Page 8 of Crazy for You

“Emma Rush,” Ryan answered. “She’s an old friend who needs a ride home.”

“On your bike?” Jason looked skeptical, and for good reason.

Because Ryan didn’t often give a chick a ride without hoping to get laid afterward. “Only ride I’ve got. I’ve known Emma since she was a kid. She’s just a friend.”

“Whatever you say, man.” Jason slapped him on the shoulder and headed for the back door.

Ryan turned to find Emma in the doorway, a funny smile on her face. “It might sound better if you said you’d known me since we were kids, instead of since I was a kid.”

“Same thing, isn’t it?” He zipped his jacket and led the way toward the back door.

“As long as you’re not still thinking about me like I’m twelve,” she said with a wink as she pushed the door open ahead of him. She wore a blue jacket now, not nearly thick enough to keep her warm on his bike. It was mid-March, and the temperature tonight had dipped into the forties.

He glanced at her ass. Yep, she was definitely all grown up now. “You sure you want to do this? If Mark’s still up, I could get his keys and drive you home in his SUV.”

“I’m positive I won’t freeze to death in the time it takes you to drive me home.”

“All right then.” It was cold tonight, but he’d always found it exhilarating to feel the icy rush against his body as he rode. Emma might regret her decision later, but she was right; she wouldn’t freeze to death in the time it took to get her home. “You got gloves?”

She pulled a pair of black gloves out of her pockets and slipped them on.

He led the way around the corner and down two blocks to the renovated building he, Ethan, and Mark had bought condos in last year. Ethan’s condo was noticeably empty these days as he spent more and more time at Gabby’s place.

Emma walked up to the Harley and rested her hand on the handlebar. She turned to look at him with a gleam in her eyes. She really did want to ride on it. Well, he’d be damned. Maybe he’d underestimated her.

He unlocked the door to his first-floor unit and grabbed the spare helmet he kept for just this occasion. Except usually the woman riding on the back of his bike was someone he was either sleeping with or hoping to sleep with. But this is Emma.

“You ready?” he asked as he held it out to her.

“You have no idea.” She took it with a smile and slid it onto her head.

And…fuck. The combination of the skintight jeans, jacket, and his helmet on her head was too much. He’d never been able to resist a woman dressed to ride, let alone a woman on his bike. Which meant he was crazy to give her this ride.

He handed her a pair of glasses, then put on his own helmet.

“What are these?” she asked.

“Eye protection.” His slid his pair into place. Too bad they did nothing to obscure his view of Emma, because damn, she was turning him on big time right now. Those jeans… “All right, wait for me to give you the all clear, then you’re going to put your left foot on the peg, grab my shoulders, and climb on.”

“Okay.” Excitement danced in her eyes.

He mounted the bike, settled himself, and cranked the engine. It roared beneath him with barely leashed restraint. This bike was his pride and joy, the first thing of value he’d ever bought for himself. He’d worked his ass off for this beast and never regretted a single penny he’d spent.

Once the engine settled beneath him, he gave Emma a nod. As she swung into place, her hands settled on his waist, searing his skin even through all their layers of clothing. No doubt about it, she was going to be his undoing tonight.

Whoa. Emma closed her eyes and let out a shriek as Ryan guided the bike onto Main Street and picked up speed. The cold wind whipped her face, taking her breath away. Beneath her, the engine rumbled and roared like a wild thing. Holy shit. She was on the back of Ryan Blake’s bike, and it was amazing.

The wind bit through her thin, knit gloves, hitting her fingers with an icy blast. Actually, every part of her was freezing, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms more firmly around Ryan’s waist, anchoring herself to him so she didn’t tumble off the back of the bike, and somehow her hands slipped beneath his jacket. Ahh. That was better. Toasty warm, and also…her hands were on his T-shirt. Even through her gloves, she felt the hard contour of his abs, and nope, she wasn’t cold now.

And this was absolutely freaking amazing.

She hung on tight as he guided them over Haven’s twisting mountain roads, deserted at this hour. Overhead the moon shone like a beacon, illuminating the night in its soft, silvery glow. The roar of the engine and the slap of the wind against her face shocked her senses. It was thrilling, invigorating, so completely different from riding inside a car.

She’d never have done this if Mandy hadn’t dared her, and now she felt like her eyes were open for the first time in years. This was what she needed. Somewhere along the way, as she sat at the bar talking to Ryan, she’d realized she was having fun, really having fun. And she wanted more. She wanted it all, every last wild and crazy fantasy.

All too soon, her building came into view. Ryan cut the engine and guided them quietly into the driveway, coming to a stop behind her silver Toyota RAV4.

“Don’t worry,” she told him. “I share this place with students. They’re probably still up, but if not, I’ve suffered through enough of their late-night parties that they’d sure as hell better not complain about a little motorcycle noise.” She rented the front half of this multi-unit cabin. The back half had two apartments, both occupied by college students.

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