Page 28 of Twisted Trails (Rogue Riders Duet #2)

“Yeah. She said…” I scratch the back of my neck, feeling a little awkward now. “Well, she’s into Greer too.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“She told me.” Mason shrugs. “Back when you two were butting heads over her.”

Holy shit. I mean, I knew they were somewhat close, but this level of trust?

Maybe this will be easier than I thought .

“Okay,” I say, trying to keep my voice level. “So, I told her that I get it. That I’m into you too. And?—”

Mason stills. “You are?”

I step closer, letting my hand drift up to his jaw, my thumb brushing his bottom lip like I’ve wanted to do since Leogang. “Wasn’t that obvious by now?”

“Nothing is obvious when it comes to you, maniac,” he breathes out, making me chuckle. “You sure?”

I tip his face toward mine. “She said I can have you both, if you’re okay with that.”

Mason glances toward the track. Alaina is tearing up the trail like a wildfire, nothing but a blur.

“Yeah.” He swallows once, then again, slower. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“You can think about it more if you—” I start, but then his hand is in my hair, his other gripping my hoodie, and fuck , he pulls me down into a kiss that’s nothing like the shy hesitation from earlier.

It’s dominant .

His mouth claims mine like it’s been waiting for permission, and now that he has it, he’s not asking twice. I let out a stunned sound, not even a full breath, just a noise, because he’s taking and giving, and holy hell , it’s hot.

He pulls back, lips flushed. “I don’t need to think about it. I know what I want.”

Then he slips his helmet on in one smooth motion, throws a leg over the second bike, and without another word, he’s gone, roaring after Alaina.

I just stand there, flabbergasted, one hand half-raised to my mouth.

“ Merde. ”

My lips are still tingling, my brain short-circuited, and my dick, well, let’s just say it’s filing complaints about missed opportunities.

That kiss was a statement . A claim .

Mason kissed me like he was done playing it safe and decided to crash straight through my defenses with no brakes at full throttle.

And I fucking loved it.

I run a hand down my face, trying to center myself. It doesn’t work. I’m still buzzing. Still hard. Still imagining how Mason’s hands would feel if they weren’t wrapped around handlebars but wrapped around me . I thought I’d be the one with the upper hand, but merde , I think I just got leveled.

Alaina comes back to me, pulling me out of my stupor, the bike humming as she eases it to a stop. Her leg swings off like she’s done it a hundred times before, and she rips off her helmet, revealing her flushed cheeks and bright eyes, but there’s a crease of frustration in her brow.

“You guys were right. It’s harder with just two fingers. The throttle, the grip, all of it. I think I’d rather stop here.”

I step toward her, grinning while taking the bike over from her. “Look at you. Making rational decisions.”

She raises an eyebrow as she hands me the helmet. “Coming from you, that’s wild.”

“ Touché. ” I wrap an arm around the back of her neck, tug her in close, and press my nose against the curve where her throat meets her shoulder. She smells like lavender and the sharp bite of dust. I breathe her in deep, let my mouth graze her neck, then bite. Just a little.

“Luc.” She gasps, half a laugh, half a warning. “Stop it.”

“I can’t,” I murmur against her skin, nibbling up toward her ear. “I’m so fucking happy.”

She stills, then leans back to look me in the eye. “You are?”

I nod, letting my hands slide to her waist. “Yeah. I have you . And Mason just told me he’s fine with me having both of you.”

Her mouth curves. “I’m so happy for you.” She rises on her toes and kisses me, and when she pulls back, her eyes are gleaming. “Now go. Show Payne how the Flying Frenchman does it.”

I laugh and swing onto the bike. “Oh, bébé . You’re about to witness art.”

Throttle. Kick. Dirt spits behind me as I shoot forward, the bike vibrating beneath me as I fly over the first bump, carve into a turn, and hit the straight like I’ve got rockets strapped to my ass.

Mason joins me halfway down the track, matching my speed. We exchange a glance—half-challenge, half-grin—and then he punches it and overtakes me by a hair.

Oh, it’s on.

We race like kids with no brakes and nothing to lose.

I pull a wheelie, just because I can, and Mason cackles beside me before dipping into the next corner.

I keep pace, lean in harder, get dirty and reckless with it, and every time we scream past the starting point, Alaina is there, yelling and clapping, her voice bouncing off the trees.

“Faster, you slowpokes!”

The joy. The lightness. The rightness of it all.

I land the last jump harder than I mean to. Breath punches out of me in a sharp exhale, and the bike skids a little as I coast to a stop near the far edge of the track.

Mason rolls up beside me, engine rumbling low before he cuts it. “You having fun?”

I pull off my helmet and wipe my forearm across my forehead, sweat and dust mixing. “Yeah.” I pant. “ This is the best fucking day of my life.”

He snorts. “You’ve won three World Cup overalls, and this is the best day of your life? ”

His goggles still hide his eyes, but the shape of his mouth behind the mouthguard is familiar now, the way it twitches when he thinks he’s caught me being dramatic.

I reach out, grab his gloved hand, and link our fingers. “Yeah. It is. With a lot to spare.”

There’s a pause, then that mouth twitches again, this time into a full smile. I can see it even with half of his face covered.

And fuck, he’s devastating when he smiles.

We both turn toward Alaina and see that she’s sprawled in the grass like she belongs among the wildflowers, legs stretched out, hair a mess of helmet-wrecked curls and sun.

Mason watches her for a beat. “We should get back to her, so she doesn’t feel left out.”

I snort. “She could never feel left out.”

She’s the fucking center of everything.

“Still.” He shrugs. “I don’t want to risk it. If we want to make this work, we have to make sure everybody’s happy and nobody’s feelings get hurt. I can’t have you for myself all the time.”

I glance over and lift an eyebrow. “Yeah, but… you can be a little selfish sometimes. That’s okay. I mean, if you want to spend time with her alone, I get it.”

“Why would I want to spend time alone with her ? I mean, we’re friends and everything, but?—”

“Do you like her?”

He huffs. “Of course, I like her. She’s cool.”

“She’s more than cool.”

“I know,” he mutters. “Just…”

He trails off, and that alone tells me all I need to know.

“If you want to spend time with her alone, it’s fine with me,” I say again sincerely.

Mason looks over at her, then at me. “That should be my line. ”

I grin. “True, but I’m the super emotionally adult one in this three-way relationship.”

“Everything that just came out of your mouth sounds so fucking wrong.”

I tap his helmet with two fingers. “It sounds wrong, but it is right.”

And with that, I put my helmet back on and race toward the girl in the grass.

When I’m next to her, I ease the bike down gently and drop beside her.

Mason settles next to me a second later, so I have one on each side, making me the center of this little orbit for now, and I for sure won’t complain about it.

Alaina is weaving wildflowers into what look like bracelets with a kind of soft focus I don’t usually see from her. She finishes one and, without a word, slips it over my wrist. It’s lopsided but beautiful, with white and purple blooms, and I feel like she just handed me the best present ever.

Then she reaches out again, toward Mason, and waits, while giving him a look. He offers his hand, and she slides another bracelet on his wrist. The flowers stand out even more against his tanned skin, and I see that Alaina has one on her wrist too.

I glance down at mine, then at hers. “That’s beautiful.”

She shrugs. “I made them all the time when I was younger.”

Mason snickers. “I remember Dane and Greer walking around with flower bracelets, but it looked too cool for anyone to make fun of them.”

“Hey.” Alaina huffs, mock-offended. “It is cool.”

“Yes.” Mason grins. “Now that I’m in the club, it feels cool.”

I lift my wrist like I’m showing off Olympic gold. “Damn right we’re a club. The Wildflower Rebels.”

Alaina scrunches her nose in disgust.

“ Non ?” I smirk. “Not cool enough? Fine. How about The Rogue Riders?”

“That sounds like an unofficial World Cup racing team that just turns up to crash the circuit,” Mason muses.

“Exactly.” I nod sagely. “And we look incredible doing it.”

Alaina is smiling when I take her face in my hands and kiss her.

“Thank you,” I murmur, staying close, breathing her in once more.

She brushes her lips against mine. “You’re welcome.”

Then I twist, turn toward the other side, and grab Mason by the neck. I kiss him, too, and when I pull back, Mason’s pupils are huge, his breath just slightly off pace. I lick my bottom lip and grin.

“Fuck,” I breathe out on a whisper. “Best day of my life. Truly. ”

Alaina laughs beside me. “I bet it is.”

“The only thing that could make this better…” I say, all drama, “… is if you both gave me a kiss on the cheek. At the same time.”

Mason groans. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Come on. For me? Please?” I pout, sticking out my lower lip. “I want to feel like the center of your worlds. Because I am .”

Mason shoots a look to Alaina. “We’re not going to have any say in this relationship, are we?”

Alaina just laughs. “Nope.”

They both lean in, synchronized, lips puckered, going in for my cheeks, and when they’re so close I can feel their breaths on my skin, I lean back.

Which means, they kiss each other instead.

Just a quick, startled smooch, but neither of them pulls away instantly, which only confirms what I’ve been thinking all along.

When they do part, they’re both blushing like crazy, and Alaina hiccups softly.

So damn cute.

“Sorry,” she whispers to Mason, cheeks still red.

“Really, Delacroix?” Mason glares at me. “That’s not funny.”

“Oh, isn’t it?” I flash him my most innocent smile, which, let’s be real, isn’t fooling anyone. “I think it’s hilarious. That’s just what you guys wanted to do anyway.”

“Alaina didn’t consent to me kissing her.”

And just like that, the humor slips out of my chest, and guilt tightens in my throat. Because shit . I forgot. I forgot that for Mason, lines aren’t just lines, they’re boundaries built from scars, but before I can apologize, Alaina is already reaching across me, catching his hand.

“It’s okay.” Her eyes are fixed on his. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You know you have my consent to touch me.” She glances at me, then back to him. “And to kiss me.”

Mason goes still as if he can’t quite believe what he just heard.

I, on the other hand, am vibrating with glee. “You heard her. She said she wants you to kiss her. Go on. Kiss. I wanna see that.”

Mason shoots me another glare, then lunges. “You sly little bastard.”

His fingers hit my ribs, and I shriek-laugh like an idiot, twisting as he tickles me like he’s been waiting all day for this revenge.

I try to fight him off, but I’m laughing too hard, breathless and squirming, and then Alaina joins in, teaming up with zero hesitation and tickling me with her good hand from the other side like they planned this shit in advance .

“Okay! Okay! I surrender!” I wheeze, flailing. “I surrender, I’m sorry!”

They collapse beside me, all breathless and triumphant.

Alaina curls into my left side, with her head on my chest, and I pull her closer to me, while Mason drops down on my right, one arm folded behind his head, the other finding my free one, his fingers slipping easily between mine.

I lay there, pinned between them, with flowers on my wrist and dirt on my skin, and my heart stretched impossibly full.

Yeah. Best fucking day of my life.