Page 54 of The Biker and the Baker

He parks next to Onyx's motorcycle and climbs off. As he removes his sunglasses and approaches, he narrows squinty green eyes at me, then shifts them to Onyx, his brow arched questioningly.

Onyx waits until he reaches us before saying, "Pia, my uncle, Roller. Unc, my girl, Pia."

Holding my hand out, I say, “Nice to meet you, Roller.”

With a grunt, he leaves me hanging, eying me up and down for a moment before barely jerking his chin in acknowledgment.

Well, okay then. I don't know what his problem is and I’m not sure I care. His attention goes back to Onyx. "Son—"

Onyx cuts him off. "I rode all this way to tell you face to face this time around:No."

Roller squints stubbornly. "Just hear me out. Ten minutes. That's all I'm asking."

Onyx’s jaw rocks from left to right. "Nothing you say's gonna change my mind, Unc."

"Ten minutes," Roller repeats.

Onyx weighs it for a few seconds, his fingers messing with my braid again. By the time he’s done, the darn thing is gonna be unraveled.

Eventually, he sighs and agrees, “Ten minutes."

Looking down at me, he tips my chin up with his thumb and drops a quick kiss to my lips. "You cool giving me a few minutes to chat with Unc?"

"Of course." I pull my phone out and wave it. "I'll just find something to read while I wait."

Finally freeing my braid from the molestation of his fingers, he nods and murmurs, "Be back."

As they head toward the back with the giant trees and overgrown grass, I amble to Onyx’s motorcycle and prop myself against it, then pull up the ebook I’ve been wanting to finish for over a month now.

~

Not that I was counting the minutes, but by the time Onyx and Roller strolls back to the front, ten minutes was fifteen minutes ago.

Roller, who had all but scowled at my outstretched hand earlier, walks up to where I’m casually propped on Onyx’s motorcycle, looks me in the eyes, and says, “My nephew tells me you’re gonna stick. So, ‘guess now I can say nice to meet you, too.”

To convey that I don’t give a damn about his approval after he was so rude to me earlier, I stare right back at him without a word.

I feel Onyx come up behind me and Roller’s eyes shift above my head. “Hear from ya in a few days?”

There’s no verbal response from Onyx, but some silent understanding must have been exchanged because Roller nods before he slides on his sunglasses and straddles his Harley.

From behind me, Onyx gently wraps his fingers around my neck, his thumb caressing my skin.

Roller revs up and throws one more chin jerk at us before leaving.

With the C of his fingers around my neck, Onyx urges my chin up until my head is tilted back and I’m looking up at him, him looking down at me.

His voice is soft, a ghost of a smile on his lips when he says, “Hey.”

“Hey,” I respond.

"So, you sticking around?"

I frown. "Here?"

One corner of his lips kicks up, a twinkle in his eyes. And then I get it. He's asking if I'm stickingaround. Withhim.

Considering I’m barely keeping up with the full-throttle speed we're going at, I don't have an answer for that yet. So I just gaze up at him, no words to offer.