Flashing him a grin, I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. “Not sure yet. Maybe you could help me find out?”
In two quick strides, Brooks had captured me from behind. He pulled me against his hard chest and caged me in with his strong arms. He bent his head down, so his lips met my ear.
“Do you know what you’re asking for?” he whispered.
“Yes,” I lied as my spine was wracked with shivers.
He pressed a kiss to my temple and then released me, but only so he could take my hand and lead me out of the barn.
I liked how my hand felt in his. I liked how he looked at me. I liked how my heart raced when he touched me.
I liked that for the first time in my life, when I thought of going to bed with a man, there wasn’t panic—there was desire. Excitement. A rightness . . .
Maybe it was crazy. MaybeIwas crazy.
But even though I was a virgin, I wasn’t completely innocent. I’d dated. I’d been kissed. But it had never felt like this. An overwhelming need to discover what happened between a man and a woman in bed. When you could hardly breathe and didn’t want to because you were drowning in pleasure.
Why did an ex-con with a mysterious past make me want to explore the facets of myself I’d been too scared to face?
Brooks handed me a spare motorcycle helmet, and I climbed on his bike behind him. I wrapped my arms around his strong muscular body. I realized then that I didn’t want to be the same Poet Peabody who’d lived her entire life surrounded by millions of people in Manhattan yet so devastatingly alone and afraid to open up.
I wanted to be someone new.
Someone with gumption.
“Hang on, Freckles,” he said, tugging me even closer. “I’m about to take you for a ride.”
An hour later, Brooks parked his motorcycle on a dirt road and cut the engine. I sat there for a moment, feeling my body still from the constant vibrations of the road.
Brooks climbed off and removed his helmet. “Well? What did you think?”
I unclipped my helmet and swung my leg around. I set the helmet down and then launched myself at Brooks. Even though he wasn’t prepared for my action, he’d hardly budged.
I wrapped my arms around him and leaned back to give him the widest smile in the world.
“That was incredible!” I yelled.
He tightened his arm around me. “Maybe your middle name really should beDanger.”
“It might have to be. If I’m gonna run with a biker.”
“I’m not a biker.” His smile dimmed. “Not anymore.”
My smile wobbled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean?—”
“Don’t worry about it, Freckles.”
He released me and set his helmet on the seat next to the spare.
It was clear he wasn’t going to expound, and I wondered if I even had the right to ask him about it. But I’d talked about my parents when I didn’t want to. And that had been difficult for me.
“Will you—will you tell me why?” I held my breath as I waited for his reply.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Yeah, I’ll tell you. But not right now. Okay?”
I nodded and turned away from him, hating that the mood had been spoiled.
“Hey,” he said gruffly. “Fuck, Freckles. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
