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Authors: Kristen Painter
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stoplight, he rested a hand on her thigh and twisted to look at her. “You okay?”
She nodded, trying to regulate her breathing at the same time.
“You look about as okay as a treed ‘possum.” He gave her leg a little squeeze. “I promise you won’t get hurt. I’ve been riding bikes since I was nine. Haven’t had a serious wreck yet.”
Yet! She nodded again. “I’m okay.”
He turned back around, hooked his hands under her knees and pulled her a little closer. “Just a few more blocks.”
When they started up again, she tried to relax. After all, they weren’t going that fast. The view from the motorcycle was so different from a car. Everything looked closer. She glanced down. Including the street. Don’t look down. She concentrated on the people on the sidewalk. Nice handbag. Cute dog. Bad toupee.
She rested her helmeted head against his back. It was kind of nice, actually. The sun and the wind felt good on her skin and if she had to hold on to someone, Kelly wasn’t a bad choice. She smiled. If the girls could see her now.
Kelly maneuvered the bike down a side street and into an alley. He parked beside a door and turned the machine off. “We’re here.”
She took that as her cue to get off. Her legs shook even after she dismounted. He climbed off after her, then reached beneath her chin to unfasten the strap. She pulled the helmet off and shook her hair out.
“So? You survived, right?” He took the helmet from her and clipped it back onto the bike.
She made a show of feeling herself for broken bones. “Seems that way.” She gave him a half-grin. “I guess it wasn’t that bad.”
“Told you.”
Her skin tingled with the engine’s vibrations. “I feel like I’m still on the bike.”
“Hard to shake the feeling of something that powerful between your legs, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. Lord, he thought he was funny.
“You get used to it after while.” He hit a button on his key chain and the bike beeped. “Thanks. It was nice having you back there.”
Her cheeks warmed and she twisted the sole of her shoe on the ground. What did you say to that?
“Mery?”
“Yes?” She looked up.
He stuffed his keys in his pocket. “I really want to kiss you again.”
The husky tone of his voice made her stomach flutter almost as much as his words. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“We’ll just agree to disagree then.” He took a step closer so there wasn’t a foot between them. “‘Cause I think it is.”
She shook her head, ready to offer a new defense but he stepped into her space and laced his fingers into her hair just like he had that night in the elevator.
“How ‘bout you decide afterwards?” He brought his mouth to hers, his touch at once gentle and insistent. He drank her in like a man dying of thirst.
She leaned into him for support, her legs too shaky to hold her. A warm liquid need spread up from her toes as he deepened the kiss. She braced her hands against his hard chest as his tongue teased with subtle strokes, bringing her to life.
Her head told her this should stop but her body thrummed with pleasure. Deep in her core, beneath the hurt of burying two husbands and the fear of letting another man in, she wanted this. She wanted to feel something that mattered again. To know that she was wanted.
Kelly did that in spades.
But her head prevailed. She broke the kiss and smiled gently, like she might at a child in need of correction. “We can’t keep doing that.”
He dropped his hands from her hair. “Don’t you mean I can’t keep doing that? I’m kissing you, you aren’t kissing me.”
She waved her hand. “You know what I mean.”
His mouth twitched with a barely suppressed grin and he grabbed her hand. “C’mon, you’ve got some tasting to do.”
Through the door they’d parked by, he led her into the kitchen. Several young men in black and white checked pants and chef coats bustled around carrying big lexan tubs of food.
She nodded, trying to regulate her breathing at the same time.
“You look about as okay as a treed ‘possum.” He gave her leg a little squeeze. “I promise you won’t get hurt. I’ve been riding bikes since I was nine. Haven’t had a serious wreck yet.”
Yet! She nodded again. “I’m okay.”
He turned back around, hooked his hands under her knees and pulled her a little closer. “Just a few more blocks.”
When they started up again, she tried to relax. After all, they weren’t going that fast. The view from the motorcycle was so different from a car. Everything looked closer. She glanced down. Including the street. Don’t look down. She concentrated on the people on the sidewalk. Nice handbag. Cute dog. Bad toupee.
She rested her helmeted head against his back. It was kind of nice, actually. The sun and the wind felt good on her skin and if she had to hold on to someone, Kelly wasn’t a bad choice. She smiled. If the girls could see her now.
Kelly maneuvered the bike down a side street and into an alley. He parked beside a door and turned the machine off. “We’re here.”
She took that as her cue to get off. Her legs shook even after she dismounted. He climbed off after her, then reached beneath her chin to unfasten the strap. She pulled the helmet off and shook her hair out.
“So? You survived, right?” He took the helmet from her and clipped it back onto the bike.
She made a show of feeling herself for broken bones. “Seems that way.” She gave him a half-grin. “I guess it wasn’t that bad.”
“Told you.”
Her skin tingled with the engine’s vibrations. “I feel like I’m still on the bike.”
“Hard to shake the feeling of something that powerful between your legs, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. Lord, he thought he was funny.
“You get used to it after while.” He hit a button on his key chain and the bike beeped. “Thanks. It was nice having you back there.”
Her cheeks warmed and she twisted the sole of her shoe on the ground. What did you say to that?
“Mery?”
“Yes?” She looked up.
He stuffed his keys in his pocket. “I really want to kiss you again.”
The husky tone of his voice made her stomach flutter almost as much as his words. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“We’ll just agree to disagree then.” He took a step closer so there wasn’t a foot between them. “‘Cause I think it is.”
She shook her head, ready to offer a new defense but he stepped into her space and laced his fingers into her hair just like he had that night in the elevator.
“How ‘bout you decide afterwards?” He brought his mouth to hers, his touch at once gentle and insistent. He drank her in like a man dying of thirst.
She leaned into him for support, her legs too shaky to hold her. A warm liquid need spread up from her toes as he deepened the kiss. She braced her hands against his hard chest as his tongue teased with subtle strokes, bringing her to life.
Her head told her this should stop but her body thrummed with pleasure. Deep in her core, beneath the hurt of burying two husbands and the fear of letting another man in, she wanted this. She wanted to feel something that mattered again. To know that she was wanted.
Kelly did that in spades.
But her head prevailed. She broke the kiss and smiled gently, like she might at a child in need of correction. “We can’t keep doing that.”
He dropped his hands from her hair. “Don’t you mean I can’t keep doing that? I’m kissing you, you aren’t kissing me.”
She waved her hand. “You know what I mean.”
His mouth twitched with a barely suppressed grin and he grabbed her hand. “C’mon, you’ve got some tasting to do.”
Through the door they’d parked by, he led her into the kitchen. Several young men in black and white checked pants and chef coats bustled around carrying big lexan tubs of food.
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