After loading items from around the garage, he offered her a hand and helped her up the base steps. “Let’s get you seated.”
She climbed into the back of the tandem unit, admiring the view inside the glass dome. He sat in the front seat. The weight of his body made her seat tilt forward and she gasped as she curled her arms around his narrow waist. His ab muscles contracted under her hands. Lord, he was fine and warm. She rubbed her nose on the back of his shirt, happy to press herself against him.
A low groan sounded from the front. “Stop wiggling so much back there, or we won’t be going anywhere except the floor.”
She tried to sit still, but it was damn hard. How often did she get on a futuristic bike with a guy who brought back the meaning of sexy and wanted to rip her clothes off? Not ever.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “We can go now.”
The bike lifted from the base and she tightened her hold on Karel. Oh good god. They were hovering over the base, the bike rising higher into the air.
“This thing flies!” she squeaked.
“Yes,” he said and pressed a hand to hers around his waist. “It’s fine. You won’t feel a thing.”
No. But she’d see it. They shot out of the big room and into the forest so fast, she scrunched her eyes closed, fear alive and well in the pit of her stomach.
“How are you doing back there?” he asked. “I sense your tension and it’s driving my jaguar wild. This is going to be a long ride if you don’t enjoy it.” He sighed. “Open your eyes, my love,” he said softly. “You’ll like what you see.”
She blinked one eye open and then the other, her gaze scanning the passing trees. Rows of what looked like birchwood in multiple purple hues dropped light pink flowers over the ground. It was like being in a magical land. The farther they went, the thicker the trees became. The ride was seamless. Without wheels on the ground, there were no bumps. In fact, there was no noise at all. If she’d kept her eyes closed, she wouldn’t have known they were moving.
“This is amazing,” she said to herself. “All the colors.”
“Just wait,” he said and veered to the left, taking a sharp turn which put them over a beach. She saw the pink waves flowing onto the shimmery pale-yellow sand. Her fingers itched to touch it.
She glanced at the ocean. It appeared calm, but waves pushed to the shore with powerful glides. She wanted to strip off her clothes and dive in. Or dip her toes. She wasn’t stupid. She had no idea what the hell was in that water, and as pretty as it was, it scared her too.
They flew over the beach for a while. She was so mesmerized by the water and glittery sand, she didn’t bother making conversation. She wasn’t fond of the beach unless she went somewhere like the Caribbean. She loved beaches with trees by the water. She’d spent a lot of time in her childhood visiting the Dominican Republic with her grandmother. She had a beach house in one of the most popular resort destinations and took Liv often.
Many hours passed, sitting on the beach, watching the waves come in and the sun go down. Liv didn’t know how to swim, but she still made sure to get in the warm tropical waters.
Her fear of drowning kept her from learning to swim properly. She glanced at the pink waves again. She wondered if the water was very deep or at her knees like the beach in Tahiti.
Her grandmother loved to travel and being in charge of Liv meant she took her along. Tahiti was like the Caribbean but a lot less commercialized and calmer. The water was crystal clear and her love of wading to her knees had been fulfilled.
“Your oceans are so pretty and pink,” she told him. “I thought oxygen in water made the water blue on earth.”
“I don’t know a lot about earth, but here, our seas are pink because of a mineral that lives in the sand. When combined with water, it lets out this color.”
“That’s amazing.” She pressed the side of her face to his back, loving the strength of his muscles and how good he was about answering her questions.
“I’m glad you like it,” he replied. “We’re going to be spending the night close to the beach.
“Why?” She frowned. “I thought you said we would get to your mother’s fast?”
“We didn’t teleport. That would have gotten us to her within moments. By driving, we are forced to a slower speed. It will take lots of hours before we get there and night is approaching.” He slowed the bike. It didn’t feel like they’d been going that long, but she noticed the light that had been high and bright before, had lowered to a soft dusky glow of the descending suns.
That was another thing. They had two suns. Both moving in tandem, giving the planet a bright and light feel. She’d thought with twin suns, the temperature would be scorching hot, especially since they looked to be way too close for comfort, but she’d been wrong. The weather was nice. The breeze helped to make the area feel incredibly tropical. One of her dreams as a kid was to live on a tropical island.