Page 27 of Ace of Spades
CHAPTER NINE
Whoa!Nate stopped in his tracks, his gaze traveling over Taylor. She stood next to his bike, talking to Madison and Alex. Because she hadn’t noticed him, he took the time to appreciate how sexy she looked in a pair of white jeans that hugged her hips and long legs before disappearing into a pair of mid-calf-length red boots. His eyes roamed back up her body to the red silk camisole, the length of which stopped about an inch above the waist of her low-riding jeans, showing a tantalizing hint of skin. And was that silver flash a belly ring?
He’d always thought her sexy, even in her plain blouses, loose black pants, and sensible shoes, but eff him. This Taylor was mouthwateringly hot, and his mouth was definitely watering.
She held a plastic cup containing her favorite drink, an iced mocha coffee piled high with whipped cream. Arousal stirred as he watched her suck on the straw, which sent his mind straight into the gutter. He very much feared he was going to spend an extremely uncomfortable day on his bike. And she hadn’t even touched him yet. How was he supposed to curb his desire for her when she was hugging his back, her arms around his waist and her thighs pressed against his?
Alex noticed him practically drooling over their fellow agent, and Nate had the urge to wipe that smirk off his brother’s face. He settled for glaring at Alex, the little Cupid dumbass. Taylor looked over at him, and her happy smile at seeing him about stopped his heart. “Damn,” he muttered to himself. Today was going to be pure torture.
He took a deep breath, then headed to his bike. “Morning,” he said, coming to a stop on the opposite side of the motorcycle from her.
“Good morning.”
There was that smile again. “Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle before?”
“No, but I’ve always wanted to.”
Pleasure filled his chest that she’d never been on the back of a bike with another man. There was nothing he loved doing more on his off day than riding. Would she get it once they got on the road? True bikers understood that, along with the pure fun of it, the cliché was true ... Nothing could compare to the freedom one felt with a powerful machine between their legs while riding the open road, the wind blowing in your face and hair.
“Okay, here’s what you need to know. I don’t have a backrest, so keep your arms around my waist. When I lean the bike, your instinct is going to be to resist and lean the other way. Don’t. Just keep your body against my back and lean with me.”
“Okay, got it.”
He grabbed his helmet and a spare from the hooks on the wall. She put on the one he handed her, but fumbled with the snap. “Here, let me do it.” Standing this close, her lemony scent floated up, and he caught himself leaning closer. Yep, today was definitely going to be torture. “There, all buckled up.”
She picked up a black jean jacket from the seat of his motorcycle, slipping it on.
“You look nice,” he said. That was a lie. She didn’t just look nice. She looked stunning. And really, really sexy.
She beamed at him. “Thank you.”
While he’d given her instructions and gotten her helmet on, Alex and Madison had put on their helmets, and Madison was already on the bike behind Alex. Nate slung a leg over his, lifting it upright.
“Put your foot on the peg, then climb on.” Once she was settled behind him, her arms circling his waist, he started the bike. Having her wrapped around him was as torturous as he’d thought it would be. Her breasts were pressed against his back, the insides of her legs were aligned alongside the outside of his, and her palms rested on his shirt, right over his belly button. As he pulled away, he tried to decide whether he was in heaven or in hell.
Once they were on the road, he put his hand over hers to make sure she didn’t let go, then accelerated. She laughed, the sound of it pure joy. He should have known she’d love riding on a motorcycle. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman behind him, and he’d forgotten how much he liked it. Even more so this time because it was Taylor.
He glanced in his rearview mirror to make sure Alex was behind him, then headed north on A1A. After learning Taylor would be riding with them today, he’d decided to take the beach road to Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale. There was a nice poolside restaurant at the pier, and after eating they could walk along the docks, playing tourist while gawking at all the huge yachts.
It didn’t take long for Taylor to get the hang of being on the back of a motorcycle. A few miles down the road and she was leaning with him, not holding on for dear life or constantly bumping the back of his helmet with hers like so many passengers did their first time on a bike. That didn’t surprise him. When she made up her mind to do something, she invariably succeeded. They’d traveled another mile before he realized he had his hand on her knee. When had he done that?
Then she started playing with his ponytail whenever they stopped at a light. Between her legs pressed alongside his, her breasts bouncing against his back, and her fingers combing his hair, he thought he mightgo insane. Or be permanently aroused, never able to walk normally again.
And he still had his hand on her knee. He snatched it away, putting it back on the handlebar. To counter the effect she was having on him, he turned his mind to their case and what they knew so far. As yet, they had very little except for assumptions. Although most of those would probably prove true once they found their killer, Nate wanted facts. Thinking of their victims dumped in the Everglades in their white dresses, gold bands on their ring fingers, should have been as good as a bucket of ice dumped down his pants.
But by the time they pulled into a parking space at Pier 66, he needed to cross his hands in front of him to hide his erection.Note to self: next time you have Taylor on the back of your motorcycle, wear the longest shirt you own.
“That was awesome,” she said as she hopped off his bike. “I want a motorcycle.” She eyed Madison. “Wouldn’t you like to have your own bike?”
“Nope, I like riding behind my man.” Madison gave her husband a sexy smile. “It’s a total turn-on to ride pressed all up against him.”
Taylor glanced at him, mischief dancing in her eyes, and he braced himself for what was about to come out of her mouth. “I totally get that now that I’ve ridden behind Nate, but still. Being in control of all that power between your legs? Man, the thought of that makes me hot.”
The air left his lungs at thinking of her straddling a motorcycle in that outfit. He bent over, more than was necessary, to lock the bike’s fork, while at the same time pulling his T-shirt out of his jeans in an attempt to cover his zipper area. It wasn’t damn long enough.
Alex grinned, ambling over while the girls busied themselves with removing their helmets. “Should I just shoot you now? Put you out of your misery?”
“Bug off, Alex.” Alex laughed so hard that Nate thought he might have to give his baby brother CPR.
