Page 318 of The Tempted

I hit send, looked up to see what street I was on before typing a text in reply to his second question.

Me: 86thand 23rdAve. Walking to the train.

Tiger: Why no car?

Me: It blew up.

I wished it had, at least then I’d have an insurance check to buy another piece of crap car.

I glanced up, looking both ways before I crossed the intersection and stopped in my tracks when I looked across the street and saw Riggs leaning against his bike with his phone in his hand and a devilish grin on his face. I’m pretty sure my ovaries exploded.

My phone chimed, and I tore my eyes from that sinful grin of his and read the last text message he sent me.

Tiger: Want a ride, Kitten?

My teeth sank into my lower lip and I lifted my eyes to his, managing to ignore the cars passing that threatened to obscure my view of him.

I wanted more than just a ride on the back of his bike.

I crossed the street, tucking my phone back into my pocketbook and watched as he shoved his into his pocket.

“Are you following me?” I said, standing in front of him, realizing he saw every one of my reactions to each text. He saw me smile and knew he was the reason for it.

“Me? Never!” he scoffed. “I’d never invade someone’s privacy,” he insisted with a straight face. He took the helmet hanging from the handlebars and offered it to me.

“What do you say? It beats having to ride the train,” he said.

“Says who?” I replied, trying my best not to give away how much I wanted to take him up on his offer.

“Says any girl who ever wrapped their legs around me,” he stated, fitting the helmet onto my head and tightening the chin strap. “Looks good on you, “nurse make me feel good,”” he teased, before throwing his leg over his bike and glancing back over his shoulder at me. “Get on, Kitten.”

I stared at him for a moment, watching as he revved the engine of the bike and how easily his foot kicked up the kickstand. It was so tempting, something I always wanted to do. I could argue, going for a ride with Riggs was just a check off my bucket list, but the more I stared at the man and not the bike, the more I wanted to because ofhimand not some silly fantasy.

“Are you always this crazy?” I asked, walking closer to him.

“I prefer the term colorful,” he winked. “Place one hand on my shoulder and throw your leg over, then place your feet on the pegs but be careful of the exhaust pipe.”

“I have virgin written all over my face, don’t I?” I said, as I went through the motions. Once I was fully seated behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist. He tightened my arms around him and glanced over his shoulder.

“Not exactly what I think when I look at your face, Kitten,” he drawled. “Hang on,” he added before pulling away from the curb.

I’ve done a lot of stuff that one might consider exciting, like parasailing in Cancun and the time I took skydiving lessons but didn’t have the balls to jump out of the plane. But getting on the back of Riggs’ bike, not knowing where we were going, evoked an adrenaline rush quite like no other I ever experienced. The wind in my hair, the sharp turns and fast ride…it was everything. And I never wanted it to end.

I clutched the leather of his vest tightly with my fingers and laid my chin on his shoulder. The smell of his cologne tickled my nostrils and gave me one more thing to add to the memory. I’d go back home, to my shit job, and my upside down life but when I was alone and trying to figure out where I went from there, something told me I’d remember the feel of the leather beneath my fingertips and the way he smelled so fresh.

He pulled into L&B Spumoni Garden’s parking lot and killed the engine of the bike.

“I’m hungry,” he declared, as we climbed off the bike. “And I hate eating alone,” he added, taking my hand and dragging me toward the pizzeria so we could stand in line and wait our turn.

“So you’re not going to tell me how you stored your number in my phone?” he grinned in response. “Okay, then are you going to tell me anything about yourself?”

“That depends,” he said thoughtfully.

“On?”

“Are you going to tell me why a girl like you works in a place called The Pink Pussycat and not off saving lives?”

“Isn’t that a bit dramatic?”

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