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Brooke laughed. “No judgment here. Ray sleeps with me every night, too.”
And just like that, the conversation flowed into lighter topics. As they finished their meals, they chatted and laughed. Brooke shared hilarious stories of working with ridiculous pet owners, and Curly shared some tales from his misspent youth. They watched kids playing in the gulf and lovers strolling hand in hand. By the time Curly announced it was nearly four in the afternoon, her stomach ached from laughing, and they’d probably both gotten enough sun to be uncomfortable tomorrow.
The hours had flown by, turning the day into one of the most enjoyable she’d had in a long time. It was official. She needed to get out and socialize more. Nancy and her four-legged companions shouldn’t encompass her entire social circle.
Neither should outlaw bikers. But at least they were safe and allowed her to be herself without judgment.
“Well,” he said after an uncharacteristic lull in the conversation. “Guess we better get back before the dogs mutiny.”
“Yeah, they’ll be wanting dinner and some playtime soon. Thank you for this. I don’t think you’re the only one who needed some beach therapy.”
“And the ride.” He winked. “Don’t forget the ride.”
As if she could. The fact that she got to get back on that motorcycle in a few minutes had her practically giddy with anticipation.
They tossed their trash then walked back to the motorcycle in pleasant silence. Once again, he took care of the helmet for her. She felt his heavy gaze roaming her face as he buckled her up but couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. If she saw the same needy lust she was experiencing, she’d likely make a huge mistake.
But then his fingers clasped her chin, and she gasped as she looked into his eyes. A slow smile curled his lips right before he kissed her.
It was a soft kiss. Gentle and teasing as opposed to the scorching hot make-out session from a few nights ago. But the tenderness made it even more powerful. Curly led, taking his time to work his tongue into her mouth. She sighed against him as they explored each other. No one had ever kissed her like this. As though she was precious. As though she was special. As though she was perfect.
When it ended, she kept her eyes closed for a moment, terrified to open them and find she’d read too much into the sweetest kiss she’d ever received.
“I needed this.” he whispered. “The day and the kiss.”
What did that mean? Where did that leave them? Because that wasn’t a this-is-just-physical kiss. It was deeper. It was…more.
“Ready?”
“Yep.” Hopefully, she sounded normal and not like she was about to melt into a puddle of goo.
After he settled himself on the seat, she placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she climbed behind him. The muscles under her fingers tensed, and she was powerless to keep from kneading her fingers into them a tiny bit. As soon as it happened, she yanked her hand back, mortified, but he was having none of that. He grabbed her hand and put it right back on him.
It wasn’t long before they were cruising back home. As with the first trip, she had her arms wrapped around his waist, only this time the vibrations of the bike and warmth of his back lulled her into a relaxed, sleepy state. Soon, holding her head up took too much effort, so she rested her cheek against Curly’s back. With the helmet, finding a comfortable position took some effort, but she eventually settled into a spot that worked perfectly. Once she stopped wiggling, he took a hand off the handlebar and gave her thigh an affection squeeze.
Was this what it’d feel like to sleep next to him at night? To wrap herself around him and cradle all his strength and power in her arms? Or would he prefer their positions reversed where he held her?
Maybe he’d be like her husband and despise anyone touching him in sleep, leaving her cold and alone even while a warm body lay inches away.
But something told her that wouldn’t be the case. Curly had lived the lonely life of an inmate, and as he said, steel bars might not have blocked her cell, but she hadn’t been free.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THEY ARRIVED AT Brooke’s home shortly after five. Curly accompanied her inside to fetch Harley, then ended up sticking around and playing in the yard with all the other dogs while she loaded them up with food and water.
When Brooke hollered, “Dinner time,” the dogs, including Harley and Ray, charged toward the kennel.
“I should get her home to eat,” he said as he strolled over to where she stood outside the kennel.
“There’s plenty of food. She’s fine to eat here,” Brooke answered, smiling at the dogs chowing down at their food bowls as though they’d never eaten.
