Page 4 of Drifter (Redemption Riders #2)

“Cinnamon pinwheel cookies,” I murmur, cracking the eggs into the bowl.

I nod over at the flour. “Can you measure out the flour? The recipe is right beside it.” Drifter grabs the measuring cup and starts his task.

I’m at a loss for words. Drifter and I have never been alone, and up to this point, he’s never shown any interest in me.

I need to ask why he’s here, but at the same time, I’m afraid to hear his reply.

I summon the courage and, as casually as possible, say, “So, why the surprise visit?”

“We’ll get to that,” he replies, then asks where he can find the sugar.

For the next hour, we bake together. He uses his phone to stream music and picks out songs with the word sugar in it.

Titles like Sugar, Sugar and Pour Some Sugar on Me, and, of course, Brown Sugar.

I find myself laughing and guessing at what the next song is going to be.

We work well together, and as the first batch comes out of the oven, the delicious aroma fills the air. The scent of cinnamon with the freshly brewed coffee makes my belly grumble, reminding me that I haven’t eaten yet. I grab a cookie and hand it to him, then take one for myself.

Drifter waits for me to take the first bite, then his own.

He devours the cookie in two bites and is on his third by the time I finish my first. He takes my hand and leads me to my sofa, gesturing for me to sit.

He goes back for our coffee, hands me my cup, and sets the plate of cookies on the coffee table, then sits next to me.

He’s so close, our thighs are touching, but then again, it’s not a big sofa, and he takes up a lot of space.

“You’re shy.” Drifter breaks the silence.

“I’m not really shy. Just… well… I’m more the kind of girl who speaks when I have something to say.

I’m not sure what to say. I don’t understand why you’re here, and you’ve been avoiding me since you first met me.

” There, I said it. The air needs to be cleared, and since I’m on a roll, I let it fly.

“I like Etain, and it’s been a long time since I had a friend I trust and care about.

I don’t want to give that up, and since you and Hawk are tight, that means we need to find a way to coexist. I’m not sure what that looks like to you, but we,” I wave my hand between us, “have to find a happy medium.” He takes the mug out of my hands and puts it on the table, then places his hand under my chin, tilting my head up to look at him.

Before I know it, his lips are on mine in a slow, sweet kiss.

His lips are soft and firm, not intrusive, but deliciously teasing. I find I’m kissing him back.

I pull back abruptly.

“What’s happening?” I whisper.

“I’m finding our happy medium,” he replies with a sexy grin.

“But you don’t like me.”

“I like you.”

I blink. He likes me? Since when? “You pretend I don’t exist.”

“There’s no ignoring you, sunshine. I fucking tried, but it’s impossible when your light shines as bright as it does.”

Drifter is saying the words I’ve wanted to hear for over a year, but how can I believe him? Why now?

Shaking my head, I murmur, “I-I don’t understand.”

“Okay, babe, I’m going to lay it out for you.

You don’t know the kind of man I am, but I know that a pretty woman who does yoga, drinks herbal tea, and bakes cookies is not the kind of woman who could deal with a man with my dark past. I buried what I felt for you.

I did it for a long time, but instead of disappearing, my feels became stronger.

I know you feel it too. We can go on ignoring what’s between us, but is that what you really want? ”

“You just said I’m not for you.” Oh, how I wish that wasn’t true.

“Babe, I don’t think I have to point out that you’re pigtails and sugar. Look at me, Sasha.”

“I am looking at you.”

“Take a good, hard look. What do you see?” he challenges.

“A man dedicated to his friends. A guide to the younger brothers who need him the most. A best friend to Hawk. A talented mechanic. You take care of people, even me. I remember the way you were gentle with me when I got the shard of glass in my hand. You were really sweet.”

He looks stunned by my impression of him. “I’m dark,” he states plainly.

“Dark?” I furrow my brows.

“Christ!” he swears. “I’ve done shit that I’m ashamed of. Things that would make you run screaming from the room.”

“Do you hurt women and children?” I ask cautiously.

“Fuck no. Only a coward does that,” he spits out angrily.

“Do you deal drugs?”

“No.”

Before he can say anything else, I go on.

“Do you attack innocent people purposely? Run over dogs? Take from the elderly? I don’t think so.

So what makes you dark? A past? I have a past. I have things that I’m not proud of.

And when I think of them, it hurts so bad I want to cry.

I have to keep reminding myself that it happened, but it doesn’t have to happen again.

Does that make me a bad person?” I pause, taking a breath and waiting for him to ask me the question I dread.

“Sasha, there’s no doubt in my mind you’re anything but bad. But you’re right, we both have a past. I think the question is, could you handle the truth when I’m ready to tell you?”

“I’m stronger than I look,” I respond. He searches my face, then drops his forehead to mine.

“Are we doing this?” he asks in a low, sexy voice.

“I’m tired of hiding when you’re around,” I admit, sitting back. “I think you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. Even when you’re brooding, you’re hot. But I like you best when you whispered in my ear that you would take care of me and were as gentle as you could be when I needed you.”

“Is that a yes, babe?” he urges.

“Yes,” I whisper, and we lean in toward each other.

Ding-dong! My front doorbell chimes, and there’s an incessant knocking as well. “Sasha, I know you’re home!” Etain’s voice is loud and clear.

“Red, you don’t need to check in on her. I’m sure she’s fine.” Apparently, Hawk is with her.

Drifter moves away, gliding his hand over my cheek. “Remember where we were,” he quips and goes to the front door. My door rattles when Drifter wrenches it open. He braces one hand on the doorframe.

“Hey, Hawk. How’s it going, Etain?” Drifter’s tone is nonchalant, like he’s always hanging around my place, answering my door.

I join Drifter when I hear Etain’s gasp.

Her dumbfounded expression is priceless.

It’s way better than Hawk’s shit-eating grin, which has me blushing.

I hook my fingers into the back of Drifter’s jeans.

He turns to me. “We have company, sunshine.”

“Drifter, you have to move so they can come in,” I point out.

He moves out of the way, hooking an arm around my waist so that we’re touching. Etain walks past us, nearly tripping over her feet. Thank goodness, Hawk reacts quickly and holds her steady.

“It’s nice of you guys to drop in. I made cookies.” Etain is staring at me like I’ve grown three heads. “Uh, and I have coffee,” I add.

Etain hitches a hip, scans the room, then says, “I saw Drifter’s ride outside and thought, oh my God, my friend’s in trouble, and ran over here thinking I was going to find…

Well, I don’t know what I thought I was going to find.

But I know Drifter isn’t around for no reason at all, and it freaked me out.

” She tilts her head to one side. “What’s going on? Did your father show up again?”

The thought of my father makes me shiver. Drifter feels it and tightens his grip. “Actually, Drifter came by to visit, and we made cookies together.”

“Drifter made cookies?” she replies, unable to hide her surprise. I take the plate from the counter and offer one to her, then to Hawk. She grabs a cookie, but instead of taking a bite, she waves it around. “Are you two…” She moves the cookie from Drifter to me, but never finishes the sentence.

“Drifter and I were discussing the situation,” I reply.

Drifter squeezes my waist; I turn my face to look up at him. He says, “Discussion is over, sunshine. Remember?”

“Right.” I nod and turn back to Etain. “Yes, Drifter and I are”—I lift my shoulders to my ears—, “dating.”

Drifter chuckles, and Hawk joins in. Etain’s face lights up with delight as she takes a bite of her cookie.

“That’s awesome! And damn, this cookie is delicious,” Etain says with a giggle. “That’s an interesting first date, making cookies.”

Etain is excited about Drifter and me, so I keep the fact that the cookies were meant to be therapy to myself. Although, I love that my morning turned out much better than I had planned.

We spend the rest of the morning indulging in cookies and spending time together.

Drifter finagled us so that I ended up sitting on his lap.

His hand runs softly and soothingly over my back as we chat.

The guys talk about the shop and sports.

Etain insists on making plans for the two of us to have a girls’ night out.

Hawk manages to drag Etain back home, leaving Drifter and me alone.

“Where were we?” Drifter asks, but before I can answer, his mouth is on mine.

It’s exactly as I thought: there will never be another man who can kiss me the way Drifter does.

He starts soft and sweet, but the need is too great, and the kiss becomes urgent and needy, leaving me breathless and hungry for more.