“Are you all right? You sound as if you’re coming down with something. Is your friend contagious?”

“No. If I need any help, I’ll ask Evie. They know each other very well.”

“You do that. Evie will stay on top of the situation.”

“Yes, she will,” Razer heartily agreed.

Shade’s shoulders slumped. He wanted to pound Razer into the ground because he liked to brag that Evie’s favorite position when she fucked him was being on top.

“Why are you both up so early?” Shade questioned while wanting his sunglasses to dim Beth’s blinding smile.

“Razer is taking me for a ride this morning.”

Shade stared down at the plate of food Beth set in front of him.

“I thought you might be hungry.”

Shade almost lost the contents of his stomach at the sight. He started to slide the food away yet stopped when he saw her disappointed expression. Instead, he picked up the fork, gingerly taking a bite.

Seeing Razer in his riding clothes, he had been curious as to where they were going, but by that point he was wishing his boots had kept on walking.

“Where to?”

“If it’s okay with Razer, I thought we could ride to see my sister.”

“Cool with me,” Razer said as Shade almost vomited up the bite he had taken. Razer saved him the humiliation when he slid the plate toward him and began eating Shade’s food.

“Mind if I ride along?” Shade asked, trying to keep the small bite of egg he had forced down to stay in his heaving stomach.

“I don’t mind, but…” Beth frowned, trailing off.

“What?” Shade asked.

“Don’t be surprised if my sister is a little nervous around you.”

Shade’s lips tightened. Had Lily told Beth she didn’t like him after he had carried her into the house?

“Any reason why?” Shade probed, his stomach twisting tight.

Beth’s face went blank. “Probably the whole biker aura.”

He relaxed. His appearance intimidated a lot of people; as a result, it wouldn’t surprise him if a girl as young and innocent as Lily was frightened of him merely from seeing his tattoos.

“Finish eating, Beth, so we can get on the road. Lily will be fine. She needs to get used to the biker aura. The sooner, the better.”

Amen to that, Shade thought to himself.

Shade finished his coffee then got up. “I’ll meet you at the bikes. I need to get my sunglasses from my room.”

Razer gave him a mocking look as he went downstairs to get his sunglasses and untie Bliss who pouted at him when he did and tried to tug him down to her.

Shade pried her hands loose. “Let go. I’m going for a ride with Razer.”

“Can I go?”

Shade picked up his sunglasses and wallet from his nightstand. “No.”

He left without giving her any further explanation. All the women knew their place with him—it was in his bed, not out of it.

Once outside, Shade climbed on his bike and started the motor. He was bat-shit crazy to be going out as tired as he was, but the opportunity to see Lily up close was too good to pass up.

Within a few miles, the sleep fog disappeared with the wind hitting him in his face.

As soon as they rode past the city limits, Shade heard Razer’s yell. “Wide fucking open, brother.”

Shade increased his speed, riding beside Razer’s bike on the narrow, two-lane road. A little ways later, Razer motioned down at his tank as they neared a gas station.

Shade got off his bike to pump the gas.

“I need to go to the restroom,” he heard Beth say; however, Shade wasn’t taking his eyes off the bikers pulling into the station as they parked to the side of the building, wearing their colors.

“Fuck,” Razer grunted when the women got off the bikes and followed Beth into the store.

“Be prepared,” Shade warned as the over-bloated bikers managed to get off their bikes and then came toward them.

“This is the Destructors’ territory. Why are you wearing your colors through our town?” one dumbass said who Shade thought actually believed he was Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

“We’re just passing through. We’re not looking for a challenge.” Razer tried to prevent the fight he could see brewing. Shade could have told him it was a wasted effort, though.

“Then take off your colors until you’re out of our territory.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Shade said, taking the nozzle out of his gas tank.

“It is, mother fucker, or we’ll take them. It’s your choice.”

“The choice is yours. Go back to your bikes and wait for your bitches, or I’ll shove my boot up your ass,” Shade warned.

“Fuck you.”

Three of the five men took him on while two went for Razer. Shade wondered why the larger numbers always went for him when Razer was the bigger of the two of them.

Cars in the lot started peeling out when they saw the fight break out. Shade felt his lip sting as one of the bikers managed to slam a fist into his face while he was taking down the fat-ass Dwayne.

Pinning the dumbass down with his boot on his throat, Shade swung his fist at another one, knocking him back long enough to grab the third one by his neck, twisting him until his back was to Shade’s front. He wrapped his arm around the biker’s throat then twisted his neck until he cried out in fear.

“Tell them to back off, or I’ll break his fucking neck.”

“Ace?” the one he was holding whined down at the one he had pinned to the dirty concrete.

Shade lifted his foot just enough to let him gasp out the order. “Back off!”

The bikers all pulled back except the two Shade had in control.

“Razer?” Shade didn’t take his eyes away from them as Razer moved to where he could see them.

Pulling his gun out of his saddlebag, Razer motioned for the men to leave. Then Shade threw the one he was holding away while lifting his boot. The fake Dwayne shakily gained his feet, holding his throat.

“You going to leave us alone, or do I need to finish things?” Shade moved his hand to his side, slightly lifting the side of his vest enough to show the butt of his pistol.

“Like you said, we don’t want any trouble.” Ace backed away, leading his men back to their bikes.

After Shade climbed back on his bike as Razer put his weapon inside his saddle bag, the bikers avoided glancing in their direction when the women came out together.

Razer and Shade started their bikes as soon as Beth planted her ass on Razer’s. Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Shade memorized the small campus as they rode through it to Lily’s dorm, stopping his bike next to Razer’s as Beth went inside to get her sister.

When the women walked outside hand in hand, Shade could only stare. He was just as awestruck by Lily’s beauty as he had been the first time he had seen her. The difference between the two was stark. One sister was so light and golden, her smile as bright as the sun, her loving nature obvious as she held her sister’s nervous hand. The other, a dark enigma who only let her guard down when she looked at her sister.

The male students walking by stopped, appreciating the beauty walking among them. The female students, on the other hand, were not as appreciative.