I overreacted.

What Marty did wasn’t that bad. If it had been any other girl, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. The hand he placed on her hip was in a respectable position. He didn’t pull her into him. He simply lightly touched her and leaned in to tell her how good she looked in her helmet. What Marty didn’t realize was it wasn’t just any girl… it was Kensington. My girl.

As soon as he touched her, I saw red. Jealous rage plain and simple. I’m losing my shit over this girl.

“Max?” Her soft voice brings me out of my head. It doesn’t escape me that she calls me Max. It’s always Maxton, formal. Not this time.

I grip her arm and give it a gentle tug to guide her in front of me. I want him behind us, where he can’t even see her. Irrational, but it is what it is. As soon as she’s standing in front of me, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against my chest. She doesn’t fight me as her hands land on my hips.

“I’m sorry,” I finally say. “He should have never touched you.”

She looks up and our eyes meet. I fight against the urge to press my lips against hers, to taste her. She smiles and my heart skips a beat. “I thought you were taking me riding?”

Just like that, the anger is gone. It’s as if just being around her grounds me. It’s bizarre yet comforting at the same time. It’s also scary as hell.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Bright’s voice grumbles behind us. I couldn’t agree more. Reluctantly, I release her from my grip, place my hand on the small of her back, and lead her out of the store. We drop the helmets off at the truck and venture into the grocery store. I’m more than ready to get the rest of this day started, putting the incident at the bike shop behind me. I don’t have time to analyze my actions; besides that, I’ve already concluded I overreacted. However, I couldn’t control my response.

Luckily, the grocery store is uneventful and we’re back on the road in no time. The drive to the trails we are riding today is about an hour away. I settle into my seat and try to avoid the pull of the gorgeous girl who is once again riding shotgun.

The four of us make small talk. Nicole and Kens asking questions about the trails and what it’s like. They both seem genuinely interested and that’s a rarity. These two, they’re in a league all their own. A league I’m not sure I’m ready to be a part of. I’m used to girls who just want to hang on your arm and get into your bed. I’ve never brought a girl on any of our guys’ trips. Technically, she’s not with me, but I think I want her to be.

We arrive in what seems like no time. Kensington and Nicole start unloading the truck with our purchases while Bright and I unload the quads. By the time we’re done, Nicole and Kensington have the cooler stocked and are waiting for instruction on where to put the food. “We generally put a few folding tables together in the center of all of our trucks and everyone helps themselves,” Brighton explains.

Nicole points over her shoulder. “There?”

“Yep,” Brighton chirps. Yes, he fucking chirped his reply. He’s in deep.

Without saying another word, they gather the rest of the food and carry it over to the table. I turn away from them, working on getting our gear unpacked. I start with Kensington’s helmet. I take all the tags off and sit it on the rack of my bike.

“Shit!” I hear Brighton curse beside me.

Turning around to see what the deal is, I freeze. Lance and a guy I’ve only met one other time, so I cannot even remember his fucking name, are standing close to the girls, talking… flirting.

I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder. “Chill, man. You look like you’re ready to murder him.”

I realize my hands are at my sides in tight fists. I shove them in my pockets, trying to calm myself down. “Why in the hell does he always seek her out?” I grit out.

“So far, it’s harmless. Just wait.”

Brighton tightens his grip on my shoulder. We’re both watching them, waiting to see what happens. A gust of wind blows through and Kensington’s hair falls in her eyes. Lance raises his hand to push it out of her face. “He needs to keep his hands to himself,” I growl. My hands, which were tucked into my pockets, come out and are once again balled into fists.

“You willing to fight for her?” Bright questions.

Am I willing to fight for her? Her sweet smell, her soft lips, her smooth skin. That smile that makes my world shine brighter? Fuck! “Yes,” I growl. Breaking away from his hold, I head toward the girls.

Kensington looks up and sees me coming. She takes a step back from Lance. Good girl.

Never breaking my stride, I don’t stop until I’m standing behind her. I place my hands on her hips and pull her back against my chest. She doesn’t protest and my chest swells at the realization. “Babe, your helmet’s all ready to go.” The words leave my mouth before I realize what I’ve said. Babe? I wait for panic to take me at my blatant display of affection toward her. Nothing happens. No panic. Just increased heart rate due to her body being aligned with mine.

Kensington looks over her shoulder at me. “Thank you.” She doesn’t scold me or give me the look— the one telling me I’m a possessive asshole and need to back off. She doesn’t tell me I have no claim to her. None of that, a simple thank you with a smile is what I get. It’s with that smile that another layer to the walls I have constructed around my heart falls away.

I COULD TELL by the look in his eyes as he stalked toward me that he was not happy. I expected more of what happened in the bike shop earlier. That’s why I stepped away from Lance, hoping to diffuse the situation. What I didn’t expect was for Maxton to claim me. At least, that’s what it feels like. His hands are on my hips, his solid grip letting me know I’m where he wants me. My back flush against his chest. I want to wiggle my hips to see what kind of reaction I get out of him, but I don’t want to poke an angry bear.

Today he’s different, protective. His eyes in the bike shop when he apologized were caring. It’s obvious there is a spark there. I feel it and so does he. My problem is, I don’t know what to do with it.

I wasn’t expecting sweet Maxton from the look on his face, but that’s exactly what he gave me. Calling me babe.

“Lance,” Maxton says in greeting.

“Hey, glad you all could make it.” Lance darts his eyes toward me. I can only assume he’s trying to gauge my reaction to Maxton the bear. Lance is a great guy. He knows it’s hard for me to trust; I told him that much. I offer him a smile, letting him know I am, indeed, okay. He seems to relax at my gesture.

“You ladies ready to hit the trails?” Lance asks.

“Spending the day wrapped around Bright, uh, hell yeah I am.” Nicole laughs. I would have laughed right along with her, except I just stopped breathing. Am I going to be riding with Maxton? I guess I never thought too much about it. Just the thought causes me to squeeze my legs together to stifle the desire I feel for him. He affects me like no one ever has. He never says or does what I expect and he seems to keep coming back. Sure it’s only been a few weeks, but that hasn’t stopped him. He’s been very vocal about wanting me in his bed, yet he doesn’t push the issue, letting me come to terms with it in my own time. At this point, I feel like it’s inevitable. I was trying to avoid a messy situation because I know how Nicole feels about Brighton, but resisting him is getting harder and harder.

I’m not sure I want to resist him anymore. The thought of being wrapped in his strong arms while he… I need to think about something else.

“And you?” Lance directs the question at me.

“Will be riding with me,” Maxton answers before I have a chance.