Page 49 of To Bring You Back
He checked the mirrors. Still no one, but even if he were willing to end this adventure, he couldn’t take her to either of their homes, as both were likely being watched. She may have called to apologize, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be front page material with him.
They needed a second helmet for safety and so identifying them in photos would be impossible. He’d drive until he found a place to buy another helmet. The next city would take about half an hour to get to, if he remembered right, but he could drive all night with her clinging to him like this. And how he wanted to.
Too soon, the edge of town welcomed them with a restaurant, two hotels, and a large farm and outdoor goods store. He pulled in, his body cooling as soon as Adeline let go and climbed off.
She pulled the helmet straight up. Her hair clung to it for a moment, then dropped, sending dust particles into the light that poured from the lamp overhead.
“You might want to …” He rubbed his fingers through his own hair.
Adeline brushed her free hand over her hair and face. Once he took the helmet, she removed his jacket, shook the dust off, and gave it back. That done, she crossed her arms. Her frown wasn’t happy, but her expression wasn’t angry either.
Time to start talking before she decided she didn’t like this.
“I’ll get you gear here, if they have it. Then no one will be able to take a good shot of us on the way home.”
“Gear?”
“Jacket, pants, helmet. Riding is dangerous enough with the right gear. Without …” He’d intended to put her at ease, not worry her. “It’ll make getting a shot of you more difficult.”
She uncrossed her arms, a step in the right direction. Now, when he’d just ridden half an hour without a helmet, wasn’t the time to ask why she’d taken on such a dangerous job as sanding way up on that ladder.
Once they’d stepped inside, she motioned toward the restrooms. “I’m going to clean up.”
“All right. I’ll text when I find the right section.”
The store was bigger than he’d anticipated, and camouflage hunting clothing hung to the left. He waded through that and was rewarded by a few racks of motorcycle gear and a selection of helmets. He picked one off the shelf and turned to see the clothing options.
Adeline pushed her way through the crowded section, her eyebrows and the hair around her face damp. Half her makeup had come off with the dust, revealing a smattering of freckles on her cheeks. She lifted an eyebrow at the helmet. “All black for me too?”
“They don’t have a lot of options. For clothes, you get to choose between black and white or black and pink.”
“What about the blue?” She turned the tag on a hoody that hung closer to where they stood, then stepped back, shock skewing her features. “Or how about jeans and a regular jacket? This stuff is way too expensive.”
“At highway speeds, you need the right gear. Especially with the wild cards of photographers and fans in the mix.” He steered her to the rack with the armored jackets and pants. “Besides, I’m buying, and I was thinking we could …” No. She’d never go for it.
“Thinking what?”
“We could hightail it for a visit home. Spend the night at our parents’ houses, come back tomorrow.” The trip would extend their time together, and it’d provide solid alibis that he and Adeline hadn’t done anything inappropriate, should the press get ahold of this.
“Fox Valley’s a two-hour drive from here.”
“It’d be a shame to get the gear and not break it in.”
She blinked, eyes fixed on the clothes, probably still too distracted by the price to consider other outlandish ideas.
A voice came over the store speakers, announcing they would close soon.
“Either way, the gear is nonnegotiable. White or pink?”
She snatched up the nearest price tag. “This will cost hundreds of dollars.”
He adjusted his grip on the new helmet, hoping the price tag wasn’t visible. “Nonnegotiable.”
She had no idea how much she was worth to him.
With a sigh, she collected the gear with the white accents and turned toward the checkout.
“Gear has to fit right to do its job.” He pointed toward the far wall of the store where a sign indicated fitting rooms.
