“You’re fast,” she said.
“You motivate a man,” he replied with an easy smile. “So do I want to know what put murder in your eyes?”
“No.”
He studied her for a moment before replying, “Whatever the leech did, I’ll have to thank him for it someday.”
“I need a drink,” she said. “Somewhere loud and bright.”
“You called the right man. I promise you’ll forget the bastard’s name by the end of the night.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street. “We’ve got to ride there.”
“How?” she asked.
A black motorcycle waited by the side of the street, propped on its stand. “Weres like adrenaline,” he said. “You game?”
She eyed the two helmets waiting. “Yeah.”
“Atta girl.” He tossed her one helmet and kicked his leg astride the bike. “Come here.”
Abbey settled in behind him, relishing the new feeling of being on a motorcycle. Christian threaded her arms around his torso and pulled her against him. “Hold on,” he commanded over her shoulder. “As tight as you want.”
The engine roared to life beneath them and a small gasp escaped her as they shot off onto the street.
Wind rushed by her, no doubt tangling the hair escaping her helmet into an epic knot. Her skirt ruffled against her legs but she didn’t feel cold. Instead she hugged Christian close and took advantage of his body heat. Weres ran naturally warm and right now, the heat was a welcome bonus.
She breathed in the scent of pine and earth on his skin. Perhaps he’d been in the woods before her call, running with his pack. She liked the idea that someone wanted her enough to drop whatever he was doing and join her. At least someone thought she was worth such effort.
They weaved through traffic and a startled laugh escaped her. Christian handled the bike with expert confidence. She felt no danger riding with him despite her human fragility. The wolf was in full control.
At the sound of her pleasure, he revved the engine and zoomed ahead even faster. Abbey watched the city fly by in a way she never had before. Adrenaline surged through her body, just as he’d predicted, and she welcomed the sensation. She’d been following too much of a routine these past few days. Letting Lucian suck her into his structured schedule when she far preferred her own brand of chaos.
Looked like Christian preferred it, too.
With a grin stretching her lips, she held on tight and let him take them where he would.
The ride ended far too soon. They could have driven all night and she wouldn’t have complained.
“Where are we?” she asked as Christian undid her helmet.
“It’s a were bar I know. You down with that?”
“Bring it.” Couldn’t be worse than a vampire ball, could it?
He flashed her another grin before twining his fingers through hers. Wondering what she was getting herself into, she followed Christian into the bar.
Sound exploded the moment they stepped from the street. The bar was packed, laughter and music filling any second of silence. Plush red booths lined one wall with the bar running down the length of the other. Toward the back, dartboards were surrounded by a jumble of eager contestants. Very little floor space was left unoccupied as the weres toasted each other and downed their pints. Christian waved to a few people as he tugged her through the throng.
“Are you a beer girl?” he asked.
“The darker, the better.”
“Honey, I think I’m in love.” He gestured to the bartender and held up two fingers.
They managed to battle their way to the booths and the slight privacy they offered. She couldn’t see any that were empty but that didn’t stop Christian. He headed for one the farthest away from the pulsing speakers and stared at the two occupants within.
The young weres took one look and him and vacated the seat.
“How did you do that?” she said. “I feel kinda bad.”
“No need. I’ll buy them a round. Please, sit.”
Figuring there was no sense in letting the prime booth go to waste, she slid onto the plush seat. Within seconds, pints were placed in front of them, along with a bowl of fries.
Christian slapped the waiter on the back and said a few words to the man before turning his attention back to her.
“So,” he said, reaching for a fry. “Feel like telling me what he did yet?”
“Nope.” She took a sip of the stout. “Mmm. Good choice.”
“All right, then let’s focus on more mannered subjects. How’d you like the ride here?”
She grinned. “We need to do that again.”
“We will,” he promised without missing a beat. “Weres like adventure.”