He laughed and kissed her. "Let's go."
Chapter Twenty-One
"I want you on the back of my bike, babe. I don't want to hear any more argument about it," Throttle said as he sat on Kimber's porch.
"I get that, but I want to ride my own bike to Denver. We're going to a fucking motorcycle expo. Why can't you get that I want my own bike there?" The pink and golden hues from the setting sun illuminated her face.
"I like you pressed against me."
"Not a good enough reason. I can ride with you around the city and some of the trails in the foothills, but I'm going on my own Harley to Denver. If you're going to be pissed off at me and ruin our weekend, that's your choice." She crossed one leg over the other.
Throttle's stare was hard and his twitching jaw told her he was hopping mad, but she wouldn't be bullied. She was tempted to suggest that he ride bitch, but she suspected that would be pushing him too far. Why couldn't he understand that she loved riding as much as he did? "Do you want another beer?" The evening breeze was cool, and as it skimmed over her, goose bumps peppered her arms.
He shrugged. Just great. He's really pissed at me. Men are such babies. "Have another one. I don't want to drink alone." She stood up and went behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed the top of his head. "Don't be mad at me, okay?"
He stared straight ahead. If anyone should be mad, it was her. He hadn't even asked if she wanted to go to the Denver Motorcycle Expo-he'd just told her. The fact that she was over the moon to go wasn't the point; he should have asked her. The expo attracted over two hundred thousand people to its annual event, and since its inception thirty years before, it had grown substantially into a necessary event for bikers. For several years, she'd wanted to go, but she was either too busy or too broke to make the trip. Many members of the Demon Riders went every year and hung out with their Denver chapter. For a brief second, she wondered if Chewy would be at the event; she shuddered at the thought.
"You don't want to talk to me?" she whispered near his ear, licking his earlobe. He shifted a tiny bit in his seat. "I can't wait to spend the whole weekend with you. I can think of a lot of things we can do, you know?" Still no response, but his breathing had deepened. Slipping her hand under his muscle shirt, she scratched her way down over his hard pecs, his abs, his flat stomach, until the waistband of his jeans blocked her. Her kisses on his jawline and throat were hard and then soft, and when a low moan vibrated in his throat, her skin tingled and a jab of desire hit between her legs. Her hand rested on his jeans.
"Don't stop yet," he said huskily.
She chuckled, then undid the button and unzipped his pants, his hard dick throbbing under her touch. "Let's go inside. My mouth needs to take care of that," she breathed in his ear. He jumped up, crushed her against him, and hurried them into the house. Kicking the door closed behind her, she led him to her bedroom.
* * *
The ride to Denver was different, as Kimber had to stay behind all the brothers since she was a female rider. She didn't make a stink about it because she didn't want to start out with any animosity, and she was riding with the Insurgents so their rules applied. Throttle rode at the end, one bike ahead of hers, and each time he'd glance backward at her, her heart turned over. He was turning out to be a real sweetie. Some of the other brothers weren't keen at all on a female riding with them, but they were outvoted so there she was, eating the exhaust of twenty-plus bikes and loving every minute of the ride.
They checked into a two-story motel near the coliseum that held the expo. The yellow neon sign read "Rodeo Motel," and a large cowboy boot with spurs intermittently flashed in blue neon. The motel was a U layout, with all the rooms facing the parking lot, just how the bikers wanted it so they could check on their Harleys to make sure no one messed with them. Of course, the prospects would take turns babysitting the iron and chrome babies, but each biker still wanted to be able to see his machine. Kimber was no exception, and she glanced out the white curtains frequently even though Throttle teased her about it. She caught him checking out his Harley when he thought she wasn't looking. When she called him on it, he began tickling her until tears rolled down her cheeks. Being with him felt so normal and relaxed; it was like they'd known each other for a long time and not for only two short months.
The motel didn't have a restaurant on the premises, but a diner a couple blocks away beckoned the group; they filled the eatery, ordering chicken fried steaks, meatloaf, pork chops, and burgers. Kimber and Throttle sat at a table with Hawk and Cara, Jerry and Kylie, Chas and Addie, Axe and Baylee, and Jax. Kimber had met the old ladies at Steelers Bar and Grill the previous week, and she liked all of them. Since she worked for Hawk, she knew Cara the best, but the others were very friendly and welcomed her into their group right away.
"I have to admit I'm a little nervous about going to the expo tomorrow," Addie said as she cut her chicken fried steak.
"Why, precious?" Chas put his arm around her.
"There're going to be so many different clubs there and all that testosterone going around. I hope nothing happens."
"It's been over fifteen years since shit hit the fan. No reason to be worried about it." Throttle took a gulp of his root beer. The diner didn't have a liquor license so the only beer served was homemade root beer, much to the chagrin of the Insurgents and some of their women.
"I know, but I heard that some rival clubs attend the event. I know you guys are having a booth, and I'm sure others are too." Addie's forehead crinkled.
"It's going to be okay, isn't it, Axe?" Baylee's voice held a note of concern. Of the group, she and Axe were not staying at the motel; rather, they were staying in her high-rise condo downtown. When she'd fallen in love with Axe, she'd transferred to the architecture firm's Pinewood Springs office, but she'd held on to her condo for weekend trips or if she had to come to the city for business.
"It's gonna be more than fine." Axe kissed her on the cheek. "Addie, eat your damn food and quit worrying about shit that isn't gonna happen."
Addie opened her mouth to reply, but Kimber said, "She has a point. I know the Demon Riders go to the expo. They have a booth every year."
"If they don't start shit, we won't, but if they do, Insurgents won't fuckin' back down." Throttle leaned back in his chair, a scowl on his face.
"I know that. I'm just saying that Addie's right. Whenever you get a bunch of bikers together and a few of the clubs are outlaws, the potential for a problem is real."
"Can we please change the subject?" Baylee said.
Silence fell over the group, and then Cara cleared her throat. "They don't have any leads yet on the deputy who was raped and killed a couple weeks ago."
"Oh, Cara … ," Baylee groaned. "I don't want to talk about that either. It's too gruesome and scary. Some fucking pervert is loose in Pinewood Springs, and the cops can't do a damn thing about it. It freaks me out."
"I'm sure they're working hard on it. I knew the victim-Sharon. I saw her a lot in court, and we became work friends. She was very nice. I'm sick about it." Cara's voice hitched and Hawk put his arm around her, tugging her to him and kissing her. He whispered something in her ear, but Kimber couldn't hear it. While Cara spoke about the murdered woman, shivers skated along her nerves as she thought of the man caught watching her on two separate occasions. She was so damn glad Throttle insisted she put in the alarm system.
"Change the subject again." Baylee turned to Jax. "I'm starting to think Cherri had the right idea about staying home."
The group laughed, and Jax said, "Paisley was sick, so she couldn't stay with Chas's mom and dad. She insisted I come, but all this talk about the fuckin' pervert makes me want to haul ass back to Pinewood." He pulled out his phone and began typing.
"That didn't go so well," Addie said softly. "What subject can we talk about that won't bring on any negativity?"
All the guys and Kimber said, "Harleys." And so, for the rest of dinner and during the walk back to the motel, motorcycles were the topic of discussion.
After watching a movie on TV, Throttle turned it off with the remote and pressed Kimber closer to him. She rolled away, smiling when she heard him growl. "I want to check on my bike."