Page 30 of Pining for Pierce
Pierce
I thought about kissing her hand then. Without a helmet on, it would have been the easiest thing in the world to raise her hand from my chest to my lips, and to kiss her palm, or her fingers… or both. I want to kiss her lips, and her neck, and so many other parts of her, but to have kissed her hand would have been enough. It would have been a start.
It would have been a false start, though, given the way she reacted to me holding her hand over my heart. Doing that was an instinct, but it’s clearly not one that Harley shared, and I’ll admit, I’m really disappointed. I’d hoped for better than that, but I guess I was hoping for too much… and too soon.
The thing was, she’d tightened her thighs around me. I’d felt her do it, right after I’d rubbed my hand down the outside of her leg. All I’d wanted to do was check she was okay, and because we’ve got no comms, I couldn’t be sure. The tightening of her thighs felt like a positive response. But now I can’t help wondering if maybe I misunderstood that. Maybe she was tense, rather than anything else… and that’s not a good sign at all. It reminds me of the way she reacted to Kaiden, and I hate the idea she could think of me in the same way as him.
That’s why I’ve speeded up just a little. I can’t go too fast… not when neither of us is properly dressed for this, but I want to get back to her place, so we can talk.
If she’ll let us…
She’s got her hands on the tank now, rather than around me, and while that’s not a bad idea, and is certainly more comfortable when I’m braking, I don’t like it. I want her hands on me… all the time.
I’m relieved to see the turning into her parents’ driveway, and slow down to take it, parking beside Harley’s car, which is in front of the garage. Without waiting for me to turn off the engine, she leans up on my shoulders, climbing down from the bike, and as silence descends, I pull off my gloves and, with my feet firmly on the ground, I turn to face her. I don’t bother with the kickstand, though. Somehow, I doubt I’ll be invited in for coffee.
She’s struggling with the strap on my helmet. It’s different to hers, which is why she found it so hard to do up, and I lean over and grab her around the waist, pulling her close so I can help. I can hear her gasp, even from here, and try not to smile as I unfasten the strap, waiting for her to pull the helmet off, freeing her long hair, which tumbles over her shoulders. I’m tempted to run my fingers through it, but I resist, taking the helmet from her instead, and balancing it on the tank in front of me. Without a word, she unzips my jacket, shrugging it off to reveal the thin sweater she’s wearing underneath, and straightening her purse strap before she passes my jacket over to me, with a whispered, “Thank you.” I nod my head, half expecting her to turn away and go into the house. She doesn’t, though. Instead, she tips her head to one side and says, “I’m sure my parents and my brother will be grateful.”
I lean a little closer to her. “You honestly think what happened tonight had anything to do with Ben or your parents?”
She frowns. “Of course. You said…”
“I know what I said, and I only said it so you’d stop arguing with me.”
Her frown deepens slightly, like she’s having to give that some thought, and while she does, I pull on my jacket, although I don’t do it up, a fresh floral scent rising to greet me.
“This smells of you,” I say, pulling up the collar to my nose and inhaling deeply.
“Sorry,” she murmurs, and I let go of my jacket and gaze at her, straight into her sparkling blue eyes.
“Don’t apologize, Harley. I like it.” She tips her head again, which I guess means I’ve confused her, and I’ll admit, I kinda like that, too. Before she can dismiss me, and because I need to know, I ask her, “What happened with Kaiden?”
“Nothing,” she says, lowering her head.
“It didn’t look like nothing. You were scared. I noticed that the moment I walked in, and Dawson had clearly spotted it too. Besides, you said just now that he wasn’t your boyfriend… or you were trying to get him to understand that he wasn’t your boyfriend, even though he was acting like he was. What did that mean? What did he do?”
“That’s a lot of questions, Pierce.”
“I know. Why don’t you try answering them?”
“Because it’s none of your damn business.”
I feel the blade of her words cutting through me, just like it did on Tuesday morning when she last said that to me. Only this time, I refuse to listen.
“Yes, it is. It is my business, Harley… and you know it.”
She stares into my eyes for what feels like a minute, although it’s probably just a few seconds, and then she lets out a sigh, like she’s relenting, her shoulders dropping to prove the point. “Okay… it is.”
“Fine… then tell me what he did.”
“What do you think he did?”
“I don’t know. What I can tell you is, I know Kaiden, and I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination, so could you put me out of my misery here?”
“Your misery?”
“Yes.”
She frowns. “I don’t see why any of this would make you miserable,” she says, dropping her head slightly. When she raises it again, I notice there are tears in her eyes, and for the second time tonight, I reach out and put my arm around her waist, pulling her close. This time, though, I don’t let go, and I dip my head, looking up into her eyes.
