Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

I get what’s coming to me.” He, too, could switch on a dime from work to play.
    She lifted her hands and swept her long blond hair into a twist, making her breasts jut underneath her body-hugging sweater. “You were here for four hours, so it’ll be forty dollars.”
    “And the twenty you gave me earlier?”
    “A sign on bonus.” She grabbed his hands, slipping her fingers between his. “Now, how about a ride on that bike of yours?”
    “Anything for you, ma’am.” He ducked just in time to avoid her playful swat.

Chapter Nine
    T his was crazy . Sheer lunacy. But oh, so exciting!
    Terri held on tight to Ryker as she leaned with him, taking the curves like a professional motorcycle racer. Her heart was jumping out of her throat, and her arms were around Ryker’s waist like a vise, but she could barely contain the sparks of excitement from sizzling all over her body.
    Being on the back of a bike, especially a roaring Harley, brought her back to the wild and free times before her father sold his motorcycle after a crash which left him a paraplegic. Terri wasn’t riding with him that fateful day, and even though her father had said she should get back on a bike again, her mother had been adamant that she do no such thing.
    Sorry Mom. Not when I’m turning thirty in a week.
    The ride with Ryker was so exhilarating, what with the deep rumble of the strong engine between her legs and the wind stinging her cheeks. The bike moved so fast that her hair flapped like a banner from under the skull cap helmet she had stored at the flower shop. While she hadn’t gone out of her way to meet men on bikes, if she happened to meet someone with a bike, she oftentimes asked him to take her on a short ride.
    Usually, it was around the block and back, but Ryker simply took off after figuring out she knew how to be a passenger. At the speed he was taking the winding road, she could pretty much say he was showing off. Somehow, the thought made her heart flutter even faster.
    The sun was setting as they approached the vista over the Crystal Springs Reservoir. The heavy rains that ended the recent California drought had replenished the water which glimmered so true blue it looked like an oil painting.
    Ryker pulled into a small parking area overlooking the reservoir. Although Terri had driven over Highway 280 countless times and enjoyed the view up high, nothing could compare to being in such a beautifully scenic spot with a hunk of a man after a thrilling motorcycle ride.
    Sure, she barely knew Ryker, but he was a former Marine. He hadn’t tried to rob her when she’d opened the cash register and paid him his forty bucks, and she could afford a little fun, especially since her thirtieth birthday was around the corner.
    Was she being impulsive?
    Probably, but she could stop the game at any time.
    Ryker held the bike upright as she dismounted, then removed his helmet and sunglasses.
    “Bet you didn’t expect a ride like that.” He grinned as he took off her sunglasses. “You look like you’re in shock.”
    “It’s been years since I’ve ridden. You’re a good rider.”
    He ran a knuckle down the side of her face, looking like he wanted to kiss her. “I liked having you warm my back.”
    She loved holding onto his broad back more than she should, but she wasn’t going to let the moment go. The sun was setting over the deep blue body of still water, and they were surrounded by the greens and golds of the rolling hillside. The air was cooling, and despite the freeway not far off, the immediate vicinity was quiet and private.
    Why had he brought her to such a romantic place? Was he feeling the same insane attraction she’d experienced the moment she saw him standing on the median strip panhandling?
    One side of Ryker’s face curved into a half-hearted smile. “You’re sobering up, aren’t you?”
    “Excuse me?” She hugged her jacket around her. “I haven’t had anything to drink.”
    “Ah, but the ride. It affected