“Oh, well, be my guest.” Liz waved him past her and smiled with bright eyes when Dane’s back was to her.
“Me?” Lane felt awkward as he approached.
“Yes, you.” He stepped up and reached for her hand, brushing a kiss to the back of it.
“I’ll leave you two alone. Dane, if you would like a healthy meal, there’s plenty in the kitchen.”
“Thank you, Liz.” He smiled as she left the room. He turned his attention back to Lane. “I know this is last minute, but are you free tonight?”
Liz had brought home movies to watch and Lane would feel terrible if she skipped out on her and left her alone. “We were, well, we...”
“It’s okay, Reece.” Liz raised her voice from the kitchen. “Rebecca will be by soon to watch them with me.”
“I guess that means you’re free.” Dane’s smile widened. He tilted his head to the side. “Unless you don’t want to go out with me.”
Heaven help her. She’d follow the man across the Sahara, and she was pretty sure he knew why by looking at his confident smile. “I, where, what should I—” She looked down and noticed she was wearing blue jean shorts and a snug lime green top. She was also barefooted and wiggled her toes, wishing she’d have painted them.
“You are fine just the way you are.” Dane wet his lips and Lane nearly followed and wet her own.
“I’ll grab my sandals and purse.” She managed not to stutter and headed toward her room, confused and excited with each step. A giddy sensation made her stomach flip flop as she entered her room for her things. Liz walked in behind her and startled her. “Wow, you’re so quiet when you walk.” Lane gasped and held her chest.
“I just wanted to tell you to have a good time.” Liz hugged her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Lane hugged her back. “I’m confused, Liz. He and Bannock—”
Liz waggled her finger in front of her. “I know what you’re thinking and no, they’re not.”
“But, what if—”
“You’re worried about dating again, aren’t you?”
Lane nodded and felt her eyes burn. She felt such a wonderful rush when around Dane, unlike other men where she barely felt a flutter. It was obvious to her that she was blind when it came to men. Give her a nice looking man with charm and she was without rational thoughts, her jerk radar jamming or malfunctioning.
“All the more reason to get out there. If you let the fear hold you back now, you may never overcome it. It’s like riding a bike. Everyone crashes once or twice, sometimes more, but the point I’m trying to make is this: you can’t judge every ride with one crash, and you definitely can’t judge all men by one slimy asshole.”
Lane’s hands began to quiver. “He is a nice guy. Isn’t he?”
Liz smiled with confidence. “Better. Now get out there and go have a good time.” She pushed Lane toward the door.
“Okay, okay. Pushy aren’t we?” Lane pulled the purse strap over her shoulder.
Lane walked back into the living room where Dane was waiting with his thumbs poked into his pockets. He smiled and put his arm around her waist, leading her to the front door. Heat from his gentle touch radiated through her and pushed back the worry she had been feeling since he showed up. It also fanned the flame he lit from the very first day they met. Late night rendezvous with him have become the norm the last week inside her imagination. As if he must know, her face heated up with embarrassment.
As they walked down the stairs, Lane noticed not a vehicle, but a motorcycle instead. “Oh, um, I, uh—”
Dane chuckled. “You’re not scared to ride are you?”
“Yes, terrified.” Her knees begin to tremble. The bike wasn’t just a motorcycle, it was a Harley. I’m scared to death of motorcycles!
“I promise, I’m a great driver.”
“I uh, I’m not sure about this.” She stopped and planted her feet on a safe patch of soil beneath them.
“You’re not worried about your hair are you?” He smiled and brushed a stray tendril back behind her ear. “You don’t seem the type.”
She met his gaze and all the fear she had floated away, replaced by the desire to be near him. “Not my hair.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”
“Mmm, well, you’ve been missing out.” He took her hand and pulled her close, but not close enough for their bodies to touch. His hand skimmed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “After twenty years riding, I’m certain we’ll be just fine.”
He stepped away and her body screamed to be close to him again. He straddled the bike and wiggled his finger for her to get on. Hello, Sahara desert, here I come. She nervously lifted her leg and felt the other tremble. She found that, although scared, she was exhilarated as well. There was only one fact she was certain of, the elation from being so close to Dane had her pulse racing. The two-wheeled monster he straddled only furthered her desire for him.
She settled behind Dane, her legs wrapped snugly around his hips. He reached down and lifted her left leg and put her foot on a peg, following with the right. She took a deep breath as she felt the warmth of his legs against hers. Pulling them in, she held him as if riding a horse. He laughed and patted her leg before starting the beast up. It roared to life and rumbled underneath her. Her legs began to shake again when he revved it and her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist and squeezed tight.
Dane looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Lean with the bike, and we’ll be okay.”
With that said, she felt the gears shift and her body being pulled back as he roared away from the curb. And what was that? Lean with the bike and we’ll be okay? What if she didn’t? Would they crash? A quick prayer played over and over in her mind while hoping to survive the adventure. Lean with the bike, lean with the bike. What does that even mean? Then she learned as he took a long sweeping curve. She could feel his body slightly lean to the left and she followed in the same manner. Warm air blew through her long hair and she internally cursed herself for not tying it back. The problem was she didn’t realize their mode of transportation before they left the house.
With each curve, Dane’s body moved, muscles tightened with each turn. The bike rumbled beneath them. The vibration and noise so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts. Her grip around his waist was either ensuring that she stayed on or that he couldn’t breathe. She wasn’t sure which yet, but he had yet to complain.
After a few miles, she loosened up some and began to relax. Her eyes started to take in the tropical atmosphere around them. Lush trees and plants in deep shades of green were a delight to her eyes. The warm salty air was forced through her nose. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. Dusk started to settle in and the stars begin to make their nightly appearance, blinking, and winking at her.
In that brief moment, Lane realized she was just a speck on the earth. A vast world was out there with millions of other specks crisscrossing the globe, and she was just one. One tiny speck and she was located where the weather was mild, and the stars were bright. She was in a place with beauty unmatched by anything she’d ever seen. And there she was, this tiny speck, on a bike behind the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on.
The worry lifted as the wind blew through her hair. She looked up and smiled at the sky, grateful.
* * * *
The day had not turned out like Dane expected. Tonight was poker night, a tradition, a religion for a handful of guys, and here he was with an angel on his bike behind him. It was okay by him that she was squeezing so tight he could barely breathe. He figured he could do that later.
His plan when he set out was to take Reece for a drive around the island to places he thought she would enjoy. To him it didn’t matter where they went, as long as she was with him. To his surprise, Bannock suggested he do this. That was of course after their conversation last night when he admitted to investigating Reece’s background and sharing how he felt about her. Dane practically ignored it all, preferr
ing to think of how wonderful it would be to spend the evening with her. Reece may have a past, but Dane could care less about it.
Dane couldn’t help but smile. A woman hadn’t been on his bike in nearly four years. His ex hated it and refused to ever get on with him. When the fiasco took place and Rachel demanded he move out of Bannock’s house, Dane didn’t bat a lash and sent her packing. Outside of his friendship with Bannock, his bike came second. Any woman who wanted a place in his heart must also embrace and accept him and his Harley.
Even through the island breeze, Dane could smell Reece’s light scent. She was a touch of floral with a hint of vanilla. They made their way along the coast, the moonlight highlighting the crest of the waves as high tide moved in. It made him think of sex on the beach, the cupcakes, that is. Bannock really missed out on those, he thought, because he had eaten both in his absence.
They pulled into a small lookout point that overlooked the horizon. He parked and killed the engine. Reece had yet to release the death grip around his waist. While patting her hand, he looked over his shoulder at her. “We’re stopped.”
“Oh.” She blushed and let go. Damn the woman was gorgeous with her heated cheeks.
Dane stepped off and offered his hand. Reece put both feet on the ground and wobbled when she stood up. There’s nothing like a Harley to make a woman weak in the knees, he thought. The vibration is such, most sex toys would be envious.
“Wow, I feel weird.” Reece giggled and fussed with her wild hair.
Dane took her soft hand in his and led her to a small grassy area. “Wait here.”
On the side compartment on his bike, he pulled out a bottle of wine, and two plastic flutes for fear glass would have broken. Still chilled. Perfect. He walked back and sat down on the soft patch of grass and patted the ground beside him.
Reece looked up at the stars as he poured them both a glass. She looked like an angel sitting there, her long brilliant locks cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of a shooting star. A bright smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes to make a wish. When she opened them, she looked at him. Moonlight highlighted the bright green in the depth of her eyes and he could have sworn at that very instant, he hadn’t seen anything more beautiful than he did at that very moment.
“Thank you.” She accepted the glass and took a sip. “Mmm, great choice.”
Dane personally knew nothing about wine, but the Garrisons seemed to. He had stopped by their store before going to the Wyatts’ house. He had become so intrigued by Reece, he could care less about the beverage. Not much of a wine connoisseur, beer suited him just fine. His tongue wiggled in his mouth, wanting to form a thousand questions at once. He fought the urge to blast her with them and worked at being cool and smooth.
“So, you’ve been here ten years,” she stated rather than asked. Reece had apparently done her homework.
“Yep, and they’ve been the best years of my life.”
“Interesting. What made you leave Texas and come here?”
Dane chuckled. There were many reasons. “Well for one, the right opportunity presented itself.”
“The Branding Iron?”
“Yes, and at the time, I could barely scrape a living from my work. Plus, my parents weren’t too thrilled with my occupation, or basically anything else I did. Coming here just made sense. I yearned to be free from their expectations. I also wanted to experience a different life. I have all of that right here.”
“Do you ever want to go back?”
Dane shook his head. “Never.”
“Never? Wow, you really love it here, don’t you?”
“With all my heart.”
They got quiet and listened to the waves crashing in with the tide. He’d never tire of hearing the soothing sound. “So, what’s your story?” He asked, wanting to get to know more about the woman who had held his fascination since she arrived.
Reece got quiet and looked away. “I, well, what’s to tell?” She shrugged her shoulders and glanced back at him. “I’m from Kansas. I think that explains it all.”
Dane nodded with understanding and decided not to press anymore. Her body language told him what he needed to do, and that was not ask any questions about her past just yet. “So, how do you like our little island?” That question earned him a smile and she relaxed again.
“I love it. At first I was a little confused about the type of, well, you know.” She became shy. “The mixed relationships. Now, it seems very normal. Everything here is amazing, the people, the sights, and the weather. Wow, the weather really is fantastic.”
“Do you think you may stay here?” He couldn’t help his tongue. He truly wanted to know if he was wasting his time on a pipe dream. His heart said no, but his head disagreed.
Her body tensed a little and she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry. No more questions here. I just want to enjoy this evening.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and he noted a sense of relief in her voice.
The rush of the waves crashing in filled the silence between them. Dane wasn’t sure how to proceed from there. Seeing how she worked at avoiding his questions and sounded almost insincere when answering, Dane knew that Bannock was correct in one aspect. Reece was in fact hiding something. Now whether or not it was worth hiding, he couldn’t be sure, but he doubted she was a criminal or anything. Now he’d really like to know what brought her here. All he could come up with was serendipity.
They sipped their wine and together looked out to the ocean, mesmerized by the moonlight playing on the water. Reece’s glass was almost empty, so Dane refilled it and his own as well.
“When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?” she asked as she scanned the view before them.
Dane chuckled, amused at his dream from so long ago. “I wanted to be a rock star.”
Reece laughed with a cute, infectious tone that made him smile. “What about you?”
“Well, as young girl, I wasn’t much to look at. I hated my hair and my freckles. A geek, I was quite a case, all gangly, tall and thin, towering well above most all in my class, even the boys.” She smiled and shook her head. “I always dreamt of growing up, growing out of the goofy stage. I’ve had just one goal my entire life.”
“And what’s that?”
“I wanted to be that ugly duckling that became a swan. I wanted to see myself gracing the spread of a high fashion magazine as a model. I yearned to prove I was worthy, capable.” She seemed to be reminiscing.
“And what about now?”
“I find that I still seek that validation, but the importance is not as much now, since I’ve been here.”
Dane listened, knowing that concealed in her words was the story he wanted to know. If she was just there on vacation, she was taking quite an extended one. On the other hand, if she was there to sort out her life, she seemed well on her way to accomplishing the task. What happened back in Kansas? He wondered, but refused to ask. Under the cover of her long black lashes, he could see pain in her eyes, although she tried hard to cover it. “You’re gorgeous whether or not you’re in a magazine. Seeking approval from others is a tough business. I’ve been there.”
“Yes it is a tough business.” She looked down into her wine glass for a moment. “It’s okay to change my mind about what I want to be when I grow up, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is.” Dane scooted closer to her and lifted her chin with his finger so she was forced to look at him. “You can change your mind a thousand times if you’d like. Happiness is the key. As long as you’re happy, the world can go to hell.”
She smiled and it reached her eyes this time. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then. He also wanted to kiss away the pain he sensed inside her. He wanted to hold her and assure that no matter what was going on, she’d be okay and he’d be there if she needed him.
“I’ve never been this close to an angel.”
Reece’s smile fa
ded and she blinked her eyes as if she didn’t believe him. A serious expression replaced it.
“Kiss me, please.”
Reece moved swiftly, throwing her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his. He could feel the urgency in her kiss and it matched his own. The kiss deepened, her mouth sweet with the flavor of the wine. Their tongues swept together, finding harmony and a sensual rhythm. Her innocent scent enveloped his senses, pulling him in. His hand ran through her thick, fire-red hair, so soft on his skin. He missed this, the feel of a woman, the scent of a woman. His hand grazed her bare shoulder with his other hand, loving the smooth, satiny feel of her skin. He wanted to caress her all over and get lost in the curves of her body, explore her soft flesh while finding all the little areas that drove her wild.
The kiss heightened Dane’s arousal. He wanted her, right there on the soft grass with the waves singing their sensual song, serenading them under the moonlight. By her response, she wanted it, too, but Dane couldn’t, and wouldn’t go any further. Pure emotion and sexual tension was pushing him and he decided he couldn’t allow his cock to lead, not yet anyway. He worked to slow it down. His hormones raged against him while he fought for control.
They regained coherent thoughts not affected by lust, placing their lips together one last time before awkwardly backing away.
Reece blushed and flipped her hair back. “Sorry, that probably wasn’t the kind of kiss you were expecting.”
Dane was astonished. “No, it was much better.”
* * * *
“Damn it! That’s three games in a row.” Luther tossed his cards down on the table. All the men playing erupted with laughter. Luther was somewhat of a sore loser and most all in attendance knew it. For Bannock, this was his payback time, along with the blackberry pies Liz sent.
“Ah, come on, Luther. Have a beer. It’s just money.” Jackson laughed and slid him over another beer.
“I only come here for the food and those fancy cigars Bannock buys. Speaking of which, where in the hell are they?”
Tattoos and Cupcakes [Sunset Point] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 9