There were a lot of things that brought me pleasure in life—sex, boxing, time with my family—but none of them quite compared to the feeling of taking my bike out on the open road. The sheer exhilaration of the wind rippling your clothes, the way the world melted into a blur of colors, and the freeing isolation of there being nothing but you and the road. Those were the reasons that called to all types of men, from the weekend warrior with his nine-to-five office job to the upstart desperate to stick it to the man. Preacher Man had called it a balm for his soul, and I couldn’t have agreed with him more.

I didn’t have to glance at my watch to know we were making good time. Since we made the trek yearly, I knew the route to the Virginia headquarters of the Raiders by heart. Each of the Southeast chapters was summoned to meet once a year to take care of necessary club business. While the actual meeting lasted an hour at best, the better part of the weekend was spent hanging out, getting drunk, and catching up with our other brothers. And fucking. Lots of fucking fresh ass.

But this year’s trip had a different feel than usual. It was because of what our chapter planned to discuss at the meeting. While we might have already been unofficially legitimate, we needed to have the approval of the board to make it official. For the most part, what we were doing was uncharted territory, so we weren’t sure how our other brothers were going to take it.

There had certainly been a tense feeling in the air as we packed up this morning. The blinding glare of gleaming chrome filled the Raiders parking lot when I stepped out of the clubhouse. Raiders from all over north Georgia had come out for the run. I spoke to a few of the out-of-town guys as I made my way to the bike.

Since I was a less-is-more kind of guy when it came to packing, I finished with my rucksack earlier than the others. Leaning back against the seat of my bike, I watched as my brothers and their old ladies, girlfriends, and sweet butts scurried around.

Across from me, Deacon had squatted down to address a pouting Willow. “Do you really have to go, Daddy?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, but I do.” He cupped her chin. “But don’t be sad. You’ll barely have time to miss me, since I’ll be back at the end of the weekend.”

“Promise?”

Deacon smiled as he pulled Willow into his arms. “I promise.”

“And you’ll bring me something back, right, Daddy?”

I chuckled at her request. All of us knew Willow’s expectations for presents if we were gone more than a day. We wouldn’t dream of disappointing her, so we always got her something.

Deacon pulled away to eye Willow. “You’re a spoiled little shit, you know that?”

“Deacon!” Alexandra’s voice admonished him from behind them. She bounced baby Wyatt in her arms as she gave Deacon a disapproving look.

“Sorry, babe,” he replied, smirking.

Although the trip was primarily about business, it didn’t mean that the women were excluded. Since she had the baby, Alexandra would be staying behind, along with Annabel, who had some vet school work. She was currently wrapped in Rev’s arms, gazing up at him and smiling. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the utter domesticated pussies Rev and Deacon had become.

But there was a part of me—one I didn’t much like to admit to—that kinda envied them. In our world that seemed to constantly tilt and turn, it would be nice to have someone you could count on who wasn’t one of your brothers. Considering that I ran like hell when it came to commitment, I didn’t hold out much hope of me having what my brothers had. It didn’t help matters that the one woman lately who got my blood up and running was fucking unattainable.

Searching through the crowd, I easily spotted Samantha’s jet-black hair shining in the early-morning light. It was the first time I had seen her since the night we met. Even though I hadn’t seen her, she had certainly been on my mind. She looked just as good in person again as she did in my fantasies. I shifted my dick in my pants at the sight of her body in the painted-on jeans, a skintight black AC/DC T-shirt, and knee-high boots. With a cup of coffee in hand, she watched Joe and Marley as they double-checked the van. It was almost as if she sensed me looking at her, because she jerked her head and met my gaze. As I threw up a hand, she rewarded me with a smile and a wave.

Wishing to put her out of my mind, I pushed off my bike and walked over to my brothers.

“Are we ready?” I asked Rev.

Without taking his eyes off Annabel, he replied, “Archer’s doing the final run-through. Once he clears us, we’re ready to go.”

I nodded. Before I was made sergeant at arms, I had been the road captain, as Archer was now. Big runs like today’s were always such a pain in the ass to coordinate. You had to plan ahead where your stops would be, because with such a large group, you couldn’t just make a stop out of nowhere, and there was always the factor of finding biker-friendly places.

A few minutes later Archer strode up to us. “All set. Everyone knows the route formation and the stops.”

Rev reluctantly pulled away from Annabel to pat Archer on the back. “You’re a good man.” He then turned to the waiting crowd. Raising a hand over his head, he called, “All right, boys, we’re pulling out.”

Cheers and catcalls rang out among the guys, followed by the gunning of motorcycle engines. I waved to my sisters-in-law, gave Willow and Mama Beth a hug, and then slid onto the back of my bike. Once Rev and Deacon pulled out into the road, our secretary and treasurer, Mac and Boone, followed them. Then it was my turn, followed by the next-ranking member, which in this case was Breakneck because of both his age and his years in the club.

Although it had been a number of years since Breakneck went on a run, he had felt his presence was required on this one. If he was needed, he fully intended to testify in front of the officers about what had happened to his daughter, Sarah, which led to us going after Annabel and our deal with the Rodriguez cartel. I was glad to see that Kim was going along with him. On the outside, they had little in common—the doctor and the former stripper. But they were bound together by the MC world and the tragic shit that had happened to them. While they hadn’t been together long, he probably thought she would be good moral support, not to mention a good time, since Kim was fun as hell.

At the very end of the line was Archer, who had to ride last as road captain, and then pulling up the rear was the van that held Jolting Joe, Marley, and Samantha.

We pulled into Stuckey’s, one of our Tennessee favorites, at a little before ten. The mom-and-pop diner was a favorite among truckers as well as bikers. After grabbing a quick breakfast and taking a break to piss, we assembled back outside.

When I got to my bike, Samantha stood waiting on me with a bright smile. “Hey there.”

“Hey yourself.”

“It’s good to see you again. Marley and I sure had a good time the other night.”

“So did I.”

She ran her hands over the handlebars of my bike. “You have a real sweet ride.”

I couldn’t help beaming at her praise. “Thanks. I rebuilt this one.”

Samantha’s dark eyes widened. “Get out.”

“No. I really did.”

Shaking her head slowly, she said, “You do have a talent.”

“I appreciate you saying that.” With a grin, I added, “Although I can’t help being a little surprised that you know a hunk of junk from a sweet ride.”

She laughed. “You can blame Marley for that one. He bores me to tears sometimes talking about bikes.” Glancing over her shoulder at him, she sighed. “I’m sure he wishes he could be out on his bike now. It sucks seeing all the beauty of the road from inside the van.”

“You’ve never been this way on a bike?”

“No. I haven’t really gotten to take a good ride before. We’re always cooped up in town.”

“You mean, you’ve never really been out on the open road before.”

“Nope. I’m an open-road virgin,” she replied, then winked.

I chuckled. “That’s a pity.” As she continued to stare longingly at my bike, an idea popped into my head, and I acted on it before I really thought it through. “What do you say about riding along with me the rest of the way?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure. Why not?” Once again I remembered that she had a boyfriend. The last thing I wanted to do was piss Marley off, so I quickly added, “As long as it’s okay with Marley.”

“I don’t think he would mind, but let me ask.” She waved Marley over and then asked him.

He glanced from her to me before grinning. “Of course it’s all right with me. Then I won’t have to hear her bitching about how much longer it is till we get there. I swear, she turns into such a whiny kid when we go on a road trip.” He slapped me on the back. “She can be your problem, buddy.”

“Asshole,” Samantha muttered before leaning up to kiss Marley’s cheek.

“Yo, Marley, let’s go!” Joe called from over by the van.

“Well, I’m being paged. See ya next stop.”

“See ya, man,” I said.

As we started loading up, I handed Samantha my helmet. After she slipped it on, she smiled. “Thanks again for letting me ride with you.”

“You’re welcome. Of course, you might be cursing me when we start around the winding mountain roads going ninety.”

Her face paled. “Seriously?”

Cocking my head at her, I asked, “Having second thoughts?”

She swallowed hard. “No. I’ll be fine.”

I laughed as I got on my bike. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of you.”

“You better. If I end up roadkill, I’ll find a way to haunt you as punishment,” she said as she slid on behind me.

“That’s a real threat.” Glancing behind me, I gave her a reassuring smile. “Believe me when I say that nothing is going to happen to you.”

“Okay. I believe you.”

“Good. Hold on tight.”

As I gunned the engine, Samantha’s arms came around my waist. When I squealed out of my space and onto the road, her arms squeezed me with a deathlike grip. We rode like that for several minutes before she finally got used to the speed and eased up a bit. I knew she had finally gotten comfortable when she leaned in closer and propped her chin on my shoulder. It was the first time I’d ever had a girl on my bike who was as tall as me.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” I called.

“Yeah. It is,” she shouted back.

After another two hours, we stopped to gas up. I guessed Samantha was still unsure around us, because she stuck like glue to me at the station. The only time she left my side was when I went to the bathroom. When I came out, she was waiting on me. “You up for the rest of the trip?”

“I am if you are.”

I sure as hell am, I thought. I grinned. “Sure.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

The rest of the trip to Virginia was uneventful. Well, as long as you considered having the legs of a smoking-hot chick clamped against your thighs uneventful. I tried hard not to think about that fact. Of course, it didn’t help to get a whiff of her perfume or to feel her tits pressed against my back. I sure as hell hoped there were some fresh sweet butts at the party tonight. While I hadn’t had a hard time hooking up at the meetings before, I hadn’t needed them as badly as I did now.

Between all the stops, we pulled into Remington at a little before five. It was outside Richmond, and just like where we lived, it was a small town. Because the Virginia chapter was the original one in the Southeast, they had chosen the location for the meetings. They had set up their headquarters in a somewhat run-down motel. It was owned by one of the Virginia brothers, so there was no worry of its being bugged by the FBI or ATF. Even though there wasn’t that fear, we were still expected to be patted down at any time. Whenever officers went into the meeting room, their cell phones were taken and checked for wires. The Raiders took security very seriously.

Officers and their families were afforded the small number of rooms, while the other members camped out in the field down below the motel. All meals were provided and served in the dining hall.

When I turned off the engine, Samantha hopped off. “I guess I better go see what Marley is up to.”

“Most likely he’s already been made someone’s errand bitch.”

Samantha laughed. “I figured as much.” As she handed me her helmet, she said, “Thanks again for the ride.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“You’re not roughing it?” Sam asked.

I chuckled. “If you consider sleeping on the floor of Rev and Deacon’s room roughing it, then yes, I am.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Considering that you’ll have indoor plumbing, I don’t think it’s really roughing it.”

“Sorry. Just some of the perks of being an officer . . . or being an officer’s brother.”

“Just please tell me there’s a communal bathroom where we can shower?”

Kim appeared at our side. She patted Sam on the back. “Oh, honey, do you think I would be going anywhere there wasn’t a shower?”

“I would hope not,” Samantha replied.

With a grin, Kim said, “Just stick with me. I’ll show you the ropes.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Especially since I doubt I’ll be seeing much of Marley this weekend.”

“Yep. Your boy is going to be ridden hard. The only thing you can do to make it easier on him is stay out of the way, get him food and water when he’s allowed, and give him a blow job for moral support.”

While Samantha gave a nervous laugh at Kim’s remark, I didn’t find the images running through my mind very funny. Wanting to put distance between myself and them, I said, “I’ll see you, ladies.”

Kim leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Bye, sweet thing. If I see any available ass, I’ll send it your way.”

“Thanks, Kim. You know me too well.” When I dared to look at Samantha, I found she was staring down at the ground. I couldn’t help wondering if the idea of me with another woman bothered her. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I wanted to kick myself in the balls for being such a bastard. Inwardly, I groaned because I knew it was going to be a long, long weekend.