Page 11 of Fallen Dove (Fallen Lords MC 2nd Gen #1)

Mason

I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.

I told myself last night, lying in bed at the clubhouse, that I was going to stick to the rules I’d made. Keep my distance. Only talk to Adley about work. Pretend she didn’t make my chest tight every time she looked at me.

And then this afternoon, I was straddling my bike and pointing it toward Slayer and Wendy’s place like some fool with no self-control.

Slayer and Wendy weren’t even home. They’d mentioned running into Milwaukee for the day. Which meant Adley would be there alone, and if I had a lick of sense, I would’ve left her be. But sense was in short supply where she was concerned.

I parked my bike next to Wendy’s little convertible and scanned the area. It was crazy how you could be fighting for your life, and the world around you just kept spinning.

I killed the engine, swung my leg over, and walked to the porch before I could talk myself out of it.

She opened the door a minute later, barefoot, hair piled on her head in a messy bun, wearing a Lords Social Club tank top and jeans that looked like they’d been painted on.

“Mason?”

Her eyes widened, confusion written all over her face.

“What are you doing here?”

Hell if I knew.

“Ride to work?”

I asked, and jerked my thumb toward the bike.

She blinked.

“Uh… I told Dad I’d just ride with Penny tonight.”

“You hadn’t called her yet.”

She tilted her head, suspicious.

“How do you know that?”

Because I had told Penny this morning I would give Adley a ride to work.

“Lucky guess.”

She crossed her arms, not moving to step aside or grab her shoes.

“Why are you really here, Mason?”

I should’ve told her the truth. Should’ve said I was losing my damn mind, and that the thought of her working a Friday night shift and me not seeing her until then had twisted my gut in a way I couldn’t shake. Instead, I shrugged.

“Figured we could take the long way. Get some fresh air before work.”

Her brow furrowed.

“The long way? Since when do you ever want to go the long way to anything?”

Since you came back, I thought. Out loud, I said.

“Since now.”

For a moment, she just looked at me. Then she nodded.

“Fine. But I need to finish getting ready.”

I nodded and watched her disappear back inside. Jesus. What the hell was I doing?

She reappeared five minutes later, pulling her jacket on, shoes tied, and cheeks flushed like she knew damn well this wasn’t just a ride to work.

I handed her the helmet, and our fingers brushed. Electricity shot up my arm, and from the way her lips parted, I knew she’d felt it too.

Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.

“We’ve gotta figure out how to be around each other without it being awkward.”

Her chin tipped up, and her eyes narrowed as she studied me.

“You think that’s possible?”

I dragged a hand down my face and exhaled.

“Hell if I know. But we don’t have a choice. We’re gonna be seeing each other every damn day.”

Something flickered in her eyes, challenge, maybe, or the same tight coil I felt twisting in my chest.

We headed down the sidewalk, and I swung onto the bike, waiting until she climbed on behind me. The moment her arms circled my waist, I knew I’d just blown a hole straight through every one of my rules.

“We’ll take the long way,”

I muttered again, more to myself than to her.

The engine roared to life, and we pulled out of the driveway.

The backroads out of Weston stretched before us with fields rolling on either side. The air was cool, the wind whipping against us, and it carried the faint smell of fresh-cut hay and asphalt warming under the sun. Her hold on me was tentative at first, but when we leaned into the first curve, she tightened her grip.

Christ.

Her chest pressed against my back, and her thighs were snug around me. Every nerve in my body lit up. I tried to focus on the road. The curve ahead, the truck in the distance, and the rising hum of the engine, but all I could feel was her.

Fourteen years hadn’t dulled a damn thing. If anything, it had sharpened it. Made the ache worse.

I told myself this was just a ride. Just killing a little time before work. Just making sure she got there safe.

But with her pressed up against me, ad laughing when the wind caught her helmet just right, I knew better.

By the time we pulled into the parking lot behind the Social Club, my jaw hurt from clenching it the whole ride.

She slid off the bike, tugged the helmet free, and her hair spilling around her shoulders. She looked at me, with her cheeks pink, and her lips curved into a sexy smile.

“Guess that wasn’t so awkward,”

she said softly.

I didn’t trust myself to answer.

I just killed the engine and swung off the bike, reminding myself of every rule I’d made. No staring. No closer than five feet. Only talk about work.

But as we walked inside, side by side, I already knew I was lying to myself.