AllFreeNovel
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“Nothing to be scared of, right?” he asks, and I shake my head no. Looking back at me, he smiles at the look on my face. “You loved it?”
“Yes,” I admit, smiling.
Unwrapping my arms from around him, I grip his shoulder and push off the peg to swing my leg back over. They’re still vibrating from the engine, and I feel more alive than I have in a very long time.
“I told you.” He smirks. “I ride for the freedom. The road gives me clarity when I need it.”
“I get it. I haven’t felt so”–I smile, biting my lip–“free from everything in my head.”
“Well, gorgeous, just let me know when you want to ride again. You behind me like that”–he smirks–“nothing sweeter.”
Laughing, I roll my eyes. “Okay, Fonzie. Don’t get used to it.”
His smile widens. “We’ll see.”
Taking the helmet off, I hand it back to him. “So, I’ll see you around?”
“I can guarantee it. Maybe I’ll have to come in for a full examination by the new nurse in town.”
A short laugh escapes my lips and I slide my hands inside my back pockets, rocking back on my heels. “Yeah, no chance of that happening. Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime, gorgeous.”
Smiling, I take a step back and then turn and walk up the porch steps, taking my keys out of my purse. With one last look over my shoulder, I find Alex watching me, and I give him a small smile before unlocking the door and going inside.
In the safety of the cottage, I lean against the closed door and breathe a sigh of relief.
I can’t believe I just did that. And I can’t believe how much I loved it.
Riding with Alex was invigorating, and I honestly didn’t want it to end. Feeling his stomach muscles contract every time I squeezed him harder made me smile into the wind. And every time we stopped, he would place his hand on my thigh, just letting me know that he was there – calming me, reassuring me.
He’s both a fast ride to freedom, and a steady calm that’s soothing my lonely heart.
I shouldn’t see him as anything other than a womanizing player who flirts with everything that moves, but I think I might be starting to. He showed me a glimpse of the real him this morning, and now he has me tilting off my axis.
The loud rumble of his Harley starts to fade into the distance, and I push off the door, heading straight to the bathroom for a shower.
Under the hot stream of water, I think about how I’m washing away all traces of Alex from my skin, and wishing I could start the morning over again so I can be curled up against him – feeling his solid chest beneath my hand and his heart’s steady rhythm.
Drying off, I dig through my pile of open suitcases and bags, and pull on leggings and a sweatshirt. I wasn’t able to takeallof my books with me, but I did manage to fit a few big canvas bags full into my car. So I look through those in the corner, and choose one of my favorites. I may be made fun of for reading romance books like they’re going out of style–which they never will–but I can’t live without my Alpha heroes and the heroines they swoop in and claim.
As a fiercely independent woman, it may seem contradictory to love a man like that, but it’s really not. Just because I can handle myself, and do any and everything I want, doesn’t mean I can’t wish I had a man there for me. A man to take the weight of the world from me when it gets too heavy on my shoulders. A man who will treat me with respect and care for me, but love me with a fiery passion that can’t be rivaled by any other.
I want that. I’ve always wanted that. I’ve just been too busy to allow myself the chance at finding it.
But now…
This is my fresh start. Moving here is me giving myself what I need.
Taking my favorite book with me, I go and make a fresh pot of coffee and then head outside to read in the warming morning sun.
Tucking my feet under me, I curl up in one of the wicker chairs on the back porch and look out at the ocean. Light glistens off the surface and bounces back to me in fractured glints. It’s like the water is winking at me – a hello to a brand new day. But more than that, a brand new life.
Being able to walk outside and see this every day is a gift. I want to start taking time to relax, to breathe, and to see the beauty in the simple things. I was only living for my job before, but now I’m going to start living for me.
If I want it, then I’m going to do it. And if I want to do nothing but relax and read, then that’s what I’m going to do.
And so today, I’m going to re-read my favorite book for maybe the fourth time, and then curl up on the couch and have a rom-com movie marathon.
