Really couldn’t blame them. He looked exceptionally sexy on a bike.

All that hair blowing in the wind. Those tanned arms thick with muscle peeking out from his T-shirt. Sexy.

I released my arms from around him and maneuvered off after he pulled us into a space and cut the engine. Then, standing beside the bike, I threw my hands into the air and pumped my fists, yelling, “That was coolest ride of my life!”

Jamie smiled huge looking over at me. “You see any of it?” he asked, swinging his leg off, throwing the kickstand down, pivoting, and then leaning back against the bike.

“Not a thing!” I yelled, just as enthusiastically.

Arms pulled across his chest, Jamie threw his head back and laughed.

“Still. So. Freaking. Cool!” I unclipped my helmet, took it off, and handed it over. “I need to get one of these so you can wear yours,” I told Jamie after he took the helmet, then I went on to say as I fixed my ponytail, “I didn’t like you not wearing anything. Plus, I’m pretty sure the law says you need to.”

“Better you wearin’ it than me,” he said, twisting and letting his helmet hang off his handlebar, then turning back to me.

I tucked my overgrown bangs behind my ears and stepped forward, getting between his legs, circled my hands around his neck, and pressed my forehead to his. “Your head is just as precious as mine. I don’t want anything happening to it,” I said, not sounding enthusiastic anymore but meaning my words just as much.

Jamie’s hands curled around my back. He looked like he was feeling my meaning and let me know that when he agreed, stating, “We’ll get you one then.”

Sweet. I was getting a helmet. I smiled. “I want a pink one.”

He smiled back.

“Or leopard print,” I added, watching Jamie’s brows lift. “And I want it to cover everything. Not just the top of my head.”

“You really don’t wanna see shit, do you?” he asked through a chuckle.

“If I see anything, I might not ever get back on,” I replied, half-serious. I knew I’d eventually look.

“Come here,” Jamie mumbled, tipping his chin up while pulling me with his hands, not giving me much of a choice.

I stepped closer, bent down, and kissed him, with just a little tongue since there were people around. Then I drew my arms around his back and gave him a hug, ducking my head beside his.

“How many lessons do you have this afternoon?” I asked as we were hugging.

Jamie drew in a breath to answer, but that breath held and his words never came because his phone started ringing.

“Hold up,” he said, easing me back with his hand on my hip.

I stood between his legs, letting my arms drop to my sides.

Jamie kept his one hand on my hip and leaned so his other hand could fish the phone out of his pocket, then he hit Answer after checking the screen and brought the phone to his ear. “Yeah.”

Jamie listened. He didn’t speak for what had to be close to a minute. His brows drew together as his eyes stayed locked with mine. He was breathing slowly through his nose, looking like he was concentrating hard on each and every breath he was taking.

He looked tense, too, maybe. Or at least bothered by something. Jamie was no longer smiling about leopard print helmets, that was for sure.

“Yeah, I hear you,” he finally said. His voice was gruff. “Nah, I wouldn’t. Made your decision. What’s there to talk about?”

Who is it? I mouthed, but Jamie just shook his head and kept his focus on the call.

“Right. Yeah, I’ll do that,” he mumbled. “Yeah, you, too.” He pulled the phone away from his ear, hit End, then leaned to the side again and slid it back into his pocket.

“What’s going on?” I asked him.

Jamie slid his hand to my other hip again so he was holding me with both and tugged me closer, answering, “Nothin’,” as I went.

He was lying. Something was definitely going on.

“Not nothing,” I argued, gripping on to his shoulders and pushing back so I was leaning away. “Tell me. Who was that?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

His hands kept urging. I kept resisting.

“Tell me,” I insisted, putting pressure on his hands and his shoulders where I held. I wasn’t letting this go. “Jamie—”

“My major sponsor just dropped me,” he revealed, looking into my face, his hands no longer tugging me forward but just keeping hold.

I blinked at him, feeling my stomach drop out. “What?” I whispered.

His sponsor dropped him? What the hell? Why would they do that?

“Babe,” Jamie started, head shaking as he prepared to play this down, I just knew it.

“Why would they do that? What happened?” I asked him.

“Don’t matter,” he replied curtly. “Made their decision. It’s done.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Let it go. It don’t matter,” he told me, then he jerked his chin as his eyes moved past me. “Come on. I gotta get goin’ and you’re gonna be late,” he said, pushing off from his bike and forcing me back a step.

I slapped my hand against his chest as he tried directing me to move, informing him, “I don’t care one bit about being late, and I will not let this go. I wanna know what happened.”

Jamie quit trying to direct me.

“Let it go, babe,” he repeated.

“No,” I said, moving my hands to my hips and pushing his off. “Tell me right now what happened. Why did they drop you?”