’s okay, you can call him a dickhead.” He laughed. “Nah, seriously though, he’s a good guy. My friend. All that shit is just for show.”

I thought back to the cheering and whistling whenever he spoke. It was definitely entertaining, and everyone ate it up. “Everyone seemed to love his crude announcements, that’s for sure. I wasn’t expecting this to be so much of a party.” I laughed, nodding towards the people holding red cups. “It looks as if there should be a keg here.”

Ryker pointed to a silver Chevy behind us. The back was open, and in the bed of the truck was a large keg complete with a rowdy group of people.

I laughed. “So you’re a big shot around here then, huh?”

Ryker chuckled quietly and looked down at his shoes as if he were slightly uncomfortable. Appearing shy just made him that much sexier, knowing that this man was confident, yet being so modest about the thing he loved.

“I just like to ride. I don’t make a big deal out of winning.”