Free Devil's Ride by Clementine Roux Page B

avoid him like the plague. Focus on Joe and only Joe. Have some fun and relax. Hell, spend the whole weekend locked in your hotel room with Joe. I'm sure he won't mind, but whatever you do, avoid Devon like the plague. You don’t need none of that in your life right now or ever."
                   
                  *
     
                   
                                "Wow, look at all those bikes parked out there," Alessandra mused as she looked at the hotel room window.
     
    Joe hadn't said more than ten words to her all night and usually only one word responses each time he did speak He looked out, making sure not to touch her as he did. They'd spent a tense night together, sharing the same bed, making sure neither crossed the invisible line that formed between them.
     
    Alessandra hated herself for being so careless and letting Devon and his all-too-sexy ways lure her off the property and into the woods. She should have known better. It didn't matter that nothing had happened between the two of them. At least not anything that she could bring herself to admit to happening, but just the mere fact that she'd walked away with another man was enough to have created a sudden wedge in her relationship with Joe.
                   
                  Alessandra wasn't used to being on this side of things. She was usually the one left with hurt feelings and feeling betrayed, not the one doing the harm. She had no idea how to recover from this. Despite the desperate pleas, she had made in past relationships, begging her ex to explain why he did the things he did, she now found herself unable to find the right words to say. She knew she was wrong on so many levels and knew that she'd broken a trust that would never fully repair itself, but telling him the truth would hurt Joe even more and that's the last thing she wanted to do now.
                   
                  Clearing her throat as she watched a sulking Joe walk away from her, she asked, "So, what are we going to do today? I imagine Sammi and Robert will probably stay in their room all day."
                   
                  Joe shrugged, not looking at her. "Eat."
                   
                  "Oh, okay, where? What do you feel like eating? I saw a lot of little dive restaurants as we drove into town. Want to try one of those?" She asked.
                   
                  Joe nodded in response.
                   
                  "Well, what do you want to eat?"
                   
                  He shrugged, still not making eye contact with her.
                   
                  Feeling defeated, Alessandra said, "Well, okay, I'll hop in the shower, then, we can go."
                   
                  Joe didn't answer.
                   
                  She gathered her clothes, making sure to walk close to Joe, hoping he'd reach out to her like he always did when she got anywhere near him, but he didn't. Instead, he threw himself on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm and pretended not to notice. Her heart sank. She wanted to reach out to him and feel him wrap his strong arms around her, but she feared he'd reject her and she didn't blame him.
                   
                  A lump in her throat, she left Joe on the bed alone and walked into the bathroom, so he wouldn't see her tears. Looking at herself in the mirror, she scowled. She wished she could take back everything that she did and start this trip all over again.
                   
                  Outside, in the room, she could hear Joe moving around. It broke her heart that he'd averted his eyes and pretended like he didn't care while she was in the room