Page 140 of Burning Bridges Duet

“How long have you been riding a bike?” I ask him.

“Since I was sixteen,” he replies. That’s quite a long time, considering he’s turning twenty-four today.

“Did you always have the Harley?” I inquire further. He sits beside me and takes my hand in his.

“No, I just got her last year. Fixed her up a bit,” he says with a smile.

“You did a really good job,” I say.

“You think so?” he asks with a smirk.

“Yes, I mean I have absolutely no comparison, but from my expert view, it looks pretty good,” I joke, and he smiles before kissing my temple.

“I mean, you already sat on it once. If that doesn’t make you an expert, I don’t know what does,” he says playfully.

“Hey, it was twice. I mean, we drove back again too,” I remind him, and he chuckles.

“Of course. I should take you for a ride more often,” he says, squeezing my hand. When I grimace, he asks, “What? I thought you liked it last time?” He starts stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.

“I more than liked it. I loved it,” I say.

“So, what’s the problem?” he asks.

“I may have overstepped,” I say, biting my lip. He furrows his brows in confusion, and I continue, “Considering the situation, I would say I definitely overstepped.”

“Liv, I don’t think it’s as bad as you think it is. What did you do?” he asks in concern.

Fuck it, he’ll find out anyway, and he may as well know how much I fucked up today.

“As part of your birthday present, I treated myself to a new helmet and leather jacket. I read on the internet that all backpacks have their own gear,” I say. He looks at me with wide eyes and then bursts out laughing.

“You were browsing biker forums?” he teases.

“They were very informative,” I defend in a hushed tone.

“Ah, I see. So you already know the slang, my little backpack,” he says, playfully pushing me onto his bed and leaning over me. He brushes my hair away from my face, “What kind of helmet did you get?” he asks, giving me a quick kiss.

“I went for one of those cool, old-school ones without a visor,” I reply, beaming with pride.

“Of course, it had to be stylish,” he says with a chuckle, inching closer to me. “Is it green? It might clash with the red of the bike.”

“No, I picked a black one, so you won’t be too embarrassed to ride with me,” I say with a pout. He chuckles again, leaning in even closer.

“I could never be embarrassed of you,” he whispers before kissing me passionately, sucking on my lower lip and nibbling it before deepening the kiss, his hand slipping under my shirt to caress my stomach.

Fuck, he is such a good kisser. He leans back, chuckling at my heart eyes.

“Did you bring your biker gear with you, gorgeous?” he asks.

I nod, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension.

“Want to take it for a spin?” he suggests, his smile putting me at ease.

“I’d love to!” I reply, beaming at him. He stands up and extends his hand to me, pulling me to my feet.

“Let’s go then,” he says, leading me towards the living room, where the rest of the guys are still watching the movie. Chase tells them, “We’re taking a ride.” Then he heads for the door. I linger for a moment, feeling self-conscious as Ryder gives me a thumbs up, River smirks, and Jaxon nods in approval.

“Don’t drive like a maniac, you’ve got precious cargo with you,” Jaxon calls out to Chase.