Author: Jaci Burton

“I turned out exactly the way I wanted to.” Sort of. “I did what I wanted to do. Nothing you did ten years ago stopped that.” There. She’d said it.

“I guess not. All those years ago you talked about taking a walk on the wild side. Did you ever do that?”

Had she? She’d changed direction in her life and career, taken risks, but done anything wild and crazy? “Not really.”

“So how about doing it now?”

She studied him, trying to decipher his meaning. Did he mean the trip to deliver the virus, or did he mean something else entirely? Was this about sex, about picking up where they’d left off…where they’d never really had the chance to go all those years ago? They’d barely started before he walked out of her life.

This was her chance to experience bad boy Mac Canfield. In the flesh. At least for a while…as she furthered her career.

He might be a thief and he might be going to jail when this was all over with, yet she couldn’t help but want what she hadn’t had ten years ago.

The experience, the lifestyle. She admitted it. She craved it, wanted to know what it was like to ride on the back of Mac’s Harley and just live the wild life with him.

And she’d get answers at the same time. It wasn’t like she was going to allow him to get away with anything illegal, so why the hell not? As long as she considered it part of her job and didn’t let her foolish heart get involved, then she could handle it, right?

Heat seared her as she met the promise in his dark gaze.

“What about it, Lily? You game?”

“It’s insane.” She shook her head.

“You used to be all in for adventure.”

He was baiting her. “I used to be a lot of things I’m not anymore.”

“Don’t hesitate. Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

He had no idea what he was asking. Then again, he had no clue about a lot of things. She looked up at him, unable to believe how much her body still swelled with heat just looking at him.

She nodded. “Okay, Mac. You’re on. I’ll take that walk on the wild side with you.”

Chapter Three

Mac didn’t believe for one second that Lily had just had an about face and agreed to go with him. She had a plan in mind, no doubt to lull him into some false sense of security, steal the virus from him and return it to her client. Which, of course, was in direct opposition to his assignment.

Not only did she think he was a thief, she also thought he was stupid. Whatever idea she had in her gorgeous head didn’t matter. As long as she came with him without argument, he could deal with anything she tried to pull.

He moved through the thick woods, having used the excuse of hunting for more firewood to put some distance between himself and Lily. He needed to make a call—one she couldn’t listen in on. He had to call General Lee.

As the head of Wild Riders, General Grange Lee was not a patient man. And Mac was already late phoning in his report. His cell had been buzzing incessantly for several hours, but no way could he take a call with Lily lurking nearby.

Grange answered on the first ring.

“What the hell took you so long?”

“I ran into a little trouble.” Understatement, since it was a dump truck of shit kind of trouble. He filled Grange in on what happened at the museum, including being shot at and running into Lily and the fact she was a blast from his past. He also told Grange about Lily’s former occupation as a cop and current job as a PI.

“Christ, Mac. This was supposed to be an easy lift.”

“So you said.”

“Any clue who was shooting at you?”

“None. My guess is someone else who wanted the virus. But who?”

“That’s the billion dollar question, isn’t it? What about your friend Lily. Could she be involved in this virus thing somehow? Do you think she’s dirty?”

Mac laughed. “Lily? Not a chance.” It might have been a decade since he’d last seen her, but no way had she changed that much.

“You did the right thing under the circumstances. I don’t like that she knows as much as she does, little that it is.

And you sure as hell can’t let her go now. Not until you make the delivery. If she’s involved in this somehow, then she jeopardizes your mission. And even if she’s not, she’ll go running to the cops or back to her agency and client with information we don’t want them to have. She’ll have to stay with you.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” Though it would make his job a lot harder trying to hold onto her while traversing the countryside. Not impossible, just difficult.

“Keep her with you, travel around a day or two longer.

Make a few stops here and there so she doesn’t know exactly where or when you’re making the delivery, then dump her. I don’t want her getting anywhere near her client or her agency until after the delivery is made. And it would be nice if we could somehow figure out who was shooting at you. I’d like to know who wanted that virus. We’ll do what we can from this end to figure that out, too.”

“Got it.”

“And stay in touch. Holler if you need backup.”

“Will do.” He hung up, scrounged for some firewood and made his way back to the campsite.

He hated keeping secrets from Lily, especially this one.

He’d like to show her just how much he had turned his life around in the last ten years, but he owed his allegiance to Grange and the Riders. He had to do whatever was necessary to maintain the integrity of the program, and that meant not telling Lily anything. With a resigned sigh, he broke through the brush and into the campsite. She was sitting on a log near the fire, shivering.

Cold night. He made a mental note to stop tomorrow for clothes and supplies. And if they were going to be riding he’d need to reconfigure the bike so she’d be more comfortable.

She turned her head as he walked up to the fire. “Took you long enough. What? You didn’t shoot a deer for me?”

He grinned. “Forgot my rifle. Sorry. I have some cheese and crackers in my jacket, though. That’ll have to do for tonight.”

“Yummy.”

They sat and ate while the fire kicked up.

Unfortunately, so did the wind. And the light clothes Lily wore were no protection. “We need to get into the tent. It’s getting colder out here.”

Lily nodded wrapping her arms around herself. “Good idea. I’m freezing.”

They crawled inside the tiny tent that really was only designed for one person. Which meant a very tight squeeze.

One blanket, too. Mac traveled light. He hadn’t expected to be housing a guest in his tent. Then again, Lily wasn’t very big.

They’d make do. It’d be cramped as hell in there, but they’d manage.

He slipped off his leather jacket, making sure to hide the vial and his cell phone out of Lily’s reach. “Put this on,” he said, wrapping the jacket around her.

“Then you’ll be cold,” she said.

He couldn’t see her face in the darkness. He really liked looking at her, because her eyes told him so much. “I’ll be fine.

You’re freezing. I can feel you shivering.”

She shrugged into his jacket and he pulled the blanket around her legs. He settled himself onto the icy canvas floor of the tent, resigned to a cold night. He’d suffered worse than this before.

Once they were situated, everything went quiet, the night sounds outside and the crackling fire the only noises.

Mac listened to Lily’s breathing, wondering if she’d fall asleep fast or if she was uncomfortable. She lay still for the longest time and he thought she was asleep, but then she let out a deep sigh. He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t.

Yeah, it was cold, and the ground was damned uncomfortable. This wasn’t exactly a cozy setup for sleeping, but under the circumstances it was the best he could do.

Tomorrow they’d stay someplace warmer but tonight was about getting someplace remote and fast, and making sure no one was following them. He preferred the outdoors anyway, where he could keep his ears open, hear cars or footsteps, listen to the sounds and pick up anyone who might be sneaking up on them.

Finally, she seemed to settle down. Mac closed his eyes and mentally planned the route he’d take. Off the beaten path, no main roads, except tomorrow when they’d stop at a bike store to swap seats and then another place to get Lily some clothes. He’d stay on the back roads, mainly because he liked to wind around and enjoy the ride. Plus he didn’t like traveling the highways, and since they’d gotten away with the virus, he could almost bet whoever had shot at them would be on the lookout for them. Which meant the less traveled roads were safer.

He startled when Lily moved, shuffling around next to him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Hang on.”

She shifted, surprisingly, on top of him, laying her body over his and pulling the blanket over them both. Instant heat enveloped him.

“What are you doing, Lily?” he asked again.

“There’s no sense in both of us freezing,” she said, her voice low as she faced him. “You were shot tonight and need to stay warm.”

“My shoulder doesn’t even hurt.”

“So? I won’t be able to sleep knowing you’re cold and I’m wrapped up in your jacket and the only blanket.”

“I think you’re trying to find the vial. Or my phone.” Or his gun.

“You don’t trust me.” There was a tinge of shock in her voice.

“Duh.”

“I’m not after either. I’m trying to keep you from freezing.”

He didn’t believe her. And he wasn’t cold now. Not with her breasts pressed against his chest and her pelvis rubbing against his crotch. In fact, his cock was warming pretty damn fast. “This isn’t a good idea.”

“Am I hurting your shoulder?”

“No. I told you it doesn’t hurt at all. And I’m plenty warm.”

“And now so am I. This feels good and I’m even warmer now.”

If she kept wiggling around on top of him things were going to get even more heated. Was she deliberately trying to torment him? If so, it was working. He still thought she was trying to maneuver her way toward the vial and his cell phone.

Not that it would do her any good. He had tucked them safely out of her reach, so even in her current position she wasn’t going to find them. But damn, who could think straight when her warm, lush body was sliding over his? She was going for distraction—and it was working. Damn, was it ever working.

“Lily, you’re playing a very dangerous game.”

His vision had adjusted to the darkness now and enough moonlight filtered through the tent that he could see her cocked brow. “Who’s playing? It’s cold outside. This is basic survival.”

He lifted his lips. “We’re hardly in the Arctic.”

She shrugged against him, splaying her hands out. She was searching the tent for the vial and he damn well knew it.

“I’m cold natured. I need the extra warmth. This is purely self preservation. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”

Right now he’d deny her nothing. She wasn’t going to get what she was looking for, but she was going to get something entirely different if she kept playing this game. He was at her mercy as she surged against him. Her soft hair brushed his face, her breath wafting against his neck. He slid his arms around her, pressing down on her lower back to feel more of the contact of her body along his.

He decided to test her by letting his hands wander lower, cupping the globes of her ass and gently kneading them.

She gasped and stilled.

He waited for her to roll off now that she knew she wasn’t going to find the vial or his phone, but he didn’t remove his hands from her ass. Instead, he kneaded her butt cheeks, pulling her against his erection, letting her feel what she was doing to him.