Ride Me, Baby Read online

  With her eyes closed, Baby tried to retain control of her wildly fluctuating emotions. She loved Doc so much, but she couldn’t understand the pain that Todd had put her through. “Doc, you don’t understand. I’m just being cautious. I’m over what Todd did.”

  “Are you, Baby? Or are you using it as a reason to not get close to any man who can make you open your heart again? Todd was wrong on what he did. So you weren’t born into a rich, cultured world. Whoopee, who cares? I was and I knew what I wanted wasn’t based on money. It was based on love. Your father loved me regardless of my money. He never treated me any different knowing how rich I was. I’m sorry Todd wasn’t so thoughtful of you when he found out you weren’t rich,” Doc explained. “But Baby, Harley isn’t like Todd. Harley doesn’t race nor does he want to. He’s not scared that you’re better on a bike than he is either. Harley accepts your skills as your due; he doesn’t hold them against you.”

  Baby felt the tears slide down her cheeks. Her heart was tripping itself in a staccato rhythm. She felt torn in so many ways. Doc ripped away all the bandages that Baby had placed over the hurt Todd caused. Only now, Baby knew she had to heal the right way.

  “Doc, I’ve got to go. I love you. Please believe that. As for Harley, I don’t know what to think. I really don’t. I know he cares, but his words hurt me badly. I’m going to need some time. I’ll talk to you later,” Baby sobbed into the phone. She hung up the receiver. Letting the tears fall, Baby considered what Doc said to her.

  Had she let Todd’s behavior and hurtful parting words affect her relationship with any man? She covered her face with her hands. She recalled Todd’s words to her. “Baby, you’re not good enough to satisfy the likes of any man with money or power. You try so hard in competition to be as good and you barely make it. Because of that, you don’t try hard enough to be worth anything to any man worth his salt. You’ll never be enough for any man.”

  Those words hurt her deeply. The pain that Todd caused made her close up to any man, particularly anyone rich and powerful. It’d taken her almost two years before she felt confident enough to be who she was without worrying on how any man looked at her. But Baby had to admit, that any man she was close to wasn’t rich or in motocross. She had held herself back, not getting involved with anyone who even rode a bike, just in case they made her feel like Todd had.

  Baby wiped her eyes. Then Harley came into her life. He wasn’t like any guy she’d ever known. He was loving, fun, rich, and seemed to enjoy her for her. Everything she’d ever wanted from a man, he gave her. Harley even shared his family with her, even though it was forced upon them both at first. He wanted her to meet them.

  “I love him. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted. He doesn’t treat being rich as if it’s all-important. Harley loves people regardless. He even said that—Oh my God! Harley said he loved me. How could I have missed that?” Baby sobbed to herself.

  Picking up the phone, Baby made a decision. There was only one way to show Harley how she felt. She dialed the phone number and began making arrangements. Her only hope was that she could pull this together by the weekend. No, she would pull this off no matter what the cost.

  * * * *

  He sat in his office, looking out the window. He didn’t have to be at work, but staying home wasn’t working. Harley tried to finish the last of this tort that he told his partners he’d draw up, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Saturday.

  Until he'd spoken to Doc, Harley hadn’t known what he said wrong, much less why. When Doc told him about Baby’s last serious relationship, he wanted to strangle Todd Matthews. He was also upset that Baby would think he was anything like that creep. Granted that he was reacting to her being hurt, and talking out of his ass. Reality was, he’d love to watch her race again, even if it meant having to learn how to deal with the harsher aspects of motocross.

  His hands clenched into fists when he thought on how badly she’d been treated. The fact that Baby hadn’t trusted him enough to look past the superficial similarities hurt him. He had to admit that he overreacted. Doc told him how important racing had been to Baby. She explained how his career as a lawyer had risks, just as hers did. Bad things didn’t always happen, but they were possible.

  He'd argued with Doc Forrester for an hour or so. When Doc explained to him how Todd treated Baby, plus his parting words after she refused to give up racing for him, Harley understood. He was being unreasonable. Even in his field, he took risks. He made enemies. Could he really want her to change who she was? Would he love her for who she was if she did change?

  The day faded into dusk while Harley pondered on what to do. There had to be a way to see Baby again. He needed to find some method to show her how much she meant to him. Ideas on how to apologize appeared in his brain then were rejected as unsuitable.

  Harley packed up his papers. His parents had invited him for dinner tonight. It was a sympathy invitation. But tonight he could use that. Maybe they would have an idea on how to win back Baby. He knew how much they loved her. Seeing them break up had been hard for them too.

  He made a quick phone call to his folks. After he hung up with them, he sighed. Deuce was going to be there, but Dia had plans. In a way, he was glad, but in another, he could’ve used Dia’s perception as a woman to help him. Making one last look around, Harley shut down his computer so he could go home to change before going to see his parents.

  His parents hugged him. They didn’t mention Baby’s name at all while they sat down to eat. Deuce showed up a couple of minutes later. The look he gave Harley was one that he thought he’d never see from his brother. It was compassion and understanding.

  “Have you tried to call her or see her?” Deuce asked.

  Harley shook his head. “No, I haven’t. She’d be angry. Baby needs time to calm down. So do I. I spoke to Doc, who’s like a mother to her. Doc said to give Baby some time. She also told me a few things too.”

  “Anything you care to share, Harley?” his mother asked. She leaned over and patted his hand.

  “Guess Baby had a rich motocross racer in her life at one time. When they broke up, she didn’t handle it well.”

  There were muttered comments about the idiot who hurt Baby. They all wanted to teach him a lesson for what he did. There was something about the self-sufficient woman that just called for protection. Harley muttered, “I wish I could kick his ass for the problems he’s caused me now.”

  “Harley, you’ve got to understand something. Sometimes it’s not what problems they caused. It’s what you do to fix them for the person most affected by them. If you love her, you can’t let her go. You just can’t.”

  Harley sipped on his drink. His mother was right. He couldn’t let Baby go, but he didn’t know how to get her back either. The phone rang as they finished eating their meal. Deuce answered it on the third ring. He spoke with the person on the other line for a couple of minutes then put them on hold. Harley looked at his brother askance.

  “Who is it?” he asked, hoping in his heart it was Baby.

  “It’s Dia. She wants to know what you’re doing on Friday night. What are you doing then?” Deuce asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve got nothing planned. But how is doing something with Dia going to help me get Baby back, huh?”

  Deuce shrugged. He picked the phone up and spoke to his sister. “We’ll be at your place at six. Yeah, but Harley wants to know how it’s going to help him to show Baby he loves her?”

  Deuce listened a couple of minutes and began laughing. “Oh that’s rich. I can’t wait. Yeah, I’ll let him know.”

  Harley tried to grab the phone as Deuce hung it up. “What is rich? Let me know what?”

  Deuce shook his head at his brother. “Look, Dia says she’s been trying to think of ways for you and Baby to get back together. She thinks she might have a way, but she won’t have details until Friday. I guess Baby left a message on Dia’s answering machine. So once Dia talks to her on Thursday, she’ll know how to help you
. Think you can last that long, big brother?”

  “I think he’ll have to, won’t you, Harley?” his father commented. Harley nodded his head in agreement. “Plus you know Dia will have answers for you on Friday.”

  “Damn long time away. It’s Tuesday now. I know it’s only three days away, but still. Maybe if I sent her flowers or something,” Harley offered as a suggestion.

  Deuce snorted. “Oh yeah, Baby is the flowers and chocolate type. Truly.”

  “Shut up, Deuce. It’s not like you have a special lady in your life. How would you know?”

  Deuce poked his brother in the chest. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been trying to talk to Katrina. It’s not been easy either. For some reason, she keeps brushing me off.”

  The whole family laughed. Harley made his good nights to everyone. He rode home with the radio as his only company. When an old Chicago love song came on, Harley’s heart squeezed tightly. The song truly reflected how he felt now that Baby was out of his life. He wanted her back; he needed her back in his life. Without her, he was alone.

  At the end of Hard Habit to Break, Harley made a private resolution. He would tell Baby how he felt by the end of the weekend. He couldn’t live without her. The past couple of days of not talking to her or holding her showed him that living without her was no longer an option.

  * * * *

  The next couple of days kept Harley busy. He made a point to not go by Baby’s shop. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t. He spoke to his sister, but she didn’t tell him anything about what Baby had said to her. However, Dia made him promise to come to the house at six on Friday night.

  Deuce called to remind him to be ready by five. After reassuring his brother that he’d be ready, Harley changed into jeans and a tee shirt. Going to Dia’s house meant dealing with her two dogs, Waldorf and Stanley. Since they liked to jump on anyone who walked in the door, he wasn’t going to be dressed up. Plus, Dia never stood on ceremony.

  A knock at the door let him know it was time. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was early. Deuce was never early. Harley made his way to the door. He opened it to see Deuce standing there. He was wearing jeans and tee shirt as well as boots. One might think they were related, Harley thought with a chuckle.

  “You ready to go? It’s going to take us a while to get there with traffic. You know how Dia is if we’re late. She hates it. I’m not going to be late. Especially when Dia told me that she’s got me a date with the lovely Katrina Nichols,” Deuce drawled.

  Harley rolled his eyes at his brother. “Lord forbid you should miss your date with Katrina. I want to know how Dia managed to con Katrina into going out with you. Bet she doesn’t know it’s you. Whose car we taking?”

  “Mine. Since I told you I’d go with you, the least I could do is drive you there. Whether I stay or not is up to you being nice to me,” Deuce retorted as he headed down the walkway.

  “You wouldn’t dare abandon me to Dia. You wouldn’t be that cruel,” Harley called out as he locked up his house.

  “Wanna bet? Be nice to me or I’ll leave you to Dia’s tender mercies.”

  “Tender? We’re talking about the sister who cut off all of our hair when we were in high school because we teased her about her braces.”

  The whole ride was spent reminiscing about some of their childhood memories. They were both laughing at the time they had shut off the water main to the house on April Fool’s Day. Their mother tried to take a shower and ended up with nothing. The month's grounding was worth it when their mother, wrapped in a towel, ran into the kitchen and caused their father to sip on the coffee laced with laxatives.

  Deuce snickered and reminded Harley about the time they dressed in Dia’s clothes. They both laughed about how their sister threatened to make them eunuchs when they commented on how they now understood why she stuffed her bras. They’d gotten two months of grounding for that comment. Their mother wasn’t impressed.

  Once they arrived at Dia’s house in Sarasota, both guys were enjoying their brotherly camaraderie. The laughter poured out of the car as they emerged. Neither of them noticed that there was more than one person at Dia’s house. Harley rang the doorbell.

  “Remember the time when Dia’s boyfriend tried to score with her?”

  “Oh yeah. We came out dressed as samurai warriors and threatened to commit acts of great violence on him. I can’t believe the captain of the football team would pee his pants like that,” Deuce chuckled.

  Dia opened the door to hear Deuce’s comment. She punched him in the chest. “Hey, that wasn’t nice. I still can’t believe you clowns came home from college and harassed Brian like that. I think he hated me from that moment on. Most guys refused to have anything to do with me after that.”

  Laughter erupted from the guys while their sister pulled them inside the house. She poked Harley in the back. “Laugh it up, Rexie old boy. Considering you’re without the woman you love because of that mouth of yours, you keep it up and see if I help.”

  Harley sobered up a bit. “You’d not help me just because we’re reminiscing? Come on, Dia. You know you got revenge on us plenty.”

  “True, but I don’t go and blabber on what I’ve done to you while coming into your home, now do I? I wait until I’ve secured your help before embarrassing you,” Dia retorted with a mock glare.

  Harley grabbed his heart then grabbed his sister. He hugged her close then kissed her on her forehead. “You’re still going to help me, right, Dia? You don’t want me left alone so I have more time to bring back memories.”

  Dia snorted. “I should let you try to get Baby back on your own with no help from me. However, the thought of being tortured by you makes me shiver. So, yes, I’ll help you.”

  Dia’s house was open and airy. Since it was near the beach, she had decorated it in light beige and cream colors. As the guys braced themselves to being attacked by the golden retrievers, a woman’s voice quieted the dogs down.

  “Waldorf, Stanley, it’s not nice to bark like that. Sit and behave. Now,” the woman’s voice said softly.

  Harley entered the room and couldn’t believe his eyes. On the pale beige couch sat Baby. Her chestnut hair hung loose around her shoulders. The green short sleeved shirt emphasized her amber eyes. They stared at each other, each one waiting for the other to speak.

  Harley crossed the distance between them. He knelt before Baby, ignoring the two dogs that tried to get his attention by pawing at his arms. He placed his hands on Baby’s denim clad legs. “How have you been? I’ve missed you.”

  Baby took in the faded jeans that molded his body as well as the emotions swirling on his face. She placed one of her hands on his cheek. “I’ve missed you tool. I came to Dia’s tonight because I had something to give to you.”

  “Give to me? What do you mean? I’m sorry for what I said at the race. I had no right,” Harley muttered as he wedged himself between Baby’s knees. The scent of her teased at him while she looked towards his brother and sister as if unsure of what to do with them or him. Looking over at them, he realized they were watching him and Baby with awed fascination. She turned back to him before she responded.

  “Harley, it’s okay. I understand why you’d want me to give it up. I really do. When I thought on it and after talking to Doc, I think I would feel the same way were I in your shoes. But you’ve got to understand that I rarely race anymore.”

  Harley stood up and pulled Baby with him. He embraced her close. “I know. Doc and I spoke too. I’m not like Todd. You’ve got to understand that.”

  She tensed up, her face going blank before tears started streaming down her face. Grabbing her, he pulled her tightly against him. Baby cried against his chest. Her tears were hot against his skin. “I know you’re not. I was scared that you would be. It’s why I tried to not let you get close. Then I met your family and I fell for them as much as I fell for you. Oh Harley, I’ve missed you so much.”

  His hands caressed her back and one slid to the back of her
neck. He gently pulled on her hair so her head tilted back. Harley’s lips brushed over hers as he whispered, “I love you, Charlie Simmons. I love you so much; I was a fool to let you go. Never again.”

  Baby moaned as his lips captured hers in a soul-searing kiss. Their love and passion flared between them. They pulled back when Dia and Deuce began applauding. Harley hugged Baby then released her to take her hand. “You said something about a surprise?”

  Baby smiled at him as she led him and his siblings outside. She opened up Dia’s garage. Before them sat a beautiful bike, a Heritage Springer. She grinned wickedly at Harley. “Think we could have some fun on this bike?” she asked slyly.

  Harley laughed as he twirled her around. “This is for me? A Heritage? Baby, it’s wonderful. How did you find one in this great shape?”

  “I got a letter from another restorer. He had this and thought it’d be perfect for what I wanted it for. This is my gift to you. I love you, Harley. I want to be your biker babe, if you want me.”

  Harley looked down at the woman before him. She everything he’d ever wanted in a woman and more. His family adored her, he adored her, and she loved them all. What more could a man want?

  “Hell, you’re going to be my biker wife. I don’t think just being my biker babe will cut it,” Harley teased.

  Deuce and Dia piped up, “We want a biker wedding.”

  Harley and Baby laughed. Then Harley turned to the woman he loved. “Do you promise to ride me, Baby?”

  “Always and forever.” Her grin was wicked and her eyes held the promise to fulfill his every need. He smiled back at her.

  They climbed on the bike and road off into the proverbial sunset. Dia and Deuce waved to them as they left. The last words they heard were, “What do you mean can we make babies on this seat?”

  We hope you enjoyed this erotic romance by Cynnara Tregarth! For other great erotic romances, please check out other great stories like Cynnara's Bardic Tales or Call of the Wylde available at http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/.