Read Online Daddy by Surprise by Debra Salonen - Free Book Online Page A

settled lightly on his waist, he felt their warmth permeate his whole body the same way her touch had yesterday. It was a reward in and of itself. He didn’t understand it and told himself any woman’s touch would do the same thing to a guy who hadn’t had sex in months. But a part of him knew that wasn’t true.
    Shifting sideways enough to make eye contact, he asked, “Can you hear me?” He tapped the side of his helmet near his ear.
    Her smile showed pure delight. “Wow. That’s perfect. I was expecting some crackling walkie-talkie thing. And I can hear music in the background. Daughtry. One of my favorites. How’d you know?”
    He didn’t want to admit that he’d seen the name on a list on her table yesterday. He’d downloaded it to his MP3 player last night. Probably a dumb gesture, given he’d never see this woman again after today, but he’d done it, anyway.
    “Are you an American Idol fan? It’s one of the few shows the boys and I agree on. Although that’s not something they’d tell their fathers.”
    Jack didn’t ask why. He knew why. There’d been hundreds of things he didn’t tell his dad. And vice versa. Especially the big stuff.
    “Turn left when you leave my driveway,” she said, leaning into him, even though she didn’t need to in order to be heard. “I hate crossing traffic, but it’s fairly light this time of day.”
    “For the height of summer, I’ve found the traffic pretty tolerable. Especially compared to Rocky Mountain National Park.”
    “You won’t say that when we reach Hill City,” she said with a low chuckle that wormed its way into his very core. “And there’s always a crowd around Mount Rushmore.”
    He checked both ways, then gunned it. The bike shot across the road smoothly. Kat resumed talking once they were up to speed.
    “If we’re not hiking Harney Peak, we can afford to take our time. I can show you some of the back roads, since you said you were interested in history. If this were a four-wheeler, there are all kinds of places I could take you.”
    He didn’t doubt that for a minute. He could think of a few that weren’t on the map. But the thought disappeared when the semi they were passing suddenly pulled out to pass the car ahead of it.
    Jack swerved to the shoulder and cranked on the gas. The bike shot ahead and easily cleared both vehicles, but the sensation of flying, along with a rush of adrenaline, made his entire body tingle. “Holy crap,” he muttered. “That semi driver must not have seen me. I flashed him, too.”
    Kat’s heart felt squeezed to the size of a peanut and she could barely find the breath to say, “Thank God you have sharp reflexes. That could have been ugly.”
    “I agree. But you helped by leaning the right way with me. You’ve done this before, I think.”
    “My first husband had a bike in high school. He sold it after Tag was born. Broke his heart, he claimed, but I notice he hasn’t bought one to replace it.”
    She sat back and relaxed her death grip around his waist. “For being new to riding, you did that well.”
    His chuckle was low and masculine. “Thanks. It comes from driving with an inherently high adrenaline level.”
    Again, he downplayed her praise. His modesty was refreshing, but sometimes it rang false. She was about to test her theory when she reminded herself that she was a paid employee, not a prospective girlfriend. This wasn’t a date.
    She cleared her throat and looked around, wondering what to point out. A familiar sign made her cry, “Oh!”
    She lifted her arm and pointed. “There’s the turnoff to Sentinel Pass. We can start your tour there. Hang a right at the big white tepee.”
    Once they were off the main highway, she inched back. “You better slow down. The potholes are bad enough in a car. On a bike, they’ll probably loosen old fillings. Everybody is hoping the new money coming to town will encourage the county to fix the road.”
    He didn’t say anything, but the bike bobbed