Chapter Four
Ryan guided his bike down Spring Glenn Road, trying desperately to cool his head. Emma did this thing when she rode with him where her hands somehow wound up underneath his jacket, resting flat against his stomach. Other women had ridden this way, but none of them had left him feeling so distracted, sohot, that he was having trouble keeping his mind on the road, and it didn’t belong anywhere else while he was riding.
It was probably foolish bringing her here. He hadn’t been out to the bluffs in years. Not since Derek’s death. But once upon a time, he and Derek had owned this place—in the most unofficial sense. They’d scaled the bluffs for kicks, trying to out-badass each other, to see who could take the riskiest route to the top.
And when they got there, they’d cliff-jump, plummeting fifty feet into Crystal Lake. Then they’d climb out, shake themselves off, and do it all over again. Back then, Emma would beg them to let her tag along, but they never had.
Somehow, he felt he owed it to her now.
The access road looked different than he remembered. It was wider than it had been and paved. He eased the bike up the road and stopped at the top, overlooking the lake and bluffs. There were a lot more houses around now than there had been then. But the bluffs…they looked the same. They rose from the water, towers of sheer rock. Even now, the sight gave him a thrill.
Emma shifted closer behind him, her chest pressed to his back. “Where are we?”
“Derek and I used to come here a lot. Thought you might like to see it.”
She didn’t say anything, but her arms tightened around him. He held in a groan. Her hands on his stomach had gone from distracting to flat-out arousing, and that was not a good state to be in while straddling a bike. But he couldn’t bring himself to move, to break the connection.
“Is this where you guys went cliff-jumping?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You finally brought me,” she whispered. Her hands rested just above the waistband of his jeans, and he was practically holding his breath, silently hoping she’d slide them south, even while his brain wrestled with his dick, reminding him this wasEmma. He could feel Derek’s shadow here like a physical presence.
He motioned for her to hop off the bike. She lifted off her helmet and stood behind him, leaving him without the feel of her chest against his back, her arms around him, and her hands…
She swung her right leg over the bike, stumbling as she hit the ground. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Instead of hitting the asphalt, she fell against him. Her blue eyes widened, her lips parted, andhell.
He had no idea what happened next, who moved first, but his lips brushed hers, and his body revved straight into overdrive. She tasted like some kind of fruity lip gloss, sweet and sexy. He bent his head, deepening the kiss.
Next thing he knew, she was in front of him on the bike, facing him, kissing him like crazy, and every cell in his body was lit up for her, for Emma.Emma…
She moaned, scooting closer, her knees pressing into his thighs, and it was all he could do not to reach down and hook her legs over his so that she could slide all the way home. But—
“Emma.”
“Mm?” She lifted her head, her eyes glazed, her pink lips curved in a dreamy smile.
He drew in a ragged breath. “What are we doing?”
“Kissing?” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
Desire curled hot and strong inside him. “Shouldn’t.”
Her cheeks darkened, and her face fell, and dammit, he was an ass. He hauled her up against him and kissed her again, hard. “I didn’t mean…hell, Emma. I am completely blindsided right now. But whatever this thing is between us, I am feeling it. Big time.”
“Me, too,” she said, sounding breathless.
“Let’s walk. I have someplace I want to show you, and then we need to talk.”
She grimaced. “Unlesstalkis a euphemism for kissing…”
No, they definitely needed to talk, but he was never going to be able to think straight with her in his lap, her knee mere inches from a certain, very hard part of his anatomy. He slid his hands up her sides and lifted her off the bike.
Emma grumbled in protest as he set her on the ground.
“Let’s walk, and then we’ll talk.”
* * *
