Page 52 of Enemies with Benefits (Finding the Right Brother #1)

He stood on the sidewalk, staring at me for a few moments before sighing far more heavily than I thought was necessary.

He put the helmet on, adjusting it until he could get the strap under his chin.

It was twisted, and I gestured for him to come closer.

He did, albeit warily. I took hold of the strap and gave it a wiggle, my fingers brushing against the layer of stubble.

It wasn't quite as good as the feeling of his stubble brushing my thighs when he nipped, nibbled, and licked to try, and usually succeed, at getting a reaction out of me.

"There," I said softly, pulling back and wondering how adjusting a helmet strap could be nearly as intimate as the feeling of him sliding into me. "Now get on, and before you ask, no, this isn't an excuse to get you to wrap those big arms around me."

He sighed wearily and approached the bike.

I had to force my head forward so he wouldn't see me trying not to laugh as he took a moment to figure out how to get on the bike.

He'd clearly never ridden one before, and he was treating it like open heart surgery.

I felt the bike lurch for a moment when he leaned on it with more force than needed, his foot slamming onto the road as he caught his balance.

"Pegs," I called over my shoulder, trying to keep my voice steady.

"What?” he asked, and I knew he was frowning.

"There's pegs to put your feet on," I explained, and waited until he did and realized that yes, he would have to put his arms around me in order to stay upright.

It wasn't the first time I'd had someone on my bike, though it wasn't something I commonly did.

In what I'm sure could be considered ironic, I let far fewer people on my bike than I did in my bed.

I wasn't going to share that particular tidbit with him as he wrapped his arms around me, hesitating and then wrapping them tighter when I turned the bike on with a pleasant roar and leaned to knock my heel into the kickstand.

"Ready?" I asked, still conscious of how cautious he was, but eager to get moving.

"Quit fussing," he grumbled, and I took that for the cue I needed to get moving. If I took too long, not only would I get impatient, but Jace would get even more cranky, making him think I was trying to 'baby' him. "Go."

"Yeah, yeah," I said with a snort, making sure I wasn't going to pull out into traffic and end the night with our bodies smeared on the road.

I'd already courted death enough times in my life, I didn't want to invite the bastard all the way in.

Once I could see it was safe, or safe enough anyway, I pulled back on the throttle and roared onto the road.

I thought I heard a noise of complaint from Jace, but other than that, his arms tightened, and I felt him press against my back as the bike began to move.

Driving the bike back to Cresson Point had been fun, but that was something else entirely.

It was a nice night, not a rain cloud in sight for once, and the traffic was thick, but not too heavy.

I knew the streets well, and it was effortless to begin my expert, if illegal, maneuvering through the cars and trucks.

I was able to keep good speed as I skimmed between vehicles waiting to turn, and took turns with admittedly less enthusiasm than I normally would, considering my inexperienced passenger.

Jace's arms never loosened their hold or moved at all, so I had no way to know if he was trying to protest or say anything over the roar of the engine and the wind fluttering roughly against the helmet.

It should have taken twenty minutes to get to the club, but it took only half that before I reached the corner where the building sat.

It hadn't been much when I’d bought it, just a few steps away from being a warehouse with a few extra rooms in the back.

But I'd taken my time, using what money I had to make the most of the space, and once that started to work out, I put the money back into the building to keep improving it.

Considering I'd been doing pretty steady business, it had been slow at first, but every dollar I’d put into the remodeling had come back at least twofold, if not three or four.

I pulled into the back parking lot, where only the staff were allowed to park, and slid into the spot near the alley.

The alley was closed off with a gate, fencing, and cameras, so it was a good spot for someone to take a break if they needed it.

It was also a decent place to put the bike, pulling it up against the wall of the building before turning off the engine and engaging the kickstand again.

"There we go," I said, pulling the helmet off before looking to make sure Jace was going to get off.

"Christ," he muttered, getting off the bike and shaking his head before pulling off the helmet to glare at me. "That went exactly how I knew it would."

I snickered, sliding the helmet under one arm. “What, fun?"

"How many laws do you think you broke?"

"Why don't you tell me, officer?"

His jaw tightened. “Suspended officer."

"True," I said, realizing too late that my comment might have come off wrong. Jace had told me he was suspended without pay, which he’d expected, but he'd been close-lipped about what had happened when he had met his captain. Kayden had been equally tight-lipped, but I thought I’d seen anger simmering behind those baby blues before he turned away and changed the subject.

Jace, though...Jace had been quiet, and I sensed a sadness I didn't know how to approach, let alone assuage.

"Sorry, probably shouldn't have said that. "

He looked for a moment like he might be grateful before giving another grunt. “I don't need you to handle me with kid gloves."

"Never thought I should," I said with a snort. "Doesn't mean I need to be a dick, even by accident."

"I'm so tempted...but I won't."

"What, to say that would be a first?"

"Maybe."

I laughed, nodding toward the mouth of the alley. “I wouldn't blame you. I've earned that and then some. Now c'mon, let's drop our stuff off and go have ourselves a good night."

"If you say so," he muttered, but I’d learned not to take him too seriously when he was muttering or grumbling. Too often, he liked to hide his emotions behind that dour demeanor. I suppose I'd always known that about him, I just found it less irritating than I used to.

"You're so lucky you're good in bed," I told him as I led him out of the alley toward the front. Normally, I would have used the back door, but hell, if he wanted to see the club, then I was going to give him the proper walkthrough.

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” he wondered. "And what happened to not talking like that?"

"I just meant because you're so damn annoying sometimes, so something has to make up for it," I told him without hesitating. "And trust me, around here, literally no one is going to care."

"What?"

"You'll see."

I brought him around to the front where the large sign proclaimed my last name in glowing neon.

It was vertical and reminded me of old movie theater signs, save for the bright colors.

There was the usual Friday night line, but the bouncer saw me and gave me a peace sign, immediately moving the group of girls he'd been checking in over to the side.

Hard music poured out as the door opened, and I jerked a thumb back toward Jace to signify that he was coming in with me, and they let the bemused guy pass without a word.

A hand closed around the back of my shirt as we stepped through the entryway, Jace raising his voice behind me to be heard. "How many people have you brought in here that they didn't even blink?"

I turned around, looking him over and smirking. "Does it matter?"

He blinked. “What...why would it matter?"

"You're the one asking. Feeling jealous?"

"Fuck you."

"That offer is always on the table," I reminded him.

It had admittedly been a little while since we'd slept together, a couple of days before whatever had happened while he was on the job, in fact.

I wasn't one to push myself onto another person, though, so I wasn't going to try while he was still sorting through what happened that day and the fallout that trailed behind it. That would not, however, stop me from being the horny flirt I’d always been. "Let's get this night started."

I turned back and led him through the open inner door.

Just about everything the place had to offer was immediately on display.

I had made sure the large dance floor at the center was the first thing people saw when they entered the club.

You had to take a few steps down from each entrance into the pit, which was lined with seating for those who didn't want to get too far from the action, and a few small stages with poles for people to use.

Someone had once scoffed at the idea of a dance floor, let alone poles, in a place that played a lot of rock music, but it worked.

People could be just as sexy to roaring rock music as they were to your expected thumping club music, and my patrons proved that every weekend.

There were three bars, one in each corner of the main area, with the only corner free being near the entrance where people could find a hallway to the bathrooms, of which there was another set at the back, so I didn’t have a bunch of drunks almost pissing themselves trying to cross the building.

There was another hallway at the back with more private rooms. The ones on the first floor were for anyone to use, and there were a couple of rooms with your standard bar games like pool and darts.

The second story was for people willing to pay a fee to be up there for the night, where they could enjoy private rooms that came with premium drinks and service.