Page 20 of Mac
"It's safer to wear."Mac shrugged."I never intend to lay a bike down, but it happens once in a while.When it does, you'll be glad to have a layer of tough leather between your skin and the pavement."He ran one finger along the smooth surface of her coat."Same reason you wear a helmet."
Elyse sighed."Very well."She shrugged into the jacket without another complaint, then reached out for her helmet.He handed it over from where it sat in his lap on the gas tank of the motorcycle, and watched as she settled it into place, and latched it.When she finished, she gave him a questioning look, asking without words if she met inspection.Mac thought she looked better than she had any right to, and far more beautiful than Mac deserved.Still if she was fool enough to want him anywhere near as much as he wanted her, he wasn't going to do anything to discourage her.
"You look great, climb on."
Elyse's eyes went wide as his voice was carried through the headset he'd turned on in the helmets before he'd put his own on."I can hear you!"
"The headsets make long rides easier.I'm not much for them for short rides, but they're nice for long ones."He waited while she climbed on behind him, then checked to make sure her legs weren't touching the pipes where she'd end up burned sooner rather than later.That done, he finished backing out of the drive and pulled out onto the road.He was looking forward to the ride ahead more than he'd thought possible, and that was given how much he loved to ride.
CHAPTER12
Blood beat a rhythmic whoosh in Elyse's ears, the rest of the world muffled through the heavy helmet as Mac drove the bike down their street and out on to the main road with an ease she couldn't quite understand.Well, she could, she knew he'd been riding for years and she had no doubt about his skill.What she doubted was that she could ever handle the motorcycle with the same ease he did.Not that she had the desire to.Elyse was content to sit right where she was and enjoy the ride while he took care of the driving, the worrying about traffic and where they were going.
It was almost like something out of a book.She'd never experienced anything like riding with Mac, even after having read more than a few books that had bikers in them.Somehow the wonder, the exhilaration of the rumble beneath her and the way the land sped past with nothing between her and it but a little air, didn't carry through the printed word.Maybe it was the skill of the author, or the lack thereof, but until Mac had invited her out, she'd had no idea what she was missing.Now, though?She would take every chance she got to ride along, but as much as she might like the fantasy of being on her own bike, she didn't think she'd ever try it.
"You all right back there?"Mac's voice surprised her again, so close, almost as if he were right beside her speaking only to her.It pulled her from her thoughts and back to the reality.For a moment she imagined they were in bed, him whispering to her in that soft brogue.Heat pooled low in her belly.Somehow, she'd missed that they were out of town and she didn't even know where they were.
"I'm good."A quick look around told her they were headed north, likely toward Catalina.
"You sure?I'm not sure I've ever seen you this quiet for this long?"
"I'm sure.I figured part of the point of a ride was the quiet, or at least the lack of talking.I was enjoying the sights and thinking, that's all."
"I don't mind listening to you talk.I kind of like it, to tell the truth."
Elyse didn't know why, but somehow those words made her want to melt against him.He hadn't said he liked her, only that he liked hearing her talk, still, his words sent her heart a flutter.
"You may regret telling me that," she said with a laugh.She used the light banter to cover how her stomach fluttered.The desert continued to fly past, making her realize they were going far faster than she'd ever been on the motorcycle.What had been a happy flutter in her belly, turned to a nervous one and she had to fight the urge to clutch Mac around the middle as visions of what would happen to her and Mac if they wrecked now danced in her head.
"Is something wrong?"Mac's voice drew her from her gruesome thoughts.
"No, what makes you ask?"The last thing she wanted to do was admit she was afraid.Especially of the motorcycle or his driving.
"You stiffened, I thought something might have scared you."
"No.I'm good."
Mac was quiet a moment.Elyse hoped he believed her but wasn't holding her breath.Maybe he was just polite enough to let it go."You sure?You would tell me if there was something bothering you, wouldn't you?"
Something about his tone made her regret her lie.But how did she admit it now?How could she tell him the truth?
"I was a little surprised when I noticed how fast we're going.It seems a lot faster on a motorcycle than in a car."There, that should do it.She didn't tell him she was afraid of becoming a smear on the pavement, but she had admitted to being startled.It was better than telling him how badly she wanted him to slow down, just a little, and sounding like a total wimp.
"It does seem faster, but I guess I'm used to it.I'm only doing sixty, but we'll be slowing down before much longer."
"You don't have to do that just for me."
"I'm not.The speed limit drops as we get into the mountains over there."He nodded to the north west of them.Elyse frowned, trying to remember what exactly was ahead of them.She'd never been very far up this road, never past Oracle, and there only a couple times.
"What's up there?Where are we going?"She looked around him at the road, but it didn't give any clues.
"It's a pretty ride through those mountains, though it's a little cooler than in Tucson, but there are several little towns along the road.We can stop and look around any time you're ready for a break or want to walk around a bit.We'll be riding quite a bit today and breaks will help break it up some."
"I'll let you know if I see anything I'd like to get a better look at."Elyse frowned a moment as she wondered where he had in mind to go.It was apparent he didn't plan on sharing too much, at least not yet.She didn't mind too much, she wasn't along because she cared about their destination.Elyse had agreed to come because the idea of spending the day with Mac had been far more enticing than spending the day by herself.Though she didn't mind her own company.She liked her time alone, but there was a draw to spending the day with him.
She pushed her worries from her mind as she let her gaze play along the landscape.The brush changed from mostly mesquite, to mesquite mixed with creosote, cat claw and saguaros.
"Where are we?"she asked after watching for a sign, but not seeing one.
