Page 66 of Those Who Are Bound

Elliott

Thehelmetswereasthey’d left them. Elliott was surprised, considering they were in the city.

Jonah explained as he fastened hers, “People tend to leave stuff alone; helmets are for safety. Why steal that from someone?”

“Sell it online?”

Jonah shook his head. “It’s not a good idea to buy a helmet secondhand. You have one impact, and it’s useless. Unless you buy it from a respectable dealer, you have no idea the condition it’s in.”

“One impact,” she repeated. “If you survive it.”

Jonah just looked at her but didn’t say anything. He flipped down her visor and stepped back to retrieve his own helmet as she donned her leather gloves. When they were both geared up, Jonah gave her a wink before he climbed onto the bike and straightened it. He nodded for her to get on, and she slid onto the bench behind him, no less close than previously.

Arms securely anchored around him, she cocked her head to the side so she wouldn’t smack him with her own helmet on shifts. Her thighs again rode alongside his in a distracting fashion. She didn’t know if she was more or less afraid this time, but at least she knew what she was getting into, and she could trust Jonah not to be a daredevil. He certainly wasn’t one of those riders who liked to weave in and out of traffic. He was careful, solid… safe.

But the ride was still fraught with nerve-racking moments, some vehicles veering too close for her comfort. Jonah was unfazed, but Elliott was trying to put up a mental barrier around them, which, of course, was wasted energy. She must have held too tightly at one point because Jonah reached down and caressed the hand she had pressed to his firm stomach as though to signal everything was okay.

Back in the alley behind his shop, she waited patiently for the bike to stop and the engine to cut. This, she liked, holding on to him, the rumbling of the machine beneath them, no threats around them. But at his signal, she reluctantly relinquished her hold and dismounted.

Flipping her visor up, she waited for him. Once his helmet and gloves were off, he turned to her. “Better this time?”

Elliott nodded. “I don’t like other cars. I’ve never noticed them before, not like that.”

Jonah let out a low laugh, reaching for the clasp under her chin. “It changes your perspective.”

“Completely,” she agreed.

Helmet removed along with the jute, she again shook out her hair, this time reaching up to add a bit of fluff. Jonah took her off guard by grasping her chin and tilting her face up. She parted her lips to suck in a breath just before he kissed her, aiding him in gaining access. Her heart stopped at the gentle pressure, his tongue invading softly, and then it raced forward again in a heady rush. As she swayed toward him, he ended the kiss.

Looking up at him, she said, “I think that’s why the word ‘swoon’ was invented.”

Jonah ran his thumb over her cheek, then stepped back. “Let’s take this stuff inside and go eat.”

Head still on a slight spin cycle, she could only nod before following him inside. Upstairs, he carefully set the two helmets on the desk and shed his jacket while she stripped out of the gear he’d given her. He took her jacket and pants and neatly packed them back into the white box. He added the helmet on top.

“When you go, take this with you.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s yours; if I can convince you to get on the bike again, you’ll need it.”

Elliott looked at the box. “You mean… you bought that for me, not knowing if I’d even get on the bike?”

“Better safe than sorry. I wasn’t about to put you on a bike without gear.”

“I could have borrowed it from someone. Lucy, maybe?” Of course, the second she said it, she knew there was no way she and Lucy could share clothes. Lucy was petite; dainty. Elliott was taller and curvier.

“Elliott, it’s yours,” Jonah said calmly.

She bit her lower lip and said, “Thank you. I’m not… I’m not accustomed to…”

“Don’t think anything of it. It’s my bike; if I want you on it, then it’s my responsibility to ensure you have the proper gear.”

“Okay.”

Downstairs, Jonah introduced her to a second employee who had come on shift to assist Kale, a twentysomething woman named Megan who looked nothing like her colleague. Megan was a pudgy, serious-looking woman, her brown hair cropped severely short. She was friendly but didn’t have the laid-back humor of her counterpart.

No sooner had Jonah introduced her, however, then a customer interrupted, taking Jonah’s attention, and then Jonah himself away as he steered the customer toward the camping equipment. Elliott watched him go, studying his expressions as he interacted with the man, drawing out what he needed and explaining options. She could tell he loved what he did by watching him, how animated he was as he talked. She half expected him to pop open a tent right there for the man to test out.

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