Emma shifted closer behind him, her chest pressed to his back. “Where are we?”
“Derek and I used to come here a lot. Thought you might like to see it.”
She didn’t say anything, but her arms tightened around him. He held in a groan. Her hands on his stomach had gone from distracting to flat-out arousing, and that was not a good state to be in while straddling a bike. But he couldn’t bring himself to move, to break the connection.
“Is this where you guys went cliff-jumping?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You finally brought me,” she whispered. Her hands rested just above the waistband of his jeans, and he was practically holding his breath, silently hoping she’d slide them south, even while his brain wrestled with his dick, reminding him this was Emma. He could feel Derek’s shadow here like a physical presence.
He motioned for her to hop off the bike. She lifted off her helmet and stood behind him, leaving him without the feel of her chest against his back, her arms around him, and her hands…
She swung her right leg over the bike, stumbling as she hit the ground. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Instead of hitting the asphalt, she fell against him. Her blue eyes widened, her lips parted, and hell.
He had no idea what happened next, who moved first, but his lips brushed hers, and his body revved straight into overdrive. She tasted like some kind of fruity lip gloss, sweet and sexy. He bent his head, deepening the kiss.
Next thing he knew, she was in front of him on the bike, facing him, kissing him like crazy, and every cell in his body was lit up for her, for Emma. Emma…
She moaned, scooting closer, her knees pressing into his thighs, and it was all he could do not to reach down and hook her legs over his so that she could slide all the way home. But?—
“Emma.”
“Mm?” She lifted her head, her eyes glazed, her pink lips curved in a dreamy smile.
He drew in a ragged breath. “What are we doing?”
“Kissing?” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
Desire curled hot and strong inside him. “Shouldn’t.”
Her cheeks darkened, and her face fell, and dammit, he was an ass. He hauled her up against him and kissed her again, hard. “I didn’t mean…hell, Emma. I am completely blindsided right now. But whatever this thing is between us, I am feeling it. Big time.”
“Me, too,” she said, sounding breathless.
“Let’s walk. I have someplace I want to show you, and then we need to talk.”
She grimaced. “Unless talk is a euphemism for kissing…”
No, they definitely needed to talk, but he was never going to be able to think straight with her in his lap, her knee mere inches from a certain, very hard part of his anatomy. He slid his hands up her sides and lifted her off the bike.
Emma grumbled in protest as he set her on the ground.
“Let’s walk, and then we’ll talk.”
Emma pressed her fingers against her lips as she followed Ryan down a path into the woods. That kiss. Holy shit. Her pulse was still racing, her knees still weak. The chemistry between them combined with the rumble of the motorcycle beneath them was altogether the hottest thing she’d ever experienced.
Her little crush on Ryan Blake had just exploded into something a whole lot more, and she had no idea what would happen next. He wanted to talk, which didn’t sound terribly promising, but unless she’d totally lost her mind, she was pretty sure he had kissed her, not the other way around. Which meant…well, it meant he was attracted to her, whether he liked it or not.
And that knowledge alone was enough to rock her world.
“So how serious are you about living a little dangerously?” Ryan asked, tossing her a wicked smile.
“Totally serious—oh shit.” She stopped dead in her tracks as they came out on the bank of a rushing stream spanned only by a fallen tree trunk lying about five feet above the icy water.
“Looks like the bridge is washed out,” he said. “Feeling adventurous?”
“Um…yeah, sure. Why not?” She’d just kissed Ryan. She was invincible right now!