Risky Business (23 page)

Taking a deep breath at the thought of wading into the water, she took her hand off the mouse and wiped her clammy palm on her pants, then took another look, for at least the hundredth time, at the note she'd found from Theo that morning, each word written in shaky, compact block letters.

WORKING WITH DUKE DUKE ON NEW ICE INK. P. S. PINK MARSHMELO HANGOVERS ARAE JUST AS WIMPY AS THE DRI INK WAS

She knew full well that it took guts for a proud man like him to put himself out there like that in composing a note. She'd lived and worked alongside him for a month and this was the first time she'd seen his writing. That he'd done it to tell her why he wasn't around and make a sweet joke about their time together last night made her heart ache with affection.

She couldn't wait until he got home so she could show him how much it meant to her. Looking at the note, knowing how much bravery it took him to write it, gave her the last push of courage she needed. She replaced her hand on the mouse. Closing her eyes, she clicked the “complete transaction” button. There. It was done. She had three weeks to screw up the courage to actually go. Not that she was going to try to stop being afraid of water, but she just had to decide, once and for all, not to let her fears hold her back.

Telling Chelsea and Theo about the class was another matter entirely. She almost mentioned the water class to Chelsea that morning, but she'd stopped. The thought of announcing it made it feel more real than hitting “complete transaction” on the payment had. Maybe she needed to get that first class under her belt before she shared the news so she wouldn't have to see disappointment in Theo and Chelsea's eyes if she chickened out at the last minute.

That was a pessimistic attitude, she realized, and Marlena would probably tell her she needed to visualize and meditate on her success in the water, but Allison had tried hypnosis and lots of therapy that had included visualization, and so she knew that method did nothing but give her anxiety attacks.

When she heard a truck engine, she peeked out the window and her heart did a jump. Theo was home. He was sweaty and grimy from whatever work he'd been doing with Duke's crew, so she wasn't that surprised when he didn't stop by the office to see her, but headed straight to Lanette, stripping his shirt off as he walked, probably headed to the shower.

She considered waiting for him in the office and getting a few more minutes of work done, but then she had a better idea. She folded his note and put it in a drawer for safekeeping, fluffed her hair and did a check in the mirror of her compact, then walked into the garage. Time to see how long it took him to sense that she'd invaded his man cave.

His Harley Davidson sat in middle of the room, its black leather and metal gleaming. She loved its simple design—no flames or artwork, no array of colors other than his Canadian army emblem, but just black and chrome. Simple and utterly masculine. Utterly Theo.

She'd never ridden on a motorcycle before. The idea that Theo might take her on a ride if she asked him got her heart pounding hard and fast, not just with fear but anticipation of straddling the vibrating leather seat, her hips near his ass, her arms holding on tight around him while they barreled over the highway on a powerful machine. Maybe he'd wear his leather riding jacket and she could bury her nose in it and smell that aftershave-and-leather scent that drove her crazy. She bet he'd even kiss her again.

She touched the seat, then the handlebars. Another look at the open side door dispelled the notion that Theo might have some kind of telepathic security trip wire for when someone was touching his precious bike. She wondered what it would take to get him to appear, to get him to offer to take her for a ride.

She rocked her weight to her left leg, then swung her right leg over the seat. She had short legs, but she managed not to look too ungraceful. She settled her butt down, hands on the gas tank. What a wicked contraption this was, forcing her to open her legs, to grip and balance, all the while taking in the scent of leather and motor oil. It was too much bike for her—too thick, the handlebars too far away, everything big and bulky. Straddling it, she felt small. Not intimidated, but petite and feminine and full of sensual power, just as she felt when kissing Theo.

She loved it—and the engine wasn't even on yet.

She checked the door. No Theo. Hmm. Maybe it was time to push the issue.

She'd watched him start the engine at least a dozen times. How hard could it be? She unlocked the deadlock, turned it, then pushed the start button on the handle. Nothing happened.

The door darkened and she knew she'd been made.
Finally.
She met his heated gaze with what she hoped was a seductive smile. He'd propped a shoulder against the door frame, looking like he approved of her being on his Harley.

“It's a keyless start, but you still have to have the key in range,” he said.

“Do you have the key with you right now?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Yes.”

“Well, you'd better get in range so I can start this bad boy up.”

He pushed off the door frame and walked to her. She watched every step, drinking in the motion of his stride, the way that it was more than a walk, but not as showy as a swagger. It was control and masculinity and muscle. Then he was at her side. His stomach brushed her knee and his shadow fell over her.

He set a hand on the seat behind her, the other on her thigh. “It's going to be a little hard for you to drive this, seeing as the garage door's closed.”

“I wasn't going to go anywhere. I just wanted to start it, to find out what it felt like.”

“You've never been on a bike before?”

“This is my first time.”

Rather than answer, he leaned his arm in front of her and repeated the process for starting the bike, the same as Allison had done, except this time, it shuddered to a rumble. A couple twists to the right handle and the rumble became a roar.

The sound was earsplitting in the confines of the garage. No wonder Theo used this as a mute button. Allison couldn't hear anything else besides the engine, not even the chuckle of amazement that burst out of her at the feel of its power and vibration between her thighs, under her butt and everywhere beneath her. Oh, yes. This was the stuff.

Theo's hand returned to her leg. She liked it there, liked him so close. She didn't try to speak—he wouldn't hear her anyway—but she nodded her appreciation.

He dipped his head close to her ear and nibbled on her lobe until she trembled. “Your sister has Katie?”

A thrill coursed through her. Maybe he was going to take her for a ride or upstairs to her bed. Either way, if she was with him, she'd be happy. She nodded.

He left her side and opened the roll up door. A ride on his bike it was, then. They'd get to the other option by the end of the night, if she had anything to say about it. He then walked to a long cabinet. From within it, he pulled her favorite riding jacket and a helmet. So that's where he kept it. His helmet still sat above the fuel tank, so this one must be for her.

He returned and held the riding jacket out as though he wanted her to slip it on. She'd swim in it, but she couldn't find it in herself to reject the gesture of being allowed to wear his special jacket. He zipped her into it and straightened the collar, his expression at once both serious and doting.

She couldn't not kiss him any longer. Curling her fingers around his neck, she pulled his face to hers. His breath was minty, as though he'd brushed his teeth before coming to see her. If possible, that little detail made her want him even more deeply. Everything this man did for her was layered with so many levels of tenderness and care. She felt her heart opening wide for him, wider than she knew was possible, and her body ached for him with a desire more profound than she'd ever experienced or known was possible.

When she ended the kiss, she splayed her hand on his sternum and measured his exhale and the pounding of his heart, which matched her own in intensity.

His fingers briefly lighted over her hand, then he reached into the pocket of the jacket she wore and pulled out a pair of riding gloves. While she pulled them on, he fastened the helmet over her head, visor up. It was claustrophobic in the helmet, loose enough that she could breathe and move, but an odd sensation nonetheless.

Taking her hips in his hands, he backed her up, making room for himself. Then he swung on and settled in front of her. His thighs looked powerful, his waist narrow, shoulders broad, as though a motorcycle was the male equivalent of the way high heels enhanced a woman's physique, highlighting their user's assets.

She slid close and pushed back the cuffs of the jacket so she could put her hands around his waist. He raised the kickstand, walked the bike out of the building and onto the concrete staging area behind the office, then pressed the button to close the door behind them. Though clouds threatened on the horizon, the sun was bright in the hazy afternoon sky. She watched a boat drift down the canal, its two passengers and captain sipping wine and sunning themselves.

He tipped his chin over his shoulder. “Ready?”

“Yes,” she called as loud as she could.

Then they were off. Slow at first, past Locks, then cruising down the street that ran along the canal. Feeling the wind on her body, knowing she was safe with Theo in command, was the most exhilarating, incredible feeling.

They passed bridges that were raised for boats to pass beneath, locks filling and emptying with water, and too many trees and quaint buildings to count. As for the water itself, Allison's perspective had shifted so much since her first morning at Cloud Nine. She now recognized the beauty in the canal's steadfast, easy current, the green of the water and the life that flourished on its banks.

When she looked at the water, she thought about Theo, and about Chelsea playing “Moon River,” and about the class she was going to take with Katie. All good things. She would have never, in a million years, guessed that her new life in Destiny Falls would have changed her so drastically.

They paused at the sight of a gate closing for a lock containing a pontoon boat. Theo idled the engine as they watched the water level rise, lifting the boat, harnessing this power of the water that Allison had once believed in her heart was too powerful and villainous to tame. When the gate on the opposite side of the lock opened, releasing the boat into another long section of the canal, Theo and Allison waved to the boat captain, then eased back onto the road.

An hour or so into the drive, he turned off the main road onto a two-lane road, leaving all vestiges of suburban life in their wake. He slowly cruised along the road that followed the path of the canal into a wild section, its banks lined with dirt, grass, and trees instead of concrete. It widened out, flowing like a river. Every so often, she'd catch the glimpse of a cottage or industrial relic from the canal's early days tucked into the foliage, but they saw no other vehicles or people for a solid ten minutes.

The scene looked so peaceful that she wished they could stop and turn the bike off so she could hear the hushed silence of the sun sinking into the dark clouds on the horizon, or the calls of the birds who wintered there, refusing to budge from their home despite the cold, or the bugs who serenaded the coming night.

As if reading her mind, he crawled the bike to a stop near where the canal really did become a river, forking off around a formidable sandbank replete with trees and grass fronted by a caution light directing boats to pass on the right and a small footbridge that touched down a few paces in front of them.

As soon as the bike's engine cut, she pulled off her helmet. The sounds of their surroundings rushed up against her, loud and clear, even the babbling of the water. She rested her cheek on Theo's back, her arms still around his waist, taking it all in.

After removing his helmet and hanging it on the handlebar, he raised his face to the sky, stroking her arms.

“What do you hear?” she asked.

He let out a stream of air through his nose, as though considering her question. “Not much yet because the engine was so loud. It takes a while for my brain to catch up to the fact that the noise actually stopped. Typically, I hear birds here, and boats when they pass. If I concentrate, I can hear the wind rustle the leaves of the trees, but sometimes I can't tell if I'm actually hearing it or imagining the sound.”

“Does it matter?”

“No. None of it really matters. Sounds, I mean. I learned that right away after the explosion.”

He didn't sound like he wanted to elaborate, and they were in too beautiful a place for her to force him to dredge up ugly memories. She buried her face in his back. Simply being. They stayed like that for a long time, embracing. Despite the beauty of the clouds, sun, and nature, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. He smelled so good, and he was so strong and big within her embrace.

After a while, he stopped stroking her arm, but he hadn't let on that he wanted her to put her helmet back on or give him some space. She wasn't sure she could let go of him if she tried. It was such a relief to hold on to something solid, to someone she could count on. It'd been way too long since she'd had that in her life.

Knowing she was falling for him hard was a little scary. She still wasn't sure she was ready for it, and there was still a chance that their intoxicating, powerful connection wouldn't translate into anything more than just that. The trouble was, she couldn't keep from imagining them building a life together. She wanted to know his stories. She wanted to hold his hand and go for weekend drives just like this and run their business together. She wanted him to be a father figure for Katie.

He shifted on the seat. His spine stiffened and he pulled away from her.

“Will Chelsea be expecting you home soon? Katie probably needs you back there.” His voice was impatient, which wasn't a surprise, even though it was a disappointment.