Eden nodded. “You thought I’m not the kind of person who impulsively decides to get on a motorcycle, and that’s exactly why I want to.Because you’re right, I hardly ever get to be impulsive and go somewhere without a team of people looking after me like I’m a toddler.”
“Let’s go, then,” Anna said, linking her arm through Eden’s. “You’re going to have so much fun, I promise.”
“I just have to ...” Eden pulled out her phone. She sent a text to Paris to let her know she didn’t need the car tonight, which prompted an awkward response from her assistant, who was clearly not comfortable with Eden going off on her own like this but knew she didn’t have the authority to tell her not to.
A minute later, a text from Taylor popped up. Taylor wanted permission to follow the motorcycle, which Eden also declined. Just for tonight, Eden wanted to leave her entourage behind. She wanted to be just the tiniest bit reckless.
“Your jeans and boots will be perfect for riding,” Anna was saying. “But I do need to find you a jacket.”
“There’s a bunch of random stuff in the storage room.” Eden pocketed her phone. “Leftover costumes and things like that. I bet there’s a leather jacket in there somewhere.”
“Let’s go see.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were ready to go. Eden had on a borrowed leather jacket that was a little too big but thankfully didn’t smell like whoever had worn it before her. Part of the adventure, she told herself as she accepted a helmet from Anna. They put their helmets on inside the building and then slipped unnoticed to Anna’s motorcycle, parked in back.
A few minutes ago, Paris had gone out the main door. She’d told the fans gathered in the parking lot that Eden had already left, and as a result, the lot was nearly empty now.
“I’ll get on first, and then you’re going to put your right foot here.” Anna gestured to a spot on the side of the bike. “And swing on behind me. Then you’ll wrap your arms around my waist and hold on for the ride of your life. Ready?”
“Ready,” Eden answered breathlessly. Her heart rate hadn’t returned to normal since Anna first mentioned the motorcycle, and now that she was standing in front of it, butterflies flapped anxiously in her stomach.
“It may feel like the cars are getting really close to us before we leave the city, but don’t worry about it, okay? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay.”
“And remember, they won’t know who you are. You can look in their windows and gawk at them from the privacy of your helmet if you want to.” Anna grinned at her.
That kind of freedom sounded ... amazing.
“One more thing. My favorite spot is about an hour from here. You okay to go that far? I can bring you straight home afterward.”
“That’s fine.” Eden couldn’t deny she was curious to see Anna’s favorite spot, even if it was farther away than she’d thought they would be going.
“Okay then. Time to blow your mind.” Anna mounted the bike, looking as natural as she did onstage or making stir-fry in her kitchen. “Now climb on behind me.”
Eden scanned the parking lot to make sure no one had spotted them, but Paris’s decoy seemed to have worked. Carefully, she put her foot in the spot Anna had indicated and swung into place. The seat sloped beneath her so that gravity pressed her against Anna’s back. She fought it at first, attempting to sit up straight, before she remembered she was supposed to sit close to Anna anyway.
The engine rumbled to life, and Eden’s arms flailed, wrapping themselves around Anna’s waist almost without her permission, but the bike didn’t move. Of course, Anna wasn’t going to start before Eden was ready. She rolled her eyes at herself.
They sat like that for a few minutes while the engine warmed up. Then Anna craned her head to look at her. “Ready?”
Eden nodded. She threaded her fingers together in front of Anna’s stomach and tightened her thighs around the machine. She could barely hear Anna now and knew she probably wouldn’t be able to hear her at all once they started moving.
Anna pressed a hand over Eden’s and shouted, “Hold on tight!”
Eden clamped her arms tighter around Anna’s body. The engine revved beneath her, and Eden sucked in a breath. Adrenaline spiked through her system, flooding her with a combination of fear and excitement. She was about to do something wild, but as the bike began to move forward, she was almost positive this had been a good decision.
It was slow going at first as Anna guided them through the busy streets near Limelight Studios. Several times, Eden had to close her eyes to keep from panicking about the traffic around her. She felt soexposed. There was nothing separating her legs from the bumper of the nearest car, but she remembered Anna’s words, and slowly she felt herself begin to relax.
Anna rode this motorcycle all the time, and nothing bad had happened to her. Well, Eden actually hadn’t asked that question, but it was too late now. She was on it, and she was going to enjoy herself, dammit. She peeked into a few cars, thrilled by the anonymity provided by her helmet.
And then, Anna turned onto the Pacific Coast Highway, and Eden forgot all her hesitations. They picked up speed as the road opened up before them. Eden’s head was sheltered from the wind, but she felt it buffeting her body. Once, she’d gone indoor skydiving, floating on a cushion of air, and this felt a little bit like that.
She wrapped her arms more tightly around Anna so she didn’t blow right off the back of the bike. On her left, the Pacific shone a deep navy, glistening beneath the late afternoon sun on the other side of the beachfront houses that lined this stretch of the road. On her right, more homes were nestled into the hills, from small cottages to outrageous mansions.
She’d lived in one of those once. Not one of the enormous ones, but the home she’d shared with Zach was by far the nicest place she’d ever lived. It had a pool in back and stunning views of the ocean. And she’d been almost as lonely there as she was in her new condo. She wasn’t lonely now, though, with her arms wrapped around Anna.
Eden gradually realized that the bike had slowed. Anna was pulling into a parking lot to their left. If this was their destination, it hadn’t felt like it had taken an hour to get here. Then again, as Eden blinked to clear her mind, she had a feeling she’d zoned out.
