Riding the Wind: A Motorcycle Club Erotic Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

hair and grinning wickedly at her friend, “how was school today?”
     
    Cole was off like a rocket, talking about sensory stations and reading time and a million and a half completed thoughts that made no sense. Sarah kept watching her, and Danni just kept smiling. As they washed up, gave Cole his bath, and put him to bed, she ignored Sarah’s attempts to draw her out and figure out what she was planning, and just kept smiling. After all, it was still a convenient distraction from how she never heard a word from Derek. Just one more biker, off to chase the horizon. Getting her panties in a twist over it was a complete waste of time.
     

 
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Cole was so excited that Sarah was staying at the apartment that he begged for a sleepover. The air mattress was more comfortable than the lumpy second hand couch anyway, so they set that up in his room. Sarah crashed as soon as her head hit the pillow, and Cole was asleep in his own bed not long after that.
     
    Danni changed into an old t-shirt and pajama pants, then took a beer out of the fridge and settled on the couch for a one-woman pity party. Her eyes were stinging from tears that she refused to shed, and she thought a single long-neck might make it easier to go to sleep without sobbing.
     
    There was no excuse for her being like this. He was just a guy. She’d avoided most guys since Cole was born. It was hard enough, being a single mom, without bringing all the drama of relationships into the picture. The occasional one night stand kept her happy enough, and she could focus on giving her son what he needed. It would get better as he got older, and she’d reclaim bits and pieces of the life she’d had before - though with some seriously better choices -- and everything would get easier. But she had to get him off to a solid start. He had to have a better life than she did. That was what she was working for. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. At least, not right now. When he was older.
     
    And then the gentle tap on her door sent her heart to racing. She was up on her feet too fast, peering through the peephole. The odds of Ryan coming to her place, first of all, and knocking politely, second, were astronomical. But she didn’t want to get excited, didn’t want to think about how much she wanted to see Derek there. She looked like crap, though, like a tired mother. She didn’t even have a bra on. But she couldn’t very well open the door and tell him to wait while she put makeup on. Screw that. He could deal with her as she was or not at all.
     
    Besides, he looked exhausted and more than exhausted. She pulled the door open, but he just looked at her for a moment, his eyes faded and soft around the edges. “Hi,” she said, leaning on the doorframe. “Are you okay?”
     
    Derek’s expression seemed to wake slightly, and he found a smile. “Hi. I’m sorry I didn’t come by earlier. After...this morning, I went with Walt to see his kid, and things got kind of...and I didn’t have your number to call, and if you don’t want me to come in, I get it.”
     
    The hesitation lasted only a moment. “Come in, of course, come in. But my son’s asleep in his room, so keep your voice low.”
     
    He nodded, and she stepped back to let him move past her.
     
    The way he moved was different. Slower, softer. Older. She’d put him in his late 20s, same as her, based on his face and his hands, but tonight, he looked almost like an old man.
     
    “Have you eaten?” Danni found herself asking. “Or would you like some coffee?”
     
    “I’m fine,” he said. His eyes wandered towards the beer she’d left on the coffee table. “Unless you’ve got a spare one of those.”
     
    He followed her into the kitchen and sat on a stool as she pulled another beer from the fridge and popped the top. “Want to talk about it?”
     
    Derek shook his head no, and then started to talk. “Walt, he’s...I’ve been running with him for years. He’s a good