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‘It’s near your hotel – head back that way and I’ll direct you when we’re close.’ She grinned mischievously. ‘Come on, be a little spontaneous!’

‘Fine,’ he said with an unbothered shrug. If Hannah wanted to be spontaneous – that was fine by him. Besides, he was looking forward to revealing his surprise.

Hannah came to a sudden standstill. ‘Where’s your car?’

‘I hired a bike. I thought it would be easier to park in the city.’

Hannah’s mouth fell open when she took in the motorcycle at the end of her aunt’s driveway. It was the best make and model he could get on such short notice. He’d spotted it in a showroom on his drive back yesterday and hadn’t been able to resist.

‘Oh,’ she said, a slight tremble to her lips, before she yelled, ‘What the fuck, Caleb!’

Chapter Eight

‘I need the SUV to transport all our luggage. Otherwise, I’d have loved to do the coastal road on something like this. Nothing beats the freedom of a motorcycle. You can cut through traffic and parking is so much easier. Back in LA I have three of them,’ he said, hoping his experience would help her feel better. But he was beginning to realise this might not have been his wisest decision. Had she never ridden a bike before? To him, it was nothing, but he supposed some people might not want to try it. Her nervousness was adorable, and he smothered a grin before asking gently, ‘Are you scared?’

‘You want me to become an organ donor?’ she snapped, and it took him a moment to realise what she meant.

‘Oh, I got you leathers. They might be a bit big,’ he added apologetically, tearing open the plastic carrier bag he’d left on the handlebars.

Her horror seemed to dial down a little – not by much, but enough to give him hope. She seemed to take in his t-shirt and leather trousers for the first time and she said, ‘I thought your choice of loose clothing was bad.’

He grinned. ‘I’ve got some chinos in there.’ He pointed at his backpack, helmet and leather jacket which he’d left abandoned on the ground. He’d guessed in a nice suburb like this no one would steal it, and he’d wanted to leave the bike as a surprise. Although he’d badly misjudged her reaction. He’d thought she wanted to be more spontaneous, but maybe this was a step too far.

What if she refused to ride with him? Why hadn’t he even considered that as a possibility? But of course, he hadn’t; he never thought further ahead than the view in front of his own broken nose. ‘You can get a cab if you feel safer that way. I’ll pay for it and ride behind, or I can leave it here?’

She bit her lip as if pained by the choice. Hell, why hadn’t he considered that she might be nervous of riding on the back of a bike? She’d probably seen horrific accidents in her job.

‘You’ve ridden a lot of bikes, right?’ she asked tentatively. He could see the temptation creeping into her expression, and he was ready to pounce.

‘I’ve got every advanced riding qualification you can think of,’ he said firmly. ‘You’d be safe with me. In fact, if you did wish to try it, I’m your best bet!’

She took a shaky, deep breath, as if she were struggling to make a decision. ‘I’ve never ridden a bike before. But I think I’d like to give it a go. At least once.’

‘Your wish is my command! Now, take these and change, but bring your clothes for later back out and we’ll put them in my backpack – you’ll need to wear it.’

‘Okay,’ she said, taking the carrier bag of leathers and marching back to the house.

A short time later she returned, in leathers that fit her well, and he was more than a little smug to have judged her size so well.

Elated, he grabbed the helmet he’d left on the seat, putting it on before opening up the tail case and getting the spare out. Like the bike it was jet black, and he helped her put it on, unable to stop himself from stroking aside her feathery soft hair and adjusting the chin strap to check it was secure.

She awkwardly placed her big bag in the now empty tail case. She had to squish it down firmly to get it to close properly, and then she put on his smaller backpack, securing the chest strap as well. ‘Umm, so what do I do?’

‘Hold on tight,’ he quipped to try and put her more at ease, noticing her balled-up fists. He swung his leg over the body of the bike and patted the space behind him. Caleb realised in that moment that he’d picked a bigger model purely so that there would be room for Hannah and her oversized bag.

‘Climb on and keep your feet on these pegs at all times.’ He tapped them with his foot for emphasis. ‘Wrap your arms around me and hold on like you’re my backpack. Try not to resist the corners, lean into them rather than against them and look over my shoulder to see where the turns are. Tap me twice if you’re uncomfortable, and I’ll try to slow down or pull over if it’s safe.’

Carefully, Hannah straddled the bike, apologising as her thighs brushed up beneath his.

‘No, that’s good. Closer is better,’ he said, adding for clarity, ‘Safer.’ He tried to sound relaxed even though electricity was shooting up his thighs, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat, especially when she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her breasts against his back.

He turned on the engine. The answering roar made Hannah jump and then giggle nervously. The grin on his face didn’t diminish, and he was glad of his helmet when he caught her staring in the mirrors.

‘Ready?’

She nodded, the helmet bumping his shoulder, followed by a mumbled apology as she tightened her hold around his waist. ‘Please try not to kill us both,’ she said, a slight tremble to her voice that could have been nerves or excitement.

Revving the engine, he pulled away with a squeal of tyres that made Hannah’s arms crush against his stomach. During the ride, she kept a vice-like grip around him, as if he were the only thing she trusted to keep her safe.