Free MC Romance: Ride of Their Lives (BBW, Military Romance, Alpha Male) (Bad Boy Motorcycle Club Romance Book 1) by Raina Wilde Page B

tentatively into the sand.
    She came to a stop at Alex’s side where he was watching the last of the summer boaters surging amongst the waves. When she looked back at Alex she realized that he was watching her, once again, with that wicked half smile.
    “Double dog.” He raised an eyebrow in challenge as he stated the well-known dare phrase.
    “What?” Jenna’s brain was on overdrive. She could not seem to interpret what Alex was saying when he continued to stare at her in that particular way. He threw a pointed gaze at the water that lapped the shore a few feet in front of them. “No way.” She stated firmly.
    He took a goading step closer to the water.
    “Absolutely not, Alex.”
    “Come on, Jen. Live a little. You love the water.” He proffered an upturned hand for her to grasp. She stared at it as if it were a venomous snake.
    With trepidation Jenna realized that her plan to utilize personal knowledge of Alex for her own benefit might just be a tool that he could use against her in return.
    “Winter is just around the corner.” He flexed his fingers enticingly, still holding them out for her to grasp. “This might be your last chance for months.”
    It was a low blow and one he knew she couldn’t resist.
    Brushing past him, without so much as a glance at the hand hanging in midair as it skimmed the sleeve of her blouse, Jenna plodded quickly into the water. The sensation of the warm water lapping around her ankles was that of pure, uninhibited ecstasy. She closed her eyes and plunged a little deeper, aware enough to keep the hem of her skirt safely above the water.
    She heard a deep sigh beside her and realized that Alex had followed her movements and was standing only inches away as they shared in this extremely pleasurable moment.
    “What has gotten into you?” She whispered incredulously. For the first time Jenna felt the risk of working with Alex. She had prepared herself for the Alex she thought she knew. This was an entirely different person.
    “Do you really want to talk about it?” He asked softly.
    This time when she looked at him, her hazel eyes searching his of deep blue, she understood his meaning immediately. If she wanted to discuss the change in Alex’s personality she would also have to discuss their past. She could not fathom how the two could be linked after so many years, but a flutter in her gut told her that this was territory she was not willing to enter.
    Jenna shook her head. Alex continued to look intensely at her, his eyes searching her face for any sign that belied her resolution to keep him at arm's length. Finally he broke eye contact and gestured back toward the waiting company car.
    “I suppose that’s enough fun for the day.” Alex stated the words nonchalantly but Jenna thought she sensed a level of tension in his shoulders that had not been there before. She ducked her head and led the way away from the beach.
    The rest of the day passed in a haze of formality that Jenna would have revelled in with any other client. It turned out that Alex was outstanding with the children. He allowed them to climb all over his massive frame, hang from his arms and wrap themselves around his legs. He taught some of the teens basic sparring moves and finished up with an excellent speech on the importance of the martial arts for fitness, mental control, and self-defence, though never violence for the sake of violence.
    Jenna could not have asked for a better example of the type of fighter she wanted to sell to sponsors. Her surprise was even more profound considering that she had not yet had the dreaded discussion about the need for a change in his reputation. She knew, from his profile, that this was Alex’s first ever youth engagement and, though necessary, she had been unsure of his reaction to her plan. Never before had the athlete agreed to a public event that was anything less than a major showcase function, but for the first time Jenna felt that he might have actually enjoyed