Page 21 of The Other Side of Apart

His stomach muscles tense, but he doesn’t push my hand away, so I let it wander, testing his limits. Smiling, I bite my lower lip when his knuckles go white, surprised when he veers off the road and flips down the kickstand.

He hops off the bike, ripping off his helmet, and walks a few steps before turning back to me, face flushed.

I smile and shrug. “Why’d you stop?”

He closes his eyes and swears, fighting a smile. “Because you’re driving mecrazy. And you know it.” The smile breaks through, and he runs his fingers through his hair. “I swear you’re gonna get us killed if you keep doing that. And I really don’t wanna die today. Not yet anyway.”

I smirk. “Marcus Miller, I’ve played by your rules for months, and now therearenone.”

He takes my hands in his and pins them behind me. “Tell your hormones to back down a little longer and then, when we get where we’re going, release them like the beasts they are.” His smile catches the few rays of sun poking through the clouds. “I want them to run so free. So very free. But not until we’re there.”

“But I want you so bad right now.” I look into his eyes and read his thoughts, which hover at the surface and send heat up my neck. Oh, he has plans.

He rests his mouth against my ear. “I’m gonna show you just how much I want you. Just not here on the side of a two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere. So, if you want more, you’re gonna keep your hands to yourself until we get to where we’re going.” He lets me go and grins down at me as I groan.

“Seriously?How long until we’re there? My hormones are wondering.”

“Not telling.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, climbs back on the seat, and buckles his helmet. “Let’s get outta here before BigFoot finds us. I hear he likes Asian girls, especially incredibly hot ones. Also…” He smiles at the road ahead of us, then turns it on me. “I’m imagining you naked, so the sooner we get there, the sooner it becomes reality.”

Three agonizingly long hours and a ferry ride later, we’re driving through a gorgeous town on a winding road, far from anywhere either of us has ever been. All new territory in every way. We had time to change on the ferry, and I opted for jeans and a loose sweater while Marcus switched from slacks to jeans but kept on his button down. I’d tried and failed a few times to talk him into finding a secluded spot on the ferry, but when Marcus puts his mind to something, there are no detours.

The sun is setting over the ocean, the orange glow slicing through the trees as we pass patches of forest that open to a rocky shoreline. Marcus checks his phone at an intersection, and we turn left toward the ocean. The road winds through more trees, and the lights of the town fade behind us. A few minutes later, we pull up to a gate.

I peek around him at the private driveway through decorative metal rails. “How did you afford a mansion?”

He shakes his head. “Overtime on three graveyards, that’s how.” He punches in a code on the keypad, and the gate swings open.

Marcus drives slowly through the gate and down the lane. He rounds a corner to a beach house set on a hill above the ocean, completely encircled by trees.

“How did you find this place?” I ask. My eyes climb the steps to the front door and move along the wraparound porch, my nerves and excitement flaring.

“Spent hours on Wen’s laptop while you were working your last day. And here we are…”

He pulls up to the garage and taps his phone screen. The garage door lifts, and he parks the bike, cutting the engine.

“And…here we are.” Marcus hangs his helmet on the handlebars and grins over his shoulder at me.

I slide off the bike, hang my helmet on the handlebar, then slip back onto the seat, facing him. “So…release the hormones?” My stomach tightens, and the garage light flicks off as a breeze slips between us, ruffling Marcus’s hair.

His nose brushes mine. We look into each other’s eyes in the dim light from the sunset, and I scoot forward, sliding into his lap. I kiss him slowly, like I’m leading him down a winding path.

He melts into me, tugging me closer. His hands slip under my shirt, up my back, pulling the sweater over my head. One hand tosses the sweater over the handlebars behind me while the other glides over my bare skin, spreading fire.

Finally.

I deepen the kiss, unbuttoning his shirt, never breaking contact. We mold together, our mouths hungry and eager for each other until he pulls back, breathless, his mouth hot on my ear. “This bike’s gonna know way more about us than it should if we keep this up.”

I close my eyes as his hand runs up my neck, tangling in my hair.

“We have a whole house to ourselves. Where we can do anything we want for three days, no interruptions.” His smile spreads against my temple, and sparks zing through me.

He winds my legs tighter around his waist then holds me as he slides off the bike. I wrap my arms around his neck as he carries me toward the door.

“Should we grab our bags?” I ask.

He hits the garage door button, and it closes behind us as we walk up the steps. “I’ve got the essentials in my pocket…”

“What are you saying, Marcus Miller?” My fingers curl into the hair at his neck.

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