Maddie threw her leg over the seat behind Van, a pack of butterflies rioting in her tummy making her hold her breath in anticipation. The spark she felt when she threw herself into his arms…it was there again, tenfold. It made her nervous and excited, and not in the hey, my best friend just showed up kind of way.

No, she wanted his lips back on her body. For him to lick his way up her neck and across her jaw to her mouth. She wanted to feel the rough texture of his tongue against her lips before shoving inside to suck the sanity out of her.

She never expected him to follow her to Deals Gap. She’d been surprised and elated, and then utterly confused. Her arousal bubbled to the surface, and for the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel guilty about her feelings.

There was something different about him. He seemed…possessive, determined even, and damn if that didn’t turn her and her liger on. The heat of attraction, which seemed to simmer in the background every time he was near, skimmed across her flesh. Her nipples tingled and puckered, pressing against the satin of her bra. Her pussy moistened, and she prayed there would be too many new scents mingling in the air for Van to smell her arousal.

She’d always been secretly embarrassed when she got turned on so quickly around him. She’d thought it was because of Mack; but at some point, she began to wonder if Van had actually been the one she’d truly had a thing for. It was too late now to test those waters. At least, that’s what she thought.

She placed her hands gingerly on his sides, almost afraid to hold on tighter. Already, she wanted to skim her hands over those rock hard abs of his. Feel the bumps and dips against her palms. But that would be wrong. So—very—very—wrong.

You just need to remember that.

Van, apparently, knew nothing of her traitorous thoughts. He gripped her hand and pulled her closer. Her front plastered to his warm back. “Wrap your arms around me, baby,” he said over his shoulder, “and hold on tight.”

No sooner had he said the words than they took off. Greer was in front of them, the deep, roaring sound of his bike familiar, helping keep her marginally grounded to the here and now.

Van’s bike, a big black Harley, rumbled and vibrated between her legs. The seam of her jeans pressed up against her clit, pushing her toward a hands-free orgasm. She did notice her ass was considerably more comfortable on the back of his bike than it had been on any of the others she’d been on. It was as if she belonged with him in that moment. As if he’d made sure she would be comfortable wrapped around him.

They hit the twisties of the Tail of the Dragon quickly. Maddie found herself closing her eyes and holding on tighter to the man in front of her. She inhaled, absorbing Van’s scent. It was similar to Mack’s, yet completely different on some level. They had both smelled of earth and musk. But where Mack’s reminded her of a light summer breeze, Van’s made her think of dark, rich nights. Of sex and passion.

Those dangerous thoughts had her loosening her grip and drifting back slightly. He grabbed her hand again and slid it up his chest until it rested above his heart. She had to lean into him, smashing her breasts against his back. A soft triumphant roar reverberated around them and pulsed against her.

If Van weren’t careful, she’d think he was interested in her as more than a friend.

---

Maddie climbed off the back of the bike like a pro, and damn that irked him. Okay, maybe it was more jealousy than anything else, that he hadn’t been her first motorcycle ride. He would be the last guy she ever rode with, though.

Van set the kickstand and climbed off. He rested his hand on Maddie’s lower back. Not ready to stop touching her now that he’d had her in his arms again.

Every other time he’d had the pleasure of feeling her against him in the past paled in comparison to when she jumped into his arms. The sheer elation brightening her pretty face. The flare of heat when her skin brushed against his. Then he had the privilege of having her plastered to his back. Her plump, juicy breasts crushed against him. Her thick thighs cradling his hips. Fuck, that had been sheer bliss and extreme torture all tied up into one delicious package.

He’d been hard before, thanks to her curvy body wrapped around him, but when she’d slid her arms around him and clung to him…it was mind-blowing. He wanted to grab her hand and push it down to his crotch, so she understood what she did to him, but it was too early for that. Maybe later that evening he could go about setting things right between them. Showing her how a mate should treat his woman, which was nothing remotely like how Mack had treated her.

Van took a quick look at the building they were about to enter. The Dark Moon was an old wood two-story structure that looked more like an old time saloon rather than a modern day biker hangout. Which, if he judged from the number of bikes parked out front, it was.

Passing through the front door, he was thrown back in time again. Classic rock filled the air and dark wood was everywhere: Floors, walls, and even the bar. There were some tables and chairs covering a portion of the open space in front of them, with people occupying most of them. In the far corner, he spotted two pool tables with a fair amount of people circling them.

“They do pool tournaments a lot around here. Not sure there’s much else to do, really.” Maddie must have noticed the direction of his gaze. She didn’t sound too impressed, but if it was the only entertainment…

Van grunted and decided he wouldn’t allow her to head over there. His lion pressed closer to the surface now that they were around more shifters. From the looks and smells, they were hybrids mostly. The scents of wolf, cougar, human, and bear comingled with something else that was definitely more pleasing…food. His stomach grumbled, and he wondered if he’d be able to eat. The trip down the back roads took time and had few places to stop for food. The lion was starved and not just for sustenance.

Maddie grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the bar. Greer walked behind it and poured them each a shot of what looked to be scotch. He plunked two down in front of them, then raised his glass in the air. “To what’s probably going to be a great show to watch.”

Maddie looked between Greer and him with her cute little forehead scrunched up.

Van grabbed his drink and clinked it against Greer’s. “Just drink up, babe.” He tossed his back and felt the burn all the way down to his stomach. Clenching his teeth, he grimaced and shook his head.

“Rough shit, isn’t it?” Greer snickered. Maddie tossed hers back without the embarrassing flinch. The woman did like bitter, fire-breathing drinks. Half the time he wondered if there was some dragon in her bloodline.

“I’ll take another, and while he’s doing that,” she turned toward him, “you can tell me why you showed up out of the blue. And the real reason this time.”

---

Greer looked between the couple in front of him, and couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t think the big lion would get Maddie to fall under his spell as quickly as he hoped. He’d learned over the last two weeks that she was stubborn as hell when she wanted to be.

It had been great for Sienna and Gage, since she practically pushed Sienna out the front door one day and told her not to come back for a week. The couple was appreciative and; thankfully, Maddie could bake the hell out of some donuts just like her cousin.

He would to enjoy watching Van try to convince Maddie they were mates. He’d never heard of twins feeling the mating pull for the same woman, unless they both actually were her mates. For one of them to not be, well, it was strange. But then, maybe things in Sugar Mountain worked a hell of a lot differently than they did in this area.