He twisted around to face her, dropping his gaze to her lips before bringing it back to her eyes. “Trust me,” he said. “Once you go hard and fast, you’ll never want to do nice and slow again.”
He felt the deep breath she drew. He had to take one of his own.
Matt secured her arms around his waist before revving the engine. When he took off down Belle Maison’s driveway, Tamryn’s high-pitched squeal carried on the wind.
They rode along the byways that hugged the mossy canals, passing far-spaced houses on stilts and fishing camps that dotted the edges of the swampland. The humid air was thick with the earthy aroma of the bayou.
They rode for a half-hour before Matt slowed and turned onto a dirt road. He guided the bike down the winding, dusty path, underneath the arching, moss-laden branches of century-old oak trees. As they rounded a bend in the road, a huge wooden structure came into view. The scent of spicy food wafted over the graveled parking lot.
Matt parked the Ducati between two old-model pickup trucks, lowered the kickstand, and removed his helmet.
“I should kill you for that, you know,” Tamryn said as she took her helmet off.
“You know you loved it,” Matt returned with a laugh.
“I think I left my heart somewhere on the road between here and Belle Maison.”
“We’ll pick it up on the way back,” he said. He helped her off the bike, then took her by the hand. She wobbled a few times over the gravel, which only fueled Matt’s love for those fantasy-worthy boots. With every wobble, her grip on him tightened.
They approached a set of worn steps and Tamryn’s movement slowed.
“Is this place up to code?” she asked.
“This building has been here at least a hundred years,” Matt said. “If it’s held up through all those hurricanes, it’s not going anywhere. Trust me.”
She eyed him with an unconvinced look and continued up the stairs. Matt was completely shameless in the way he outright stared at her shapely ass as she walked ahead of him. He was so tempted to snatch her back, drive his bike down to a secluded spot on the bayou, and drape her across it. His tongue was aching to explore every inch of her smooth skin.
Not yet,he reminded himself. But soon. It had to be soon.
They entered Dooney’s Crab House, which, on a Friday—one-dollar longneck night—was nearing fire-code limits. Despite the thick crowd, Matt and Tamryn had no trouble being seated within minutes of entering the establishment.
A few years ago, Dooney Boudreaux had put his business up as bond when his younger brother got caught up in a meth bust, then skipped bail. Dooney would have lost his livelihood if Matt hadn’t loaned him the money to pay the bond. His brother had been found less than a week later, but at the time, no one knew that would happen. Dooney had told Matt that he would always have a place of honor in his bar, and the man had never gone back on his word.
They were seated and, within minutes, a platter of steaming crawfish was brought to the table, along with two icy beers.
“You are determined to make me eat these things, aren’t you?” Tamryn said.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “No self-respecting Louisianan eats a crawfish the way you did at Doc Landry’s picnic. Now, pay attention.” He held the shellfish up and went through the proper motions of eating: breaking it in two, sucking the head, and peeling the shell off the fleshy tail before popping it in his mouth. “Got it?” he asked.
“I think so,” Tamryn said. “But I’m not sucking the head.”
“Youhaveto suck the head,” he said. “Sucking the head is the best part.”
“You are so dirty.”
A wicked grin spread across Matt’s lips. “You’re going to thank me for that later,” he said with a wink.
It took her a few tries, but after about a half-dozen crawfish, Tamryn was tackling them like a pro.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this out loud, but I have to admit that I’m enjoying sucking the heads,” she said.
Matt dropped the crawfish he’d been about to eat and closed his eyes. “Say that last part again, but slower, and with a little more of that sexy growl in your voice.”
She slapped his arm, but when he opened his eyes he noticed her cheeks pinking. He couldn’t wait to see that blush over every inch of her body.
She picked up her beer and took a healthy sip before setting the bottle back on the table. “If I want to stay awake, I should probably switch to coffee,” she said. “Today was exhausting.”
“It looked as if you were enjoying yourself working with Dr. Lawrence,” Matt commented.
