“Morning,” I murmured, reaching across to caress the side of his face. He pulled my fingers to his lips and kissed them. I took my hand away and rolled over to climb out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He reached across my stomach, stopping my departure.
I twisted back. “I’m getting up to go for a run.”
“No, not today you are not, I have plans for you all day, Miss Williams. We’re going riding.” He propped himself up on an elbow and trailed a finger over my stomach.
“I would have thought we’d done enough of that last night.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled. “Not that kind of riding.”
I slid my leg over his hips, pushing his head back against the pillow. “Pity,” I teased, moving my lips to his neck and kissing it a few times.
He slapped my bare ass, hard. “Get dressed,” he growled, “or we’ll never get out of here.”
“Ouch.” I giggled and jumped up out of bed. “I’m having a shower, you might like to join me.”
“No, I might not. Shower and get dressed, Amelia. Now, please.”
By the time I’d showered and dressed. He was standing in jeans and a black t-shirt ready to go, helmet in one hand, backpack in the other. He tossed the helmet at me. “Put that on.”
Minutes later, we pulled out of the drive onto the road and headed through town, past home and further on. I’d never been on a motorbike before. Nervous, I clung on tightly around his waist at first, but as we sailed along the roads I began to relax. I felt a rush of freedom, an exhilaration that couldn’t compare with car travel. I felt as if I was flying, like the machine disappeared and there was just Karson and I hovering above the road. I held my arms out wide, feeling the air sail between my fingers; utterly thrilled and wildly happy.
All too soon we pulled off the main road and onto a wide dirt one that led through the forest into a large meadow, we bumped and rolled across the field and stopped by a stream under a huge oak tree. I climbed off and pulled off the helmet, shaking my hair loose, running my hands through the flattened strands.
I looked around the spot he’d chosen. A stream burbled softly through the grassy banks, disappearing into the tree line in thedistance. The edge of the stream was covered in a sea of purple and white flowers. Butterflies danced between them.
“It’s so pretty here.”
Karson was laying a red picnic rug down under the shade of a giant oak tree. He glanced back. “I knew you’d like it. Would you please sit with me?” He flicked his wrist to the rug. I found his old-school manners endearing, they’d slip in sometimes out of the blue. It was a part of his unique charm I adored.
I sat down as he opened the picnic basket. He poured a glass of champagne and handed it to me. Never mind the early hour. He reached back into the basket and sat a bowl of strawberries between us, before sitting down and pouring another glass. I picked up a strawberry and took a bite. I’m not sure if I’d ever been as happy as I felt right there in that moment, seated on the grassy banks, no noise but the gentle burble of the stream, the birds singing back and forth to each other, with the man I loved.
We clinked glasses. I said, “To lazy days under a beautiful sky.” Which was better than cheers, but not as good as adding ‘with the man I love.’
He seemed to devour me with those eyes.“With the most beautiful woman in Church Heights.”
“Only in Church Heights?”
He fought back a smile. “Well, perhaps half of Two Peaks as well.”
I chuckled and took a sip of champagne. It was lightly fruited and mildly sweet, not a cheap one, I judged.
His smile turned to a frown, he sat down his glass, reaching across to hold my arm. “You are bruised again, Amelia.”
I had a purple mark across my forearm from Ethan’s training, it was par for course nowadays. I shrugged. “It’s fine.” He let go of my arm.
His eyes seemed to cloud over. I tossed the stalk off to the side.
“What’s wrong?”
He scowled. “Why did you ask Ethan to train you and not me? Is it because you are scared I might hurt you?”
I reeled back. It was ridiculous to me that he could assume such a thing.
“No, of course not.” He didn’t look entirely convinced. I reached across, grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “No, I never feel safer than when I am with you. I got on the wheel of death with you.”
Light found its way into his eyes. “Hardly the wheel of death.” After a few moments of quiet he added, “I notice you have not answered my question.”
