I nodded and a moment later he was on the bike, ready for me. I put my helmet on, got on, and positioned myself close behind him. The dress hadn’t been too much of an issue because it wasn’t a tight one, but I did spend a little bit of time making sure it was secured under my ass and legs. The last thing I wanted was for it to fly up and reveal everything during the ride.
I’d placed my hands on his waist to hold on, but he took hold of them and pulled them right around him so they met in the middle. I figured that when he joined them with a firm squeeze, it meant I should keep them there, so I did.
Then he took off, and an exhilaration I’d never experienced flowed through me. I’d often wondered what it would be like riding on a motorcycle, and the reality of it was a hundred times better than anything I ever imagined. And that was just while we were still amongst traffic in Brisbane. When we finally made it out of the traffic and onto the highway where Griff could go faster, it was even more amazing.
We headed out on the highway towards Toowoomba, and rode for about an hour and a half before he found a picnic area away from the road a little to pull into. I was confused as to why he was pulling over, but I figured he must have his reasons.
He cut the engine and pulled his helmet off, so I removed mine, too. Placing his hand on my leg, he said, “Hop off, sweetheart, and stretch your legs.”
Now this was something I could get used to. Griff’s hand on my leg, him calling me sweetheart, and the gentle tone of his voice. Especially that tone of his voice. It hit all my sweet spots.
I did as he said, and as soon as I was standing, I realised why he’d pulled over. Watching as his powerful body moved off the bike, I said, “You stopped to let me stretch.”
His eyes found mine and he nodded. “Yeah, figured you might appreciate that.”
“Thank you.”
I took the opportunity to stretch and walk around for a few minutes before turning back to him. He was leaning against his bike, watching me in a way that clearly told me how much he wanted me. I loved that look on his face, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I wanted him just as much – wanted the chance to get to know his deepest thoughts and feelings, his heartache, his biggest regrets, his happiest memories, and the way his body would feel moving against mine. But, damn it, our wants weren’t on the table…only our denials.
Frustration overcame me, and I stalked to where he waited. “Don’t do that,” I said with a little more force than I’d meant to.
“Do what?” he asked, not moving from his spot.
God, he was so cool and calm. And that frustrated me even more. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not fair, because I want you, and I can’t have you, and when you look at me like that, it turns me on. And what the hell can I do with that if you’re not interested enough to consider a relationship with me? Jesus, at this point, I’m gonna have to go home and take care of myself with BOB, and seriously, dude, that’s nowhere near as fun as having a man take care of me.” I took a moment to get my breathing under control. My frustration had worked itself out into my words and the breaths that were coming hard and fast now.
He moved fast and a second later stood so close to me that I could hear his breaths. His cool demeanour had vanished. A man clearly as affected as I was now stared down at me. “Just being in the same room as you turns me on, Sophia. I met you, what…four days ago, and you’re not like any other woman I’ve known or been with, and as much as I try, I can’t get you out of my mind. When you tell me you’re gonna need a fucking sex toy to take care of you, it makes me want to throw caution to the wind and make sure you’re taken care of, but I refuse to do that to you. You deserve so much more than a man like me.”
“From what I know of you, I deserve a man just like you,’ I said softly.
His nostrils flared and he shook his head. “No, you don’t. If you knew what really lived in me, you would run the other way.”
I’d never heard him speak this way. It was like disgust and regret had weaved their way into his voice. I couldn’t understand why he would think I wouldn’t want anything to do with him. “We’ve all got secrets and demons that take up residence in us. If we never show them to anyone, how will we know who would choose to accept us regardless of them?”
The vein in his neck pulsed as his eyes turned hard. “Don’t push this because, trust me, you wouldn’t like where it would go,” he said, his voice as hard as his eyes. A shiver ran through me, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good shiver or a bad one. It was like a switch had been flipped in him, and while I still felt safe with him, there was an edge I was unsure of now.
Stepping away from him, I nodded. “Okay, you win.”
His chest rose and fell quite hard as his breathing picked up. “Good,” he said with a nod in return.