Page 67 of A Smooth Operator

"Like hot chocolate or coffee or…." I waved at my kitchen. "I think there's a thermos in there somewhere."

Chapter 25

Remi

It was a crisp November Sunday in Memphis, the kind where the sky was a clear, unfettered blue, and the air was just cold enough to make your breath visible.

Echo was wrapped in a thick wool scarf and a beanie that made her look irresistibly cute. We were both in need of an escape from our routines and the ghosts of our recent tensions.

I decided on Shelby Farms Park, knowing its vast expanses and scenic views would offer the harmony we sought. The drive was invigorating, the bike's engine a smooth, steady rumble beneath us, the open road a welcoming stretch of freedom. Echo held onto me, her chest against my back. I felt a comforting warmth with her wrapped around me despite the chill in the air.

"Remember our first hike?" I yelled back over the roar of the engine as we neared the park. It had been a destination for many of our school field trips.

Echo laughed, a light, infectious sound that I felt rather than heard, her chest vibrating against my back. "It was a great hike," she replied, her voice muffled against my jacket.

"Of course, because it was with me," I teased, guiding the Ducati smoothly into the park's entrance.

We parked near the lake, which reflected the autumn sky perfectly, a mirror image that made the horizon seem endless. After dismounting, I pulled out the thermos of hot cocoa stashed in a saddlebag, along with a couple of blankets.

We found a spot under an old oak tree and spread one blanket on the ground. The earth was cold, but the wool and our bodies provided plenty of insulation. I poured us each a cup of cocoa, the steam curling up into the air, mingling with the last leaves that clung stubbornly to the branches above.

Echo sighed contentedly, tucking her feet under close to my thighs under the blanket that I'd wrapped around us. "This is perfect, Remi. Thank you for bringing me here."

"It is perfect," I agreed, and her smile told me it had been exactly the right move.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How do you know I'm not just a challenge or guilt or I don't know, just somethin' you need to have because you lost it?"

Her question wounded me. These were her insecurities screaming aloud. No one had loved this girl—no one had shown her how amazing she was. My father had, but then he had been her aunt's boss and now hers.

"I love you, Echo."

She licked her lips nervously. "How many women have you loved?"

This was my ace in the hole. "Just you."

If her eyes could get any wider, they would have. "You don't mean that," she whispered, frightened out of her mind.

"I do."

She shook her head. "Remi. You feel bad about what I heard you saying. That's all this is."

"You don't believe that, Doll."

I wanted so badly to touch her, but that would be cheating. I could get her so hot that she'd sleep with me; she'd agree to anything—I figured that out last night, or maybe I'd always known. But I wanted her warm and willing, consciously walking into this relationship.

"You were really going to tell your mother and everyone else that we were together last night?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"Why, Doll?"

She shrugged as if suddenly tired. She set the plastic cup she'd drunk her hot chocolate from on the blanket. "Your mother hates me, Remi."

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