Had she given any thought to how close she’d have to sit to him? He had. He could hardly wait to have her arms clenched around his waist and those perky breasts pressed right up against his back.
As he climbed into the shower, he studied the dial before cranking it toward the colder end of the spectrum. Chances were even frigid water wouldn’t cool the effect thinking about Amy with her long legs straddling his bike and snuggled up against him had on his body. It didn’t help that he could barely remember the last time he’d gotten laid. He was reasonably sure the woman had been a blonde. Probably, anyway. His conscience nudged him a bit, even if both of them had headed into that wild weekend with no illusions of a happily-ever-after together.
Regardless, he felt a little bad that he couldn’t at least remember her name.
He sure as hell couldn’t risk that kind of encounter with Amy. She deserved better, and it wasn’t like they could easily avoid each other if everything went south. Make thatwheneverything went south. He’d never had the best of luck with women.
Besides, he wasn’t in the market for any kind of long-term relationship, no matter how often his mother tried to convince him differently. After more than ten years in the Corps, he was still trying to find his place in the civilian world. Yeah, he had a job, a house, and an extended family to help fill up the hours of his day. He might have even successfully convinced his mom and brothers that he was doing fine most of the time.
Even if he wasn’t.
There were too many dark memories mixed in with an equal number of regrets for him to feel satisfied with how his life had played out so far. Keeping busy helped, so he pulled the occasional extra shift at the fire department or spent hours working on his house. Anything to fill up the empty spaces in his mind.
He finally turned off the water and reached for a towel. How long had he been in there? A glance at the clock on the dresser answered that question—too long. That happened sometimes when his past poked its ugly head into his present. If he hauled ass, he’d be only a couple of minutes late. Clean jeans, a fresh shirt, and his biker boots completed his outfit. He probably should’ve shaved, too, but that would only delay him even further.
It wasn’t as if this was a real date, even if it sure as hell felt like one. Halfway to the front door he spun around and marched right back into his bedroom. After a few quick swipes with his cordless razor, he ran out the door toward the garage.
Amy must have been watching for him, because she stepped out on her front porch before he’d gone more than a handful of steps. Her smile hadn’t faded at all since he’d offered to take her out on the bike. There was a hint of nervousness around her eyes, but that was to be expected.
He hit the button that opened the garage door. “You can wait out here. I’ll grab the helmets and then bring the bike out so we can talk about safety and all that stuff.”
“Are these clothes all right?”
Jeans, check; heavy denim jacket, check; hiking boots, check. She’d also brushed her dark hair back into a ponytail.
“They’re perfect.”
Especially the way those jeans hugged her long legs, which should be outlawed for the sanity of the male population. He got his spare helmet down off the shelf and carried it out to Amy. After a couple of quick adjustments, it fit her fine. “You can take it back off until after we talk about the bike.”
Next, he straddled the Harley and started it up. Amy was watching from the doorway and jumped a little when the engine roared to life. He rolled the bike out into the bright sunshine and then shut the engine off again. No use in yelling over the noise.
It didn’t take long to go over the rules and precautions with her. After she put her helmet back on and tightened the strap, he guided her up onto the seat behind him. When she put her hands on the sides of his waist, he tugged them farther forward. “Hang on tight. We’ll take a couple of easy laps around the neighborhood first. If you decide it’s too scary, just let me know.”
“Okay.”
He started the bike again and drove out of the driveway a lot more sedately than he would have normally. Just as he expected, her grip on him tightened up considerably by the end of the first block. By their second lap, though, she was riding like a pro, her posture already more relaxed. When they reached the front of his house again, he stopped and yelled back over his shoulder, “You okay to take the bike or would you prefer to take the SUV?”
He loved that her answer was immediate and happy. “Definitely the bike.”
This time he tore off down the street sending up a spray of gravel. Amy gasped, but then her laughter rang out even over the rumble of the engine. Yeah, this was going to be fun. He drove out of the neighborhood and headed for the highway that would take them toward the mountains.
—
Could life get any better than this? Yeah, having all those cars and trucks whizzing by them at sixty miles an hour or more took a bit of getting used to, but she loved clinging to Mikhail on his bike. Even through the leather of his jacket, she could feel the flex and play of his muscles as he guided the bike in and out of traffic. As the highway led them closer and closer to the Cascades, the air grew cooler, making her grateful that Mikhail had warned her to wear a heavy jacket.
Would Chad be proud of her for doing this? Too bad he couldn’t be trusted to keep his mouth shut if she were to ask him. She hated keeping secrets from her family, but sometimes it was for the best. She could only imagine how her other brothers, not to mention her parents, would react if they found out. They’d never understand how much she was loving this…this adventure, ripping down the highway with the wind in her face and the scenery flying by in a blur. She’d driven this same route many times, but it was as if she were seeing it clearly for the first time.
Funny, she’d never realized how much a car insulated her from the world. But tearing up the highway while holding on to a sexy guy was a brand-new kind of freedom. She’d experienced so many amazing firsts in the short time she’d known Mikhail—setting a fence post, measuring a rail, using a power saw, and now this.
What other wonders would he be willing to introduce her to? Not that she’d ask. Better to see where this new friendship took them without her asking him for more than he might be willing to give. Most of the time, Mikhail smiled easily and teased her whenever he got a chance. But there were times when his blue eyes darkened and his smile took on a hard edge. Clearly, he had his own share of secrets that caused him pain. Maybe she was wrong about that, but she didn’t think so.
It was easy to recognize the symptoms, especially when she had the same problems even if the causes were different.
Mikhail glanced over his right shoulder and then changed lanes. From there, he steered the Harley off the highway at the next exit, slowing to a stop at the top of the ramp.
Mikhail turned his head. “Doing okay back there?”
She leaned in closer so he could hear her better over the street noise. “I’m doing fine. This is great fun.”
