“Yeah?” I prompted anyway, curious to know more about this sweet lady’s past. Maybe she actually did do some crazy things.
“Absolutely,” Jackie insisted with a firm nod. “Just after high school, there was a summer filled with boys. Well, there were only two, but let me tell you, it was definitely the time of my life. Three months of having fun and partying, and after, I just went off to college like nothing happened. Of course, Idideventually have to drop out, but life likes to take us on a ride, doesn’t it?”
I raised an eyebrow. It was tough to imagine Jackie as she was now going out and partying with multiple men without a care in the world. “So, you think I should go for it?”
“Why not?” she shrugged, before offering me a wink. “What’s the worst that could happen? You have a crazy story to telltwenty years from now? I think that’s a price worth paying, isn’t it?”
I had to admit that she had a point there. Maybe I was overthinking all of this. It’s possible that nothing would come from any of the dates. It was also possible that I’d fall head over heels for all three and everything would end in flames. But I wouldn’t know unless I let things happen.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re really wise?” I teased Jackie, and she laughed again, this time holding her hand over her stomach.
“You’d be the first,” she answered. “But I do appreciate it. Anyway, I’m glad life is interesting for you, at least. I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”
She tapped her hand on the table and got up to leave. I waved and nodded, and ended up staring at my sandwich with a head full of thoughts and a heart full of desire.
That evening after work, I had another near-panic attack trying to find something to wear. I couldn’t do the kind of formal that I had for the dinner with Calder. I had to look effortlessly casual, but nottoocasual. Eventually, I settled on a relatively new pair of jeans, and a floaty peach top that sat just right.
This time, I was a little late, but I figured that Beck would be the forgiving type. I bounced down the stairs and to the door, where I stopped to fix my hair one last time before I opened it.
To my surprise, it wasn’t Beck that stood on the porch, but Ash. He was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket, and he had a motorcycle helmet in his hand.
“Hey, Rhea,” he said, one corner of his mouth lifted. “You look beautiful.”
6
~
Rhea
“Uh, I was expecting—” I started, wondering whether I had the dates mixed up.
“Beck?” Ash completed my question, and I nodded silently. He shook his head somewhat flippantly, his longer hair flashing over his eyes in a way that made me want to swoon. Not that I entirely knew what swooningwas; it was only ever something that I read about.
When he continued, it was flippant. “He’s got a thing. So, I’m here instead.”
Ash reached his left hand out to me. He wore a single black band around his middle finger that made me curious. But I didn’t ask questions. I simply took his hand and let him lead me off the porch and toward the giant black motorcycle that was parked out in the road.
I paused on the sidewalk as he offered me a second helmet. He had a smirk on his face, one that seemed both mysterious and amused.
“Safety first,” he said, and my eyes grew wider.
“You’re joking,” I almost laughed. “You want me to get on that thing?”
“Afraid?” he asked with a slight bite to his lip. There was something dangerous in the way he spoke, in the way he stood;the promise of the adrenaline high of a lifetime. Maybe that was the dragon he chased, and maybe that was why he’d become a firefighter. So that he could face danger every day.
At the same time, I had the feeling that he would do everything in his power to keep me safe. Being with him mightfeeldangerous, but he wouldn’t put me in harm’s way. At least, that’s what I thought at that moment.
“No,” I said, and it was mostly true. “I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t,” he winked, but handed the helmet over to me anyway. “Hold on tight. I’m not a slow driver.”
I swallowed, nodded, and pulled the helmet over my head. It muffled the sound of the world, and I could hear my breathing as I got onto the bike behind Ash. With no other choice, I wrapped my arms around him, and I was immediately caught off guard by his body. It was lean, but powerful, solid and agile all at the same time. He reminded me of a panther moving through the deep forests. A beautiful danger hidden in the trees.
The bike roared to life and my heart skipped a beat.
Ash hadn’t been lying. The bike moved sleekly, but with impressive power and speed, though he was careful to at least hold to the speed limit for the most part. We weaved through traffic as if we were flying, and I quickly realized that we were heading out of the city. This wasn’t a night out bowling or at a fancy restaurant. Ash was a completely different beast.
And it felt as if something inside me had awoken because of it. There was a fire building in my stomach, an unfamiliar excitement in my soul. I could fall into that sensation easily, and I never wanted it to end.
