Page 25 of Wild Dreams

"Morning, Mari."

I loved when he called me that. He was the only one who ever shortened my name. I left the door open as I pulled on a green puffer jacket, then headed to the kitchen to grab my bag of food and the drinks.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I made some egg burritos for us to eat on the way, and coffee."

Chance's eyes flashed. "I could kiss you right now. How are you not already taken? You're like the perfect woman."

My cheeks heated. "I don't know about that."

His gaze dropped to the bag. "I'm starving. Can I eat one now?"

"Sure." I dug one out and handed it to him.

"Can you open the garage? I'll throw the bike in the back." He ate the burrito in two bites. "That was delicious."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "How can you taste it when you eat so fast?"

"Trust me. I can. I'm used to eating quick on the job."

I shook my head as we headed into the garage. Chance maneuvered my bike into the back next to his. I closed the door, then climbed into his passenger-side seat.

The cab smelled like Chance: leather and the outdoors. He turned on the engine, adjusting the heat to high, tilting the vents toward me.

I appreciated the gesture. Chance knew how to take care of a woman, which immediately made me think of how he'd be in bed. But I had no business having thoughts about dirty Chance.

I unwrapped another burrito and handed it to Chance. He ate that one just as fast. I ate mine a bit more slowly, savoring the flavors and enjoying the first few sips of coffee. It really was the perfect morning.

I was up early, eating a good breakfast, and admiring the sunrise on the drive to the trail. In the parking lot, we threw out our trash, then got our things ready to ride. He'd brought water bottles and a few snacks.

We rode down the short dirt trail to where it veered off in several different directions. I took the one for the lake. It was long but flat. We rode side by side for a while because there were very few bikers and runners up this early. As it got busier, Chance moved behind me.

Midmorning, I stopped at a spot with several boulders. "This seemed like a good place to rest for a minute."

Chance sat next to me, handing me a fresh water bottle and a container of granola. "I was ready for one."

"Did you make this?"

"I pack it for work every day."

"It's good." It had nuts, chocolate, raisins, and some kind of seeds. The perfect amount of salty and sweet. "I guess this isn't exactly mountain biking with the guys."

"This is nice too." He appeared to be genuine. "I don't have to be competitive in everything I do."

"Just around the Wilde boys?"

Chance chuckled. "It seems that way. I think when you have so many brothers, it's inevitable. Even Oliver is competitive. He just uses numbers to prove his point."

"I've always envied those with big families and lots of siblings. I wonder if my life would have been different had I had a sibling. Maybe my parents would have been around more." I'd always suspected they were able to check out of parenthood because I was so responsible. If I'd gotten into trouble at school, or needed help academically then they would have been forced to be present.

"If you'd had lots of siblings, you wouldn't be the person you are today. Independent and strong."

"You think so?" It floored me that he thought I was powerful. I'd always felt a bit weak because I was still hurt over my parents' inattention.

"I've known you all my life. You're the toughest person I know."

"You have to have seen a lot in your line of work."

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