Page 4 of Cruz: Skin Deep

“I travel long distance and sometimes I like company.”

She slipped it on. “It fits!”

“That it does…and nicely too,” he said.

“So, this is a girl’s size, right?”

“Depends on the size of the girl’s head.” She rolled her eyes. He liked that. “I don’t like guys’ arms around me,” he said. She looked at the bike again and instinctively put her hand on the sissy bar. “You can rest on that. It’s comfortable, but since you’ve never been on a bike before, you should wrap your arms around me to get the feel of it first.”

“Feel of it?”

He grinned, and she blushed.Fuck, she’s pretty. Especially when she blushes like that.

“The way the bike…we…you and I…move together.” He swayed his hips and she felt like she was getting a little wet downstairs. She was blushing even more now.So pretty.“As we lean through corners and stuff…”

“Stuff?” That just came out.Fuck, I sound like a parrot.

“Yeah…stuff,” he said. “No, really…you’ll see what I mean when we get going. I’m a laid-back kinda rider.”

“Cool.”

He told her how to get on and off the bike, and how to relax and lean with him when they were riding. She was nervous and excited, and when she finally put her boot on the foot peg and her hand on his shoulder to get on, she felt like fate had stepped in and was taking her where she needed to go. It was more than a ride…it was a reason.

* * *

Once they wereon their way she couldn’t stop smiling. She’d always wondered what it would be like to be on the back of a bike. He told her his name and she’d done the same, then he told her he would drive to the end of the road to see if she was happy to go further. She was already ready to go the whole way. She touched him on the shoulder and pointed to the shops up ahead, so he pulled into the parking area.

“I need a phone,” Eden told him.

“You can use mine if you like.”

“I really need to get my own. You’ll wait?” she asked.

“Of course,” he told her.

She trusted him already. Besides, what would he do with a backpack full of women's clothing unless he was a freak, and if he was, she’d be happy for him to ride away.

When Eden came back, she said, “Sorry. I didn't mean to take so long.”

He looked at the iPhone in her hand and laughed. “You couldn't find anything cheaper?” he said.

“I needed something I knew how to use,” she told him. She looked like someone who was used to the best of everything. It made him wonder why she’d been walking down the road and not been driving in a Mercedes or some other expensive vehicle. He was happy she wasn’t.

“So where is the first stop on the trip?” she said.

“About a mile from here,” he told her.

“One mile? I thought you were headed for Phoenix,” she said.

“Yeah, but I’m not leaving until tomorrow morning.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Tomorrow morning?” She frowned then. “So, what’s happening between now and tomorrow morning?”

“I’ve got a room for the night…”

She held her hands up. “No fucking way,” she said. “You think I’m stupid?”

“I don’t even know you,” he said. Then he added, “Yet.”

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