“All right,” he said softly.
Pippa scrubbed furiously at an old coffee stain. “So why hide yourself in your study all afternoon then? Because I did nothing wrong and if you think that—”
Wolfie was at Pippa’s back before she could even finish her sentence, his hands circling her waist.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just … he was a significant part of your life for so long and you have so much shared history I find it quite daunting. I know I’ll have to get used to that, but I really don’t like him.”
“I don’t expect you to like him.” Pippa squirmed against Wolfie. He smelled so good. “I mean, he’s my ex who broke my heart in a terribly cruel way.”
“That and he seems like an insufferable douche,” Wolfie muttered.
“Okay, okay, but please, the next time you’re freaking out about something, tell me. Don’t shut yourself away.” She met his eyes in the reflection of the window, squinting thanks to the fiery brilliance of the sunset. “You can be open with me, I hope you know that.”
Wolfie pondered this. Then he nuzzled into her hair. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
Moments later, they were outside and stood by his motorbike, a helmet in Wolfie’s outstretched hand.
“Are you fucking serious?” Pippa gingerly accepted the helmet as if it were a bomb. “Me? On that thing?”
“Thisthingas you call it, is an MV Brutale Dragster.” Wolfie patted the leather seat. “Lightweight but an absolute beast.”
“Beast?” Pippa repeated. “Okay, yeah, now I’mreallycomfortable getting on it.”
Wolfie sighed good-naturedly at her sarcasm. “I want to show you something,” he said. “But we have to move quickly because the sun is setting.” He plucked the helmet from her hands and eased it onto her head. “You just need to trust me. I’ve been riding for years; you’ll be perfectly fine.”
His face was so open with hope, Pippa couldn’t refuse him. “Okay,” she relented. “But if I die, I’m coming back to haunt you so much your grandkids will be calling in an exorcist.”
“Nothing will happen to you, Pippa Munro.” His lips curled sensually as he checked the helmet was secure. “Well, nothing you don’t want, anyway.”
“How dare you,” she said, weak with desire. “I’m a lady.”
He winked at her. “You won’t hear any argument from me on that score.” He helped her climb on, then effortlessly slung his leg over the bike in front of her. “This thing can reach over 200 kilometres an hour, so you’d best hold on.”
“Yeah but, you don’t ever ride that fast, right?” She chuckled into his shoulder. When Wolfie just laughed softly in response Pippa shrieked and wrapped her arms around him like a vice. “Remember I am prepared to haunt the shit out of you.”
Wolfie turned the key, the engine revving throatily. “Then may I suggest not letting go?” With a smooth, sudden leap, the bike took off. As soon as the bike hit the open road, Wolfie applied more speed and with it Pippa’s adrenaline soared, her thrilled scream stolen from her mouth by the sudden velocity. Gripping Wolfie’s back, she looked out across the hills as they whizzed by, their beauty kissed by the glow of the setting sun. She had never felt so vital; exposed and vulnerable on the back of a speeding bike, the cool wind darting under her dress and up her bare legs. Her head was filled with a whooshing sound that almost drowned out the aggressive roar of the engine beneath her, every muscle engaged to ensure she didn’t slip off. They were travelling well over 100 kilometres per hour, of that she was sure, with the merciless drop of the hills to their right. One skid and they’d be plummeting to the rocky valley below. Pippa should have been terrified. But she wasn’t. It was the most exhilarated she’d ever felt in her life.
The road evened out as they reached the top of the hill, but Wolfie didn’t slow down. He pitched a left, cutting across open moorland on the narrowest of lanes, before heading down the other slope towards Hadley Gorge. Hadley Gorge had been one of Pippa’s favourite places as a child, a narrow, tree-lined valley with a crystal-clear stream at its base that ran through fairy-like mossy grottos of ancient woodland. Before they descended towards the trails, Wolfie turned down a little track hidden almost entirely by dense trees. At a sheltered spot, he killed the engine and parked. He then jumped off the bike and removed his helmet, eyes shining.
“How was that?” he asked, helping her dismount.
Pippa pulled off her helmet, taking a second to catch her breath. “No words,” she said honestly.
Clearly proud, Wolfie weaved his fingers through hers. “This way then,” he said.
Pippa allowed him to guide her further down the little track, which soon became so narrow they had to walk single file. Trees closed in overhead like a vaulted ceiling akin to a church. It was utterly peaceful. Ahead of her, Wolfie peeled off through a cluster of evergreens, holding back branches so they didn’t hit her in the face. And then, they emerged onto a rocky outcropping, high above Hadley Gorge.
Pippa’s breath was stolen for a second time. The spot Wolfie had chosen was perfectly positioned to deliver the most stunning view of the sunset. The dazzling sun was currently sinking between two high peaks, its rays beaming directly into the valley and turning the stream into a streak of fire that blazed the whole length of the dark-emerald valley. Overhead, the deepening sky was clear, except for swirling skylarks and the occasional bat. The silence was total.
“Wolfie…” Pippa was so moved by this new and beautiful view of her home county that tears sprung to her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful.”
He raised a finger to wipe away a tear sliding down her cheek. “Same.”
She tore her gaze away from the panorama to look at him. “Thank you for showing me this.”
“Grantham was the one who brought me here,” he said roughly. “As a kid. Whenever things were difficult at home, he’d bring me up here and we’d talk. Or not. Sometimes, we’d just sit quietly and say nothing. Whatever I needed.” Pippa sensed she didn’t need to say anything. She gripped his hand and let him speak. “That man taught me to drive,” Wolfie went on. “He helped me open my first bank account and showed me how to sign a cheque. He showed me what it meant to be a man. Joan too. I would be nothing without them.”
