AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slowed as I neared the front of the house. I’d loved this man for my entire life. But he’d never done anything that told me he felt the same way. If I didn’t want to scare him off, I’d need to rein in my emotions. I needed to get a handle on the deep love pouring out of me before I wound up feeling like a fool, once again.
When I rounded the corner, my eyes landed on the shiny black motorcycle I’d seen earlier today. Only this time, it wasn’t absent of its rider. Will sat straddling the black seat, one long leg on the ground as it leaned on its kickstand. He wore a simple white tee with faded blue jeans, black boots on his feet. He took off his helmet, taking my breath with it when his chiseled face came into view.
I continued toward him, slower now, my chest seizing when a half-smile made its way onto his lips. He turned off the engine, cutting off the loud purr and leaving us only with the distant sounds of the reception in the background. “Hi, Aria.”
“Hi, Will.” The run to the front of the house wasn’t the only reason I was breathless. “You’re early.”
His lips parted and then closed again as he looked at the front door of the B&B before turning back to me. “Is that okay? Or am I about to get bounced out of here?”
My head nodded on its own, quickly and enthusiastically like a bobblehead on a country road. “Yes. I mean, no, you’re not. It’s okay.”
Relief mixed with humor flooded his face then, and he reached behind him to unhook a helmet, holding it out to me. “Good. Hop on.”
I looked down at my floral blouse and black slacks. It wasn’t quite a biker-babe ensemble, but at least I’d worn my flats tonight instead of changing into heels after the setup like I normally did. Maybe a small part of me—okay, a big part of me—was hoping for this. I’d never ridden a motorcycle before, and if it had been anyone else, I would have refused. But this was Will.MyWill. And I trusted him with my life.
Nervously, I closed the distance between us and reached for the helmet, awkwardly touching it to my head before remembering that my high ponytail wasn’t exactly the right kind of do for a motorcycle helmet. Crap. I should have thought of that. I’d thought of the shoes, but I hadn’t managed to fix my hair into a low bun at the nape of my neck? What a newb.
“Take it down,” he directed. The heated look in his deep-brown eyes caused shivers to blaze up my spine.
It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how good Will had been at hiding his feelings for me. Sure, I’d had my suspicions that he was full of it, but seeing him now, looking at me with that steady longing made my insides turn to total mush. And that authoritative tone?Swoon.
I held the helmet in one hand and tugged the spiral ponytail holder out of my long blonde hair with the other. It fell in waves over my shoulders, and I ran a hand through it, glad I’d chosen to use the type of band that didn’t leave a residual imprint in my hair when I wore it up.
Once the hair issue was solved, I put the hairband on my wrist and pulled the helmet on. Will reached forward and expertly clipped it under my chin with a flick of his wrist, grinning at me. “You look perfect.”
I rolled my eyes at the term and poked his side. “Notperfect.”
“Perfect for me,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion.
I swallowed, the helmet suddenly feeling restrictive. But before I could reply, he put his own helmet back on and held out his hand. I took it, gingerly easing onto the seat behind him. My feet found purchase on the footrests on either side, but then I suddenly wasn’t sure what to do with my hands.
Will straightened the bike, lifting a foot to flick up the kickstand. Then he paused, taking his hands from the handlebars, and reached back to take hold of mine. I held my breath while he pulled me flush against his back, wrapping my arms around his torso.
“You ready?” he asked, his head turned to look at me over his shoulder.
My skin burned where it connected with his hard body, rendering me momentarily speechless. Then I found my voice and croaked out a feeble, “Ready.”
The engine roared to life, and with a twist of the handlebar, Will hit the throttle to send us forward at a leisurely pace. I wasn’t sure why I’d expected to lurch into full speed right from the start. We were still at my venue, after all, and I knew Will had the restraint not to spray the B&B with a wave of pebbles. The slow pace as we wound around the circular drive and onto the main road gave me time to adjust to the electrifying feeling of being on the back of his bike.
I felt the ripples of his abs under my fingers and resisted the urge to let my hands wander, squeezing tightly instead. He had a body that felt like it had been sculpted from marble. He always had. His pecs and abdomen were designed to taunt the teenage version of myself at pool parties. But I wasn’t that same teenage girl with a crush that I used to be, and my feelings had grown exponentially since then. So now, the only thing on my mind was hoping we wouldn’t crash and burn. Literally and figuratively.
Will slowed to a stop at the end of the drive and put his feet down, turning toward me again. “How you doin’ back there?”
“Good.”
“Good. Well, loosen up a bit. I can’t breathe.”
A shocked laugh came out of me as I let go of him, but he reached back and returned my hands to his stomach. “Keep holding on, just don’t crack a rib.”
I squeezed him tightly in jest, then relaxed my arms. “Better?”
“Much.” He moved like he was about to take off again, then stopped, his cheek turning toward me once more. “Don’t you want to know where we’re going?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“No?”
“I trust you.”
