"I'm hardly going to let someone else take you." He laughed, tucking a loose hair behind my ear before taking the helmet from my hands. "Not when I went to all the trouble of bringing the bike here to seduce you."
"You don't need the bike for that." My mouth was running without consulting my brain again.
Nash's lips curled as they landed on mine in a soft kiss. "I have a plan."
"Mmm, a plan? Don't let me get in the way then."
"I wasn't going to." Nash settled the helmet over my head. "Here, let me show you."
He put his own helmet on, and held up a leather jacket he'd pulled from somewhere. I stood still as he slid it up my arms and leaned close to zip the front, swooning a little at the care he was taking. Nash guided me in getting on the bike behind him, showing me where to put my feet, both of us letting out a sigh as I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his chest.
"Comfortable?" he asked, his voice right in my ear. I started in surprise.
Nash tapped the side of his helmet. "Bluetooth. So we can talk to each other."
I relaxed against him, my heart speeding into ragged thumps at the growl of the engine, so close, far more immediate and visceral than a car engine. I'd always loved the roar of motorcycles, had longed to know what it felt like to ride one.
Tyler hated them. He'd said it was because the helmets ruined his hair. Maybe it was because Nash clearly knew what he was doing on a bike. It didn't matter. I didn't care what Tyler thought.
I was on a motorcycle with Nash, and it was better than my wildest dreams.
ChapterTwenty
PARKER
We were flying.
The bike hugged the curves of the road, Nash maneuvering the machine with complete control. I clung to him, my helmet pressed to his back, head turned to watch the scenery pass in a blur. Nash must have known where he was going. He'd said he had a plan, so I shouldn't have been surprised.
He'd taken a right out of Heartstone Manor. Not the way people normally went, as town–and almost everything else–was to the left. Nash followed the mountain road up and up, merging onto a narrow lane that ran along the ridgeline before dropping down to pick up a ramp onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. From there, we just rode.
I don't know how long we were on the bike. It could have been an hour, could have been a lot more. I didn't care. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this at peace. A funny thought to have against the backdrop of the bike's rumbling engine. But peace didn't have to mean quiet. I wanted this–to fly through the forest with Nash on roaring wings disguised by chrome and rubber, knowing he would never let me fall.
Gradually, I realized Nash had a specific destination in mind. Eventually, he slowed, taking an exit to a well-known inn and restaurant built right off the Parkway, hanging from the side of the mountain. Nash pulled into the parking lot and stopped. I climbed off the bike, immediately missing the heat of him pressed to my front.
Pulling off my helmet, I searched his face for a clue. "How did you know?"
Nash took the helmet. "You liked it, then?"
I thought I caught the faintest hint of uncertainty before his familiar, confident smile spread across his mouth.
"I loved it. How did you know I'd love it so much? That I always wanted to–"
Nash smiled down at me with the same soft expression he'd given me in the hall at Heartstone. Just like then, my knees turned to jelly. "I didn't know. I had a hunch. I have all sorts of hunches when it comes to you, Parker Sawyer."
"Really?" I looped my arm through his, letting him lead me up to the historic stone inn. "Pray tell? What's next?"
"Already want more?" Nash grinned, giving me another flash of him as a boy. Carefree and happy. My chest flooded with light at bringing that expression to his face.
"Maybe. Maybe I'm just curious to know what you have in mind." I paused as Nash gave the front desk his name. Had he gotten us a room? I hadn't brought anything... The thought dissolved as we were led, not to the stairs, but to a private balcony off the main dining room.
I let Nash help me into my chair, my gaze fixed on the endless view. Mountains, shaded in green, ridged in blue, row after row arrayed against the summer sky. I let out a sigh of pure joy. "I forget how much I miss this view when I'm away."
Nash settled in the seat opposite me, reaching out to take my hand in his, his eyes on my face. "It's the most spectacular view I've ever seen."
"You're not even looking at the view!" I shook my head, laughing and trying to pull back my hand. Nash didn't let go. I gave up. I didn't want my hand back, anyway.
Nash flicked his eyes at the mountains beyond our balcony. "That's nice too. But that's not the view I missed."
