He grabbed a shiny silver helmet, but instead of handing it to her, he curled his hand around her head and reached for her ponytail, gently tugging on it as he pulled out the hair tie. She was so shocked, it was as if he’d pulled her breath out of her lungs at the same time. Her tresses collapsed around her shoulders. He was close enough to kiss. His mouth was right there—lips as tempting as could be, the moment resembling the one that preceded her ill-fated attempt at seduction. They’d been standing in nearly the same posture and stance. Why couldn’t he have taken her hair in his hands that night? Why couldn’t he have decided that she was more important than Adam?
“One of my old girlfriends always complained that it hurt to wear a ponytail that high with a helmet.”
Talk about ruining the moment. He would have to bring up other women, wouldn’t he? Of course he’d gone on with his life, including his romantic one, after they parted ways years ago. He was smart. He hadn’t wasted untold amounts of time wishing for someone he couldn’t have.
She nodded. “I never would’ve thought to take down my hair.”
He zipped up his motorcycle jacket, which was the sexiest meeting of metal teeth in the history of apparel fasteners. “If you want to know the truth, it’s just that I find that moment when a woman shakes out her hair after riding on the back of my bike particularly sexy.”
Was that his way of throwing down the gauntlet? Issuing a dare? Because she sure as heck could whip around her hair. She might not be the purely confident seductress, but that much she could handle. The raw anticipation of the ride ahead returned to her veins, pumping blood from head to toe.
“Ready?” he asked, climbing onto the Black Shadow.
He pressed a button on a key fob and one of the wide garage bay doors began to open. The crisp air rolled inside, but she appreciated the cooling effect on her ragged nerves. Jacob put on his helmet, then his sunglasses. Lastly, he pulled on a pair of black leather gloves.
“Yep,” she answered, sidling up to the bike. She realized then that it wasn’t the idea of the ride making her nervous. It was the idea of touching him. Then again, this gave her the perfect excuse, and if this was as close as they got all weekend, she’d find a way to live with it and later weave it into a super hot fantasy. She pulled on her helmet, adjusted the chin strap, and grasped his shoulders as she straddled the bike behind him.
He started the engine. The bike rumbled beneath them. “Hold on tight,” he yelled back to her.
She wrapped her hands around his waist tentatively. She didn’t want to be so hopelessly obvious. Better to wait until their speed warranted a stronger grip. The next thing she knew, they were moving, albeit slowly, as he turned to close the garage door. Then he sped up, rounding the outbuildings, chugging down the gravel driveway to the road, opening the gate ahead of them with another click of the fob.
He came to a dead stop at the road, balancing them with his foot on the blacktop as the gate closed behind them.
“You can go a little faster, you know,” she yelled.
“That was gravel,” he called back. “You want fast?”
Anna gulped. “Yes.”
“I’ll show you fast.”
He revved the gas, still keeping them in place. The power of the engine had her body trembling. The bike lurched and they hurtled ahead like a rocket. They flew down the narrow state road, picking up speed, much faster than they’d gone in his car. Maybe it only seemed that way because she no longer had the protection of a steel cage around her. The momentum of the bike pulled her away from him, and she tightened her grip around his waist, clamped her thighs to his hips. Her shoulders tensed, but at the same time, she felt freed. It was the oddest sensation. Laughter and elation bubbled out of her. The wind whipped at her jeans, but the jacket kept her warm. As did Jacob. Very warm.
The engine popped and roared whenever he changed gears. Masterfully, he handled the bike, leading them through a curve. She grabbed him even tighter as he leaned them into the turn, defying the laws of gravity. The way his shoulders shifted, maneuvering the bike through the treacherous bend, was unspeakably hot. She loved seeing him so in control. One wrong move and they’d both be gone. In that moment, she couldn’t imagine wrong. He was infallible. Invincible.
They continued for miles, on narrow, serpentine roads. He took her through a small town with a roundabout, the changing leaves fluttering around them, people milling about from a coffee shop to a farmer’s market, bundled up in hats and scarves. She felt as cozy as could be, as if she was curled up in front of the fire. The fire of Jacob. Once they got back to the open stretches of rural road, he took off like a bat out of hell again. He got cocky on a long straightaway, weaving back and forth. If only he could have seen the mile-wide smile on her face. He’d earned his macho moment. And good for him for claiming it.