Her fingers tingled as she’d wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight. He drove with speed and agility, like this bike was actually an extension of him. It moved right along with his body, the power thrusting against her thighs and buttocks. There was a freedom here. A strange sense of weightlessness that made everything else seem insignificant. Laying her cheek against his back she embraced that feeling, let it engulf her and prayed she could hold on to it just a little bit longer.
Time had seemed to stand still except that the sun was almost finished its descent as the bike came to a slow stop. Victoria heard the engine go silent and felt a shift as he put down the stand. She thought he would get off immediately, but he sat there his hands falling from the handlebars to cover hers at his waist.
Even that felt good. It felt safe.
And that made her more nervous than she cared to admit.
She pulled her hands away and maneuvered herself off the bike. Her fingers tingled, she suspected at the loss of warmth from touching him. In response, she thrust them into her front pockets and walked a few steps. They were at some type of canyon. She hadn’t been paying attention to where he’d been driving which really was unlike her. But this was an open space, very dessert-like with its dry dirt ground and palm trees that looked parched as they stretched skyward.
Still, the view was magnificent, capping the tops of the buildings that decorated the infamous Strip. The city skyline looked like the tiny depictions captured inside snow globes. There were no fake white flakes to accentuate the scene but the silky haze of dry heat settled over the surrounding land. It would be quite breathtaking, if the man who’d brought her here hadn’t already stolen her breath.
“We’re safe here,” she heard him say from behind. “Nobody followed us.”
“How do you know that?” she asked, not that what she was thinking had anything to do with someone following them.
No, perhaps it was the serenity of the ride or of being close to this man—she wasn’t sure which—but she hadn’t thought about their current situation. Which, just proved how being around him was throwing her off balance.
He removed his helmet, placing it on the handlebar before swinging a leg over the bike to stand.
“Remember I told you my cousin’s a private investigator? Well, he’s assigned someone to watch you and I until this situation with Vega is over.”
“Oh great,” she said shivering even though it was anything but cold out here. “So I’m being watched by even more people?”
“Just for your protection,” he added but the words gave little consolation for her whirling emotions.
She simply nodded. It was no use arguing this with him. He’d stated early on that he felt she needed protection. And in light of who they were dealing with she wasn’t foolish enough to deny it.
“Right. Protection.”
“They won’t find us here. And if they did they’d have to get through Dev and his crew first. So you can relax.”
She probably could have if he hadn’t come up behind her touching his hands to her shoulders.
“I’m not good at this,” she heard herself admitting. It was like that with him. She said things she shouldn’t have, did things she never thought about doing.
“Come on inside and you can tell me what you’re not good at.”
Inside? Victoria turned around again and was face-to-face with him. She was about to say there was no inside to go to, but just over his shoulder, about thirty feet away there was a little cabin. It almost looked out of place, as if it had been dropped down in the middle of this desert by mistake. Then again, there was a quiet appeal to the mostly wooden structure enhanced by intricate stone work that could use some cleaning.
“You’re really cute when you’re baffled,” he said tweaking her nose. Then he gathered her hand in his and walked them toward the cabin—the one she’d just noticed because she’d been so wrapped up in how good he smelled and felt in her arms that she hadn’t been paying a lick of attention.
Once they were inside she pulled her hand from his as he closed the door then took a few steps away and reached for something she prayed was a light.
“I don’t like being baffled,” she admitted.
“Does that mean you don’t like being cute?” he asked and she turned at the sound of his voice.
She wasn’t totally shocked to see him standing right in front of her. But she could admit the now lit lantern he heldbetween them was different. The grin on his face should’ve been expected. It shouldn’t have slid along the base of her spine like a soft touch causing ripples of pleasure to float through her body.
The small room was further illuminated by another lantern Ben seemed to know exactly where to find. The kitchen wasn’t modern by any means, but she could see where repairs were being instituted. For instance, the brand-new stainless-steel refrigerator which was squeezed into a tight nook in the corner. The wood was dark, cherry, maybe and looked to be in good condition. That and the stone work outside was probably why the decision had most likely gone to rehab instead of a complete demolition of the dwelling.
“You like being cute enough for both of us,” she said with a sigh. “Ben, what are we doing?”
“I don’t know about you but I needed a break. From the office, the cases, everything. I’m thinking of taking a long vacation really soon. Guess I’d have to find another assistant first. But anyway, I just wanted to unwind a bit. I bought this place about a year ago because I like the open space to be able to ride.”
He moved as he talked, taking down glasses from the cabinets—one of which the handle looked as if it would fall off the very next time someone pulled on it. The refrigerator was fully stocked from what she could see, but he opened and closed it so quickly, grabbing two bottled waters without any thought at all.
“I meant what arewedoing?” Victoria smoothed her hands over her hair. She’d pulled it all back when she changed her clothes but was sure the wind from the ride had ruffled it to a perfect mess. Not that she was worried about her looks, she was more worried about her state of mind. “I thought we were going to wait until after this case to do whatever it is we started last night. Then I come home to find you on my steps holdingenough balloons to cheer up the entire pediatric wing at the hospital.”
