Page 67 of Her Maine Risk

And I believe him. I trust him. Well, I trust him while on his motorcycle. And that in itself is a revelation. I don’t trust easily, especially guys, and yet here I am, putting my life in his hands.

Literally.

His beautiful, magic hands.

Squeezing my thighs, he revs the engine, and we’re off – gravel kicking up behind us. Squeezing him tighter, I feel his muscles contract under me and I smile wider. It’s an amazing feeling.

We reach the end of the drive, and Alex stops, rubs my thigh, and then turns right out onto the road.

The scent of pine trees fills my nose as the wind whips past us, my braid slapping against my back. I remember to keep my eyes open, and after a minute, I slowly pull back from Alex and turn my head in the opposite direction.

I tense when my body feels off balance for a second, and then I rest my cheek on his back again.

The colors of fall blur past me as a wall of green, orange, yellow, red, and brown.

It feels like we’re flying. As if the tires are barely touching the road. And my chest lightens.

The weight of the world I usually feel is falling off of me, getting carried away in the wind.

I’m giving it back to the universe. I don’t want to carry it any longer.

I wish I could record this so I could replay it over and over whenever I need to remind myself to let go of everything I can’t control. I can’t plan everything. I just need to live in the moments I’m given. Just like this one.

Coming up to a stop sign, Alex places a hand over mine as he looks both ways, and then we continue on. I have no idea how long we ride, or what direction we’re going. I just let myself enjoy it.

When I gain the nerve, I decide to take a risk and lean back from him, turning my head back and forth to take in the view as a whole.

I look over his shoulder in front of us, and a rush of adrenaline surges through me. The lines of the road blur like we’re going through a portal, and my eyes water from the wind. But I keep looking, digging my fingertips into his stomach as I lean away just a fraction further.

My head rushes with a wave of blood, and I close my eyes, smiling.

A small laugh bubbles up from within me, and it’s carried away in the wind, following my troubles.

This is freedom.

I know Alex is smiling even though I can’t see his face. There’s no way he can’t feel my exhilaration, and I know he’s feeling smug. He knew I’d love this even when I was terrified.

We ride for a while, but it’s still over too quickly. Slowing down, Alex turns down a gravel path, and a few seconds later, he parks in a small gravel lot.

I can’t see anything but trees, but then I spot what looks like a small dirt path off of the lot.

Turning his bike off, Alex plants his feet on the ground and runs his hands through his beautifully windswept hair.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll see,” he says, placing his hands on my knees and turning his head to the side.

Unlocking my hands, I grip his shoulders and dismount. Taking the helmet off, I smooth my hair down and bring my braid back around my shoulder.

When Alex gets off, I hand him back the helmet and look around. His Harley is the only vehicle in the lot, and I don’t hear anything but the wind rustling the branches around us as loose leaves fall to the ground.

“Don’t worry, you’ll love it. Come on,” he says, taking my hand in his.

Starting down the small path I spotted, it’s only wide enough for one person, and so I’m forced to walk behind him, but I still hold onto his hand.

I’m not big on hiking or walks through the forest, but with Alex here, I don’t feel the creeping sensation of something lurking as I normally would.

I keep my eyes down to watch where I’m stepping, so I don’t realize that he stops walking, and I bump into his back.

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