Page 51 of Freaks Of Nature

“Vince.”

Oh shit!They know each other.

Something feathers over Vince’s expression, and his lips quirk in amusement. “That’s a nice piece you got there,” he says with a tilt of his head.

An icy chill creeps over me as his curious gaze takes me in. He’s not talking about Ash’s bike.

“Looks like a comfortable chassis,” he adds with sickening appreciation. “Made for a good ride, I assume. Those legs…” He makes a whistling sound instead of finishing his sentence.

“What do you want?” Ash barks, cutting him off.

“I was just wondering if you and your brother are going to show at the race in Sierra Valley next weekend?”

“Why? Did you already make plans on how to spend the prize money in case we don’t?” Keeping me close behind him, Ash strolls up to the guy, goading him. “Everyone knows that’s the only way you’d win. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” he taunts with a sneer.

Vince’s face retains its animosity. His eyes narrow and his mouth gives a cynical twitch. “You can’talwayswin, Ash,” he grinds out, then arches a brow.

“Maybe your girl here would enjoy the show.” He pushes off Ash’s bike and takes a leisurely step to the side, seemingly surrendering his post without starting a fight.

But I’m not fooled.

“You should bring her along,” he tacks on offhandedly. “She looks…fun. Are you two passing her back and forth?” He gestures vaguely between Ash and me. “She knows there’s two of you right?”

His left hand still linked to my right, Ash leans into him, leveling his chest with Vince’s. “Just prepare yourself for third,” he sneers, jabbing the guy with his forefinger. “As usual.”

Then he nudges me toward his bike, handing me my helmet and getting on first.

Vince cocks his head. “You and Mason… always in competition.” Hetsks, giving my body another suggestive once over.

I climb on behind Ash as he revs the engine like a threatening growl.

We watch the group of guys part in a somewhat reluctant pace, then take off.

The tension in Ash’s muscles never lessens. Even at the stoplight, his upper body remains flexed through and through. Vince’s words must’ve triggered a nerve. Are he and Mason really that competitive?

I hug my arms tighter around his chest. I want him to know that I’m here. Not just on the bike with him, but also for emotional support. I care. And I’m not bothered by what the prick said.

Before the light turns green again, I feel his sigh, and all at once, his tension loosens, like a weight falling off.

His gloved fingers give my hand a quick squeeze, then return to the throttle to accelerate, but I know, in this briefmoment, something that doesn’t need words passed between us.

I lean into his body on the bike, my legs spread around his, the engine roaring between my thighs. Each time we ride, I get more confident. My curves are very familiar with his contours by now, and it’s not awkward to touch him so intimately. I no longer find the closeness daunting. I revel in it.

And I trust him.

Even when he takes us on an obscure path through the woods.

Ash decelerates to weave through the trees until they open to a jaw-dropping view of a lake, completely hidden away by the dense forest vegetation.

A gasp leaves my lungs as the moonlight glitters across the black glass surface. “Holy shit!”

I catch Ash’s pleased chuckle before he cuts the engine and silence takes over. Not even a breeze whispers through the leaves.

I scan the shore. The lake isn’t very big, and yet I can’t make out a single house in the distance. There’s no one but us for miles. I’m guessing it’s a natural feature, not man-made.

I dismount and take the helmet off. “How in the world did you find this place?”

It seems the perfect dumping ground for a body, I muse to myself. There’s not even a boat dock that suggests anyone visits this spot. Ever. The path we took was tough on the bike—more manageable with a car, I guess—but weeds and brush goingup to the water are thigh-high. They tickle my legs up to the hem of my skirt.