Savage (Demented Souls #15)

10. 10

10

D onna had been on the back of Savage’s motorcycle for almost an hour before she relaxed enough to enjoy the ride. At first, she wished she’d taken him up on his offer to let her ride in the car they’d taken to the restaurant with some of the women, but then she would have had to talk to them, and they would have had a million questions. She hadn’t wanted to face that even if she’d had to sit closer to Savage than she was comfortable with, it would be easier than answering the questions of several women she didn’t know.

Now, as she found the tension of the unknown had mostly faded, she could appreciate the peace of riding. There was no one wanting an answer, no one wanting her to make sure they had food, drink or even entertainment, she just had to be. Well, that and live in her own head, but she was mostly used to that.

Now though she pushed thoughts and worries about her life, about the commune and its leaders, about everything but right now from her mind. This ride, this moment of peace was amazing, and she was going to enjoy it.

She had been resistant when Savage had wanted to buy her clothes, but he’d offered her jeans. She hadn’t been allowed to wear jeans in almost a year. She’d jumped at the chance, then he’d gotten her several other things, even insisting that she pick out underthings, plus all the other things he insisted were necessary. Then he hadn’t even blinked an eye when the total was more than she could have imagined. She’d nearly stopped breathing right there in the store. She had no idea how she would pay him back. She’d tried to tell him that, but he’d just said not to worry about it.

Now, she sat behind him, wondering what he had been thinking then and what he was thinking about now. What kind of person had that kind of money to spend on a stranger, with no guarantee they would even see any of it back?

She didn’t know how long they’d been riding, several other bikes rumbling along both in front of and behind them, when Savage reached back with one hand, grabbed her calf, and squeezed briefly before taking hold of the handlebars again.

“You okay back there?” His voice came from somewhere in the helmet he’d given her, startling her. Before pulling out this morning, he’d borrowed the helmet from one of the women in the SUV they’d taken to the store.

It took her a moment to register there must be some kind of radio in the helmet. “Um. Yeah. I didn’t know we could talk.”

“I didn’t think to tell you. I’m sorry. If you need anything, just let me know.”

She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her and spoke, “Okay.”

“Don’t worry. The whole string can’t hear you. They’re on a different frequency. This is just you and me, okay?”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what else she should say, but now that she knew they could talk, the silence felt awkward.

“You tensed up again.” He reached back and patted her leg again then put his hand back on the handlebars. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just checking on you.”

“No, it’s okay.” Donna took a deep breath and forced herself to relax before speaking again. “Now that I know we can talk, it felt awkward not to. I was worrying about what I should say.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to feel that way. I just wanted to be sure you knew you could say something if you wanted, and I would hear you. I’m good with riding in silence if you are. I do it a lot. I can also pair the headset in the helmet with your phone so you can listen to music if you want.”

“I’m good. I’d rather enjoy the scenery and talk to you whenever the mood strikes.” She didn’t want to admit she didn’t have a phone. She already looked weird enough to Savage and his friends. That was just another thing that she wasn’t ready to get into yet. Besides, She’d barely had enough money to get the bus ticket, there was no way she could a phone too.

Donna took a deep breath and leaned into Savage, enjoying the warmth that seeped through the back of his vest and into her. The coat he’d bought kept her from freezing but she wouldn’t call it exactly warm, at least not at the speeds they were traveling.

She had things she needed to tell him if she decided to go to Arizona with him, but she didn’t want to think about that right now. There was time. She could worry about how much to tell him, and when. For now, though, she was going to enjoy the ride and the unexpected pleasure of it.