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It was nothing like driving a car. Zack went through each of the components and instruments of the bike then gave step-by-step instructions on how to start, stop and steer.
"Now get on."
She did.
"Start it up."
So far so good.
"Drive down the street, turn around and come back. Slowly," he added. Like she needed reminding.
She kicked the engine over as instructed, placed her feet on the pedals and felt herself toppling. She managed to return one foot to the ground before the bike keeled over with her still on it.
She grinned at Zack who expelled a long breath and brushed a hand over his eyes.
"Just checking to see if you were watching," she said.
"You're dangerous, Annie McCallum," he said above the roar of the engine. The edges of his mouth softened. "Very dangerous."
This time Annie left one foot on the ground until the bike inched forward. She rode down to the end of her street, thanking the Powers That Be that traffic was minimal, turned and rode back again. She stopped the bike at Zack's feet.
"Easy," she said.
"Good. Do it again. Faster this time."
She rode around the street five more times before Zack nodded. "Okay, you're ready."
"For what?"
"A bigger road."
She shook her head. "No way. I'm not riding in traffic." She started to get off. He placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. Out-classed, she sat back down. "I'm not riding on the open road," she said weakly.
"Yes you are."
"You can't tell me what to do, Zack."
He crossed his arms. "I'll tell Bob."
She hesitated then said, "I don't care."
His face changed subtly, the tiny lines around his eyes relaxing as he peered down at her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed his thumbs across the smooth leather of her jacket.
"Look," he said, "I know you're scared. I know this is a big step for you, but—"
"I am not scared."
She shoved his hands off and revved the engine louder to drown out his chuckling. Arrogant jerk. She was about to head off when he swung his leg over the bike and settled in behind her.
She twisted around. "What are you doing?"
"You don't think I'd let you go out for a ride on your own already do you? I'm not insane."
She had her suspicions that it had nothing to do with letting her go on her own, and everything to do with being close to her leather-clad butt. Okay, she could deal with that.
Zack held onto the handle attached to the seat behind him instead of her waist. A few deep breaths later and she took off, a little faster than before, and headed out of her street.
It took a while before she felt completely comfortable but eventually she began to relax and enjoy the sensation of riding a motorbike, not as a passenger but as the driver. It was infinitely less scary than sitting behind Zack. She felt totally and completely in control now, even to the point where she accelerated to the speed limit. Well, almost.
An hour later and she'd done a full circle after cruising along the beach, feeling superior and cooler than any of the bikini-clad girls strutting their stuff along the foreshore. None of them had a gorgeous hunk willing to show them how to ride his most prized possession.
Finally, she eased the bike back into her street and parked outside her building. Zack got off first and she switched the engine off.
"Well?" he asked, beaming down at her. He looked like a proud father.
She shrugged. "It was okay."
"Okay? Ha! You loved it, Babe, I could tell."
Babe! He'd called her Babe! What did that mean? And did it have anything to do with him seeing her naked butt again?
Zack's good humor was infectious and she finally conceded that the ride had given her a real buzz. "Did you see everyone stare at us?" she asked, leading the way inside. "They thought I was so cool."
"Next time, you go on your own. You need more practice before Dug-E arrives but I think you'll do great. And just so you sound like you know what you're talking about, I'll be giving you a pop quiz in a few days."
She groaned. "This is worse than high school."
They stopped at her front door, and she suddenly felt awkward.
"You coming in?" she asked tentatively.
"You inviting me in?"
She paused. "You going to walk in on me naked again?"
"Maybe."
She thumped him lightly in the chest and they both grinned.
Inside, she headed for the fridge while Zack avoided the yapping Snoopy. She produced two beers and handed one to him.
"I think he likes you," she said.
"I think he wants to hump my leg."
"You're lucky. Usually when I bring a man back here he wants to bite their, um, you-know-what off."
Zack placed the beer bottle in front of his groin. "I feel privileged. So what's with the beer?" He pointed to the bottle in her hand. "I thought you only drank wine."
"I'm practicing. Besides, I figured it was a bit wimpy to drink wine after riding a motorbike."
He nodded and maneuvered carefully past Snoopy to sit on her sofa. "Mind if I turn on the TV?" he asked as he turned on the TV.
"Sure, treat this place like your own?"
"There's a game on."
"Even better," she groaned but sat beside him anyway. "Basketball?"
"Baseball."
"Lucky me."
"Don't like baseball?"
"Can't say I've ever sat and watched a whole game. It looks pretty boring."
"Maybe I'll take you one day," he said, settling into the sofa.
"I'll look forward to it." Maybe she actually would. She'd sit through a hundred boring ball sports if Zack took her. "I didn't realize you liked sport."
He frowned at her. "What gave you that idea?"
She shrugged. "I thought you'd be too, ah...busy."
The frown deepened. "Something tells me you were going to say too rich."
"No! No, no, no. And there's no such thing as too rich in LA anyway."
He looked at her for a long time. "Right."
Right? It didn't sound right. He sounded annoyed. What had she said to offend him? "Same as being too famous, or too attractive," she persisted. "Or too weird."
He grunted. "Cocky little thing, aren't you?"
"Takes one to know one."
He grinned slyly and turned back to the TV. Nothing much seemed to be happening in the game but he was glued to the set. Annie sat back in the sofa beside him and watched, trying to work out the appeal of baseball. From what she could see it was a bunch of men dressed in funny pants spitting on the field. It was kind of disgusting really. She sighed. How long did a whole game go for? An hour? Two? All day? She tapped the beer bottle with her fingernails and glanced around the room, looking for something to do.
Zack sighed. "Relax and enjoy the game."
"No offence, but baseball is boring."
"Then just sit and enjoy peace and quiet."
"Huh?"
He shrugged. "Just think your own thoughts for a while. You don't have to be doing something every waking moment. Get some down time."
"Down time? Are you crazy? Who's got time for down time? I've got dishes in the sink, the floor needs sweeping and Snoopy smells." None of which she usually cared about but it was too late to take it back now.
"You definitely need to relax. You're more uptight than I thought."
"Do you deliberately try to annoy me, Zack or does it just come naturally?"
His grin was lopsided. "Sometimes." He deftly dodged her fist. "But this isn't one of them. I thought you had the attitude thing down okay, but now I'm not so sure. From what Bob told me, this Dug-E kid doesn't care about anything."
"When he's not smashing up hotel rooms. So?"
"So you shouldn't too. You need to go with the flow a bit more. Loosen up. Relax."
"Stop telling me to relax. It's driving me nuts."
He threw up his hands. "There you go again." He shook his head and placed his beer on the coffee table. "Turn around and I'll give you a massage," he said, laying his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe that'll help."
She didn't hesitate. It was all part of her training after all, and he was the teacher. A damn good one too. His hands were gentle but firm, relaxing her to melting point.
Minutes slipped by as the slow, sure fingers continued to work on her shoulders, down her arms and back, to her hips, snaking around her waist. His body moved into hers and she leaned into him, pressing herself against the hard muscles of his chest. She heard him catch his breath then let it out roughly as he bent to kiss her neck. A shot of warm tingles swept across her flesh as her body liquefied under his touch.
