Page 201 of Romeo

He laughed. “There’s only one more.”

“What?”

“Hold on to me.”

“That seems obvious.”

“Not the way I mean it.” His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes. “I’ve had passengers try to leave space between us because they’re being polite. Don’t. I want you against me so I know exactly where you are.”

Heat moved through me despite the cool evening air.

“Anything else?”

“That should do it.”

He climbed onto the bike and held out his hand. I let him guide me onto the seat behind him, which was narrower than I expected and left very little room for the polite distance he’d just told me not to bother with.

“Arms around me, Cher.”

I slid them around his waist.

“Tighter.”

I tightened my hold until my chest rested fully against his back. Jasper’s hand covered mine for a moment. “Perfect.”

Then the motorcycle came alive beneath us.

The first few blocks through Rosewood gave me time to get used to the vibration and the strange feeling of balancing on something that seemed determined to move beneath me. Once we reached the mountain road, Jasper picked up speed, and the uncertainty disappeared beneath something much better.

The wind rushed past us, carrying the scent of pine as the road climbed. Sunlight filtered through the trees in long golden bands, flashing over us before disappearing again as the curves carried us deeper into the mountains.

I stopped thinking about falling.

Jasper moved with the motorcycle as if it were another part of his body. Every time he leaned, I followed, my arms tightening naturally around his waist. On the straighter sections, he opened the throttle enough to make my stomach lift, then reached down and wrapped his hand around my calf.

I laughed against his back, though there was no chance he heard me over the engine.

Maybe he felt it.

The ride seemed to end much too quickly. By the time he slowed near an overlook, the sky had shifted from gold toward pink and purple, the first traces of evening settling over the valley.

He pulled off the road and cut the engine.

The sudden quiet left my ears ringing.

“You okay?”

I was still smiling when I answered, “Yeah.”

“Good?”

“Amazing.”

He turned enough to look at me over his shoulder. “Not scared?”

“Not anymore.”

“Not even a little?”