Page 32 of Stalking His Mate

“Um, I’ve never ridden one of these before,” she tells me as I settle my helmet over her head. It’s a little loose, so I tighten the chin strap, but it’ll be better than nothing. First thing on my list is to get her fitted for everything she’ll need to ride with me. And Molly too. I’ve already been searching for which dirt bike will be best to start teaching her on.

Bending down, I look at her through the visor and give her a wink. Then I swing my leg over the bike and hold out my hand to her. She hesitates, but only for a moment before she takes hold of my hand and climbs on behind me.

With a turn of the key the bike rumbles to life and her arms squeeze around me. With one hand on the bar, I squeeze her hands that are clenched in front of my stomach and shout over my shoulder, “Hold on tight and lean when I lean.”

She slams the visor down on the helmet and bobs her head.

I nudge the kickstand with my heel and we’re off, leaving her high-pitched scream behind us.

Her hands have a death grip on my shirt, and it takes all my willpower not to show off and hot rod down the road, but I decide that I want her on the back of my bike again someday, so I behave.

With the afternoon sun beating down on us, I head for the mountains. It’s the perfect day for a ride, with blue skies dotted with cotton clouds and surprisingly little traffic for a Saturday. The moment we hit the tree line, I turn off the highway onto a narrow, twisty road that will eventually lead to my cabin.

Letting off the throttle, I let the bike take the switch-back turns with leisure. With my girl pressed up behind me and her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, I’m in no hurry.

When we’re about halfway up the mountain, I pull off the road and shut my bike off.

“Where are we?” Amy asks as I turn around and lift my helmet off her head. I bite back a laugh when her hair puffs out from static.

“I want to show you something,” I say, smoothing the copper strands down for her and then helping her off the bike.

Grabbing her hand, I thread my fingers through hers and lead her into the trees and down a well-worn trail. The path winds through thick old growth before coming out on a rocky ledge that overlooks the city below.

“Oh,” Amy’s feet shuffle to a stop with her gasp.

Pulling her in front of me, I walk us over to a flat-topped boulder. Climbing on first, I pull her down to sit in front of me. Curling my arms around her, still holding her hand, I rest my chin on her shoulder. “What do you think?”

The view is breathtaking. The blue sky is dotted with puffy white clouds that cast dappled shadows into the valley below. A lazy river twists between the city and the base of the mountains, the choppy water glinting in the bright sunlight. Birds of prey glide on the currents.

It’s cooler this high up, but I don’t think that is what is causing the goosebumps to pebble her arms.

“I’ve never been up here before,” she breathes. “It’s beautiful.”

Looking down at her, I take in her profile. “Mmm, beautiful.”

Amy catches me staring at her and huffs out a soft laugh. “I shouldn’t feel this comfortable with you. It makes no sense, the way my brain can’t remember you but—” her fingers squeeze mine and she lets her head lean back on my shoulder. “—but my body is completely at ease in your presence.”

I tighten my arms around her, pulling her into my body. “I never meant to let them take you. I thought we had more time, but they snuck in while I was in the bathroom coming up with a plan.”

The way her body tenses for a moment cuts me, but then she relaxes again, letting out a soft sigh.

“I couldn’t stop crying when I woke up. I thought that maybe something awful had happened, but…then I realized that I was mourning.” She’s quiet for several heart beats and I don’t miss the way her hand comes up to rub at the healed claiming bite I left on her shoulder. “Can you tell me about that night?” she asks.

I press my lips to her temple and start with the first time I saw her in the diner. How I recognized her as my mate immediately, and then, when all my courting tactics backfired, I decided to use the auction to bring her into my world.

“I have been watching you outside your apartment every day. Making sure you were okay.”

Amy twists in my arms so she can look up at me. “Wait… you—there was a cougar outside my apartment the other night. Was that you?”

I grin and she smacks my shoulder with the back of her hand.

“You scared me half to death!”

No, I didn’t. I hated how upset she was when she saw me, but I know it wasn’t from fear, but I’m not going to argue with her. Instead, I lean in and nuzzle the side of her face. “Can I show you something else?”

She nods and I lead her back to my bike. This time I push the throttle through the turns until she’s screaming in my ear and squeezing my guts up into my chest.

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