Page 87 of Embers in Our Souls
“I know what you mean.” She looks at her daughter and Clay.
“She’s beautiful,” I tell her.
“Thank you. She’s my little miracle.” I feel like there’s a story behind her words, but Clay makes his way back over before I can ask for more on that.
“I think someone is going to be taking a break,” he says, not sure if he’s referring to himself or his daughter as he winces when he fully stands.
“Why don’t you two grab a snack?” Abby chuckles.
“I think I’m going to check on Hunter to see if he needs help,” Clay says. “You good here?” He bends down and brings his pointer-finger under Abby’s chin to lightly kiss her lips.
She smiles and shakes her head. “I’m good. Thanks, though.”
I feel like I’m interrupting something by just watching these two interact. He ruffles his daughter’s hair then jogs over to meet the boys.
“How long have you been together?” I ask Abby.
“It’s sort of a long story, but off and on since college. We sort of got back together when I was pregnant with this one.” She taps her daughter’s nose, enticing a giggle from Ella.
I smile, realizing there’s no perfect road for any of us. We all have a special route to reach what is right for us.
Noah is at the movies with his friend Harley and her family. They invited him over shortly after we arrived home from the park. I thought he’d be too tired, but he begged me, and I couldn’t resist his sweet little face. Plus, a little bit of time uninterrupted with Tyler sounded pretty good after I watched him being so sweet with Noah.
“So, how long do you think we’re on our own?” Ty wraps his arms around me.
We came back to his place after we dropped Noah off at Harley’s house.
“Probably a solid four hours. Harley’s mom said she’s taking them out for pizza afterwards. I don’t know how she’s got that much energy.” I can’t help the goosebumps that are erupting as Tyler nibbles my ear.
“I’ve got an idea. You want to go out on a ride on my bike?” He breathes me in and I get a flurry of butterflies as I think about getting on his bike.
I hesitate for a moment. “You nervous to get on there with me again?” He pulls away, taking in my expression.
“No.” I bite my lower lip.
He bites my shoulder, and I swear my underwear is a little wetter.
He smacks my ass as he grabs my hand, pulling me toward his garage. Once inside, he grabs the extra helmet and puts it over my head.
Once he straps it around my chin, he groans.
“What?” I say, sounding a bit muffled.
“If I stare too long at you, I might bend you over my bike and fuck you again. So, we better get going.”
“Really? Because of the helmet?” I can’t help the perplexed look I give him through the face shield.
He grabs the chin guard and pulls me closer. “I swear, you’ve got me fucking hard right now and you’re fully clothed.”
I think my temperature just spiked a few degrees with his words. Is he sure a ride on the bike is what he wants to do? As if reading my mind, he says, “Yes, I want to do this. It will be our version of foreplay.” He leans in and kisses my nose, then closes the visor.
Opening the garage, he saddles up on the bike, putting his own helmet in place. Once he’s in position, he tells me to sit behind him. The moment I wrap my hands around him, I feel his warmth beneath me. That thrumming of his heart underneath my fingertips is fucking enthralling.
He yells, “You ready?!”
I nod and he starts the bike. The moment we start to move, I understand how he might find this soothing for his soul. Feeling the wind hitting me as we move along the streets calms me, and this is only my second ride on this bike.
I tighten along his middle, my thighs doing exactly as they had last time we rode, more so with each turn. I love every second I get to sit this close with him. He isn’t careless as we glide along the streets, I really appreciate that about him.
