I’d considered tucking my tail between my legs and backing away from this whole thing, but the thought of not being with her told me to shut the hell up. When her car came down the lane that morning and came to a stop in front of my house, I rushed out the door to meet her, anxious to apologize and let her know I’d back off if that’s what she needed. But before I had a chance to take the blame for what had been going on between us, she started talking.
“I’m so sorry for how I acted last night,” she said, meeting me half way between the porch and her car. She looked much better than she had last night, her eyes brighter, her skin glowing. Her hair was still damp from her morning shower and falling into loose waves as it dried on its own. The jeans and loose off the shoulder sweatshirt she was wearing made her look younger than she had in our past few meetings, especially with the little make up she’d put on her face. She was beautiful.
“I’m sorry for kissing you the other night,” I told her. “I know that you asked me for time, I just felt desperate and I couldn’t help myself. I shouldn’t have done anything to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable is not the word I’d use,” she said, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip so that she didn’t full on grin. I wished she’d tell me exactly how it did make her feel, but her expression was saying that maybe she liked it more than she was letting on. “Want to hang out today?” she blurted out, when my eyes lingered just a bit too long on her mouth.
“Um, yeah,” I answered, trying not to look overly excited by her invitation. “What’d you have in mind?”
“I was hoping you’d take me for a ride?” It took every ounce of self-control I had to not make a sarcastic comment. “On your bike.” She chuckled.
“Get out of my head, woman.”
“Get out of mine first,” she said, playfully. The moment that passed between us, empty of tension and stress, was welcomed. She hadn’t mentioned a thing about Beau or staying away from her or needing more time, and I wasn’t about to bring it up. Not when she was asking to spend the day with me. I’d keep my mouth shut and enjoy her company for as long as I had it. “Lead the way.” She pointed toward the trailer where the bikes were kept and I took advantage of her hand being so close to me, and grabbed it with mine. When she didn’t pull it free, I felt a sense of security I hadn’t felt with her in a while.
“Yes, ma’am.”
*
Feeling the squeeze of her thighs around my body as she sat on the back of my bike ranked right up there with winning a race and busting a nut. Two of my favorite things. Riding and Nora. Together they had me feeling invincible as we raced across the open field and toward the pond.
She shrieked in my ear and her arms tightened around my body when we took the crest of the hill fast enough to cause her stomach to bottom out. The laughter that followed when she knew that I had complete control of the situation was refreshing. My wild, carefree girl was back, even if only for a moment.
I pulled to a quick stop at the edge of the pond. The momentum caused the bike to move forward balancing up on the front tire momentarily before bouncing to a still. Her body tensed, her arms wrapping around me so tightly that I could hardly take a breath as she pressed up against me.
“You think we were going in?” I laughed, resting my hand on hers as we looked out across the water.
“There might have been a moment of panic,” she confessed, laying her head against my back. It felt so natural and comfortable to not only be around her but to have her on my bike. I know it wasn’t just happy memories surfacing. That was part of it, yes. But more so it was her. I’ve never felt more myself than when I was in her presence and had her a part of my life.
“Eileen can stop on a dime,” I informed her, patting the tank of my bike. “She’s a well-oiled machine.”
“You named your bike Eileen?” she teased.
“I name all my bikes,” I said, turning just enough on my seat to lift the right side of my shirt. “Eileen, Caroline, Valerie. All the girls are here.” I pointed at the tattoos on my ribcage. The same ones that Nora had assumed were past conquests.
“I feel like an idiot.”