Chapter Sixteen
Emma heard the motorcycle coming long before it reached her apartment. Hoping it might be Ryan, she climbed out of bed and tiptoed toward the front door. His familiar form came riding out of the darkness and pulled into the driveway. He parked, killed the engine, and then just sat there in the dark, head down, shoulders hunched.
She opened the door and went to him. The cool nighttime mountain air slithered across her bare skin, raising goosebumps over her flesh. She walked toward him, the cold pavement stinging against her bare feet.
“I don’t know why I’m here¸” he said, his voice low. “It’s late. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I was awake. I’m glad you’re here.” She touched the sleeve of his jacket. “You okay?”
His silence spoke for him.
“Want to take me for a ride?” she asked, since he didn’t seem eager to talk.
His hungry gaze settled on her pink nightgown, making her sizzle beneath it.
“I’ll be right back.” She dashed inside, yanked her gown over her head, and pulled on a blue top and her skinny jeans. She zipped up her boots and her jacket and went back outside.
Ryan hadn’t moved. Something was definitely up with him.
She put on her helmet and climbed onto the bike behind him, sliding her arms firmly into place around his waist.
He revved the engine and guided the bike back onto the road, roaring over the deserted mountain roads outside Haven with the moon as their guide, the night as their witness. It was just as magical as that first night when he’d given her a ride home after work.
Beneath her palms, Ryan vibrated with tension, his body wound as tight as the machine below them. She’d seen him with Trent’s parents at Off-the-Grid this afternoon, and she hoped like hell they weren’t the source of his current mood.
He turned off the road onto a paved path, and she realized they were at the bluffs. The spot where they’d shared their first kiss, right here on his motorcycle. He cut the engine, and the night fell heavy and silent around them. They were hidden from sight from the road, stars winking overhead as the forest rustled around them.
Emma took off her helmet and slid off the bike, turned, and swung around in front of him, facing him, her fingers fisted into his jacket.
“Emma.” His voice rumbled through her fingers.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
He groaned, yanking her into his lap as his lips crashed into hers. His kiss was explosive, lighting her up like a stick of dynamite. Her knees hooked over his thighs, bringing her hips against his. His hands gripped her ass, pressing her closer, rocking her against his erection.
They kissed, touching and teasing, until she was about to combust. Beneath her fingers, Ryan’s muscles were so taut she could have bounced a penny off him. She reached between them and unbuttoned his jeans, pushing down the zipper. His cock pressed into her fingers, thick and hot. Her body throbbed as she stroked him, feeling him grow even harder beneath her touch.
Ryan swore roughly, thrusting his hips into her hand.
He fumbled with the button on her jeans, shoving them down her hips. She sucked in a breath as the night air met her overheated skin. Ryan reached into his back pocket, and then he was rolling on a condom.
Sex on a motorcycle. It sounded so exciting that her whole body was humming with anticipation. The reality? Slightly less glamorous. No matter how she positioned herself above him, her jeans were in the way. She laughed as they fumbled in the moonlight, struggling frantically to bring their bodies into alignment.
“Emma,” he breathed against her neck, his arms tightening around her. She felt him smile against her skin. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked.
“You make me laugh,” he said. “I’m so hard for you right now I might just explode, and there’s a hole in the wall of my living room where I punched my fist through it. And…you take it all away.”
She absorbed that information, grateful to the night for hiding the love that had to be stamped all over her face. “I’m glad.”
“I can take anything with you in my arms.” He pressed his lips to hers with another kiss that stole her breath.
“Did you really punch a hole in your wall?” she asked when they’d come up for air.
“Yeah.”
“You want to tell me why?”
