Burn for You
Page 31
I’m so caught up in my thoughts that I almost miss her making a head signal. She does it again, cocking her head towards the traffic light, then nodding at me. Ah, I should have known: she’s challenging me again. Wicked—I know this is not meant to be our big race, but I’m hell-bent on some payback time after my defeat.
I nod back, then turn to look straight ahead at the traffic light, bending my body over the fuel tank to get into position. We both rev our engines, ready for the light change. And the millisecond the traffic light turns to green, we charge.
The wind is howling in my ears while I accelerate by shifting up the gears. I thought I’d done pretty well at launch, but my peripheral vision shows that Elle’s had a better start than me—she’s in the lead. Damn. I concentrate harder, determined to extract every bit of horsepower out of my machine. And thank God, it doesn’t let me down. I creep up alongside her and we’re head to head. Come on, just a little faster.
I get my advantage when a slight bump in the road has me unweighting the front wheel. When I settle back, I see that I have taken over the lead. Yes! But my sense of victory quickly fades when I discover Elle is not keeping up with me. She is falling back too fast, as if she’s putting on her brakes. That’s strange. I reduce my speed and quickly spin my head round to see where she went. She is way back; too far back. I slow down further and swing round my bike.
Something is definitely wrong.
ELLE
What the hell is happening? One minute I’m racing, the next I feel a bump in the road and lose serious speed. I realize it’s the engine—it’s stalled. I open the throttle a few times, but the engine doesn’t come back on again. What’s wrong? Did the chain break? Am I out of fuel? I check my fuel gauge. No, that’s not it.
Ryder is becoming a dot in the distance while I’m quickly decelerating until I come to a complete stop at the side of the road. I get off my bike, yanking off my helmet. When I inspect the bike from all sides, nothing looks out of the ordinary. Has the road bump triggered anything?
I’m going through all the possible problems in my mind, when a bright light dazzles me. I put my hand up to shield my eyes from the glaring headlight. Ryder glides past and comes to a stop behind me. Great. Just what I need—Mr Obnoxious coming to gloat, or worse, teach me a lesson.
“Hey, are you alright?” To my surprise, his voice sounds concerned.
I nod. “I’m fine.”
I hear his engine switch off and his heavy boots thud on the asphalt. When I look up at him standing next to me, he is taking off his helmet. For a moment, I’m taken aback, causing my breath to catch; I’ve forgotten how gorgeous he looks. He drags his hand through his dark hair, messing it up and making it look annoyingly sexy.
“What’s going on? Engine trouble?”
“I’m not sure. My engine died after I hit that bump.”
“Fuel?”
“No, I’m still half full.”
“Did you accidentally flick the kill switch?”
I lean over and check the switch above the red start button. “No, it’s still in the running position.”
Ryder gets off his bike and strides towards me. He walks around my bike, furrowing his brow, and when he stops, his dark eyes find mine. “Did you try the ignition?”
I’m annoyed with myself. That should have been the first thing I tried. I get back on the bike, lift the kickstand up, turn the key, and press the start button, but nothing happens. Ryder leans over to study the controls. I recline as far as possible to avoid touching him, but he is still close enough for me to feel his body heat and breathe in his alluring scent.
“None of the warning lights are on, everything seems to be okay. It could be anything— a dirty fuel injector, a blocked fuel supply…but I won’t be able to check now.”
When he steps away, I breathe a silent sigh of relief. He walks around to my left side and leans down. Without warning, he settles his hand on the back of my boot, balancing himself to bend down further, apparently to inspect the underside of my bike. It’s as if I can feel the warmth of his hand through his glove and my boot, searing my thigh and sending sparks straight to my lower belly. I swallow, keeping my body as rigid as possible.
After what feels like an eternity, he releases his hand and straightens up.
“I’ve been thinking, it could be your kickstand sensor. I’ve checked, your kickstand is fully up, so that’s not the problem. But if the sensor is faulty, the engine goes into a failsafe mode and the engine won’t start.”
“Oh, shit. That means I’m stuck.”
“Pretty much. You’ll have to get it to a mechanic.”
I immediately pull my cell phone out of my pocket, planning to make two calls: one to get a tow and one to Damon to pick me up. But when I try to make a call, the screen is completely blank, even after pressing the power button repeatedly. I curse inwardly. Looks like I have no choice; I’ll have to ask Ryder for help.
“Um…could I borrow your cell? Mine’s out of charge.”
“What for?”
“I’ll get a tow and someone to pick me up from here. Just give me your cell to make a couple of calls, and you can be on your way.”
Ryder narrows his eyes. “You don’t need my cell. You need a ride home.”
I try to use my calmest voice. “Can you just give it to me?”
He turns away from me, pulls his phone out of his pocket, and dials a number. After a few moments, he starts talking.
“I need you to come out. Bike malfunction.”
He walks away from me, so I only hear snatches of his conversation, giving details of our location. A hot anger is rising within me, but at the same time, I realize I’m helpless. I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere. I could wait for a car to pass by, but it’s risky. Who knows what kind of people drive out at this time of night?
Ryder spins around, finished with his call.
“I’ve got someone to pick up your bike in about fifteen minutes.”
Nervous, I start babbling, almost stumbling over my words. “You shouldn’t have done that. You should’ve let me make a call, and you would’ve been on your way home right now. Anyway, you don’t have to stay. Why don’t you go, and I’ll get a ride from the guy who picks up my bike.”
Ryder crosses his arms, his legs apart. “I’m not leaving.”
I sigh loudly and stare at him with narrowed eyes. He gazes right back, turning this into a staring contest. I really don’t want to be the first to break my gaze, giving him the satisfaction of winning, but I still do. His shiny BMW catches my eye, lit by the moon that has emerged from behind the clouds. God, that bike is beautiful. And it could be mine soon.
I get off my bike and stride towards it, my eyes admiring its flowing curves and the shark-like gills on the side. Cocking my head to the bike, I turn to Ryder. “May I?”
He nods. “Be my guest.”
I swing my leg over the seat and straddle the bike. It fits perfectly, as if I’m made to ride it. I am about to reach over to the handlebars when I remember what happened after I won our race—how Ryder taunted me by feeling up my bike. Well, two can play at that game.
Snaring his gaze, I lift my fingers up to my mouth and pull my glove off slowly with my teeth. I do the same with the other glove, and lick my lips while putting the gloves in my pocket. I let my fingertips graze the curves of the engine lengthwise, then I start massaging the smooth, shiny surface in slow circles.
“Hmm…”
With the hand that’s closest to Ryder, I follow the curve of the engine around to the front until I reach the edge. My index finger jumps to the handlebar and trails leisurely along its length. I curl my finger over the bar and with my thumb underneath it, make a ring. Keeping my gaze locked on Ryder, I move slowly along the handlebar, to and fro. I notice that his gaze is darkening, his hands are balled in fists at his side, and he shifts position slightly. Yes! It seems to have an effect on him.
Turning my head to face forward, I lean my body over the engi
ne and curl both hands around the bars. Oh, it feels good.
“Comfortable?” Ryder’s warm breath brushes my ear, sending a shiver along my spine.
“Uh huh.”
“Don’t worry, beautiful. When you lose our next race, I may let you have a spin on it.”
The jerk! I’m about to give him a piece of my mind when a light shines into the bare branches of the trees accompanied by the sound of a car approaching.
It turns out to be Ryder’s guy, for he flags down the white flatbed truck and greets the stocky moustached man who jumps out while the loading ramp is lowering. The man wheels down a black contraption attached to the truck with a thin chain, fastens the front wheel of my bike to it and attaches tension straps. On the side of the truck he presses a button, which pulls my bike up, and secures it with chains and hooks.
The entire process takes only a few minutes. Ryder exchanges a few words with him, and before he goes back into the truck, I walk up to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Could you give me a lift into the city?”
“Uh…” He looks at Ryder, who cuts him off before he has time to reply.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll give her a ride home.”
No! The idea makes me cringe. It’s bad enough for me to be so unnerved by him, but to ride on the back of his bike—having to touch him all the way back to the city—would be torture.
The stocky man opens the truck’s cabin door, and I shock myself by begging. “No! Please, please give me a ride.”
But he ignores me, jumping into the truck and gunning the engine. Before I know it, its taillights are red dots in the distance, and I’m left on this deserted road, all alone with Ryder.
Want to read more? Get your copy now!
Burn Into Me by Jillian Leeson
www.amazon.com/dp/B00IPGBPFA
Thank you…
This book is not complete without a heartfelt thanks to my wonderful beta readers, who have helped make Burn For You the awesome book it has become.
Andrea, Gillian, Jennifer, Michelle, and Pauline: thank you so, so much for your invaluable feedback. You’ve been absolutely fantastic!
A special thanks goes to Christie from Smokin’ Hot Book Blog, the best place on the web to find the latest and hottest romance titles. She has been instrumental in helping me fine-tune the manuscript and the cover. (Don’t you just love the flames and that orange glow? That’s Christie’s genius!)
Finally, I wish to thank you, the reader, for picking up Burn For You. I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I have writing it.
A big, fat kiss from me to all of you!
Other Books by Jillian Leeson
Burn Into Me
- First part in the Burn Into Me series -
Two souls living in completely opposite worlds… is love enough to overcome their differences?
~ Elle ~
One word describes her: tough. Fending for herself since she was sixteen, she is a college student who lives in one of the roughest parts of Harlem. She is also a political activist who is devoted to her cause: the battle against capitalism.
~ Ryder ~
He is the ultimate capitalist: a Wall Street fund manager who makes money by managing other people’s money. An adrenaline junkie through and through, he works hard and plays hard. Relationships and commitment don’t fit into his fast and furious lifestyle.
They both live in New York’s Manhattan, only nine miles apart, and the worlds they live in couldn’t be more different. But the instant, burning attraction they feel for one another when they have a chance meeting at a motorbike drag race, makes their worlds collide.
Is their attraction to one another strong enough to bridge their differences?
~~~
This novel contains mature content, and is recommended for 18+ due to mature language and adult situations. It is a standalone full-length HEA novel (88,000 words) told from two perspectives.
Get your copy: Burn Into Me by Jillian Leeson
www.amazon.com/dp/B00IPGBPFA
Hot Summer Flings
- Three Contemporary Romance Stories -
Artful Love
Jessica is stuck in her boring job at a call center. Until her sister offers her a cruise to the Caribbean. Is this her chance to finally change her life? Little does she know that when the ship docks at a tropical Carribbean island, her life really does change. She meets Roberto, an artist who shows her the meaning of paradise: sunshine, white sands, azure waters, and a gorgeous man by her side. Jessica finds herself falling deeply in love with Roberto. But what are his true intentions? Has he also fallen for her or is he merely out to take advantage?
Vengeful Love
Kate Miller is an up-and-coming Hollywood actress who knows how to wrap men around her little finger. She is convinced that no man can resist her. But to her surprise, her co-star in her latest movie, teenage heart-throb Ryan McFarlane, seems to be immune to her charms. Worse still, Kate overhears Ryan make a shocking bet: for fifty dollars, he vows to get Kate in bed with him and make her tell him she loves him. Kate is furious and hatches a plan. But will revenge taste as sweet as she expects?
Fateful Love
When a current pulls Becky far into the ocean, hunky surfer Luke saves her from drowning. They part ways, but a chance encounter finds her asking him out for dinner. Wildly attracted to him, the usually calm and rational Becky asks Luke to spend the night with her. After that one wild, steamy night, she can’t get him out of her thoughts. But when fate brings them together again, Becky is shocked to discover that Luke is the one man she can never have.
These stories contain mature content, and are recommended for 18+ due to mature language and adult situations. Three stories (36,000 words in total).
Get your copy!
Hot Summer Flings by Jillian Leeson
www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQ5837I
About the Author
Here are three facts about me:
1 - I love being a writer, but first and foremost, I love being a wife and a mom of two.
2 - If I’m not in front of my laptop, working on my latest romance, you’ll find me in the kitchen whipping up sweet creations (cupcakes anyone?).
3 - Reading great romance stories is my one of my favorite pastimes, but nothing beats the thrill of creating love on the page. As Benjamin Disraeli once wrote, “We are all born for love. It is the principle of existence and its only end.”
Thank you so much for reading the story of Ryder and Elle; I genuinely hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I would appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon.
If you would like to be kept posted of my latest ventures, please connect with me:
Website: www.jillianleeson.com
Email: jillianleeson@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jillianleesonbooks
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Love,
Jillian
Burn For You
Copyright © Jillian Leeson 2015
www.jillianleeson.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
All characters and situations in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This book contains mature language and sexually explicit material, and is intended only for persons over the age of 18.
Cover design: Dean Yeong
Cover photo: ©Artem Furman - depositphotos.com
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 2
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 3
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 4
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 5
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 6
Elle
Chapter 7
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 8
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 9
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 10
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 11
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 12
Elle
Ryder
Chapter 13
Elle
Ryder