Free Jerk: Delinquent Rebels MC by Evelyn Glass Page A

looked back and saw his legs out and feet on the ground to steady himself, half-walking the bike after her so that he could keep up. He’d taken his helmet off, she noticed, and he stared at her with an unimpressed look.
     
    Well, she was pretty unimpressed with herself too—he didn’t need to say anything.
     
    Gravel poked at her feet as she walked, her sandals flicking some of the loose stones in and sandwiching them between the sole of her shoe and her foot. Gritting her teeth, she tried her best to ignore them, to ignore him , and when that failed, April turned and stalked off into the woods. Although walking through underbrush and exposed roots wasn’t much better, at least he couldn’t follow her on the bike.
     
    The rain was falling at a steady pace now, soaking her right through to the skin and beyond. Her hair lay flat against her head, and her only saving grace was that she hadn’t put on any eye makeup that morning—at least she didn’t have raccoon eyes. There were small mercies in the universe after all.
     
    She was probably a good ten feet into the trees, totally unsure of where she was going, when she heard Van cut the engine. She’d hoped he would just drive away, but instead she heard him crashing through the woods behind her, groaning and grunting as the forest slowed him. She smirked then changed course and headed back toward the downtown. The trees would taper off once she hit the small residential neighborhood at the end of Main Street, and then it would be a quick jaunt back to her mom’s apartment.
     
    Hopefully, he was wearing biker boots—those probably weren’t meant for the outdoors. But then again, neither were sandals, not in this capacity.
     
    “April, stop.” He was a lot closer than she’d thought, and she let out a surprise cry when he grabbed her wrist and tugged her back. She yanked her hand away, glaring. Van glowered right back at her, not backing down for even a second. “What are you doing? This is ridiculous!”
     
    “What’s ridiculous is that you followed me out here,” she fired back, her skin prickling as a chilly gust of air crashed through the forest, bringing with it a fresh pelting of heavy raindrops. Her teeth threatened to chatter, as her body cooled, but she held strong. “What are you… stalking me?”
     
    Van snorted and looked away, shaking his head. “For fuck’s sake.”
     
    “Yeah, my thoughts precisely,” she said with a sniff before turning and stalking away.
     
    “What the hell did I even do to you?” Van called after her, and she slowed, hearing the frustration in his voice. He really had no idea. “Are you upset about mini-golf? Look, I’m sorry that I… that we… almost… You know, whatever. I didn’t know it’d turn into some big thing where you’d ignore me afterward.”
     
    April stopped with a huff, took a breath, and then faced him again. “I’m ignoring you with good reason.”
     
    His eyebrows flew up. “What?”
     
    “This,” she said, pointing between them, as she stomped back through the bushes, “can’t happen. We can’t be a thing.”
     
    “Why?” His hands were in fists when she stopped in front of him, and she noticed the way his jaw clenched. Apparently not many refused the great Van Palmer.
     
    “Because,” she started, taking in a deep breath to prepare for her rant, “in a few months, we’re going to be related , first of all—”
     
    “Not by blood,” he muttered, rolling his eyes and looking toward the canopy. Rain continued to pummel them both, slipping through the fresh spring leaves.
     
    “Plus, I know what kind of man you are,” April carried on, annoyed at the slight tremble her voice took on, “because I knew what kind of guy you were when we were in high school, and… that’s why I just left then. You used girls. You did whatever you wanted with them and then wiped your hands clean before moving onto the next one.” She held up a finger, silencing him before he