THRUST(29)

She stops walking and gives me a nervous look when I stop in front of my motorcycle. “Whoa. Motorcycles sort of scare the shit out of me. I love to watch others ride, but . . .”

I grab onto her hip and give her a reassuring smile. “I would let myself get hurt before I ever put you in danger. Trust me.”

She thinks on that for a second before nodding and allowing me to place my helmet on her head. I stand here for a second and take in her beauty as she stands there in a pair of skintight jeans, black boots, and a little black jacket. Her hair is pulled to the side, sticking out from under my helmet, and it honestly makes me smile just from looking at her. She’s waiting on me, looking up at me as if she’s putting all her trust in me. It makes me feel at ease. I like it.

Straddling my bike, I reach out my hand and help her onto the back. “Wrap your arms around my waist.” She reaches around me and wraps her arms around me so tightly that I almost can’t breathe. “Whoa. It’s okay.” I rub my hand over hers to calm her nerves a little. “I won’t go fast until you tell me it’s okay. You can trust me.”

She leans her head against my back and loosens her grip on me. “Really? My ex took me for a ride on his friend’s bike once and that asshole definitely tricked me by telling me he’d drive slow. He didn’t.”

I feel a small ache in my chest from the tone in her voice. She sounds pained. I don’t like hearing her that way. “Really,” I reply. “I would never do that to you. Trust is a big issue for me. If I give you a reason not to trust me, then how can I expect you to not do the same?”

“I like that,” she says, locking her hands together. “I’m ready now.”

I take off slow, wanting her to see that I’m true to my word. Making a woman feel as if I would ever hurt her and give her reason not to trust me doesn’t sit well with me. A woman should feel safe and cared for by a man. The problem is . . . some women just don’t want that. I learned the hard way.

We ride for a while, the two of us just enjoying the sights and the cool air, until I finally pull up at my favorite spot. It’s not much really, just a big open field with a few trees, but it’s always given me a feeling of freedom and peace.

Killing the engine, I help her off my bike before pulling the helmet from her head and setting it down.

I take off walking into the middle of nowhere and I hear her following behind me. I usually come here alone, but having her with me sort of feels nice. I have a feeling that she has been hurt in the past and maybe she needs this place just as much as I do.

Once we get far enough into the middle of nowhere, I stop and take off my jacket, tossing it down beside me.

Calla stops right next to me and just watches in silence as I strip my shirt off next and roll it up before laying it on my jacket.

“Come here.” I grab her hand and guide her down to the ground so that she’s lying on my jacket, using my shirt as a pillow.

I drop down beside her and lay with my hands interlocked behind my head. When I glance beside me, she’s staring up at the night sky and picking at the grass beside her.

“It’s nice out here,” she says softly. “So peaceful and beautiful.”

Looking at her here beside me, looking so at ease and peaceful, I realize she’s never looked so damn beautiful. “Definitely beautiful,” I admit.

I close my eyes and try to force all the bad memories out of my head. Seeing Bryant today brought up a bunch of old emotions that I thought I had control over. Losing it like I did only proved that I was wrong; so damn wrong.

“Do you come here a lot?” I hear her shift beside me so I turn to look at her. She’s lying on her side with her hand propped below her head as her eyes look at me with sincerity. “I can see why this place helps you clear your head.”

Sitting up, I run my hands through my hair. “Yeah. I’ve been coming here for a few years now. Usually when I come here, I’m alone.” I relax into her touch when I feel her hand rub over my back. “I’ve been controlling myself better lately, so I haven’t had to come as much, but today I had an unwanted visitor, so . . . here I am.”

I hear her moving beside me, and after a few seconds, she’s on her knees behind me, rubbing my shoulders. “Relax, Kyan.” She leans close to my neck as she rubs her thumbs in circles between my shoulder blades. “You’re really tense.”

I find myself moaning and leaning further into her touch. Her hands feel so damn good. “That feels amazing.”

She lets out a tiny laugh. “Thanks.” She’s silent for a second before speaking again. “I spent many years rubbing my little sister to sleep when we were younger, so . . . I guess there’s one thing I should thank her for.”